Mobile Tech Ups Work Hours

Staying in touch...

 

Mobile tech, Alejandro Pinto, Mashable

 

 

Mobile Tech Ups Work Hours

 

 

It's no secret that smartphones and tablets increase levels of interpersonal communication. It's never been easier to get in touch with family and friends, Matt Petronzio reports today on Mashable.com.

However, results from a recent Gallup poll show that mobile technology influences other areas of American adults' day-to-day lives as well, such as business and politics, he writes.

According to the poll, conducted in late March, 37% of employed American adults between the ages of 18 and 29 said that mobile tech greatly increases the amount of work they do outside of work hours.

For more:  http://mashable.com/2014/04/30/mobile-tech-millennials/

 

 

 

Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the U.S.

Stylish living...

 

Most expensive homes for sale in the U.S., realtor.com, msn.com

 

 

Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the U.S.

 

With the recent $120 million sale of Greenwich's Copper Beech Farm, previously the priciest single-family home in America, it's time to update our list of the most expensive homes currently for sale, Neal Leitereg of realtor.com writes on msn.com.

While a prime 258-acre parcel in the Bel Air community of Los Angeles ranks as the most expensive property with an ask of $125 million, the crown of "most expensive home" now rests on an opulent mansion-estate in New York City, he reports.

For a slideshow of homes:  http://realestate.msn.com/most-expensive-us-homes-for-sale

 

 

 

Musical Moments: Synchronized Swim Without a Pool

Great act...

 

Synchronized swim without a pool, Kansas City Star

Musical Moments:  Synchronized Swim Without a Pool

 

Usually this space features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

 

But this time it's about a wonderful kids' story making its way around the Internet.

 

Turns out, you don't actually need water or a pool to pull off synchronized swimming, just a little creativity (and a blue tarp), the Huffington Post reported today.

                        

A group of fifth-grade students proved that during a recent talent show at W. A. Porter Elementary School in Hurst, Texas. Watch the video below -- which is going viral on Facebook -- to see them perform an "air guitar"-esque version of a traditional synchronized swim.  I've seen this stunt before, but it's still fun.

 

For video:  http://mashable.com/2014/04/26/talent-show-synchronized-swimming/

 

 

Musical Moments: Victor Borge -- A History of the Piano

Poking fun for fun...

Victor Borge

Musical Moments:  Victor Borge -- A History of the Piano

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

In this clip, the irrepressible Victor Borge presents a who knew history of the piano.  (A big step forward, for instance: "It was not until someone invented the cracks...that changed everything.")

Along the way, he also has a wonderful time poking fun at funny idioms in English.

For video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDJQE3ppdOU

Darien Real Estate Inventory Surges

New listings jump...

Western Slope Mountains, Reveille Kennedy, fineartamerica.com

Darien Real Estate Inventory Surges

Darien's residential real estate market surged in the week ending today with 25 new listings.

There were 20 new listings of property for sale, ranging in price from $675,000 to $5 million.

Five new rentals ranged from $3,500 to $14,000 a month.

Results in other categories, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- Four price changes;

-- Two accepted offers, 

-- Eight properties going under contract, and

-- Four closings.

For details:

Science: To Doubt, to Ask

The beauty of science...

 

Science, stockdalekernhigh.org

 

 

Science:  To Doubt, to Ask

 

 

The late Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist, movingly explains the beauty of science.

 

For video:  http://twistedsifter.com/videos/richard-feynman-explains-the-beauty-of-science/

 

Ladies' Home Journal Cutting Back

A sign of the times...

Ladies' Home Journal, dsckley.blogspot.com

Ladies' Home Journal Cutting Back

The Ladies' Home Journal, an icon in American publishing for more than 100 years, is cutting back, NBC Nightly News reported tonight.

Brian Williams said that the magazine which prides itself on offering practical beauty advice, recipes and more will no longer be a monthly.

Instead, it will become a quarterly and devote more time and energy to its website.

For more:  http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/ladies-home-journal-become-quarterly-magazine-n89271

Clipping the U-2's Wings?

Still flying high...

U-2 pilot at the edge of space, imageslides.com

Clipping the U-2's Wings?

The U-2 spy plane outlasted the Cold War, outlived its successor and proved crucial a half-century ago when two superpowers were on the brink of nuclear war, NBC News reports.

But defense cuts now threaten to knock the high-flying reconnaissance aircraft out of the sky.

For more about the legendary U-2's latest turbulence and its unique place in aviation history:  http://news.msn.com/us/spy-plane-outlasts-cold-war-but-not-defense-cuts

Take a flight in the U-2:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEJOoelwzaw

Coming Soon: World's Tallest Waterslide

Ride of a lifetime...

World's tallest waterslide under construction, waterslideacquaticsintl.com

Coming Soon:  World's Tallest Waterslide

Here's a sneak preview of what is being billed as the world's tallest, steepest and fastest waterslide, scheduled to open in May in Kansas City.

Next time I'm in Kansas City, I may take a look at this, but I'll leave the riding to others, thanks.

 

 

For more:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnDICO8J2KA&feature=youtu.be

Earth's Looking Good Today on Earth Day

Stunning view...

Earth today, NASA 2014

Earth's Looking Good Today on Earth Day

The Americas looked especially nice today in this stunning photo taken by the NOAA GOES East satellite to mark Earth Day around the world.

For more:  http://twistedsifter.com/2014/04/satellite-view-of-earth-on-earth-day/

Senator's Near Miss During Train Safety Talk

Close call...

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, YouTube 2014

Senator's Near Miss During Train Safety Talk

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) narrowly avoided getting hit by a train Friday during a press conference about why it’s important to be careful around trains.

He was standing on the platform of a Metro-North station in Milford, CT., while the town’s mayor, Ben Blake, spoke about commuter safety.

“We have about 5,000 customers taking the trains each and every day. Safety, as you know, is paramount,” Blake said, just as a train whizzed by. It nearly took out the senator, who was standing close to the edge of the platform. 

To see the episode, click on the photo below:

Senator Almost Hit By Train While Giving Train Safety Speech | VIDEO

Jumping Into History

Watch that first step...

 

Felix Baumgartner, geek.com

 

 

 

Jumping Into History

 

You may have seen scenes of Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking jump from an altitude of 24 miles in 2012, but you've probably never seen it like this.

 

Seven GoPro cameras let you see him become the first skydiver ever to exceed the speed of sound on his way home, as he put it.

 

For more:  http://www.flixxy.com/first-person-view-of-felix-baumgartners-space-jump.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When California was an Island

Floating free

California by Dutch cartographer Peter Goos in 1666, Wired.com

When California was an Island

Glen McLaughln wandered into a London map shop in 1971 and discovered something strange, Wired reported today.

On a map from 1663, he noticed something he'd never seen before:  California was floating like a big carrot, untethered from west coast of North America.

For more:  http://www.wired.com/2014/04/maps-california-island/

Musical Moments: Handel's Hallelujah Chorus

Seasonal favorite...

 

Hallelujah

 

The Opera Company of Philadelphia brought together more than 650 choristers from 28 participating organizations to perform a Random Act of Culture at Macy's in Center City Philadelphia four years ago.

 

The throngs of singers infiltrated the store as shoppers and burst into a pop-up rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah, accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ, for a delightful surprise.

 

I hope you'll enjoy this seasonal favorite:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU

 

Spring Buying and Selling Time in Darien

Busy spring market...

Light from Above, Harriett Westfall, galleryunderground.org

Spring Buying and Selling Time in Darien

Buyers drove accepted offers and properties going under contract to the top of Darien's residential real estate statistics for the week ending today.

Ten accepted offers and four going under contract were reported on the Darien MLS during the past week.

Results in other categories were:

-- Three new listings of property for sale;
-- Three price changes, and
-- Two closings.

For details:

Musical Moments: Franz Schubert -- Serenade

A favorite...

Franz Schubert, allegrofilms.com

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Here's a favorite by Schubert...

Franz Schubert -- Serenade

Schubert "Serenade" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpA0l2WB86E

Darien Weekly Real Estate Update

Busy week...

Paris Grays, Harriett Westfall, galleryunderground.org

Darien Weekly Real Estate Update

Sales related categories led Darien's residential real estate statistics for the week ending today.

