National Paper Clip Day, Mr. Roboto, and Ghostbusters

National Paper Clip Day - National Paperclip Day is celebrated each year on May 29. Yes, even the paperclip has its own day of honor. Today is about that well-known piece of curved wire that keeps our papers together and helps keep us organized.
According to the Early Office Museum, the first patent for a "bent wire paper clip" was presented to Samuel B. Fay in the United States in 1867. The original intention of Fay's clip was to attach tickets to fabric, however the patent recognized that it could also be used to attach papers. There were nearly 50 others that received patents for similar designs prior to 1899—including Erlman J. Wright of the United States in 1877. His clip was advertised for use in fastening newspapers.
The Gem paper clip—which was produced in Britain in the early 1870′s by "The Gem Manufacturing Company," was never patented. It is the most common type of wire paper clip and is still in use today. It was introduced to the United States around 1892 and in 1904, Cushman & Denison registered a trademark for the "Gem" name in connection with paper clips. Paper clips are still sometimes called "Gem clips."
Today, paper clips come in various sizes, shapes and colors and can make your paperwork look more fun and lively. Paper clips are not just for holding papers together; there are many other things that can be done with them!

Mr. Roboto - Researchers at Cornell University have programmed a robot that can predict what you're about to do and offer up a helping hand. Using a Microsoft Kinect sensor, the robot watches your body movements. Then, it accesses a video database of about 120 household activities — ranging from putting food in the microwave, eating, brushing teeth, making cereal, etc. — to predict what your actions will be a few seconds into the future. The robot can then make a decision about what you're likely to do next and what it can do to assist you in that task.

Ghostbusters - Man who set up camera to catch a ghost instead catches girlfriend's affair with his 16-year-old son. An Australian father who rigged up a video camera in his kitchen to capture paranormal activity instead caught his girlfriend canoodling with his 16-year-old son.

Fighting Back, Boo!, -and- Weapons of Choice

Fighting Back - fed-up family apprehends mailbox-vandal suspect
Boo! - police blame ghosts for damage to home
Weapons of Choice - guns best crime deterrent after all

On this day in history: February 29, 1692 - Sarah Good & Tituba, an Indian servant, was accused of witchcraft in Salem.

Born on this day in history: February 29, 1904 - Jimmy Dorsey (1904-1957) Born in Shenandoah, PA, musician and bandleader Jimmy Dorsey and brother Tommy formed their first band as teenagers. The Dorsey brothers played with all the big bands in the 1920s, debuting their own, The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, in 1934. Its sweet-toned instrumental style combined a big band sound with popular dance music, and quickly emerged as one of the most innovative bands of the Swing Era.

Scripture of the Day: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation ..." - Luke 2:29-30

Video of the Day:They have come up with a way to clean the inside of
your computer screen. Here is a link to have it cleaned for free. - submitted by Frank Clean Your Screen

This kitty is going to take a shower! Click to enlarge.

Why Leap Years Are Used

February 29, 2008

The year 2008 is a leap year. If you look at a 2008 calendar, you will see that February has five Fridays–the month begins and ends on a Friday. Between the years 1904 and 2096, leap years that share the same day of week for each date repeat only every 28 years. The most recent year in which February comprised five Fridays was in 1980, and the next occurrence will be in 2036. February 29, the leap day, has been associated with age-old traditions, superstitions and folklore.

What is a leap year?

A leap year is a year in which one extra day has been inserted, or intercalated, at the end of February. A leap year consists of 366 days, whereas other years, called common years, have 365 days.

Which years are leap years?

In the Gregorian calendar, the calendar used by most modern countries, the following three criteria determine which years will be leap years:

Every year that is divisible by four is a leap year; of those years, if it can be divided by 100, it is NOT a leap year, unless the year is divisible by 400. Then it is a leap year.

Why are leap years needed?

Leap years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the earth's revolutions around the sun.