Blue Moon Will Usher in 2010
Email this| Posted Dec 29th 2009 3:30PM by Jeanne Sager
Filed under: Weird
New Year's Eve comes just once a year, but even more rare is a New Year's Eve blue moon.
New Year's Eve will coincide with the rare blue moon this year. Credit: Getty Images
The year will close out with a full moon -- but making it more special is the fact that this is the second full moon to show up in the month of December, the official NASA definition for a "blue moon." According to the government's space agency, a blue moon occurs once every two and a half years; the last was in June 2007.
The first full moon of December showed up on Dec. 2, and on Thursday night -- New Year's Eve -- the second will make its appearance, at 2:13 p.m. EST. According to the folks at Space.com, it has been named the "full long night moon."
Full moons happen monthly, and they're loaded with wives tales themselves, everything from a belief that a full moon forces women to go into labor to rumors of widespread criminal behavior. These myths have been largely debunked, but scientists have given credulity to the notion that a full moon can increase seizures.
Police may have scoffed at the idea that this will be a creepier New Year's Eve than any in the past, but if we hear somebody baying, we're headed for cover. Are you with us?
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Blue Moon Will Usher in 2010 - Holidays News - Holidash
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
10 Fire-Sale Cars to Steer Away From- Yahoo! Autos Article Page
Chrysler PT Cruiser ConvertibleSometimes, bad things happen to great cars. The exhilarating Pontiac G8, for example, came along just as parent company General Motors decided to kill the entire Pontiac division. The 2009 retirement of the Honda S2000 roadster caused remorse even at Honda.
But most discontinued cars are killed off for good reason, and with a dramatic plunge in auto sales over the past two years, automakers are aggressively thinning the herd. GM is winding down its Pontiac and Saturn divisions, and Saab may disappear as well. Chrysler is killing several duds as it tries to build a thriftier, more exciting lineup. All told, automakers plan to retire nearly 50 models over the next two years, which will turn many showrooms into automotive versions of the clearance rack.
A few discontinued models will be great buys. Others may be deeply discounted—but still not worth the money. To determine which discontinued models are the weakest, I asked the analysts at car-research site KBB.com to first identify models likely to be discontinued over the next couple of years. For some of these models, the manufacturers have confirmed that the car is being axed; others made the list because of strong indicators that they're being discontinued, such as manufacturing changes or declining shipments to dealers. KBB then predicted the residual value of each of those models in five years—the amount it's likely to be worth, expressed as a percentage of its original list price. The median vehicle on this list has a predicted residual value of 22 percent in five years. The highest residual value is 35 percent; the lowest, 15 percent.
More from U.S. News & World Report
Residuals generally reflect the quality and reliability of the car, and the reputation of the automaker. So cars with high residual values tend to be the best-rated and most popular cars, while those with the lowest residuals are often rental-fleet staples or neglected money-losers. Residual values don't really matter if you're likely to own a new car for, say, 10 years, or the car's entire life span. But if you think you'll sell the car or trade it in within a few years, or you might want to buy a leased car after the contract expires, then residual values should be a key part of your purchase decision.
Smart buyers should weigh price and residual value together. A deep discount on a discontinued model might seem like a great deal, but fire-sale cars tend to have the lowest residuals. A modest discount on a car with higher residuals could be a smarter buy.
Getting a good price depends on how much research you do and how effectively you negotiate. Car shoppers should start by researching the fair market value of a car they're interested in at sites like KBB.com, U.S. News's car-ranking site, Edmunds.com , or Intellichoice.com, then try to push the dealer below that price. Meanwhile, here are 10 discontinued cars that buyers should be most leery of if they care about the vehicle's value down the road:
Kia Spectra. (Starting price: About $14,000; discontinuation date: 2009; five-year residual value: 15 percent.) The dynamic Honda Fit has outclassed all other subcompacts and highlighted the weak handling, soulless design, and other flaws of poseurs like the Spectra. No wonder Kia is replacing its entry-level model with the Forte, a more promising venture.
