Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
message 3451:
by
Werner
(new)
Nov 10, 2012 05:54AM
Fascinating article, Jim; thanks for sharing that! I haven't read the whole thing (yet; I'll be coming back to it!), but what I did read is amazing.
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Nina wrote: "I'm finally tired of looking at the impatients and begonias and petunias so I'm pulling them out on this 75 degree day. I will leave the hibiscus as it is still blooming and eventually it will die ..."Nina, I always feel so sorry for the plants which must be sacrificed at this time of year. One man said he leaves his plants outside so they can commit suicide. A bit dark but also droll. :)
Your fruitcake sounds delicious. I like the kind which is soaked in brandy! :)
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/st... - "Price: $29.95"
Jim wrote: "This is so cool. The One Laptop Per Child program found out just how smart kids are. Short article, well worth reading:http://dvice.com/archives/2012/10/eth..."
That's amazing, Jim! The comments were interesting too! For example, one comment said:
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"Though the experiment looks interesting who will control or fix the damage if any i/reversibile damage is done to the kids. It is not fair to experiment on kids that have no one around to protect and consent them... I feel terribly pity for those who think and feel that they have all the right to experiment on the Ethiopian people because they are poor or no government to protect them."
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Jim, how do U feel about that?
Also, I had to look up the meaning of OLPC. They assume that everyone knows what that is. Even after I looked it up, I didn't understand what it is. What in the world is "Open-Loop Power Control"?
I hate it when obscure acronyms are used in articles!!!
PS- OH! IT MEANS "ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD". How were we supposed to know that? I guess I'm not as smart as those Ethiopian kids. LOL
I think the kids are lucky to get a chance to play with the laptops & learn to read - pretty much the same way Tarzan did. This poster just proves why the country is going downhill. Everyone wants to do everything by committee & perfectly - no chances taken. That's not how progress is made. In this case, what harm could NOT giving the kids instruction have caused? A bit of frustration, possibly using them as frisbees. Big deal. The commenter should go soak their head. 10 minutes without air should do the trick.---------------
We had an absolutely gorgeous day today. It started off in the mid 40's & got up to the mid 60's! I'd filled in some areas where trails were washing out yesterday with the tractor, so the dogs helped me rake them out today. Then we seeded & put some old hay on top. I mixed red & KY 31 fescues, so hopefully I'll get a good cover over those areas before it gets too cold.
I got out the tractor again & harrowed (chain dragged) the fields. They weren't bad, but it's nice to break up the manure piles a couple of times a year & scratch up the ground. I'll over seed a few of the thinner areas tomorrow, but there's only an acre or a bit more that really needs it. We've had good rain for the past couple of years except for June & July this year, so the grass is doing well.
Marg & Erin went to a horse show. Marg showed Cutter over small jumps & picked up a few ribbons. Nothing spectacular, but she had fun. Cutter was apparently feeling too good & broke his nose band again. He seems to think a martingale is just a suggestion & ignores it when it suits him.
:sigh:
Erin couldn't get the tailgate down to unhook the trailer. I had to pull the trim panel & found that one of the cheap plastic keepers had broken so the cable that goes from the latch release to the latch had come off one side. I stuck it back on & got everything unhooked. I guess I'll try to figure out a better keeper tomorrow. I have some old bandsaw blades around. Maybe I can bend up a new keeper out of a bit of that.
I worked on the trebuchet model some, but generally had a nice relaxing day. Other than this & the truck's tailgate, I plan to pull the pump out of the fish pond tomorrow, so another relaxing day. It's supposed to be pretty, too.
Doesn't sound relaxing to ME! LOL Sounds like work. :)What's a martingale? What's a trebuchet?
Too tired to look them up. Just got back from a great performance of "Guys & Dolls" by our Community players at our local Wood Theater. So much talent! It was good to hear all that great music again. All those wonderful songs.
Martingales come in two configurations; standing and running. A standard martingale is simply a strap that runs from the girth up to the nose band of the bridle under the chin with a loop of leather holding it up and in place around the base of the horse’s neck. A running martingale attaches to the reins instead with loops instead of the nose band. They have a lot more give and we use the standard martingale more often, although we have both.Both are used to keep the horse’s head from going too far up. When they do that, a person loses some control due to the angles involved. Some horses tend to rear, which is dangerous for everyone.
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A trebuchet is a siege engine. There's a good set of pictures & explanations on Wikipedia here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet
but the best site I've found on explaining how they work is here:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~rmine/ho...
Mine is a small model with an arm about a foot long. If it works out, I'll build one for each of the kids for Xmas. I always make them something for Xmas &, if it is a toy, one for myself. Last year we had battling tops with spindles I turned on the lathe & the platters of old hard drives. We had launchers so we'd pull a string to really get them moving. The year before that it was wooden puzzles.
I'm not sure what we're going to throw. I think frozen peas will be too small. Maybe carrots would work. I need something that the dogs will clean up for us & won't make the house too messy or break anything as we engage in our contests of skill. Any ideas?
Well Jim, I learned 2 new words! Thanks.trebuchet: medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles
See the two different pronunciations here:
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dict...
Seems like a kind of sling-shot.
As for what you could throw that the dogs would eat, how about the Milk-Bone Crunchy Marrow Filled Treats For Dogs?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product...
PS-Jim, it sounds like your family does lots of fun things together. I think that playing games with the kids is fun. Years ago people did more of that together, like playing cards and monopoly or other board games. Nowadays, the kids are all wrapped up in their iPods or some other similar device. It's almost a shame.
Hopefully, some still play chess. I recently stayed at a B & B where there were no TV's and a lone chess set was on the coffee table. It was such a peaceful environment.
Nina wrote: "Hopefully, some still play chess. I recently stayed at a B & B where there were no TV's and a lone chess set was on the coffee table. It was such a peaceful environment."Nina, were there any other people there? :)
PS-Chess makes people think too hard. LOL
Answer to question "Were there any people there?" Yes, There were at least four rooms occupied. One person was a dr who was looking over the town as a place to live when he took up the position of the head of a Clinic for people who couldn't otherwise afford medical care. When I first met him he was outside sitting on the porch playing a guitar and singing Country Western. Staying there was a unique experience. And as for chess; my husband grew up playing it on the school playgrounds.
When the kids come over, we usually play dominoes or 500 Rummy (cards) at night. It's a great way to visit & we usually wind up laughing like maniacs several times.We do have a chess/checker/backgammon table - one that I made from maple & walnut - but rarely play any of those games. I agree that chess makes people think too much & they're all 2 player games. We can play up to 6 with the others easily which is the number of chairs at our dining room table & the usual number of us when kids & spouses get together. We'd be 8 if we ever got them all together at once, but that never seems to happen.
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The dog treats sound too good, Joy. Marg will limit our shooting so the dogs don't get too fat, but it's a good thought. Maybe we can vary the ammo. That would be another point of difficulty.
Nina, do you play chess with your husband? He must be good at it.
Jim, you're lucky your kids are willing to play cards, etc., with you. That's the last thing our kids would do. They're all stuck to their iPods or similar devices. It's really awful when you think about it. I used to play cards with the grands when they were younger but they've outgrown that now.I think the best part of playing games together is the laughter. Nice work if you can get it!
I am so thankful that my daughter (8) will walk away from technology just to play board games with us. We got together with some friends today, and she started out playing a video game with a boy who is almost her age. Maybe 20 minutes later she decided to join us for board/card games. My son (4) played with Lego's most of the time... unlike the other kids, who were mostly video gamers. Yay! :)Oh, another proud moment... my daughter loves audio books as well as regular books, and she has actually requested that I put some audio books on her iPod. I am so happy!