Included in those were seven accepted offers and three properties which went under contract.

Results in other categories, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 10 new listings of property for sale;

-- Six price changes, and

-- One newly reported closing.

For more:

The Story Behind the Windows XP Photo

The inside story...

XP Backgound Photo, Microsoft, Huffington Post

The Story Behind the Windows XP Photo

We've all seen it over the years.

I saw it until last year whenever I started my laptop.

What's the story behind that photo?  Is that scene real or Photoshopped?  

Well, Microsoft has released a new video offering the backstory of the iconic photo that has been the desktop image on thousands of computers over the years, the Huffington Post reported today.

The photo is called "Bliss," and it was used on machines running Windows XP, which Microsoft introduced in 2001 and stopped supporting this month.

For more:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/windows-xp-bliss-microsoft_n_5127618.html

Choosing the Right Bedroom Paint Color

Painting ideas...

Painting, geewall.com

Choosing the Right Bedroom Paint Color

Thinking about a new color for your bedroom?

The most important thing to consider is "temperature," reports the website Domaine.

"While warm colors advance toward the eye and appear more active, creating a stimulating effect, cool colors -- the hues from blue green through blue violet, most grays included -- tend to recede, producing a more calming and relaxing effect.

"We turned to a few of our favorite interior designers to hear how they go about selecting paint for bedrooms," the site wrote.

For more:

http://www.domainehome.com/bedroom-paint-color-ideas/

IBM's System/360 Marks 50th Anniversary

You bet your company...

Thomas J. Watson, Jr., IBM president, when System/360 was announced, artechnica.com

IBM's System/360 at 50

Today marks the 50th anniversary of IBM's announcement of its famous System/360 family of computers.

"System/360...was more than a just another computer," writes Gavin Clark in the UK's The Register today.

System/360 "changed IBM just as it changed computing and the technology industry," Clark reports.

"Where the S/360 was different was that it introduced a brand-new way of thinking about how computers could and should be built and used.

"The S/360 made computing affordable and practical - relatively speaking. We're not talking the personal computer revolution of the 1980s, but it was a step," Clark writes.

 For more on Clark's report:   
 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/07/ibm_s_360_50_anniversary/

For an excellent report about System/360 on its 40th anniversary, written by IBM's Chuck Boyer:    http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/tw/resources/system_tw_360revolution_040704.pdf

(With thanks to two old friends: Michael Lazare for his reminder about this System/360 milestone and Andy Russell for the lead on the remarkable piece by Chuck Boyer.)

Musical Moments: Andrea Bocelli -- Time to Say Goodbye

Best of Bocelli...

Andrea Bocelli, palmbeachwp.com

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Here's one of Bocelli's best...

 Andrea Bocelli -- Time to Say Goodbye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcrfvP11Hbo

 

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Darien Weekly Real Estate Update: 4/4/2014

Darien update...

Descending Light, Sergio Roggo, jrusselljinishiangallerycom

Darien Weekly Real Estate Update:  4/4/2014

Three accepted offers and 10 properties going under contract topped Darien's residential real estate statistics for the week ending today.

Results in other real estate categories, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 12 new listings of property for sale;

-- Eight price changes, and

-- Five closings.

For details:

Rowayton Real Estate Mixed at End of March

Rowayton update...

Rowayton Real Estate Mixed at End of March

Rowayton's residential real estate market had mixed results as of the end of March.

The average sale price was up 21.8 percent, according to Darien MLS reports published today.

However, sales volume declined 8.7 percent and sales were off 25 percent.

The results are on a year-to-date basis, comparing January 1 through March 31, 2014 with the same period in 2013.

For details:

Darien Real Estate Up at End of March

Darien housing shows gains...

Darien Real Estate Up at End of March

Darien's residential real estate market was up in major categories as of the end of March.

According to Darien MLS reports published today, Darien saw:

-- A 19.4 percent increase in average sales price;

-- A 51.3 percent gain in sales volume, and

-- A 26.7 percent rise in sales.

The results are on a year-to-date basis, comparing January 1 through March 31, 2014 with the same period in 2013.

For details: