That's right, i remember now.  I bet that got old having to replace those old wooden trucks all the time.  They had to get a lot of damage due to weather.


Its been a long time since cars had wooden trunks in their backs, I hope one day they dont run on fossil fuels anymore I am really worried about the environment, either way its been a pleasure chatting with you


I am worried as well.  It's been nice chatting you too.


hi how are you? do you listen to the radio?


I do! I mean nothing in classical latin, but still love me some radio.


but its the NEWS in latin. that makes it interesting! LOL. i wonder how many listeners there are. since 1989? i guess there are enough.


Yeah, I didnt realize that there were people where were even fluent in classical latin, like enough to speak and converse in it.


I guess they read the news out loud and people listen along for fun. seems a bit cerebral and abstruse.


It really does, a bit more work that I d be willing to do.


i would rather dig up some of that classic radio dramas on the internet. those would be better.


Those sound like they would be interesting.


Yes, there were many great shows then. like War of the Worlds.


Even Jupiter's storms might be better than the Latin.  Id likely have a better chance of understanding.  LOL


Yes, i would rather go with the storms than the latin. I wonder about canadian radio law. How does that affect latin news programs?


I guess if they are talking about Canada it might qualify...  I dont know.  But they can jam out to all the Bieber they want.


40 percent of each latin news broadcast must be news about canada. yes.


That would be epic, especially in Finland... LOL  I must of read your comment wrong.


No, i am mixing and matching to try to make it interesting. I have done, oh, about 1000 of these chats about the radio. The foxhole radios, the website with the dramas, the radio storms on Jupiter,... I know it all by heart.


LOL.  Yeah.  I might start trying to build that foxhole radio...  probably gonna fail miserably.


I think that in a foxhole,your motivation to succeed would be pretty high. Try that and see what happens. LOL


Ill just dig a hole in my back yard, too lazy to go to a real foxhole.


ok, that is reasonable. but someone has to throw hand grenades at you to simulate the stress of combat.


Hmm.. will waterballoons work?  If they are the ones that look like grenades.  Thats all I got.


Well, im not really an expert on such matters, anything that scares you enough. Anyway, great chat! good luck with your foxhole!


Yes I do. Did you know astronauts vote from spacE?


That is pretty neat. In India they set up a voting poll just for one guy in a forest with tigers


Wow that is dedication to ensure that everyone gets to vote


Yeah it is. In the UK not all men were able to vote until 1918


I wonder what restrictions must have been in place for that


Yeah I wonder too. IN Alabama almost half of the black population cannot vote either


Yeah I think that has to do with felony laws that prevent them from voting


Yeah that is it I think too. In Austin texas they seem more busy voting to change the name of the dump site


Yeah, people are different. DO you know much about prime ministers?


I now some stuff. IN the UK in the house of the PM there is a cat that holds the title of CHief Mouser


Haha that is awesome. In australia the position of the PM is not in the constitution


Yeah it is just a custom for them but it seems to work


Yeah exactly. IN Japan, if you turn 100 you receive a silver cup from the PM


Yeah but many of them are turning 100 now so that is a problem


Yeah I can see that being to much for silver cups, I bet they cost quite a bit too


I sure do. Did you know you can catch Jupiter's storms on the am radio?


Nice. Do you ever listen to Canadian radios?


I listen sometimes, they play a lot of Canadian music though


Washington seems to be a hot spot to visit in mid-June.


Yes, it seems like there are lots of things to do. Have you heard of Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Black Cat? I haven't, but apparently they are popular. Their show is sold out.


No, I haven't heard of them.  Hunter S. Thompson's books and more go on display and Andrew Schulz comedy is at DC Improv.


Stand up comedy is fun. It seems like there is a lot of that in DC. A comedian who has appeared on Conan and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will be performing at Drafthouse Comedy.


Great bands are there as well such as DC based band of Tomorrow blending different styles of rock, funk, reggae, hip-hop, soul and more


Those are a lot of different genres in one. But I hear the sound is quite cohesive.


Geoff Browning opened for TAUK at 9:30 Club and will play Fort Totten's summer concert series


There are lots of choices for music. But if it's art you're into, you can see "trippy" art in a retrospective exhibit.


Speaking of the arts, did you know that the Green Lantern film was going to originally be a comedy with Jack Black


No, I didn't know that. Did you ever watch 3rd Rock From the Sun? It won a Golden Globe for best comedy.


Not so much, but the origins of the word comedy comes from Ancient Greece.  Comic poets at theaters used to influence voters


3rd rock from the sun beat out seinfeld, friends and frasier. That is surprising to me. I used to watch 3rd rock from the sun but never thought it was so funny.


On another note, in music "the Dark side of the moon" was released 40 years ago, but still is a best seller in 2014


Speaking of comedy and music, two identical Japanese twins released a rap album when they turned 100 years old.


i'd like to hear that!  Do you like dogs?   They have doggy blood drives just like people :)  There are 12 doggy blood types.


I feel kind of bad though, as dogs wouldn't have a choice in the matter.


Yeah sometimes I feel bad for cows pumping all that milk too for us.  Dogs and elephants are the only animals to understand pointing.


An elephant never forgets!  Istanbul helps out dogs by having a vending machine that gives food and water for dogs in exchange for recycled plastic bottles.


That seems very productive! I wonder who started the rumor that dogs were color blind? They can see as many colors as we can.


Good question.  Google prefers dogs to cats, but I'm not sure what that practically means.


no, i would love to though! 8 things to do in D.C. from June 14-20


It looks like there are several comedy shows there. Do you like comedy?


It has been 37 years since a comedy won the academy award for best picture.


apparently this guys album was debuted at No. 1 on iTunes' comedy albums chart


That's pretty cool. I didn't realize Drew Carey was in the Marines for 8 years and that's where he started telling jokes.


me either! I loved his show, Cleveland rocks!


It was funny! The early comedy cinema joke of slipping on a banana peel was a reference to slipping in horse manure.


Gross! you can listen to free music too! June 15 Of Tomorrow Galloway Street and South Dakota Avenue NE; Fri., 6-8 p.m., free. D.C.-based band Of Tomorrow blends a variety of styles - rock, funk, reggae, hip-hop, soul and more - into a cohesive whole.


That's neat. I like music. Did you know that Aerosmith made more money from guitar hero than any album?


I had no idea! Seattle quartet Kuinka plays an exuberant brand of pop music, bouncing through styles, instruments and moods so quick that it can be hard to keep up.


That sounds cool! Led zeppelin decided not to title their fourth album, to confuse the hated rock press.


Bill murray thinks kung fu hustle is "the supreme achievement of the modern age in terms of comedy".


Haha. Evan almighty is the most expensive comedy ever made, with a budget of $200 million!


I wonder how much it made? It was a good comedy!


I don't think I ever saw it! "the empire strikes back' was nominated by the writers guild of america for its best comedy award in 1981.


The green lantern film was originally going to be a comedy starring jack black. I would have loved to see that!


Me too! Parody subverts popular genres and forms, critiquing those forms without necessarily condemning them.


I loved this one too. So good! 3rd rock from the sun won the golden globe for best comedy series in 1997, beating seinfeld, friends, and frasier.


That's hard to believe with how popular they were! Thanks for chatting!


Hello, How are you today? Do you listen to the radio?


Yes, I use to use the radio more, I am using my phone a lot more now!


I use YouTube a lot to listen to my favorite songs.


I do too among other apps. Love the audio book. Have you ever heard those  storms from Jupiter on the am radio. I would like to hear that!


No I haven't but wouldn't that be cool to hear.


Would you be interested in hearing classic radio drama? There is a website where you can listen for free.


lol, I do too! I would rather watch the television with drama!


Yes, I just like others ideas more than my own. LOL


Did you know Astronaunts vote in space? I'm am watching a rocket on Nasa Live right now getting ready to launch in 48 minutes!!


Exciting. I would think they could do a mail in ballot.


lol, Too bad Japan have to give cheaper cups instead of the silver ones with so many healthy people living to 100!


True, I don't know if I want to live that long.


I know what you mean, only if I have my health!!


Yes, it would be more if I still had my friends and family and health.


That's so true! My mother is 90 and a lot of her friends and family have passed away! How would you like to have to vote in a forest full of lions? lol


Indian government do it for a single voter!! Crazy


LOL. That is crazy. It's been nice chatting with you.


You too! Have a nice evening! Enjoy your radio !!


During this time of struggle in government, it was interesting to read that in Austin Tx people voted to name the garbage dump Fred durst.


Voting has such a broad spectrum not all MEN in the UK could vote until 1918.   Yet the Prime minister had a cat in the cabinet


That cat has a complex job and it takes it's job seriously.  I think its interesting that 34% of the black male population in alabama has permanently lost the right to vote.  I wish they would explain more,  I wonder why.


I can only assume it is due to convictions.  Looking the government of Australia  i did not know that the PM  was a custom not a constitutional position


I did not know that either.  When you turn 100 in japan, the prime minister sends you a silver cup to celebrate. so many people are turning 100 that they had to find a way to make cheaper cups.


Does that lessen the achievement?  I wonder what they make the cups with now or are they smaller?


I am not sure.  I dont think it lessens the achievement,  though,  being 100 already is an achievement.  I would be scared to vote in an indian government haha Indian government sets up a polling booth in a forest full of lions for a single voter.


Oh no I see that as a government who is truly trying to capture every vote.  Wanting to appear as a true democracy.  What a system for vote collection.


Capture or Eat haha.  Yeah,  thats mind blowing.  maybe they do it so people wont vote and only have a select people vote in secrecy so they control the outcome of the vote.


Could be.  Hard to believe US astronauts can submit their votes from outer space.  Hopefully those  radio storms from Jupiter do not interfere.


So it is said.  I wonder how the votes are transmitted from outer space?  Did soldiers from WWII get to vote?


Thats an interesting question.  Maybe they processed those votes through radio?  Possibly.


Well in WWII soldiers made radios in foxholes with a pencil and a razor blade.  So with todays tech anything is possible.


In 1995 a radio station successfully prank called queen elizabeth ii by pretending to be then canadian prime minister jean chretien


That is amazing that the security was that lax.  WIth the modulating properties of radio I guess disguising a voice would be a simple trick.


Yeah.  Im security is more strict now.  Someone probably couldnt prank the Queen now.


