Oh I forgot about that! I do enjoy art but am also fascinated by the solar system and earth. Did you know Earth is the densest planet in the solar system and also the largest of the four planets?


AND politicians are the densest matter on earth, sworn to turn politics in a horror production. And in 2010, the UN appointed an ambassador to extraterrestrials, in preparation for ET's next phone call. It all comes together...


lol, now that is a genius observation! I think you'd be a great writer for SNL's "weekend update" which is the longest running television show.


I'll only accept a position on SNL if you promise to be my co-writer!  Like the earth is slowly losing it's helium, all my hot air would escape without your gravitas.


You're extremely witty! Haha, now that second line sounds like something I would hear from Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory.


We shared a slide rule and pocket protector once upon a time. But what is time? If earth's history was condensed to one day, humans would represent only a little over a single minute, but a good joke will last forever!


Lol, you could fit all the planets in between earth and the moon and still have room left to spare.


The space between the planets is inhabited by radio waves carrying reruns of the 750 episodes of that immortal series, "Pokemon."


That beats the length of Home Simpson episodes which was a little over 400 episodes


Nice, and only one of those episodes failed to include any appearance or mention of Bart.  And the rest, is as they say, history. Chow my friend.


hey my friend do you like animals? apparently there are 20 quintillion animals on earth right now


ya I don't know how many 0's that is haha, but yes I guess domesitcated animals are more likely to develop white patches on their foreheads for some reason


Awesome! I heard there is a lawyer in Switzerland that represents animals in court, awesome!


wow thats interesting, I do love animals I should have become a zoologist!


Right! I love animals more than humans haha....animals have a dominant paw just like humans have a dominant hand! I didn't know that.


haha I agree with that, oh I didn't know that, also didn't know that hiccups are a leftover reflex from evolution back when animals had both lungs and gills haha


What! I didn't know that, kinda creepy!  I was reading on Reddit that there are some animals considered biologically immortal, interesting!


wow thats interesting, do you use reddit at all? I use that site almost every day


Yeah, I use it a lot. I heard the co founder of Reddit has a cat named Karma, awe!


haha I like that, ya reddit is huge, in just one year they had 150 million submissions and over a billion comments


Wow! That's insane, I knew Reddit was big but that's huge!


ya, it's also interesting that Peter Thiel, Snoop Dogg, and Jared Leto were some of the initial investors


Really? Wow, cool! I guess Reddit is ranked as the 3rd most visited site in the U.S....not surprising!


no not surprising at all, funny they have polls but only half a percent of people actually particiapte apparently


Crazy! People don't like to vote for anything lol. I read a lot of great stuff on Reddit about Football, and animals, pretty much anything!


ya I love the rarepuppers subreddit haha, and ya there is also a free online magazine that uses reddit as a source called The Redditor


Oh, cool! I didn't know that. And Reddit has been around since 05....I didn't know that!


ya thats a long time, funny how the first post on reddit was about how it was about to start going downhill, thats reddit for you haha


True! I was reading on Reddit that 14 of the 25 largest stadiums belong to college football teams! That's nuts!


yup that is crazy! Also crazy is the top scoring football game ever: 222-0, talk about domination!


WoW! I haven't heard about that. Ya know Snoop Dogg wrote the fight song for his son's HS Football team! Love it! It has been great chatting!!!


thanks its been fun, watch out for the patriots player though, he's never fumbled the ball!


Hello there what do you think of reddit.  Lot of people use it, like 542 million visitors.


I use it from time to time to get news and laugh at stuff.


It was actually founded by a couple of roommates named Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian around 2005 I believe.


In which country it is the  most popular ?


I would say the United States because around 60% of the userbase come from there.


Sure I read it for a couple of TV shows I watch, but I don't ever vote on it.  Less than 1% actually do lol.


Nor do I , don't post or vote. How much the company is valued ?


Good question, I believe it is around 2 billion now, not bad for a couple of roommates.  What do you read on it?


I read news, and video games new, I like the fact it an aggregator and I don't have to visit 10 websites.


Yes that is kind of neat, I read about football too, the US version.  There are so many sports called football one can get confused.


I don't follow any of them, I think Australian football is played on a non-rectangular field.


Yeah I believe it is called Australian rules football.  Kind of looks like rugby to me but what do I know.


So what kind of football do you follow ?


My favorite is college and I like the NFL too.  Times have changed since the 1960s when bowlers made more than pro football players thats for sure.


Things have changed indeed, 14 of the 25 largest stadiums belong to college football teams.


That is interesting, in the university of Iowa


How big is the stadium at the university of Iowa ?


Sorry hit the enter key on accident.  I actually dont know that but they painted their visitors locker room pink.  Haha!


That is funny. Football is a big business in the US in Texas, there is a stadium for a high school football team that cost 60$ million to build.


Wow that is a lot and that is just highschool.  Gridiron football is super popular in the US so it makes sense.


It is strange that other kinds of football are not as popular.


Yes I guess not enough tackling or hitting, I don't know.  Thanks for the chat!


I do it a mass medium for advertising, entertainment, and news


I do. Their crew is really nice. They sent flowers to the south park guys after airing the family guy episode


Seems like they get along with each other. There is an episode of the Simpsons in which Bart doesnt appear or is mentioned at all


Its not surprising for a main character. I wonder what that episode is


I have no idea, its a rare episode there is only one. Did you ever watch Thomas the Tank Engine?


I did as a kid. I heard a lot of stars did some video acting for the character


Yeah the show has great narrators big names like Ringo Starr, George Carlin and also Alec Baldwin


Thats really cool. Amazing they werent just cameo parts either. 52 episodes each


The show required a lot of hard work that is a sure thing, did you also like Pokemon? many people do


Yeah I did watch that as a child as well. Crazy how long the show has gone on


Yeah its been more than 16 years straight, over 750 episodes so its been a long time


I do like horror films, did you know Stephen King was terrified of Bambi growing up


I wonder if thats where he draws in inspiration from


That could be his secret, still not a horror movie to me, poor bambi


If you need an "easy" way to lose weight, Watching horror film can help


I heard you can burn 180 calories per movie so that's a great way to lose weight I agree.


I wonder how they got away with hiding the fact they were filming a Horror from Danny


anyway its been great chatting with you friend.


Yeah, he did follow the creepy twin girls. You as well! have a good day!


Hello!  I do like animals and have a pet dog.  What about you?


I also have a dog!  Yes I love animals,  did you know that the loch ness monster is a protected species?


Wow!  I wonder what lengths Germany would go if "Nessie" was in that country since they actually gave legally guaranteed rights to animals.


I can't believe there in 20 quintillion animals!  How many zeroes is in quintillion?  I never even heard of that word lol.


That is crazy and obviously means a lot of 0s after that 20.  I bet there is a subreddit for about every species though.


Probably!  Only like half of the people on reddit actually vote!


Maybe if the elections were held on Reddit we would have better turnout?


Haha right!  Its funny that the first comment on reddit was a complaint!


Sounds about right!  At least it isn't all negative.  There is a subredit that actually summarizes the nicest things done on Reddit.


That's amazing!  It is good to hear nice things!  There is so much negative stuff online/social media.


I agree, but it's always nice when there is something heartwarming.  Like there is a dad who still takes a stuffed turtle to work that his daughter gave him.


Right!  i recently read about that,  really sweet!


I guess she was two and they thought it was a whale, but it 's still a great story.


I am a big fan.  I didn't get to watch all of the playoffs, but took in as much as I could this past weekend.  What about you?


No I hardly watch football,  unless its the niners or the super bowl.  I dont even know who is in the playoffs lol do you?


It's a little easier now because we are just down to four teams and both are the top seeds.  New Orleans and the LA Rams for the NFC; Kansas City and New England in the AFC.  Winner plays in the Super Bowl!


Oh ok awesome!  Did you know Benjarvus green ellis never fumbled in his nfl career?


That is an impressive achievement!  There aren't many that can claim that, but I do believe he is retired from the NFL now.


Hi There ! Looking forward to chat with You ! ;)


You too. Do you watch SNL? I heard Weekend Update was on the first show and is their longest running skit.


I used to did. Pretty funny but it got predictable ;)


I don't watch network TV anymore. I cut the cable. I don't even stream wifi. I just use my phone at the library to download shows off Prime and then watch them at home. So I have no cable, dish, or wifi bill. Do you watch the Simpsons? Homer has had 188 jobs since it started.


I cut the cable too and phone ( I use magicjack ) I just pay for the internet. I watched some episodes but I wasn't devoted fan. That's a lot of jobs ;) I don't remember him being rich tho ;) lol


I don't watch it either. I downloaded some new episodes of SNL from YouTube that were sometimes funny but my wife said the shows were stupid, not funny, and got mad whenever I watched it so I stopped. I love to read though. I like Stephen King, I heard he published over 58 novels.


I love Stephen King... ever since I've read "The Stand" I think he is a genius with beautiful imagination for creepy stuff ;) what's Your favorite book ?


Actually I read "The Stand" in college and that is still my favorite to this day. I can't believe he got over 60 rejection notices before his first short story was published. Did you know before becoming a writer he was a high school English teacher?


No I never knew that... I'm sure he was good at it. it... it.. I live "IT" as well ;)


Wow, you like the stuff I do. My first horror movie was "Carrie." It was rated R but I snuck in cause I was under 18. The last scene where the hand sticks out made me jump out of my seat and scream. That is my favorite film adaptation of his. He wrote so many books that he created the pen name Bachmann because he didn't want them to know he also wrote those.


that's so cool ;) did You see the new movie IT ? Did You like it ?


No, I don't go to movies anymore. I have a lot of hobbies. Did you see it in the theater? Any scene make you really scared? It's funny how King calls his dog "Thing of Evil."


I did went to theater ( and I never go) but "IT" has a special place in my heart ;) this kind of nostalgic feeling as I was watching this movie when I was a young boy many times :) and I love the first George scene ;) -  I never knew he is a dog person ;)


King was almost killed when he was walking along the road near his home. A guy driving his car turned back behind himself to do something with his dog and ran off the road into King. Ironically that guy died a few years later. I forget how. Maybe a heart attack.


