Coolest Music Ever

One of my facebook friends linked to this today.  It's a group of Siberian percussionists making music using the ice on frozen Lake Baikal.
 

Isn't that amazing?  Who knew ice could be such an awesome musical instrument?

And if this isn't real (see related articles), I still applaud the creativity it took to put this video together.

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How to Make Symbols with Your Keyboard

Ctrl and Alt keys on a modern Windows keyboard
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just came across this on Facebook, and I'm saving it for later.  And sharing because I thought you might be interested, too. 

± ¢ ☺ ← and those are my test symbols.  It works!  Just hold down the Alt key while you enter the numbers.  It looks like nothing is happening, but as soon as you let go of the Alt key, the symbol appears like magic!  Try it.  You know you want to.

Note: you must be sure the 'NUM LOCK' key is on and use the numeric section of your keyboard, NOT the numbers above your letter keys. 

HOW TO MAKE SYMBOLS WITH KEYBOARD

Alt + 0153..... ™... trademark symbol
Alt + 0169.... ©.... copyright symbol
Alt + 0174..... ®....registered ­ trademark symbol
Alt + 0176 ...°......degree symbol
Alt + 0177 ...±....plus-or ­-minus sign
Alt + 0182 ...¶.....paragr­aph mark
Alt + 0190 ...¾....fractio­n, three-fourths
Alt + 0215 ....×.....multi­plication sign
Alt + 0162...¢....the ­ cent sign
Alt + 0161.....¡..... ­.upside down exclamation point
Alt + 0191.....¿..... ­upside down question mark
Alt + 1.......☺....smiley face
Alt + 2 ......☻.....black smiley face
Alt + 15.....☼.....sun
Alt + 12......♀.....female sign
Alt + 11.....♂......m­ale sign
Alt + 6.......♠.....spade
Alt + 5.......♣...... ­Club
Alt + 3.......♥...... ­Heart
Alt + 4.......♦...... ­Diamond
Alt + 13......♪.....e­ighth note
Alt + 14......♫...... ­beamed eighth note
Alt + 8721.... ∑.... N-ary summation (auto sum)
Alt + 251.....√.....square root check mark
Alt + 8236.....∞..... ­infinity
Alt + 24.......↑..... ­up arrow
Alt + 25......↓...... ­down arrow
Alt + 26.....→.....r­ght arrow
Alt + 27......←.....l­eft arrow
Alt + 18.....↕......u­p/down arrow
Alt + 29......↔...lef­t right arrow

Related articles

• Making Symbols with a Keyboard
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Get Free Access to Over 700 Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), the first comic from Marvel precursor Timely Comics. Cover art by Frank R. Paul. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Like comics?  Sign up today to get access to the Marvel #1 promotion and more!

• Over 700 Marvel comics that you can read anywhere—on your computer or compatible mobile device—available for free for a limited time
• Exclusive comic book offers, special sales, and new release emails
• Access to over 30,000 digital comics powered by Guided View™ technology

Sign up by 11:59pm ET tonight to receive your promo invite then watch your inbox for your invite.  The invites will begin rolling out April 11, and then you will have 48 hours to choose your FREE Marvel #1 issues! You'll be able to read over 700 Marvel comics for Free from Comixology Digital Comics.

Related articles

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How to Eat that Chinese Takeout

Who knew this? I saw this on Anderson Cooper this morning, and I couldn't believe nobody ever knew this.  Or why there aren't instruction printed on the Chinese takeout boxes.  (Yeah, the Chinese restaurant owners have probably been laughing all along.)


Of course, if you're sharing Chinese takeout with a group, you'll still need some plates...

I'm actually thinking that it would work fine if you just opened up the one side - turn the open side toward you and eat from that side, and the unopened back will keep everything nicely inside.

Also, what if you don't eat it all?  They tried it on Anderson Cooper, just folded the box back up again, and it went right back together, so any leftovers will be just fine.

Who else is ready to get some Chinese takeout so you can try this?

Related articles

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Tree People

Tree climbing - Grimpe d'arbre (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This post brought to you by SherrillTree

One of these days I am going to try a zipline and/or a ropes course somewhere among the trees.  They just look like so much fun.  I just need to be in a place that offers something like that with some people who will go with me.  One of these days...

Ever wonder where places like that get their ropes and tree-climbing supplies?  I'm betting a lot of them come from SherrillTree.

Founded and still operating in Greensboro, North Carolina, SherrillTree has been providing tree enthusiasts with good quality gear at reasonable prices since 1960.  Their primary purpose is providing arboricultural products to tree care professionals, but they also offer products for tree-climbing enthusiasts like those ropes and ziplines, as well as safety equipment like these chainsaw chaps. 