Very true. But being the queen does she really have that much power since the Prime Minister is the true head of of the civil service.


Right.  She has a lot of influence though with the people.


Does she?  As the PM heads up everything.  It seems as if the Queen is custom like the PM in Aussie.


It was great talking to you.  Have a great day!


Hey how did You like the Green Lantern movie ?


Not as much as I liked Kiunka's four-song "Stay Up Late" EP


who's that ? Sorry I've never heard that song. What kind of music is it ?


Seattle quartet Kuinka plays an exuberant brand of pop music


oh ok. Sorry didn't hear that one.  Did You know that Comedy central has cancelled over 100 shows since its creation in 1989 ?


That is quite a few.     I wonder how many referred to the joke of slipping on a banana peel?


lol...  yeah, going back to green lantern - originally it supposed to be a comedy ;) what...  superhero comic book as a comedy ? Do You see that ?


Maybe.   The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance


Yes, after I read about Northrop Frye who depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old.


wow...ok... hey... You're a dog lover ? ;)


Yes.    Did you know Dogs can learn over a thousand words and can reason better than chimps.


No I've never thought they can be THAT smart. Are we talking about all breeds or maybe there are smarter and dumber breeds ? :)


Depends, just like people.    However, Some dogs in moscow have learned to use the subway.


"learned" ? In terms of... walking behind their owner into the train ? Because I don't see them somehow buying the actual ticket ;)


Not sure.   Dogs do have 'eureka moments' and enjoy the experience of solving a problem in order to obtain a reward.


I guess, but I don't believe they understand what You mean when You point at something... from like a distance, because when You point to a food on the floor like You're almost touching it - most dogs will get it :)


True.    The dog was the first species to be domesticated and has been selectively bred over millennia


Yeah, I mean I've heard that, but WHO and HOW did a study on this ;) lol, or are these facts only based on a drawings in caves ;)


If nothing else, Their long association with humans has led dogs to be uniquely attuned to human behavior


...and now we dress these majestic animals in Halloween costumes...  they probably regret that decision ;)


Perhaps, but dogs continue to perform many roles for humans.


My dogs perform holes in my backyard... :) and bark at my tenants even though they've known them for many years ;)


Spoiled then.    No hunting, herding or pulling loads for them!


I guess I did - I'm not a hunter - I couldn't kill an animal, doesn't matter how small... Maybe I'll buy some sheep for them to protect ;) You have dogs ?


Yes.    It has always amazed me how Dogs drink with the underside of their tongue


You got some weird dogs man... ;) kidding ;)


Perhaps so.     Thanks for the chat, man!


Hi there. Are you a fan of jazz? I think it is so historical. Since the 1920s it has been recognized as the major form of musical expression.


Yes I love jazz!  I love it because it has both swing and blue notes.


That's awesome and yes it does. Jazz has its roots in west African cultural and musical expression.


A great actor, Clint Eastwood is a lifelong Jazz enthusiast!


You're right he is a great actor. He even scored several films including million dollar baby so he can definitely appreciate good music.


Yes he even is a pianist!  One thing I didn't know is Pakistan has a Jazz orchestra,did you hear of them?


I have never heard of them and that is very surprising to me. A Harlem woman once held free jazz concert at her apartment every Sunday for 20 years. I wonder who played there?


Yes, I heard about this and she was able to occasionally get top performers to stop by!


That would be so cool to watch. There's even a programming language in which the programs are written in musical composition and functional programs have jazz like harmonies. Very cool.


Now that is neat! Speaking of music, do you like going to see a live concert?


Yes I love love concerts. I wish I saw Lincoln Park play because they played over 300 concerts in 2001 alone.


That was a busy year for them!  Another busy band were the Ramones.  They toured almost non stop for over 20 years!


Wow that is a lot. They must've been good unlike Creed who is so bad that for concert goers filed a lawsuit against the band.


That must have been a horrible concert!  I've been to Pompeii, and to hear that Pink Floyd did a live recorded concert there would have been cool to hear!


Oh that would be epic. Yeah they played at the ancient Roman amphitheater must've been awesome.


Another hobby I like to do while listening to classical music is to read.  Do you enjoy reading?


Oh that's cool, but for me it would be distracting. I love to read. I want to read starship troopers because it is the first sci-fi novel on the reading list of three of the five US military branches.


Must be a great novel than!  There is a record of speed reading where Anne Jones had a reading speed of 4,700 words per minute.  I wonder if she could remember what she read.


Agreed. Wow I could never read that fast! Another book suggested by the military is enders game so I guess I need to add that to the list too.


Interesting, may have to check that out also.  It sounded like in the 18th century reading novels wasn't very well liked.  It caused a "moral panic" because of the spread of reading novels.


Wow that is pretty surprising. Maybe it's because there are no concrete laws in writing so that worried a lot of people. I will have to go look that up. But it was nice having this conversation with you I really hope you have a good day.


What do you think about drive-thru restaurants?


I love them, I can get in and out of my favorite restaurant faster!


I love my ford. I was the first American car company.


Have you known more women or men to own iPhones?


PRobably equal actually. Apple is pretty popular with both genders.


I think I've seen more men with them for some reason.


I got one of the first iPhones released in 2007


The software on the phones allows you to just about everything you can think of digitally.


Have you ever heard of the iPhone game "Send me to heaven"


No, I have only played Fruit Ninja and Candy Crush on my iPhone


Candy Crush is an enjoyable game, even on a small screen like a smartphone.


Do you have visual voicemail on your brand of phone like iPhone does?


Actually, no. You mean you can see a person moving on the message?


No, It types out the voicemail for you instead of having to listen to it when you can't


Oh, I think I've seen that but I don't have it.


I use mine for its GPS features the most


Would you shop at a store that sold the contents of unclaimed airline baggage?


Maybe, If I could see what was in the bag first


My family says I dress like a pilgrim so I need to shop at a store that can offer me more color


That is funny. Apparently pilgrims only wore black on holidays. I had no idea.


Did you know that Blockbuster declined several offers to buy Netflix for $50 million but they turned it down?


I love it an watch it all the time and you?


Me too. 33% of the bandwidth in the morning is used by Netflix in NA


That us amazing and with youtube they make half of the peak internet traffic


Yeah they are definitely us there. DO you know how it came about?


Yes the guy who invented it got a late fee for a VHS and had enough of it


I used to as it was the only thing around. They dissipated quickly


Yeah they did and lost a great opportunity to buy netflix once


Yeah for $50 million they could have made billions now, too bad


I know right? THey still spend on postage more than bandwidth.


Yeah about 20 times more but I do not know that they are shipping so much


Yeah me either to be honest. Do you like dogs?


I love dogs. Did you know they have 12 blood types?


Yeah and they donate blood and there are blood banks for dogs too


Yeah that is sweet. Did you hear about that project in Istanbul to feed dogs?


Yeah about dispensing food and water when you feed it plastic bottles. Pretty genius


Yeah it is nice. Dogs and elephants both understanding pointing


Nice they are so smart. Did you know Google prefers dogs over cats?


Yes they have it in their code of conduct


Yesh pretty awesome. ANd they are not colorblind as believed


Yes they just see fewer colors, so not colorblind


Yeah it is great that science has discovered such things


Are you a fan of the banjo, or can you play it?


I know a little about the Banjo.     I know that they are actually quite versatile instruments.


I like it in small doses.  Unfortunately when I hear one all I can think of, like many people, is that movie Deliverance.


That is sad.     You can get anything from a deep, guttural growl to something bright and crisp.


Is it any easier to play than a guitar.  It looks a bit simpler but looks can be deceiving.


The basics are probably simpler, but specifics are just as difficult.    Different types of banjos are played differently.


I can think of one artist that I like that has used a lot of banjo, and that is someone by the name of Sufjan Stevens.  He used it a lot on a album called Seven Swans, one of my favorites.


I wonder if anyone has ever played banjo on a jazz recording?


Jazz musicians are meant to be great improvisers and experimenters, I'm sure someone must have brought one in one day.  I'm afraid jazz is another mystery to me.


I love good New Orleans Jazz, where the music has been around since the late 19th century!


My dad loves his jazz, he used to play it all the time when I was a kid.  Maybe that's where my aversion comes from, rebelling against my parents.  I admire it, I just don't enjoy it.


No worries.     Perhaps Eddie Van Halen is more your speed?    He played on "Beat It!"


Yeah, more a rock and roll person, you're right.  I don't get the whole smashing of guitars though.  Maybe once or twice on the spur of the moment, but not all the time.


Matthew Ballamy of Muse holds the guinness world record for most guitars smashed on a tour!


Yeah, but who holds the record for smashing banjos on tour?  That must add up over the course of a tour, I wonder if he regrets it?


Perhaps so.    Did you know Brian May of Queen is a smart guy!


I think I knew that, I think the whole of Queen were intellectual of one type or another.  Somehow Eddie Van Halen doesn't seem to me to another with a Phd


Too true.    I wonder if Van Halen ever tried using a coin as a pick.


It wouldn't be anything as dainty as an old English sixpence, maybe an American dollar.  I suppose it has to be the right size I guess.


True.     Then again, if you are recording on a houseboat like Pink Floyd, it doesn't much matter if your ship is going down!


I could see Pink Floyd using a banjo at some point.  The progressive rock stuff they did used just about everything.


Thanks for the chat!   I think I'm going to go put on the Pakistan jazz orchestra that is topping the charts.


Do you play an instrument? I used to play the guitar, but could never get good at it. I wonder if I could play the banjo.


I don't play any instruments. I flunked the recorder test. I stink. Banjos are cool. I had no idea that there were different types of banjos!


They're beautiful, too. The gourd banjo has skin stretched over it and the gut strings. so it makes a deeper sound.


I prefer the guitar. Did you know that eddie van halen recorder a guitar solo for "beat it" and he set the studio speakers on fire.


Yes I did! Crazy. Guitars have 6 strings to a banjo's 5, so there's more sound to vibrate and create more complex sounds.


I can't believe that Brian May of Queen has a phd in astrophysics.


He also likes to use coins as his guitar picks.


Crazy right? I can't believe that. Did you know that Pakistan has a jazz orchestra that is currently topping the charts?


That's cool. Evidently, Clint Eastwood is a huge jazz enthusiast.