You just don't mess with Mr. King.   ...and his dog ;) bad things will happen to You if You will ;) lol


Do you like the X-Men movies? I heard Patrick Stewart teaches drama classes in the UK.


I love the comic books and the movies too yes ;) Mr. Stewart is an amazing actor and I'm happy to hear he shares his genius with the young generation of actors... there is still hope ;)


Oh, about King again. I just learned he has sold more than 350 million copies of his books. That's larger than the population of the US. Did  you watch Stewart on Star Trek?


The old tv show You mean ? Was that "Generations" ? I'm not sure about the name but it was my favorite ST ;)  the new ST is good too tho ;)


I can't remember the name of the one he was on. But that is the favorite version of Star Trek of the new ones they made. I grew up watching the original. "Dammit Kirk, I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer" is one of my favorite lines as well as "Beam me up Scotty."


lol ;) I'm totally with You on that one ! ;) Watch the new one "Discovery" it's really good ! Hey thx for a great chat !


I have an article on North Korea, what about you?


Mass Games. surprised 100000 people all worked together for it


I know! 100,000 people doing something together. He must have some hold on them.


like being supreme leader. but hey they set a new world record for largest gymnastic display


I wonder what happens if they don't want to participate?


they never participate in anything again, life included


Oh my gosh. I see this bit.."choreographed as it may have been, it was a stunning display of fervor that evoked chilling reminders of the mass rallies of the Third Reich


was literally re-reading that part, how scary to be there and see what looks like the rise of nazism again.


It just gives me chills. I wouldn't want to go to North Korea. Are Americans even allowed to go there?


we do have people go there. madeleine albright went to the previous mass games.


Trump is going too. I meant regular citizens.


speaking of presidents, did you see the first president of zimbabwe was called president banana. how odd, i wonder why


That is weird! The president of indonesia has released 3 pop albums while in office


i was thinking about if trump did that it would be a huge record size album, golden with huge block letters of trump on the front


You are absolutely right! And he loves how North Korea is managed.


i wonder if babies would spontaneously start dancing to the indonesian president's albums


i know riight, i havent spent alot of times around babies so i would like to actually see them just start dancing out of the blue, like little crazy people


That would be fun! did you see the price for tickets to that Mass game? $115 to 915


I don't have that much to pay to go! Tv For me!


i wont even catch it there either, i might be lucky and see a stream of it online though


i dont even own a tv. only thing close i have is this laptop. i havent watched tv since mid 90s


we live way out in the country. once the kids left, we went to laptops too. I love it. obviously you do too!


im way out there too. 45 mins from the nearest town. its great, well have a good holiday thanks for the conversation


Hey how are you, you a big Stephen King fan by chance?


I love Stephen King, his horror genre keeps me on my toes, you?


Me too, he's such a good writer, always guessing. Is the show Castle Rock based off his books?


I have never heard of that one, I will have to check that out. I like the shining, the mist, and pet semetary as my favorites. Also it!


For sure, the ending of The Mist movie was so crazy, Stephen King said he wish he would have thought of it when he wrote the book.


SO crazy! I remember thinking no way, there is no way! lol! Do you watch much television?


I do , mainly on netflix and amazon though.


Me too, netflix. Family guy once did an episode on stephen king


What was that episode all about? I bet it was pretty funny right?


I think it was his stories using family guy characters and then maybe one story about stephen kings life. It was interesting


Oh wow, I'm not sure if that would be funny or scary. He was scared of the movie Bambi, I don't know how he could compared to the stuff he makes now .


Right, I heard he thought Bambi was a horror movie. That must have terrified him so much!


For sure, do you call Television TV, tele, or telly? I never knew the right word for it.


I call it TV or television. I watched that 70s show that was successful in america and not the remake that bombed in the UK. Ever seen either?


That is what I have heard too. I never knew that Ringo Starr, George Carlin, and Alec Baldwin all narrated Thoams the Tank Engine for 52 episodes.


they did!? I used to love that show. I need to go back and watch them and see if i notice who is narrating.


For sure, did you know Bart was in every single episode of the Simpsons? That is nuts


I think there was one out of the many that he didn't appear in, or wasn't even mentioned. I am trying to think of the one, but can't remember the title


You ever watch house? You see Hugh Laurie's salary per episode of House?


I used to be all about House back in the day. What was his salary?


It was 700,000. I wish we got that on mturk, only 699998 left to go! I am going to log off though, you have a great rest of the night. Great chatting with you!


lol me too! It was so great chatting with you. Have a great weekend!


I know the article is good but "home buyers who focus on their personal finances are going to be the winners, because they will have the means to make fast, substantial offers"... no duh!


I know, right? We also know that mortgage lenders have strict guidelines before lending people money to buy a house.


Yeah. Millenials, am I right! Their You Tube too.... Youtube is the second largest search engine on the net.


What is the largest search engine on the net?


That's ok. Justin bieber's "baby" is the most disliked video on youtube. It's like that...


I do not watch Bieber on Youtube but I heard about it before.


Police actually have their own youtube called blutube, where they share law enforcement videos. Hopefully it makes them better police...


I need to visit the site.  Is it blutube.com?


I think so. I hope it is useful for you.


It would be interesting. I wonder what types of law enforcement videos we can see on blutube.


I am not sure but I hope it brings peace to those who need it. Speaking of police... radios... According to canadian law, all radios are required to have at least 40% of the music played be canadian.


Wow, that is unusual.  They want to protect their culture, I think.


Yeah. They have a similar rule for canadian football.


I do not understand since Canadian culture is close to that of the US. What are they trying to protect?


Their values and their culture. They do not want the US invading their culture much like some people would like to put up a wall to protect our culture...


I see.  What other entertainment types are they trying to regulate?


There's a lot but they are all too political for me.... So I stick to the sidelines.


Since we talk about entertainment, I heard that ronald reagan was rejectected for a movie role?


A lot of them. He was a lifeguard for the Skokie Park District. Failed a lot...


Are you talking about Ronald Reagan, our former president?


Yes, yes I am. I recently read his biography and it was in there.


I see.  The reason why I mentioned it is because he tried to get a presidential role and the movie producer indicated that he did not look presidential enough. I think it was funny since he later on became our president.


Yeah, he struggled in Hollywood for the first few years.


I heard.  I have to run.  It was nice talking to you.


Hi. Do you like Star Wars? A new Hope released back in 1977 is a real classic in my opinion.


More of a fan when I was a kid, watch the new ones with my son now.


Oh nice yeah those are good too. The voice of Darth Vader in the original movie was only paid $7500. I can't believe that.


I don't think anyone knew how big the movies were going to be, he was probably happy with the money at the time, maybe not so much now.


Yeah agreed. Hopefully he got more. Star Wars was also the first major film to be dubbed in Navajo!


The actual actor, David Prowse, who is in the costume thought they were going to use his voice and was upset when they didn't.  He has a very regional British accent, it would not have sounded the same.


Oh wow I didn't know that. Very cool. I also find it very funny that 20th Century Fox thought Star Wars was going to flop.


The last Star Wars movie I saw was at a drive-in, never been to one before, not sure I like watching movie in my car.


Oh wow that's so cool. Yeah it would take some getting used to. I love the drive thru though! Glad Mcdonalds had that vision back in 1975!


When we get self driving cars we could do everything in the car, eat, drink, sleep and work.


Yeah that's going to be amazing. I wonder if self driving cars will have trunks. The trunk is called that because old cars used to have wooden trunks on the back.


Difficult to see an ultra modern Google self driving car having a wooden trunk on the back.


Yes my thoughts exactly ha ha. Do you know that Cadillac was named after a French explore Antoine De la mothe Cadillac who founded Detroit?


I associate the Detroit car industry as an all American entity, surprising it has a French heritage.


Yeah very surprising indeed my friend. If you live in South Africa, go ahead and put flamethrowers on your car because it is legal!


Wow, that would make for an interesting rush hour and road rage incidents.  I could it being helpful in snowy conditions like I have here.


Yes indeed! I bet 9-1-1 would get lots of call if that happened in the USA. Everyone has iphones these days. They are so powerful!


It feels like a waste that we use so much power to take selfies all the time.  We still call them phones but they ar so much more and are rarely use to make telephone calls.


Agreed. There are cables running across the ocean so we can make calls! Well on landline phones that is!


I'm guessing you can keep all the information contained in one phone book on a iphone.  Do phone books still exist?


Surprising that they do. I want to try to separate them with their pages overlapped lol. It was great conversing with you. Have a good day now.


You too, it was good talking to you.  Bye.


No I don't,  did you know When caesar visited britain, around 50bc, he noted that its people bred chickens not for food, but for entertainment


That is interesting. These days most people entertain themselves by watching tv or playing video games. The first nintendo entertainment system could only display 54 colors.


The nintendo entertainment system could display only 54 colors


Apparently the Nintendo Entertainment System was only discontinued in September of 2003.


Ronald reagan was once rejected for a movie role because an entertainment executive didn't think he had "that presidential look."


That is funny. Speaking of looks, Bill Nye the Science Guy was discovered because he won a Steve Martin lookalike contest.


I never really thought of him looking like Steve Martin!


lol really?  This is interesting and very considerate: Mcdonalds' added drive-thru in 1975 to accommodate soldiers who were not allowed to get out of their cars while wearing their fatigues.


That's really cool of them. Though it has made us as a society much lazier!


Yeah,  I'm thankful though!  It helps a lot if you have kiddos!  lol I'll admit I'm lazy.


Do you play car racing video games? James Mardenborough became a professional race car driver when he beat 90,000 people in the video game gran turismo.


No I actually don't.  That's crazy!  The trunk of your car is called that because old cars used to have wooden trunks on the back.


That's funny. I wonder if theft was an issue.


Maybe,  trunks can be really heavy though lol


I just wondered if anyone would crack them open.


It is legal in south-africa to equip your car with flame-throwers to prevent carjacking.


Hmm, that is interesting. I wonder if they work to prevent highjacking.


It's interesting how much we rely on cars. It seems before 1908 that cars were not really available to the masses.


hey do you ever wear costumes? like for instance during halloweeN?


