| CARVIEW |
Note: this post was first published by me in this blog on 1 January 2017. I thought it worked well enough to republish it.
We are almost to the New Year, and statistically
https://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/
about half of Americans usually make resolutions. That’s good, because “People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions”.
What percentage of people are successful in achieving their resolutions?
Just eight percent.
Why is that? Is there something wrong with 92% of the people? Does 8% of the population have a “keep your resolution” genetic mutation? 
As a trainer, I can tell you…the problem is probably with the resolution, not the person.
Resolutions are like any other goals I help people manage.
First, don’t base your resolution on results, which tend to be out of your control. For example, don’t resolve to lose ten kilos or twenty pounds in 2022. There are so many factors which could affect that, including good ones, like putting on muscle weight.
Instead, base your resolution on actions you will do. “I will walk at least 10,000 steps at least three days of every week.” If you aren’t sure what actions will help you realize your vision, consult with someone (like a Registered Dietitian for intake options).
Second, keep your goals small and your dreams big! When you set a resolution for an action, it should be something you are comfortable you can achieve 90% of the time (flukes are going to mean you can’t do it every time, or at least, you shouldn’t commit to that). If 10,000 is a challenge, make it 5,000.
Third, only increase your action goal slowly. Do one action over and over until you are a bit bored with it, then slightly increase and stay at that level until you are bored with that. 
You want lots of success, so you’ll keep doing it. If you make 10,000 and decide to keep going with no end point in mind, you’ll go until you fail…and then you won’t want to try it again.
Fourth, it’s all about the framing! It’s not that you HAVE to exercise, it’s that you GET to exercise. Very few people in the world have the luxury of exercising just for their own wellness, not to accomplish a task! Find a reason: exercise to benefit something else, not just you. Taking care of yourself is taking care of others.
Fifth, track and reward. You need to know you are meeting your goals, and you can’t do that if you don’t track. Consider letting yourself buy a present if you are consistent in the goal (not for a single mighty effort). Three months of hitting your weekly goal 90% of the time means you go to the movies, for example. Don’t make it an unhealthy indulgence…you don’t want to equate being unhealthy with a good thing. Yes, exercising more means you can eat more good food (calories out/calories in), but don’t tell yourself that you deserve a glazed donut because you’ve been working out so much.
Finally, consider sharing your progress with others…that helps motivate some people.
You’re not going to be just one year older…you are going to be one year better!
Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard !
All aboard The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project! Join the TMCGTT Timeblazers!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.
]]>Santa Claus is Coming Online
(sung to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming To Town by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie)
You’d better boot up
You’d better log on
Type in your password before he’s gone
Santa Claus is coming online
He’s surfing the net
He’s downloading posts
He doesn’t like flames and he doesn’t like toasts
Santa Claus is coming online
He’s filling in his spreadsheet
He’s got data entry elves
They’re unzipping all the archives
So you’d better behave yourselves
The reindeer downsized
Blitzen retired
The sleigh’s pretty light since the Pole got wired
Santa Claus is coming online
Cyber Claus is coming online
Santa Claus is coming…online!
I wrote this years ago…possibly decades. I’m actually surprised by how much of it still makes sense when tech changes so rapidly. I’ve published it before in TMC, but wanted to do it again this year…
Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard !
All aboard our The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project! Join the TMCGTT Timeblazers!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog.
]]>We have so many options when we shop nowadays! Remember when you used to go out to get garbage bags, and you didn’t need a spreadsheet to figure out all the variables?
There are a lot of positives to that, but it can be overwhelming and lead to “analysis paralysis”. Then again, there’s that other issue…
Some things you buy just don’t work.
Well, maybe they work, but not as well as you thought they would, despite watching all those customer videos and reading the artificial intelligence written summary of a thousand reviews (that’s a real thing on Amazon now, by the way).
Everything in this guide works.
At least, they work for me. Yep, I genuinely use everything here…that’s really the only thing that will tie this together.
I’m going try to have a variety, from small gifts under $10 on up. I hope this helps you, or perhaps just entertains you!