That is cool. Did you hear about the harlem woman who has held free jazz concerts at her apt. every sunday for 20 years?


Yeah, Eastwood also played the piano and scored several films.


I heard that including Million Dollar Baby. That was a great movie! Now I need to go back and watch and realize that he scored that movie.


It's a little odd that he is a fan, considering that it began in African-American communities in the late 19th century, and Eastwood is notoriously racist.


I heard that Jazz trumpeters grew goatees to provide them comfort when playing....do you really think that helped?


I'm not sure, but just like jazz, I guess a goatee is just another way of expressing yourself.


Probably. Do you know why New York's area code is what it is?


I believe it was because it was the easiest to dial on a rotary phone. Why do you ask?


I just thought it was interesting. That is what I heard too. I think it is pretty cool that UNICEF will donate a day of clean water to a child in need for every minute you do not use your cell phone. I wonder how they know?


I'm you can download an app, maybe? Iphones are super powerful. They have a lot of computing power.


They amaze me. I had no idea until I read about it that there are cables carrying phone and internet data laying across oceans.


Yeah. The cords are only 2.7 inches in diameter!


That is nuts. I had no idea there were cables laying on the ocean floor.


I love to listen to the guitar. I have never learned to play. How about you?


I also love to listen to the guiter. I never learned to play. But the guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings.


. Did you know that Matthew Bellamy hold a record for most guitars smahed onstage.


Yes, I know Bellamy made it into the Guinness Book of world records 2010. He currently holds the world record for the most guitars smashed on a tour 140 guitars.


Thats a lot of guitars to smash. Lol. The queens guitarist actually has a phd in astrophysics.


Brian Harold May, CBE is a enlgish musician, singer, songwriter and astrophysicist. He is the best known as the lead guitarist of the rock bank queen. He used a hame-built electric guitar called the Red Special.


Yeah, did you know he uses coins as guitar picks. He ususally uses the english sixpence.


The coin may uses only had silver in it until the 1940's and they were removed from circulation in the 1980's. May chose to use the sixpence as a pick because he found platic picks too flexible.


Really. That is interesting. now much about eddie van halen.


Edward Lodewijk Van Haien is a Dutch american musician. He was 1964 presents.


He is pretty good with a guitar for sure. When he recorded beat it. He literally set the stage on fire.


I love my phone. Dont know what I would do without it. Did You ever use a rotary phone?


In my childhood i use rotary phone. It was wonderful phone in that time. jump to push lbutton pulse phones in the UK.


Did you know that New Yorks area code is 212. They made it that because it was the fastet number to dial on a rotary phone.


Yes, i know. Rotary dial phones are analog, overse voice is digital so the rotary dial won't work. If you really want to use the old rotary dial phone to make calls, you can purchase an analog to digital converter,


I dont know, I kind of like the way phones work these day.


push-button phones were introduced in the us market in 1963.


I personally like my touch screen. Thanks for the nice chat. Have a goody day.


Same here. Nice chat with you. have a good day to you.


Hi, how are you today? How do you feel about trousers?


I like to wear them they are comfortable and I use them every day


I am found of trousers. The Romans saw wearing pants as a sign of barbarism. I disagree, but "When in Rome" as they say.


Do you like the Hulk? well he has indestructible pants, thats one of his powers, it would be kid appropiate otherwise


That is a good point. The Hulk is equipped with special powers and special pants. He could have worn saggy pants, maybe.


Can be an option if he ever loses his trousers super power


He would have problems in Collinsville, Il, whichhas a law that prohibits "saggy pants."


I bet he would he might turn green really fast and then they will regret ever having that law in the first place


He could just sue them. A judge sued a small dry cleaning business for over $67 million for the loss of a pair of pants.


67 milliion! that is way too much money for a pair of pants


He is a judge, so I guess he figured he was above the law.


That is really unfair I hope they ruled against him, that can cause a lot of distress and maybe they can sue him back


Aladdin's pants were modeled after mc hammer. I thought it were the other way around.


Really?  I would have thought that as well but enough about pants! do you like basketball?


I have played, but not much recently. You?


I like it, one of my favorite movies is Space Jam


Is that the Jordan movie? He is not a very good actor, I think. Bill Murray is fun though.


Maybe Lebron can make a better job in the sequel, and yeah I agree Bill Murray is the best


LeBron is a tremendous player. He probably should wait for a movie that can get him an Oscar though.


Who knows maybe he will, he has a great memory, not only a great ball player but smart dude


He is a great philanthropist. Anyhows, I enjoyed chatting!


Yeah, I use Amazon a lot.  It has come a long way since being an online bookstore.


I agree. They sure have diversified to a substantial extent to be the largest online retailer


Also, Netflix and Youtube are huge.  Blockbuster for sure is sorry it didn't buy Netflix before it got huge.


Well they don't even exist to regret it now


Yeah.  Now Netflix is almost everywhere on the world except for a few countries.


Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon is a genius, he built a clock that will run for as long as human history has lasted so far!


I guess that is the kinds of things you do if you have more money than you know to spend


Yeah.  Imagine the health benefits Amazon warehouse workers get from all the walking they do on their job.


Well amazon workers are notoriously over worked


Amazon has made some strides towards being devoted to the customer.  Having a contract with USPS so that packages can be delivered on Sunday is great.


Ya their customer services and service in general are great


Do you like dogs?  I think a dog is a man's best friend.


I can see why considering their long association with man


I think our shared history explains why dogs seem to be so in tune with human behavior, even understanding pointing


Yeah.  They have helped us with so many things throughout history.  I wonder why we first chose to domesticate the wolf and not other animals.


Perhaps to help with our hunter/gather life style?


Maybe.  It's a relief they can handle all the starch in our diet.


Indeed. In any case, thanks for chatting.


Hi How's it going? Do you use Netflix? Apparently it was founded all the way back in 1997! It has come a long way!


hi frnd.. sry i am not use Netfix. Do you use it?


Yes I use it-so many good things to watch! Apparently back in the day Blockbuster declined to buy Netflix for $50 million and now netflix is worth 2 billion and Blockbuster is no more! who would have thought!


ok... what about Amazon?.. world great and leading online shoping site


Yes amazon is pretty amazing too! Youtube also though can't forget about them!. Netflix and Youtube make up half of the internet traffic in North america!


yes. i agree that.. last 4 years in india online shopping has a very huge respone. the only reason is Amazon.


Oh wow Amazon is very influential in India. It's amazing that Jeff Bezos, the founder of amazon, built a clock into a mountain that should run for 10,000 years


The Amazon warehouse workers walk between 7 and 15 miles each day. All those orders to fill!


ohh. yah.. its very interesting and also U.S. postal service has a contract with amazon to deliver your packages on sunday. but in india its not possible.. but world largest postal department is in india


Yes that is very amazing. I have never been to India but would like to visit someday. Have you heard of the IMDB website? They rate movies and apparently Amazon has owned them since 1998 which I didn't know!


its really? i don't know that. IMDB is owned by Amazon??


Yes interestingly enough. And to think that Amazon began in 1994-it has come so far since then. Really amazing to think about.


Do you have a dog? It was the first ever animal to be domesticated and has been selectively bred over millenia!


No ya. but in my age of 8 i have dog. its Name was SPYDY.. very briliant and active dog. in my age of 10 it was dead on accident..


Oh that's terrible! Dogs can be great companions. Istanbul has a vending machine that releases food and water for stray dogs in exchange for plastic bottle. Cool idea.


hmm. yes, Google prefers dogs to cats their code of conduct specifically states that they are a dog company


Oh very interesting. I would have to agree with them because i am the same! I wonder why people have always said dogs are color blind? They definitely can see colors, although not as many as us.


Dogs also understand when you point at something and apparently elephants understand that concept too!


Great animal! Very cool and lucky that you have them in India because we don't have them in the USA.


ohh... in your country don't have Elephants?


No only in zoos, not in the wild unfortunately.


Hi, I'm good. I was just thinking about how spoiled I am. I have Netflix, media services headquartered in Ca. It's a subscription. Have you heard of it?


I have heard of it. I actually use Netflix myself. We get it for free through T Mobile.


Oh, nice! Netflix has 127 million subscribers! People almost everywhere can get it. Initially it was a DVD rental via mail.


That's crazy! I saw that from 9pm-12am, Netflix accounts for 33% of all network bandwidth throughout America.


I have heard that too. Along with Youtube together they make up 1/2 of peak internet traffic in north america.


That's a lot! Netflix spends 20 times more on postage than bandwidth which is interesting.


I agree. So, in other thoughts I have been thinking about dogs. It amazes me that the dog is related to wolves. In fact the dog and wolf are ancestors.


I love dogs. I can't believe there are 12 different blood types for dogs.


Wow! I did not know. Some places have dog vending food machines for homeless dogs.


I saw that. It's pretty cool because it's in exchange for plastic bottles so it also helps out the environment.


Yes, amazing. Dogs are also not colorblind, they just can not see as many colors as humans can.


I always thought they were colorblind so that's interesting and good to know.


So have you seen Amazon in the news? They were founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994.


Yep, I've been following it with all the scandals going on with Jeff Bezos.


They are the largest internet retailer in the world.


I'm a prime member and use it at least once a week. What about you?


I have ordered things too. It started as a bookstore.


Did you know IMDB has been owned by Amazon since 1998?


No, I did not.Holy cow! The first Amazon customer had a building named after him, but only spent $27.95!


Hello, I love watching basketball, how about you?


Yes me too. DO you know who Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is?


Do I know who he is? Of course I do, he was the reason why the dunk was banned for a while in college! do you like him?


Yeah that is pretty amazing actually. Do you know who invented the sport?


I think some guy from kansas did, James Naismith. Did you know basketball coaches are the highest paid state employees in 39 of the 50 states?


Yeah that is mind blowing. Yeah it was him and he is the only losing coach in the history of U of Kansas too


That is crazy lol, you think he could have rigged it so he could have won.


Yeah I guess. Have you heard of the highest court in the land?


I have not heard of the highest court in the land, what is it?


Is is a basketball court in the US Supreme Court in the top floor of the vuilding


wow, that is awesome. I wouldn't mind playing ball there. Maybe they can ban the nicknames "tall black" in New Zealand.


yeah that sounds really strange to me too. On another topic do you enjoy reading?


