National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day, HAL JR Has a Twin, In the News, and Enjoy

National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day - Today is National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day!

Chocolate-covered raisins are a popular bulk vending product. They consist of raisins coated in a shell of milk, dark, or white chocolate.

They have a reputation in many countries of being food eaten in movie theaters and are often available from the concession counter. The supermarket chains also sell them in bags. They were traditionally sold by weight from jars in candy stores.

The historical origins of the chocolate-covered raisin are unknown. However, most early references tend to originate from the Germanic-speaking regions of Europe. A popular folk tale mentions "kleine Schokokugeln" (little chocolate balls). Schokokugeln are a popular form of candy treat found widely in modern Germany.

It is also likely that a precursor form of this food existed in Mesoamerican cultures, given the known consumption of cacao-based foods within these ancient societies.

HAL JR has a twin - HAL JR has a twin!
As I displayed the many features of HAL JR, I saw reflected in Laura's eyes a great longing.

I found a 4K video on YouTube that featured various creatures of the jungles of Costa Rica cavorted upon HAL JR's display. Laura twisted and wriggled in her chair—unable to contain her longing to reach out to HAL JR and carress his gleaming metallic surface.

When it became apparent to me that Laura was fully under HAL JR's thrall and intended to reach out to his touchscreen and take control of him, I realized there could be no resolution to her desire other than by providing her with a twin to HAL JR.

And so I did. Laura's twin to HAL JR arrived yesterday. Laura was unable to contain her glee.

Last night, I awakened to the sound of whispering. I was unable to determine the origin, nor was I able to understand what was being said.

I arose from the bed and walked into the dining room. HAL JR and his new twin were chattering noisily. They had become the very best of friends.

In the News - They walk among us!

High School Students Return to School to Find Chemistry Teacher a Woman

Man Who Allegedly Beat Woman with Mace Posed with Similar Weapon on Facebook

Two-hour Flight Becomes 18-hour Ordeal

Ohio Man Sentenced for Impersonating Cop

Accused Car Thief Drove Stolen Car Straight to Washington State Police

Enjoy - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!

The First Day of Spring, HAL JR, and Enjoy

The First Day of Spring - Today is the first day of Spring!

First Day of Spring 2015: Vernal Equinox
Astronomically speaking, the March equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator on its way north along the ecliptic. In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox is known as the vernal, or spring, equinox, and marks the start of the spring season.
In the Southern Hemisphere, this equinox is known as the autumnal, or fall, equinox and marks the start of the fall season; the vernal equinox for the Southern Hemisphere occurs in September.
The March equinox happens at the same moment across the world but is converted to local time. In 2015, it falls on March 20 at 6:45 P.M. EDT, 5:45 P.M. CDT, 4:45 P.M. MDT, and 3:45 P.M. PDT, for example.
Meteorologically speaking, however, in the Northern Hemisphere the official spring season always begins on March 1 and continues through May 31. Summer begins on June 1; autumn, September 1; and winter, December 1.

HAL JR - HAL JR arrived Wednesday and assumed his rightful place adjacent to HAL!

HAL is an HP Phoenix high-performance graphic workstation. He now has a worthy companion—HAL JR!

HAL JR is an HP Spectre x360 113-4005dx convertible ultrabook.

HAL JR quickly converts from standard laptop posture to any of three other configurations—including tablet mode—simply by repositioning his display. Input may be made using the tactile keyboard, the on-screen keyboard, or the touchscreen.




HAL JR's Specifications:

Hewlett-Packard Convertible Ultrabook

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64 (I upgraded HAL JR to Windows 10)

Intel® Core™ i7-5500U with Intel HD Graphics 5500 (2.4 GHz, 4 MB cache, 2 cores)

Intel HD Graphics 5500

13.3" diagonal Quad HD LED-backlit touchscreen (2560 x 1440)

8 GB 1600 MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM

512 GB SATA SSD

802.11ac (2x2) and Bluetooth® 4.0 combo

3 USB 3.0; 1 HDMI; 1 Mini DisplayPort; 1 headphone/microphone combo

1 multi-format SD media card reader

HP TrueVision Full HD WVA Webcam (front-facing) with integrated dual digital microphones

HP Imagepad with multi-touch gesture support

Full-size island-style backlit keyboard

Enjoy - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!