Saab 9-7x. (About $40,000; 2010; five-year residual value: 16 to 18 percent, depending on trim line.) It seemed like a good idea back when everybody wanted an SUV, but adding a few refinements to a Chevy Trailblazer and calling it the Saab 9-7x turned out to be a hokey "badge job." The vehicle never felt like a Saab, failed to match competing vehicles from Lexus, Acura, BMW, and Volvo, and was overpriced for a glorified Chevy.
Chrysler PT Cruiser. (About $19,000; 2010; 16 percent.) This funky wagon was a huge hit when it debuted about 75 years ago, but Chrysler, starved for money, never updated the design. So now it's familiar and boring, with performance to match. Ailing Chrysler had planned to kill the PT Cruiser this year but has such a weak product line that it decided to wring one more year out of this moribund wagon.
Mercury Grand Marquis. (About $30,000; 2011; 16 percent.) Parent-company Ford kept this model going well past its prime, to appease old-timers still wanting a sedan they can play shuffleboard in. But the land-yacht era is finally ending. Luckily, most dealers no longer offer the Grand Marquis, although die -hards can special-order one. Don't!
Hyundai Azera. (About $25,000; discontinuation date unconfirmed; 16 percent.) This midpriced sedan follows Hyundai's formula, offering a generous set of features for a couple of thousand less than you'd pay in a competing model. But blasé performance dims the luster. And the Azera, introduced in 2006, predates Hyundai's ascent to the top tier of automakers, which lowers the car's resale value.
Dodge Durango. (About $28,000; 2009; 17 percent.) During the SUV heyday, Durangos were everywhere. But this hulking SUV hasn't been updated in years, and newer crossovers carry nearly as much stuff with a smoother ride and better mileage. Prior to declaring bankruptcy in 2009, parent company Chrysler shut the assembly line that built the Durango and its upscale sibling, the Chrysler Aspen, so any models still on dealer lots have been sitting in inventory for months.
Lincoln Town Car. (About $48,000; 2011; 17 percent.) It's big and cushy, but this throwback can't match the taut handling, modern features, or sharp design of competitors from BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and half a dozen other manufacturers. This once luxurious nameplate now appeals mainly to limo companies looking for a workhorse they can drive into oblivion.
Pontiac G6. (About $21,000; 2010; 18 to 19 percent, depending on trim line.) The G6 is no G8. Unlike its blistering big brother, the G6 has earned middling reviews, at best, with no distinguishing features. Once Pontiac shuts down, other GM dealerships will continue to honor Pontiac warranties and service the cars, but you'll need a better reason than that to commit to this also-ran.
Saturn Vue. (About $24,000; 2010; 18 to 19 percent, depending on trim line.) The Vue's sister vehicle, the Chevy Equinox, got a well-regarded redesign recently, but since Saturn is going out of business, the Vue didn't. The older version, still on sale, earned decent reviews in its day but fell short on reliability.
Cadillac STS. (About $46,000; unconfirmed; 17 to 19 percent, depending on trim line.). GM's luxury division has had a few hits, but the STS isn't one of them. This large sedan earns decent marks for performance but dings for a mediocre cabin and subpar reliability. And it ranks last among large luxury cars in U.S. News's new car ratings. That's awfully weak, considering that Cadillac is one division GM is actually keeping around.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Google Goggles: Search the Web with Pictures
Google has launched another innovation today, after the Real-Time search for Google .
Google Goggles , is a brand new product launched in Google Labs. This product is a big innovation in the field of visual search. In simple words, when you point your camera at an object, take its picture, and then use Google Goggles, Google searches for the information about the object on the Web and gives you result about what it is.
This is a simple explanation of Google Goggles. Using this product, the type of object you can search for, is only limited by your imagination and your sight. For example: You can point your camera to Google Search Logo on a web page, take its picture and submit it to Google Goggles and Google returns the search result: as a link to Google Homepage.
Google Goggles
Similarly, you can search for products like food items, books, cars, gadgets, laptops, cellphones, and yes for people too; and you can search for all these things using your cellphone. To search for specific products and objects, Google Goggles uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to recognize text on product labels.