I love reading, ever read starship troopers?


I have and I pleased to find out that it is in the reading list of military branches as well


The movie was awesome too, but so bad graphic wise, lol. CS Lewis is one of my favorite authors.


He is awesome. Apparently he and Tolkien had you laugh you lose competitions when they read bad poetry together


that is awesome! I want to know which poetry was read, lol!


Yeah me too, I wonder also who won more. How about Ender's Game, have you read it?


Nice yeah me too that one seems to be n the recommended list for many military organizations too.


Are you familiar with director Tamara Jenkins?  I guess she's made a reappearance after being gone for a while with a movie called "Private Life".


Yes I am.  My dog is at my feet right now as a matter of fact.  Are you?


I love them my dog is outside right now, Google is a god company


That's pretty cool.  Have you ever heard about the different blood types of dogs?


No not really I thought they had universal blood types there are also blood drive for dogs


I've heard about that but never seen one.  I think it's a great thing considering there are 12 different blood types dogs can have.


Wow, dogs are amazing animals, did you know that they are the only animals with elephants to understand pointing


No I didn't know that and I am a little surprised to hear it.  I mean, dogs come from wolves so i would think they could too but I guess not.


They have evolved a lot over the years, they can also see colors, many people think they are color blinded


Oh I know they can see colors.  Mine like to watch tv, especially baseball games.


Does he like drama shows? mine seems to like them


Well, right now mine is watching Star Trek Voyager, kind of a drama I guess.  I haven't watched any Shakespeare dramas so my dog hasn't either.  Do you watch Shakespeare dramas?


I do, Shakespeare is an icon of our culture, he definitely changed things.


You are very right.  Did you know he invented some common names?  He invented Miranda, Jessica, and Olivia.


Wow, so he had a deep influence on names as well he also popularized many phrases used today


I could see how that would be true. His writings are all over our culture.


All over the culture indeed, funny how he was alive at the same time as Pocahontas


He was?  That seems so odd. It's like she was back in the old days and he was more modern for some reason.


Amazing how this all happen almost 500 years ago, both influential characters I wonder if they knew each other


That's an interesting thought! They might have met at some point.


I bet they did, anyways its been really cool chatting with you I feel like I have learn a lot of things with our chat


yes I do. Do you know which is the highest grossing basketball movie?


It is Space Jam and there is a sequel coming up


I know the name but do not know much about him


He is the guy that used the dunk shot so much that it got banned for a while


Wow cool. Did you know that the sport was invented at the YMCA


Nice it was by a guy named James Naismith who was a coach at U of Kansas too


Nice. Shaw has only scored a 3 pointer once in his career


I love dogs. Did you know that they can learn up to 1000 words?


Yeah and they understand pointing too, like elephants


Yeah and they also can reason better than chimps


Interesting. It has been found that they like solving problems to get rewards too


Nice. Google is a dog company, they have it in their code of conduct


Wow I agree with them. In Moscow dogs know how to use the subway now


WOw smart. They are also not colorblind but just see fewer colors


Oh that is cool. Nice chatting with you today


Absolutely! I enjoy dramatic stage and screen productions as well as radio programs. How about you?


Yeah, Hugh Laurie is great! Do you know if he teaches masterclasses for drama students like Patrick Stewart?


I have not heard of him doing that but you never know. He got paid enough to just live now


I'll say!  He does not need to teach with all his money. Do you know how much he was paid to do the show, House?


Yeah he was paid $700 000 per episode, that is insane


Nuts!  I wonder if he ever did any Soap Operas? You know why they called them Soap Operas?


Because the daytime TV shows were often sponsored by soap companies because housewives were the audiences, and they did the family laundry.


wowww, never knew that. do you know jim carrey?


Sure! He was great in the movie, The Mask....among others. I dont see him in as many shows as of late. I wonder why?


he has moved away from dramas because they do not convey positivity


Good for him!   Hey, did you ever watch that show called, "Ikea Heights" ?


It was a melodrama filmed entirely in a Burbank Ikea store, without the store knowing!  Pretty wild,. You could be an employee at Ikea and not even know you are a TV star!


wow, that is very different. do you like dogs?


I love dogs. I have a GSD.  Did you know a dog can learn over 1000 words?


that is remarkable. and they understand pointing


Sure do! And in Moscow, some of them have learned how to use the subway!  I hope they share their seat!


Wow, hahhaa that is a good one. nice chat


Hello. How much must Blockbuster regret not buying Netflix, for only 50 million


Well it did cost them everything.  They could be reaping the rewards but who knows if they would have had the forethought to create over 126 original series and movies


Yeah, that is true it is hard to imagine what would have become. It is crazy to think that they count for 33% of bandwidth in North America in the evening


Lol, I am watching it now, Black Mirror.  Speaking of Sci-Fi, Starship Troopers is the only science fiction novel recommended by 3 of the 5 branches of the military


I never knew that, it made me curios to read it. Sci-fi really is " literateure of ideas" a lot of things that we use today have been inspired by this branch


Asimov is to thank for a lot of the innovations we have today, at least the ideas for them.  I can't believe that the first sci-fi story was written over 1800 years ago


That is crazy!! To think that the Greek have had such a foreknowledge. I always believed that drama was their forte. Aristotle has been writing since 335 BC about Drama


Aristotle is some heavy stuff.  I find it interesting that because of a $40 late free on Apollo 13, Reed Hastings was inspired to start NetflixAst


Haha, yeah he is. Such a big influence on the world as we know it. Apollo 13 is about the first moon landing right?


Correct, with good ole' Tom Hanks, great movie.  Speaking of NASA they have a list of accurate space terminology terms that writers can use in sci-fi stories


I wonder why they do that? Is it to make it more real, or not to confuse the public? Is it not considered Sci-Fi if writers do not follow it


I think they battle some movies that claim to be realistic to space but have flaws, such as Gravity.  Pretty realistic but there were a few "Hollywood" moments in there.  I think it a little sad that we almost lost sci-fi due to racism.


Yeah, they do tend to exaggerate, probably that is why Nasa does it. I can't believe that the judge tried to ban the comic because of the black character, good things times have changed


If it had gone through we might not have had the amazing Black Panther movie.  Or movies by Alfonso Cuaron, who is Mexican, and just finished a movie based on his memories growing up in Mexico City called Roma


That;s true. When I saw the title on Netflix I thought it was based in Italy. I have not watched it, but reading the articles I will definitely. Have you watched it?


No I thought it was Italian too.  I will have to wait til I am in the mood, seems to be a honest portrayal.  I can't imagine trying to raise her bosses 4 kids, and then also find the time to take care of your own kids too


Yes, it must have been a hard life. I like the comparison to "War and Peace" it is a good book, and something worth watching if it is like that. Netflix is improving the quality of it's work. Considering that their production Lilyhammer was not that good.


Yeah it seems they have been racking up tons of debt trying to get new content, in the realm of 21.9 billion


That is a lot of debt, considering that they are worth only 2 billion. They have to enter the China market or they will be in serious trouble


Got to get past their content reviewers.  Apparently Netflix spends 20 times more on postage than bandwidth, especially considering stamps are .50 cents now.


Yeah, that is absurd. To think that they are a streaming service and spend so much on mail. They should focus more on digital marketing.


Yes. I watch drama as well as other types of movies


I used to love that show, apparently Hugh Laurie made like 700,000 dollars per episode!


Yes he made a fortune. Getting that part was great for him.


Right, he really made the show. Do you know Michael Caine?


Yes. I saw him in his first starring role years ago in Zulu.


nice, I  never saw that! He got into drama because all the pretty girls did it lol.


Did you know Jim Carrey used to do dramas?


I think it was the number 23. Apparently he doesn't do them anymore because he wants to project positivity


For sure, he is better at that. What do you think of our planet?


I think there is still a lot we can learn about the  Earth.


I agree and other planets too! Did you hear about an earth like planet possibly like 455 light years away


Yes. I did. Maybe we have real live neighbors there.


Right, or like the opposite of us, eerie to think about what may be there lol. It was nice chatting with you!


I do, I use it all the time.  Did you hear how they mow their lawns.


I suppose they do it like everyone else: they use their goats. Don't you?


If the goats get stock options, then you can sign me up! I'll eat grass!


Same here.  Although google describes themselves as a dog company.


I would agree with them on that score. Dogs are good to have in an office. Good for morale. Keep people happy.


They do, I wonder if those happy people are the 7% that reads the full TOS.


I am surprised that it's even 7%. Ithought maybe 1% if that. Do you read them? I don't.


I dont, I think I did one time, a long time ago when they were a lot shorter, and never again.  Who knows what I have actually agreed to.


Yes, you have to give them your first born and part of your soul. Something like that. I figure the ToS must be about personal data at this point.


Eh, Never having kids, and I have already promised my soul to a few different people, so they get nothing... lol


Those ToS writers should have thought ahead! LOL. I'm more worried about the time I spend on the Internet. Constant novelty from clicking links on the internet can cause real addiction measurable in the brain


It is true.  I wonder if that makes online gambling more addictive?


Oh, I BET it does. LOL. Gambling and Internet are very similar. I wonder how people can break the addiction.


I know I cant break my internet addiction.  As someone how has been on opioid  pain meds, it was easier to get off of those than get rid of sugar in my diet and cut down on internet time.


Yes, sugar is also bad. It's easy to get and the high is subtle. Maybe you could go to the top of Everest to deal with the sugar addiction.


Yup, but there is internet there, so Id only be half way there. But hey, I can facebook my achievement from there.  Lol


Yes, selfies in the clouds. Don't understand the need for a signal there. Probably a satellite link or something.


Likely so, or something to help climbers with navigation.


That's true. Could be for legitimate purposes. Anyway, great chat!


Hello do you know many facts about the sun?


I do not know much. he is a giant fellow in the sky.


Ha!  Yes...the sun is the star at the center of the solar system.


Yes, he has occupied that central position for quite a while, and probably will continue for years.


Yes!  It's a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma!


Yes, it provides energy for every system on our planet. it does an outstanding job supporting us.


It's mass is bout 330,000 times that of Earth.  Giant for sure!


Yes, it has most of the mass, which is good, because it keeps us in orbit.


