Have Laptop Will Travel

Real Fact #193

Originally posted on December 23, 2006 @ 3:40 pm

Thanks to Snapple, I bring you Real Fact #193:

The year that read the same upside down was 1961. That won’t happen again until 6009.

The year 6009. That’s so crazy to think about… four thousand years from now.

I can hear my friend Felix saying “Good grief!” to this post :)

On that note, here are 5 mind bending questions about the year 6009 to ponder while you relax over the holiday break:

  1. Will we still have an internet?
  2. Will it still be called the World Wide Web?
  3. How about the Galaxy Wide Web?
  4. Will blogging still be around?
  5. Will gas prices drop below $2.00 USD again?

Just a small heads up, over the next few days I’ll be updating my Unusual Trivia page, so be sure to check it out.

Fear of Friday the 13th

Originally posted on October 13, 2006 @ 9:49 am

The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations said to date from ancient times and their inevitable conjunction from one to three times a year portends more misfortune than some credulous minds can bear.

Some sources say it may be the most widespread superstition in the United States. Some people won’t go to work on Friday the 13th; some won’t eat in restaurants; many wouldn’t think of setting a wedding on the date.

Just how many Americans at the turn of the millennium still suffer from this condition?

According to Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of phobias, the figure may be as high as 21 million. If he’s right, eight percent of Americans are still in the grips of a very old superstition.

Exactly how old is difficult to say, because determining the origins of superstitions is an imprecise science, at best. In fact, it’s mostly guesswork.

I have a good friend who is a MIT graduate that’s really good with math. I’ll run it by him today and see what he can come up with. If he can figure out why Highway 1 slows down by Home Depot for no real reason, he can surely figure this one out :)

So, what are your plans for today, Friday the 13th? Dun Dun DUN!!!

[Insert lightening and thunder sounds here.]

As for what I’ll be doing today, I’m going to be working on my super secret project that has a working delivery date of Monday October 16, 2006.

I’ll also be avoiding the random Zombies walking around town.

Fortune Cookie

Originally posted on March 18, 2006 @ 1:50 pm

Sometimes I forget I’m a geek. Then I get a fortune cookie like:

There will always be delightful mysteries in your life.

Lucky numbers: 10 22 25 19 31 41

and immediately I think “Hmmm. Those numbers could form an IP address of 102.225.193.141. Should I ping it?”

Random thoughts

Originally posted on January 16, 2006 @ 10:37 pm

So it’s 10:37 PM and I was thinking that “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”

Think a gallon of gas is expensive?

Originally posted on September 14, 2005 @ 3:17 pm

This makes one think, and also puts things in perspective:

Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29
$10.32 per gallon

Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19
$9.52 per gallon

Gatorade 20 oz $1.59
$10.17 per gallon

Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25
$10.00 per gallon

Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15
$33.60 per gallon

Vick’s Nyquil 6 oz $8.35
$178.13 per gallon

Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85
$123.20 per gallon

Whiteout 7 oz $1.39
$25.42 per gallon

Scope 1.5 oz $0.99
$84.48 per gallon

And this is the REAL KICKER… Evian water 9 oz $1.49, $21.19 per gallon?!

$21.19 for WATER – and the buyers don’t even know the source. (Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)

So, the next time you’re at the pump, be glad your car doesn’t run on water, Scope, or Whiteout, or God forbid Pepto Bismal or Nyquil. Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump.