Musical Moments: Grieg, In the Hall of The Mountain King

Halloween...

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

We don't have any pumpkin carols, but a nice video of Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King is fitting for Halloween:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRpzxKsSEZg

gif: tumblr

New Listings Top Darien Real Estate Results

Weekly update...

Err...we have to go now.  

Six new listings of property for sale topped Darien residential real estate results for the week ending today.

Other results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- Two price changes;

-- Three accepted offers;

-- One property going under contract, and

-- Four closings.

For more:  

Scott Adams: 10 Best Dilbert Comics Ever

Favorites...

Wally wows 'em.

Scott Adams, creator of the famous Dilbert comic strip, recently looked through the archives and shared his 10 favorite comics with businessinsider.

See which ones Adams chose as his all-time favorites: http://www.businessinsider.com/dilbert-comics-on-bosses-2015-10

Gif:tumblr

How Did Trick or Treating Begin?

Fun tradition...

About now, many tykes are counting down to Friday when they will blossom forth as ballerinas, fairies, pirates or space cadets for an evening of trick or treating.

Remember those evenings when you set out to collect your bag of Halloween swag?

One night, when I was a third or fourth grader, it was so hot and humid that my mask kept slipping down so I couldn't see.

The late October morning I landed in Germany to start my tour of duty in Europe, we taxied by the elementary school at Rhine Main Air Base.  On the windows of one of the classrooms the kids had put up a black and orange Trick or Treat sign surrounded by happy Jack O'Lanterns.

Many years later we had so many kids at our doorstep we had to rush out for a quick resupply of candy.

And, one of my favorites, the evening a group of well behaved teenagers called on us and then drove off to the next house in their dad's golf cart.

We've all enjoyed this fun tradition, but why do we observe it and how did it begin?

For some answers:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating

Gif: tumbr

The Saccharine History of Corn Candy

Halloween icon...

Trick or treat.

Candy corn has been around since the 1880s, and, though it continually pops up on lists of worst Halloween candy ever, its story is still one of perennial success, Rebecca Rupp reports on nationalgeographic.com.

In fact, candy corn just might be the Halloween equivalent of fruitcake: a holiday food that everybody has, but nobody actually eats, Rupp wrote.

For more on a Halloween icon that's always there for us year in and year out:  http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/27/the-saccharine-history-of-candy-corn/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_tw20151027plate-candycorn&utm_campaign=Content&sf14583512=1

Photo: tumblr

What People in 1900 Thought 2000 Would Look Like

Looking ahead...

Air Mail.

There are few things as fascinating as seeing what people in the past dreamed about the future, Ann Swanson reports on washingtonpost.com.

"France in the Year 2000" is one example. 

The series of paintings, made by Jean-Marc Côté and other French artists in 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1910, shows artist depictions of what life might look like in the year 2000, Swanson wrote.

The first series of images were printed and enclosed in cigarette and cigar boxes around the time of the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, according to the Public Domain Review, then later turned into postcards.

For more of Swanson's report and a wonderful series of French paintings "of the future": http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/04/what-people-in-1900-thought-the-year-2000-would-look-like/?tid=sm_tw

RV.

Start off the Week with a Smile

Enjoy...

Some fun, interesting and inspiring commercials to help start off the week with a smile:

-- Progressive: Flo: Boat trimmed:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mxjhib77Lg

-- BMW:  Mood swings:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6YtYFuKLsM

-- GEICO:  If you’re a cat…: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3rNIE9zeGQ

-- Boeing:  Build something better:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRy28MY8mp0

-- IBM: Blind runner: http://www.fastcocreate.com/3052626/ibm-tells-a-blind-runners-compelling-story-in-new-cloud-ad-campaign

-- Star Wars: The Force Awakens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE

Musical Moments: Bocelli, Autumn Leaves

Leaf season...

The falling leaves drift by...

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

With the height of leaf season approaching, today's selection is Andrea Bocelli's beautiful Autumn Leaves.

I hope you'll enjoy it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNKhpG3apQU

Darien Sees Real Estate Surge

Weekly update...