Did you know that the sun is actually white and only perceived as yellow because of atmospheric scattering?


i heard that. boy the atmosphere is a trickster. i heard that the sunsets on mars are blue.


That would be neat to see!  A lightening bolt is hotter than the surface of the sun...about 5 times hotter!


The surface of the sun is pretty hot, too! I wish we took more energy from the sun.


Yes because the sun produces enough energy in one second to meet the needs of the entire planet for 500,000 years!  So the power is there for sure.


The power is there, we just need to capture and store it somewhere. that is also an issue.


Yes.  Talking about how big it is....it's relatively small in the big picture of the galaxy....the sun is only 1 billionth the size of the biggest star discovered in  our galazy!


It is a modest star, but it serves our needs well. i am glad that he will be around for the next billion years or so. LOL


lol  On July 11, 2011 Neptune completed its first full orbit around the sun since its discovery in 1846.


Neptune was always a bit slow. it lagged behind the rest. maybe one day it will catch up.


lol Jupiter's moon Ganymede would be considered a planet if it orbited the sun.  I've had fun chatting!


I have had fun chatting too! Have a great day!


I haven't seen it but see that it's on Netflix! Have you?


It is on Netflix and its a great movie. It made me cry. Its a masterful drama directed by Alfonso Cuaron


Wasn't it based on his memories growing up in Mexico City in the 1970's?


Yeah based on real life events and it was shot by him as well, its a great movie you should really watch it a bit boring at first though


I think I might! I might try to stay away from 9 pm to 12 am on Netflix because that accounts for 33 percent of all bandwidth in North America!


Amazing how much subscribers the service has as well, more than 137 million by now


I believe it, and to think, it all started when Reed Hastings racked up a 40 dollar late fee on a vhs.


I heard he was so angry he got inspired to start Netflix, good thing he did, Netflix is a game changer


It really is. Blockbuster even declined several offers to buy netflix for 50 million dollars, and now it is worth 2 billion dollars!


I bet they are regretting that choice by now, does the company Blockbuster even exist anymore?


I think there is one now, but it just uses the name! I wonder if they have the movie Starship Troopers?


I thought that was a good movie so yeah thats a possibility, do you like science fiction?


I do! I didn't realize the term robotics was coined in 1941! Do you?


I didnt either, Nasa has a list of space tech terms maybe thats in there


I'll have to look into that at some point! Do you like watching dramas?


I do, one of my favorite drama actors is Michael Caine, really talented


I like how he got into drama only because the pretty girls were taking drama class in high school lol.


That decision sure worked for him lol, I bet he got a lot of girls later as well when he became famous


Oh for sure! Well it was great chatting with you, have an awesome Friday!


I used to but not just freeload off family lol, it's not as good as a deal as it was when it started streaming in 2007


I enjoy the time travel concepts of Science Fiction movies


Did you know nasa has a terms of accurate space tech terms that writers can use in science fiction stories


No but I'd imagine that Nasa has a lot of big science fiction fans working there so I'm not surprised they made a list of terms


Yea, Starship Troopers in recommended by 3 of 5 US military branches


I've have yet to read Ender's game but hear it is good. I'd also like the read the Ancient Greek story of plant-based aliens that live on the moon


That sounds cool. What is the name of the book


I have no clue, I'm gonna have to google it to find out more of plant aliens from the moon


I mean it sounds like quite the intriguing premise for such an old story


Yea, it would be cool if Greeks had robotics story too although that term wasn't around until 1941


Do you read any literature in the drama genre like and then there were none


I've seen a few drama plays and loved watching Hugh Laurie on House


Did you know he is the highest paid actor and for good reason


I'm not surprised although Jon Hamm is a good actor too, he taught drama at his old high school


I'm glad he did that since ellie kemper from the office was his student


Yea Ellie Kemper is beautiful, I bet Michael Caine would take that class so he could meet her


Lol I concur. Anyway, thanks for chatting.


Good deal. Did you know that Lebron James and Stephen Curry were both born in Akron Ohio?


That is neat. I love it that Tim Duncan of the Spurs stayed in college 4 years instead of going into the nba. That is unheard of today!


That was really smart. You never know in sports if you are going to have a short career. He made sure he had something to fall back on.


True! Did you know that shooting granny style is the best technique. But everyone feels like it looks ridiculous so they won't do it.


I didn't know that. But I do know that that was the only way I could shoot a free throw when I was young.


I don't know much about him, but I guess he pretty good.


He is pretty amazing. He was the star of the golden state warriors in 201.


Yes. I was reading that he was the first player to win the MVP by a unanimous vote.


He is that good! Curry is currently signed with Under Armour because Nike had such a bad pitch.


I say good for Under Armour. Nike has had it their way for a long time. I like Under Armour products.


Changing the subject a little. The dutch are creating a commuter bus that can travel 160 miles per hour.


That is cool. Have you ever been to Mackinac island?


No I haven't where is it, and have you been there?


I haven't but I have relatives that live close. Everything is horse drawn carriages or you can take a bike.


So they don't allow motorized vehicles at all?


Nope. Not at all! I kind of like that. It makes the island so peaceful!


It would be nice. I know I like to hike in the desert and get away from all the sounds of the city.


The only problem is I don't guess you can stop the occasional airplane from flying over.


How do you feel about Buzzfeed? Many, like Gene Weingarten, would criticize it.


Buzzfeed is an online media source that basically has "articles" that are lists of things like "Top 10 Things to Do on a Lazy Sunday" or "25 Best Tourist Activities to do in San Francisco". It's very popular with millennials nowadays


Oh. Well technically I am a millennial. I actually found that out about a week ago. Lol. I dont know. I dont really get into reading articles on the internet to much. It seems like everything on there they are trying to sell you something in some way.


Yeah I agree. The internet can be so addictive. Science has actually supported that clicking on many different, new links online can produces effects in your brain similar to addiction! How often do you go online?


I am on the internet everyday. In some way shape or form. Did you know the 3 horizontal line menu on apps and websites is called a hamburger menu.


That's so funny. I always see that and now I know what that is. I'm on the internet all the time now, for surveys or for my full-time work or for Netflix or general fun things. I love reading online articles, especially about psychology, I think it's such an interesting field! Do you know of any psychology experiments?


No. Never really been to into that sort of thing. Im more of the outdoor type. Unless its freezing cold like it has been lately.


I live where it's warm so I don't have that problem fortunately. Have you heard about the Milgram experiment? I learned about it in school. They basically led people to believe they were torturing other participants behind a closed door because they were told to by an authoritative figure. How crazy is that? And unethical!


That is crazy. What was the, I mean what were they trying to learn from doing that experiment.


So basically in the experiment, the participant was sat down in front of some buttons and an authoritative researcher told the participant to push a button that would send an electric shock to someone next door whom the participant didn't know. The researchers wanted to know if the participants would do it, even though they really didn't want to torture the innocent person. Most people actually went along with it!


Really. There is no way- Unless they told me it was a pedophile in the other room or something like that. Then, Maybe.


We all think that, but who knows what would happen if we thought we were forced to push the button. That's the whole point of the experiment, that a normal person can become swept up with acts of cruelty and torture to others if they're told to do it by an intimidating, authoritative figure. They used it to explain how some people did what the Nazi regime told them to even though they weren't just terrible human beings


Well I guess that makes sense. I didnt really think of it that way. The Nazi example is a good one.


Yeah. So I understand why that would be on the list of "25 most influential psychology experiments". But I didn't know about Gene Weingarten's Joshua Bell subway phenomenon! Do you know what it is?


No I do not. Is it another crazy one like before. Lol.


Basically they had this world-renowned violinist play the most intricate and masterful pieces on one of the most expensive violins in the world in a subway station, and almost every single person just walked on by and didn't pay attention to this famous and immensely talented musician


I dont know maybe thats a big city thing, because there is a guy who plays his banjo outside of the gas station close to my house. There are always people giving him change and talking to him. He is pretty good though, and he really gets into it.


That's awesome! I think that the age of the internet has allowed stories like these to go viral, and now people understand what they miss out on when they don't pay attention to what's around them


Yeah that may be true. I know the internet has really changed the world. I would say mostly for the better.


I would agree with that! Although it can be addictive, it's also very informative.


I'm good did you know that shooting granny style is scientifically the most consistent way to score points on the line in basketball?


I did not know that. It has to make Rick Berry so happy! Reggie miller, nba hall of famer, couldn't escape his older sister cheryl's shadow while in high school. on january 26, 1982, he scored a career high 40 points. he tried bragging about it on the car ride home, only to find out cheryl scored 105 points and broken 8 national records!


that is wild, what about allen iverson making 800k a year from rebook, and then 32million as a lump sum when he turns 55, good for him


Air jordan's were banned upon introduction by the nba. however, jordan wore them anyways, as nike was willing to pay the fine each game.


that's hilarious, tim duncan staying in college for 4 years instead of going ot the nba to save money is wild, I can't believe he would do that instead of joining and making the millions


Speaking of basketball stars... Stephen curry, the star of the golden state warriors and 2015 season mvp only makes the 5th highest salary on his team.


that seems wild, this says stephen curry and lebron were both born in akron, ohio which I didn't know


I didn't know that either. Did you know Steph curry's first name is actually wardell, he was named after his father wardell "dell" curry. making him wardell stephen curry ii.


hmmm no I didn't know that, this says the dutch are making a bus that can go 160mph, sounds like the premise to a movie aka Speed haha


HA! I was going to make that joke. Well done... All of japans highways are tolls, and it costs more than 300$ to travel across the country.


thats crazy it sounds really annoying too, I wonder if Mackinac island has cars for ambulances? or is the whole island car free like this says?


I like to think of it with two guys running with a stretcher, like a soccer game...


haha that is possible! or maybe they use dogs or horses on sleds, could be an animal paradise, it's wild iceland has no public rail system btw


Right? I wonder why not. Isn't their population like 300,000? I'm going to look it up...


ya let me know what it is, it sounds really annoying to have to use domestic flights to go between towns


338,000 from 2017. How the heck did I know that. Im impressed and ashamed all at once.


wow that is impressive! I know a girl that flew to iceland she said it was nice but really expensive


What was she going to Iceland for? Im from Chicago and it's only a 6-8 hour flight. I want to see the northn lights there!


ya she went just for a vacation she likes to travel! Well its been nice talking with you!


