kartooner.com

Call it art with time or just a crazy idea, The Human Clock is essentially a real-time clock on the Internet comprised of over 3,500 pictures to represent every hour, minute and second which adds up to 1,440 minutes in a day.

The author explains:

bq. This website consists of about 3500 pictures, each representing a single minute of the day in some shape or fashion. This website has three clocks. The analog clock is a true “human clock” if there is such a definition. These photos don’t change as much since there is a lot more preparation involved in creating analog clock photos. The digital clock is the most popular clock on this site. It contains multiple photographs for all 1,440 minutes in the day (at least in our solar system).
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Did you know that Santa’s last two reindeer were originally named Dunder and Blixem?

Snopes.com explains “The story of how two reindeer named ‘Dunder’ and ‘Blixem’ became ‘Donner’ and ‘Blitzen’ is a complicated and confusing one, in part because a good deal of mystery remains about the origins of the poem that named them, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas.” We’ll do our best here to trace the history of how the poem ? and the names of two reindeer ? changed over time.”

At least it wasn’t Donna Nixon.
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I received an email today which managed to slip past my spam filters. The subject was “Which Soda do you prefer?”. Inquiring minds have pondered this question for several years including several taste test commercials involving the two soda headliners; Pepsi and Coke.

After skimming the better half of the message I thought to myself, which soda do I prefer? This means that out of the 3 million spam emails I have received in the past several months one message managed to churn my creativity and open my mind to actually thinking for a change.

If it came down to a life or death situation or let’s imagine if my decision depended on the fate of humanity, my answer would be Pepsi. Of course, the interesting thing about this is that had you asked me a couple years ago I would have answered Coke. Why the change in taste? Simply for the reason that my tastes have changed. However, despite my preference of Pepsi over Coke, I will confess that Diet Coke tastes better than Diet Pepsi (but not Pepsi One).

Even if Ray Charles showed up at my doorstep today with his grand piano singing “Drink Coke. Coke fills your soul.” I wouldn’t change my opinion, but I might slide up next to Ray on the bench and show him how to play a mean Jaws theme or How Dry I Am, or even better the first few chords to Lean on Me.

Steinbeck?s The Pearl was one of my favorite novels in high school. The story begins with a poor Mexican fisher named Kino who finds a valuable pearl. Despite its beauty and luster the pearl acts as a harbinger of ill fortune for Kino and his wife Juana wherein eventually it is tossed back into the waters from where it was found. Steinbeck?s prose is elegant and most importantly filled with wonderful imagery.

Another Steinbeck favorite of mine is the novel Of Mice and Men, adapted into several movie variations including one in which Gary Sinise and John Malkovich star. Of Mice and Men revolves around the story of two field hands, George Milton and Lenny Small. Lenny is nothing more than a ?brute?, a simpleton who would never hurt a fly but ultimately causes a great deal of anguish for the characters in the book.

Towards the end of the book his friend and confidant George must make a decision that will affect both of their lives. Of Mice and Men is an excellent story, like all of Steinbeck?s novels; short and succinct and rich with imagery and characterization.