Tales from Rain City, Canada

The Real Original iPad Prototype! Just a tad larger than the current one...

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:52:14 -0700

The Real Original iPad Prototype! Just a tad larger than the current one...:

BuzzFeed FWD has real pictures of the iPad prototype compared with the iPad 2 and it completely dwarfs the skinny tablet we know. Taking a look at these two iPad side-by-side, the…

planetmoney: What Americans Earn

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:41:33 -0700

planetmoney:

What Americans Earn

gq: The Truth about Income Inequality in America Guess what,...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:57:11 -0700

gq:

The Truth about Income Inequality in America

Guess what, compatriots? The gap between the richest and the poorest among us is now wider than it has been since we all nose-dived into the Great Depression. So GQ sent Jon Ronson on a journey into the secret financial lives of six different people on the ladder, from a guy washing dishes for 200 bucks a week in Miami to a self-storage gazillionaire. What he found are some surprising truths about class, money, and making it in America.

fastcompany: Before you click to enlarge, do you think the US...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:59:04 -0700

fastcompany:

Before you click to enlarge, do you think the US is in the top 10?

The Best And Worst Places In The World To Be A Woman

This infographic crunches data on maternal health, economic status, education, contraception use, and other factors to show where women are doing well and where their lives can be exceptionally hard.

Tree Lobsters!

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:25:27 -0700

An extraordinary island, an extraordinary BUG, and an extraordinary tale!!!!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years?sc=fb&cc=fp

thekidshouldseethis: Processing mushrooms! Film a series of...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:02:01 -0700

thekidshouldseethis:

Processing mushrooms! Film a series of massive machines complete with automated conveyor belts, size sorters, stem choppers, etc and suddenly you’ve got kids who are fascinated how mushrooms get from the farm to their plates.

Thanks, @RaySadler.

planetmoney: Food in the U.S. has become much, much...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 18:24:48 -0700

planetmoney:

Food in the U.S. has become much, much cheaper.

For more graphics and information on our spending on groceries, go here.

moneyisnotimportant: You have the freedom to do whatever you’d...

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:02:13 -0700

moneyisnotimportant:

You have the freedom to do whatever you’d like, but you don’t have freedom from the consequences of your choices.

Don’t spend more than you earn. Fund a Roth IRA. Don’t take your life savings with you to Vegas.

U. S: Tax rules push some Americans to take a hike

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:24:15 -0700

U. S: Tax rules push some Americans to take a hike

The chances of you dying on the way to get your lottery tickets is greater than your chances of winning

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:06:20 -0700

moneyisnotimportant:

“The more you knoooooooooooooow…”

thecreatorsproject: 24 hours in a single frame.

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:02:59 -0700

thecreatorsproject:

24 hours in a single frame.

moneyisnotimportant: How to work better

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:04:01 -0700

moneyisnotimportant:

How to work better

thekidshouldseethis: Remember sound designer and composer Diego...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:51:21 -0700

thekidshouldseethis:

Remember sound designer and composer Diego Stocco? He made music at the dry cleaners! And now he’s made a Burt’s Bees commercial with the help of trees and other things in nature. From his project page:

To celebrate Earth Day 2012 Burt’s Bees asked me to create a video performance in the style of my Music from a Tree. We thought to include as “instruments” also some of the ingredients used in their products, like honey, almonds, rice, and coconuts; also bees had a musical role in this piece. I performed the whole composition by playing these natural elements, no synthesizers, samplers or additional sounds have been used.

Despite it being an ad, it’s a really clear illustration of how you can get sound and music from anything, even if you’re out in the backyard “with nothing to do.” Go outside and make some music!

via SwissMiss.

Previous music + nature + commercial: the beautiful Touchwood SH-08C’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring from Japan.

Samuel L. Jackson’s Real Siri Ad (by Slacktory)

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:07:52 -0700

Samuel L. Jackson’s Real Siri Ad (by Slacktory)

My sons. They face certain obstacles, but they face them...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:45:43 -0700

My sons. They face certain obstacles, but they face them together.

That is the funniest golldarn thing I’ve seen all week!

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:01:49 -0700

That is the funniest golldarn thing I’ve seen all week!

planetmoney: A breakdown of what the average American household...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:20:54 -0700

planetmoney:

A breakdown of what the average American household buys, based on government data (PDF) for December, 2011.

We didn’t include everything, but we included the biggies, as well as some smaller categories that caught our eye.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Credit: Lam Thuy Vo / Planet Money

Photo

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:34:51 -0700

An open letter to Canada Revenue Agency

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:13:00 -0700

Dear Sir/Madam:

As usual, I have overpaid my remittances in an effort to avoid the punitive penalties attracted by underpayments or late payments. This year, the adjusted Summary total is $***** less than I paid. Most of this surplus can be attributed to the large credit that was transferred to my 2011 account from 2010 from THAT year’s errors.

To be honest, however, I actually did account for this credit, but then made a duplicate remittance for September’s payroll. I did not realize this until I was totalling up all the remittances for 2011 and at that point I realized we would be having this conversation.

Anyway, the remaining difference is just a few hundred dollars, and as far as I am concerned, the Receiver General can keep it so that I don’t hear from you on this subject again.

Please do not make me list my deductions, remittances as per payroll records, and remittances according to my bank records. There are differences which cannot be explained except by the words “human error”. These differences, however small, will only disturb you as much as they disturb me. At the end of the day, we should focus on the fact that I have paid too much, and as is always the case with Revenue du Canada, that money is as good as gone.

This year, I cannot blame the discrepancy on not having an accountant. I have had three accountants in succession, and except for the first, they seem as baffled by the figures and equations as I am. There are notes in my files from the accountants, who all write in the same style, and the conclusion is always that the payments were too much and there seems to be no reason for it.

Anyway, if another cheque will solve this problem, I will happily send it. Meanwhile, I offer this letter.

Respectfully,

Psalm 139I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:50:00 -0700

Psalm 139
I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and that my soul knows right well.