- Price: $4.99 (down about $2 from last year!) at time of writing for 1, multipacks available
- Overview: a dishcloth might seem like a strange gift, but these have attractive patterns and have the advantage of being ecological (they are made from remnant fabrics). They are used for scrubbing, and work well for that (like a scrubbing sponge). I wash them from time to time in the clothes washer, just like other towels
- Nothing’s perfect: we’ve had a couple wear out eventually, but that hasn’t been a big problem
- Price: $18.99 (up about $2 from last year), with a coupon price of $17.09 at time of writing for 1
- Overview: we have one small dog who drinks a lot of water. We used to just have open bowls, but this works much better for us, and the dog even seems to prefer it. There is an insert that floats on top of the water, with a hole in it (cutely designed to look like a dog pawprint, matching a design on the bowl itself). The dog licks the water through that hole. That keeps it from spilling and tends to keep the water much cleaner (dogs can get their water dirty through transfer from their fur). Neither of these are 100%, but so much better than the old way
- Nothing’s perfect: to remove the float, you have to pop off a plastic restraining ring. That can be some work, just to get it off and on properly
- Price: $59.99 at time of writing (same as last year)
- Overview: we have Ring security cameras at our doors and they are very useful for us. They’re great for package delivery & I like seeing animals that may pass by our doors in the middle of the night. We also now have indoor ones throughout the house as safety monitors, due to a family member having a chronic medical condition. The automatic light outside is also a nice feature. However, it wasn’t going to wake me up if someone used the door in the middle of the night. This solves that problem! It’s a separate, small device that just plugs into a wall outlet. It can make a variety of noises: we use “Triangle”, which is very noticeable. It’s controlled nicely in the Ring app. It can also extend your wi-fi network for your Ring devices, but we don’t use it for that. It has a nightlight feature, but we don’t use that, either
- Nothing’s perfect: it does take up an outlet. I don’t think you can set it on a schedule: there are days I don’t want the alarm going off for the front door, and during the day, I don’t need it to go off every time the dogs use the dog door
Ring Indoor Camera (added this year)
- Price: $24.99 at time of writing (Black Friday sale: list price is $49.99)
- Overview: I hadn’t put the outdoor Ring cameras on this list, but these indoor ones have worked very well for me! I need safety monitors around the house, due to someone with a chronic medical condition. These are easy to set up (they’ve greatly improved that), epecially if you already have a Ring account (Ring is owned by Amazon). You can pay for a Ring Home plan for additional features (including, if you choose, AI describing what’s in a video, such as “A person is walking on the deck with a brown dog”): they range from $50 a year to $200 a year, roughly. They have night vision & you can talk and listen through them if you want. There is also a physical privacy shield that can be easily slid over the camera. You can record the video or not, and it’s smart enough to tell the difference between a person and a dog. You can see all this on your phone (through an app), or on at least some SmartTVs. You can turn them on when you leave the house on the app, and choose which ones respond to detected motion (and how they might respond, including notifying you). Let’s say you have a “playroom” for the kids: you could have one in there, with them knowing about it. You could check on them & talk to them if needed, just for one scenario. You could also use them to check on your pets while you were out (if they were in the view)
- Nothing’s perfect: I sometimes need to have the view on for some time, and it can disconnect and need to be reconnected (through a tap on the screen on my phone). They do need to be plugged in (not battery operated), but that makes sense. I bought a mount for one, so it could be elevated and see better. Overall, though, they’ve made all the difference in my caregiving
Paladone Batman Multi Tool Bottle Opener Keychain
- Price: $12.98 (up about $3 from last year) at time of writing
- Overview: I love this little Batarang and use it often! I replaced one when it got lost. It’s got a small Phillips screwdrive head & a small flathead screwdriver head. I don’t use them for that very often: it’s great for opening boxes! I’ve also used it to “grab” things that were just out of reach…holy Bat-gadget, Batman!
