|
Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Wednesday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 7/04/2007 Sittin’ on the dock of the
web; wasting
time .... Sitting
on the dock of the bay was a great song for Otis Redding, but he probably
never knew the theme would later apply to online time wasting. The lazy hazy days of
Summer are upon us, and sometimes it’s hard for me to resist all the
temptations there are for wasting time online. In my
Firefox favorite bookmarks , I have some great time wasting places I can
journey to ... Just like you had favorite books as a kid you’d read
over and over again, I have favorite internet sites ... you can check these
all out in the transcript to this show on my Raw Bytes Website Youtube
is one of my favorites, because it often has videos found on other sites, but
there’s no hype or advertising in the youtube videos - For
laughs, an all-time favorite of course is the exploding whale video - a true
story which happened in Oregon when a whale washed up on the beach and the
state had to find a way to get rid of it. Their solution was to dynamite it,
which resulted in cars and spectators being hit with chunks of whale blubber,
and columnist Dave Barry
writing a hilarious story about it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_t44siFyb4
For
60’s feel good fun I’ll watch Canned Heat playing their great
country blues classic On
the Road Again
and maybe
for some authentic 60’s country blues I might watch Mississippi Fred
McDowell singing about Going
down to the river
or I might watch Mississippi
John Hurt talking to Pete Seeger about the records John made back in the
1920’s, and how he taught himself how to play guitar.
I also
like to surf sites that document adventures and exploration, like the Everest
Expedition of George Mallory back in the 1920’s, and how they
finally found his body several years ago. I’ve
always liked the brief period of the mountain men like the movie Jeremiah
Johnson, and there actually was a real character
the movie was based on. And
having a minor in anthropology, I was fascinated with the discovery of The Iceman
high in the mountains on the Austrian/Italian border, which was the oldest frozen
mummy ever found, almost in perfect condition. The
search for the Northwest Passage has always fascinated me, like the ill-fated
Franklin Expedition
which disappeared with 2 ships and 129 men in 1845. This site even shows a
list of all the provisions on board, of which improperly soldered tin cans
lead to the food poisoning of most of the crew. Then
there’s practical information sites I like to play with, like the City Distance Calculator
Service which shows you the exact distance between cities you plan to
travel to. Did you know that there’s another Spokane in
Missouri? And for
other videos covering the war, politics, and miscellany, Liveleak has unedited amateur video of just
about everything under the sun. The www
is a great business and educational tool, but it’s also a great place
to relax your mind ... Wishing you a safe and sane 4th of July .. |
|
|
For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2007 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html PO Box 31522 Spokane, Wa 99223-1522 (509)624-7230 |
|
