Some more ponderings and observations from a mid-summer adventurer:
What's the average life expectancy of a carnival ride attendant? Their nourishment must be impaired by the inability to chew efficiently. Their lungs are raw chimneys. Their dispositions lead them to no enjoyment.
Are the Wisconsin Dells becoming just a Tattoo Zoo? Forget the dot.coms, I want to invest in a tattoo conglomerate!
I might just be waxing nostalgic here, but dollar for dollar, Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show (half ski show and half variety acts) is still a great entertainment value. I hadn't seen it in 30 years and campy though it is at times, it's good clean fun (the skiers all take a bath--get it?).
At the end of a long day, when a 6-year-old gets really tired, you can expect insights such as, "Why did God put parents in charge? It's not fair!"
"You've always made the mistake of being yourself."
—Eugene Ionesco
"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"
—Abraham Lincoln
PETE’S POINTERS
This week I’d like to cover two basic tips that are very useful in certain Microsoft products, especially Word. They both involve using the right button on your PC’s mouse.
I know what you’re thinking, “What does this Mac guy know about right-clicking?” While Macintoshes only have a single button, these same tricks work for Mac users if they hold down the “control” key while clicking the mouse.
Tip 1: If a word has been misspelled, Microsoft Word and Outlook put a red squiggly line under it. Right-clicking will bring up a list of spelling alternatives.
Tip 2: Right-clicking on a correctly spelled word brings up a formatting menu that also includes synonyms.
What Word won’t suggest is that the sentence “Mistakes are easy to fix,” is probably not as fluid as “Mistakes are easily fixed” or “Mistakes can be easily fixed.”
BEARbonnais
For those of you that don’t know, I herald from Bourbonnais, Illinois. “We’re all happier than pigs in slop that the Bears done selected us for their training camp.”
I’m pleased to fill in for Jim this week as he takes a well-deserved vacation. Choosing an In-site was a no-brainer for me this week. When my son and I were invited to a luncheon for Grand Illinois Trail bike riders Monday I learned of an amazing site from the friendly folks at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
I’ll preface my explanation of the site by stating that I’m an avid map freak. For years now I’ve owned a couple of great software applications from DeLorme Publishing that help me calculate distance and elevations for bike trips that I plan to take. The thing that’s missing from these applications is aerial photography and a brand new site from the Illinois DNR fills that gap very nicely!
In conjunction with the United States Geological Survey National Mapping Division, this site has detailed aerial photography (taken during 1998 & 1999) of almost the entire state and it can be accessed interactively with your mouse. While the interface is a little clunky, with a little patience you can zoom in to see individual buildings quite clearly!
While researching outdoor recreation is a perfect use for this site, it’s also fun just to see what’s really in the hermit down the street’s fenced-in backyard! If you (or a friend or relative) are interested in seeing our beloved Land of Lincoln from the air, click http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/nsdihome/webdocs/doqs/launchims.html and select Open the Interactive Mapping Web Interface.
Now in the realm of endless hours spent staring at your computer, we finally have something to give Windows Solitaire a run for its money.
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I might just be waxing nostalgic here, but dollar for dollar, Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show (half ski show and half variety acts) is still a great entertainment value. I hadn't seen it in 30 years and campy though it is at times, it's good clean fun (the skiers all take a bath--get it?).
At the end of a long day, when a 6-year-old gets really tired, you can expect insights such as, "Why did God put parents in charge? It's not fair!"
