BBB Geeky Novelty

This rather fuzzy picture from the SciFi channel features the latest in shopping technology from our friends in the far east: Consider, the supermarket roller coaster

Today in History - 1954

Ann Elizabeth Hodges of Sylacauga, Alabama becomes the only person of record to have been hit by a meteorite. She was napping on her living room couch when a grapefruit-sized meteoroid crashed through the roof of her house. It bounced off her large wooden console radio, destroying it, and struck her on the arm and hip. She was badly bruised but able to walk.

Quotable Quote

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
--Mark Twain

News from all over - De Queen

The guitar-shaped bulge in Morgan Conatser's clothing tipped off a music store owner that there might be a crime in progress. Clifton Lovell, owner of Guitars and Cadillacs on U.S. Highway 71 in western Arkansas tells the story, "I saw him walking out to his pickup truck and the bulges in his leather jacket. I said, 'Hey what have you got there?'"

He said Conatser, 29, replied, "Nothing."

Lovell pointed toward the unnatural shapes in Conatser's jacket and pants and said, "You've got something." Conatser then removed a solid body electric guitar from his pants leg and from underneath his jacket.

"The neck of the guitar was almost down to his knee and the back of the guitar was almost up to his neck. It wasn't hard to spot. There was no way he could sit down or get into the pickup," Lovell said.

BBB Swell Site

This one's been around for a long time but every time I run across it, I have another chuckle. With that in mind, the BBB presents Store Wars

Today in History - 1961

The U.S. spacecraft Mercury-Atlas 5 is launched with Enos, a chimpanzee, aboard (the spacecraft orbited the Earth twice and splashed-down off the coast of Puerto Rico). He completed his first orbit in 1 hour, 28.5 minutes.

Enos was originally scheduled to complete three orbits, but was brought back after the second orbit because the spacecraft was not maintaining proper attitude. According to observers, Enos jumped for joy and ran around the deck of the recovery ship enthusiastically shaking the hands of his rescuers. Enos' flight was a full dress rehearsal for the next Mercury launch on February 20, 1962, which would make Lt. Colonel John Glenn the first American to orbit the Earth.

So Now You Know

Depending on how you define "cosmic", a cosmic year is about 225 million years, this is the amount of time it takes the sun to revolve around the center of the Milky Way. [Other cosmic years.]

News from all over - London

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is being honored with the world's oldest award for scientific achievement, with a special high-altitude assist from NASA. The British Royal Society is awarding Professor Hawking its prestigious Copley Medal on Nov. 30 for his contributions to theoretical physics and theoretical cosmology. The silver gilt medal flew on space shuttle Discovery's July 2006 mission to the International Space Station, at the initiative of crew member Piers Sellers, a native of Britain. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin will travel to London to help make the medal presentation.

BBB Etymology - Willy-Nilly

1608, contraction of will I, nill I, or will he, nill he, or will ye, nill ye, lit. "with or without the will of the person concerned." The nill is from O.E. nyllan, from ne "no" (see no) + *willan "will" (v.). Latin expressed a similar idea in nolens volens.

So Now You Know

The cost of The Twelve Days of Christmas is on the rise again. Buying each item in the song just once — from a partridge in a pear tree to a dozen drummers drumming — will cost you $18,920, or 3.1% more than last year, according to PNC Financial Services Group.

Quotable Quote

Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects.
--Will Rogers

News from all over - Toronto

Canadian troops in Afghanistan can expect a little extra holiday cheer under the Christmas tree this season. Employees at Steam Whistle Brewery have decided to donate one week's worth of staff beer rations to soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. The company has vowed to match those donations.

While alcohol is not readily available in the Muslim country, troops are allowed to have liquor on the base three times during the year, including Christmas. The Toronto brewery gift will include limited edition Steam Whistle pilsner holiday 12-packs wrapped in festive colours and topped with a gift tag.

BBB Pulp Pick - Science Fiction Quarterly, Aug 1951

Here's a classic cover from August 1951 when life was uncomplicated and the imagination soared. What I wonder is which of the stories in this 132 page pulp pick relates to the cover picture. Really want to know? (When you find out, you can post the answer in the comment section! And let us know if that Clarke story is good.)

Today in History - 1703

An unusual storm system dissipates over England after wreaking havoc on the country for nearly two weeks. Featuring hurricane strength winds, the storm killed somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 people. Hundreds of Royal Navy ships were lost to the storm, the worst in Britain’s history.

With winds estimated at over 80 miles per hour, bricks were blown from some buildings and embedded in others. Wood beams, separated from buildings, flew through the air and killed hundreds across the south of the country.

The death toll mounted when 300 Royal Navy ships anchored off the country’s southern coast—with 8,000 sailors on board--were lost. The Eddystone Lighthouse, built on a rock outcropping 14 miles from Plymouth, was felled by the storm. Huge waves on the Thames River sent water six feet higher than ever before recorded near London.

So Now You Know

The collecting of beer mats (coasters) is called tegestology.