I'm not really a costume person. How about you?


no I only do it for Halloween personally, but I guess panda research scientists will wear panda costumes for work haha


An odd job requirement. A Scottish man dresses up in a homemade giraffe costume and performs random acts of kindness. Why a giraffe?


ha that is werid, did you see lord of the rings? I guess Sean Bean was afraid of flying so he would hike to the locations in his full costume


That's a tough phobia to have these days, but I guess it got him in shape. Hugh Jackman walked around Comic Con wearing his full wolverine costume, and nobody noticed.


haha thats cool, whats nice is johnny depp will travel as Jack Sparrow and visit sick kids in hospitals


Jack Sparrow! Great character. Johnny loves kids. Bob Denver allowed Make-a-wish kids to rescue him from an island while he was wearing full Gilligan costume.


ha thats awesome, I think dogs are good for sick kids, are you more of a dog or cat person?


yeah me too, and apparently google literally prefers dogs to cats, its in their code of conduct


Cats are probably pretty hard to control in an office environment. Dogs can learn over a thousand words and can reason better than chimps. I wonder how dogs compare to cats in that way.


wow that is cool, and ya I never knew that dogs weren't actually colorblind, everyone always says they were


They see fewer colors. I think they would need color to do what they do. Their sense of smell is quite keen.


ya it is, and so is their thinking, dogs and elephants are the only animals that can respond to pointing


Elephants are clever about language as well. They can recognize when people speak different languages. I don't think they could use the subway like some dogs in Moscow.


wow thats cool, also cool is that there are 12 dog blood types and people do dog blood drives!


I wonder how they distract the dogs to get the needle in them


thats a good point, and I wonder if they give them a cookie or treat after!


I really enjoyed chatting with you tonight! Have a great night, and enjoy wearing costumes! You could dress up as Trump!


haha we shall see! Great talking to you and make sure to pet a dog they are man's best friend!


I am great.  Have you seen the movie "White Boy Rick"


Yes, it is, and all of it is true.  It starts Matthew McConaughey and Richie Merritt, who play father and son.


I've heard about it.  I've heard it is depressing.


It is depressing and entertaining.  It has drugs, sex and gunrunning,  plus a main character whose neck-deep involvement in all those activities - while still a teenage


Goodness, that's crazy.  Sounds like a brutal movie in the Detroit black underworld.


Taking its title from the nickname bestowed on the younger Wershe by some members of Detroit's black underworld, "White Boy Rick" covers a span of only three to four years


Yes, it is. The screen writers were Andy Weiss, Logan Miller and Noah Miller.


Never heard of them.  I read it's entertaining in an unsavory way.


Changing topics a little, did you know that When caesar visited britain, around 50bc, he noted that its people bred chickens not for food, but for entertainment


No, I sure didn't but that's an interesting piece of information.  Louis Braille create the braille system for the blind.


I didn't know that.  I did know that Bill nye "the science guy" got his break in entertainment by winning a steve martin lookalike contest.


yes, I thought it was also. Also, Ronald reagan was once rejected for a movie role because an entertainment executive didn't think he had "that presidential look."


Haha, what an idiot they turned out to be.  Andrew Johnson never attended school.


He didn't, that is interesting.  On another note, Jim carrey doesn't make dramas any more because his belief system prevents him from playing in movies that don't project positivity


Haha, that's interesting as well.  He was hilarious in the 90s.


Yes, well, thank you so much for chatting.  Have a HAPPY HOLIDAY.


Hey! Do you play Nintendo at all? Hard to believe they just discontinued the original NES in Japan in 2003. I still remember getting mine in 1985!


I loved the original Nintendo. I can't believe Japan produced them that long. That's surprising. Did you also know that for a documentary a company will be excavating the famous atari game landfill?


I've actually seen that documentary! They find the ET games, believe it or not. It wasn't an urban legend after all.


Oh wow! I had always heard about that but did not know if it was true or not. Now I do.


The original NES could only display 54 colors. Didn't stop me from playing the heck out of some Zelda though.


I played a lot of that also. I just loved that system. Speaking of games, did you know that Blizzard gives swords and shields to its five and ten year employees?


Nice! That's hilarious. Wonder how much a ten year employee makes at Blizzard? Hugh Laurie from the TV show house made $700k and episode!


It has to be a lot. I did not know that Hugh Laurie made that much for House! Did you know that Jon Hamm taught drama at his old high school?


I bet he was a great teacher. Michael Caine became an actor because all the prettiest girls in his school were in drama. Haha. Smart kid.


Ha ha, I'm not surprised. Shockingly one of Jon Hamm's students was Ellie Kemper from The Office!


That's cool. Jim Carrey only makes movies or shows that project positivity now, because of his belief system. Wonder how his artwork plays into that?


That's a good question. I was just thinking that his art is pretty dark and that new show on Showtime he has looks pretty depressing overall.


Yeah, agreed. Here's an interesting tidbit -- CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien had "You Laugh, You Lose" contests when reading bad poetry. That would have been awesome to hear!


That's crazy to imagine them together. I did not realize they were writing at the same time. Did you know that silently reading is a recent phenomenon?


I admit, as a writer I read aloud A LOT. Speaking of reading, the world record for speed reading is 4700 word per minute. Say what now?!


I don't know how you would comprehend anything reading that fast. Apparently everyone used to read out loud and only the most skilled could read silently.


In the 18th century there was a moral panic because of the rise of novels. Oh, the horror!


Really? It seems it's always something. Books then, music when I was a little kid, video games when I was a teenager, TV and movies always apparently.


Starship Troopers is the only novel on three military branch reading lists. Wonder if they have to watch the movie too? Hope not.


What a strange choice. I know there is a military but they are also fighting giant bug creatures so I wonder why that book?


Haha. No idea. Maybe it has something to do with battling fascists? I know the story is an allegory about fascism.


Possibly, seems like they could have picked other war related books. There is certainly no shortage of them.


Hey there what do you think about Kanye West?


I think Kanye needs to see a mental health professional, as those around him are not giving him the help he needs. That "dragon energy" bit was bizarre, but he was on to something with that hydrogen power that everyone glossed over.


Haha yes he definitely says lot of bizarre things. I think that he even believes AIDS is a man-made disease. He certainly has a lot of unconventional opinions.


I honestly think the Kardashian/Jenner women made him that way. He wasn't like that before he got with Kim. I don't understand why he  is a trump supporter.


yes theres a lot I don't really understand about him, but he seems like he can be a nice guy, he once gave his microphone to a fan of his at a concert, that fan was in a wheelchair


That on again, off again fued with Taylor Swift is odd. One would think they would resolve their differences.


Yes they should just ignore each other. What do you think about the fact that of the top 10 most successful songs ever Kanye West gold digger is the only one written in a minor key


I don't know much about his music. I do know that he was sued by Evil Kneivel.


No I didn't know that. Do you know why that happened? That's so weird


Something to do with damage to his reputation, over the "touch the sky" video. I don't know exactly what happened.


Well that's weird. what do you think about rapping in general? Do you think that Tupac Shakur's music should be in the Library of Congress


I adore Tupac. I cried when he was killed. Have you heard of the deaf rapper who raps in sign language?


No I didn't hear about that. I wonder if I would be able to understand him though? I did hear that in Korea they do a compliment battle instead of a rap battle


I heard about that too I would like to hear some of that. I think it's hilarous that McDonalds pays rappers for each time they mention Big Macs in a song.


That is pretty funny. They should just make a song that is constantly saying the word"Big Mac"LOL


I wonder if anyone did? Childish Gambino got his name from a Wu Tang name generator. That is the crunchiest thing every.


Well it is a strange name so that would make sense haha. Did you ever see the 1998 Rugrat movie? Apparently Busta Rhymes does the voice of Reptar LOL that's so weird


I have not, but I heard about it. I guess the singer of the pokemon theme also rapped on a Michael Jackson song.


Wow I didn't know that. I also didn't know that Eminem loves Spider-Man as a kid, definitely would have thought he liked Batman or something


I would have thought he was a Captain America fan. It's interesting that the last president to speak a foreign language fluently, was FDR


Yes that is interesting but almost sad too. I think it's also sad that the president of Indonesia made three pop albums, you think you could use his time better than that


No, not really. I don't know it. I prefer melody and harmony. You?


I'm like you.  I kind of like Eminem though.  In 2001 a Michigan judge delivered her verdict to him in the form of rap.  I thought that was funny.


I think she was trying to be cool.  Rapper Tupac Shakur's music is in the library of congress of cultural significance. What do you think of that?


That's pretty neat.  Korean rappers invented a new type of freestyle rap called "compliment battle".  That sounds funny. lol


I think that is reflective of Korean culture. Show respect. Be courteous, even when you spitting mad fire yo.


I like that concept.  Before he became a rapper Eminem wanted to be a comic book writer.  Interesting.


I think he could do that now with all the money that he has. He could start his own company M&M Comix.


That's funny stuff! LOL  Switching topics...do you many facts about the president?


I know a bit. I know that Trump is not the wealthiest.


I believe it. Before he was president the top 3 wealthiest were JFK, Washington, and Jefferson.


Those guys had land, or came from a family with money.


Hahhaha  You're not lying either!  I would say let Banana but that's already been taken by the first president of Zimbabwe. lol


The US presidents guest house is larger than the White House.  I don't think Trump has anything to do with that though.


Is that true? I wonder when the guest house was built. Why would it be bigger?


I'm not sure.  Maybe to treat visitors top notch.  I watched a documentary on Obama and I was surprised to find out that everything that goes on in the White House the president has to pay for himself right down to the food they eat.  I always thought that stuff was paid for by tax dollars.  I was wrong.  Up until 1805 the US runner up in the presidential elections would automatically become vice president.  That wouldn't work now.


The presidency in the US is not as nice as people think. I figure that old style system would make for some laughs and interesting photo ops.


Switching up things...do you follow Kanye West at all?


Who would win that battle? I do not follow Kanye.


I don't know who would win.  ..and HAHAHAHAHA  I know Kanye can be out there doing odd things...he once did an SNL skit mocking himself for interrupting award shows.


Kanye can be unpredictable. Anyway, great chat!


