Hello there, I am well thank you.  Do you watch much television?


I do watch too much tv! Do you watch it?


Yeah I am a fan for sure, but miss old shows that used to be on.  What is your favorite show ever?


Favorite show ever???? I think I would go with the Simpsons. You?


That is awesome, that is probably my favorite ever as well.  Except, only until the 12th season or so, then it just wasn't the same for me.


I couldn't watch until the 12th season. My parents were not fans and they didn't allow me to watch it. Once I got older, I caught up though. What's your favorite genre?


Yeah that is understandable, I had older siblings so I got exposed at a much younger age.  I would say comedy for sure.  Seinfeld, King of the Hill, Always Sunny are some of my other favorites.  How about you?


I like Always sunny. The first 2 seasons were brilliant. Love them. I watch a lot of live sports. It's a little bit of an obsession. Also can be a pain...


Yeah those first seasons were the best by far.  I am the same, I mostly watch sports live or I use my DVR because I work nights.  My fav baseball team was one game away from the series, and my fav basketball team is the best in the league right now.


I am a Milwaukee fan, so the Brewers and the Bucks, how about you, do you follow any teams?


All chicago teams and the University of Illinois. This basketball season has be rough for us! I am not sure what they are doing but they are no longer a good organization. You guys got it going now!


Yeah the Bulls need a few years to rebuild, I was disappointed to see Jabari not do as well as hoped, but yeah the Bucks have a really good team right now.


Yeah he did, he is from Chicago, so him going back to the bulls was supposed to be his homecoming.  I tore my ACL this past summer, so I feel for him coming back from 2 of them!


Yeah. We just are not a good org. First him and then D-wade. Why can't we keep stars happy?


I think they have had a problem with keeping stars the last few years.  I think they get a good draft pick this year, and then give them a few seasons to get back.


Yeah I am for sure, are you a Cubs or a Sox fan?


Do you watch alot of television?  I was just reading an article that said that when south park aired its final episode the producers received flowers from the simpsons crew


Yes i watch. I bet Bart was in the final episode too


Did you know that there is only one episode of "The Simpsons"  where Bart neither appears nor is even mentioned?


yeah that was cool. have you read or heard The little women story


I have seen a movie on it.  I did see that it is 150 years old


yes it has been 150 years, I love that book.


I will have to read it sometime.  Did you read any of the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling


yes had read all 7 books. had a 3 day marathon to complete 7th book in my college . so much crazy back then


wow thats crazy.  J. K. Rowling is the first billionaire to fall off the Forbes list because of charitable giving


yes that was some great moral responsibility. But i would have been happy if they had Robin williams in the movie . not that i disliked the actor who did get cast as hagrid


Yeah Robin Williams is great.  I guess they wanted to keep it authentic with only British or Irish people


JK Rowling has rights to ask universal studio to change anything in the harry potter area as per agreement . it would be fun to drive them nuts


Lol, yes that is great that she can do that.  I know that she would really want to make sure it is authentic to the book and that they didn't change anything


She even had written few books under pseudonym Robert Galbraith


Yes I saw that.  She actually was asked to use just her initials when she wrote the books b/c the publishers were afraid boys wouldnt want to read a book written by a woman


Little women was inspired by these kind of situations way back then in 1960


yes that's true.  J. K. Rowling must have been close with her father b/c she gave him the first edition of "Harry Potter and The Goblet of fire


sad that he sold it . but for a huge lump


Yes I saw that he sold it for 27,500 euros.  I wonder how much US dollars that is


Do you have a favorite sister in The little women ?  I like Jo she is brave and ambitious and most female writers can see her as an inspiration


Well I think they are all great in their own way.  It was really great talking to you about this stuff.


Hi, do you use the word tele or telly instead of television?


I tend to use the abbreviation T.V. and just say the letters. I think it is more of a regional thing though.


Yes, I agree, have you ever watched a black and white T.V?


Yes actually I had one for years in college. What about you?


Yes, my family and I have a black and white T.V. for yes.


I try to play the game, but I never really understand it. I would love to learn to play pokemon.


I can't get into the game but my kids love the show. I can't believe it has been on for 16 years!


WOW, that true, I didn't know there were over 750 episodes of pokemon.


That is so many! I'm surprised that J.K. Rowling hasn't turned harry potter into some kind of tv show too.


Yes, the book has sold over 500 million copies Including awards.


I find her dedication to charitable giving something to aspire to.


yes I agree, did you like the book? If yes, how many books you read?


I'm not a big fan. It really isn't my genre. I can see why it is so popular though. It creates a fascinating world.


This is no joke, I felt the same way, I try to get into the book, because it was popular.


There are a lot of popular authors that I just don't get though like John Green. His books have good messages but are very depressing.


I am not familiar with the author John Green, but heard of him.


He seems to be quite the accomplished guy. I wonder why he has chose to write such heart wrentching material.


He only received $ 8000 advance for his first book if I am right.


Yeah that isn't a  lot of money for an advance. I am curious about his youtube channel. It sounds rather educational.


I didn't know he had a youtube channel, I watched youtube a lot.


I guess he has a lot of history stuff on there. I wonder if it child appropriate.


I'm doing good. Have you seen the film Thor? It's pretty good.


I haven't seen Thor. I'm not into superhero films very much.


It's pretty good, I recommend the first one, although the follow up is not very good.


What about the Ant Man movie? Ant Man made his marvel debut before Spider-man, Hulk, Thor and Ironman.


I haven't seen it. Who are the actors in it?


I can't remember. A couple of faces that I recognize but I don't remember their names.


Interesting, it sounds like it didn't do very well if Antman was in fact around before SpiderMan, Hulk, Thor and Iron Man.


When not watching movies, do you spend much time on the Internet?


Yeah, I think a lot of people do. Actually, I watch most of my movie via the internet.


It's important to be conscious of Internet usage. Constant novelty from clicking links on the internet can cause real addiction measurable in the brain


Interesting, yet not surprising, I've also read somewhere that only 7% of people read the full terms when buying a product or service on the internet.


That number sounds high to me! I figure hardly anyone these days reads the ToS. They just assume it's all good.


I don't think I actually have ever read ToS agreements. They seem so boring to me.


I wonder if the Internet at the top of Everest has a ToS. Probably not much time to read it up there.


I doubt it. Apparently there is a saved copy in case the internet ever burns down. Crazy isn't it?


That sounds kind of bogus to me. The Internet is too huge to be backed up like that. I do know that  the library at Alexandria burned down centuries ago.


Yeah, there is the wayback machine, but I don't think that even is able to copy every single webpage.


The web is just too dynamic. Well, I enjoyed chatting with you!


did you use nintendo? Did you noticed that nintendo system could display only 54 colors?


No I wasn't really into Nintendo. I am more the music, film, dance type person.


It was discontinued in sept 2003 thought.


Yeah I didn't realize that. I wonder why in Japan. Is that where it was created??


yes, it was.  What do you know about Bill nye?


Just that he knows a lot about science ..lol! Crazy he got his break in entertainment winning a Steve Martin lookalike contest.


I kind of heard the same thing. on the other hand, Ronald Reagan was once rejected for a movie someone didn´t think  he had the presidential look.


Wow, little did they know, huh? That's democracy for ya!


well. talking about something else. I read something interested the other day about Nevada and the US. Accordint to what I read US own most of Nevada.


That is nuts! Did you hear about the guy in France who impersonated a government official and sold the eiffel tower two times?


Yes, guess he wasn't punished enough the first time. :) So would you ever want to visit another planet like Mars?


sure. I heard they are planning in  creating a colonization project for 2023


Yeah that sounds interesting especially the reality tv show side of it.


Did you hear about the satellite that was lost in mars?


Yeah that was not good and all because they were using different systems. Yikes. People gotta get on the same page.


hahahha. Well, I heard that flying to mars will only take 2 or 3 days. don´t know how though.


Probably because of the constant 1g acceleration force. That is really, really, really fast.


I don't know if I would like it there though. Sounds have a higher pitch than they do here on earth. I hate loud noises or sounds!


how are you? do you have any interest in Space? I find Mars pretty cool, it was named after the Roman god of war


Hi, how are you? Mars is interesting. Sounds have a higher pitch there than on Earth because of the atmosphere.


Yea it has a very thin atmosphere, makes sense


The sunsets on Mars are blue. I wonder who wants to be part of the Mars colonization project in 2023.


Well I know lichens and cyanobacteria would thrive on mars so I'm sure they'd like to go


Maybe they should go first. We need to work out kinks in the system. Lockheed Martin was still using feet and miles and caused a satellite to crash.


Lol, that's  bad Locheed Martin was using the imperial system while Nasa used the metric


What scientists use the imperial system? Strange. NASA is American and they use metric.


I really don't even see how the satalite was even able to launch if Lokheed was using the imperial system


Probably NASA handled the launch, while Lockheed handled the satellite release at Mars. I didn't know that Mars is the second smallest in the solar system. I wonder if it's a comfortable place to live.


Probably not with all the iron oxide that gives it it's reddish apperance


There is a thin atmosphere, so it's got that going for it. I would only take 2 to 3 days to get to Mars at 1g acceleration. I wonder whether we'll have the technology soon


I don't know, i guess the US government hasn't come close yet at least according to wikileaks, all they published were the US governement's plan to destroy wikileaks


Wikileaks really is a thorn in the side of the US gov't. The US gov't owns 86% of the land in Nevada. I wonder how much it's worth.


I don't know, maybe the man who sold a government official and sold the Eiffel tower twice should try selling it


Or he could try being an actor, he could audition as the president, he'd probably do better than Reagan did in his audition as president


LOL! I wonder what was behind the US legislation protecting gov't employees for violating the Geneva conventions. Sounds fishy.


I guess the US doesn't want it's military under the jurisdiction of the UN or geneva conventions


I guess the gov't was planning for atrocities or something. I like that Norway's gov't donated to help save the Amazon.


Yea but I hope more countries contribute too, Norway's $1bn doesn't seem like enough


It isn't. Plus Norway has a ton of money from petroleum. And guess what environmental problems oil causes? Norway acknowledges its responsibility.


