Year: 2024

Sometimes songs longer than 3 minutes just feel too long. Whenever I’m in this mood, I’d like a Spotify option: Instead of chopping off the song, it will simply fade out the last few seconds of the current track, and…

Einstein's genius wasn't just in physics. Print his "theory of happiness" and spread some philosophical wisdom. German and English versions available!

Looking for classical background music? You might start by typing a generic Spotify search like “classical.” But why not show some love to your local orchestra? Try searching for the name of a nearby large city, followed by “orchestra.” It’s…

Here's an idea to make music playing more intentional. Make printouts of your favorite albums, complete with QR codes for instant online listening.

It’s very odd how National Guacamole Day and National Play-Doh Day are on the same day.

What if you had a house that had EVERYTHING glow-in-the-dark? Glow-in-the-dark walls, floors, ceilings. Glow-in-the-dark tables, chairs. I got the idea from seeing this pair of glow-in-the-dark Crocs. Why stop at Crocs?! Let’s make everything glow-in-the-dark. In fact, there is…

It feels like 49% of jazz is played really fast. 49% of jazz is played really slow. 1% is just right.

Wouldn’t it be cool if every time you open a new tab in your browser, an image from one of your Pinterest boards appears? I have something similar with the Art Institute’s ArtTab Chrome extension. I customized mine to go…

The 1966 Topps Batman cards come in 'Black Bat' and 'Red Bat' series. My fave? Batman wrestling an alligator! What's yours?

The Ewok Village playset from 1983 looks like it could be DIY made with cardboard. Get three paper towel tubes and one sheet of cardboard. Assemble together. I might try this one day. I already have a couple of Ewok…

Bluesky has the chance to redefine social media by adding privacy settings. Here's why visibility controls could make it a true Facebook alternative.

One of the songs in my Spotify “Release Radar” is “Bird” by a group called “The Since“. It’s a nice jazz tune. However, the album named “Over Dub” features ai-generated art. This AI-generated album cover has me VERY suspicious. Is…

Ever wondered where the artists you listen to come from? Or if there are any good bands from Kazakhstan? There is a tool that takes all the music you listen to, and it checks the country of every artist.

Animals with iron-tipped teeth? You bet! My brother found an article, “Komodo dragons have iron-tipped teeth, new study finds.” It got me thinking about a fascinating study I came across this summer, which revealed that female cicadas have metallic elements…

How Google Photos turned a search for 'Silver Man' into a journey through Chicago's history. From robots to statues, and even the famous Walking Dude.

One gold medal's ripple effect: How Erki Nool's 2000 Olympic victory inspired a generation of Estonian decathletes in 2024.

Olympic Committee claims breaking isn't 'American enough' for LA 2028. Excuse me? It literally originated here! Time for the IOC to break out of their outdated mindset.

Today I disovered one of my photos was used 15 years ago by the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid committee.

The WeatherBug radar map was a bit of a surprise to me. It has no state borders. No city markers. No roads or highways. Just land, rivers, and lakes. Thankfully, there is a very identifying feature to help me locate…

Imagine a radio show playing ONE song from EACH Spotify genre. It'd take 8 years to finish! Anyone want to DJ?

Ten years ago, on July 29, 2014, I was going to use the free video rental coupon in a 1998 phone book. I was going to bring the entire phone book with me, and tear out the coupon right in…

The next time you drink a Pepsi, you are actually consuming something called “Digestion Soda.” You may have seen an article going around saying: “Pepsi fans just realizing drink’s original name that ‘sounds like a rock album'”. I’ll save you…

Detailed close-up shots of the frog Grogu ate in "The Mandalorian"

If you’re looking for an alternative to Google, there are several options worth considering. Diverse Tech Geek, a well-respected technology blog, recently published a post titled “Google alternatives – 2024 edition” where he discusses a couple of notable search engines:…

The underlying message of this graphic is to caution people against sharing personal information through social media prompts. When read together, the answers form the phrase: "STOP GIVING PEOPLE YOUR PERSONAL INFO TO GUESS YOUR PASSWORD AND SECURITY QUESTIONS." However,…

Tomorrow is the day Idaho became a US state. If I had an Idaho flag, I would fly it. Especially since it’s the land of potatoes. But it’s the day before July 4th, so I would have to take down…

I was only scrolling on my homepage of Facebook. Then I got a message saying: You’re Temporarily BlockedIt looks like you were misusing this feature by going too fast. You’ve been temporarily blocked from using it. If you think this…

Do you have a friend or loved one who adores libraries? For their upcoming birthday, consider creating a unique and thoughtful gift by wrapping their present in custom-made wrapping paper featuring a design inspired by the date stamps found in…

Did you hear how the Empire State Building’s Twitter (X) account is picking fights with the Chicago Bean? Someone tweeted about the Chicago Bean reopening. The Empire State Building tweeted with a video saying sarcastically, “Clap if you care” Here…

We almost have a Full Moon and the Summer Solstice on the same day! The tricky part of matching up a Summer Solstice and a Full Moon is that the Summer Solstice changes days every year. 6/20 or 6/21 or…

"We are here on Earth to fart around, and don’t let anybody tell you any different." - Kurt Vonnegut. How embracing the joy in the ordinary moments, like a laid-back baseball game, can enrich our lives.