Good, did you know that only one of Kayne's top 10 songs is in a minor key?


Me either, pretty crazy that he did a skit for interrupting shows before he actually did it.


What a wacko! He thinks AIDS is man-made.


The president of Indonesia is apparently a pop star as well as president.


The first president of Zimbabwe was called President Banana. Seems appropriate...


I didn't know that Eminem wanted to be a comic book artist before he was a rapper.


Did you know the guest house is bigger than the white house?


Interesting, although it wouldn't surprise me. The White House is a pretty old building.


Did you know Rapper Busta Rhymes voiced the raptor Wagon in the 1998 rugrats movie?


I did not. Tupac's music is in the library of congress because of its cultural significance.


I know, that is a fairly old topic. I remember when they put it in the library.


Have you heard of the compliment battle?


I think it is a rap battle, but I'm not sure. I've never heard one.


I have not either. I guess it originiated in Korea.


It seems like something that would originate over there. It's an interesting country.


No, I have never had the desire. Amazing that some of the griot traditions can be traced back to Egyptian practices.


I do listen to rap on occasion. How about you, do you like rap?


I like older 90's rap though.  Hammertime haha.  What a great style between speech and singing.


Yeah!!! Me too, I use to listen to LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes.


Great!  Do you know what LL Cool J stands for?


In all honesty I don't. I was wondering what is rap usually associated with?


Ladies Love Cool James haha.  Rap is associated with hip hop.


Oh! Thanks, I didn't know. What is the earliest precursor to modern rap?


Yes you're right!!! Yes it was a tradition that goes way back to ancient Egyptian practices which is really amazing.


That is farther back than I thought.  I though Mohammad Ali was rapping when he spoke to the media!


Yes, you're correct!!! Muhammad Ali was using verbal taunts in a rap format I believe. Am I right?


For sure!!! He was so quick witted.  He would have done well free style rapping.


I agree!!! Do you listen to Eminem at all?


Yes another wordsmith.  Though he wanted to be a comic book writer at first.


Yes, I agree. Do you happen to know who his favorite superhero was?


Ha Ha!!! I think one of the best rappers out there is Kanye West.


Kanye is so popular right now...resposible for cultural movements


I agree. He is really talented and I also read somewhere that he gave his mic to a fan in a wheelchair at a concert of his.


I saw that!  Really neat.  Nice to speak to you. Take care


Thanks. It was very nice chatting with you as well!! Have a nice night!!


I honestly don't know that much about him. Rap isn't really my kind of music but he seems like a fascinating person.


Yeah, he keeps people guessing! Did you see that SNL skit where he made fun of himself interrupting award shows?


No I didn't. I heard he actually did that years before he interuppted Taylor swift though?


Yeah!  I wonder if he saw that skit as permission to keep doing it?  Or maybe he just doesn't care...lol


I'm going to go out on a limb and say he doesn't care. I mean when Kanye is tweeting in support of Trump he is doing things for the ratings.


You think he does it for the ratings?  I always thought he just doesn't care what people think and does what he wants!  I hear he likes Trump's "Dragon Energy", that made me LOL


Wow that is just bad. The whole tweet with the MAGA hat smells like a publicity stunt to me. Our government is a popularity contest though.


That's so true, and so frustrating!!  I once read that Kanye is a contrarian, so he supports Trump because most Black Americans don't support him.


That is just a ridiculous position. It is like a child doing the opposite of what the parents says simply because they said it. I wonder if his attitudes contribute to his popularity and success?


That could be, I don't really understand why famous people become famous, it all doesn't make sense to me!  I don't listen to his music but I heard he's played with soul, pop, electro, indie rock, industrial, gospel, etc.  I think it's kinda cool that he's at least playing with different styles - maybe trying to understand and appreciate them - and not just sticking to rap.


Wow that is a lot of styles! He does really have a talent. I mean who doesn't know Gold digger? I love that it is in a minor key. It really makes it stand out.


Yes, and considering with was one of the top ten most successful songs of all time, you think he would produce more music in the minor key...maybe that's what makes it so good?


Maybe. He does seem to have a really sweet side like when you see him with his kids or when he gave that mic to the fan in the wheelchair.


Yes, for me he is one person who evokes a whole sea of emotions!  I don't know if I should like, hate, or be disgusted by him!  Did you know that in the Library of Congress they have some of Tupac's music?


They keep it for cultural significance don't they? I could see that. He changed the face of music and will always be remembered.


That's true, he's remembered for Rap like Elvis is remembered for Rock and Roll.  One rapper that I've listened to a little over the years is Eminem.  Before he was a rapper he wanted to be a comic book artist!


He is quite the jack of all trades when it comes to art. I wonder what he thought of that Michigan judge that rapped to him in her verdict. That would have been hilarious to see.


That would be hilarious!  I hope he got a kick out of it, I know I would!!


I would too. Did you ever watch rugrats as a kid? I guess Busta Rhymes was the voice of Reptar. I never would have guessed that.


I did watch it, but I don't remember Reptar...I guess I should look it up!  I have to get going, it was good talking with you...have a great day!


I love football my favorite team is the miami dolphins whats yours?


Mine is the Cincinnati Bengals. Do you follow any quarterbacks?


Yes!! I love Cam Newton which is your current favorite quarterback in the league?


I really love Mahomes and am curious to see how he does in the NFL. He's a beast.


Who are you hoping wins the superbowl this year?


I really want to see the Saints go. What about you?


Definitely the saints if the chief win I wouldn't be too mad though they deserve it.


Yep, I like the Chiefs as well. The Rams too. Did you know Baker Mayfield once considered quitting football to pursue competitive gaming? He really likes Halo lol.


Lol imagine a huge athletic talent like that winning a video game championship while also holding a superbowl ring


Haha yea that would be funny. I heard that the huddle derived from a quarterback who was deaf and used the circular huddle to hide his hand signals.


Thats actually a very intelligent tactic for him to come up with he changed history and the way plays are made with that idea.


I love them I love tropic thunder and superbad and pineapple express.


Yes, those are all very funny movies. I didn't know that Demetri Martin was accepted into Harvard but didn't go out of boredom and wanted to chase a career in comedy.


Demitri martin is the best the comedian bert kreischer talks about him on his podcast on youtube and he said he was very generous and he would take lesser known comics on tour with him to give them a chance at performing in front of huge crowds


That's pretty cool. I also love Bill Murray.


Have you ever seen caddyshack or groundhog day?


I love both of those movies. They are so funny.


They're classics a lesser known movie of his is Where the buffalo roam, where he plays the crazy journalist hunter s thompson


Have you ever galloped on a horse? Icelandic horses have a fifth speed, a tolt, that is like speedwalking.


I meant to say horses are ok.  Hit the enter key by mistake.  No, I have never ridden a horse.  I like the idea that horses have speeds.


Lipizzaner horses are known for their classical dressage performances. Interestingly enough, they are born with dark fur and take six years to turn completely white.


Horses were domesticated in 4000 BC.  Dogs were domesticated first.  I would rather have a dog than a horse.


I think I'd like a horse so I could ride them like Clint Eatwood does in many of his movies.


Do you think Clint Eastwood ever tickled his horse?  How about his orangutan from every which way but loose?  Sharks, horses and orangutans are ticklish.


Ha, interesting. Wonder if they could be calmed by a dalmatian. Dalmatians are associated with firefighteres because they calmed and protected the horses.


I find a good bottle of wine helps me calm down.  Do horse drink wine?


Andrew Jefford things thatthere is a common philosphy that defines wine lovers. I don't like the taste of wine myself.


The British guy that writes for decanter.com?  I bet most people that write about wine are biased towards wine.  Andrew was  searching for something "pithy" to say.


He calls his outlook Wineism and says it's a progressive view that embraces tolerance and inclusion.


There is little wrong with that.  It would seem that the wine trade is important.  It promotes cross cultural ism. Enjoy different wines, like horses.


Yeah, he says that wine lovers have a generous spirit and have an international outlook, celebrating differences.


Trade will do that to you.  So will drinking wine.  Do both at once and you will meet lots of new people, cultures.


Right, like differences from vintage, place of origin, grape variety.


I personally do not feel compelled to support a cause when I purchase wine.  Some vineyards do support causes, like fighting heart disease, or the national geographic society.


Yeah, if I picked wine it would have to be for the taste.


So, a wine that donates to environmental causes could claim the environment is what creates the taste.  Wine writers go on and on about taste.  Maybe eco friendly wine is OK.


Interesting! I'll have to look into that further. Have a good day!


Did you hear about Duke Ellington School of the Arts in DC and its $180 million remodel? That's a lot, but it sounds like a good school.


I did not hear about that. I was more interested in the scandal.


Yes, I heard some non-resident parents send their kids their without paying tuition. How did they get away with that?


It is the old dictomy public school is bad until they do something right.


98% graduation rate sounds great, and they have some successful alums like Dave Chappelle.


I like the longer hours and work ethic. American kids are too lazy these days and need to be pushed to compete with the world.


That's how you get people like Google's founders founding the company when they were still grad students at Stanford.


Yes I wish I was the netfix founders. I must have had several 100 of late fees for tapes and dvds.


Give Netflix credit for recognizing the future was streaming, not DVD rentals. A lot of companies don't change with the times.


I totally agree, Hollywood video did not transition and lost. Sort of like Uber vs Taxi drivers, that however seems different.


Blockbuster also screwed up. They could have bought Netflix for $50 million; it's now worth 40 times that.


Its interesting to note that all of Netflix tech is run on Amazon Web Services. Another company that transitioned to a profitable product while selling books cost more money than they were making.


I wonder if young people even know that Amazon was first a book store? Sort of like how Google is moving beyond searches into cloud computing, software, etc.


And yet Google used Goats to mow the grass around their headquarters. Some things cannot be replaced like goats as lawnmowers or a paperback book in your hands.


Or Pokemon on TV. That shows been on forever.


I did not know that south park made family guy and why did the simpsons send flowers to the producers.


I think South Park aired an episode making fun of Family Guy, and The Simpsons crew sent flowers because they agreed with the sentiment.