Yea, I guess so. Well I have to go, nice talking with you


I thought it was very interesting that a married couple created the baseball schedule for 24 years


I don't know much about baseball.  Can you tell me more about that?  You mena they created the game schedule?


Of course! So nowadays the league creates the schedule based off travel and events. But back then it was just two random people


That's pretty crazy.  I have never much been into baseball, but I do know it is an american game with a long history.


Yeah. I grew up around the game. It is kind of crazy how baseball has helped the USA get through its roughest times


Really?  The most I probably know about that is from the movie, A league of their own, which I think is partially based on fact.


Yep that is a true story actually for the most part. Baseball was huge for WWII they actually stopped the men's league because a lot of the players went to serve overseas. Imagine a celebrity doing that nowadays


That is hard to imagine.  I can respect the players despite not watching the game.  It takes a lot of skill to play.


Agreed! Which of the other topics would you like to discuss


Well, I am really into movies, especially Marvel movies.  I grew up on comic books so they resonate with me.  I know they are not for everyone though


I have kind of avoided the superhero movies recently because I feel like the market is getting flooded with them


That I will agree with, but I like some of the original ones in the beginning before is was so big.  I think the stories were fairly well done and they stayed true to the characters.


Agreed! I do think they came out with too many Spiderman and Batman movies though. Starting to feel the same with Captain America


Honestly, one of my favorite moview was Thor.  I thought the cast was excellent.  It is so hard to imagine any other actor in those roles now since they are recognized as that comic book character.


I actually never saw Thor but I know it had great reviews. I have gotten too caught up in binge watching shows that I forget about movies alot


It is hard to keep up with everything.  I think the best part of Thor was the villian, Loki.  He is one of the best villians out there because he isn't really 'bad'.  Plus Tom Hiddleston was perfect for the role.


He is a good actor! I saw that some people want him to be the next James Bond


Really, I hadn't heard that.  Did you know he tested for the role of Thor?  That is so hard to imagine because he was so good in his role as Loki.


Dang that is crazy that tested for both ends of the spectrum in a move


I would like to see him in more interesting roles.  He probably would make a good James Bond


Agreed! I am a big fan of Daniel Craig as Bond currently


Not really but i appreciate the sport. How about you?


I actually played up through high school and still follow it.  Did you know that baseball is also popular in Japan and they are suprised when they find out it's America's national pastime?


Wow they must really love it to make that kind of claim. You know why the managers wear uniforms like the players do?


Yes. lol  I'm not sure.  Why do they wear them?  I think it's the only sport where the managers do wear uniforms.


Apparently it's because they can actually play in the game if need be. Don't know why they would ever need to but that's kind of cool.


I would like to see one of the 80 year old, out of shape managers get to go to the plate and get a hit.  That would be great!


Right, lol! You know in Canada they call kickball soccer-baseball.


I wonder why they call it that?  lol  I would have liked to have been the guy who found 3 million dollars worth of baseball cards in his grandfathers attic.


I know why can't stuff like that happen to me, lol! Hey do you know what the hamburger button is?


It's what they call those 3 horizontal lines on the app menu and websites. Don't know why they thought that was a good name.


Hahha I never knew that.  I do know that when buying something online only 7 percent of people read the full terms of service.


Well you can include me in the 93% majority, lol. How about you?


I'm guilty as well.  Most of the stuff I buy is little things anyhow.  There is 3G cell service and internet at the peak of Mt. Everest now.  Maybe that's so people who make the climb can let people know as soon as they've reached the peak!


Yeah that sounds like a good reason. They say that constant clicking links on the internet cause real addictions measurable in the brain.


I think I may have had that addiction at one time before I cut back my time on the net.  lol


I do like Thor!  I think that's one of my favorite Marvel characters.


I know he's hilarious! Have you seen the Antman he made his debut just before spiderman, hulk and ironman.


I loved the Antman!  I haven't seen the 2nd one yet.  I thought Antman was pretty funny!  I have fun chatting with you!


You to! Marvel has done something that has never been done before i can't wait to see Captain Marvel and the next avengers.


That one should be a good one!  I have to get going. Have a good day!


What types of entertainment do you enjoy?


Hi all kinds. I still play my NES. The system only displays 54 colors but games like Mario 3 never get old.


Wasn't that discontinued in 2003? I'm surprised you still have a working console


Yes, I was shocked it was that recent but that was only in Japan. My console is from maybe 1991 got it as a kid but still love it. Even still blow on the old cartridges.


Actually did you know blowing the the cartridges makes them deteriorate faster due to moisture? It is actually much better to use those air dusters


Now I do, but in the 90's everyone said that was how you got them to work. Speaking of old technology, I was really sad to see yesterday that NASA has ended Opportunity's mission on Mars.


They weren't wrong since that it seemed to make them work. Really? That is a shame. Mars has always been of particular interest to people, hence the imagination of martians


Yes, it's so like our planet, yet so different. Even the name Mars, named after the god of war is interesting.


Did you know lichens and cyanobacteria could thrive on mars? I wonder what would happen if we move them there


They would thrive I guess? It would be very interesting but we probably won't see that happen in our lifetime. The reason is nasa or another space agency would introduce any foreign life to mars as it could have an effect on any native bacteria should there be any. Great lengths are taken to sterilize spacecraft before they reach mars.


Well a mars colonization project underway for 2023 is planned to be funded as a reality tv show.


I think they just announced their bankruptcy the other day. MarsOne I believe they are or were called. Part of the problem is it's just so far. If you could fly there under constant 1g acceleration it would only take a couple of days but that technology is a long ways away.


Well that and having a reality tv show doesn't seem a smart idea for a place of life and death where precision matters


I think the reality tv part was just to help fund it. However it obviously wasn't enough. I love looking at mars through a telescope although it's only close enough to observe up close every 26 months. You can actually see the polar ice caps which are made of water!


It is a planet that sometimes seems so close, yet so far. Even a small mistake can cost billions. Did you know a discrepancy of the imperial system and the metric system lost a satellite?


Yes! Locheed Martin assumed nasa would use the imperial system but unlike the rest of the US they follow the rest of the world and use metric. Most missions to mars actually fail. It's not easy getting there.


It helps that a day on mars is almost the same as here on earth.


Mars sure is similar to Earth, but its differences in atmosphere make sound a tad bit higher there than on the earth


Yeah it's paper thin at less than 1% of Earths. That's what makes landing the larger sized rovers so hard. The 7 minutes of hell is because they come down so fast with nothing to slow them down.


I guess global warming would be even more of a problem there?


True, but having a thin atmosphere sure will cause problems when people try to live on mars


Yes. There will be all kinds of issues. Even little things like getting used to the fact sounds have a higher pitch.


Indeed. In any case, thank you for the interesting chat. I now have some thinking about mars to do after this chat.


I enjoy many kinds. Now I generally enjoy music and movies. In the past I played video games. You?


I like watching videos of deep space exploration like about mars


I have not seen videos like that. Is that on PBS? Discovery channel?


Sometimes youtube, sometimes amazon prime. It really depends


I guess YouTube is the nexus for a lot of video entertainment now. Though of course, many people like to play games. Are there any Mars exploration games?


There are some. I like how large a role mars plays in our history


It is prominent in the sky, so I imagine that ancient peoples attributed a lot to its passage through the heavens.


I mean people considered it to represent the roman god of war


That makes sense. The red coloring looks ominous. Plus the Romans liked war.


The red color is due to the prevalence of iron oxide


I did not know that. I guess colonists on Mars will have lots of iron available for building things. Plus their voices will sound higher if they can speak without a helmet. The atmosphere changes the pitch.


I wonder what kind of life would form if we brought lichens and cyanobacteria to mars


Probably just more of the same in the short term. Over the course of millions of years, perhaps something would form, but it would be unlike our planet. I would not want to colonize the place.


Did you know people tried to plan the colonization of mars, funding it by creating a reality tv show?


That sounds prohibitively expensive. I wonder who could fund that? I would take years to go to Mars. I guess they could do a simulation on Earth.


I would rather that the government funded them than a reality tv show


Yes, I agree. Still, there are a lot of kinks to be worked out. A satellite was lost on mars because Locheed Martin used the imperial system while NASA used the metric system. Pretty stupid.


I still don't know why the us is so stubborn with their own measurement system? In any case, thanks for chatting


I guess people don't see the value in shifting systems. It would be good to have both together. Then people could get the info they need.  Thanks for the chat.


I'm laughing at the idea of trying to take that recording off the Internet. Just guarantees that a hundred times as many people will listen to it who wouldn't have ever known about it otherwise. You familiar with the Streisand Effect?


hello, lets talk about cars. The used to carry real trunks on the back of cars, that is why we call the back of the car that to this day


Car is automobile wheel to carry human in safe and comfortable way.


Its been a long time now that we have had cars, the year 1886 is considered the birth year of the modern car.


In 1886 car was discovered but in the 20th century only cars are available for human uses. It is used military for travelling purpose.


The cane Cadillac comes from the french explorer who founded Detroit.


The cars are propelled by internal combustion engine using fossil fuels which cause air pollution and global warming and affect the environment.


Sorry typo in the last message, cane should be name. In south Africa you are able to have flame-throwers on your car to help prevent carjackings


With the help of modern technology, today we are using electric cars which don't cause any pollution and harm to the environment. Some countries trying this but the cost is very high.


There is a person named Jann mardenborough who become a race car driver by beating a lot of people on the game gran turismo.


In US only there are people have cars in large numbers compared to other part of the world.


The reason why Mcdonalds added drive-thru was to allow soldiers to stay in their cars because they can not get out while in fatigues.


All the planet in the solar system revolves around the  sun.


Lets talk about the plants more. The planet Venus has no seasons because it does not tilt.


Venus is also called morning star because we can see it before the sun rise.


it is also special compared to other planets because it is the only one that rotates clock-wise


All the planet rotates around the Sun. Sun is the source of light and heat for the entire solar system. Earth is also a planet.


One of Jupiter's moons called ganymede would be considered a planet if it went around the sun which is called an orbit.


Earth is the planet which has a natural satellite called moon.


The is a planet 455 light-years away that astronomers have detected the building blocks of life.