Basically, SherrillTree provides tree gear to tree people. And one of these days, I'd like to be one of those tree people.  Who's with me?

Google Glass, How it Feels

Have you seen this?  Google has come up with this incredible little device that will let you take pictures and video of anything you see, just by speaking - "ok glass take a picture" or "ok glass record a video."  Share with friends as you're seeing it.

This new video shows what it does and how it feels:


Doesn't that look like fun?  I've always wanted to get video while riding a roller coaster, but I never figured out a good way to do it.

Wanna try it?  Google is looking for a few bold, creative individuals who want to be a part of shaping the future of Glass.  Using Google+ or twitter, simply tell Google, in 50 words or less, what you'd do if you had Glass, including #ifihadglass in your application.  The deadline for applications is February 27.

For more information, visit google.com/glass/.  I'm sure my life is too boring to qualify, but you might have a chance.

Try This

I occasionally get emails that are obviously intended for someone else.  I usually just disregard them, since I don't know the people sending them.  For some reason, I opened this one.  It was an email with the subject line Try This.

So I tried it.  I clicked the link and followed the instructions.  For a bit of fun, be sure to try it, too.

Here's the link: Try This

And here are your instructions:  When the guy stops running, place your cursor about an inch above his head.

Just do it.

Sooner or Later

Love me some Matt Kearney and some PS22 Chorus!


This makes me smile.

How Fast Do You Read?

This is fun.  Take a quick test to see how fast you read and how your speed compares to other people.  Then you'll get to see how long it would take you to read popular and classic books at that speed.

Click the image to start your test.  You can use the little Options Cog to pick the book you'd like to read from and the length of the sample.  The say a longer sample is more accurate.

Be sure to come back and let me know how you did!  I got 367 words per minute - 47% faster than the national average.  My son got 900 and some words per minute.  I'm jealous.  I wish I could read as fast as he does!  (of course, he was reading at a 7th grade level at the end of 2nd grade, and he's been reading voraciously ever since)

Source: Staples eReader Department

What Men Like

I was just noticing the other day that my new favorite addiction, Pinterest, is mostly for the ladies.  Sure, there are guys on there, but the overwhelming majority of my followers and the ones I'm following are ladies.  Not surprising, really, because it seems like Pinterest is full of things like recipes, craft ideas, home decorating ideas, fashion and style choices, ideas for raising children, and so many more 'girly' things.  No wonder the men are hiding!  (it would be interesting if there was a way to find out the male/female ratio of Pinterest members, but I haven't figured out how to do it)

I'm not the only one who noticed that Pinterest isn't exactly man-friendly.  I heard on the news this morning that there's a new site just for the guys - MANteresting!  A quick glance at the site shows it's definitely full of manly likes - meat, fire, cars, tools, electronics, motorcycles, eye candy.  Manteresting calls itself:

A site where you:

1. Get inspired by awesome content
2. Share manly things with the community
3. View what other members are posting

What do you think?  Is it important for the guys to have their own site for saving and sharing the things they find 'manteresting'?  Sure the men could post things to Pinterest, and we'd have a nice mix of the girly and the manly stuff - and we always have a choice about which people and/or boards we follow, so they wouldn't have to see the girly stuff unless they wanted to and the ladies could see and follow only the manly things they're interested in.  Then again, Pinterest seems like the fancy living room or the kitchen, and the big burly manly men aren't going to feel comfortable there - not when they have the Man Cave of MANteresting  to join.

Like Pinterest, MANteresting is free to join - and there are no invites to wait for.

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• MANteresting, A Social Bookmarking Website Geared to Men (laughingsquid.com)

Emote Your Vote

This is kinda fun.  Visit affectiva and click on the Watch Demo link.  It will take you to a page where you can turn on your webcam, watch Super Bowl ads, and they'll read your expressions to see how you respond to the ads.  You can share your results and ask your friends to do it too so you can compare, or you can keep them private.

How does it work?

Affdex tracks facial and head gestures in real-time using key points on the viewer's face to recognize a rich array of emotional and cognitive states, such as enjoyment, attention and confusion. Individual emotional responses are then aggregated, analyzed and presented in an interactive dashboard that provides moment-by-moment analysis of the emotional track with dynamic segmentation by emotion metric and survey responses.

Yeah, I don't understand it either!  Basically, they just watch your facial expressions and reactions and analyze them.  I think in the end they'll tally up all the results and share them with the advertisers.  It might just mean better commercials because, let's face it, some of them are really really dumb.  Of course the Super Bowl ads are usually pretty good.  I know I don't watch the Super Bowl for the football!

Anyway, check it out - Emote your Vote.

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More Fun with Google

Apparently this was going around in November, but I missed it.  So, in case you missed it too:

1. Go to Google
2. Type "do a barrel roll" into the search
3. Wait for it!

Not as much fun as the gravity thing, but still a bit of fun.  Anybody else feeling a bit dizzy?

Create Your Own Snowflakes

 

This is so much fun!  Remember folding and cutting paper snowflakes when you were a kid?  Well, this is sort of like that - except you do it on your computer.  I found this site years ago and had lots of fun with it - and then forgot all about it until today when they were talking about it being the middle of December, and we don't have any snow.  Why the one thing led to the other, I don't know - but it did.

Anyway, if you'd like to create some of your own 'paper' snowflakes to share on the page and share with your friends, visit the Popular Front Snowday page! 

Don't blame me if you get addicted...

Camouflage

We watched the CMT Artists of the Year show tonight, and this was my favorite part.  Joe Walsh and Brad Paisley - Life's Been Good to Me/Camouflage:

Tags: CMT Artists of the Year: Brad Paisley featuring Joe Walsh and William Shatner "Life's Been Good/Camouflage" Medley, Brad Paisley, Brad Paisley Videos

So good!  I'm loving that guitar playing!  It has me wondering - has there been or is there going to be a Brad Paisley/Joe Walsh Crossroads?  Time to search CMT.com, I guess!

What is there about Brad Paisley?  Besides his obvious talent, of course!  He can do fun songs like this one.  He can do serious, meaningful songs, and he can play that guitar!

The other artists honored were Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney, and Taylor Swift.  I'm really not impressed with Taylor, but I do like the other ones.  I just can't decide if I like Kenny or Brad best, but for tonight I'm going to have to go with Brad.

How about you?  Who do you like?

Facebook Tags - Now More Fun

A friend of mine posted this on facebook today, so I just had to try it.  I love being able to tag my facebook friends in status updates and comments.  It's a great way to call their attention to something.  I also love that we no longer have to use their full names when we tag them - because that's just not natural sometimes - most of the time, actually.

And now, thanks to a bit of extra code, we can tag our friends using any words at all!  It won't be something you'll do every day, but once in a while, just for fun - why not?

Here are the basic steps:

• Copy and past this code into your status update or comment - @@[0:[NUMBER-ID:0:TEXT]]
   
• Find the Numerical ID for the person you want to tag.  For some friends it will be at the end of the url on their profile page -  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000496127817  Copy that number.
   
• If your friend has a custom url, like me, with a username at the end instead of a number - www.facebook.com/anna.hagen - all you have to do is replace the 'www' with 'graph' - graph.facebook.com/anna.hagen - When you load that page, the id number will be at the top.  Copy that number.
   
• Paste the User ID into the code - replace the part that says 'NUMBER-ID' - @@[0:[100000496127817:0:TEXT]]
   
• Decide how you want to tag your friend.  Replace the word 'TEXT' with the words you want to use.  For instance, this is for my husband - @@[0:[100000496127817:0:my favorite husband ever]]
  
  
• Compose your message around the code - Sitting here watching TV with @@[0:[100000496127817:0:my favorite husband ever]]. Aren't we exciting?
   
• Post your status update!
  
  

Have fun with it!

For better directions with pictures, check out this post.   It says it's a post for tagging photos, but they really mean status updates and comments.  I'm not sure if it's possible to do this with photos or not.  I know you can tag anyone/anything in photos using whatever words you want, but I don't know if it's possible to make them links.   Anybody know?

Pinterest - So Addictive!

I signed up for Pinterest a while back, but I hadn't really spent too much time there -until last night.  Oh my!  This site is so addictive!!

What is Pinterest?  It's a site that makes it easy for you to collect, save, and share all your interests from across the web.  You organize all your beautiful finds from across the internet on 'pinboards' - kinda like virtual bulletin boards that you pin photos and recipes and ideas to.  You can have as many pinboards as you want and pin as many things to them as you want.  People use Pinterest to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, organize their favorite recipes, collect craft ideas, and so much more.  You can save gift lists, wish lists, inspirational words, fashion ideas, menu ideas, whatever you want.

The addictive part is when you start looking at other people's pins.  Browse pins and pinboards created by other people, discover new things, get inspiration, re-pin the ones you like, and it goes on and on and on.  It's really hard to stop!  You can follow your friends to see what they pin as well as finding new friends who share your interests.

