I love the comics. I read them every day. Well, almost every day, if I have to be utterly honest. One of my favorites is Non Sequitur.

Wiley Miller, the cartoonist for Non Sequitur has an outrageous sense of humor and sees our world as no one else does absurdities and all.

A few days ago, he jumped into the world of social networking by taking a poke at Facebook.



So, what is social networking? It's the grouping of individuals into specific groups. Huh? Here's a website that can explain it easily. WHAT IS SOCIAL NETWORKING?

Facebook is just one of those social networks. Myspace is another. LinkedIn is another. Those are the top three. And, they're all used for very different reasons by very different people.

I'm going to be VERY basic here. One size does not FIT ALL!!!!

Myspace is used by the younger crowd and the artists groups: authors, muscians, artists, etc.

Facebook is used by slightly older crowd and you still have the artists groups as well as more business people. It's also used by the families and schoolmates looking to reconnect.

LinkedIn is probably the only one that has the majority of business people on it and does nearly all business, no socializing.

I purposely left out the Tweeters mostly because I don't understand them, and I don't exactly know how they fit into a stable social network.

So, enjoy the cartoons and have fun on your social networking site of choice.

Labels: cartoon, facebook, humor, linkedin, myspace, non sequitur, social network, tweeters, wiley miller

This column appeared in our Tampa St Petersburg Times Newspaper

The Annals of Improbable Research magazine bestowed the 2009 Ig Nobels last Thursday in a ceremony at Harvard. The awards honor scientific research that seems odd but has serious practical application. The awards were handed out by Nobel laureates.

And the winners are:

Veterinary Medicine: Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson for showing that cows with names give more milk than unnamed cows.

Peace: Stephan Bolliger, Stefen Ross, Lars Oesterhelweg, Micheal Thali, and Beat Kneubuehl for investigating whether it is better to be struck over the head with a full or empty beer bottle.


Economics: Executives of four Icelandic banks for showing how tiny banks can become huge, and then become tiny again.

Chemistry: Javier Morales, Miguel Apatiga, and Victor Castano for creating diamonds out of tequila.


Medicine: Donals Unger for cracking the knuckles on his left hand for 60 years to see if it contributes to arthritis.

Physics: Katherine Whitcome, Liza Shapiro and Daniel Lieberman for figuring out why pregnant women don't tip over.

Literature: Irish police for issuing 50 tickets to Prawo Jazdy, which in Polish means "driver's license."

Public health: Elena Bodnar, Raphael Lee, and Sandra Marijan for inventing a bra that can be converted into a gas mask. Actually, two gas masks.


Mathematics: The Zimbabwean Reserve Bank for printing notes in denominations from 1 cent tot $100 trillion.


Biology: Fumiaki Taguchi, Song Guofu and Zhang Guanglei for demonstrating that bacteria in panda poop can help reduce kitchen waste by 90 percent.

*****

All I can say, is "So that's where our Research and Development grant $$ are going?"

What the "Fragglerock" is that all about?

Labels: annals of improbable research, harvard, nobel, weird

E-Readers are here to stay. And, that means e-books are here to stay as well. As much as we boomers would like to protest, using excuses like "but I love the smell of a book" and "there's nothing like holding a book in my hand", we're no longer the target market.

It's a whole new world out there, and like it or not, it's time we embraced it. My husband has dragged me into it. Okay, not literally "dragged" me. More like nudged me in the current electronic world's general direction.

In our family, he was the first to purchase an iPhone. He expounded on all the cool applications and how easy they were to use and how easy they made his life.

Uh huh. I know what you're thinking. How could a phone make his life easier, right? I was thinking the same thing.

But, then he started showing me, because skeptic that I am, I started asking for proof.

Well, I wouldn't believe it at first, but he was right. Some of the applications he had were amazing. He had his e-mail right on his phone - send and receive. And, all of his mail folders were there too! Now that was slick! And they synced with his desktop at home.

Then, there was the Internet application. Safari. Well, that sold me right there. I could surf the Internet from my phone!!

And, don't get me started on the Facebook and MySpace applications that link directly to your pages and profiles so you can access your pages and update them as if you were sitting at your desktop.

Of course, I digress, another great application I downloaded? eReader! I can read books on my iPhone. How sweet is that?

Labels: book, comic, e-readers, ebooks, ereader, facebook, Internet, iphone, myspace, Safari

You know you're a TRUE Floridian if.... Your Socks are only for bowling....

You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.



A 'good parking place' has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.



Your winter coat is made of denim.



You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.



You're younger than -50- but some of your friends are over -65-



Anything under 70 degrees is chilly



You've driven through Yee Haw Junction.



You know that no other grocery store can really compare to Publix.



Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.



You know that anything hurricane under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for



You dread "love bug" season (and you know what "love bugs" are!)



You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley or Hurricane Frances. You know them as just Andrew, Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne & Wilma......



You know what a "snowbird" is and, more importantly when they'll leave.



You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty 'average'.



'Down South' really means Key West



Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church, but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before! Ties... we don't need no stinkin' ties!



You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and just one sweatshirt (and it is on the hanger in the closet)



You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.



A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level (even at DisneyWorld)



You know the four -4- seasons really are: hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season & Summer



You've actually hosted a hurricane party.



You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Withlacoochee and Micanopy.



You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.



You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.



You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas and New Years (oh yeah!)



You recognize Miami-Dade as 'Northern Cuba.'


***** Thank you, anonymous donor!! *****

Labels: Florida, floridian

Pretty darn smart, if you ask me!!

Labels: clever, dolphin, people, smart

Sent anonymously through e-mail!!! What a hoot!!! I had to share it with you!!



I've seen two shows lately that went on and on about how mid-life is a great time for women. Just last week Oprah had a whole show on how great menopause will be . . . Puhleeeeeeeze! I've had a few thoughts of my own and would like to share them with you. Whether you are pushing 40, 50, 60 (or maybe even just pushing your luck), you'll probably relate.








Mid-life is when the growth of hair on our legs slows down. This gives us plenty of time to care for our newly acquired mustache.




In mid-life women no longer have upper arms, we have wing spans. We are no longer women in sleeveless shirts, we are flying squirrels in drag.



Mid-life is when you can stand naked in front of a mirror and you can see your rear without turning around.

Mid-life is when you go for a mammogram and you realize that this is the only time someone will ask you to appear topless.







Mid-life is when you want to grab every firm young lovely in a tube top and scream, "Listen honey, even the Roman empire fell and those will too."







Mid-life brings wisdom to know that life throws us curves and we're sitting on our biggest ones.


Mid-life is when you look at your know-it-all, beeper-wearing teenager and think: "For this I have stretch marks?"











In mid-life your memory starts to go. In fact the only thing we can retain is water.


Mid-life means that your Body By Jake now includes Legs By Rand McNally -- more red and blue lines than an accurately scaled map of Wisconsin.

Mid-life means that you become more reflective... You start pondering the "big" questions. What is life? Why am I here? How much Healthy Choice ice cream can I eat before it's no longer a healthy choice?

But mid-life also brings with it an appreciation for what is important. We realize that breasts sag, hips expand and chins double, but our loved ones make the journey worth while. Would any of you trade the knowledge that you have now, for the body you had way back when? Maybe our bodies simply have to expand to hold all the wisdom and love we've acquired. That's my philosophy and I'm sticking to it!

Labels: midlife

Nell Minow put together a "10 Best" list that I think truly depicts the 10 best "movies dads" of all time. Of course, you may have other opinions, and you're quite welcome to share them here.

Click HERE to read the article.

Labels: 10 best movies, dads, father's day, nell minow