The Jupiter planet have large number of artifical satellite.


There is a planet called uranus that rolls not spins around the sun. Nice talking to you today.


Did you hear that Scott Kelly had 7 percent of his genes that did not return to normal after his long stint in space?


He's the astronaut that had the 340 day mission to the International Space station, right?


Yes.  Apparently the 7 percent headline is "fake news"  The real difference is more subtle.


I've read there have been articles claiming that he and his brother are no longer identical twins now! Haha! However, yes, I did also read further that this amount of change is not really biologically possible.


Yes.  They needed the data because manned flights to Mars will take 3 years.


Yes. It's important for them to further understand the body's reaction to space if we're going to send people on longer and longer journeys. They say that what's been changed in Scott are within tehrange of a mountain climber, scuba diver, or other human under stress. So maybe it will be safe for us to get to Mars.


When you say "us" you can count me out, LOL. Did you know that the earth rotates around the sun in 365.26 days, making leap years every 4 years except for years dividable by 100 that are not dividable by 400.  That is not 1800, 1900 but yes for 2000


Interesting. Do you think there are Leap years on Mars? When Earth was first formed, a day was only 5.5 hours long. Say maybe in a few million more years, we won't need Leap years on Earth anyway!


Good point.  They adjust that atomic clock every once in a while for stuff like that.  Fortunately the gravitational interaction with the moon stabilizes the Earth's orientation on it axis.


Time is such a funny thing. If the Earth's entire history was viewed as a 24 hour period, humans would only represent 1 minute and 17 seconds!


Other planets look so different than earth too.  Our 71 percent of surface being water makes us look blue.


Yes. And that water is so important to Earth's history! Life first appeared on Earth in oceans. It happened within the first billion years of Earth's history.


It is kind of sad that all helium will be gone by the end of this century.  No inhaling from a balloon and talking in that high pitched voice.


So, we're running out of helium, and forests on Earth, huh? More than 80% of Earth's natural forests have already been destroyed! Things sure are changing on Earth.


I really enjoy breathing that oxygen that forests produce.  Thank goodness for algae that produces it also.


If we relocate, at least we already have an Ambassador to Extraterrestrials. Did you know the United Nations appointed one in 2010?


I hope they did it on April 1.  That seems appropriate.  Earth is the largest of the 4 terrestrial planets.  What are the other 4 planets made of?


I don't know, and I'm not getting on a space shuttle to find out! I can't imagine going that fast. I'll stick to my slow travel, by foot bicycle, automobile or train. Did you hear the Dutch are creating a commuter bus designed to travel at 160 mph? Too fast for me!


Wow! That is fast.  I drove one of my cars at 161 MPH for about 15 seconds once.  One feels like you are about to go airborne.  I have enjoyed talking with you.  I've got to walk a ways to my mailbox soon.


I am an inhabitant of it. Does that count? Do you know a lot about it?


I'm sure through those elementary school science projects aligning the planets you know that the earth is the 3rd planet from the sun. It is unique in that its the only astronomical object known to harbor life and it was estimated to be formed over 4.5 billion years ago


I feel like 340 days in space is a lot of time!


Are you referring to Scott Kelly's unprecedented mission on the international space station?


Yes I am. I am surprised to learn about the molecular changes that he exhibited when he got home.


Perhaps he was attacked by a xenomorph? But realistically, perhaps he is on the long road to humans evolving into the vacuum of space?


That would be crazy. I wonder if he is the longest serving human in space? It makes sense to see the body change like that, especially since they would see it in SCUBA and high altitudes.


I wonder if the transformation is permanent or if it will reverse when he comes back to earth?


I believe it has to be semi-permanent. I wonder if the human body changes when exposed to altitude over time, then sea level and then back? Would it change 3 times>


I recently read it wasn't as much that his genes changed as much as how they were rather expressed. Perhaps everyone has space genes that are currently dormant.


Kind of like the X-men? I'm all for that!


I mean although 93% reverted to preflight levels, 7% persisted. Perhaps this 7% will continue to accumulate till human beings can survive in the vacuum of space or at least become far better adapted for it.


So do you think this is the beginning of human evolution?


Perhaps, there is the potential. As the only extant member of Hominid, we are characterized by our erect posture and bipedal locomotion, high dexterity, use of tools, complex brains, and complex language with modern human developing around 50k years ago. From this, I wonder what the future holds for humans


Humans use tools to a much higher degree than any other animal. That's unique.


I think that what makes us more unique is that we use fire. Tools and being social creatures, though unique, is a trait that other animals have though to a lesser degree. Fire, however, no other animals use


Can they burp in zero-gravity? We cannot...


I also recently read that humans are among the best distance runners, but I just can't see myself being a distance runner due to my lack of stamina. Am I just not fit?


No, I go to the gym 7 days a week and I cannot run at all. I can bike for hours but when I get on a treadmill, I am useless!


We need machines! I can bike for hours, but running is a whole different animal


I like Cadillac a lot. It was named after French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac who founded Detroit.


Interesting fact! I didn't know Karl Benz was the one who patented cars back in 1886!


I didn't know that. And a couple decades later the Model T came out letting the car be accessible to the masses.


We can't forget about the trunk, which used to actually be a wooden trunk!


I wonder if they got jacked a lot. Speaking of car jacking, in South Africa you can equip your car with flamethrowers to prevent carjacking.


I think that would be both scary and tough at the same time lol. Do you like listening to the Beatles?


I listen to them from time to time. Their album is the best selling of the 2000s.


You would think Nickelback would beat them. Just kidding, I can't believe they had to stop touring because people screamed so much.


That is interesting! I like their song Come Together but didn't know it was part of a political campaign.


Interesting but makes sense. I didn't realize Ringo Starr grew up with tuberculosis! Scary!


And that prevented him from being able to go to school. He didn't learn to read till much later than usual.


Even though he knew how to read, none of the Beatles could read music.


Funny. Even I can read music. But they sure had good knowledge of all sorts of music since they experimented with several musical styles.


I think they looked good and could sing that's all that matters in the past and these days too in music lol.


They are the most influential music band in history!


Probably on the planet and others lol. I would hope I could listen to them someday on Venus, but it has no seasons!


Yeah, and it is the only planet that rotates clockwise.


I heard that five of the planets are visible to the eye, but I'm sure I've only seen Mars in the sky! How many have you seen?


I am not sure. I've seen Mars and another but forget which one. It was really bright. Jupiter's moon Ganymede must be huge though I think we cannot see it. It would be considered a planet if it orbited the sun.


Oh cool! Well have a great day! Keep your eyes open for planets!


I enjoy science, I was just reading about the Earth, Humans, and Travel


yes did you know that About 71% of Earth's surface is covered with water, mostly by oceans


That is interesting, it is amazing that we have all that water that we can't drink.


I just learned that when the Earth was first formed, a day was only 5.5 hours long.  I wonder why it has gotten longer?


Hmmm I wish I could explain. but even to scientists the earth's interior is a mystery


What's really crazy is that the United Nations now has an official ambassador to extraterrestrials, what would you think of that job?


Thats wild. Almost all animals and plants synthesize their own vitamin c, but humans cannot because the gene for this enzyme is defective


I wonder if it every worked correctly and we used to be able to synthesize the vitamin....appraently we are running out of helium, which may or may not be a bad thing.


Thats a good possibility. Its kinda scary to think about actually.


On the bright side, we no longer have significant amounts of body hair!


LOL Wow yea and also Humans will regrow a rib equally as strong as the original within only 2 - 3 months of having it surgically shortened.


I wonder why you would want to surgically shorten a rib?


True very true Im sure theres gotta be some reason


Did you know there is a frequency that causes fear in humans, I wonder if they use it in horror films?


No I did not know that I would hope not. Wow. Can you imagine?


I would bet that the movies that really scare us have the frequency.


I tend to disagree but that sounds like something the government would be doing


Speaking of governments, did you know that all highways in Japan are tollways?


No but its been good talking to ya . Bye


Hi are you into astronomy? Did you know you can see 5 planets with the naked eye? 6 if you have perfect vision and are in a really dark sky.


Do you know how the whole idea of the drive-thru came about?


Wasn't it for exhausted soldiers? In any case, it was a brilliant idea with all fast food companies following suit


It was actually for soldiers who at that time were not allowed to leave their cars in their uniforms


I see. I wonder what kind of enemies people in south africa face to be legally able to equip flame throwers


Yeah I wonder about that too. Sounds pretty dangerous to have them in the car too. Do you know how Cadillac got it's name?


After the FOunder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac


Wow that is an impressive feat on Cadillac's part.


Yeah for sure. On another topic, did you know that Venus does not tilt?


Yeah, and hence it actually only has one season. It rotates-clockwise


I wonder about that too. There is also another planet where it precipitates in the form of shards of glass. That just sounds scary.


I sure am thankful earth doesn't have such bizarre weather conditions.


I know, me too. Uranus on the other hand rolls instead of spinning around the sun


I wonder if that leads to any strange seasons on that planet


It must have some kind of effect for sure. Interestingly, we have already detected building blocks in another planet, that will be interesting to dive deeper into


True. Considering the vastness of the universe, it would be statistically stranger if we couldn't find any other building blocks of life elsewhere


Yeah, it is huge for sure. Nice chatting with you.


Good morning! How are you today? I'm hanging out watching some Fox News.


Doing good thanks. Do you like Bill Cosby?


I do not. I am glad for the guilty verdict against him.


I agree, there were just too many women who came forward for it not to be true. I have loved his comedy since I was just a kid but this changes everything.


Yes, it is disgusting. So, do you like horror films?


Yes I do. My favorite was the exorcist but at the time the cast didn't know it was a horror film.


Yes, I heard Danny, the boy from the Shining had no idea he was in a horror movie until years later, but I'm glad that was the case. That was scary!


That's probably the best. What's the scariest movie you ever saw?


That I'm not sure of as I don't watch many. Did you know that as a child Stephen King was terrified when he saw the movie Bambi?


Stephen King no doubt has a different way of looking at things. Did you see his movie misery?


Oh yeah. There's a part in there where Kathy Bates breaks this guys leg with a sledge hammer. I can't stand to watch it.