I'm loving it.  I'm collecting recipes I want to try, handy household tips, craft ideas that I might actually try one of these days or at least have one of my friends make for me, household decoration ideas, and all kinds of other things. Check out my boards.  It's one of the easiest ways ever to save everything that catches my eye and all the stuff I want to try or look at more closely later.  I added the button to my toolbar so I can quickly pin from anywhere.  What's great about it is that it's very visual - you end up with a whole board/page of pictures - NOT just a list of words and links - and it's easy to see what caught your eye in the first place.

Pinterest is free to join, but you will have to request an invite first.  Trust me, you want to!

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Fun with Google Gravity

Just found this on Crazy Working Mom.

Try this - it'll be fun!

1. Go to Google, and type 'Google Gravity'
2. Click on the 1st result that appears (i.e. Google Gravity)
3. Wait 2 seconds.  Something cool will happen!
4. Play with it for a while
5. Then type any word in the Google search bar and press Enter
6. Wait and see.  Something even cooler will happen. Awesome!
   
   If you liked it, copy and share with all your friends. (by http://facebook.com/starhostz)

I thought it was fun - go give it a try!

My Predictions - Dancing with the Stars

They probably won't go home in this order because, let's face it, Chaz Bono should have gone home ages ago - maybe not first because the guy with the strange name (something about world peace) was just as bad if not worse. Watching Chaz try to dance all these weeks, it's hard to believe anyone could by worse, but...

Just for the fun of it, here's my list - DWTS couples in the order they should go home:

Next to go home - Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer

Chaz cannot dance and has absolutely NO potential. Go home already!

and then - Hope Solo & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

I love Hope, but she just doesn't have what it takes to be a dancer,
or if she does, she's kept it inside too long.

David Arquette & Kym Johnson

David tries really hard, but he's just kinda awkward,
and funny will only get you so far on a show like this.

Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus

Nancy has done a lot better than I expected, but I just don't think she has
what it takes to make it to the end, especially with the remaining competition.

The final three should be:

Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke 

Ricki Lake & Derek Hough

and

J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff

My husband loves Cheryl, and she has a special talent for bringing out the best in her partners.  Rob has come a long way, but he's still kind of awkward - what did they say?  On the edge of becoming a man, but still kind of a boy.  It will come down to Ricki and J.R. - and I'm voting for J.R.  Ricki has been doing really well, and she works so hard.  Derek is another one who has a real talent for pulling the best out of his partners, and he's an amazing choreographer, too.  So it's going to be close, but I think J.R. just has that special something that will nab him the Mirror Ball Trophy.  He has a natural grace and elegance, and you can just tell he's having a good time when he's out there dancing.  There's a joy that comes shining through.

Am I right?  If you watch Dancing with the Stars, who do you think will go home next?  Do you think J.R. will win?  Be sure to check back later to see how close I got to how it really happens.

I Got a New Toy

The problem with 'Liking' Buy.com on Facebook?  I can get into trouble!  A couple days ago, they posted this 7" Tablet PC for $129.99, and I just couldn't resist.  I ordered one.

It came today, and I just had to play with it for a while.  So far I'm loving it.  I like the size and  how easy it is to use.  I've never used a touch screen device before, but it is very intuitive.  I'm not sure I'm going to like the whole fingerprints on the screen thing, but I'm just going to have to clean it more often, I guess!

I'm particularly excited to find that Kindle and Nook - and several other e-readers - are already installed.  I've already connected it with my Amazon account and downloaded some Kindle books, and reading them on this tablet is going to be so nice.  I've tried the Kindle for PC app, but it's just not convenient to sit at my computer to read a book - probably because I'm always busy doing other stuff, but also because it just doesn't feel like reading a book.  I think this will be different.  Also, why choose one reader when you can have them all on this one device?

I think it's going to be the perfect thing for browsing the internet, playing games, checking email, and reading books - in a size perfect for travel or taking anywhere.  Now I just need to find a case, order at least an 8GB micro SD card, and probably get a screen protector, too.

The day Buy.com promoted this tablet, it was sold out by the end of the day.  It's available again today, though at a slightly higher price.

Related articles

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Get Up and Check Your Email

I'm watching this video explaining the new Gmail Motion, and I just can't stop laughing. Can you even imagine?




I know some of you are thinking this looks like fun and you want to try it.  Be sure to get your printable motion guide so you can get started!  I'm thinking something like this wouldn't work for me.  I'd never be able to check or send email without worrying that everyone was watching and laughing at me.

What do you think. Would you try Gmail Motion? Will Google do for email what the Wii did for video games?

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