Manhattan fall splendor.*

Darien's residential real estate market saw a surge in activity in the week ending today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 20 new listings of property for sale;

-- Six price changes;

-- Five accepted offers;

-- One property going under contract, and

-- Nine closings.

For more: 

*aboveNYonAir

BTTF: Looking Back at 1985 Pop Culture

Anniversary...

The future is today.*

Believe it or not, it's been three decades since Marty McFly tried to get Back to the Future in the time-traveling DeLorean and save his parents' marriage, Patrick Ryan and Eli Blumenthal report on usatoday.com.

 With 30th anniversary fever in full swing this week, there's no better time to hop back to the sci-fi comedy's release in 1985: when We Are the World ruled the airwaves, teens made a date with The Breakfast Club and Madonna turned heads in her Like A Virgin era, they wrote.

For more of their report:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/10/20/back-to-the-future-pop-culture-milestones-1985/74173794/

For recollections by Michael J. Fox today:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michael-j-fox-back-to-the-future_56279b86e4b02f6a900ec5da

Wheels down for landing.*

Love those hoverboards.*

*tumblr

Edina and Patsy are Back, Darlings!

AbFab...

When a stranger sends a friend request on Facebook.*

Edina and Patsy are back, darlings. And they're just as glamorous as ever, Andrea Romano reports on mashable.com.

Fox Searchlight and BBC Films announced on Monday that a long-gestating movie based on the '90s British TV show Absolutely Fabulous has started filming. It's set to hit theaters in 2016, Romano wrote.

Not only are Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley reprising their roles as Edina and Patsy, but they are also being joined by the rest of the show's original cast, including Julia Sawalha as Saffy, Jane Horrocks as Bubble, and June Whitfield as Mother, according to Romano.

Wishing two game ladies and their confreres abfab success in their new venture.

For more:  http://mashable.com/2015/10/19/absolutely-fabulous-movie/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link#yfE71KzCaPqg

*tumblr

Feds Seeks to Extend Drone Rules to Hobbyists

Safety measure...

Preparing drone for flight.

The federal government will seek to register all drones, including the lighter, remote-controlled crafts favored by hobbyists, so it can track down any drone pilots who collide with other aircraft or violate rules for safe flights, Bart Jansen reports on usatoday.com.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Monday the new rules will apply to hobbyists as well as commercial drone operators, who already register, Jansen wrote.

Government regulators and industry leaders are eager to get rules in place as interest in remote-controlled aircraft surges.Quadcopters equipped with a high-definition cameras cost little more than $40 and can be purchased easily online, while models that fly longer and higher can run thousands of dollars. Retailers expect drones to fly off the shelves as gifts this holiday season, according to Jansen.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already requires registration numbers on commercial drones and it has approved 1,891 special permits through Oct. 15 for a variety of uses, such as aerial photography, pipeline inspections and agricultural monitoring. But until  now, the FAA has not required hobbyists to register, although hundreds of thousands of remote-controlled aircraft have already been sold, Jansen reported.

For more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/10/19/dot-drone-task-force-registry/74210902/

Kick-off the Week with a Smile

Terrific...

Isn't it amazing what these new cars can do? 

Some terrific commercials to help kick-off the week with a smile:

Progressive: Flo in black and white: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST0cR2-JcZ0

Johnsonville:  Stay at home son:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG0yJAMJoIQ

Letgo:  Lucky ball:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0sbTLCLpgY

GE: Sledgehammer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xGoBlI_fdg

TDAmeritrade:  Andrew Luck:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQBwgkSg42Y

And last, but certainly not least: TDAmeritrade: Talking ATM:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUkN7g_bEAI

Musical Moments: Funniest Classical Orchestra

Light-hearted...

Yosemite in autumn.

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

This week's selection is Rainer Hersch's Funniest Classical Orchestra.

I hope you'll some very talented musicians having some light-hearted fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLXwpGCn2KQ

Darien Sees Quieter Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

Rushing stream in autumn.

Darien saw a quieter residential real estate market in the week ending today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were: 

-- Seven new listing of property for sale;

-- Five price changes;

-- Four accepted offers;

-- No properties going under contract, and

-- Two closings.

For more: 

Oops: 19 of History's Famous Misquotes

Didn't say it...