Oh yuck! That would be gross. On the bright side watching horror movies can burn up to 180 calories.


I didn't know that, but that's good. Did you know ET was supposed to be a horror film. I can't see that, can you?


I think I could see it initially, but I bet ET was just to cute.


I do. It is watched more than CNN and MSNBC combined.


I know there are popular. Do you think they actually are fair and balances?


I hope they are, but who knows. There must be a good reason they top CNN an MSNBC.


I think they lean conservative, but I think they are more fair than the other two.


Yes, that could be why. It was good chatting with you today! Have a good day.


It's complicated. If he did what they claim, he's getting what he deserves.


I kind of agree, he was ruled guilty and a lot of people came to speak out.  I am glad culture is changing where people are punished for sexual misconduct.


The Me too movement was an eye opener and he's not the only one but he is being made an example out of.


Very true.  he is one of the first high profile people to be accused.  Especially one that was portrayed as wholesome.


Right! To be honest before all this i loved Bill C. for his contribution to not just black people but to society as a whole. It's a real shame.


I agree!  He was iconic, he was such a great leader.  I am really sad how it all turned out.


I do. Couldnt live without it  How about you?


Yeah there gearing up for horror films, do you like those? Stephen king was scared of Bambi as a child. He said it was his first horror film.


I am not a big fan of horror, but I definitely dont classify Bambi as a horror film.  That is funny that he thinks that.


Well if you know anyone that wants to loose weight apparently horror films will help, lol! They say you can burn 180 calories from watching it.


Wow.  That cold jump start a few things for me in the calorie burning department.  You also are said to enjoy abstract art more after watching a horror film.


Wow i wonder why that is? I know that the creepy music we hear in horror films is done by an instrument called the waterphone.


Yes, and the weird sounds like aliens are usually made by a theremin.


Speaking of horror movies did you ever see the shining?


I didnt.  I heard the kid in it didnt know he was in a horror movie till years later.


I know can you imagine? How do you feel about fox news?


I cant watch them, I find it way to slanted.


Me too, it's hard to believe they are watch more than msnbc and cnn combined though.


For real!  Its been nice chatting but I must go!  Have a good day


Heck yeah. I listened to Nudes by Lucius early today. They are a pop folk duo .


That sounds interesting, I'm going to look them up quick.  I have been listening to Cut Worms debut album a lot this year, its pretty good.


Oh that is cool but I haven't heard of them so I'll check them out. I would love to attend the Art Walk in Portugal. They have street performers and many bands playing. Sounds fun.


That does sound super fun, I bet all of the people there are really friendly as well.


Super cool place to visit and experience. The admission is free and it's from 5pm. The song Feel It Still was debuted there.


Well its on my list of things to do now, thanks!


No prob. I am gonna pick up the new book by Reese Witherspoon. Have you heard about it? Its called Whiskey in a Teacup.


No I haven't, has she written other books before, or is this her first?


Although she is an actor, producer, and entrepreneur she is adding author to her resume now because this is her first book. I guess it's about the lifestyle guide to growing up in the south and she is peeling back the curtain to that lifestyle.


Well that should be pretty interesting, I have always thought she was a great actress, and I think she is a hell of a mom too.


She sure is. The tv show Big Little Lies looks fun but I have never watched it yet. She will be making an appearance to sign her book and talk about her show at The Anthem, 901 Wharf St SW. *pm, The cost is $60-$400 that includes the book though.


That is a big gap in prices for tickets, I'm sure those $400 ones get you some perks.


I sure would hope so! That's a pretty penny. I listen to a lot of music too, how about you? I listen to Bob Marley a lot and he still has music in the top album charts. He sits at #69 even all these years later.


Yeah Bob Marley had a ton of good songs, it always puts you in a good mood when you listen to him and the Wailers in my opinion.


I agree, it is happy and chill music. Very authentic. I like a variety of people the other band that I like is Aerosmith. They are crazy fun people to people watch. I also like to play their guitar hero songs with my kids.


Yeah i remember belting out a few of their songs on the old guitar hero a few years back, always fun.


Ha, did you know that Aerosmith made more money from Guitar Hero then on all of their albums combined. That is sort of sad but also pretty funny. Led Zeppelin is another band I like.


That is just too funny, I bet they were disappointed in the fact, but happy with all the money coming in!


The money probably made everything better. I usually buy my music from Walmart because they only sell the clean versions of songs and I can play them in front of my kids. I like the values of Walmart because it supports how I feel too. I like to keep my kids sheltered from unclean or questionable music.


That is pretty good, you sound like a very responsible parent and I respect you.  I think its way harder on parents these days with social media available with all kinds of things kids shouldn't be exposed to so young.


Yeah, I totally agree with you. Companies that help parents are great to support by shopping there. Have a good one.


Hello!  What do you think about the moon?


I like seeing it out my bedroom window when it's full. Funny that NASA interns tried to sell stolen rocks. Reminds me of the subplot in Jurassic Park.


NASA interns tried to sell stolen rocks?  I had no idea!


Yeah, that's a premier quality grift. I read that before the fall of the USSR some Soviet soldiers in Czechoslovakia actually sold one of their tanks on the black market to get money for alcohol.


That's interesting.  Did you know there's evidence of life on Titan, a moon of Saturn?  It's methane based life but life nonetheless.


That's fascinating! I never heard about that. I absolutely need to Google and find out more about it. I think Earth life originally evolved in a methane-heavy atmosphere.


Hmm, that's possible.  Have you heard about Mar's moon phobos?


No, I haven't? They were photos of Mars's moons?


Oh no, I meant the name of the moon is Phobos.  It's 1/3 hollow and some believe it to be artificial in origin because of this.


Sorry, I misread. I do remember in KS Robinson's Mars trilogy there was a big orbital colony inside Phobos, so maybe that was based on the idea of it being hollow.


It probably was.  You know I was thinking about those interns selling stolen moon rocks that you mentioned before.  I've heard that moon dust can cut through kevlar like material and is harmful to us.  I wonder if people got hurt or sick from the rocks.


No kidding? Hopefully they didn't inhale the dust.


Yep, you can get a disease called moon hay fever.  I don't know just exactly how bad it is to us but they say it's harmful.


I wonder what the mineral composition is that causes it? It sounds a lot like asbestos or talc.


That's a good question.  I wonder why they don't research about it's cutting capabilities too.


Sounds like it might have a lot of industrial uses.


That's what I was thinking too.  Do you ever wonder what keeps the flag on the moon from falling down?


I think it's got a wire in it to keep it unfurled?


Does it?  I started wondering after hearing about the dust being able to cut through kevlar. I just wondered how the flag pole isn't being cut.


I guess the dust just lays there and doesn't move, so there wouldn't be any abrasion.


Yeah I'm sure that's right. I just watch way too much science fiction lol.  Well, it's time for me to go.  It's been great chatting with you! Have a great day!


The moon is an amzaing astronomical body that orbits our planet, its beautifull!!


Hello did you know that an iphone has more computing power than an entire us nuclear icbm deterrent?


That actually scares me...Hopefully our enemies have less technology than an Iphone.


lol doubt it.  It is really scary,  so many things can be done with phones now.


Guess if I have to quickly call New York, I can just dial 212


I wonder why NY gets the fastest area code on a rotary phone ?  Do you remember those?


yeah, funny.  Did you know telephone cables just lay on the ocean floor?


I did,  thats crazy.  They arent worried about fish or crab gnawing through it


Not sure why Unicef wants us not to use our phones.


Not sure either,  but at least they are doing it for a good cause!  Water!


hmmm not sure,  but if it isnt then I think everyone is contributing to giving clean water!!  lol I hardly know anyone that actually makes phone calls.


Thats what I was hoping haha.  Speaking of funny, do you like comedy?


Seinfeld, friends and Frasier three of my favorite!  I have not watched 3rd rock though.


Those are all good.  I have watched 3rd rock,  its really funny.  That was a good era,  so many good shows.


Is it about aliens?  Not like a bromance like harold and kumar?


its a family who is disguised as humans and trying to live normal lives lol I also like how I met your mother,  great show.


Wait for it...........Legendary hahahah.   That is a comedy that got a lot out of dialogue.


Yesssss!  I think hes my favorite character!  Barney.  Its a great show,  I love the whole idea of it.


And to know that he is gay makes the character even funnier!


Absolutely,  hes a good fit for that character.  His husband actually plays Lily's high school boyfriend Scooter in the show. lol Its been great talking to you.


Hi, I am fine. What is your favorite album? Mine is Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park, its also the best selling album of the 21st century.


Wow. I really like live music so I like Dave Matthews and TIm Reynolds live stuff.  What type of music are you into?


dmb is okay. I'm glad they still release their albums on vinyl. LP's sound so much better then CDs and so so much better then Mp3's which is what most people listen to these days.


I really want to get into vinyl but havent done it yet. Seems too expensive for my wants. I just subscribe to Spotify...


I have some old 78's from the 40s but no way to play them. Today's record players only play 33 and 45rpm.


I had no idea. What genre do you listen to most?


mostly rock, but other stuff too. Albums today are so different, in part because they don't make money. NWA straight outta compton went platinum without a tour, or even radio airplay. nowadays few albums will sell 1 million copies period.


That surprises me that album went platinum. Do you listen to Pink Floyd?


Yes. Dark Side of the moon is one of my all time favorites, and it's still selling well today.


I love pink floyd. I am only 40 so they were before my time. I really like the Wall and Division bell.


Roger Waters is still touring now. What else do you like to do for entertainment?


I have 2 kids and a bunch of jobs so I do not have much free time. I try to work out in the morning so does that count? You?


I recently busted out my old NES (nintendo entertainment system). It's still fun to play but the thing only displays 54 colors!


I know! There is a clasic NES system that has like 10 games on it. One is the old classic Contra. Played it last week and it was terrible looking.


I got it way back in the 80s or 90s but after pulling it out again and looking up information I was surprised to learn it was only discontinued in Japan in 2003.


That seems too recent. I feel like it ended in 1994. When did all the other systems come out, like Xbox?


Xbox would be the late 90s I believe. Entertainment sure has come a long way. In Britain people used to breed chickens not for food but for entertainment.