Was the 70's show verbatim made in UK done with English actors? I can see how that would not traslate well in the UK.


I am not sure why it's necessary to remake between US and UK. I mean, Ringo Starr narrated Thomas the Tank engine. Americans can handle British personalities, and vice versa.


Yes but that 70's show was so America specific. And to have Brits do it would seem a strange parody.


True. I know they have Netflix in Britain. I'd be curious as to how much content is the same as in the States, and how much is different.


So if a single google search requires more computing power than what was needed to go to the moon, where should we now be going? And are we just killing ourselfs with worthless computing (facebook etc).


I'm not sure people want to go anywhere any more, except on their computers. Youtube and Netflix account for half of internet traffic.


Sad, we could have been to Mars by now, but people are just introvering themselfs. I am just waiting for the aliens to take over. Wont take much.


Unless the Aliens are like us: more focused on entertainment than exploration!


Exactly, but god help us if they are more Klingon like. All we need its aliens who are slightly more advanced and outgoing.


They could use Google Maps to help plan their military attack. Track our devices to figure out where we are.


But then we could beam Netflix to their ships and render them unconcious due to binging.


MAybe that's what China is doing to us, LOL. China doesn't have Netflix.


But if we take Google down then we free up 40% of the web traffic and people will start reading real books again.


I don't trust Google. They tailor their maps to what countries want to hear. Maybe they'd end up working for invading space aliens.


I think they do stuff like use goats in order to appear quirky and fun, but they are a huge conglomerate now. Alphabet Inc. now. But that sounds faceless, so they like to be known as Google.


I agree, and wish that I had bought stock way back when.


If you could have gotten "supervoting" shares you could call the shots there, like Page and Brin do.


Interesting that the 70's show was remade verbatim in the UK.


Yeah,  but I didnt know England even had the 1970s... I guess that is why it was canceled after only 10 episodes.


I was unaware that it was on over there as well. It was sort of better for the U.S.


I don't recall ever seeing the Queen wearing bell bottoms... My hat's off to them for trying! Like the nod given by the crew of the Simpsons to the South Park crew for airing a Family Guy finale episode! Gotta respect that!


I was unaware that there was only one episode of the Simpsons where Bart neither appears nor is mentioned.


Yeah I was like, all "where is Bart? Was he erased or replaced on the program?" Media is fickle that way. Like for "Thomas the Tank Engine", it was narrated by Ringo Starr, George Carlin, and Alec Baldwin, each with at least 52 turns.


I'm not sure if you can view the Simpsons on netflix nowadays.


Yeah, but there are over 750 episodes of "Pokemon" to keep us busy!


I'm not sure if Pokemon is on Netflix. Crazy how Reed Hastings decided to start the company.


He is quite the character. He has built it to the point where 33% of all bandwidth in NOrth America is dedicated to Netflix between the hours of 9pm to midnight!  That's crazy!


Crazy that blockbuster declined to buy Netflix too.


Yeah! It was a steal at $50 million back then, and now it's worth over 2 billion!


It looks they made the mistake, I think blockbuster is completely out of business now.


Good. I was worried about late fees on a VHS I still have. LOL


Hilarious, it sounds like a similar thing happened to Reed Hastings.


Now Netflix and YouTube together account for half of peak internet traffic in North America. I wonder if the rest is Amazon Prime video??


I bet it probably is, Google would likely know from their search business.


Google is probably suspicious of Netflix, since Netflix spends 20-times more on postage than on bandwidth. Google is jealous!


I'm sure google is a bit jealous, but they do have youtube!


Nice. Answer me this: if a single Google search requires more computing power than it took to send 12 astronauts to the moon, why does all the Youtube footage of the moon landing look fake?  The footage on NEtflix looks real!


Yeah, that's pretty crazy. When google went down for 5 minutes, it took 40% of the web traffic with it.


Ah, she's a jealous thing she is. She once chose to forego use of human lawnmowers and chose to use goats instead to mow the headquarters property. Google is a vindictive woman.


Interesting concept. It was made by 2 Phd students.


Do you know the founding story behind Netflix? One of the guys ran up a late fee, and was so disgusted that he started netflix!


No, I didn't know that!  Funny that Blockbuster could have bought Netflix and didn't


For the tiny price of $50 million. I guess Blockbuster thought they could recreate Netflix on their own. Now there is no more Blockbuster.


I didn't realize that Netflix and YouTube account for half of the internet traffic in North America


People love their television! I think it's just going to grow with higher resolutions and more shows available.


Yeah, it doesn't seem to have a ceiling.  They could probably stop spending so much on postage lol


I was surprised that they still spend money on postage. Who rents DVDs and Blueray when they can watch online? Maybe people with low bandwidth?


That's what I want to know! I think some things are not available for streaming, too


That would make sense. I wonder what company will come along and replace netflix. Perhaps they'll get acquired.


This makes you think: takes more computing poser to do a google search than it took to send astronauts to the moon


Google search has changed the world. Maybe it'll be important for faking the Mars landing! :)


yeah they could probably just CGI the whole thing and no one would ever know lol


The best graphics would be reserved for government conspiracy. They would stream the whole thing live over Netflix.


or YouTube.  They could get a ton of ad revenue from that


Then they could have an IPO for firms on Mars (that weren't really on Mars).


Google calculates traffic by tracking people's phones...that's a little scary


I think phones could be used to stop speeders. I would like there to be more auto-driving cars on the road. Probably safer than most people.


I agree.  People are not good drivers.  Too many looking looking at their phones


I would like to see more people use public transit, but I think people like the privacy and comfort of an individual vehicle.


That's true, plus people could save a ton of money.  It's just more convenient to have your own car.


A self-driving car with parental controls could deliver the kids to school, and pick them up at the end of the day.


I wonder if it could make them lunch too lol


Pick up lunch at the automated drive thru, deliver it to school.


I think you solved it lol.  then it could take them to soccer practice


Hello, did you know that Kristjen Nielsen is the US Homeland Security Secretary.


I was aware of that yes. She has held a lot of press briefings.


They were talking about smoking.  The government began there efforts to reduce smoking in 1964.  That is when the US government first acknowledged that smoking was harmful to health.


I know that most people smoked then but it's hard to believe that it was deemed harmful so recently. Apparently the smoking rate was cut in half by 2015.


Well that is good.  Speaking of our Government, did you know that in Nevada, the US government owns 86% of the land.


I was not aware of that. I wonder why. May a lot of protected lands. Nature preserves?


Probably I would guess.  I man in France sold the Eiffel Tower twice by impersonating a Government official.


I actually saw that story on TV once. I can't remember the show. Drunk History maybe. It was fascinating.


Yes it is.  I have a lot of respect for the Norwegian Government.  They donated $1 billion to help save the Amazon Rainforest.


That is amazing. What a great cause. I have a very ironic government fact. The Chinese government has censored the word censorship.


Really, I would expect no more from China.  I am also a huge tv and movie buff.  I love the Simpsons.  There is only one episode where Bart is neither seen nor mentioned.


I know he is very central to show but I'm surprised that has only happened once when it has been on the air for so long. Speaking of The Simpson, Daniel Radcliffe voiced the cartoon parody of Twilight's Edward Cullen on The Simpsons treehouse of horror xxi.


He did, that is cool.  My son use to love Pokemon.  There are more than 750 episodes.  That is about 50 shows a year for 16 straight years.


WOW! I knew the video games were still popular but I did not realize that the cartoon still was.


It just keeps going and going. My son also was a huge Thomas the Tank Engine Fan.  I know that George Carlin, Alec Baldwin, and Ringo Starr all narrated Thomas the Tank Engine for at least 52 episodes each.  That is pretty neat.


That is a very interesting fact. Speaking of longevity, Weekend Update debuted on the first episode of SNL and is their longest running skit.


I love SNL.  I didn't know that though.  Are you a big internet user.  I know I am.  Google has changed the industry.  I learned that it takes more computing power in a single google search than it did to send Neil Armstrong and 11 other Astronauts to the moon.  That is crazy.


I use the internet constantly. We stream all of our entertainment at this point. I am always shocked by how much data we can fit in smaller and smaller devices now. Like they have SD cards that hold more data than I thought possible at this point.


I am as well.  This is hilarious.  Google once used hundreds of live goats instead of hiring people to mow the lawns around their headquarters.


WOW! That seems like it would be more costly not less.


Well, thank you for the chat.  I will leave you with this.  Google had their IPO on August 19th, 2004.  That is my birthday.


Did you hear that the Norwegian government donated money to save the Amazon rainforest? I guess they've got cash to spare in Norway.


Not as a habit, no. More of a party smoker.


I always was too. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says the Anti smoking campaign has been a huge success.


I think the tobacco companies want people to consume a nicotine product, whether cigs or something else. Maybe the government can get behind an alternative.


That would be a good idea. The effort to reduce smoking in the United States began in 1964! I had no idea!


I think people suspected the health problems with smoking for a long time, but couldn't "prove" it. There is just so much money to be made from tobacco.


True. When the campaign began, doctors were still telling pregnant women that it was safe for them to smoke! Thanks doc!


I've heard that smoking during pregnancy can make your kid go cross-eyed. Doctors are a trusted source, so I understand why mothers would believe them.


me too, but really? I've seen a few crossed people. Maybe thats why!


The modern day equivalent of smoking is sitting. We sit all day in front of computers, and hurt our health.


Maybe if all we did was sit, yes.  the tech industry today operates in an unregulated environment.


That is going to change. too many people are upset by the use of their personal information. People want some privacy.


It looks like Government is getting ready to step in since they wont change on their own.


The scary part for me is the interference by foreign governments in our elections. I think that's tantamount to an act of war.


Thats what it says here. These voluntary efforts are failing to curtail the spread of disinformation, and sooner or later the tech industry will have to face the same FCC restrictions on content and advertising as traditional media - which would undoubtedly help to reduce the spread of erroneous reporting. Second, the messenger matters.


I agree. When you see something on a trusted internet source, you tend to believe it. Nowadays it's getting hard to know who to belielve.


Research shows that even truthful information will be dismissed by audiences if it doesn't come from a trusted source.