News from all over - Ashland

Jim Thomas first strapped metal wheels to his feet in 1935. "I started with those old iron skates," Thomas remembers, "with old steel wheels, and just skated through the years."

Years when he swept floors at his neighborhood rink, just for the free admission. Years during wartime, when he rolled around Sydney, Australia, on leave. Years filled with bobby socks, disco and Madonna.

And, finally, the early '90s, when he wired an odometer to his skates. It's up to 30,000 miles - thousands more than enough to circle the Earth. Thomas, a Charleston, W.Va., native, worked as a heavy equipment operator, ran an asphalt company in the late '60s, served as a road superintendent, then became "semiretired" in 1986, which meant he could put in more dedicated roller skating time. "You can't work 12 to 14 hours and go out and roller skate at night," he said.

By 1992, Thomas began tracking his mileage on the quarter-mile asphalt track at Sissonville. "I was always skating there and one day a woman asked how many miles I'd skated," he said. "I told her I didn't know, and she said. 'I come to work at 8 and you're here and still here when I go home at 4' ... so I started keeping a record."

Turned out he had been wheeling 25 to 30 miles a day. "The world record is 19,000," Thomas said. "I passed that in 1996." But he's not in Guinness' book. To him, that's not really what it's all about.

"See, back in the old days, we skated with the flow of the music, most of it organ music," he said. "If you get that glide going, you just feel so free out there, and your body gets a workout. If you miss a week, you can tell it."

"I won all kinds of contests," he said. "And I could do some of it on skates ... course, those days are gone now." Those were days in the early '30s when portable rinks came to town, under tents. "People in the coal fields, they couldn't afford to build a rink so they'd move them wherever they could get some business." Days when he met his wife, on skates of course.

BBB Destination - Pittsburg

A new item "BBB Destination" will appear each Friday.

This week to honor the big event (no, not "Black Friday"), you may want to head over to Pittsburg, Texas, the Chicken Capital of the World. Several years ago there was a restaurant in Pittsburg owned and operated as part of the Pilgrim's Pride corporate world that served primarily chicken (of course). The roof of the restaurant was a giant pilgrim hat (trademark of the founder of Pilgrim's Pride - Bo Pilgrim). When the restaurant closed a few years ago, the corporate biggies couldn't bear to destroy the giant hat. So they did what any corporate biggies would do -- they built a big giant bust beneath it and parked it in front of the fridge facility.

So Now You Know

An aglet or aiglet is the little plastic or metal cladding on the end of shoelaces (or any type of lace, though shoelaces are the most commonly referenced) that keeps the twine from unraveling.

Today in History - 1930

1st woman pilot, Ruth Nichols, on a transcontinental air flight (Mineola, New York to California), in a Lockheed-Vega, set the women's transcontinental record of 16 hours, 59 minutes. On the return flight, her Los Angeles-to-New York flying time of 13 hours, 22 minutes beat Lindbergh's record time for a cross-country flight.

In March 1931, Nichols set an international record of 28,743 feet - higher than any woman had ever flown before. A month later, National Aeronautic Association officials clocked Nichols as she screamed the Vega across a three-kilometer speed course. In four passes, she set a new women's record of 210.6 miles per hour, 25 m.p.h. faster than the previous record.

News from all over - Santa Monica

This seaside California city, as well known among locals for its lack of parking as its sandy beaches, is unveiling a new online service that alerts people every time a parking space opens up in its central shopping district.

The system, introduced Tuesday, is believed to be one of the first of its kind, said software designer Jim Eshraghi. It updates a new, city-run Web site every five seconds, displaying the numbers of available spaces in downtown structures and at beach lots.

The information will be posted online and on the electronic signs in front of the parking lots and garages. Plans are also in the works to make the system compatible with BlackBerry devices.

The goal is to "make the traffic and congestion problems go away or at least try to alleviate them," said city spokesman Jory Wolf.

BBB Geeky Novelty

Signs You Are Having Thanksgiving Dinner With A Geek

10. Dark meat is separated from white meat using a light probe.
9. Everyone mentions broadband, Linux or dual-core processors in their "I am thankful for..." speech.
8. A round of Counter-Strike: Source determines who gets to carve the turkey.
7. House decorated with plush microbes to celebrate the pilgrims bringing diseases to the new world.
6. Someone constantly keeps saying "The pilgrims had coffee, didn't they?"
5. Plates have a heatsink attached to them so you don't burn your mouth.
4. The cranberries are caffeinated.
3. Whipped cream for the pumpkin pie made with Dremel.
2. Three words: Lego gravy boat.
1. Pilgrim decorations have red hats instead of black ones.
0. The turkey is given the opportunity for a saving throw before being butchered.

News from all over - Ramsey

Some wild turkeys, it appears, were trying to get out of New Jersey before Thanksgiving Day. A spokesman for the NJ Transit said train officials reported a dozen or so wild turkeys waiting on a station platform in Ramsey, about 20 miles northwest of New York City, on Wednesday afternoon. The line travels to Suffern, N.Y.