Did Britain create cock-fighting? Why were chickens entertaining?


That's a good question. I don't really know just something I read about when Caesar visited Britain he discovered this. Way back in 50bc.


hey my friend have you ever been to a summit?


No, I have not. Have you? Seems like it would be fun?


no but I want to, I guess the first time summit as a term was used was in 1955


Yeah. Did you know that they had a gathering of world leaders at the World Tiger Summit.


no I didn't, but I know that after the Cold war summits beame the standard for global conferences


Did you know Thom Yorke is credit with playing Laptop on some radiohead albums.


ha thats funny, do you like that album? I know that I really like Hybrid Theory myself by Linkin Park


I thought it was good. But I think Aerosmith made more money from guitar hero alone than any one album.


that would sadly not surprise me, and ya the Hybrid Theory album is the best selling album of the 21st century so far


Interesting, I wouldn't have guessed that. Did you know Walmart only sells clean versions of albums?


I did know that, thats why I don't shop there haha, do you LIke NWA?


I used to listen to them when I was younger, I doubt that album would have been sold in a Walmart.


nope definitely not, I guess they got to platinum status with an album even without any airplay


I can believe that. They were super popular when I was young. Do you like Chuck E Cheese?


I did ya when I was a kid, I loved the games and pizza, you?


I do too. But I thought the band was a little weird. LOL


ya the robot stuff was scary, did you ever play a Nintendo as a kid?


Yeah, I did. IT was pretty fun. I played Mike Tyson's Punch Out


ya I did too! shocking that it could only output 54 colors, I remember the graphics being good


Yeah, they were good. In fact I thought they were great.


well just be glad you had a nintendo and not chickens like in 50BC haha


hey there have you ever visited a summit before?


I havent, either the meeting or the mountain type.


haha good distinction, well it's interesting that the first summit ever was the Geneva Summit in 1955, its shocking countries didn't do that earlier


True, there are some summits like the global tiger initiative summit in Russia that pledged $330 million dollars for Tiger conservation.


that is nice, but I heard that Russia also went to a summit and gave all the countries thumb drives infected with a virus, definitely not cool!


yup I agree, did you ever play the videogame eve online? they won a world summit award, thats really weird for a game to win something like that


I haven't.  I am not that into most video games, mostly mario brothers is my jam.


ya I liked playing mario on my nes back in the day, can't believe that system was around until 2003


They recently relaunched it in digital form.


oh wow I shoudl check it out, does it still only support 54 colors?


I don't know, it looks just like the old system graphics, so I am guessing it might.


ya it probably does, I'm just glad that we can play games and  not be forced to use chickens for entertainment like people did back in Caesars time haha


I cant imagine that would have provided much fun.  The NFL is technically an entertainment rather than a sport legally.


huh I wonder why, is that for taxx reasons? I think its funny Reagan was told that he didn't look presidential enough to play a president, talk about the wrong guy to say that to haha


That is sort of funny.  Little did they know at the time.


haha yup no one could have predicted, what do you think about bill nye the science guy?


I heard he was discovered due to a look a like contest


ya a steve martin contest! can you see the resemblance because I definitely can, thats what started his career


I think a younger steve martin maybe, not necessarily them now.  Maybe I should find a celeb I look like and get discovered for something.


haha you should! do you listen to any music btw? do you have a favorite album


I do have a few, none of them are really popular.  But then again Aerosmith made more money from guitar hero than any album.


ya that is surprising, I want to listen to that twin album, two 100 year old japanese twins made a rap album in 1992, that sounds wacky


Hello,  did you know that the iphone has more computing power than a us nuclear icbm deterrent?


Yes, and the iphone is also much better for chatting and web surfing. do you have an iphone?


I dont actually,  I have an andriod lol Thats interesting to know.


i have heard that android is the superior phone. i wouldnt know but i would believe it. apple is about style, google about functionality


i do like comedy. i think that Bill Murray is great. how about you?


I think he would have been good as Green Lantern. Better than Jack Baclk.


Really?  I dont think so,  he doesnt seem right for the part lol I know he thinks kung fu hustle is the supreme achievement of the modern age terms of comedy lol do you remember that movie?


I could see Jack doing the part, he just is too kinetic for me. I disagree with Bill on that KFH. i think he was being facetious.


lol it was a funny movie,  wasnt that great though.  I really like the character that was an asian woman who ran fast while smoking lol


i never saw the movie, but i bet it was really funny. how could it be the funniest though if bill murray wasnt in it? LOL


lol right!  Have you ever seen 3rd rock from the sun?


no. i know that it was not the greatest comedy show around, but i guess it had its following


It was actually really funny,  still cant believe it beat seinfeld, friends and frasier in 1997 though.


the fix was in, or it was a political favor. maybe the show never won and they got a pity award? I wonder.


Comedy central has cancelled over 100 shows since 1989. what shows have not gotten canceled?


lol Im not sure i dont watch that channel much.  That is pretty crazy though,  that is a lot of turn over.


South Park has not fallen under the ax. I expect they have a few more years left. what would those guys do anyway. they work three months a year on the show. thats pretty good


Oh right,  south park!  I dont even watch that on real tv though, I just stream it lol


yeah, that is the way to go. the TV is just so old now. everything is on the internet. Anyway, great chat!


Great chatting with you ,  have a good one.


Yes, Reading makes our brain more active.


yup for sure, do you ever go on wikipedia?


Yes, Reading is a means for language sharing information and ideas.


yeah, in wiki they have superheroes ranked according to their powers


The reading process requires continuous practice, development and taking notes about the subject. It is easy to remember.


do you know who wrote the oldest known cybord in a fiction?


No, Its good exercise to brain and now days, reading habit is much reduced. please all in social media.


Yes, A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience.


I went to shakira. She dance very beautifully.


yeah, do you know how many years they toured for?


yeah and in that time they had 2263 concerts


Hi do you ever read fiction? I know that I don't read I just listen to a lot of audiobooks personally


I actually do. Did you wiki has a page where they list the fictional characters according to their powers?


I did not know that. That is kind of weird actually haha. I guess fiction is not based on history or fact so that makes sense that they would have that


Yeah, pretty cool. Do you know who wrote the oldest cyborg fiction?


Wasn't it Edgar Allan Poe? That is so weird! I wonder if that's a good story. They should make a movie out of it hahaha do you know who Julius Caesar wrote fanfiction about?


Oh yeah he wrote about hercules and oedipus


Yep that's so funny to me. Also funny is that the creator of Game of Thrones hates fanfiction. I guess he thinks it's copyright infringement. I don't agree though. What about you?


Yeah considering Games of Thrones is itself a fiction. Who knows. A judge in the 50s tried to ban a fiction book just cause it had a black character


Isn't that stupid? It wasn't a 1950s but still. You'd think that people wouldn't be so petty. Do you ever read books by the way?


I love reading. Do you know who holds the record for speed reading?


Isn't it a girl named Anne Jones? The record is like 4700 words per minute. I know that I've tried to speed read and I can't retain any information personally. What about you?


Yeah and I wonder how they measure that. That is way too fast for me


Yep I agree. Have you ever read the book Starship Troopers? I've seen the movie. It's directed by the guy who made RoboCop


I have not but it is in the reading list of the majority if us military branches


Well I would recommend the movie. It's actually really good. I don't know about the book though, have you read the book Ender's Game?


Yeah that is another recommened book, even by the marines


Yep it was also a movie. A movie that I thought was horrible haha. It is Harrison Ford in it but it's still not good. How is that possible? Have you ever read a book and Braille? I know that I can't


No I have not because I do not know how to either. There was once a moral panic because people were reading books in the 18th century


That seems so silly haha. Don't you think they would be worse things in the world that everyone reading haha. Do you ever go to concerts by the way? I went to a couple last year they were pretty awesome. My favorite was probably Lollapalooza


I do from time to time. Did you know LInkin Park played 324 of them in 2011?


Wow that's crazy! I actually go to a lot of orchestras and operas myself. But Rock shows are the best haha. I would love to see the Ramones. I guess they made almost 2200 concert in about 20 years


Hi! i am good. I am sitting reading and writing. do you like reading?


Yes I do. I like Pemelope Lively's new book.  Have u heard of her?


She is a nobel prixe winning author. She wroye her 21st book at 84 years old.


Whoa. that is great! to keep writing at that age and doing it well. i expect to just sit their drooling into my cheerios.


LOL . She has an amazing memory. Mine is horrible.


Mine is bad too. I like to read, but i seem to forget things after ive read them.


Yes, i have. not recently. i dont have the time or money. you?


I used to go to alot but Im getting too old to stand that long anymore. Pink Floyd once filmed a concert that had no people at it lol


that is an odd "concert". i guess they liked the acoustics of the stadium?


I dont know but definately is odd. Another band popular had 324 concerts in 1 single year.


was that Linkin Park? i wish i had seen them live. they must have been awesome.


Yes I agree I really admire the ramones they toured for almost 20 years. Thats amazing.


those guys ground out like 2000 dates or something. the iron men of the rock world.


Yes they played over 2400 concerts in their time.


I wonder if they ever played in croatia or pompeii. did they ever get sued by fans?


You know  I think that was actually the band Creed. Its been good talking to you.


Creed? oh boy. those guys really must have sucked. anyway, great chat!


Have you ever read Ender's Game?  It is supposedly on the suggest reading list for some US military organizations.


No, I haven't read that. I have heard of it, but I don't typically like military fiction. I do enjoy some science fiction.


It is sort of a science fiction book too, they made it into a movie.  I do enjoy reading, although I am no speed reader.  The world record is like 4,700 words per minute.


I tend to read quickly but miss small details. So I will go back and re-read a passage two or three times to catch it all. Have you read "Life in the Garden?"


I have not  read that one, what is it about?


I had never heard of it until now. According to my passage, it is a some autobiographical account of a British gardener. By the passage, it doesn't sound like something I would be interested in. I'm not a gardener. I have whatever the opposite of a green thumb is.