- Nothing’s perfect: the hole where you put in the ring to use it as a keyring is quite small, you need to use a small ring. It also would set off metal detectors, I think, and I wouldn’t try to get it past Security at a concert or a ballpark (I leave it home in those cases). When it comes, it’s black, but that has worn off over time, leaving it just grey metal looking, but that still looks cool
- $14.95 at time of writing (listed at $21.95) (added this year)
- Overview: you know that expression, that someone “wouldn’t hurt a fly”? That’s me. When there are bugs in the house, I catch them and take them outside, where I release them unharmed. I was usually running around looking for something like a disposable cup and ideally, a stiff piece of paper. I figured there had to be something better, and there was! This is a simple mechanism with a fairly long handle, a clear plastic dome at the end of it, and a sliding floor. You have the floor open, then trap the bug in the dome (I find I’m outside of their “danger zone”, so they generally don’t flee). You can slide the floor shut by hand, or you may be able to rotate the device so it just slides closed on its own. Then, you can take it outside, turn it so the floor slides open, and shake out the bug. This worked well enough that I bought a second one: I had the first one in the kitchen, but if I saw a bug in the bathroom and went to get it, the bug might be gone by the time I got back
- Nothing’s perfect: I find it somewhat hard to get the parts of the handle to fit together (although you don’t need any tools). The floor doesn’t slide that smoothly: when I rotate the handle, it might not just slide shut right away. Flying and wall-crawling bugs do tend to get out of the way of the door: if the bug is a crawler, it can take a little work to get the bug up on the floor so it doesn’t get hurt when the floor slides shut (more of a slope on the floor would make it work better)
Hgvoetty Colorful T-Shirt (added this year)
- Price: $16.99 at time of writing (with a coupon making it $16.14)
- Overview: this is absolutely one of my family members favorite shirts! The one we have looks like it is a white shirt that has had various colors of paint splashed on it. People comment on how they like the look of it! That might not have gotten it on this list, but here’s the thing: it’s been incredibly durable! My family member really likes to stretch shirts: for example, sitting with their knees up and stretching the shirt down over their bent legs. It hasn’t hurt it at all. It’s been washed many, many times, and is just as vibrant as it was when we got it. There are lots of designs, and they have them for both kids and adults
- Nothing’s perfect: my family member likes it so much that I bought more of the exact same shirt so there would always be a clean one
Rongbo Detachable Pull Apart Key Ring
- Price: $7.59 for a 5-pack (last year, it was $6.59 for a 3-pack, this is quite a bit cheaper per ring) at time of writing
- Overview: I use these all the time! A ring attaches to your main keyring, then there’s a center cylinder part, and another ring where you attach your key (or, you know, Batarang…see above). You sort of squish the center part together, and it separates. This has been very handy, for example, if I need to leave a key when the car is getting serviced
- Nothing’s perfect: It takes a bit of doing to figure out how to separate the two rings. Once you get the hang of it, though, it’s easy enough
NOCO Boost Sport Lithium Jump Starter
- Price: $79.95 at time of writing (up about $12 from last year)
- Overview: this is one of those things where you wonder if you’re the only person who didn’t know about it already. We needed one of our cars jumpstarted and I called AAA. I was surprised when they got to us and just walked up to the car with a small box…I was expecting a tow truck. I was astonished when they just clipped it on the battery and the car started in seconds. I asked what it was and ordered one for us. I have to say, I think they should come with a new car, or maybe the insurance company should give you one! Most things on this list I’ve used many times. This one I’ve only used once: we had somebody coming to work on our heating and they called: their van wouldn’t start. It sounded like it might be hours before their company could get someone out there. I ended up just doing it myself with this device…presto! It can also charge your phones and it has a light. 2024 update: I’ve now used it a couple of times, great each time
- Nothing’s perfect: it comes in a cardboard storage box, but it didn’t fit back into it very well. I will have to charge it from time to time (USB charger)
Hopeshine Arm Cooling Sleeves UPF 50+
- Price: $15.99 for a five pack (same as last year for the list price, on sale at time of writing for $12.79)
- Overview: this may seem silly, but we really like them. They are sleeves you put on your arm, so your arms are covered if you are wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt…no need for sunscreen there! It makes sun healthy behavior simpler. We keep several pairs in different colors by the door. They can be washed in the washing machine
- Nothing’s perfect: they can really get things like burs stuck in them!