Is that true? Can I trust you on that? :)


I didn't know that Google went down for five minutes in 2013.


No, it doesn't. Probably there was a bug in the code. I'm skeptical about the fact that Google uses goats to mow its lawns. Can I trust the information that I'm reading here?


Actually you can! I did a report in college about it!


I wonder whether the goats do a good job.


They do. Google rents them from local farmers as a way to keep ticks and bugs down too. Did you know, . False information reaches people six times faster and is 70 percent more likely to be shared than a truthful story.


I'll remember that when I need to spread some false information! I've heard that a lie is halfway round the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.


Thats a good saying! And a good point to remember when trying not to gossip. Looks like we in the US are getting a National Risk Management Center.


Who is going to manage the Management Center though?


Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)


Well, I hope that they can track the hackers that have done some much harm to our democracy.


Thats what they want to do anyway. They want to  counter disinformation.


There are other entities working against the US gov't though. For example, Wikileaks published the government's plans to destroy wikileaks!


I know! The chinese government has censored the word 'censorship'


The Chinese government also doesn't like a picture that compares the leader to Winnie the Pooh. I am glad I do not live in that country.


Me too. The us government publishes the full names of anybody who chooses to renounce their citizenship!


Whoa! That is an interesting fact. I guess they want to scare people into thinking twice about renouncing.


I guess so! The government has actually shut down 17 times over the past 37 years. it happened 3 times in 1977.


That's a frustrating mess. I expect Congress to do better, though I don't know why. Somebody has to be the adult in the room?


You would think! J.p. morgan bailed out the u.s. government in 1895


Hm. That is a frightening possibility for the near future, with all the government debt. The govt bails out the banks usually.


This surprised me. Most deals made on the television show 'shark tank' are never enacted


That is misleading. I wonder whether there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the show. "The deals are just for entertainment purposes only."


Well, I need to go now. It's been great chatting!


Aretha Franklin's passing was quite a big deal from history, art, society, music on a lot of levels.


She was amazing. I heard her funeral was quite a production. She was carried in the same white cadillac that carried Rosa Parks and her father Rev. CL Franklin


Yes, I was surprised her father was still alive as she's pretty old. She'd been out of the spotlight recently, i'm sure old and ill health but the turnout showed her impact on everything.


I guess Bill CLinton was there and spoke, but Obama did not go.


Yes, Obama had Rev. Sharpton read which I guess is good and I can't imagine Clinton missing a chance to shine in public, though he seems to appreciate music and black culture so I'm sure he was moved too.


Thats true. I know Rev Jesse Jackson, Smoky Robinson and Isiah Thomas were there and spoke too. I guess her family was fairly prominent in Detroit even aside from her fame.


Yes, what also was amazing was the diversity of music figures, pop, blues, jazz, sould; add in politics, music, religious, civil rights you had a very wide and diverse influence who paid tribute.


It was interesting to hear the quotes from the people in the community that had known her since she was a child, like the funeral director there. SO often, I guess, you forget that big stars like Aretha were real people with normal lives and childhoods.


Yes, and the mix of dad as her preacher and her dad in the community and what and who she grew up around sounded like an amazing surreal childhood.


It does. She must have had a really interesting life. I can't even imagine what it must be like to be so famous.


That makes two of us,but who really could imagine her life. Ironic and beautiful too she was carried in the same 1040 Cadillac that carried Rosa Parks, Daid Ruffin and Rev. CL Franklin. History and current all intertwined.


Right. lifestyles of the rich and famous. Did you know that Lou Reed put on a whole concert just for dogs? I like dogs but stars are nuts.


Haha, my wife loves dogs and will probably look  for the album if it exists after I tell  her. I think her influence on race was shown in all the athletes who attend, that surprised me.


I guess its especially fitting then, that she was carried in the same car as Rosa Parks.


Yes, as I mentioned her role in the 60's race movement, feminism and culture can't be understated.


She did good things with her success and fame. So many musicians aren't like that these days, unfortunately.


Yes, seems her generation had more of that than the current generation of stars. She was close to the community and her family so I think it kept her and her generation more grounded.


Right. We could use more like Aretha today


Ariana Grande got caught licking doughnuts at a doughnut shop. I used to see her on Nickelodeon, she has a kid's show on there.


Yes, Nickelodeon and Disney kid stars often go onto fame with mixed results, unlike the gravitas of Aretha.


Yes, I think a lot of the new stars break through that way.


Yes.  I love concerts.  I am always reading reviews about concerts.  Did you know that in 2002, a Creed concert was so bad that people walked out and sued the band.


It must have been really really bad then for someone to sue them


It had to be pretty bad.  I went to an Ariana Grande concert and it was amazing.  I just found out the other day that she is not hispanic but is Italian.  Do you know her real last name?


Grande-Butera. I did think she was hispanic too though. SHe has come a long way


Yes she has.  She is an extraordinary young woman.  At ten years of age, she co-founded a youth singing group which performed for charitable events.


Awesome girl. She was even hit by a puck at the florida panthers current arena


I wonder if that is on video.  I just saw a video the other day of Ariana dressed as Anne.  She began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical.


She even held a charity concerts after what happened in Manchester with the bombing


That was very kind of her to do that.  She also lends her voice to animated television and films.


Ironically, her famous song dangerous woman was written by three men. go figure


Wasn't that Anthem called "Dangerous Woman."  I am sure she approved the lyrics in the end.


Oh I am sure of that. Have you heard of the Ramones?


Aren't they the band that tours like all the time.  They've been touring for about 20 years, right?


Yeah and they have held something like 2263 concerts in thos eyears


That is hard work over the years.   Another band who worked really hard in 2001 was Linkin Park.  They played 324 concerts in only one year.


That is amazing, a lot of concerts. THere is an ancient theatre in croatis where you can still have a concert.


I wonder if this is the same theatre where Pink Floyd recorded a live concert but they didn't have a live audience.


That is so strange, who did they hold a concert for?


I guess no one.  They just wanted to make the music for the album.


I used to listen as a kid. Not so much now. I use the Internet. Sometimes listen to podcasts.


That's cool.  I listen to my radio on my commute and from work every day.


That's a great time to listen. Better than using a smart phone to text.


I hear that.  I see way to much of that on the roads! I'm thinking about equipping my car with a flamethrower, like they do in South Africa.


I think that would be totally rad. A flamethrower! Give the keys to your teenager and let 'em have fun!


It's legal there to prevent car jacking.  I'd probably use it for road rage incidents or if I saw you using your phone.  I'd zap you a couple of times! Light you up.


That would be good. Or a giant phone jammer in the trunk to stop local cell phone connections. Would you take your flamethrower through the drive thru?


Of course!  Forget my pickles, then I light you up!  You know Mcdonald's started the drive thru in 1975.


McD's did not plan on the flamethrower cars in SA, I guess. '75 sounds late to me. I figure it would have started like in the 60s.


I thought it was kind of late, too.  But, apparently it was done for the servicemen who couldn't get out and go into the restaurant in their fatigues.


That makes sense. I've seen troops in fatigues walking around. Maybe the rules changed?


I think it has changed, now.  But look what the old drive thru has done for the fast food industry.


It has made people even more immobile and overeating. I figure with a bathroom in the car, we could go everywhere without leaving the vehicle.


Yeah, revolutionized it in a bad way.  Too easy to pull though and get your fix, like a junkie.  Do you watch any movies?


I do like my movies. I usually go to Rottentomatoes to find out what's good.


I do too.  IMDb is a good source for movie info, plot summaries, biographies, etc.  I mainly use it to answer trivia questions.


That's a good reason! I use imdb to find out the ratings for films. Usually try to find things over 7.0.


Cool.  It's been nice chatting with you today.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!


Did you know that every US president with a beard has been a republican?


Must be something in their philosophy.  Hopefully if they have a female candidate one day it not a requirement.


Interesting, they are also the only party to have 2 tv stars end up winning the presidency.


Maybe the democrats need to find a TV personality?  Any suggestions?  A pop star like the Indonesian one?


I'm not sure, they seem to have an awful lot of celebrities who "claim" to be democrats, though I don't know if that is just for TV.


There's been a few Senators, Al Franken comes to mind.  Who was Sonny Bono for?


Yeah, I remember that. Sonny was a republican but he wasn't president.


I wonder if there will ever be a president other than a Democrat or Republican?


Probably not in my lifetime. The multiple party system doesn't work that well I think. Look at some of the Euro countries.


It depends on the country.  When you think of the best places in the world, they have multi party systems, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Germany.


Yeah, I don't know if I would consider any of those places the best in the world to be honest. They are responsible for the last two world wars over there.


That's a long time ago under different systems.  Every country has skeletons in its closet. But the multi party thing can be a hindrance, look at Britain right now


Yes, with Brexit. I think multi-party systems make it much harder to build a final consensus on policy and thus end up in no progress in either direction.


At least the two party system can agree on one thing, the need for a candy desk in the Senate!


Did you know that in 1957 Truman visited Disneyland?


If I were president I's go to all the fun places, maybe arrange summits in the best resorts.


Yeah, I would go all over. But it probably sucks to have all of that attention following you everywhere.


I used to work in retail in DC.  We'd get important politician in, once Dick Chaney.  Before they come in the secret service would scope the place out looking for emergency exits and such.  Then the person would come in surrounded by security, no privacy at all.


Interesting, I worked in DC too. You see the politicians all the time if you go to certain places like the Hawk and Dove. For example, ted Cruz hangs out at Tortilla Coast, it's pretty funny. But I'm not into politics.


I'd always see them at the Palm restaurant on 19th street.  Senators and congressmen.


Yeah, hilarious. Well, nice chatting with you.


Hi, tricky question.  I like following political news but talking it can sometimes be difficult.


You right! I really liked John Mccain though. What about you?


The more time passes the more I came around to liking him, he seemed to do what he thought was right.  His brain cancer was a shame.


It really was. I guess he family thinks a building should be named after him. I think it should be. But it's named after someone who is tied to racial segregation. What do you think?


In my opinion it should be renamed anyway, whatever they call it.  It's amazing how politicians can tie themselves in knots over a simple renaming issue.


Thats true. What do you think of how Trump handeled Mccain's brain cancer and death?