I am in the same boat, despite my best efforts I can't seem to care for a plant.  I like to think of it as a black thumb.  lol.   I do find humor in the fact that CS Lewis and Tolkien had a "you laugh, you lose" contest while reading bad poetry


Oh wow, that is amazing. I feel like, the harder you try with poetry, the worse it comes out. I have definitely read some bad poetry.


Same here.  Im not one for all the veiled meaning.  You can be descriptive, just say what you mean.


I agree. I remember having the hardest time understanding metaphors in junior high. Simile I could do no problem, but metaphor was lost on me. Reading is definitely a complex thing. To be fair, I love the metaphors in Harry Potter.


I love Harry Potter, for fiction, she made it seem so real.


It is fascinating how her made up world is so complete. I can't imagine having such a creative mind. Fiction itself is very interesting.


It really is, there is even a wiki that ranks fictional characters according to their powers and abilities.  The fiction world really draws us in.


Oh wow I haven't seen that. I was on Pottermore for a while but it's been a few years. People do become so involved in it. Do you prefer fiction to nonfiction?


I really enjoy reading non-fiction, like development, business, psychology books, something that I can learn from


Oh I absolutely agree. I used to enjoy reading fiction more but there just isn't time. I feel like reading simply for enjoyment isn't a good way to spend my time. I'm busy so often, so really the only books I read right now are parenting books. I did really enjoy psychology books in high school and college. For development - do you mean personal development?


Yes.  things on mindset, interactions.  While I don't have kids myself, I teach so the book, so Ive read a few parenting books, I really liked No Drama Discipline.


I haven't heard of that one! I will have to look it up. Do you know if it follows any sort of "parenting philosophy?" I am reading through three right now: "No Bad Kids," "Peaceful Parent, Happy Kid," and a book on Sensory Processing Disorder. What do you teach?


I teach Band, and martial arts.   The book focuses on the root of the problem rather than the behavior, trying to teach kids to express their feelings.  Disconnected Kids is also a great book, it has parts on Sensory Processing, as well as spectrum disorders.


Yes - getting to the root is so important. Thank you for the recommendations - they sound great! I will look them up at the library. My uncle teaches band. That is very cool.


It has been great chatting, but I must go.  have a fantastic day!


Oh yeah I think he is very talented and has made a ton of hit songs.


Yeah I enjoy his music too. Did you know he started his career as an actor? I thought that was interesting


I knew that because some of my friends in college watched Degrassi when they were high schoolers. I think the girls in particular had a crush on him which is pretty funny in my opinion.


That's is funny. Speaking of college, I went to a school that had a great hockey team. Are you a fan of hockey?


Yeah it's the best thing out of Canada (well I guess they like lacrosse too since that is one of their national sports as well).


Do you have a favorite team? Mine is the Islanders, but unfortunately they aren't very good.


I moved recently but I used to love the San Jose Sharks. They are alright; it doesn't get very cold in California, so it makes sense that ice hockey rings often can be converted to basketball courts so it's useful for two different sports and two different seasons.


Yeah playing ice hockey in warm weather could definitely be a challenge. That's probably a reason why people started to play field hockey.


It's odd that people call ice hockey just hockey given that there are a lot of different types of hockey. It's similar to Football having a different name globally. By the way, speaking of things being different globally -- did you know it's legal to protect your car against theft with flame throwers in South Africa? Totally nuts!


Wow, I did not know that. That's very surprising to learn. Cars really are a global phenomenon, did you know that the American car brand cadillac was named after a French explorer with the same surname?


I didn't know that, and you are certainly right about it being global. Cars were actually invented by a German man (Karl Benz). I learned that recently and found it surprising because cars are something Americans are so proud of with their love of Ford and everything.


Yeah and people don't just love driving cars, people race them too. Car racing has become a super popular sport. In fact a guy named Jann Mardenborough became a professional race car driver by winning a competition on the racing video game Gran Turismo.


I used to play Gran Turismo! The physics in that game and other games are pretty realistic so I believe it. Playing a game about race cars definitely beats playing a game about horse drawn carriages and carts, which was what people drove before the advent of cars.


Yeah I agree. Cars have come very far in their development. In fact, the trunk of the car is called that because old cars used to have wooden trunks on the back.


I wonder what kind of car Drake drives. He actually probably owns several! He's been on the Bilboard 200 so many times and he's won so many awards he is probably loaded with cash and cars.


He's definitely very wealthy. I once read that while he was on tour in 2011 he spent a ridiculous amount of money on classic children's books.


That is so odd, I wonder if it was an investment or if he plans to have kids some day. He was born in 1986 and is still somewhat young so maybe it was just to collect or to give a gift to somebody else.


Perhaps that could be true. His music career has caused him to experience some things in life later than other people would expect to experience them. In fact he didn't graduate from high school until he was 25.


That must have been from all the acting he did in the early 2000s. Anyway, sorry I brought up Drake again, I feel like he's one of the best things to come out of Canada; that and hockey, right?


No worries. I'd agree that he is one of Canada's treasures. I'd say him and hockey are both in the top three along with maple syrup!


That's really funny! Anyway, thanks for chatting about Canada, Cars, all sorts of things. It was a pleasure.


Yeah that was a good conversation. Maybe we'll see each other at a Drake concert or hockey game one day. Bye for now.


Hey there how you doing? I think learning about space is fascinating. There are so many planets in our solar system.


I am doing well, how about you?  Yes it is!  Did you know that Jupiter's moon Ganymede would be a planet if it orbited the Sun?


I did not know that but I love that name! Venus would be a crazy planet to live on because there are no seasons. Hopefully it's summer all the time.


That is true.  Hopefully it would be summer.  Did you know that Uranus rotates sideways and rolls around the sun instead of spinning?


I wonder what makes you do that? I like looking in the night sky because five planets are visible to the naked eye!


That is cool.  Did you hear about a planet that was found that glass percipitates sideways at 4500 mph in  2000 degree  Fahrenheit winter?


I would not want to visit that place! Astronomers once detected building blocks of life in a planetary system 455 light years away!


Indeed it is! It is fun to learn about planets on the Internet. There's even Internet service on the peak of Mount Everest.


That is insane!  Did you know that the 3 horizontal line menu on apps and websites is called a Hamburger Button?


No but that makes me hungry! The Internet is truly addicting and it is actually measurable in the brain.


I recently read something about that. Did you know the word "internet" is a contraction of interconnected network?


Oh that is really cool! Luckily there is a library of Alexandria that has a saved copy of the Internet in case the Internet burns down LOL!


Do you ever shop on the Internet for clothes? Apple even have a clothing line in 1986.


I do sometimes. I did not know that!  Did you know there is a store in Alabama that only sells stuff found in unclaimed baggage at the airport?


I would like to visit that store. Ripcurl makes clothes in North Korea but the label says made in China. Must be Kim Jong-un's orders!


Must be!  Did you know that Pilgrim's clothing was full of color? They only wore black for special occasions.


I thought it was the other way around! One thing style gurus look for is collar gaps to tell if clothes were tailored! It was lovely talking with you today!


Yes, I  do.  It's hard to find public transportation in our area.


Same here, rural living at its finest! It isn't a cadillac is it?


No, it is not.  I heard that Cadillac was named after a French explorer who founded Detroit.


Yep that is right, his name was antonie de la mothe cadillac. I am glad they just stuck with Cadillac lol


I know, right?  His entire name is so hard to pronounce.


For sure, doesn't quite roll off the tongue very good. Did you know in south africa you can equip your car with flamethrowers?


For sure, and very dangerous I bet. I need a flame thrower to warm my car up in this cold weather


Where are you located?  East part of the US?  It's warm in Texas.  Do you know why McDonalds' added the first drive through?


Iowa, so cold here! Did they add it to make it easy to obtain food lazily? lol


You are funny.  It was in order to accommodate soldiers who were not allowed to get out of their cars while wearing their uniform.


that is some nice respect. That probably helped profits around military bases.


Most businesses think of themselves before thinking of their customers.  I'm sure McDonalds just wanted to be more profitable.


yea very good point, lol! Did you knw why they call it a trunk


Because old cars used to have wooden trunks on the back.


there you go, pretty easy lol! I wonder how easy it was to steal from someones trunk in the early days


It should be really easy.   Did you hear about someone who became  a professional race car driver because he beat 90000 people in the video game Gran Turismo?


I used to love playing that game. I couldn't imagine playing anyone 90000 times, but it paid off in the end for that guy. What was his name?


Jann Mardenborough.  Have you heard this name before?


I have never heard that name. I am going to google him. It was so nice chatting with you!


Have you ever tried making your own clothing?


I have not, I feel I don't have the skills. I would  probably look like a pilgrim if i did. Do you?


I don't yet, but I recently bought a sewing machine. I'm going to learn how to use it on the internet.


Yes, of course. I heard Apple actually made a clothing line back in the eighties. Can you imagine if YouTube had their own clothing line?


That would be insane. Did you know in Alabama they have clothes for sale strictly from unclaimed baggage at airports. I wonder if there are some Apple products in there.


There must be. I'd like to shop at that store online. Or, actually, I wonder if I could start my own business selling unclaimed baggage online?


I wonder what they do with all the unclaimed baggage outside Alabama, that is a good idea, straight profit!


Maybe I could combine unclaimed baggage and abandoned storage unit stuff together in one online store. I'd be saving the planet from stuff going to landfills.


Lets plan this store together and both be rich, lol. We can use the internet as our store and have a crazy terms of service since only 7% of people actually read it.


That's true, but I think I've heard there is a law about making unreasonable terms, unfortunately. I'd have to research it on the internet to be sure.


I bet you're right. We could travel up to the peak of mt. everest where there is 3g cell and internet capability. We could base our operations there!


Yes, and we could use drones that are linked through a satellite internet connection to deliver the packages to anywhere on the planet!


Now the ball is running lol. Speaking of the planet, we could be delivering to other planets because astronomers think there is life 455 light years away


Yes, and if I make my own clothing and sell that too, I could be a fashion icon on another planet like Gucci.


For sure! where do we start to make this happen, the internet?


Definitely Maybe we should also be like Rip Curl and make clothes in North Korea but label it "made in China?"