Wolverine 8mm & Super 8 reels to Digital MovieMaker Pro Film Digitizer (other models available)
- Price: $399.95 at time of writing (only available used at time of writing for $329)
- Overview: We had literally hundreds of family Super 8mm film reels sitting in a box in the garage. They hadn’t been seen in 50 years or more. I could have sent them to a service to have them converted, but that ends up costing a lot of money. I also did it once with a few reels several years back, and they returned them all spliced together. It also meant I didn’t have the film boxes, with handwriting from family members on them. This device converts those film reels into digital. You need to buy an SD card for it, but then you can upload it to the cloud with an included cord. I’ve shared the ones I’ve converted with the family and it’s been wonderful! The digital files look good. It’s smart enough that if it’s only seen black for 15 seconds, it stops recording
- Nothing’s perfect: it takes a long time…a 3 minute reel takes about half an hour to digitize. The feeder reel arm folds down for storage, which is a good thing, but it takes an effort to unfold it and fold it…someone with weak hand strength probably wouldn’t put it away at all. There are also two plastic adapters for the reels, which could be easy to lose
iClever BK05 Bluetooth Keyboard
- Price: $43.99 at time of writing (list price of $51.99, down $3 from last year)
- Overview: I’ve considered this an essential for years. I type pretty well: last time I was tested (a very long time ago), I was in the 90s for words per minute. Not super fast, but fast. I really wanted a foldable keyboard I could use with my phone and have it feel like a regular keyboard. I tried a few, and this was by far the best. It’s a good size: folded, it fits in a large pocket. It can switch easily between using Android, Windows, & Apple, so you can use one keyboard with multiple devices. The keyboard is backlit if you want, but I don’t use that. Besides typing, the best thing is being able to use Windows shortcuts (CTRL+C to copy, CTRL+V to paste…) on the web on my phone! It stays charged for a long time: I use it every day, and maybe charge it once in a month
- Nothing’s perfect: they break after a while…I’ve replaced mine multiple times. If it’s on a soft surface, it may add extra spaces and things like that. I’d love it if they had something rigid that could lock it open, like a flat bar on the back
Worx WG509 12 Amp TRIVAC 3-in1 Electric Leaf Blower (& vacuum & mulcher)
- Price: $59.98 at time of writing (down about $5 from last year)
- Overview: I’m not good with tools (I literally have screwdriver scars from using just a plain old manual screwdriver wrong) & I jokingly say I have a “black thumb” in the garden. This tool, though, has been a complete game changer for cleaning up leaves and such (we have trees that drop a lot of leaves and needles). It’s a leaf blower, but I rarely use it for that. The thing that really works for me is that it’s a vacuum and a mulcher…it sucks up the leaves/needles and chews them into dust. It’s amazing!
- Nothing’s perfect: it’s a workout! It says it’s lightweight, but I wouldn’t say that. I see Amazon says it weighs 11 pounds. It’s hard to flip the switches…maybe that’s for safety. You need to be careful not to vacuum rocks and mud will gum up the valve that switches it from blower to vacuum. I open up the part that lets me get to the blades and make sure they are clear after every time I use it. Oh, and don’t forget to zip up the collection bag again before you start on the next area…if you don’t, it will just blow that dust all over the yard
Plustek Photo Scanner ephoto Z300
- Price: $186.15 at time of writing (same as last year: list price $219)
- Overview: I would guess we’ve scanned and shared over 1,000 family pictures with this! It’s pretty simple, once it’s set up. You connect the scanner to a laptop. You feed a picture into it…it scans it & automatically crops it (makes the image the size of the photo…I’d say that’s more than 95% right). There is some photo correction available on the device itself. Then, you can save it to the cloud. I’ve also used it for documents, and it works well for that, too. Free your family photos!