Yes I do. Have you listened to Hybrid Theory?


Yes it is the best selling album of the century after all


True. Do you know who Reel Big FIsh are?


Yes the band that lost the rights to their own music, so sad


Yes but they rerecorded everything and now are back on track


Yes. Do you know which was the best album of 2014?


Yes it was the dark side of the moon which was released 40 years prior


Yes letting the quality of the album speak for itself


True. Did you know Straight Outta Campton reached platinum without airplay?


Yes and they did not have a major tour either, that is amazing


Yeah it is. Twins in Japan released an album when they were 100


Yes and it was a rap album of all genres


Yes I like stuff from Tupac mainly and then some of EMinem and you?


Me too. Tupac's music is in the library of congress for cultural significance


Nice. Did you know EMinem wanted to be a comic book artist?


Yes and his favorite character is spiderman


Yes. Did you know Busta Rhymes was in the Rugrats movie?


Yes the voice of Reptar Wagon. Nice chat


How's it going? Are you a NBA fan? there's a total of 30 teams in the league, the New York Knicks are my favorite


I am an NBA fan.  The Knicks are my favorite also.


cool. Did you know NBA players are the world's best paid athletes? I guess it makes sense since there's only like 11 player or so per team


I figured they were the highest paid.  It is crazy the amount of money they make.


Yea plus they make money off shoe endorsements.  Iverson makes 800,000 a year off reebok until he turns 55


And can you believe he gets a 32 million dollar lump sum at age 55.  That is nuts!


Yea but 800,000 and 52 million lump sum Iverson gets seems a little below average compared to the shoe deals Lebron James and MJ made


He actually gets a 32 million lump sum, but overall yes it is low compared to Jordan and Lebron.  No one will ever top Jordan's amount made off J's


What's crazy is Nike's pitch to Curry, they didn't even take Durant's name off it's reused presentation, I'd be pretty mad if that happened to me


I would be also, no wonder why he went with UA.  I like Curry but his shoes are not the best looking.


Yea, what's even more crazy is he's apparently the 5th highest paid player on the Warriors


I would have thought he would be the highest paid


Yea, the 2015 season mvp, the best player in the league isn't even the best paid player on his own team lol


That is a shame, that shows you how unstructured some contracts can be.


Yea, that's messed up. If I made a lot of money I'd like to travel a lot but I'd probably avoid Iceland, they have no public rail service


I actually think Iceland would be beautiful to visit but very cold. Ughhh


Yea and Iceland would probably be very expensive if you have to take domestic flights to travel between major cities


That would be very expensive, I don't understand how they can afford that method of travel.


Well in japan it would cost $300 to travel across the country using the highway due to tolls


That doesn't surprise me, everything in Japan is expensive.


Yea sounds like it, I wonder how much it will cost to ride the 160mph commuter bus the Dutch are creating, sounds fun


That really does sound fun, I imagine it could be quite dangerous also.  Still sounds like fun!


Yes, fun and dangerous, perfect combo. Well I have to go, nice talking with you


Hey there what's your favorite musical album? I know that I like Pink Floyds dark side of the moon


That's cool. I think that's the best selling album of the 21st century so far isn't it? I also like Led Zeppelin's albums. I like all of them haha.


I generally enjoy all music, except heavy metal. I personally am starting to explore rap


You should listen to the twins from Japan then. They made a rap album when they turned 100 LOL it came out in 1992 I wonder how it is


Regardless of the quality, I'm sure it was a memorable and significant experience for them


Yes I think so. You should also check out NWA. Their album Straight Outta Compton was a massive success, even though they didn't tour and didn't have any radio play for it


What would you say is the key highlight of rap?


I think I would say that it is the rhyming. And also the Poetry like phrasing, I think that not too many people make poetry anymore, but I know there was a lot of rap these days. What about you, what do you think?


Yes I agree with you. Do you ever listen to Tupac Shakur or Eminem by the way? Eminem's favorite superhero when he was growing up with Spider-Man haha I don't know why I know that


Do you like Eminem though? Apparently a judge gave a ruling to him in the form of a rap LOL talk about awkward


I wonder how good her rapping was. I guess he was served in a way he understood


Haha that's a good point. Maybe she wanted to speak his language LOL have you ever watched a diss Battle Before? Where rappers diss each other? well in Korea they have raps called compliment battles lol they should start that here


I guess compliment battles are the complete opposite for diss battles


Yep I think you're right. Have You Ever Seen The Rugrats Movie by the way? Apparently Busta Rhymes does a voice in it


I have seen a few episodes, but never the movie.


I love that show when I was a kid. I need to check it out, I did see the movie but it was a long time ago. Have you ever heard of the band Reel Big Fish by the way?


No it's a band actually. They lost their rights to their old record label, and so they just remade all their songs on the new one LOL that's really smart


Remember when collections of music were called "albums" instead of CDs or MP3s?


That was back in the day lol, but I had so many!


Me too... Do you have any by Linkin Park?  "Hybrid Theory" is the best selling of the 21st century.


I never knew that, I own that one! I also have NWAs album, ever heard?


Nope.  I also haven't heard the two 100-year-old identical twins in Japan do their rap in 1992.


It went platinum without air play or tours needed! It is that good. I would love to listen to these twins rap, ever heard?


Nope.  I think it's wild that Eminem wanted to be a comic book artist before a rapper.


I would love to see his comics. I am sure they are worth a lot. Do you remember Busta Rhymes?


Yeah, he did the voice of the Reptar Wagon in 1998 for the Rugrats Movie.


For sure, i loved that movie as a kid! I was 10. are you a tupac fan?


Not really but then again, I've never seen him do a ballet thing.  I guess his music is in the Library of Congress.


and it is under the genre cultural signficance


Well, our current culture will be know for all of its expletives.  Korean rappers have invented a new form of rap called "compliment battle".


Ha if only they had a show right now on TV i would watch that. it would be better than what is out there now. do you have a favorite celebrity?


Not really, I'm pretty disgusted with Hollyweird right now.  I really do miss Robin Williams.


For sure, I miss him too. He was the first actor to start the trend of voice in animating films


Yeah, that's cool.  Carol Burnett was cool for showing up on Sesame Street.


I haven't seen that, she started that trend too apparently! Are you into Pixar movies?


Yeah, they have made many good ones.  I would like to see their secret room but I'm not a celebrity.


For sure, maybe we could pose as a celebrity and see the secret room, what do you think?


It's worth a shot! Hey thanks for the chat.  You ruled!


I do.  I love the Simpsons - Fox actually considered making a cable channel of just that show!


But they also threatened to sue the Simpsons so that the Simpsons wouldn't parody its anti-democratic party agenda. I guess it's a love hate relationship.


That is funny. Fox News was created by a republican media strategist and nixon so thats probably not a surprise


It's super popular too, watched more than CNN and MSNBC combined.


Yeah that is pretty nuts.  I just got a call on my phone - its crazy we can call overseas and the cables to get there are only 2.7 inches in diameter!


Yeah, now an iphone has more computing power than the whole us nuclear icbm deterrent.


That is nuts - it is amazing we went to the moon on such little computing power


I remember having a rotary phone. Did you ever have one?


Yes we did growing up - but my area code was not a good one like New York got - mine was 804 not 212!


Yeah, 212 is the fastest to dial apparently on the rotary phone


It is.  Unicef says they will donate a day of clean water to a child for every minute you do not use your cell phone.  I do not understand how they would know though


Right, do you have to sign up for that? I'll have to look that up. Though I'm not sure I want them tracking my phone.


That is true.  A show on PBS on the universe just came on - it is crazy how much we do not know about our universe.


Yes. There are stars that are so cold that we could touch them if we could get close enough.


I cannot even imagine that.  I have heard that some galaxies are getting pulled outside of our own universe - are there multiple universes?


Some people think it might be just one giant hologram! Eek!


Or that there is only 1 electron in the entire universe!


Hopefully our galaxy doesn't get pulled away and absorbed or something. Though that would go well with the theory that universes evolve through natural selection.


It does make sense that the universe evolves - that is far more logical than only having one electron or it being a hologram


Yes, you're right. It's impossible to measure the spatial size of the whole universe. Wonder how big it actually is!


Hi how's it going? Do you like the NBA? Currently there are 30 teams


Hello,  I like basketball but I do not keep up with it.  These are some interesting facts though! Tim duncan of the san antonio spurs sacrificed money and stayed in college for four years instead of going directly to the nba.


Yea, that's crazy! NBA players have the highest average salary in sports


This is a disappointing fact: Two years after retirement, 78% of nfl players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress. in the nba, five years after retirement 60% of players are broke.


That's pretty ironic that so many NBA players end up broke


I know right,  so much money just all gone.


Yea, some have shoe endorsements like Allen IVerson though


Roughly 30 years ago, nba legend spencer haywood chose $100,000 upfront over a 10% stake in nike. had he accepted the original offer, his holdings in nike would be worth a whopping $8.62 billion.


Iverson makes 800,000 a year on his contract until he's 55, then he'll get 32,000,000


That is an incredible deal,  most people don't even play at that age.  Hopefully he doesn't go broke after retiring. Nike's pitch to stephen curry was so poorly executed that one of the powerpoint slides still had kevin durant's name on it from a previous presentation. it was after this that curry went on to sign with under armour.


Lol, I'd be mad if that happened to me, especially since Curry was the 2015 mvp


Right! Seth curry and mychel thompson, brothers of steph curry and klay thompson, played in the back court together on the santa cruz warriors in 2013, while steph and klay did the same on the golden state warriors


I didn't know that. When he won the 2015 mvp he was only the 5th highest paid player on his team


wow. Steph curry from the golden state warriors basketball team plays part in a foundation that donates mosquito nets to protect families in africa. for each 3 pointer he makes 3 nets get donated.


Nice. Did you know his actual first name is Wardell


yeah I did.  Didn't expect that. Steph curry did not receive any college scholarship offers from a major conference school, and wanted to play at virginia tech.


Wow, that's shocking. Cury and Lebron were both born in Akron


Awesome!  Did you know Air travel is up to 10% slower than it was in the 1960s in order to save on fuel costs


No, I had no clue, I guess the dutch better hurry up creating a bus that can travel 160mph


yeah that would be convienient. During the age of discovery, ships released rabbits onto islands to provide a future food source for other travelers


Man that isn't too good. I gtg, nice talking with you


I don't, but the family I nanny for does. She understands pointing fairly well, and elephants are another animal that knows that by instinct too


Oh, you're a nanny? That's great! What kind of dog do they have?


