This is from her UP! album and is the red version of Forever and For Always.
Sunday Titanic Musings
The Iceberg Comes For You
Some months back there was a news report about a new study on icebergs. It revealed that 1912 was an exceptional year for icebergs with higher than average numbers of them about in the North Atlantic. That study has now been formalized in a paper titled The Titanic Year of 1912: Was It Exceptional? by Gary Bigg in Significance magazine. But the story is not just about 1912 but also a warning that iceberg risk is about to increase, so they are still a great threat to ships. No further comment except to say I hope tax dollars were not used in this study.
Tattoo Titanic
Tattoos are popular these days. You see lots of men and women adorning various parts of their bodies with them. Some are small and others cover entire backs and fronts. And in areas no tattoos ought to be. So it come as no surprise that some have decided to adorn with Titanic-themed tattoos. Turns out a lot of people like them that there was a recent convention in Belfast. From pictures I saw, these are serious Titanic tattoos. And once you get them, they are practically for life since they are difficult to remove (it can be done but from what I have heard it can be expensive and painful.)
When Music Goes Bad
Most people who hear My Heart Will Go On usually like it but occasionally someone gets the needle stuck in their head. Not only does the music play but causes attachments to form. Perhaps ones that are completely wrong. Like Ashley Formby, age 27, in the U.K. He is or was an aspiring singer and his teacher, Helen Sedgwick (age 27), taught him that song. And then it went bad reports the Mail Online. He messaged her stating he wanted to be more than a music student. He followed up with flowers, emails, and gifts. She apparently shunned his advances but to no avail. She got a harassment notice (the U.K. version I assume of a restraining order) but he still continued to attempt contacting her via emails. So it finally ended in his arrest for violating the harassment order and the contacts ceased. And a judge now has made the restraining order indefinite.
Visiting The Apple Store
My iPhone decided recently that I ought not hear calls anymore. I could listen to them via the speaker (or talk) but that was a nuisance. My first clue was getting a call and thinking there was dead air. It frustrated a relative of mine thinking I was pranking them! I followed all the recommend procedures suggested by Apple and others to no avail. So I had to head to an Apple Store and let a tech figure it out. I went to the Apple Store in Burlingame, California. In retrospect, another place probably would have been better. Downtown Burlingame on historic Burlingame Avenue is always an experience but midday when it is warm and sunny means lots of people are about. It is a day the Beach Boys would sing about. Lots of pretty girls, young mothers with strollers, parents with kids are about. The store itself was pleasantly cool but when I entered it was like being in a noisy restaurant. Now the staff was very pleasant and I was on time for my appointment. And the guy that assisted me did a great job. Thankfully my iPhone is still under warranty (and with AppleCare+). The receiver was shot so they gave me a new phone. Could not have been nicer and easier to deal with. I asked him though if it was always this noisy at lunch time. He smiled and said yes. I said my voice was going hoarse from having to talk louder than normal. He laughed and understood exactly what I said. But heading back home I could hear The Beach Boys singing a song about sunny days and happy people strolling down the street near a beach. Burlingame is not near a beach but it can be as close as your imagination.
Happy Sunday
Friday Wayback Machine
Beach Boys Live From 1964
Titanic Musings-Binoculars
Question: Would Titanic lookouts having binoculars made a difference?
Short answer
Likely the same outcome.
Long answer
The question of binoculars has always been an issue. Binoculars work best in lighted and semi lighted environments. However on dark moonless nights where there is dead calm on the ocean, they would be least effective. Remember that binoculars limit your view to just what you are looking at rather than a wide area. Lightoller stated the purpose of the lookouts was not to identify but to alert the bridge, which they did by ringing bells. One gong meant look port, two gongs look starboard, and three gongs right ahead. The senior officer on the bridge usually had binoculars (Murdoch did) so they could look at what the lookouts were warning about, if not already aware of the issue.
White Star was unique in that employed men for just lookout positions. Other lines usually assigned men on an ad hoc basis (meaning they were on duty at the time). Lightoller told the US inquiry that he preferred those who had experience in such duties, especially on other ships he had been on. And he points out they became experts at detecting things on the horizon.
For a more through examination of the binocular issue, see Art Braunschweiger’s article
‘We have no look-out glasses in the crow’s nest” on Encyclopedia Titanica.
How Not To Cover The Baseball Playing Area
[Update:Major League Baseball upheld the Giants protest over the decision to declare the game over. The game will resume tomorrow at 4:05 p.m. CDT. It will be a double header since one is also scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT.
Source: Giants protest upheld; rain-shortened game to resume(20 Aug 2014,MLB.com)]
Yesterday the SF Giants played the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. And then it began to rain at the end of the 4th and top of 5th inning. Now procedure is for the grounds crew to deploy a tarp that covers 1, 2, 3rd bases, home base and the pitchers mound (other areas may be covered as well). Now usually if done right, you take the tarp off when done and the area underneath is usually dry or just mildly damp. Then you deploy your team to make sure it is dry and playable. Game resumes.