Whether you like someone or not you have to be respectful of them.  It would be hard time for the family and to hear the president attacking him publicly can't be nice.


That's very well put. The republicans were shocked at Trumps behavior. I guess he blames Mccain for Obamacare. Did you know that the same gavel was used in the senate for 165 years?


Places like that love tradition, it's like the pants thing, woman not being able to wear them until 1993.


Isn't that crazy! A lot of women still dont wear pants. And they have a candy desk in the senate. I'm like what?


It's like a bunch of school kids, hiding candy in class where the teacher can't see.I wonder if they let the president have his pick.


I bet he does! Did you know the republican party was founded by anti slavery activists?


No.  I's kind of funny that the roles have reversed.  The Democrats would see themselves as the party of social equality now.  In the sixties voters in the south moved to the Republicans because of the Democrats stance.


You are right, Every thing has flipped politically. I wonder about some of the things they support. Republicans are very conservative. Just like the Mormons.


I wonder where the red and blue thing comes from to represent the parties, I hear it's relatively new.


I think so. Did you know that every president that has had a beard is republican? How fun!


It'd be funny to see a beard on Trump.  It used to be the case that the runner up in the presidential election became vice president.  I'd love to see Trump and Clinton working together.


Oh my lord! Could you imagine! I wonder if Trump is one of the wealthiest presidents we had?


It's difficult to know since he won't release his tax records.  I know Washington and Jefferson were land owners, but I wonder where JFK got his money from.


Thats a good question. I might have to look that up.


I doubt he made money by making pop records like the Indonesian president.


Thats true! The Zimbabwe president was called president banana.


hey there, do you know much about us politics?


somewhat, lets talk about the senate. they used the same gavel for 165 years until nixon cracked it


I wonder if they were mad at him for doing that. women were not allowed to wear pants.


Interesting that their is a candy desk which is near a busy entrance.


and they only have candy from pensylvania


absent senators can be arrested and force into the chamber to cast a vote.


yeah one of them was arrested and dragged in feet first. what a strange rule


lets talk about the president next, JFK is one of the three wealthiest presidents in history


along with washington and jefferson . they must have had so much money


In Zimbabwe the first president was called banana


wow, I wonder if that is a common name there though


I wonder also. The guest house for the president is larger then the white house


they must get a lot of guests during the year. did you know the president of indonesia is a pop artist?


no thats interesting. Also until 1805 they used to have the runner up become the vice president


imagine if that happened now and clinton were the vice president


yup. Lets talk more about the republican party. Every president with a beard has been a republican.


Interesting one. did you hear about truman refusing to take a picture with a dumbo?


no I have not. Also red and blue representing the parties started in 2000


yeah apparently he did not want to be associated with republicans and their symbols in any way


republican and democrats have held the presidency since 1853, no other party has


I guess that is why we only hear from those two parties. nice chat


Hello, are you particularly interested in politics?


I am very interested in politics, though it's hard to stay keep up with Trump, Pence, and most of the Republican party these days.


Yeah, even though a lot of things regarding the Republican Party has been consistent. The last time there wasn't a Nixon or Bush on the ticket in a Republican winning election since 1928.


Another consistency is that not a lot of democrats want to be associated with Republicans. Apparently, when Harry Truman visited Disneyland, he didn't want to be photographed on the Dumbo ride because he thought it would associate him with the Republican party.


That's interesting! I wonder if something like that could happen regarding the colors red and blue. Although that's a much more recent way to signify democrats and republicans.


So crazy how recent. I feel like I remember that as I was growing up. But I also never recall a republican president with a beard, but evidently, they are the only presidents to ever have one.


Yeah that's interesting, I wonder what the stats on beards are for earlier parties. Although we'd have to go back a while to discover it, the last non Democrat OR Republican president was in 1853.


That's because the party system back then is completely different than it is now. For instance, women weren't even allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor until relatively recently.


Oh yeah the Senate is definitely interesting, they've kept a lot of things the same for a long time. They actually used the same gavel for 165 years until Nixon cracked it.


Or the candy desk? Apparently they have had a desk near the entrance since 1968, where a senator will sit with a full drawer full of candy.


Yeah that definitely makes them seem like children at heart haha. Then again I've heard horror stories too, like once I know a senator tried to leave the chamber and was dragged back inside.


I believe that was some crazy law passed in the 80s, that allowed the Sergeant-at-Arms to force absent Senators to the Chamber for a vote.


Oh wow that's interesting. I think what I find interesting is how other people interact with the Senate. Like Michael Jordan had his famous, controversial reason as to why he wouldn't endorse a Black Democratic candidat.


Just another Republican I don't want to be around, haha!


Ahah fair. So are you interested in individual presidents at all?


I wish I knew more about the first Zimbabwe president, President Banana. He seems like an interesting guy!


Ahah he sounds like he'd be funny. I wonder who'd be more fun, him or the Indonesian president who released 3 pop albums while in office.


Hard to tell. Now if some of the richest presidents, like JFK or GW, could throw a party and invite everyone... That would be a good time!


Oh yeah, they would have to just remember to hold it in the guest house and not the actual White House, which is somehow smaller!


There are a lot of surprising things surrounding the White House. Like, how crazy would it be if the Vice President was actually just the runner-up to the President, like it was up until the early 1800s.


Oh it's definitely a good thing they've changed the system since then. If not, we'd have Hillary Clinton instead of Mike Pence, which regardless of political opinion, would certainly make things confusing.


Actually, we'd have Donald Trump since Hillary actually won the election. Talk about a crazy pair... President Hillary Clinton and Vice President Trump. Who knows? Maybe crazy enough to work.


Oh yeah that's true, I forgot how the popular vote turned out. To be fair, Republicans have lost the popular vote in 6 out of the last 7 elections somehow.


Kind of says something about how the American people are feeling, huh?


Yes I know that they had the same gavel for 165 years until Nixon broke it


Yes and they were also mandated to come and vote under all circumstances


Yes and once they dragged a senator in feet first to vote


Yes they have a permit to do that for those that run away from voting


Yes. Did you know they have a candy desk in there?


Yes and they have the good brands like Mars, jellybeans and milky way


yes they have to be candy that is made in Pennsylvania


Yes. Did you know women were not allowed to wear pants till late?


Yes that was until 1993 and I think that was so sexist and weird


Yes I agree. Good thing those two senators protested and now is a thing of the past


Yes me too. Did you know what jordan said when they asked why he did not support a democrat?


Yes he said that republicans buy shoes too


Yes he is a smart businessman for sure and had to cover both sides


Yeah. Do you know who the wealthiest presidents are?


Yes that was Jefferson, JFK and Washington


Yes. DO you know what was the first president of Zimbabwe called?


Yes. Did you know the white house is smaller than the guest house?


I guess they need the room as they might get a lot of guests


did you know that Trump wouldn't be in the top 3 wealthiest presidents? Like that must be adjusted for inflation


I did not. That would be an interesting thing to look into. Speaking of presidents, did you know that the first president of Zimbabwe was called President Banana?


haha no, I wonder if that was a compliment or not? Like I don't know that I would want to be called president banana if I were president haha


Yes I have to wonder that also. Another weird foreign present fact is that the president of Indonesia released three pop albums while in office.


that is crazy, can you imagine if Trump released pop albums while in office, that woudl be insane!


I can't imagine any American President releasing music while in office. Before or after would be strange. During is unheard of.


haha I agree, can you imagine if we had the old rules where the runner up would become VP, so Hillary would be VP and Trump would be president, just wild!


That would be a nightmare as partisan as things are now. Were you aware that the guest house is bigger than the white house? That seems strange.


I didn't know that and I don't see how that is possible, did you know that every president with a beard has been a member of the republican party


I did not. That is a very interesting fact. I wonder if there is any data about why that is? I know that until our last election every Republican ticket that won since 1928 had a Bush or a Nixon on it.


ya that is kind of scary, except I don't think that is stilll true since Trump won


Correct, he was the first in a long time to break the trend. We have a very strong two party system. There hasn't been an elected president who wasn't a democrat or republican since 1853.


ya that is wild, and the use of blue and red for democrats and republicans only began in the year 2000 apparently


I am very surprised by that. I would have thought that it went back much farther. Did you know that when Truman visited Disneyland he refused to be photographed with Dumbo for fear he would be associated with republicans.


haha that is funny, did you know that the white house guest house is bigger than the white house itself, like how is that possible?


That does seem very strange. I wonder how they let that happen. Did you know that Nixon cracked the gavel that had been used in the senate for 165 years?


no that is crazy, did you know that women weren't allowed to wear pants in the senate until 1993?


1993?! That's way too late. That's upsetting. They always have a hard time modernizing it seems.


yes that is true, I guess a bunch of female senators did a protest in 1993 by wearing pantsuits which were supposedly off limits haha


I do not blame them. Did you know that the senate has a candy desk?


I didn't know that, what kind of candy is inside? that makes me hungry haha


Do you follow politics much? Every once in a while I'll see an article that catches my eye


Yeah from time to time. Do you know much about the Senate in the US?


Not much, but I've heard there's been some hesitation about renaming an office building after John McCain


I wonder why though. I mean he was a republican so not sure why they are not moving ahead with that.


I think the problem is more that it seems like a rash decision because he recently died. They're more against the process than they are actually doing it


I guess I do not know enough about politics. I know that in the US Senate they have a desk with candy in it for people to grab.


Not just any candy, but the ones made in Pennsylvania. It's a long-running tradition, too!


Yeah good for them. They had a gavel that they used for 165 years until Nixon broke it


Wow. I wonder what was being discussed when that happened. Women have only been wearing pants on the Senate floor since 1993, and the only reason that changed was that two senators protested


I am glad they did, they should wear what they like, what is up with that. Did you know that Jordan was asked why he did not support a Democrat candidate?


His response to that was pretty funny. "Republicans buy shoes too." Politics is definitely about more than just skin color, that's for sure


Oh yeah for sure. And he is a businessman he was to think about that too. Did you know that despite his wealth Trump is not the richest president?


