Phone Books
Not all that long ago, while traveling overseas, I'd find a phone booth and call my family to confirm I was still alive. I even memorized my AT&T calling card…
For massages? Yeah, sure….
Left, a magazine advertisement from the 1950s; right, a storefront in Frankfurt, Germany saying Believe me, it's only for massages. Apparently nothing has changed in seventy years. Despite women's sexual…
Computers IRL #11
As seen on a Köln, Germany U-Bahn: No image found. The URL on the right takes you the description of the digital improvements completed on the public transport system: modern…
Meandering Thoughts #64
Love locks continue to be a trendy, touristy way to announce your love to the world: Cologne's Hohenzollern Bridge is estimated to have over 100,000 locks. Aside from the Hohenzollern…
Bossche Bollen
When I asked my Dutch friend her recommendations when visiting Den Bosch, she said - after the de rigueur St. Jan's Cathedral - Bossche Bollen. One mention not enough, she…
Attribution Done Right
While visiting the Netherlands recently, my wife and I rented a car for a short driving tour: Texel, Groningen, Den Bosch, and, most importantly, Keukenhof. The roads in the Netherlands…
Fastest Object Ever
My grandson and granddaughter participated in their first (I believe) Pinewood Derby race for their Scouting America troop. These unmanned cars, powered only by gravity, race down a track. Rules…
Random Learnings #70
The Swiss have guns; the Brits had bows and arrows. The Unlawful Games Act 1541 required males to own bows and arrows - 2 for boys under 17, 4 for…
Societas Non Grata
As an outcome of losing its US anti-trust case, Microsoft was forced to allow users to easily choose and install non-Microsoft browsers , the judge ruling that Microsoft had illegally…
Green Island Bottoms
Officially the Green Island Wildlife Management Area, it is (was?) the Green Island Bottoms to locals. Though I grew up in and around Green Island, a place where people fished…