It is recorded that "The Clapper" (a device that turns lights on when you clap you hands together,) was issued US Patent #5493618 on July 9, 1986 and first sold to the public on September 1, 1985. I did always think of it as an eighties thing, like the foam rubber beer can holder.
However, the concept was initially revealed in 1963 by Lee Boschen, though not patented. He sets forth the mechanism in his book "Computer Circuit Projects You Can Build." He calls it the "Sonolamp"-- a name I actually like better.
What made me check the background of "The Clapper" was a viewing an old episode of Columbo. Specifically it was Season 4, Episode 5 (1975)-- "Playback." Beside Peter Falk, of course, it stars Oskar Werner and Gena Rowlands. Rowlands plays a rich paraplegic who is treated like a hothouse flower. Werner is her conniving husband, and the head of the electronics firm that is owned by Gena Rowland's mother.
Their mansion is drowning in tech gadgets: video surveillance, digital watches and, most importantly, doors that open when you clap your hands.
The first picture shows Werner using the clap doors. In the second Columbo is doing it. This picture also depicts the penultimate moment in his standard process of patiently trapping the killer. Peter Falk is always so good to watch in those old episodes; really, he's good in almost everything. Especially in "Wings of Desire"-- his was a very reassuring presence.
Falk:You got robbed, but that happens. Let me tell you something. I'm going back now thirty years! New York City...pawn shop, 23rd and Lex...the guy gave me five hundred dollars.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)-The NBA's worst team was getting one easy basket after another in transition, hitting outside shots, getting key defensive stops and celebrating a rare victory.
Simultaneously, this article appeared:
Tulsa, OK (Sports Network)- The Arena Football League has planned to announce its relaunch for the 2010 season on Wednesday, guests will include a few of the league's high-profile names, including Cleveland Gladiators co-owner Bernie Kosar.
Now, the Florida Panthers' next home game is March 3rd (Kosar is/was part owner of the Panthers) and that day the Nets just happen to be playing the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Given the possible adjustments Cleveland will still be making after whatever trades they get into, and given the likelihood of a big spread in that game. I might take the Nets that day. Of course, you can't really pick until the night before but I'd say the signs are auspicious, to say the least.
I'm to the point now where I am WATCHING the espn webcast of their radio hosts doing the shows. It's bad, people. But it is helping me to work on the VC project-- in fact, i keep the radio feed on while I mix or record; and I have 2 CD players going in the other room (each randomly playing thru a different disc.)
So, yes, things are going OK. Not that there haven't been some little bumps in the road. A "great" college QB who clearly isn't good enough to play in the NFL is going to be in some weird religious ad that will air during the Super Bowl. I guess it makes sense to capitalize on the peak of his popularity outside the Post-Bellum theocratic states. Although he resembles Kurt Warner in the respect that he thinks "science" is optional, it doesn't sound like he'll make the pros-- so why not go out with a boom (much like the dynamite)?
It's been a topic on the shows lately but I think it'll go away soon. I did panic & send a couple emails begging the hosts not to talk about politics-- BEGGING... it's one of the reasons I'm so hooked on sports now, no "politics" (in that special very stupid American sense) just sports and games-- for the most part.
I worried about that bald eagle they released during the national anthem on Sunday, afraid it was gonna land on Manning's head and jab his face. What a disaster that would have been. Do we really need vicious birds of prey flying around before these games?
Later, I thought about Joe Montana, and how I don't remember him EVER saying anything religiously creepy or political even though he went to Notre Dame. And to me he was the greatest QB ever. The new coach at that school, by the way, is a pro-choice Catholic.
and that's raised the question -- when does infidelity cross over into sex addiction?...
Tiger Woods IS seeking out treatment for sex addiction...
rehab for sex addiction is no different that any other addiction treatment course. He will have to sign a celibacy agreement - no masturbation, even - and will be enrolled in 12-step programs...
In an earlier post I said something in passing: the NBA was "heating up". What that means is the NBA gets more attention as the NFL playoffs end; in reality, the NBA heated up on October 27th, opening night. Pro basketball is my favorite sport to watch but it is really hard to bet on. You have to use a lot of research on subpsychic undercurrents, connections & trends and/or all the mundane details of each team and player that particular day of the long season.
Take the New Jersey Nets for instance, their record stands at 3 wins to 37 losses, with about a .420 average against the spread. Their three rare wins all fall along a strange axis parallel to recent news about Bernie Kosar. On Dec. 4th they got their first win of the season against the Charlotte Bobcats. As the game was being played the NHL's Florida Panthers, a team of which Kosar is part-owner, were in the airspace over North Carolina as they traveled from Washington, DC to Atlanta.
