Reality Me » Of Interest

Think your water is clean?

Doug McCaughan — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:47:23 +0000

Compare your rivers to this one in Bangladesh.

Connecticut Voting on Marijuana Legalization Today

Doug McCaughan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:20:25 +0000

Since they are voting on legalization on 4/20 is the outcome of the vote a bit predetermined?

Update 4/26/2012: Yup, it passed.

The House of Representatives voted late Wednesday night to legalize marijuana for medical purposes for adults — despite a letter from the state’s top federal prosecutor saying that those growing marijuana would be violating federal law.

The vote was 96-51 in favor.

Patients would be required to receive a prescription from a physician to receive marijuana to relieve pain from illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV and multiple sclerosis. The bill would allow some producers to cultivate and grow the marijuana, and licensed pharmacists could provide the marijuana to patients. Patients would need to requalify every year in order to keep smoking medical marijuana.

[Source, Hartford Connecticut Courant, House Approves Legalization Of Medical Marijuana]

Cash is dying – anyone can accept credit cards

Doug McCaughan — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:01:28 +0000

Square hit the market with a bang. An innovative small piece of hardware took advantage of the microphone feature of a smartphone’s headphone jack to create a way to read a credit card and interact with software on the smartphone. You can buy a Sqaure at Target for $9.99 and I believe you get a $10 credit from Square. They make their money via a percentage of the transaction but you don’t need a merchant account.

Now Paypal is getting in on the "anyone can accept credit cards" game. Paypal is offering their smartphone card reader for free. Soon, your excuse of "I have no cash" to say no to Girl Scout cookies and Boy Scout popcorn will be gone!

First Amazon Purchase

Doug McCaughan — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:40:39 +0000

I went back and looked at my Amazon order history. My first purchase was made in 2003. It was a dvd of School House Rock. Guess what I’m putting on the television when I get home!

Trespassers will be swallowed by trees

Doug McCaughan — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:22:28 +0000

Do you miss Battlestar Galactica?

Doug McCaughan — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:08:23 +0000

[Source, Aint It Cool, Behold A Very Badass Reel For BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BLOOD AND CHROME!!]

See the backstory at Den of Geek.

Happy Pi Day!

Doug McCaughan — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:49:23 +0000

Apparently WordPress does not appreciate me posting one million digits of pi so here’s 314 digits of pi:
3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582097
4944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282
3066470938446095505822317253594081284811174502841027019385
2110555964462294895493038196442881097566593344612847564823
3786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607
26024914127372458700660

[Source, piday.org, One Million Digits of Pi]

This kid is going to do alright!

Doug McCaughan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:34:49 +0000

Actually, he should be a teenager now and needs to make a current animated gif.

Don’t ever be afraid to address your city council

Doug McCaughan — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:36:15 +0000

Have you ever stood before your city council? Have you ever expressed your ire with a law? Voiced your discontent with a resolution?

This is your First Amendment right demonstrated. Watch. Cringe. And follow James Inman‘s example.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[Source, Wikipedia, United States Bill of Rights]

This is why they hurt you

Doug McCaughan — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:49:41 +0000

"Women Happier in Relationships When Men Feel Their Pain"

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2012) — Men like to know when their wife or girlfriend is happy while women really want the man in their life to know when they are upset, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

The study involved a diverse sample of couples and found that men’s and women’s perceptions of their significant other’s empathy, and their abilities to tell when the other is happy or upset, are linked to relationship satisfaction in distinctive ways, according to the article published online in the Journal of Family Psychology.

[Source, Science Daily, Women Happier in Relationships When Men Feel Their Pain]

Everyone Poops

Doug McCaughan — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:12:03 +0000

Watch this without laughing to tears. I dare you!

Well, have you ever flashed someone?

Doug McCaughan — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:53:37 +0000

RIP No Silence Here

Doug McCaughan — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:26:49 +0000

I cannot seem to get a comment to post on the Knoxnews blog No Silence Here.

"I’m told it will cease to exist." That’s a terrible shame. Blogs, content, are history. Like newspapers of old were archived on microfiche, so should blogs such as No Silence Here be forever archived.

Good luck to you Michael! Thank you for the years of inspiration, links, and ideas.

Word of the Day

Doug McCaughan — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:44:43 +0000

sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia

Let’s Talk Convenience!

Doug McCaughan — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:03:58 +0000

Video streaming by Ustream