- Nothing’s perfect: you need a pretty powerful laptop…not a super powerful one, like a gaming computer, but it needs quite a bit of free space to save the pictures, and a decent processor. It takes a while to convert one & that depends on the power of the laptop…I’d say up to maybe 10 seconds a picture. I bought a more powerful computer after we’d started, which cut it down to more like 2 seconds. It’s not completely intuitive to use, but not too bad
- Price: $17.57 at time of writing (this is about $1.50 up from last year. List price is $25.10)
- Overview: I use these every day! I wake up hours before my Significant Other, & that’s when I get a lot of my writing done. I have movies or TV shows on in the background: I’m more productive that way. People used to say to me that I’d get more done if I didn’t watch as much TV, so I did the experiment: I didn’t watch TV for 1 year. I got nothing more done. For some reason, they didn’t want to try to the experiment in reverse and watch more TV. I digress: these are comfortable, easy to use, & sound fine: that’s all I need. I was a conga player, so I may not have the best hearing (although it’s ok): I’m sure $500 headphones have better fidelity, but I don’t need that. I don’t like things sticking in my ear, and the crosspiece goes comfortably behind my head, down near my neck. They’ve never fallen off, but I’m not playing ultimate sports! You can answer the phone on them: there’s a built-in microphone, but it’s not a boom, so it isn’t in front of your face. I’ve never used that, either. The range is good (I can go into the garage & close the door behind me & still have it connected). It’s easy to pair
- Nothing’s perfect: it’s a micro USB connector, not a USB-C (the connection only goes into it one way: there is a rightside up and an upside down). They do give you one, but if somebody has a long cable they use for a phone, that one might not fit. This is a minor thing, but the little rubber cover that covers the charging port doesn’t tend to stay closed for me. I charge mine every day after listening for a few hours, although that may not be necessary
EveryYay Lavender Orthopedic Dog Bed
- Price: $15 to $60 depending on size at time of writing (same as last year)
- Overview: we’ve had two dogs who used these…a lot! They fit them very well, and they relax and sleep in them a lot. It’s very easy to wash it: you unzip the bottom, remove the lavender filled “mattress”, then we wash the rest of it on gentle in the washing machine: they come out clean. We originally bought one of these and a second type, but both of the dogs prefer this one
- Nothing’s perfect: the zippers are a little hard to work, but they haven’t gotten stuck. You do need to reshape it (we walk on it in socks) after washing the cover. The lightness of the interior does show dirt pretty quickly. Also, I’d recommend that you check the size carefully: ours are pefect, but I can see why one that was too small might be a problem. One more thing: eventually, the “stuffing” may deteriorate to the point where you decide to replace it)
- Price: $19.99 for a 4 pack for green…other colors are other prices, many for $24.99 (about the same as last year)
- Overview: it should be easy to find the Motel Mouse company, because there will be a well-beaten path to its door. This is literally a better (live-catch) mousetrap! We had a mouse problem this summer, and we don’t kill them. I’ve had big clunky metal traps, but these are small, plastic, I’d even call them elegant. They fit where the metal ones didn’t: behind a wall unit, for example. They aren’t much wider than a mouse. They’ve done a lot of good design work: the bait is in its own compartment (with airholes for scent)…it can not be stolen by a clever mouse. At under $10 a trap, you can buy the number you need. After seeing those mice for months, we used these and caught two in about an hour…fingers crossed, I think that ended it for now
- Nothing’s perfect: you might offend someone giving them mousetraps as a gift! This might be more of a gift for your household. I find it hard to tell if the trap has been accidentally triggered and the door is closed: I wonder if they could add something visible to the door which wouldn’t deter the mice. I also check them more than once a day with a flashlight, although we haven’t caught a mouse in a long time: I don’t want a mouse starving in there
I may add to this later…
Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard!
All aboard our The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project (AKA Enwoven)! Join the TMCGTT Timeblazers!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog. To support this or other organizations, begin your Amazon shopping from a link on their sites: Amazon.com
]]>I do a daily game on X (when I started it 5 1/2 years ago, it was Twitter) where people guess a celebrity from a picture of their eyes. It’s called the EyedentityGame, and I’m happy that a lot of people seem to have fun with it. More than 30,000 have viewed it in a day. The record so far is 360 people getting Ernest Borgnine. About 99% of them have been guessed by at least one person. The person who was the answer to the game has trended more than 25 times during the game.
As of this morning, I’ve done 2,000 games, so I can literally say I’ve done thousands! To celebrate, I’m giving away my book of quotations:
The Mind Boggles: A Unique Book of Quotations
Do check to see that it says it’s free in your market before clicking that Buy button.
Enjoy!
Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard
All aboard The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project!
This page by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog.
]]>(sung to the tune of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band)
It was many years* ago today
Kenneth Arnold taught the world to say
“There’s a flying saucer in the air”
And it gave the people quite a scare
Now here’s another term you know
Today we just say U.F.O
Kenneth Arnold, Flying Saucer Ma-an!