For now, Google Goggles is supporting only Android powered devices and cellphones. But surely in the next few months, it will extend its support for more devices and platforms.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
MacBook
Okay, I couldn't make it an entire week without my Macbook. I went to
my mom's house today and picked up my power cord. I am so hooked on my
MacBook.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Dell inspiron 1525
I left the power cord to my Macbook at mom's house Sunday. I will see
if I can go a week with just my Dell inspiron with Linux ubuntu 9.10
installed.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Lucy and catnip
Tonight Lucy had her first experience with catnip. Capturing a clear
image of her blur of motion was extremely difficult. I am glad she
enjoyed it so well. It was like watching a kitty on crack. There is
catnip all over the carpet where she had her catnip fix.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Google Chrome for Mac
I am using The Google Chrome browser for Mac and I have to admit that it's pretty slick and snappy. I am of course using a Dev beta version. After trying this out, I am looking forward to the final release.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Flex spending accounts face hit in health overhaul - Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON – Those tax-free spending accounts that you and your co-workers use to help pay for dental work, insurance copayments or over-the-counter drugs face a hit under the health overhaul bills in Congress — unless a coalition that includes a powerful union, insurers and others can stop it.
Bills in the House and Senate would cap at $2,500 an employee's allowable annual contribution to a health care flexible spending account.
There is no federal cap on contributions now, though companies that offer the accounts — more than 80 percent of companies employing 500 or more workers do — typically impose their own limits, usually around $5,000.
Workers can use the accounts to save pretax income, which then can be used to reimburse a range of medical expenses, including dental and vision costs, prescription and over-the-counter medications and copays and deductibles — again without being taxed.
Capping contributions to the accounts would raise more than $13 billion over 10 years to help pay for Democratic health care legislation because it would limit the amount of employees' income that is exempt from taxation.
But an unlikely bedfellows coalition that is characteristic of this health care debate — where common interests can unite groups that might typically be at odds — is mobilizing to try to stop the change.
A limited print ad campaign declaring "Flexible spending accounts work!" appeared this past week in Capitol Hill publications. It's paid for by a group called Save Flexible Spending Plans that is backed by insurers, companies that administer consumer spending accounts and other businesses with a financial stake in the outcome. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union endorsed the campaign and its logo appears on the ads.
"Our concern is that a cap of $2,500 is a definite tax on the middle class, particularly those with chronic illnesses," said Jody Dietel, executive director of Save Flexible Spending Plans and chief compliance officer at WageWorks, Inc. of San Mateo, Calif.
Advocates say the typical flexible spending account user makes $55,000 annually.
Although some lawmakers are sympathetic, the opposition appears unlikely to succeed in getting the flexible spending account cap out of Congress' health care bill. Unlike the initial Senate proposal, though, House members want to allow the cap to be adjusted so it would rise along with inflation. That would be a welcome improvement for advocates.
Aides to the Senate Finance Committee, which proposed the cap, defend it by saying it would help curb overuse of medical care. Money deposited in the tax-free accounts must be used within 2 1/2 months of the end of the plan year. That may create an incentive for people to spend all the money even if they don't have pressing needs.
In addition, committee spokeswoman Erin Shields said the impact of the cap would be limited. Data compiled by the consulting firm Mercer shows that the average flexible spending arrangement contribution in 2008 was $1,385, much lower than the one contemplated by Congress.
Mercer said that 27 percent of all employers offered health care spending accounts in 2008 — small businesses are much less likely to do so than large ones — and that 37 percent of eligible workers signed up for the accounts.
"The provision, in addition to helping reduce the overutilization of care, also affects only a limited number of people," Shields said.
Dietel said those averages are no comfort to people using the accounts to cover extreme costs of a chronic condition — say a single dad whose child has a peanut allergy requiring special treatment.
"The reality is that an average is an average," Dietel said. "It's the only tool out there that allows an individual to tailor coverage to their own individual need."
OMG, I love having my Flex spending account. I hope this cap doesn't pass.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Lucy kitty
I think I have finally settled on a name for my kitten. I was calling her Kitti, but I think she is more of a Lucy as in Lucinda or Luci-fur.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Google Voice
Saturday, October 24, 2009
I wish this Green Lantern preview was of the real movie.
The fan that created this did a great job of video editing.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Third Watch
I just got kitti settled down. She is always so happy to see me when I
get home from work, she becomes spastic and runs around in circles.
