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…
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…
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…
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…
Birmingham Athletics?
During stoppage time of the Aston Villa/Brentford Premier League match, the home supporters were shown becoming increasingly frustrated as Villa could not break the Brentford 10-man defense. Aston Villa did…
Oh My Hawks
John Raoux / AP Doris Kearns Goodwin is a life-long, long-suffering Red Sox fan who experienced many heart-wrenching losses over her years. I saw an interview where she described trying…
The NCAA Remains Delusional
As my step-father's mental health declined, he started espousing various conspiracy theories, once explaining to my wife how the the government seeded clouds with mental filings to allow reading people's…