It's a rare Japanese breed. I wonder which of the 12 blood types she has. She might be a good contender to give blood at a dog blood drive


Not a shiba, is it? I've heard of the blood types. I wonder if there's a universal donor dog blood type.


I think so. There might be, but I wonder if the species varies the blood types


I wondered about breed as well. Certain breeds could be better donors, others better recipients.


Not to mention the size of the dog. Google likes all dogs though, so it might not be hard to find that kind of information


Google is great with dogs. I think that dogs can work well in an office. Cats, probably not. Too independent.


It might depend which colors are used in the office though. They may not be colorblind, but they still don't see as many colors as we do


Dogs are pretty good about their environment. Good hearing, good smell, so so vision. They complement our senses.


True! And we can get some of the vending machines from Istanbul that releases food and water


I like that idea. The dogs clean up and get fed. The Turks get better streets and well fed dogs.


And maybe the dogs on the streets can "interview" for jobs such as police and military


That would be cute! "Ok, where do you see yourself in five years?"


We could even teach them how to use the internet. Hopefully dogs don't get addicted to the novelty of clicking on links like we do


Dogs get addicted to people. That is their weakness. We don't deserve dogs.


If we could teach them to read, they could read the full terms for internet products that 93% of us don't read


That would be great! "Ruff ruff!" "What is it Lassie? Are the ToS a hazard?"


I wouldn't put them in charge of the backup copy of the internet though. That's too important. Nice talking with you!


How's it going, did you know fox news is provide in 86 countries?


Yes, I did know that and its broadcasted overseas territories worldwide with international broadcasts featuring Fox Extra segments during ad breaks.


It would of been cool if fox new corp created a channel that only showed the simpsons


Yes, I agree but Fox News threatened to sue the Simpsons in order to stop them from parodying it famously anti-democratic party agenda.


That's pretty ironic Fox would threaten to sue The Simpson when they share the same network


True.  In 2007 Fox News tried to have a conservative version of "the Daily Show" called "The 1/2 Hour News Hour" but it was cancelled after 13 episodes.


That's pretty funny it got cancelled but I'm not surprised it got cancelled, Fox news creators Ailes and Nixon don't seem like funny people


Yeah, not only that but in 2015 the median viewer age for Fox News was 68 years old.


Yet fox news is still watched more than cnn and msnbc combined


True. The percentage of airtime on Fox News dedicated to opinion is 55% and for MSNBC it's 85%.


That's crazy. It's crazy how much trouble people on news networks get into, like Tom Brokaw from NBC News


Well, this a crazy universe we live in.  Did you know that our universe may exist inside a black hole?


No I didn't, but I did hear that there is a theory that there is only one electron in the universe


Yes, I heard that too.  Add to that, the universe used to be completely opaque because there was so much plasma that light couldn't travel through it.


That's insane. Apparently there are stars cold enough to be touched by a human hand in the universe


And that the deepest note in the universe is emitted by a black hole producing a note 57 octaves below middle c.


The universe is very strange, especially if it turns out to be one giant superhologram


It depends on our definitions, really. If you could fold a piece of paper in half 103 times, it would be as thick as the observable universe.


That's pretty crazy although there may being a region in space pulling galaxies outside the observable universe


Yes, and there is a cold spot in the cosmic microwave background that has been theorized to be a link to a parallel universe.


Spooky. Well I got to go, nice chatting with you


I enjoy lots of different kinds of music. How about you?


I mostly listen to rock but I like rap and pop as well. Did you know that Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory is the best selling album of the 21st century? I find that very surprising.


I didn't know that but i do like linkin Park, shame what happened.


It is a shame. But that means they sold more than any Beatles album which is crazy to me. I don't think it has nearly the staying power.


You might be right. The album Dark side of the moon even after being released forty years later was still the best selling album in 2014.


See that makes sense to me. I also heard that NWA's Straight Out of Compton was the first album to reach platinum without radio airplay.


Yeah that sounds about right. nothing stranger than the identical twins from Japan releasing a rap album when they turned 100 years old in 1992.


Japanese rap on it's own seems strange but coming from two 100 year olds it's even stranger. Do you listen to any rap?


Not really any more but Tupac was a favorite of mine. You?


I'm with you. I like the older stuff but very little newer stuff. Tupac Shakur actually has his music in the library of congress because it is deemed to have cultural significance.


That's cool. Did you hear that a judge tried to rap her verdict against a suit filed against eminem. I would like to have heard that.


That sounds so cringe worthy. I would be too embarrassed to watch. Apparently Eminem wanted to be a comic book artist.


Yeah i heard that. Apparently his favorite super hero was old Spidy.


Not a bad pick. I had no idea that Busta Rhymes voiced the Reptar wagon in the Rugrats movie until recently. How did I not pick out that voice?


Right! I do not understand this for the life of me. Why does Pixar have a room that is visited by celebrities OFTEN?


I was not aware of a Pixar room. I have no idea why they would want to visit that so much. Can anyone visit it?


Not sure i would if i could who knows what strange things are going on down there. Judge Judy get paid 123,000 an episode. wow!


Wow! I had no idea the audience for a judge show in the middle of the day was that big. Did you know that Robin Williams started the trend of big actors doing voice work with his role in Aladdin?


No but that makes since. I did know that Carol Burnett was the first celebrity to appear on Sesame Street.


I didn't either but I'm not surprised. She's amazing!


hi how are you doing over there? good day so far in this universe of ours?


Hi! I am doing great over here and yes it's a good day so far in our universe.  How about you?


I am enjoying the universe. I abide within its confines. how old is the universe? i dont know, but thats fine. i dont judge.


Well you can abide in a vast amount of area because no one actually knows just how large the universe is.


and i hear that it keeps growing. it is an ambitious entity, i must say. i would probably slow down at that age, but the universe keeps going.


Do you think it is the universe that grows or us?  I mean the ancient Greek and Indian philosophers thought that the universe had earth as the center so their concept of size was probably smaller than today where we know the earth is not the center.


Yes, it is hard to fathom the vastness of the universe. I would like to think that our universe is not the only one out there. But i would like it to be one of the good ones.


Hmm, I never thought about there being more than one.  If that's true then I agree with you. I want ours to be one of the good ones too.


ive heard that there could be more than one, and that there is a competition among them. i guess its darwinism. that would suck if ours lost.


Definitely as I assume that would mean our deaths.  I've heard that the universe may not be real. There are those that believe it is one giant hologram.


then we would be miniholograms. i am chatting with a mini hologram.


According to them you just might be!  So many people have different ideas about the universe don't they?


Yes, but there are so many possibilities. like galaxies are being sucked out at the edges. Where do they go? Do they come back? i have questions.


So do i.  There's a theory that there's only one electron in the universe.  What does that mean exactly?


I guess we all share one electron that can manifest itself everywhere? i think that the math explains that possibility. i can figure it though.


Another question I have comes from what you said earlier.  If the universe is all of space, time, and their contents how could there be more than one?


because our experience with the universe is defined through our senses and sensory limits make it hard to imagine multiplicity? how can there by 26 dimensions? i dont know


Well that's interesting.  I guess then the definition of universe shouldn't be everything, it should be simply what we can perceive.  You had me thinking about the electron thing. I assume that's the God particle I hear about on the news every now and then?


no, that is something different. i think that is meant to explain how everything is tied together? if the particle is one way, then one model of the universe works. another way, another model.


Oh, then I need to do some research about this electron theory.  It sounds like you have done some research.


i dont really know much. i love that people research this stuff. today, it has no clear value, but then there is a huge innovation thanks to this knowledge.


i think that knowing about our universe can add value to our lives in a way. It can definitely expand our minds, our horizons.  Well, I've got to go do some research. It's been nice chatting with you!   Have a great day!


Bill and me don't get along so good now. But yeah, he's a pretty good guy for a Cubs fan.


Haha why don't you get along with him? Anyway he really likes the movie Kung Fu Hustle which I agree with. Have you seen it


I haven't seen it, but I trusted Bill before and I paid the price. Maybe I'll see it, maybe I won't. Bill might be trying to pull something on me.


Haha anything is possible I guess. Have you seen the movie Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds? It was originally supposed to be a comedy starring Jack Black


Jack Black would be a terrible Ryan Reynolds! Ryan Reynolds would play Jack Black better. I think the movie got poor reviews though.


I think either way the movie would have not been good haha. What show do you like the best out of these: Seinfeld, friends, Fraser, 3rd Rock from the Sun


Seinfeld by far. It's smart, savvy, sassy, and sophisticated. What about you? What's your favorite?


I agree I love Seinfeld. I just got back into it recently and watched all the episodes. It is so awesome. I can't believe third Rock From the Sun won the Golden Globe instead of seinfeld


I wonder why that was. Maybe a favor to somebody? Put 3rd rock on Comedy Central. That'll take care of that.


Yep it would be cancelled immediately haha. What are your thoughts on Monty Python?


He's got a good reputation, and a loyal following. Kind of quiet these days, but he's gotten older. I don't think he likes to tour much.


No I agree. I do miss them though. I guess the Python programming language was named after them, which is kind of cool


Programmers like zany humor. Put the python program language on Comedy Central. That'll take care of that.


That is definitely zany. Do you listen to any audio books? I know that that's all I do. I don't read books anymore haha


Reading is hard on the eyes and the brain. I figure with audiobooks, you might get an extra three, four years out of that brain. Good thinking there.


Haha I like the way you think. I guess spoken audio like an audiobook has been available since the 1930s. I didn't know that audiobooks were that old


You could put them on a record and listen again and again. Good way to keep kids and old people from bothering you. Audiobooks probably saved many marriages.


Haha that's a good point. Do you know who Jim Dale is? I guess he did the Harry Potter audio books and head to play like three hundred different voices


Jim Dale is a legend. Never heard of him. I should probably get going. Have a good evening.


Great U2. I'm going to get some audiobooks for myself right now haha.


I do too! Do you have a favorite comedy?


I used to love the Drew Carey show because I'm from North east ohio.