Joy H. wrote: "Nina, do you play chess with your husband? He must be good at it."No, I never learned; started to learn with my father in law as a teacher but then life interferred. My husband doesn't play now but yes, he was very good at it because of playng so much as a child. But, we too, played games with our children as they did with each other. When we took long rides in the car they would play Black Jack in the back of the station wagon; before seat belts era.
Jenni wrote: "I am so thankful that my daughter (8) will walk away from technology just to play board games with us. We got together with some friends today, and she started out playing a video game with a boy ..."Jenni, that's nice about your kids!
I've been listening to a good number of audio-books lately. Bios: Robert Redford; Meredith Baxter; Agatha Christie; Roger Ebert.
This audio-book (which I'm currently trying to comprehend) is a doosey: Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
SUMMARY FROM MY LOCAL LIBRARY ONLINE CATALOG:
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"Summary: Nassim Nicholas Taleb argues that uncontrollable chance has a much greater impact on peoples' success and failure than the self-help industry. Here, Taleb explains the true key to success: learning the difference between the rewards of skill and the results of luck."
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See more at my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Nina, I never learned to play chess either. I don't want to think that hard!Yes, I remember those pre-seat belt days. Now I won't start driving until I belt up! Too bad Princess Diana wasn't wearing a seat belt!
Joy H. wrote: "Jim, you're lucky your kids are willing to play cards, etc., with you. That's the last thing our kids would do. They're all stuck to their iPods or similar devices...."There's no luck involved in that. Marg & I are very clear about how rude it is to use devices like that while visiting & the kids feel the same. We don't get to see each other that often.
It's the way we raised them. I have been known to cut phone cords or destroy offending devices the few times they over stepped as kids. I didn't apologize or replace them, either. One was a Gameboy back when they were new & expensive. We rarely have say anything about them twice, now.
Jim, I'm afraid our kids would revolt if we suggested that they stop using their devices when they visit. But I can see that your method can be very effective! I think I'm going to register more disapproval from now on. At least I'll point out that I wish they'd pay more attention to US than to their devices! As you say, we don't get to see each other that often.Some of our sons do work on their computers. I mean work related to their jobs. I'll bet they'll use that excuse! LOL
Jim, Barb and I feel the same way about technological devices vs. paying attention to face-to-face communication with the people you're with as you and Marg do; and we've been able to pass that on to our kids. Rachel will take incoming cell phone calls when she's here; but other than that, neither she or Rebekah and Tony let technology be a distraction when they're visiting, and we play a lot of board games or games like dominoes, etc. with them while they're here. (Of course, our interaction with Deborah is always very distracted, but not by technology --we have four grandkids that make technological devices pale by comparison!)Joy and Nina, I learned how to play chess in college (not as part of the curriculum, though!); I enjoy it a lot, but I'm not a skilled player and have only played it very sporadically over the years. Barb can play (well enough to beat me), but it's not her game of choice; and as Jim said, only two can play at a time, so it's not a suitable game for a family gathering. The last time I played was with Tony in August 2011, when our ladies were over at Deborah's.
Well, we started the training very young, but our oldest does a lot of his computer work from his phone & laptop. We've had to say something to him about it every time he's been over lately, too. When I first started fiddling with computers, there was so much to learn that I lived & breathed them for years. When people are young, they have careers to build, too. That's all fine for a while, but at some point real life has to come back into balance.Jobs come & go, but family is a one shot deal & it won't be around forever. Kids grow up, parents die, & if you're not living life with your spouse, you'll grow apart. Of course, kids think they have forever & it takes a while for them to realize just how fast time can slip by. Part of our jobs as parents is to make them aware of this & to treasure the moments they do have, IMO.
Jim, I agree with Werner... well said. My kids are young, but I intend to make the most of it - and intend to set very clear boundaries for technology as they get older. It hasn't been much of an issue yet... but who knows what it could grow into if we don't set those boundaries while they're little. :)
Thanks, Werner.I don't envy your job, Jenni. We faced it a bit.
The boys got Gameboys & had a computer, but they were rationed. After the calculator & a similar one with a Gameboy, my warnings were taken seriously. I'm fairly definite about some things.