I guess some of the others were just as influential and wealthy. Sometimes we don't realize it due to inflation and the changing value of the dollar. Until 1805, the runner up was VP rather than the winning candidate appointing someone else


Really different times. There was some hierarchy there. Did you know that the guest house is larger than the white house?


I wonder whose idea that was. I wonder how many guests it can hold. Indonesia's President has hobbies on the side while in office and has released three pop albums


What a president. The president of Zimbabwe was called banana.


Maybe that was his favorite fruit. Many of our Presidents have had beards, and all of them were Republican. The Democrats are clean shaven


I wonder if they do that on purpose to keep up with a secret tradition. Did you know why Truman refused to be photographed with a dumbo?


Probably since the Republicans use the elephant as their symbol. The red and blue color associations are as recent as 2000


Yeah that is exactly. How strange of him. Do you know when the republican party was founded?


I know it has a long history and has changed much over the centuries


Hey there.  Here's hoping you're not in Florida's Gulf Coast.  Seems to be storm central


Yea, people had to be evacuated due to Subtropical Storm Alberto


No, and that's not even all, there is going to be 12 inches of rain


Not sure what's worse a storm or an erupting volcano.  Did you hear about the evacuations in Hawaii?


Yea, all the lava ended up destroying residential property


Never really thought about toxic gas being an associated hazard.  Man FEMA there must have their hands full.


Yea that's not an issue one has to worry about in the US except if you live in Hawaii, an island made from active volcanos


Yea, it's already too expensive despite air travel being 10% slower than it was in the 60s


Yeah, hate flying as well.  You know what's crazy... Iceland has no public rail service so anyone there without cars uses domestic flights between towns. Crazy.


That's crazy, I wonder if Iceland have many rabbits? Sailors would release them as a future food source on newly discovered islands


That's kind morbid but smart too.  Think I might have read something like that on Facebook.


I think facebook is more trouble than it's worth, half of US divorce filing mentioned facebook in 2011


wow.  didn't know that.  wonder if any of those couples can sue facebook.  hey they're valued at $104 billion.  Lots to go after there.


I'm sure some will since 30% of adults use facebook as their primary source of news


Man, remember when we wanted to share something with a relative, we'd just pick up a phone?  Don't know why people need to share everything with the world.


Maybe it has something to do with their being more people on facebook then there were people in the world 200 years ago


I suppose.  Sorry, I'm old.  I actually remember rotary phones.


Did you know that an undertaker invented the dial telephone?


Weird.  Wonder what his motivation for that was.


Not sure. Well I have to go, nice chatting with you


Yes I do.  New York has the fastest number to dial on a rotary phone


Yes, it is.  Why was New York so lucky and special?


Not too sure on that one. The cables carrying phone and data lines across the ocean are only 2.7 inches thick.


They left them on the ocean ground.  Fish might bite them.


I don't know.  We do not have to worry cuz I'm sure in the US we are changing to wireless (satellite).


True true. It's impossible to separate two phone books that have had their pages overlapped.


I heard about it.  What other interesting facts do you have about telephone?


I know Unicef will donate a day of clean water to a child in need for every minute you don't use your cell phone.


I wonder how they keep track of the minutes.


Not too sure on that one. An iPhone has more computing power than the US nuclear ICBM deterrent system.


Yes, I heard about it.  It's totally amazing.


Yes, I do.  It would cost more than $300 in tolls to travel across Japan.


That's a lot of money in tolls. I saw the Dutch are creating a bus that can travel 160 mph.


I will not ride on their bus.  It is scare to travel that fast.


Me either lol. Mackinac Island in Michigan has banned all motorized vehicles.


I heard about it.  So, how do people travel around the island?


It should be fun but it can be annoying since they are slow.


I agree. Well, good chatting with you. Have a good one.


Do you think that the American culture doesn't prioritize families? Are parent doing their job?


I think there is less and less prioritizing on families and family life as time goes on.


I agree.  There is a lot more depression too.  I think it may be related.


I think that is true, but that is a topic of debate for sure.


Most kids in low-income households come from broken marriages.  In my experience, many young adults don't bother with marriage.


Yeah I think that hurts growing up and contributes to that depression.


Many parents are also in jail.  In short, two-parent families are becoming more rare. It's sad...


It is getting rare and very sad, I hope there is a turnaround in the future.


Me too.  Did you know that an iPhone has more computing powers that the whole U.S. nuclear ICBM deterrent?


WOAH!  That is crazy to think about and really makes you think how far technology has come.


It's scary too.  It's wild that NY has a 212 area code because it was easier to dial on a rotary phone.


I wonder how that was the fastest?  I would have thought it was all 1's.


Yeah, that's true.  Wow, the 1st king to travel around the world was King Kalakaua of Hawaii.  Hawaii has a king?


I did not know that, I wonder what year that was?


Dunno.  I'm guessing a while back.  Did you know Iceland has not public train and most people there don't have cars?


That is pretty wild, sounds like they just use flights to get around to major cities.


Wow, it can cost over $300 in tolls just to travel across Japan.  Are there tolls for rickshaws?


I don't think so, but I do think that the roads there are in really good shape.


They should be.  Did you know Facebook is mostly blue because Zuckerburg has red-green color blindness?


Yeah I think I have heard why that is why everything is blue.


Yes, as I said, mostly blue.  Thanks for the chat.


New york's area code is 212 because it was the fastest number to dial on a rotary phone


Cool! The inventor of the dial telephone was an undertaker.


Yes, it is creepy.  Sounds like Tales from the Crypt


lol.....did you know that a 1930's actress name Hedy Lamar helped invent the cell phone and wifi?


No, I sure didn't.  It's been in the "making" for a while then.  Myspace turned down an offer to buy facebook for $75 million in early 2005


wow! I know the creator of Facebook regrets not taking that offer.


Haha, yeah right.  Facebook's "like" button is illegal in the german state of schleswig-holstein.


illegal?!?!? Wow. Well, air travel is down by 10 percent since the 1960's.


The dutch are creating a commuter bus designed to travel at 160mph.


soooo...did you know that there are more ppl on Facebook now than there were in the world 200 years ago?


sure is....also one third of divorce filed contain the word Facebook....ha


No, I don't really know much about the sport.


Well there is a Canadian pair that I follow closely, Keagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, you should watch them I bet you would like it.


Have they won any Olympic Medals? Are they still active in the sport?


Yeah Duhamel is actually the oldest person in the Canadian Olympic skating team to have won a gold medal.


That's great! Do you use Facebook at all? I'm not really into it, but I know it's popular with the youngsters.


I do use it, I am a Facebook user since 2005, right about when MySpace had the chance to buy it for a low price.


I wonder if there would be the same problems with FB if MySpace had bought it. $75 million is nothing for Internet businesses.


Maybe not, I think that Mark Zuckerberg is a great part of Facebooks success so who knows if it would be as popular as it is today.


It's funny that part of Germany outlawed the "like" button. I wonder what problem prompted that legislation.


I didnt know about it, but it would be interesting to find out why its illegal, do you know why Facebook has blue as its primary color?


Because blue is the coolest of all colors. I dunno. Why?


Not because blue is the coolest color of all lol, its because he suffers from colorblindness, I always though it was because of a marketing strategy.


Mark Zuckerberg has changed the way people see the Internet. Literally. Burger King had their promotion where you get a whopper for unfriending people.


I wish I would have seen that promotion in time, Ive always liked free food lol, and I agree Facebook is sure changing things a perfect example of this, Iceland.


Iceland is a small country and probably can collect feedback from citizens through Facebook. I don't think this would work in the US>


Probably wouldnt as there are too many different opinions, do you like to travel?


I love to travel, when I can find the time and money. Do you have any recommendations?


I would like to visit Mackinac island, I heard no motorized vehicles are allowed so if you want to get tuned with nature you should definitely look it up.


Good to get away from the stress of modern life. I wonder how the police, fire department, etc. deal with local problems.


I bet the crime rate is low, Im sure they have a sistem that works for them.


Parenting has certainly changed since i was a child. How about you?


It does seem a bit different now a day, I feel like our culture is not concerned enough about family values.


Yes but it stems from a lack of discipline and babies having babies. I'm not convinced there is a sense of self-worth or appreciation for those that paved the way. Anyway did you know that Facebook's like button is illegal in German state of Schlewig-holstein.


I did hear that also it was only available to Harvard students at first.


Yeah i remember seeing the movie social network about how it all got started.


They eventually opened it to other schools then high schools.


Gradually he added support for them. When the company went public the IPO was worth $104 Billion.


I am pretty sure that is the largest IPO ever!


I Think you're right, they get most of the revenues from advertisements.


Cool, did you know they have 56 gender options!?


I heard that! That's besides Male & Female. Apparently Mark Z suffers from red-green colorblindness.


Interesting, have you been traveling a lot?


Just moved to the west coast. You? Kalakaua was the first King to travel around the country.


I am going to Scotland soon, did you know there is a website that will let people crash on your couch while your traveling?


No i did not, sounds a little dangerous if you don't know the person crashing. how's it work?


I think you can charge a fee to let them stay while you are away, I guess air travel is 10 percent slow than in the1960's to save gas.


Sounds very interesting to say the least. The iPhone has more computing power than the whole of the U.S. Nuclear icbm deterrent.


Apparently they are trying to increase the speed of commuter trains in Dutch. Up to 160 mph bus designs.


I hope you do as well, nice talking with you.


Hey there how should you watch the NBA? They are apparently made up of about 30 teams


Wow!! That a lot of teams. Do you happen to know when the league was founded?


I think it was founded in New York back in 1946, they actually started with the name The Basketball Association of America instead of the NBA by the way


I didn't know that, very interesting. Did that particular league merged with another league at some point in history?


Yes they merged with the NBL. And now they are located in New York, New York


Oh! Thanks. I heard that Allen Iverson signed a lifetime endorsement contract with Reebok. Do you know how much did they pay him?


I think he gets like $800,000 a year! Which is a lot I'm sure you just not worry about money, I also think it's crazy that the best way to shoot a ball is granny style according to physicists


That's interesting but why do NBA players refuse to do it?


I don't know probably because it looks stupid haha. Did you ever wear Air Jordans as a kid by the way?