Quote erroneously attributed to Angelou and used on a U.S. postage stamp.

When Yogi Berra died last month, numerous outlets chose to honor him by publishing his most famous Yogi-isms, Kali Holloway reports on salon.com.

The problem is, some of his most popular sayings (“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded,” “It’s deja vu all over again,” “The future isn’t what it used to be”) probably weren’t actually uttered by Yogi Berra, Holloway wrote.

You may or may not be convinced about some of Holloway's conclusions in what follows, but she certainly seems to have done her homework.

For her fascinating article with more famous misquotes, including those for Freud, Mark Twain, Sarah Palin, Voltaire, Marilyn Monroe, Einstein and others: http://www.salon.com/2015/10/14/freud_never_said_that_19_of_historys_most_famous_misquotes_partner/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Dole Recalls Spinach: Potential Salmonella

Check codes...

Check the bag for codes.

Have a bag of spinach salad in your refrigerator? Be sure to check its code number, cnn.com reports.

Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling some bagged spinach due to salmonella, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Random tests by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural development turned up positive for the bacteria, according to cnn.com.

Look on the bag for the code A27409B and A27409A. The UPC number is 7143000976. It has a sell-by date of October 15.

The spinach was sold in 13 states: Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin, cnn.com wrote.

For more:  http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/14/health/dole-spinach-recall-salmonella/

How to Find, Clear Google Voice Searches

Googling...

Managing your searches.

Google likes to keep all of your voice searches on its servers so it can more easily learn to recognize your voice, understand what you might be looking for in the future, and, of course, serve you ads, David Nield reports on gizmodo.com.

If you want to review this archive of Google Now searches and clear it out, here’s what to do, he wrote.

If you haven’t visited your Google Account page in a while, you might be surprised at just how clean and comprehensive it’s become. From www.google.com/account it’s possible to view just about everything Google has on you, add extra security features to your account, personalize your Google experience and more besides, Nield added.

For more: http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/how-to-find-and-delete-everything-youve-ever-said-to-go-1735377826?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

New Bridge of Spies Film Recalls the Amazing Blackbird

Mach 3 masterpiece...

SR-71 soaring toward the edge of space.

The opening this week of Steven Spielberg's new movie, Bridge of Spies, which centers on the exchange of the Russian spy Rudolf Able and Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 was shot down over the Soviet Union, recalls the SR-71 Blackbird...an incredible airplane.

The Blackbird was the successor to the U-2 and became the world's fastest and highest flying operational manned aircraft.

It could fly at 2,200 miles an hour...and more.

It still holds some amazing world records, including: 

     --1976, an "absolute altitude record" of 85,069 feet.

     --That same year it flew the 3,462 miles from New York to London in 1 hour and 54 minutes.  The Concorde took 2 hours and 52 minutes for the same trip, and the 747 takes an average time of 6 hours and 15 minutes.
     --1990, a Blackbird covered the 2,299 miles between Los Angeles and Washington, DC for another new record of 64 minutes and 20 seconds.

At 80,000 feet on the edge of space, Blackbird pilots could see 350 miles in any direction.

The plane's nose camera took a picture 72 miles wide.  In 64 minutes, the SR-71 filmed 100,000 miles. The film for the camera was 10,500 feet long and five inches wide.

Veteran SR-71 pilots and others recall more about the plane, its amazing capabilities and some of its remarkable missions in the following short videos.

Col. Buzz Carpenter, an SR-71 pilot, with his insights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpVT5Lr0BbI

The SR-71,one of the US Air Force's most famous planes, was designed and developed by Lockheed's famous Skunk Works:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1250fZuhUg

Col. Rich Graham, an SR-71 pilot, and his recollections:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isVOn69ULs8

Ground crew assisting a pilot debark from an SR-71.

The SR-71's dark color led to its Blackbird call sign.

For more about the U-2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2

For more about Bridge of Spies: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/05/bridge-of-spies-trailer_n_7519530.html

Start Your Week with a Smile

Fun and games...

Not quite ready for the pro tour.