Unless of course you screw up the deployment of the tarp. Which is what happened last night ultimately causing (after a 4 1/2 hour delay) to call the game and hand the win to the Cubs who were ahead 2-0 at the time the game ended. The Cubs grounds crew is getting laughed at all over the place for what they did. Thankfully it is also fodder for You Tube. And the following is a video of the whole sorry affair with a musical accompaniment. The music, for those who do not know, is commonly known as the Benny Hill theme. A wacky British comedy from years ago. Enjoy.
Masterchef: Pick Your Partner and the Three Egg Challenge
It is week 12 of Masterchef US. Eight are left after Ahran was sent home last week.
Photo:Andrei Niemimäki
Ah the humble chicken. So versatile and popular around the world. Before the pig was brought to Mexico by the Spanish, chicken was the meat most ate. Now our brave cheftestants will deal with chicken cut up and randomly assigned to them. In teams. Yes once again the Culinary Trio has decided that this challenge will be done in teams. But instead of making a winner of a challenge decide it (or do it themselves), they have to decide amongst themselves. So that means if you want to pair up with someone who is really good, you had better use your best talking points. The most surprising match up was Elizabeth and Leslie. Elizabeth and Leslie got into it early in the competition. But Leslie made the simple play that he would defer to her in what ever she did. And it worked resulting in one of the best dishes of the night saving them from the dreaded pressure test. Another surprising combination was Courtney and Christian. Both have sparred in the past but worked well as a team producing also a delicious dish that saved them.
But the teams that failed were Jaimee and Daniel & Willie and Cutter. Jaimee and Daniel did chicken wings. They were okay but nothing that screamed Masterchef. Joe said they looked like something he would get at an airport. Ouch. Cutter and Willie were all over the place during the cooking with confusing styles that resulted in a poor dish. So the they all get to face the dreaded pressure test. Except it was actually three challenges and each challenge would have a winner saved. The final two would battle it out as to who would stay.
Now remember in the past they have made people cook the perfect fried egg. Sounds simple until you have to cook a lot of them and they have to meet the exacting standards of Gordon, Graham, and Joe. This first round had them do a poached egg. Tricky but not so hard to do providing you follow some basic techniques. Some hot water, a little vinegar, and some seasoning usually will do the trick. As Daniel found out, stirring the water with the egg can result in a disaster, like the yolk separating from the egg white. I have never seen that before, a poached egg with no yolk in it. Joe could not believe it either. The Cutter Zone pierced the egg during plating so it splattered. Thankfully it was cooked and Gordon liked it. Jaimee did okay as did Willie. And Willie was deemed the best and headed up to the balcony.
The next challenge was egg ravioli. Now I have never seen this type of dish before where you put egg yolk inside a ravioli. It is a take on the poached egg but the twist it is inside the pasta. So both the pasta and the egg have to be done right. Yikes! Turns out it is not that unusual. I found many recipes during a web search. Here is one at Food Network by Mario Batali, and another by Martha Stewart. This is something I might want to try as it sounds like a great combination. Of course you have to get the pasta right, seal the egg yolk inside it so no water can get inside, and have the courage to place it in hot water for a period of time. If it comes out right, bravo! Done poorly and you get the Bronx jeer (look that one up if you are not familiar with that term).
The Cutter Zone did something odd to his ravioli. He used a fork to press down the sides making indentations. It got jeers from Gordon. Yet that was not a problem in the end since his egg ravioli was deemed the best of the lot. Amazing. I thought Jaimee would have nailed it. Daniel’s was not closed properly so water got in turning the yolk not so runny. More like a set fried egg. So The Cutter Zone scores big and heads to safety leaving Jaimee and Daniel at the bottom. Jaimee was a surprise because she is usually a consistently good cook. Not surprised by Daniel being there. Both wish they could do a Harry Potter and wave a wand to disappear. Alas they now face….
The Dreaded Egg Souffle
Souffle. Many a chef will perspire making it. And now Jaimee and Daniel now must cook a stunning cheese souffle. Both struggle to get it done and have to watch carefully as it forms in the oven. Will it rise or not? Fortunately both are successful in that regard but, of course, looks are not as important as its taste. Both have their plusses and minuses. Daniel though over salts his souffle. And usually in most food competitions using too much salt not only puts you in the bottom but can often end your chances. For Daniel, it was the end of the road. He gave up his job to enter the Masterchef competition. He has shown considerable talent over many challenges but it is not to be. And so we bid farewell to Daniel. Up on the balcony you know Leslie, who despised Daniel, was gleeful about finally seeing him going. Seven aspiring masterchefs left.
My money is still on Courtney vs Elizabeth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww8RDaJzGak
Happy Sunday
When The Saints Come Marching In by the original Dukes of Dixieland.