I didn't think anything came from North Korea. I bet we can get clothes from there too super cheap and say it is from China


Plus, I'd be able to offer custom tailoring on the clothing with my sewing machine skills and be sure customers would not have any collar gaps so that they have that nice professional tailored look.


Would you use animal skins as fabric for clothing?


I would, but only if it's recycled. I'd actually like to learn to make my own silk. I like my clothing made of that more than furs or skins.


That Paul Manafort is quite the character don't you think?


To be honest I have no idea who he is. What did he do.


He lead Trump's campaign for a short while & is currently in jail. Surprised you haven't heard about him.


I dont really keep up with news to much. Its kind of depressing if you ask me.


Yeah it can be pretty depressing. Do you spend much time using the internet?


Oh yeah I do. Doesn't everybody these days.


I read that clicking links on the internet can cause addiction that's measurable in the brain. Do you believe that?


Im not sure about clicking links being what is addictive. I would say it is the content provided, and our need to know whats going on and learn new things.


I'm a big fan of astronomy. Do you know much about it or our universe?


I know enough to be dangerous. Lol. Did you know that there are three other names for earth


I didn't know that. Did you know that there are 5 planets in our solar system that are visible to the naked eye?


I didnt actually I thought there was 8 more. The other names for earth are, gaia tellu and telluris. Interesting huh.


Yeah that's interesting. Something I found odd was that the planet Uranus rotates sideways & rolls around its sun instead of spinning like most planets.


Boy could I tell a couple jokes on that point Lol. It is interesting though. Kind of makes you think about what might be going on around that part of the solar system to make it behave so differently than other planets do.


I wonder that myself. Have you heard about the planetary system that astronomers say contains the basic building blocks of life?


I hadnt heard of that. I do know that the basic building blocks of life are atoms. Look at me, somebody paid attention that day in school. Lol.


Do you follow the fashion industry much? I read something about Rip Curl making its clothes in North Korea. How is that even possible?


I dont even know who rip curl is, but my guess is that it is much cheaper to make them over there.


Apple at one point had a clothing line. Do you remember it? I think it was in the 80's.


I have seen shirts with the apple logo. I didnt figure that apple actually made the shirts though.


They're still doing pretty good I think. It was great talking with you. Have a good day!


Are you addicted to clicking  links on the intenet?


No not yet but it is scary to know that that can actually happen


Right, I think we all have grown into this addiction that we may not be aware of it. I am sure people climbing mt everest take advantage of the 3g internet and cell up there


Yeah I bet they do. Do you know what the hamburger button is?


I do not know what that is, is it internet related?


Yes it is the three horizontal line menus that are on apps


that makes sense lol. I never knew that! I bet it was in some terms of service that I never read.


I know I am like you, in that 7% of people that do not read them


We are the 93%! I am sure we have sold our soul to the devil or something lol


Hahaha maybe. DId you know there is a copy of the Internet saved?


really? That is a good fall back, I wonder how they have a copy of the internet


I have no idea either but it is in the Library of Alexandria


Nice, that will be good in case it ever goes down. Do you think they have a back up to the backup lol


Haha good question. On another topic, do you know much about planets?


I know a little bit here and there. I know the planet uranus rotates sideways and rolls around the sun. What do you know?


I know that Venus does not tilt and therefore it has no seasons


That is interesting, planets blow my mind. I heard that Jupiter's moon would be considered a planet if it orbited the sun


I know right? There is a planet where it rains shards of glass, that is scary


yikes, I am so happy it doesn't do that on earth lol. I think they blow sideways at 4500 mph lol! It was so nice chatting with you!


Well thank you. Do you enjoy any form of entertainment like hockey or driving?


I am not too familiar with hockey, but I have read up on it recently though


Nice. When Alex Ovechkin won the stanley cup, he went on quite the binge!


Is Alex Ovechkin a famous hockey player?


Yes, he played for the washington capitals. They won the stanley cup last year and he went on a media tour and drank all summer.


That sounds very interesting. Anything else?


No, just that he really liked drinking that summer. Do you have a favorite NHL team?


I would say I'm familiar enough to have a favorite NHL team. However, I did hear that a goalie caught on fire when a puck hit a pack of matches in his pocket


What! That's crazy! In the first olympics canada scored 132 and gave up only 3!


Is it true that some people watch hockey for the violence? I heard hockey rinks used to only have 1 penalty box, so players would often continue their fight there


Yes. There was a hockey player that was traded for $1 and went on to win 4 cups!


Do you know his name? I bet the team who traded him sure regretted it. Kind of sounds like the hockey version of tom brady


I do not know his name. I do know that hockey players lose on average 8 pounds per game...


I think that is the dream of every dieter. I wonder how many calories they have to burn to lose so much


It's probably water weight. Although if I could lose 8 pounds by playing one game of hockey, sign me up!


Aside from hockey do you hold other interests such as in cars or music?


I like them both, music more than cars. What about you?


I like it, if it is well done. If not, it's a dumpster fire...


What do you think about the rapper drake? I recognize his talent and his achievements although I am not too big a fan of his music


I am indifferent... Nice chatting with you!


I love comedy movies, especially bromantic comedies like pineapple express


I like that they mostly have happy endings.


for sure lol, have you seen kung fu hustle?


I have not either, I may want to see it. Bill  Murray says it is comedy gold, trying to get other opinions


He's probably a good judge of what's funny! Some of the first movies ever were comedies.


For sure. Did you ever watch whose line is it anyways?


I guess Ryan stiles dropped out of school to pursue comedy, it was the right move. dude is hilarious!


Definitely! Dean Martin chose comedy instead of law school!


That is crazy, I am sure he is making more money now than law school would have paid him in his career! Do you have a favorite bromantic comedy?


Me too, I saw all of them in theaters, so funny!


I love those movies, I have never been to white castle though, do you like them?


I like the movies, but not the hamburgers. Did you ever watch 3rd Rock From the Sun?


I used to watch it but never understood it, was it good?


It beat Seinfeld, and Friends for a Golden Globe award. I liked Friends a lot better, though!


I was all about Seinfeld, i cant believe that


I was shocked, too! Nice talking to you! Have a great rest of your night!


I really enjoy drama in the arts. How about yourself?


The dutch people have public transport that goes up to 160MPH!!!!!


Yes I know, so is that as fast as the Elon Musk Tunnel?


I'm not sure how fast that is supposed to go. I saw that it cost $300 to travel across Japan due to tolls.


I thought you typed $300 to travel across Japan due to trolls, lol.


So how many miles would it be for that traveling session across Japan?


Not sure on that one. I saw that Iceland has no public rail system.


Oh yes, that is true and also the Alaskan people are used to living in ice and snow like the Icelanders?


Do you like to read books or other material?


I don't read a whole lot. What about you?


I like to read and also like to watch on them movies!


That's good. I like to watch movies, but have a hard time finding time to do it with kids.


Oh, I don't have any of those. Did you know that the faster reader can read 4700 words per minute?


Wow - that's fast! Looks like it was a person named Anne Jones.


In the 18th century, there was a moral panic because of the spread of reading of novels lol


Ha, now that's pretty funny too. Would you watch or read a story that was based on that and plays out like a zombie/anarchy society survival thing?


I would definitely watch/read something that plays out like that


Yea, me too! sounds interesting. Do you like hats?


What do you like to do for fun or as entertainment?


Travel is a good thing.  I like places that are different.  I want to go to Japan and drive on the highway.


I heard that traveling in Japan is quite expensive especially if you go on the highways, the tolls costs more than $300 to travel across the country, I wonder how much the US costs?


If some one searched for tool roads in the US, they could probably find a few hundred bucks.  Some toll roads are loops though.  Mackinac Island has no motorized vehicles. It is a Michigan tourist trap.


Yeah and with how big the US is, I imagine driving on the toll roads could become a lot more expensive than Japan. So how do the people who live on Mackinac Island travel?


Most people use a bike.  The tourists use horse drawn carriages.  The island is deserted in the winter.  I wonder if Native Icelanders would use a public rail system if available?


There's even horse drawn carriages there? It does sound like a tourist trap! Nope, they can't since there's no public rails so they have to travel via domestic flights between major towns! I think I need to reconsider going to Iceland, have you been?


No I have never been.  Iceland and Michigan have some parallels though. If you dont have a car of your own, you are having difficulty moving around.  That and snow. Need any snow?


I live in Minnesota so I also have plenty of snow as wall, I even have a snow barricade with how much snow there is! I could use a trip to the tropical islands of Hawaii, even in that paradise, the first king to travel around the world was the King of Hawaii.


I wonder if the King got to see snow close up.  The mountains of Hawaii have some snow on the peaks, I think.  I would think that the public rail system in Minnesota and Michigan is pretty poor compared to most of Europe.  Probably like Iceland's.  Non existent.


I agree, it is pretty poor and I also think it's poor planning too! With the amount of snow in Michigan and MN, they should've built a subway where the rails don't have to be shoveled!


Very true about the snow.  A good hat is essential for the weather.  A Ushanka fur hat has fold down earflaps.  I like mine.


Is that what those things are called, I need to get one because earmuffs just don't do it for me. I wonder what a bowler hat looks like, I thought it'd be the cowboy hat that was the most popular, maybe it's true for the South areas?


I think it has to do with where your at.  In a town, a bowler is expected.  If your out there in the brush, the cowboy hat.  A bowler is like a half dome with a rim.  Tipping the hat is from knights in armor raising the face visor.


Oh, gotcha! You're really knowledgeable about hats!


As far as knowledge goes I prefer to wear a lamp shade at parties, not a conical paper hat. Party. Party.


That would definitely be a conversation starter, just make sure it doesn't have any religious implications that could potentially offend someone, but I don't think a lamp shade would ;).


I happen to know that in 1908 there was a law limiting the length of hatpins.  So women could not use them as weapons.  There is always an agitator, a group in charge and a fear.


What happened to that law, has it been amended since then? I don't think that would be an issue or concern anymore, right?


There are some old laws on the books that are never enforced.  I have no idea about the hat pin one.   Chefs wear a hat called a Toque.  I wonder why.


That name sounds funny, I wonder where that came from, if anything the height of the chef's hat seems to be more unsanitary than wearing it.


i love to read. i think it is a great way to pass the time. Do you?