It's nice to have a pet that is always glad to see you when you come
home from work. Now it's time to sit back and watch season 1 disc 1 of
the series First Watch. I loved this show when it was on TV, now I get
to watch it again thanks to Netflicks.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
OMG, I love this song and the lyrics
Letting a new day begin
Hold to the time that you know
You don't have to move on to let go
Remember turning on the night
And moving through the morning light
Remember how it was with you
Remember how you pulled me through
I remember (x8)
Add to the memory you keep
Remember when you fall asleep
Hold to the love that you know
You don't have to give up to let go
Remember turning on the night
And moving through the morning light
Remember how it was with you
Remember how you pulled me through
I remember (x2)
Feeling the past moving in
Letting a new day begin
Hold to the time that you know
You don't have to move on to let go
Add to the memory you keep
Remember when you fall alseep
Hold to the love that you know
You don't have to give up to let go
I remember....
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Truck day
Another truck day is here and again, the best thing about truck day is
getting to work with my buddy Jeff all day.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday at work
Tonight was an interesting night at work. I worked with Ivan and Marty tonight and I kinda picked up a new nickname that Ivan gave me. He has started calling me "Kellita Chiky-kita". It's actually kinda cute and it has grown on me.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sunday dinner
What Your Car Says About You- Yahoo! Autos Article Page
2010 Mini CooperPorsches smack of success. Hondas preach practicality. And, according to a recent report, Chevys proudly proclaim of their owners, "I don't use the Internet."
MORE AT FORBES.COM
Your car implies more about your life than you might think. While 13% of Chevy owners don't use the Web, by contrast, less than 3% of Honda owners remain in the technological Stone Age. The antithesis of flashy, Honda owners are usually pragmatic and well educated; 70% boast a college degree or higher, compared with 35% of Chevy owners and 45% of Ford owners.
The data was released in the spring as part of this year's New Vehicle Experience Study by San Diego-based market research outfit Strategic Vision.
"Honda buyers buy primarily for the trust and dependability they find in our vehicles," says Honda spokesman Chris Naughton. "Typically, highly functional vehicles deliver less image because customers didn't purchase for image."
Education level and computer savvy are just a couple of the things your car says about you. We collected demographic data on 10 prominent auto brands from the manufacturers themselves, as well as from neutral sources like Strategic Vision. It turns out, your wheels also give clues to your age, gender, income level and marital status--even your political leanings.
Mini Mindset
If you'd like to cultivate an image of sophistication, try buying a Mini Cooper. The line of Lilliputian hatchbacks appeals to urbane buyers with median incomes of around $125,000. But aside from wealth, Mini owners are a tough bunch to pin down, demographically speaking, since the car has broad appeal.
"It's a certain mindset," says Nathalie Bauers, spokeswoman for Mini USA. "People who relate to the brand, there's no age to that."
Bauers says Mini owners fall into four categories: brand enthusiasts, who relish the car's British racing roots; design aficionados, who like the car's simple elegance; social butterflies, who want to be part of the Mini community; and gas misers, who crave the Mini's fuel efficiency.
Some of the latter group trade down from trucks and SUVs not because they feel financially crunched by high gas prices, but because they want to be conscientious and reduce their impact on the environment. These "right-sizers" like the Mini's eco-friendly image; all Mini models get at least 34 miles per gallon on the highway. Says Bauers: "Many of our customers are people who get a smaller car because it's the right thing to do."
Gray Area
While Minis appeal to several different types of people, owners of the classic English luxury vehicle Rolls-Royce can't be pigeonholed beyond the fact that they're rich.
"As you can imagine, our customers do not really take surveys," says Rolls-Royce spokeswoman Karen Vonder Meulen. "The one common thread that all our customers share is a passion for life and most truly love cars."
Indeed, well-known Rolls owners range from royal families to rappers. Recording artist T-Pain, who ranks No. 9 on Forbes' Hip-Hop Cash Kings list, owns North America's first Rolls-Royce Drophead.The fire-engine-red coupe boasts a 12-cylinder, 453-horsepower engine and a top speed of 150 miles per hour. Base price: $435,000.
Similarly, the Bentley trademark screams wealth--typically at least $5 million in investable assets, to be precise--but in a softer voice than some of its competitors.