What’s in the sky,
Lighted up, flying by?
Could it be a real alien craft?
Perhaps it’s a star or lights from a car
Or maybe I’m just going daft…
Oh, it’s giving me the ontological bends
Oh, I hate it when a paradigm ends
Could it beeee a delusion?
I just know there’s something there
Or an optical illusion?
I’m getting to the point I don’t care
Oh, this is one of those long-lasting trends
Mm, I don’t know just what message it sends
Message it sennnnnds!
* I think I first published this in 1994…a version I found said, “It was was forty-seven years ago…” I’ve updated it for today, the 70th anniversary of the Kenneth Arnold sighting that established the term “flying saucer” by changing it to “many years”, which will enable me to keep using it for future anniversaries. Update for this year: yep, using it again!
Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard
All aboard The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project!
This page by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog.
]]>The first game in my EyedentityGame was on 28 April 2020…today marks five years of doing this daily game!
I want to first thank all the players, and those who just enjoy it without playing! One of my favorite things is the fun and supportive community that’s grown up around the game. People who have very different viewpoints on a lot of things, play the game together, and encourage each other.
I think of this as a group effort with me and the players. The more people who get it, the happier I am!
I’ll give you a few highlights, and a link to a copy of my tracking on the game: you can see stats on all 1,823 games! I include a page where I have them sorted by the highest number of correct guesses, and another that shows engagement (number of views and when celebrities have trended on X during their games.
- Completed games to date: 1,823
- High: Ernest Borgnine on 22 November 2024 with 360. Both times I’ve used Ernest Borgnine, he has shot to the top of the list
- Average correct: 44.77
- Average just for this year to date: 83.88
- Most views (since I’ve tracked that): 31,369 for Gene Kelly on 18 March 2024
- Number of celebrities who have trended during their games: 29 (I can’t know that was due just to the game, but it’s likely we strongly contributed)
- There are 26 people on the Unguessed List: 1.4%. So, about 99% have been guessed. It is possible, and has happened, for someone to get off the Unguessed List if I use them again and someone gets it
When I hit 500, I allowed repeats with different pictures. When I hit 1,000 I allowed repeats with the same image. I’m not making any rule changes right now: maybe when I hit 2,000, which at the current rate will be in October of this year.
People with at least 200 correct:
People who have trended during their games
Comprehensive listing
EyedentityGame First Five Years.xlsx
I do this game first on X (formerly Twitter). Here’s a search there that will help you find the latest game (without possibly first seeing other people’s guesses in today’s game):
I also post the game later on Bluesky, but without tagging people who get it right.
If you’d like to follow me on either platform, I’m just BufoCalvin (note that there are fake accounts on X):
https://bsky.app/profile/bufocalvin.bsky.social
Thank you again! Doing this game, while it is a lot of work, is a source of joy and strength for me. I really appreciate you letting me know that I’ve been able to #GrowTheJoy!
I hope #EyedentityGame brings you as much joy as it brings me! If not, I hope you find even more joy somewhere…and that you help other people find theirs!
Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard!
All aboard our The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project (AKA Enwoven)! Join the TMCGTT Timeblazers!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog. To support this or other organizations, begin your Amazon shopping from a link on their sites: Amazon.com
]]>The cutoff to make your predictions for this year’s BOPMadness is noon Pacific on Saturday, 1 March!
There’s no charge to play & we play for that most valuable of human possessions: braggin’ rights.
You can play as a group, if you like making a team out of friends, family, coworkers, and/or movie mavens. I think, though, seeing fewer of the movies actually helps: the goal here is to predict what the Academy will do, not pick the ones you think are best. I think you tend to have a higher opinion of movies you’ve seen.
2024 BOPMadness game (movies released in 2024, played in 2025) form
I’ll release our predictions and results later.
Good luck! See you in the movies!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.
Hey, little Ten Toes! Humans (at least those using the decimal system) like to observe anniversaries by the decade. This is a brief list of some of the geeky anniversaries happening this year. It is in no way comprehensive, and we certainly may add to it (and invite you to make suggestions by commenting on the post).
