Gary J. Wolff's Blog Archives
October-December, 2016
This page shows archived posts for Gary J. Wolff's blog from
October-December,
2016.
Enjoy...
Cheers,
Gary
Dec. 31,
2016 - Calvin and Hobbes' New Year Outlook
Click HERE or image above to view full-size comic strip.
(Image credit: calvinandhobbes.com)
Dec. 30,
2016 -
TOP 10 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS:
1. Keep skid chains on your tongue; always say less than you think.
Cultivate a low, persuasive voice. How you say it counts more than what
you say.
2. Make promises sparingly, and keep them faithfully, no matter what it
costs.
3. Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging word
to or about somebody. Praise good work, regardless of who did it. If
criticism is needed, criticize helpfully, never spitefully.
4. Be interested in others, their pursuits, their work, their
homes and families. Make merry with those who rejoice; with those who
weep, mourn. Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel that you
regard him as a person of importance.
5. Be cheerful. Don't burden or depress those around you by
dwelling on your minor aches and pains and small disappointments.
Remember, everyone is carrying some kind of a load.
6. Keep an open mind. Discuss but don't argue. It is a mark of a
superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.
7. Let your virtues, if you have any, speak for themselves. Refuse
to talk of another's vices. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of
valuable time and can be extremely destructive.
8. Be careful of another's feelings. Wit and humor at the other
person's expense are rarely worth it and may hurt when least expected.
9. Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks about you. Remember,
the person who carried the message may not be the most accurate
reporter in the world. Simply live so that nobody will believe them.
Disordered nerves and bad digestion are a common cause of back-biting.
10. Don't be too anxious about the credit due you. Do your best,
and be patient. Forget about yourself, and let others "remember."
Success is much sweeter that way.
--Ann
Landers, "The 10
Commandments of Getting Along with People"
Dec. 26,
2016 - 2016, The Year in Pictures
A 3-min. movie of 2016 highlights, created with the new "Memories"
feature in the iOS 10 Photos app. Enjoy!
Best wishes for a healthy & prosperous 2017, the Year of the
Rooster!
2016, THE YEAR IN PICTURES!!
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
Dec.
25, 2016 - Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
The 18th annual Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train has raised
more
than spirits across North America this holiday season, with donations
of $1.2 million and 250,000 pounds of food counted to this point. As
food banks continue to count the money raised and weigh the food
donated at each train stop this year, the program is on track to have
raised nearly $10 million and 4 million pounds of food since its
inception in 1999.
In the words of CP's Chief Executive Officer, "Beyond food and monetary
donations, the CP Holiday Train generates goodwill, raises spirits, and
helps people start the holidays off on the right foot. We thank the
communities across our network for supporting the program and giving
back to their neighbours."
The video below was filmed last year by the Elk River Guiding Company
as the CP holiday train passed thru Fernie, British Columbia. "The Little Drummer Boy" background music by Harry
the Cap is a perfect match!
Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
Dec. 24,
2016 - 2016 "NORAD Tracks Santa" in Japan
As of shortly after 11 pm Japan time on Xmas Eve 2016, Santa Claus just
made the rounds in Sapporo, Fukushima, Utsunomiya, Tokyo, Yokohama,
Chiba,
Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, & all points south, and then on to Korea.
Almost 1 billion gifts
delivered so far. Track Santa in real-time, 3D animation during the
rest of his 24-hr. journey here: noradsanta.org/en
Santa Claus visits Japan just after 11 pm on Xmas Eve 2016
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
[Don't
miss the close-up of Rudolph's RED
NOSE just after the 1:00 min. mark!]
Dec. 22,
2016 - My all-time favorite Xmas music video - Andrea Bocelli &
David Foster performing "White Christmas"
'Tis the Season! This is without question still one of my all-time
favorite Xmas songs by 2 of my all-time favorite musicians. I'm feeling
especially blessed these days and would just like to wish a very joyous
Happy Holiday season to my many wonderful friends, for whom I am
extremely grateful. And Happy New Year 2017, the Year of the Rooster...
Andrea Bocelli & David Foster performing "White Christmas"
(If
player above is not visible, you can view
video
@ YouTube here.)
[Andrea
holds that last note for the word "white" a remarkable 22
seconds! WOW!]
Dec. 18,
2016 -
A 2009 Christmas Medley by Santa Mickey
Back by popular demand, the famous Santa Mickey thrills kids worldwide
with Xmas carol karaoke practice. Kids....by all means....DO try this at home!! Happy holidays from Santa Mickey!!
All 5 videos are in a playlist
and will play continuously, non-stop. Or click on the playlist symbol
in the upper left corner
above to select the other 4 videos. OR...play the
entire playlist in a new window here.
[Lyrics may not appear on your mobile device, but should be visible on
your PC.]
Dec.
16, 2016 - The new "Memories" feature in the iOS 10 Photos app
Often being the last to the party, I wasn't really that surprised that
it wasn't until just this past weekend that I discovered by chance the
really cool new "Memories" feature in the Photos app in iOS 10, which
was released in September.