Yes, I love to read as well when I have free time. Did you know that CS Lewis and Tolkien held "you laugh you lose" competitions when reading terrible poetry? Those two must have had a good sense of humor.


they were great writers, and they appreciate good literature. and bad writing as well, it seems. LOL


Yeah, for sure! It's kind of funny that reading novels is so popular now, because in the 18th century there was a "moral panic" because of the spread of the reading of novels.


yeah, back in those days, they loved poetry. it was a sublime art form, pure, good for morality. novels had things like sex (!)


Yeah, for sure! It is kind of interesting though. Have you ever read the novel Ender's Game? I heard that it was suggested reading for many military organizations, including the united states marine corps.


I have read it, but it was many years ago. i think that is a great book for military folks. it gets them in the military mindset.


Yeah, for sure! I also heard that Starship troopers is the first sci-fi novel on the reading lists of three of the five us military branches.


Heinlein was in the military and liked to write military themed books. it is a great book to prepare the troops for the alien invasion.


Wow, I didn't know that. That's cool!  Anyways, did you know that the world record for speed reading is held by anne jones, with a reading speed of 4,700 words per minute. That is extremely fast!


How can someone do that and remember everything they read?! I figure if we give her a test a week later, she forgot most of it.


Well, I don't know. I can read pretty fast myself, and I have somewhat of a photographic memory, so it's possible that she can remember what she read. Anyways, do you wear hats sometimes? I rarely wear it unless I go horseback riding, but ironically enough I found out that the most popular hat in the old west was the bowler, not the cowboy hat.


I dont usually wear hats unless i am out walking for long periods in the sun. i try to protect my skin from the sun.


Yeah, that's fully understandable! I'm glad that I don't live in Great Britain though, it turns out that if you were a politician at least until 1998 you would have to wear a top hat if you were making a point of order in the house of commons. I can't imagine that happening here.


they love tradition in that country. i bet they still have other hat-based traditions that would baffle us. if you play a trip to england, bring your hats! LOL


Yeah, for sure! What's even funnier however is that in 1908, a law was passed limiting the length of hatpins out of fears that suffragettes would use them as weapons.


I think that the gals needed a solid weapon to protect themselves! Give them guns, I say!


Wow, that's a tiny bit extreme, but anyhow did you know that tipping ones hat originates from knights raising their face visors to show friendliness?


yes, showing the face is a sign of friendship and respect. i understand their thinking. I would show my face, but it might scare people. that is usually why i keep my visor down.


Oh ok I see. Well anyways, it was nice talking to you. Hope you have a good night!


A good morning to you too my friend. What are your thoughts on the piano? It has definitely been around a while as it was invented in Italy around 1700.


I think it is a very beautiful instrument, but very difficult to play! Do you play?


Are you still but not anymore. Yes very difficult to play. Freddie Mercury used the same piano as Paul McCartney.


yea the one he used to record the song Hey Jude i heard. I love that song


Yes very good song indeed. I love the song Bohemian Rapsody too. Very unique. There is apparently a piano at the top of Britains highest peak!


woah! I wonder how it got there? It would be very heavy to carry that high up


Yes it would indeed. Maybe it was aluminum. An aluminum piano was once built for an airship and weighed only 365 pounds!


"Only" haha thats still massively heavy. That piano was built for the famous Hindenburg


Yes it was. I guess it's all relative because compared to normal pianos that is light. Aren't those pianos that play themselves really cool? Apparently there exists a song compose solely to stress test those.


Yea it stress tests the auto pianos. The song is called Circus Galop. If its unplayable by humans, I wonder how it was even composed


Yes that's a good question. Do you like the comedy genre?I love how most comedy movies have happy endings.


I do, theyre some of my favorite films. Have you ever seen Kung Fu Hustle? Bill Murray is a big fan


Never seen that movie but I think I might add it to my list. Especially since he says it's the supreme achievement of the modern age in terms of comedy.


which is a surprise to me, because it really isn't all that great! I thought Bill would have better tastes


Maybe it was a joke then? I also want to watch third rock from the sun because it won a Golden Globe for best comedy series in 1997.


another surprise! It beat out Friends AND Seinfeld. Talk about a stacked year for comedy shows


Seriously. Are you familiar with the genre of movies called bromantic comedies? One example of a movie from that category is the hangover.


oh I never knew there was a name for that kind of comedy film! but i guess its pretty fitting. just films about friends being friends


Yes exactly LOL. Other films in that category are Harold and Kumar, and pineapple express.


both Stoner Comedies haha what a surprise. Do you like those films?


Yeah I think they're pretty funny from time to time. I think it was cool Ryan Stiles dropped out of high school to pursue a career in comedy. It was really nice chatting with you today.


Good, except it appears that I have lost my garden gnome. I hope whoever took it will bring it back...perhaps with photos. Other than that, I am good. You?


Someone stole your gnome? Who steals a gnome? Was it the travelocity gnome looking for a friend?


My gnome was a couch potato, so he must have been kidnapped. Perhaps I should look for him on that website that lists people who advertise their couches for weary travelers. That would be a magnet for my gnome!


Mackinac Island may not be for your gnome then. They have no cars, which is inconvenient for lazy gnomes!


Thanks for the heads up!  Traveling with my gnome, Ralph, is always difficult. He insists on walking through the airports, which really slows us down because airports intentionally put baggage claim so far away from the planes to reduce stand-around waiting times at the baggage claim areas for passengers.


I know. Plus it has to be rough traveling with Ralph. I cannot imagine he has long legs. He must take forever to walk from the gate to the terminal!


Exactly! He may single-handedly be responsible for the recorded 10% slower air travel times.


I hope you two were not traveling during the government shut down. Maybe the lines were just fine but for ralph. Maybe he was the problem!


I think you may be on to something.  Once whe we were traveling to a little deserted island  that we read about and when we arrived, the island was covered with rabbits! Apparently ship travelers used to release them on island as a food reserve for future journeys, but the island had not been visited in years, ad the rabbits had obviously been quite busy during that time. It was a disaster...


That's a lot of rabbit stew. Did you see a smallish man in a hat hunting wabbits?


No, but that island could use a little hunter in a hat!  Ralph needs a new hat. We have been shopping of one, but it is challenging. He looks pretty good in a chefs hat, but we can't get the fold thing right. Folds represent the number of different ways a chef can cook an egg. Ralph's hat is so wrinkled, he always looks like a master chef.


he has to have a hat of his status though. What type of hat are you thinking? I am thinking a nice top hat for night life and a nice day hat like a cowboy hat.


Top hats are tough for Ralph...they make him look like the Monopoly dude. We're thinking of maybe a Russian ushanka for his evening attire. What do you think?


That's a nice choice. The top hat would have been much. Does he have a monocle though?


No. Did I tell you that Ralph is blind?  He wears rounded black sunglasses like Helen Keller. He is pretty good at reading BRaille, the written  language invented by Louis Braille, the 15-year old.


So the monocle would have been just an accessory. Apologize to him for me being so insensitive to his visual abilities. He would not have been involved in the moral panic then...


He looks mighty fine in his black glasses though. His dashing looks have challenged the moral fiber of many a young lass. Still, it is hard to get all the current book titles in braille... He does enjoy reading George RR Martin stories though...


That's a good choice. Does he have a favorite book of Martin's?


Actually, he most enjoys the monster stories Martin wrote in his youth. "Killer Gnomes form Mars" is his favorite.


I am not sure what we chatted about but it was fun...


Well I mostly use a cellphone. I don't even have a house phone anymore, what about you


IPhone, the device famous for it's computing power! It has more CP than the entire US nuclear IBCM arsenal!


That's amazing! Scary too, do you know why New York's area code is two-one-two?


Because it is the fastest to dial on a rotary phone.  You remember rotary phones don't you?


Haha I do, I think my grandma still has one actually, she also still has phone books, have you ever interlaced all the pages of two phone books before?


No. That would take forever!  WHy, what happens?


Well once all of the pages are interlaced you literally cannot rip the two books apart, the friction keeps them together


That's hard to believe! You know what else is hard to believe?  UNICEF will donate 1 day worth of clean water to a needy child for every minute you do NOT use your cellphone.  That means you can provide clean water to 1440 children just by NOT using your cell phone!.


That sounds cool I should actually do that, I certainly don't use my phone all day, what do you think about computers by the way?


I am a computer. Well, maybe not, but I sit next to one... My computer has more RAM than I do.  But this does not bother me because it only take 1mb or RAM to run the space shuttle, and all I need to do is get to the refrigerator.


Yes that is impressive. I also want to see the Russian computer that they created to run on water, how is that possible


I don't know. I can't figure out how transhumanists think they will download their consciousness to a memory stick.  If I tried that, I would probably end up on one of those thumb drive shaped like Scooby Do...


Haha yes I would definitely upload my brain to a computer though, hopefully you don't smoke near your iPhone though, Apple says they will deny the warranty because they consider that to be a Biohazard


I consider my Iphone to be a bio-hazard with all the microwave radiation they emit. How I long for the old days when a computer could be built out of simple Minecraft building blocks...


Yep I wish I could see how they made a computer in Minecraft, that actually sounds cool, have you ever played the game of softball by the way? I'm too lazy to play sports myself


I used to play on a modified fast-pitch softball team. Love the game. I believe the YMCA invented it...


Yes you're right. It was actually invented back in 1887, which was a long time ago, it was also an indoor game originally


Nice!  Unfortunately, the average salary of a pro softball player is only about $5k per year, so I won't be doing that anytime soon.


Yep that's not too much haha. It's interesting that the game was named softball back in 1926 though, just because they use a ball that was soft LOL it makes sense


Softballs have gotten harder over the years. Hey, nice chatting with you!


All the time. Do you know why NY area code is 212?


yes, it was the easiest number to dial on a rotary phone


Yes, Did you know the phone cables lay on the bottom of the ocean?


No but I hear if they get stuck together there is no separating them


Yeah I guess so. DId you know UNICEF donates clean water when we do not use the phone?


That is cool. Do you use your computer much?


A lot. Did you know the space shuttle computer uses a 1 mb computer?