YouTube - How it's made - Pretzels

Have you ever wondered how a pretzel's twist part is made? Whether or not it was by a machine or a human being? Find your answer right here. It's pretty amazing.



How It's Made - Pretzels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTsqqg4TiO4

Is Google Down?

You know how sometimes when click on a link, you get an error message telling you that the site is down? Then you do wonder if it's just you or everybody else as well?

To find out, just go here and it will give you the answer

Down For Everyone Or Just Me
http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com

Who Is Bibendum?

Did you know that the Michelin Man's real name is Bibendum? There is a fantastic personal memorabilia photos shown at the Bibendum Club site which is what I really like about that site. I envy the collection. It's awesome! Maybe I should move to France. Grin. ;-) Gotta check it out if you like the Michelin Man or more accurately Bibendum.

However, there is no historical information at the Bibendum Club's site. Maybe it's in progress. But if you are interested, you can find historical background in Wikipedia and basics in Stanfords (which is faster to read). They have excellent information and historical account of Michelin including the Bibendum. I can tell you though, this company is ancient! It was established in 1888 by Andre Michelin in France. That's more than a century. Wow, that's a long time for a company from the 19th century.

The image above, "A Votre Sante", is an ad poster from 1888 or 1898 (I got conflict info). The year the company debuted.

* Note: I'm having problems with the last two links. I hope the problem is with those sites, not me. The Stanfords site takes a bit longer, and the VintageArte seems not accessible at the moment. Perhaps it's temporarily down. I'll check it again later.

Links Summary:

Bibendum Club - Private (mostly) Memorabilia
Wikipedia - History
Stanfords - Facts
Vintage Arte - Michelin Posters

Bibendum Club
https://www.bibendumclub.com/Home_Page.html

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin

Stanfords: Michelin Man Revealed Facts
http://www.stanfords.co.uk/articles/did-you-know/bibendum-the-story-of-the-michelin-man,341,AR.html

VintageArte: Michelin Posters (link too long)
http://tinyurl.com/kozoot

The Carolina History Project

The on-going Carolina History Project is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The project is done by a local native teacher called Dirk Allman. I think he is a history teacher. He talks and show artifacts and document that he has collected over three decades. Some of his items even landed at the Levine Museum of New South exhibition "Cotton Fields to Skycrapers" permanent exhibit. Also The Charlotte Museum of History/Hezekia Alexander Homesite and the Charlotte Air Museum. At one point, Mr. Allman hosted a local Christman tv program in which he talked about wind-up phonographs and old-time Christmas music. His goal is to share the historical discoveries that are part of his collection about North and South Carolina in his website.

Carolina History Project
http://carolinahistoryproject.com/Home_Page.php

Blog - Derek Daily 45s

This blog is dedicated to the 45s vinyl records.

Blog - Derek Daily 45s
http://dereksdaily45.blogspot.com/

Flickr - hier houd ik van's Sets

hier houd ik van has neat European sets.

Flickr - hier houd ik van's sets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hier-houd-ik-van/sets/

What's In A Company's Name?

Have you ever wondered what about the name of a certain company stands for? Sometimes I wonder about that myself. What really surprised me was when I found out that the name for the ice cream company, Häagen-Dazs, has no meaning at all. This Wikipedia page has a list of company name etymologies. Many of them are based on the names of the founders. Ten examples:

1) 7-Eleven – Convenience stores; renamed from "U-Tote'm" in 1946 to reflect their newly extended hours, 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.

2) Adidas – from the name of the founder Adolf (Adi) Dassler.

3) AltaVista – Spanish for "high view".

4) Verizon – a portmanteau of veritas (Latin for truth) and horizon.

5) CBS – Columbia Broadcasting System.

6) Sanyo – meaning three oceans in Japanese.

7) Coca-Cola – derived from the coca leaves and kola nuts used as flavoring. Coca-Cola creator John S. Pemberton changed the 'K' of kola to 'C' to make the name look better.

8) Daewoo – company founder Kim Woo Chong called it Daewoo which means "Great House" or "Great Universe" in Korean.

9) Reebok – alternate spelling of rhebok (Pelea capreolus), an African antelope.

10) Nike – named for the Greek goddess of victory.

List Of Company Name Etymologies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_company_name_etymologies

Blog - Rebound Hounds

I was glad to see this blog. The blog runs by a person who works in a non-profit shelter in San Francisco, who has two special canines herself. Greta who is a blind Dachshund and Dewey who is a three legged doxie mix. She encounters many special animals at the shelter. The blogger wants to show that disabled dogs can make a great companion regardless their disabilities. So far most of the dogs that I've seen in this site are in a special wheelchair, missing a limb (l3 and 2 legged dogs), and blind/partially blind dogs. Long time ago, I took care of a dog in a wheelchair thought it was such a wonderful tool for these dogs. These wheelchair are miracles for dogs who might have otherwise not survive. It's sad that even though these wheelchairs exist there are dogs who didn't get the chance to get one. Maybe some day every shelter will be equipped with these wheelchairs. It will save lots of lives.

I've always had a thing for disabled and abused dogs and cats and wish I could adopt them all! I'm always impressed with how they are able to cope with it, especially if they weren't born disabled. It never ceased me when I see a three legged or even a two legged dog (I have seen two-legged dogs who can walk without wheelchair on TV only, like Faith) runs as fast as an arrow. As well dogs who have lost one eye and still able to navigate around as fast as a four legged dog.

When I see dog with one eye who can navigate around like a two eyed dog makes me appreciate that I can see. I know that must have taken the dog a great deal to deal with. Not a small feat I'd bet. A long time ago, I accidentally cut the cornea with my fingers. It was a freak accident. I had to wear an eye patch for about three days before I could use that injured eye again. I could not drive in straight line. So that what made me realize how difficult it must have been for the dogs to lost an eye. I can't even imagine losing both of them. We can all learn a lot from all these dogs disabled and abuses alike. Maybe some day every dog will benefit from the technology that is already out there. It just needed to be available to each one of them right away, regardless the cost.

Blog - Rebound Hounds
http://reboundhounds.blogspot.com/

Time Capsule At Sony

I never knew that Sony has their own time capsule on their website. It has been years since I've visited their site. It's amazing it has been around for so many decades. Some companies aren't even around anymore. It is an interesting time capsule. As for the images above, the first one from the top with the bus, is the Sony's moving show room in 1966. The second image is of Sony's first building in the 1950's.

Sony Time Capsule - Revealing Sony Across Time
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/capsule/index.html

Music In Texas

The timeline from the University of Texas At Austin is of musicians who are from Texas, or lived in Texas. They have influenced the musical world in one way or another. There are quite a few names that I was not aware of their ties to Texas, and I bet it'll surprised other readers too.

The timeline starts at the 1800's to present. Several facts (quoted) from the timeline:

1831. Mary Austin Holley, a cousin of Stephen F. Austin, writes the first folk song composed in the colony, "Brazos Boat Song."

1899. Texarkana native Scott Joplin, the "King of Ragtime," creates a living language for jazz, R&B, and rock n' roll with the publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag." Within a decade, a half-million copies are sold. Seventy-two years after its circulation in 1902, his tune "The Entertainer" charts at number three, a testament to his genius and staying power.

1931. Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter, a Beaumont native, acts in a Broadway production, Green Grow the Lilacs, and hosts a series of radio roundups in New York City. He enters the studio in 1933 to record songs such as "Rye Whiskey." "Get Along, Little Doggie" is a favorite in 1935.

1936. Santiago Jiménez of San Antonio, called the Father of Conjunto music, releases his first record, "Dices Pescao/Dispensa el Arrempujon." Conjunto (Musica Norte) from Mexican-American folk heritage grows in popularity throughout the late 1930s and 40s.

1963. Jimmy Dean debuts a variety show on ABC, with regulars Roger Miller (of Fort Worth) and Jim Henson’s Rowlf, the piano-playing dog.

1970. Janis Joplin records her masterpiece LP, Pearl, before heroin use takes her life. The work showcases her unique blues stylings on "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Mercedes Benz."

University Of Texas At Austin - Musicians Of The Record's Timeline
http://motr.communication.utexas.edu/timeline/index.htm