;-)
Still, it's a whole new world out there with all the social networking. Marg says she hears about Facebook bullying all the time & sometimes has issues with it on the bus. My daughter spends a lot of time on her phone. I'm kind of scared about what the grandkids will grow up with, assuming we ever have any. I have a feeling it will be a point between us.
Speaking of grandkids and electronic devices; my daughter and son in law who are both teachers allow no devices when they come to their home. There seems to be no objections as the kids do so much of that at their own house they seem pleased to have other interests when they are away. My daughter taught art for over twenty years and she gets them involved in projects of that sort or cooking or earning money raking leaves or whatever but no phones, i pads etc. Seems to work for them. I guess there is hope. The kids ages are eleven, nine, and five. Two boys and a girl the youngest.
That's cool. I guess the big thing is to put limits & stick to them. Just like with the TV. So many parents just use it as a baby sitter.
One of my treasured memories is sitting on a porch chair across from my grandfather with the checkerboard between us and thus the games began.
This discussion has made me think over our family dynamics. Trouble is, when our boys get together, they LOVE to talk TECH stuff. Since their jobs are all tech jobs they tend to talk tech. It's been that way for years. My husband's a techie too. I've had no girls to talk girl-stuff with. In fact, the reason I got a computer in 1995 was so that I'd have something to talk to the boys about. It worked!But I can see that the direction we've taken has its limitations.
The play, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, is about families who don't pay attention to one another because they are so wrapped up in other things (e.g. daily routines and habits). At least that's what I remember from when our son's H.S. dramatic club performed the play. It's always stayed in my mind because of that.
Jim said it well, above in Message #3472. I'll repeat it here:
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Jim wrote: Kids grow up, parents die, & if you're not living life with your spouse, you'll grow apart. Of course, kids think they have forever & it takes a while for them to realize just how fast time can slip by. Part of our jobs as parents is to make them aware of this & to treasure the moments they do have, IMO.
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That's the whole point that the play, Our Town, is trying to make. Guess it's a universal issue which is being taken to the extreme by the new technology.
It's ironic that by being MORE CONNECTED with people by the new technology, we can become LESS CONNECTED with our loved ones.
Does anyone use a sonic toothbrush? The cleaning lady at my dentist pushes them. She wants me to get one, but they look awfully expensive & I think they're probably another fad like the waterpick was. I've heard that was actually worse because it would shove stuff under the gums. Anyway, this Sonicare toothbrush has a base model for $30 up to the deluxe at $220. They all need new heads occasionally. They're $30 a pop.
They also have air floss. That just sounds stupid. I'm doing fine with regular floss & the new toothbrush the dentist gives me every cleaning. I get it done every 4 months. I thought every 6 was often enough, but they wanted to do it every 3, so we compromised. I rarely have cavities. Any thoughts? Other opinions?
What makes the toothbrush "sonic"?I use an electric toothbrush but it's not sonic.
We each have a dental cleaning every 6 months.
I floss everyday with Oral-B Floss Picks:
http://www.oralb.com/products/floss/?...
No clue, Joy. I smoke & drink coffee, so the hygienist says I have to come in more often to keep the stains off. She's goofy on the subject & bleaches her teeth, though. I've never had super white teeth & she says the same thing to my wife, who doesn't do either, so I discount her grumblings.
I don't use a sonic... just a regular old toothbrush. My hygienist told me that using a "soft" toothbrush is just fine, and that for most people, this is enough. Because I've tended to push down on the bristles when I brush, I was told long ago to switch to the softest bristles I can find. I was also told that the harder ones don't get teeth any cleaner than the soft bristles.Also, my hygienist has told me that most toothpastes are really all the same for what they actually do, even though the claims on the outside of the box may vary. Interesting, eh?
The offices of both my dentist and orthodontist have the sonic, but I don't think I've ever seen/heard them trying to push one. Hmmm... If you do get one, let us know what you think!