The Nets' 2nd win came on Dec. 8th in Chicago on the same day that the handcrafted basket weaving and specialty foods conglomerate Longaberger was holding its regional sales meeting there. Kosar is a spokesman for Longaberger, as his Chapter 11 court filings indicated.
Victory number 3 came against the New York Knicks, December 30. Everyone remembers Kosar's playoff-record 480 passing yards (4+8=12) on 30 attempts against the New York Jets in the 1986 playoffs-- but more significantly the Nets' win came 3 months to the day after Kosar filed papers with the court detailing liquidation of his assets in order to satisfy creditors' claims. These assets included his ownership share in the aforementioned NHL team and "Bernie's Knickerbocker Steakhouse" in South Beach.
Another way of betting NBA games is by examining matchup comparisons like this (via the Nets Are Scorching blog, re: a 01/06/10 game against the Atlanta Hawks):
Yi vs. Josh Smith
This is the first time since we have seen "new Yi" play against a PF like Josh Smith. A smaller but athletic guy. I don't know how Yi is going to be able to defend him, but I can't wait to see Yi take advantage of this mismatch in the post.
Advantage: Josh Smith
To me it's a hard thing to try to pull of winning on basketball. A lot of people try to look for a great team who might have a so-so night when they're favored by big points. I prefer the moneyline bet, though, to be honest; picking who wins straight out, with a varied level of payback for a win, for example a +160 moneyline pays $160 for a $100 bet, -160 moneyline pays $100 for a $160 bet.
Well. Bam! 2 for 2. Let me just say, in reference to the "HOT" Cowboys: you know who else was hot at the end of the season? The Cleveland Browns, 4 straight wins to end the season. Also not going to the Super Bowl.
I am a little shocked that the Jets won but I did not have a handle on that game. It is really important to remember that it is OK to keep your money in your pocket, don't have to bet every game. Or bet every week. I would usually wait until week six during the season (with the exception of certain over/unders or big unjustified spreads) to really go all out.
Only one more week to avoid work. Actually, I am working-- but it is nice to find myself being interested in something else.
Harold Camping, based on a mathematical model of the Bible, predicts that the world will end on May 21, 2011. Camping, a civil engineer by profession, has studied the Bible for more than 70 years and has developed a system for interpreting the prophecies which are hidden within the version of the book that he is using. (read source article...)
I guess ALWAYS being wrong about these dates will have been worth it once they hit it right. The comments posted to the story are predictably disturbing, e.g.:
The popular leaders are deluded, and we find ourselves with not a lot of time down on the ground. They have their sweet time to choose us, we had enough time to study the Word. I have something to tell you my son. I just have to wait but can not.
We will be admitted to the house to find that not even a dog was barking. Not on sand, not crack...Jesus came during the night to take her lover to heaven on earth.
Rear door of the Father and Priester cracking short sleeve black shirt. Father wept and folded his hands in his face. Although she is feeling the same, deny I encounter her at home, in bed in the dark.
It really seems to end this, can only expect God to meet you - and who knows what will not deny us in that May?
In honor of the anniversary of the delivery of the Gettysburg Address this day in 1863 we gather together to sing along with Big Maybelle's 1967 version of "96 Tears"...
Legendary comedian and pie personality, Soupy Sales died Thursday night in New York City. Reportedly over his career he had 20,000 pies thrown in his face...[link]
go get those little green pieces of paper
out of your mom's purse and send them to me...
It grieves me to report that the Albertsons Supermarket located at 1956 Hwy 180 in the town of Silver City, New Mexico has not only failed to return the money they shortchanged me out of-- they refused to even give me the courtesy of calling and informing me of their decision.
I am never going in their store again, of course-- and in fact, I won't go to another Albertsons anywhere-- fucking thieves.
Due to an hilarious set of misunderstandings and comic circumstances I was at the grocery store at 9:30 am. I was checking out but the old lady in front of me (who had already paid) was still bickering with the cashier, to wit:
-but this circular says they're 70 cents
-that's from last week, ma'am
-look right here...70 cents
-that's from last week
...it continued as he handed me my receipt and change and I left. Later when I got home I realized I had been shortchanged, gave the guy a 20 but he gave me change for a ten, so he owed me ten. However,the receipt showed the correct transaction. Drove back but I really should have gone to sleep. I went to the manager and explained: it wasn't the cashier's fault &c but I'd like the 10 bucks.
The cashier didn't remember (he was distracted.) And they can't take my word, now, can they? I look fucking suspicious just walking around-- so in this situation I don't come off well.
Ultimately the compromise was made that they will wait until they balance their books for the night and count all the drawers-- if they are ten bucks OVER they will call me.