The iOS Photos app scans your library for meaningful people, places,
holidays, and more, and presents them in curated collections called
Memories. The app then automatically makes a movie for each Memory on
your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can also create your own Memory
from any Moment, Collection, Year, or Album in your photo library, plus
share it with friends and family.
Just
open the Photos app on your device and select the Memories button at
the bottom of the screen. After tapping on
a Memories movie to play it, you can then edit the movie by selecting
the mood of the music, length, and which pics in the collection to
include. More info on how to use Memories is here.
I was so amazed by this new Memories feature, even though I had more
urgent matters on my plate at the time, I immediately made 3 movies of
groups of my friends I visited this past summer on my 28-day, 7700-mile
road trip. Check 'em out if you get a chance!
(1) DubFest IV, Kerrville, Texas Hill Country, Sept. 9-11, 2016
(2) One Magical Day in New Mexico, Sept. 7, 2016
(3) 3 Magical Days in Colorado, Aug. 20-22, 2016
(all 3 videos are in a playlist and should play continuously, non-stop)
(If player above is not visible, you can view
video
@ YouTube here.)
Note: I'm still learning, which helps explain why the world-famous Old
Faithful geyser somehow wound up at the beginning of the New Mexico
video. Last time I checked, it's still in Wyoming...
Dec. 10,
2016 - A Big Mac delivered to your front door?!
McDelivery is a McDonald's service that delivers their menu items to
the customer's door via motorcycle couriers. The service was first
introduced on a trial basis in Virginia in the U.S. beginning in 1993
and is now available in 15 different countries in Asia, Europe, the
Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
In America, the service expanded to Manhattan in 1994 and continues to
be available at 10 Manhattan restaurants. In some cases, delivery is
available 24/7 and in at least one location, the service is free with a
minimum order.
McDelivery in Japan
(Photo credit:
outsiderintokyo.wordpress.com)
Dec. 4,
2016 - Because we all need a bit of light at the end of the 2016 tunnel
The Caretta Shiodome Illumination event is now in its 14th season, and
is by far my favorite place to view holiday illuminations in Tokyo. The
2016 Caretta Shiodome Illumination program, under the theme of “Forest
of Spirits,” features approximately 250,000 LEDs & will be held
daily from 5-11 pm, with the 8-minute shows starting every 20 minutes.
And believe it or not, this year's program, which started on Nov. 17th,
goes until Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2017. It's an absolutely
amazing display, so if you're anywhere near the Shimbashi Station area
after dark, be sure to have a look!
Nov. 27,
2016 - George Strait's been "Kicked Outta Country"
Texan country singer George Strait, one of the most influential and
popular recording artists of all time, has hit back at modern radio
stations which no longer play his songs, by recording on his new album
with fellow
singer-songwriter, Jamey Johnson, a new song called
"Kicked Outta Country."
In the song's lyrics, shown beautifully in the video below, Strait
mentions that other famous country singers before him were also kicked
outta country.... George Jones, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon
Jennings, and even Johnny Cash.
Strait holds the record for the most #1 albums and singles, gold
albums,
platinum albums, and multi-platinum in the history of country music,
and is 11th in the most #1 albums in all other genres. Strait is 3rd
only to Elvis Presley and The Beatles with the most gold and platinum
albums in the history of music.
(If player above is not visible, you can view
video
@ YouTube here.)
Nov. 22,
2016 - November 22, 1963.... a historic day in America AND Japan
Fifty-three years ago today was a tragic day in U.S. history, when
America's 35th president, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas,
Texas. As it turned out, that day became historic in Japan as well. The
shocking news of President Kennedy's assassination (on November 23,
Japan Time) reached the Japanese people via the first-ever, live
U.S.-Japan satellite telecast, carried out by The Japan Broadcasting
Corporation (NHK, 日本放送協会) using the Relay 1 satellite.
News of John F. Kennedy's assassination arrived in Japan via the
first-ever trans-Pacific satellite TV relay.
(Image credit: nhk.or.jp)
Nov. 15,
2016 - Tree huggers rule in Japan!
As a former traffic safety engineer in the states, I almost had a heart
attack when I saw this tree in the road on the campus of Tamagawa
University in southwest Tokyo last June while attending a language
teacher's conference.
Because of serious liability issues, this sort of thing would likely
never occur in the states, but you gotta give credit to the
environmentalists who somehow got away with THIS decision. Only in
Japan!
Tree in the road, Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan
Nov.
12, 2016 - The FarmBot Genesis automated farming machine
FarmBot Genesis is the world's first 100% open-source farming machine
designed for at-home automated food production that allows users to
graphically design their own farm by dragging and dropping plants into
locations of their choosing. Plants are then automatically spaced, and
seed planting, watering, and weeding operations are handled
automatically.
FarmBot Inc. is a San Luis Obispo-based California Benefit Corporation
which openly shares its public domain crop and growing information,
including all of the CAD and manufacturing files, hardware designs,
software source code, step-by-step assembly instructions, and tech
specs for every part. It is also the company's mission to contribute
one percent (1%) of its annual net revenue back to help grow the
open-source farming community.
Since their July launch, FarmBot has already received over $1,000,000
in pre-order sales and will start shipping in February 2017 in time for
the Spring growing season.