Start off your week with a smile or two:

GEICO: Golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7yvp-4cj2w 

GEICO: Fisherman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfBSPyCPVsE

GEICO: Kenny Rogers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVlRx2U-xUA

United Airlines: Rhapsody in Blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XYtGYrQeV4

Apple: iPhone 6s: http://dailycommercials.com/apple-iphone-6s/ 

State Farm: DoubleCheck:  http://dailycommercials.com/state-farm-insurance-aaron-charles-rodgers/

Musical Moments, Autumn in New York, George Shearing

Wonderful...

Autumn in Central Park.

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

On a perfect fall day like today, what better selection than George Shearing's wonderful Autumn in New York: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqtpSST-AEQ

Darien Closes Active Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

Keeping watch.

Darien closed an active residential real estate week today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were;

-- Three new listings of property for sale;

-- Ten price changes;

-- Three accepted offers;

-- Two properties going under contract, and

-- Five closings.

For more: 

Scots Use Unusual Boat Elevator to Lift 500 Tons

Going up...

Moving boats from one canal to another.

Some canny Scots have devised a way to move boats and the water they sit in from one canal to another using the principles of an ancient Greek.

Tom Scott narrates a video explaining the basic physics behind the Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift in not-so-sunny Scotland. It enables boats to travel between two canals, one of which runs 80 feet higher than the other, Chris Mills reports on gizmodo.com.

To do that, it has to lift entire canal boats — themselves often 60 feet long, Mills wrote.

The design uses two ‘cassions’ — water-filled pods that the boats sit in — on either end of an arm, centered around a main wheel. The cassions counterbalance each other perfectly: they are filled with 500 tons of water, and when a boat enters, it displaces the same amount of water as it weighs (thanks, Archimedes). So, both arms are always perfectly balanced, which drastically reduces the amount of energy it takes to lift a boat through the air

For more about this innovation, including a video showing how it works:  http://gizmodo.com/how-a-giant-lift-harnesses-gravity-to-move-boats-1734185394?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

A Look at NYC 400 Years Ago

Manhattan, 1609...

Manhattan 400 years ago and today.

Where the Chrysler Building stands, there may have been gray wolves and hoary bats. Chinatown was home to a long tidal creek and salty marsh. A Lenape trail wound through the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, Kelsey Campbell-Dolleghan reports on gizmodo.com.

This was Manhattan in 1609, on the brink of European settlement, the year Henry Hudson sailed into New York Bay. It was a hugely diverse and rich landscape, threaded with trails used by Lenape Indians, Cambell-Dolleghan wrote.

The island’s biodiversity per acre was “rivaled that of national parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Great Smoky Mountains,” writes the creator of the Welikia Project, landscape ecologist Dr. Eric Sanderson, who founded the project almost 20 years ago, according to Campbell-Dolleghan.

Welikia, which means “my good home” in Lenape, is the expansion of Sanderson’s original goal — to create a map of pre-modern Manhattan’s natural landscape to include all of the city’s boroughs. As 6SQFT pointed out recently, the project has launched a Google Maps-powered interactive map of its research, which allows you to search through every block of the city to find out what was there 400 years ago — from a comprehensive list of mammals and plant life to information about Lenape trails and camps, Campbell-Dollegan added.

For more about this fascinating project: http://gizmodo.com/what-every-block-of-nyc-looked-like-400-years-ago-1733614748?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Fun: Kurt Vonnegut on the World's Most Popular Stories

Ups and downs...

Shaping up.

Kurt Vonnegut claimed that his prettiest contribution to culture wasn’t a popular novel like “Cat’s Cradle” or “Slaughterhouse-Five,” but a largely forgotten master’s thesis he wrote while studying anthropology at the University of Chicago, Ann Swanson reports on washingtonpost

.com.

The thesis argued that a main character has ups and downs that can be graphed to reveal the taxonomy of a story, as well as something about the culture it comes from.

“The fundamental idea is that stories have shapes which can be drawn on graph paper, and that the shape of a given society’s stories is at least as interesting as the shape of its pots or spearheads,” Vonnegut said.

Sit back for some fun with Vonnegut as he shows a class what he means in this video: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/09/kurt-vonnegut-graphed-the-worlds-most-popular-stories/