"Our cars aren't as brash as some other performance-car manufacturers," says Stuart McCullough, a Bentley board member. "We tend to be understated, quintessentially English. That reflects the mood and style of our customers."
Such restraint can be considered especially important in the current climate. With unemployment rates skyrocketing around the world, many auto enthusiasts would rather drive an understated gray Bentley than a flashy red Ferrari.
"The most opulent part of a Bentley is on the inside," says McCullough. "Rich people are very aware of how others see them at the moment, the choices they make. Now is not the right time to be seen to be spending money when you're laying people off at your factory."
A note to those wealthy employers: Think twice about splurging on even an understated new car. If you see scads of Hondas in your company parking lot, their savvy owners may be wise to your ways. If you only see Chevys, you might be able to get away with it.
This was an interesting article.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Catchy tune
This is a catchy little tune by Sia called "Academia". It so easily describes some of my relationships from my past.
AcademiaYou can be my alphabet and I will be your calculatorAnd together we'll work out on the escalator
I will time you as you run up the down
And you'll measure my footsteps as I blow through this town
The mean of our heights is divided by the nights
Which is times'd by the daggers and the route of all our fights,
The pass of your poem is to swathe me in your knowing
And the beauty of the word is that you don't have to show it Oh academia you can't pick me up
Soothe me with your words when I need your love I am a dash and you are a dot
When will you see that I am all that you've got
I'm a binary code that you cracked long ago
But to you I'm just a novel that you wish you'd never wrote
I'm greater than x and lesser than y, so why is it
That I still can't catch your eye?
You're a cryptic crossword, a song I've never heard
While I sit here drawing circles I'm afraid of being hurt Oh academia you can't pick me up
Soothe me with your words when I need your love You're a difficult equation with a knack for heart evasion
Will you listen to my proof or will you add another page on
It appears to me the graph has come and stolen all the laughs
It appears to me the pen has over analysed again
And if I am a number I'm infinity plus one
And if you are five words you are afraid to be the one
And if you are a number you're infinity plus one
And if I am four words then I am needing of your love Oh academia you can't pick me up
Soothe me with your words when I need your love
Academia
Old Friends
I just reconnected with an old friend today on Facebook that I haven't seen in years. It was really great chatting with him after so long. I look forward to actually meeting face to face again and catching up. We barely scratched the surface in our chat today. There is so much to catch up on.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Fat Guy Screams for McDonald"s Chicken
<br><font size=1>Fat Guy Screams for McDonald's Chicken - Watch more Funny Videos</font>
Monday, October 05, 2009
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Go Enjoy the Harvest Moon Tonight and Tomorrow [Astronomy]
If you like astronomy, here's a very simple event that you can see without special instruments, even if you are in a city: The harvest moon. In fact, if you are in a city, it will look even more spectacular.
The Harvest Moon is the full moon after the fall equinox, which this year was the 22 of September. The Harvest Moon usually happens in September, but this year is a little late. You will be able to see it this weekend. But why is is so special about it?
Nothing happens to the Moon itself except that, during these days, it travels really close to the horizon. That triggers something called the Moon illusion. This optical phenomenon makes our home satellite look huge when it's close to the horizon and smaller when it's up in the sky, even while it's always at the same distance from Earth. That's why, during these days, the full moon will look huge for a longer time thanks to its path in the sky, and its position in relation with the Sun.
You probably have seen this Moon before. If you live in a city it will appear huge and possibly colored because of the air pollution, appearing yellow, orange, and even red and pink. In the past, there were often fires in agricultural and forest areas, so the moon would be wildly colored too. This appearance, together with the fascination and influence the Moon has over humans and animals, made the Harvest Moon the inspiration for all kinds of legends, poems, and songs.
Maybe not Nick Drake's Pink Moon, but it goes nicely with it. So while for some it may not be as cool and flashy as the Perseids, it's still one of my favorite events to watch.
Now, go grab a bottle of wine or champagne, get out with your lover, and enjoy together. Or drink the bottle, get out naked, and howl at it. Like I do. [Wikipedia]
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Halloween Desktop
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Bacon Salt Salmon
I am about to try baking a huge salmon fillet with J & D's bacon salt. http://www.baconsalt.com/