(If player above is not visible, you can view
video
@ YouTube here.)
"Smartphones consume a large part of university students’ time, but are
used primarily as tools for social networking and gaming. Therefore,
smartphones can become a distraction, especially with the introduction
of exciting new apps like Pokemon GO. However, students can be
introduced to educational apps and shown how more productive use of
their smartphones can help improve their academic studies (Cochrane,
2015).
By now, most teachers have already heard of or used Quizlet, the
popular online education platform introduced in 2007. It was recognized
by SimilarWeb (2016) as the fastest growing U.S. education site in
2015, with over 36 million average monthly visits..."
This academic article appeared in the
November/December 2016 issue of The
Language Teacher journal, published by the Japan Association for
Language Teaching (JALT).
Oct.
30, 2016 - Burger King Japan's Pumpkin Burger
A pumpkin burger?!! What will Burger King Japan think of next? And
right in time for Halloween...
Happy
Halloween from Mr. Yoshimizu Koike, one of my favorite Japanese
artists. Click the link above to see more of his paintings and
sketches, including "Celebrate Christmas 2008," sketches of Kawagoe and
Ochanomizu in Japan, as well as a number of Cairns, Australia.
"Happy Halloween 2010"
Oct.
23, 2016 - This Turbine Works 24/7 To Create Water Out Of Thin Air
Throughout the world today, 1 in 3 people do not have the daily
minimum of 7.1 cups of water needed to survive. Worldwide, a child dies
every 90 seconds for lack of clean drinking water, nearly 1000 a day.
And almost 10,000 people die every day from dehydration and waterborne
disease.
The original WaterSeer™
model was tested as a prototype at the UC Berkeley Gill Tract Farm in
April 2016. Results were excellent and of the several variations
tested, all exceeded water production goals. One model stood out above
all others, generating up to 11 gallons (~41 liters) from a
9-square-feet (~1 sq. meter) condensation surface.
The current model was finalized in August 2016 and will be field tested
in coordination with the National Peace Corps Association once the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is complete. Your
contributions will help them test and finalize the design so they can
move forward!
The WaterSeer Turbine Works 24/7 To Create Water Out Of Thin Air
(If player above is not visible, you can view
video
@ YouTube here.)
Oct. 17,
2016 -
Danny MacAskill’s Wee Day Out
The
world-renowned Scottish stunt cyclist explores the stunning beauty of
the rural landscape around Edinburgh, Scotland in this film that sets
out to capture the simple fun of a ride in the countryside with moments
of incredible riding and a touch of humor. Danny pulls off
never-seen-before tricks, most of which would normally be assumed
impossible on a mountain bike, like leaping onto a single train track,
turning a hay bale into a giant unicycle, riding over a cottage, and
disappearing into a 6-ft. puddle. WOW!
(If player above is not visible, you can view
video
@ YouTube here.)
Oct. 15,
2016 - Tokyo KFC's Colonel Sanders in his Halloween costume
Colonel Sanders gets into the Halloween spirit in Shibuya, Tokyo...
Colonel Sanders in his Halloween costume in Shibuya, Tokyo
Oct.
9, 2016 - Merry Halloween!!
One cannot help but admire the brilliance of Japanese creativity.... in
this case, celebrating the Halloween season with a sneak preview of
Xmas.
Merry Halloween!!
Oct. 6,
2016 - THEY WALK AMONG US!!
I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I
got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was
open. I told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week." He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?"
I couldn’t find my luggage in the airport baggage area and went to the
lost luggage office and reported the loss. The woman there smiled and
told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and said I
was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "Has your plane arrived yet?"
A man was driving when he saw the flash of a traffic camera. He figured
that his picture had been taken for exceeding the speed limit, even
though he knew that he was not speeding. Just to be sure, he went
around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly,
but again the camera flashed. Now he began to think that this was quite
funny, so he drove even slower as he passed the area again, but the
traffic camera again flashed. He tried a 4th time with the same result.
He did this a 5th time and was now laughing when the camera flashed as
he rolled past, this time at a snail's pace. Two weeks later, he got 5
tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt.
My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were
discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The
cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.
While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which
direction was North because he didn’t want the sun waking him up every
morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the North?" My brother
explained that the sun rises in the East and has for some time. She
shook her head and said, "Oh, I don’t keep up with all that stuff."
My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car which is designed to cut
through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the car trunk.
While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza
to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like
it cut into 4 or 6 pieces. He thought about it and said, "Just 4
pieces. I don’t think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces."
One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when someone
shouted, "Look at that dead bird!" Someone else looked up at the sky
and said, "Where?"
I walked into a Starbucks with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a
Grande Latte. I handed it to the girl and she looked over at a little
chalkboard that said "buy one, get one free." She said, "They're
already buy-one-get-one-free, so I guess they're both free." She handed
me my free lattes and I walked out the door.
My colleague and I were eating lunch in our cafeteria when we overheard
an admin girl talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to
the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but said she "didn’t think
she’d get sunburned because the car was moving."
I stopped at McDonald’s and ordered some fries. The girl behind the
counter asked, "Would you like some fries with that?"
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, "The 10
Commandments of Getting Along with People" 