Friday Musings
Hobbies are great things to have. They help us from being bored and sitting around the television or the computer all day. Traditional ones like stamp or coin collecting sometimes lead to bigger things. Or in the case of John Siggins of the UK to turn a shed into a replica of Titanic’s dining room. Siggins, who works as as railroad engineer, has been working on this project for many years. It began when he got a blanket once owned by a Titanic survivor given when boarding Carpathia. That started him acquiring items from Titanic’s sister ship Olympic. And then slowly converting his shed into a dining room and cabin. He has been doing this for 25 years. Done by hand, he has put up wood panels, chairs, and collected dining sets to make it look authentic. “It’s history. I buy it all because it’s close to my heart. And this is how I want to see it.” And from the picture in the news article, well worth the effort.
Mike Arkus writing in the Huffington Post details a recent visit to Halifax. Halifax has a rich maritime history and of course connected deeply to the Cunard line (Samuel Cunard was born there). His article jabs at the touristy nature of Halifax but does have lots of interesting places to visit. Of course visiting Fairview Cemetery is where many Titanic victims are buried. And the once unknown child now has a name: Sidney Leslie Goodwin.
When you own stocks like Premier Exhibitions (NASDAQ:PRXI), it does not take much to send the stock down. Latest news was not great so the stock tumbled to 73 cents. A year ago it was $1.69. But declining revenues and uncertainty about when the Titanic collection will ever be sold has done its work. Today it actually bounced up to 76 cents before settling back down to closing at 74 cents. I hope no one put their pension money in this stock.
We are under water restrictions here and just about everywhere in California. More dire if you live on Catalina Island, where water is really precious. They have a small desalinization plant that provides only a small fraction of their needs, which comes from two reservoirs that are now looking quite grim. Tourists flock to the island but now restaurants and hotels have to tell customers not to take long showers. Ask for water with your meal and it comes bottled. To conserve water many places are using plastic ware for everyday eating. And hotels now have to start sending laundry to the mainland, which is not cheap.
Lawns are looking bleak these days except if it is a city park or owned by government. Most people have to cut back watering to one or two days a week. Neighbors are being asked to snitch on neighbors who are watering too much. Being green is not so good these days and a green lawn brings attention. Unless it is artificial which some in my area have chosen to do. Quite a lot have simply taken out the greenery and replaced them with rock gardens, wood chips, or drought resistant plants. And a byproduct of this drought is that many areas look more dirtier than usual. Sidewalks in front of homes are not being washed off as before. The city still does power washing certain areas like the downtown area (they and all cities got an exemption from the water restrictions). BART still power washes on Saturday mornings around the San Bruno station.
To close out this Friday Musings, here is a music video from Susanna Hoffs off her November Sun album. Fans of Hoffs will be surprised at how good she looks. Sorry guys, but she has been married to Jay Roach since 1993 and has two boys. The other lady in the video is also the lovely and talented Rosanna Arquette. Have a nice Friday everyone.
The Robin Williams Media
When news broke of Robin Williams death, the news media all shifted into high gear to report on his life and death. In the San Francisco Bay Area, it dominated the news on all the broadcast stations. The media quickly told us all about his life and his death. Celebrities weighed on through the new media–Twitter and Facebook–about how saddened they were at his passing. Then we learned he committed suicide and soon details were revealed. It did not matter that the family wanted time to grieve. Nope, they went right out to report on details that were unsettling to say the least. And then the second wave stormed the beaches. We learned of his depression, drugs, and possibly financial problems. Then the third wave came ashore. These are the experts who talked about suicide and depression. People who knew Williams also filled in some blanks in this regard.
Robin Williams was perhaps one of the greatest comedians in recent history. Those of us old enough to remember recall him on Happy Days and latter Mork and Mindy. His improvisational routines were phenomenal and he was a good actor to boot in many movies, both comedies and serious roles. Unlike many in the entertainment field, he did not live in New York or Los Angeles but in Tiburon, California. He choose to live away from that world to be closer to his family. Which makes it all that more sad that he chose suicide. His family is no doubt beside themselves trying to figure the reason why. And of course the chatter boxes in the media are doing so as well.
The entertainment media, the same ones who breathlessly report on everything Kim Kardashian does or wears, are doing a high wire act. On one hand, they want to report the real details about Robin Williams but at the same time subtly criticize what he did. They go after anyone who says suicide is a selfish or cowards way out with glee, ripping them up the way Joan Rivers does with her jokes. But they do the same thing by reporting all kinds of negative stuff and that his death was an escape from these problems. Then they wrap it around some expert to explain how depression and suicide are linked to make it sound like they are doing a public service.
Humbug as Scrooge often says in A Christmas Carol. And they will heap more of it in the days and possibly weeks to come. For Zelda Williams, the daughter of Robin Williams, she got a taste of the nastiness that is out there when she tweeted about her fathers death. Then the trolls started posting graphic images of her father and she decided to get off Twitter and other online accounts. These no doubt are people who think themselves cool, as Greg Gutfeld points out, and yet take great glee in ripping to shreds the uncool. To themselves and like-minded friends, they see nothing amiss with posting graphic pictures of Robin Williams as a corpse. And ripping up his daughter in the process. I am sure they chuckle with glee at what they did. When the tables are turned, they are the first to decry the hatred and bullying the other guy is doing to them. And they demand something be done about them but when their own actions are called into question, turn nasty and spiteful upon anyone who is doing it.