Well, if you don't really know linux down to working in the command line totally fluently I wouldn't mess with it--
--is what I wish someone had said to me before I trashed this little netbook i have. Back to the internet cafe i go. I'll get this straightened out by the end of the week. It's a good way to learn but-- ok maybe not a good way to learn when this is the only machine I HAVE RIGHT NOW.
So i did go to the internet cafe javalina and used one of theirs-- of course when I opened the browser 15 porn sites popped up; horrible shit like with goats, youths and chainsaws. The funny thing about it, i was sent to the computer which had been intended for a mom, her little 2 year-old and grandma. But they were reconsidering their beverage order and let me go first. I don't want to get up on the cross but I took one for their sanctity.
I closed all the windows and links, flushed out the cache and restarted everything (you're welcome)-- and also set the browser to clear all the data everytime it closed. Emptied the temp file, too. Of course, in there were a batch of someone's private photos they had presumably downloaded to the machine-- old mom & dad with grown up daughter standing by a swanky little boat. People, seriously, learn how these here cipherin' boxes operate. (I'll take that advice, too.)
And seeing all that porn and familial glee brought up the horrid news i was unable to miss regarding John Phillips-- I am devastated about this, it is very weird; it's like my cat died or something. I don't think i can ever listen to his music again (& I have original "Wolfkings," an old, old tape of "Man on the Moon" and a boot of some sessions he did with Keith Richards-- ...)
I mean, just the spin it puts on the lyrics to the Mama & Papa's song "I Saw Her Again Last Night" is enough fucking creep for one life. And fuck Mama Cass, fucking enabler.
It all makes Phil Spector look like just a simple deranged fascist outlaw by comparison.
I waited at a bus stop today with this old dude, I'm bad with the ages-- i guess he was around 80 or something. Luckily, very little small talk was passed between us BUT these two young women walked by, very attractive (but I mean,reallly, they almost all are)-- again: I'm not good with ages, so I always am kinda worried that a very young person might actually be even younger than I think, IE: at first they seem 19 but on closer inspection they're 15. I am THAT bad at assessing ages.
Anyways, they walk past the stop and I try not to look in that certain state of mind, I'm worrying they are underage and thinking various absurd thought lines-- when suddenly the old guy breaks out in song:
that ass is a highway
i want to ride
with my big
bang-bong
You remember that hit song "If Life is a Highway"? -- to the tune of that. I kept my head down until I could hear their footsteps no longer.
Well, maybe the old guy was only 60? I'm terrible with ages; I'm so bad, in fact, he could have been 90 for all I know. 90.
Squeeze into my closet another pair of shoes. I'm sure you all are dedicated to this wardrobe essential. Why settle for crystals on clothes when you can sparkle down to your toes? The Mvarovsk Blood Diamond crystal pumps. Caress your feet with style and organza bows. Each crystal shoe is embellished by hand, blood with allover tonal glitter, peep toe, hidden platform.
They had conveniently estimated the hatch times for each nest so I was able to tune in just at the right moment. Once I was watching and some turtles were scumbling out, pretty slow going, making their way to the ocean.
I left for a few minutes and when I sat back down there was a raccoon in the frame digging up things to eat. It was pretty shocking just to walk in on it like that. The racoon's eye was a white diamond of pure evil to the night-vision webcam's sight.
When we got back from Europe in 1978 my Dad inexplicably took us down to South Carolina for a week's vacation at some kind of gated cabin community around a lake. It was supposed to be a surprise and boy was it. I mean it was weird because my Dad was born and raised in an urban situation up north,-- what was this sudden affinity for the South all about? Maybe he felt it was exotic. Anyways, I wasn't really an outdoorsy type of person, although I played sports I never showed an interest in camping or sh&t like that.
But that South Carolina thing, man, what a wreck. At the end of the week they were having a talent show and I practiced singing "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and intended to get up there and perform that. I bailed at the last minute, though, thank god. That is one time I remember that I was grateful to my parents for never showing signs of encouragement or support for my endeavors. I also remember writing a short play in a little tiny spiral notebook on the drive back home. It was a rip-off of The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder, featuring Sha-Na-Na and some other people from the movie Grease.
Reminder: Brandy invited you to join Facebook..Hi Hxproductions, The following person recently invited you to be their friend on Facebook... Yes, this is the kind of thing we get through the contact page.
Maybe it's real great, who can tell?
Eddie's "I'm Not 40... Yet"
Art Show and Birthday Party at TOM AND JERRY'S BAR
288 ELIZABETH ST @ Houston
May 14th Thurs. 7pm-9pm
FREE WINE - CHEESE and ASSORTED SNACKS
WashMachine Productions