Update: I’ve decided this year to hit some which I think are likely to get media (mainstream and/or social) notice at the top, describing them a bit. I’ll try to get that done by 1 January, and maybe do the more “seed catalog” listing later. I’ll try to keep adding to it for awhile. For more details on entries, see:
The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project
- Four Hundred and Twenty Fifth anniversary of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600). Now one of Shakespeare’s most popular works, it is unabashedly geek-friendly, with magic, fairies, and physical transformations a key part of the plot.Â
- One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ birth (1 September 1875). Burroughs is one of the most successful authors of all time, and has had a massive impact on many mass media, from movies, to radio, to TV, to comics. Among others: Tarzan, Barsoom (John Carter of Mars), and The Lost World (Professor Challenger).Â
- One Hundred and Twenty Fifth anniversary of the publication of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Baum was one of the first people to really understand the idea of “synergy”: the first book became a super successful stage musical (without the Wicked Witch!) in 1902, which in turn shaped later books in the series. He did what we’d now call a tie-in novel, movies (yes, the 1939 movie can be considered a remake), and crossovers. He tried to step away from Oz, but returned to it when that’s clearly what the audience wanted
- One Hundredth anniversary of The Lost World movie (1925). This silent adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs book about surviving dinosaurs blew people’s minds 100 years ago. When early footage was shown to a group, some weren’t sure if it was “special effects” or somehow real footage. SFX wizard Willis O’Brien would go on to make King Kong eight years later
- 8 February: The Lost World opens
- 13 April: The Wizard of Oz opens
- 15 November: The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney gets wide USA release. I include it in “geek-friendly” because the Phantom is 1st presented to the audience as possibly being supernatural
- Eightieth anniversary of the publication of George Orwell’s Animal Farm (1945). While eighty isn’t always a banner year, I think people may take notice of this book this year. It’s social commentary with anthropomorphic farm animals
- Seventy Fifth anniversary of Tom Corbett Space Cadet TV series (1950). Just a few years into home TVs being a thing, low-budget space opera was big (Captain Video debuted the previous year. We still use the term “space cadet” (reportedly licensed from Robert A. Heinlein), but not as a heroic compliment
- 4 March: Cinderella, the Disney animated version, opens wide in the USA
- 12 April: Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss published
- 4 May: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury published
- 26 May: Rocketship X-M opens
- 27 June: Destination Moon opens
- 8 September: The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A.E. Van Vogt published
- 16 October: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is published, the first of the Narnia series
- 2 November: Gerald McBoing-Boing opens wide in the USA
- 2 December: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov is published. It was the 1st book publication (a collection of short stories) in the Robot series
- 21 December: Harvey opens
- Sixtieth anniversary of the publication of Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965). This is another case where current interest will probably generate more interest than specifically that it’s the 60th. This science fiction series starter has led to multiple movies, sequels, TV series and more
- Fiftieth anniversary (1975)
- Tuck Everlasting published
- Stellar Conquest boardgame released
- 4 September: Space: 1999 debuts
- 29 September: wide release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the USA (it premiered on 26 September in Los Angeles). Midnight shows didn’t start until 1976
- October: 1st Home Pong games are sold at Sears (it was an arcade game before that)
- 17 October: Salem’s Lot published
- 7 November: Wonder Woman debutsÂ
- Fortieth anniversary (1985)
- The Handmaid’s Tale published
- January: Ender’s Game published
- January: 1st issue of the Crisis on Infinite Earths twelve-part “maxiseries” of DC comics that completely reshaped their metaverse
- 23 January: ThunderCats debuts
- 4 March: Robotech debuts
- 23 April: Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? videogame released
- 7 June: The Goonies opens
- 3 July: Back to the Future opens
- 2 August: Weird Science opens
- September: Contact by Carl Sagan published
- 7 September: Small Wonder debuts
- 13 September: Super Mario Bros. videogame is released in Japan. It is released in North America later that yearÂ
- 14 September: The Care Bears debuts
- 16 September: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
- 29 September: Amazing Stories debuts
- 18 October 1985: the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) releases in test markets in the USA. It had already been released in Japan and was widely released in the USA the next year
- 12 November: The Polar Express published
- Thirtieth anniversary (1995)
- 16 January: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys debuts
- 16 January: Star Trek: Voyager debuts
- 22 March: Sliders debuts
- 8 August: the stand-alone Aeon Flux debuts on MTV
- 24 August: Windows 95 is generally released
- 1 September: Rayman videogame released
- 4 September: Xena: Warrior Princess debuts
- 9 October: Wishbone debuts
- 27 October: Goosebumps debuts
- 22 November: Toy Story opens
- Twenty Fifth anniversary (2000)
- 17 March: Final Destination opens
- 7 July: Scary Movie opens
- 14 July: X-Men opens
- Twentieth anniversary (2005)
- 20 February: Robot Chicken debuts
- 15 June: Batman Begins opens
- 13 September: Supernatural debuts
- 23 September: Ghost Whisperer debuts
- 8 November: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey) opens
- Tenth anniversary (2015)
- 6 January: Agent Carter debuts
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.
