» On 1/26/2016 12:50:00 PM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
Today In Baird History. 

90 years ago today, on January 26, 1926, John Logie Baird demonstrated the first successful television. Today's Google Doodle commemorates the man and his invention. Articles:

Who invented the television? How people reacted to John Logie Baird's creation 90 years ago (+2 videos):
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/google-doodle/12121474/Who-invented-the-television-John-Logie-Baird-created-the-TV-in-1926.html

Who invented the mechanical television? A Scot!:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0126/Who-invented-the-mechanical-television-A-Scot

Who invented the mechanical television? Five facts you need to know about John Logie Baird:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/who-invented-the-mechanical-television-five-facts-you-didnt-know-about-john-logie-baird-a6834021.html

Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Logie_Baird

Back when Aaron Sorkin was starting to write The Social Network, he created a Facebook group as part of his research, and I was lucky enough to chat with him about JLB. Sorkin's play, The Farnsworth Invention, had just closed early on Broadway, and I scolded him for presenting Philo Taylor Farnsworth as the "inventor" of television. I said that John Logie Baird was always given that place of honor, in my family, even though we're probably not related to him. Sorkin replied with a line from his play:

DAVID SARNOFF: Now it’s 1921 and not a lot of people were thinking about electrons except the writers of comic books and the readers of comic books, one of whom was a kid from Indian Creek, Utah whose family had just moved to Rigby, Idaho to live on his uncle’s potato farm. If there are any Brits in the theatre they’re gonna start shouting John Logie Baird at me but they’re wrong. Baird didn’t have it. Neither did Nipkow or Ernst Alexanderson and neither did Vladimir Zworykin. I know they didn’t have it ‘cause I knew these men and Zworykin worked for me.

I graciously allowed him to prevail (mainly because it's practically impossible to win an argument with a master playwright like Aaron Sorkin), but I still think he's wrong. And that's why his little play failed. Nyah-nyah. ;-)

Pix.

 
» On 1/14/2016 11:30:00 PM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
Advantages Of Being Elderly. 

I recently turned 65, which is conventionally defined as the chronological age at which people are referred to as "elderly."

Other terms associated with this age: patriarch, golden-ager, senior citizen, retiree, pensioner, geriatric and old fart.

I have discovered there are a couple of advantages to being 65:

1) Senior discounts, which are graciously applied by pimply-faced workers at various fast-food joints. Emphasis on Graciously.

2) The "aggravated" enhancement for any class 2 felony. For example, if you had assaulted me last month, you'd have gotten 5 years in the slammer. But now, you'll get 12.5 years. Go ahead. Hit me.

 
» On 1/01/2016 03:30:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
I call ‪#‎dibs‬ on 2016. 

Go get your own year.

This one's mine. ;-)