HA! I loved that show. I still gigle when I see it. I loved his cross dressing brother... I just found out he was in fargo too! I had not seen it before this week.


lol that's a great movie!  Drew Carey served 8 years on the marine corp where he would tell jokes to his fellow marines and that's what helped jumpstart his comedy career!


Are you serious? I had no clue he served...


Yes.  A lot of the show references he makes have direct real life ties to here in North East Ohio too.  That one theme song...where it goes bring my love to me tonight...that was actually a Polish song that was a skit on a local comedy tv show.  Did you like the Evan Almighty movie?


I thought it was ok but I liked Bruce Almighty better. You?


I liked them both.  Evan Almighty is the most expensive comedy ever made.  It had a budget of $200 million!


Steve Carrell?  lol  It's been 37 years since a comedy has won the academy award for best picture.  That's a long drought.


That is a long drought! I wonder why the academy does not appreciate the comedies?


Not sure.  The early comedy cinema joke of slipping on a banana peel was a reference to slipping in horse manure.  lol


That's funny, unless you are the one sliding on horse poop! Have you see Kung Fu Hustle?


lol  I haven't seen that movie.  Is it any good?


I have not seen it but Bill Murray thinks it is the supreme achievemment of the modern age in terms of comedy!


Well...I love Murray so if he says it's good, then I'm going to have to check it out!


I know. Did you know Green Latern was originally going to be a comedy starring jack black?


I didn't know that but I bet it would have been funny!  I like Jack Black.  The Empire Strikes Back was nominated by the writers guild of America for its best comedy award in 1981.  I don't get that.  That's just odd they would even call it a comedy. lol It's been fun chatting with you.


good morning! Are you a comedy fan? I love a good laugh!


I am too, but I have not heard ofMike sacks.


I am not sure who that is either? Did you know that Bill Murray thinks Kung fu hustle is the ultimate achievement in modern comedy? I have not seen it but it is hard to believe that it would be funnier than than Ground Hog Day


That was a funny movie but I have not seen it in a long time, but I might try reading one of these books maybe


Which one would you enjoy? Do you do audio books? I remember listening to the Brides of Madison County.


do like them but I prefer fiction, I wonder if the game of thrones would worth a listen. If a person can do 224 voices it must worth a listen.


I did not know that anyone could do that many voices. I would listen to Game of Thrones. Everytime I start to watch it, It gets so violent!


It only has a few violent scenes but the plot is worth it


Yikes. I will try again. Did you know that in 2016 audiobook sales grew 35% while ebooks dropped 21%? Maybe people are listening in the car more.


that is not a suprised but its better to be listening in your car rather than playing on your phone. But I like self driving cars have an agressive mode.


I would love a self driving car! Did you Know that Mcdonalds invented the drive thru for servicemen who were not supposed to get out of their car wearing fatigues?


I did not, I thought in And out developed the drive thru first


Mcdonalds did it in 1975. I dont think that In and Out has been around that long.


I guess not, but I wonder how long those cars had been in the barn that the man purchased in New York.


What garage? I have heard about people who found rare autos stored for years in barns and garages. . .


Nope. I don't have that bit of info. I did read that trunks of cars got their name from people that put real trunks on the back of their trucks.


Okay, I also learned that audi developed a stronger horn for the Indian market


Ha! That is funny. I drive an audi. Did you know that Cadillac was named after the French Founder of Detroit?


Interesting, I thought. Our economies are totally dependent on autos.


I thought they would be connected the polticians are always talking about cars in domestic manufacturing


Ford built cars that needed roads and gas, and on and on!


Yes it was nice talking with you have a good day


Good morning.  When was the last time you went on a first date?


Hello - I've been married for 9 years now and was dating my wife about 4 years prior so it's been a very long time lol. What about you?


Even longer than that.  Somewhere around 24 years now.  I do remember trying to get to know someone out of the blue, though.  That was never a fun experience.


LOL. Do you like telephones or know anything about them?


I know some.  As in a glancing history and some of the technology currently in use.  I wouldn't say it's a huge amount, though.


Did you know the inventor of the dial telephone was an undertaker who was convinced telephone operators were re-routing his calls to rival businesses?


That's paranoia for ya!  No, I didn't know that, though.  The one thing I have always thought was interesting, though, was that all international communication travels over only a few underwater phone lines that just sit on the ocean floor.


That is crazy how they just sit on the ocean floor. Did you know dolphins will communicate with one another over a telephone and appear to know who they are talking to?


I'm not entirely surprised by that.  In theory, dolphins may be only second to humans in terms of intelligence.


I've heard that as well. There is a luxury phone maker that hires the London symphony orchestra to record it's ringtones.


That seems a bit excessive to me.  Of course, I don't use any non-standard ring tones, so it's just not something I would use.


I think it sounds excessive too. 1930's actress Hedy Lamarr helped to invent the cellphone, wi-fi, and GPS.


It doesn't say. There is almost no correlation between cell phone connection quality and bars of service.


I've seen that in practice.  I know that the number of bars just tells you the strength of the signal, but it doesn't tell you if it's a clear signal.  Even a strong signal can have interference and give a bad call.


That's interesting. Do you know anything about the universe?


That's much more my area of interest.  I have my own theories on certain aspects, primarily regarding the expansion of the universe


Did you know if you could fold a piece of paper in half 103 times it would be as thick as the observable universe.


Surprisingly, folding it that many times would make it 10 nonillion  sheets thick.


I am shocked myself. The universe may exist inside of a black hole.


That would be one of the theories I disagree with.  Just like the theory that there is only 1 electron in the universe.


Did you know that television is called "telly" in some places?


I did not know that. I'm glad that we do have color televisions now though I would hate to only watch TV in black and white. What about you


Yep.  They call it a telly in the UK.  Have you ever seen a black and white TV?  I used to have one.  They called it monochrome.


Yes I have seen some. They really are not good haha. Do you watch South Park at all?


I saw a few episodes.  Even though TV is a mass medium, it now has narrow casting such as the fishing channel or the food channel.


One of my favorite South Park episodes is where they make fun of the Family Guy. Apparently afterwards The Simpsons producers sent the South Park crew flowers. We made fun of them a la caja


That is nice.  People relating with others in the same industry.  News is another thing that is transmitted over TV signals.  I get most of mine from TV.


They do put news on the TV. They also put Pokemon on the TV haha. Have you seen any of the show Pokemon


No.  I have heard that they had a lot of episodes.  I need to look it up.


They have almost 800 episodes. I would never be able to catch up haha I also used to watch that 70s Show. I guess they tried to remake it in the UK and it was canceled after only 10 episodes haha


Some British shows have done well in the US, like the Office (imitation of a Brit show).  I am not much into animation, but I understand that Bart Simpson was in every Simpson episode but one.


That's what I heard too. I wonder if they just forgot about him? Do you ever wear any costumes?


I wore a few as a kid at Halloween.  My earliest memories were wearing a Devil's mask.  I guess that was appropriate for a 5 year old boy.  It did not violate cultural norms.


Haha that seems pretty crazy actually. I love to wear costumes for Halloween too. I guess scientists that study pandas will sometimes wear panda costumes haha


It is good to have some fun in life.While in college, I wore an appropriate costume for one of my classes, Air Force ROTC.


That makes sense. Did you ever see the movie Starship Troopers? Apparently in the TV show Firefly they use the old costumes from that movie


I saw both shows.  I don't mind the producers being frugal like that.  I respect Johnny Depp for traveling with his Capt. Jack Sparrow costume so he can visit kids in the hospital.  I don't like his politics, but I like that!


LOL I don't like his politics either. And I'm not sure I'd like him on a personal level. But it is nice that he helps sick kids. Have you ever seen the movie Labyrinth with David Bowie


Well I just know it's a really good movie haha. Also David Bowie has a huge bulge in that movie for some reason haha if you haven't seen it you should check it out ,also the Hoggle costume was inspired by unclaimed baggage


I have lots of homework from this conversation!  Thanks for being interesting.  Good evening.


Yes, I watch a little.  My favorite show is The Walking Dead.  Do you have a favorite?


I've never seen the walking dead somehow! My favorite show right now is probably The Good Place. When did you start watching Walking Dead did you start early in?


Yes, I've watched since it started.  It's a good show.  Did you ever watch The Simpsons?


I used to watch it many years ago, it's been on a long time hasn't it?


Yes, I remember watching it as a kid.  I hear there's supposed to be an episode where Bart is neither seen or mentioned, at all.  I've racked my brain and I can't remember seeing that episode.  Have you seen it?


I've heard that too! I wonder if it was an episode all about Lisa or something. They use her often to really drive a story. Although I can't imagine seeing an entire episode without Bart


He's the star of the show.  I even had a talking Bart doll with the pull string, as a kid, that said, "no way man", and Aya karumba, etc.  Wouldn't have thought he would not be in an episode.  I'll have to research some and find it to watch!


I wonder if the writing team has changed much after all these years and all these pop culture changes. Things are much more gross and aggressive now in the post Family Guy era. Did you know that when south park aired it's family guy episode the simpsons writers sent over flowers for some reason


I guess as a show of respect.  I'm sure a long list of writers have filed through and yes, things are more filthy, gross, and aggressive, nowadays than back when The Simpsons first aired.  You ever watch Pokemon?


Never not even once somehow! I do remember watching Thomas the tank engine though! I think it's called Thomas the train now. Did you ever watch the really old ones with George Carlin?


Yes, I loved George Carlin's voice, always so calm and reassuring.  He was a funny comedian, kind of dirty at times, but I liked him a lot.  I never got into Pokemon either, although there are like over 750 episodes!


I remember when I was younger, I saw that there was a stand up special with George Carlin that was going to air and I ask my mother if I could watch it and she said NO! Absolutely NOT! Did you ever see when Ringo Starr was on there?


Yes, I've actually heard all 3 that have voiced Thomas.  Mainly, just watching in passing with my kids!  But, definitely George Carlin was my favorite Thomas!


I remember thinking as a kid that something must have gone wrong financially for Ringo Starr that made him end up working on a children's show, but I don't know if that's actually true. They all three stayed on the show a pretty long time, at least 52 episodes each I think


That's true, but he might have had a grand or great grandkid that really liked Thomas or something like that.  I find it hard to believe a Beatle would be hard up for money. lol