For whatever it's worth, I just use a regular toothbrush, not the electric variety (sonic or not), and still have all but one of my permanent teeth, except for the wisdom teeth. (I lost that one back in college, so it wasn't very recent.) Because of decades of improper brushing techniques (too circular and vigorous!), I have pretty thin enamel; I'm guessing that an electric toothbrush would tend to have the same kind of enamel-thinning effect, because the head whirls around in a circular rather than straight motion, and rubs the same tooth repeatedly.
Thanks, all. I think it's a scam, but I'll do some more checking. I still have all my permanent teeth, except for 2 crowns on cracked teeth, one far in the back that went bad, & my wisdom teeth are out. The one in the back was from poor brushing, but I have a small mouth (I know, NO ONE believes it except the dentist.) & it's very difficult to clean behind the back ones properly, so I have to use the smallest head brush that I can find.
I went riding on Chip tonight for the first time in over a month. Tomorrow will probably tell if it was too soon, but it was gorgeous out - mid 50's - & I just couldn't stand it any more.
Interesting conversation about teeth. :) I use Sensodyne tooth paste to desensitize my teeth. I can't take anything too cold (like tomatoes; have to microwave them for a few seconds first). Cold food hurts my teeth.
Jim, enjoy your 50 degree weather. It's 28 degrees here right now. It was around 21 degrees in the wee hours last night. Br-r-r. I pity the poor dog when I put him out. Sometimes I put a doggie coat on him. :)
PS-Below are some sites which explain how SONIC toothbrushes work:http://knowhow.com/article.dhtml?arti...
http://www.animated-teeth.com/electri...
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonicare
Wednesday is supposed to be sixty nine and Thanksgiving day sixty five. Beautiful fall days but we desperately need rain.
Thanks for posting the sites, Joy. That first site says there isn't any evidence that it's better. That & the high price are reason enough to avoid them for a few years. I have a feeling they may wind up vibrating caps off or causing other issues.
Jim wrote: "... I have a feeling they may wind up vibrating caps off or causing other issues."Jim, I've often felt the same way about those sonic toothbrushes. All that pressure doesn't sound good for the caps over our teeth.
Nina wrote: "Wednesday is supposed to be sixty nine and Thanksgiving day sixty five. Beautiful fall days but we desperately need rain."Nina, enjoy your mild weather. It's still freezing here! :-( Current temp is 42 degrees!
I probably won't have the chance to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone tomorrow, so I'm saying it now!Enjoy your day, eat lots of food and take a nice long nap! That's my plan.
Sounds like a good plan, Jackie. :-) Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, too, and to everyone else in our group!
Happy Thanksgiving to all.The kids won't be here to celebrate until the weekend.
So we're going out to eat at the Queensbury Hotel and will enjoy the "Festival of Trees". We did it last year. It was wonderful! See my pics at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Sea1934/...
Great pictures, Joy, thanks for sharing that link! (I used the slideshow feature to view them.) Hope you and Eddie have a lovely day.
Happy Thanksgiving from KS on a day that is seventy degrees. Tomorrow it is getting colder and will seem more like it should be today. But, we are thankful for the nice day as we are spending it a farm where I've not been before. We often spend it at our home where we lived for twenty eight years but sold it twelve years ago. The nice owners invite our entire family back for Thanksgiving. But, this day we are going to their parent's farm. Have a lovely day whereever you are with your families. love nina
Just got back from dinner out. Boy, am I stuffed! :)
I finished the trebuchet model for James. Here's a picture of it.
The rubber band around the top is an old bandsaw tire & does an amazing job of minimizing the vibration. I cut a piece of steel that would fit in the base to do the same thing, but decided not to use it. On the highest power settings, it does buck a bit, but that's kind of fun.
I found the best way to launch it is to put my finger on the finger end of the throwing arm. That gives you a free hand to load the sling & keeps you to the side. It also gives more consistent results over holding the sling.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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