So Now You Know

In the nineteenth century, Americans boiled their turkeys and served them with oyster sauce.

Today in History - 1958

Western series Have Gun, Will Travel launches on the radio. Although dozens of radio programs later moved to TV, Have Gun, Will Travel was the only TV series to become a successful radio program. The TV show launched in 1957 on CBS and ran until 1963. Its immediate popularity spurred CBS to create a radio version as well, which ran until 1960.

BBB Swell Site

OK, so you may have taken a look at Google Maps - even so much as to find your house via satellite view. But have you flown over major metropolitan areas diving and banking, pulling up at the last minute - even firing on Mr, Hopkins house? After all, he gave you that D in high school Chemistry. He deserves it, right? (Wait, did I say that out loud?)

There's even an option for geeks to set up other maps not provided in the list. "Clear Skies! "

Turkey Carving 101

Most everyone can use a tip or two about carving the bird. Luckily (and predictably), there are several web sites dedicated to the effort - some even have video.

• "Turkey World" on carvings - check out those Thanksgiving songs, too
• Martha on carving - with video
• Ask Yahoo answers
• And from The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer, this

Today in History - 1935

The first transpacific airmail flight left San Francisco with over 20,000 folks waving good-bye. The China Clipper began its 8,000-mile journey with 110,865 letters on board, piloted by Captain Edwin Musick. The Pan American Martin 130 took off from San Francisco. 59 hours and 48 minutes later, it landed at Manila in the Philippines.

So Now You Know

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds—more than any other animal.

Today's Chuckle

News from all over - Little Rock

A fugitive wanted for a double homicide in Arkansas was arrested on the weekend in Wisconsin after he posted his name, picture and address on an online dating Web site.

"He was taken into custody shortly before noon on Sunday, less than 12 hours after his picture was broadcast on (the television show) 'America's Most Wanted,'" said Bill Sadler, a spokesman for the Arkansas State Police.

BBB Etymology - Yeoman's Duty

The Yeoman of the Guard refers to the foreman or, in today's terms, a NCO (non-commisioned officer) or Petty Officer, i.e. only slightly elevated above the people he commands. Foot soldiers were a notoriously unreliable and lazy lot, often pressed into service against their will. The Yeoman would have been one of their own who proved especially trustworthy and who commanded the obedience of those beneath him.

Hence, the "Yeoman's Duty" was an assignment given to the Yeoman to be carried out by him alone, and not entrusted to the rank and file. This task may be something that might ordinarily be given to a common soldier (not difficult or arduous) but for the importance of it being carried out with attention and in a timely fashion. Serving Yeoman's Duty is to faithfully carry out whatever task is given, even the menial.

Turkey Fixins .... or Not

So, if you're a fan of turkey on Thanksgiving, consider some flavorful options listed at eatturkey.com.

Else, there are vegetarian options.

News from all over - Hollywood

Superman had Jor-El. Batman has Wayne Manor. And now Hiro Nakamura has Captain Sulu.

Figuring all great Heroes need to have come from somewhere, the hit NBC series has tapped Star Trek icon George Takei to play the father of Hiro Nakamura, the plucky Japanese office worker who happens to be able to bend the space-time continuum.

"This is absolutely brilliant," Masi Oka, who plays Hiro, told TV Guide. "I just hope I get to say, 'Dad! Sulu is my hero, not you!' The sci-fi fans would love it!"

Today in History - 1980

During the summer of 1980, the question, "Who shot J.R.?", was being asked in everyday conversations across America and worldwide. Ultimately, the person who pulled the trigger was revealed in the classic "Who Done It?" episode that aired on this date in 1980. It was one of the highest-rated episodes of a TV show ever aired.

BBB Pulp Pick - Doc Savage

A bit after The Shadow came on the scene but way before Indiana Jones, there was Doc Savage, a physician, surgeon, scientist, adventurer, inventor, explorer, researcher and musician. A pulp classic ... a man who lived by a "code of life"...

"Let me strive every moment of my life, to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it.

"Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice.

"Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.

"Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do.

"Let me do right to all, and wrong no man."

News from all over - Wales

A food company has been warned it could face legal action over the name of its Welsh Dragon Sausages.

Jon Carthew said: "I don't think any of our customers actually believe that we use dragon meat in our sausages.

"We use the word because the dragon is synonymous with Wales and I think everyone who buys from us knows that."

But officials said they would not want vegetarians to buy the product by mistake thinking they were meat free.

The warning letter from Powys council's trading standards department, who analysed the sausages, read: "The public analyst has stated that the name Welsh Dragon Sausage is not sufficiently precise to inform a purchaser of the true nature of the food.

A spokesman for Powys Council said: "I don't think anyone would imagine that dragon meat was being used but we would not want vegetarians to buy the sausages believing they were meat free."

Martha's Thanksgiving Planner

Turns out you may already be behind! Here's a planner to help.