]]>Note: this post was first published by me in this blog on 1 January 2017. I thought it worked well enough to republish it.
We are almost to the New Year, and statistically
https://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/
about half of Americans usually make resolutions. That’s good, because “People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions”.
What percentage of people are successful in achieving their resolutions?
Just eight percent.
Why is that? Is there something wrong with 92% of the people? Does 8% of the population have a “keep your resolution” genetic mutation?
As a trainer, I can tell you…the problem is probably with the resolution, not the person.
Resolutions are like any other goals I help people manage.
First, don’t base your resolution on results, which tend to be out of your control. For example, don’t resolve to lose ten kilos or twenty pounds in 2022. There are so many factors which could affect that, including good ones, like putting on muscle weight.
Instead, base your resolution on actions you will do. “I will walk at least 10,000 steps at least three days of every week.” If you aren’t sure what actions will help you realize your vision, consult with someone (like a Registered Dietitian for intake options).
Second, keep your goals small and your dreams big! When you set a resolution for an action, it should be something you are comfortable you can achieve 90% of the time (flukes are going to mean you can’t do it every time, or at least, you shouldn’t commit to that). If 10,000 is a challenge, make it 5,000.
Third, only increase your action goal slowly. Do one action over and over until you are a bit bored with it, then slightly increase and stay at that level until you are bored with that. You want lots of success, so you’ll keep doing it. If you make 10,000 and decide to keep going with no end point in mind, you’ll go until you fail…and then you won’t want to try it again.
Fourth, it’s all about the framing! It’s not that you HAVE to exercise, it’s that you GET to exercise. Very few people in the world have the luxury of exercising just for their own wellness, not to accomplish a task! Find a reason: exercise to benefit something else, not just you. Taking care of yourself is taking care of others.
Fifth, track and reward. You need to know you are meeting your goals, and you can’t do that if you don’t track. Consider letting yourself buy a present if you are consistent in the goal (not for a single mighty effort). Three months of hitting your weekly goal 90% of the time means you go to the movies, for example. Don’t make it an unhealthy indulgence…you don’t want to equate being unhealthy with a good thing. Yes, exercising more means you can eat more good food (calories out/calories in), but don’t tell yourself that you deserve a glazed donut because you’ve been working out so much.
Finally, consider sharing your progress with others…that helps motivate some people.
You’re not going to be just one year older…you are going to be one year better!
Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard !
All aboard The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project! Join the TMCGTT Timeblazers!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.
]]>Santa Claus is Coming Online
(sung to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming To Town by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie)
You’d better boot up
You’d better log on
Type in your password before he’s gone
Santa Claus is coming online
He’s surfing the net
He’s downloading posts
He doesn’t like flames and he doesn’t like toasts
Santa Claus is coming online
He’s filling in his spreadsheet
He’s got data entry elves
They’re unzipping all the archives
So you’d better behave yourselves
The reindeer downsized
Blitzen retired
The sleigh’s pretty light since the Pole got wired
Santa Claus is coming online
Cyber Claus is coming online
Santa Claus is coming…online!
I wrote this years ago…possibly decades. I’m actually surprised by how much of it still makes sense when tech changes so rapidly. I’ve published it before in TMC, but wanted to do it again this year…
Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard !
All aboard our The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project! Join the TMCGTT Timeblazers!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog.
]]>