Find the Real Penny & Coin Collecting

I missed in this fun, quick test. It was my second choice, though. Can you tell which penny is the real one? (From Lil S.) I used to collect pennies as a child (my father was a coin collector), so shame on me for getting this wrong.

Just recently, I found a wheat penny. My husband polished it to a nice shine. My daughter is collecting the new quarters. I've been tempted to start a collection, too. I remember how fun it was to watch all of my change closely.

It's hard to believe they are still printing two-dollar bills since everyone saves them as fast as they are released .. and its sad that they can not come up with a decent distinctive dollar coin ... maybe it would work if they made it as big or bigger than the old 50-cent piece, dropped the paper bill and forced coin machine operators to adjust.

What Kind of Car are You?

This came from Jennifer C. When I first took it, I was a Corvette, but I took it more slowly and thoughtfully a second time and came up with this.

Thursday Thirteen

Today is special -- its the 13th, Thursday and a full moon (which was absolutely beautiful just before dawn this morning). Some of my blogging friends are making a list of 13 items on any topic. Here's my list for the Thursday Thirteen. Please feel welcome to post your link in my comments to participate.

Backup iPod Files

I am soooooo into my iPod. It goes everywhere with me: walking, in the bathroom when I shower, at breakfast, in the car, etc. I just watched a Call for Help (link goes to this particular episode)  demonstrating various iPod backup utilities such as the free PodPlayer (which I just installed). It's good to know my songs and pictures can be saved if the computer crashes.

Speaking of which, I received a good-sized catalog in the mail (J&R Music World) consisting only of iPod accessories -- amazing to see how the market has exploded. I use them too.

I have a speaker set up in the bathroom and I think I will set one up in the kitchen plus I have some cute little ear jack speakers that work well when ear plugs are not practical. I take speakers with me when I am teaching a new song to the children -- much lighter to carry around than a heavy CD player. I was ironing to Podcasts today - so many good podcasts to choose from these days.

AVI Files

I downloaded an avi file and could not run it. I figured the file was in error so I downloaded it again -- still did not run. It seemed to work with the Windows Media Player, but it would crash before it got very far.

I have since learned that the file was in XVid avi format and will not run with "regular" avi players. Argh!!! At least it was just a matter of downloading and installing an XVid codec. If any of you have trouble running an avi file, this might be the problem - a nonstandard format.

Cloud Appreciation Society

This is a cute site. I like the clouds I see in the first light of dawn. This site even has a cloudspotter's guide and a "cloud of the month" listing.

To NVidia Card Owners

A friend reminded me to check my video driver and get any updates -- not a bad idea. Here's the link she gave me for NVidia owners. I am updating right now.

Global Warming - Does it Really Exist?

Yes, I think the earth is warmer, but the real question is if mankind is causing it or not. There's some interesting reading online. My husband found this reply in Straight Dope, a column by Cecil Adams that tries to answer all kinds of interesting questions (such as why do earthworms come out of the ground when it rains).

Cecil (the author of Straight Dope) said, "The human contribution to atmospheric carbon in the form of CO2 is small, less than 5 percent of the total carbon reservoir. Ergo, humans aren't causing global warming." Here's more about this and the Kyoto Treaty. For one, we are definitely going to need an alternative to fossil fuels, he says.

On a related note, here's a page about junk science, explaining common myths going around right now and why they are wrong -- again, very interesting reading. I don't know if I can believe everything I read, though. For one scientist who makes a claim, there is sometimes another scientist making an opposite claim. There is a "study" that supports every idea out there, I think. Statistics and surveys can be skewed to any perspective.

Some people are ready to believe rumor and things that grab emotions over good old proven science. Once something appeals to emotions, all logic and common sense is dumped -- all for the joy of it or the scare of believing it -- and no amount of science will change some minds, once they are already made up.

I know I must do the same. Let me have my fantasies. They are much more fun. I know there must be a person somewhere sitting in a bathtub of ice with his liver removed while Microsoft offers tons of money for each e-mail that I send.