My Daily Smile

Life is short - begin every day with a smile!

Time-lapse video: Midnight Sun at Alta, Norway

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Folks who live in the far northern and far southern reaches of our planet get to experience a yearly phenomenon that the rest of us will never see in our neck of the woods: the midnight sun.

What is the midnight sun? Well, it’s just that – during the peak summer time the sun never completely sets for a period ranging from several weeks to several months, depending on the latitude.

That means the sun is visible 24 hours a day, even at midnight. Instead of setting, the sun appears to circle the Earth just above the horizon.  [Read more…]

Why American dollars are commonly referred to as ‘bucks’

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I’m sure you’re familiar with the most common slang term that’s used for American dollars.

Yep, that’s right. It’s “bucks”.

As in “I sure could use an extra 20 bucks right now!“.

Have you ever wondered how using the term “bucks” to describe money came about?

[Read more…]

Video: Sony’s Ace robot beats top table tennis pros in real matches

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Back in the day I loved playing table tennis (aka ping-pong for most folks).

In fact, during my junior and senior college years I played it virtually every day during the downtime between my morning and afternoon classes.

While my ping-pong skills never approached anything near professional level, I did eventually become a pretty decent player.

Although it’s been quite a few years since I last picked up a ping-pong paddle, the game still intrigues me and I enjoy watching  pro matches on TV whenever the opportunity arises.  [Read more…]

Video: The man of a thousand voices

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Mel Blanc

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Are you old enough to have grown up watching the old Warner Brothers cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Porky the Pig, Daffy Duck, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzalez, Yosemite Sam and the dozens of other cartoon characters that graced our TV and movie screens?

If so, you surely noticed how distinctive all those characters’ voices were.

Well here’s something you might not know about those voices…  [Read more…]

Historic video: Digging the Erie Canal

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Numerous massive construction projects helped build the United States into the economic powerhouse that it is today, and many of those important projects were completed without the help of modern construction equipment.

The Erie Canal is a great example of what can be accomplished with a vision for what is possible and enough workers with a strong work ethic.  [Read more…]