Last week has left quite an impression of hazy skies, surreal sun-downs, orange-gray landscapes, burning eyes, breathing difficulties, and scratchy throats with many of us. Smoke was blown into Western Washington from wildfires in British Columbia, and I would rather not imagine what it must have been like there. Meanwhile, we have had our own […]
The Beatles – World Famous Losers?
Submitted by Don Doman On the Graham Norton Show, the popular British cable-TV talk show (BBC), Graham asked guest Paul McCartney if The Beatles had ever participated in local talent shows before they became famous. They had. Graham then asked if they had won. Nope. McCartney explained, “There was this old woman who played the […]
Irish Graham Norton – Wearing o’ the CeeLo Green
Submitted by Don Doman For ten years comic Graham Norton has been hosting his own talk show on BBC (late night Saturdays). My wife and I haven’t missed too many episodes. Like similar talk shows he starts off with a monologue, which utilizes large images for his live audience to see and laugh at. He […]
Letter: Hot August nights and the Rental Inspection Program
It was on this night – August 10 – one year ago that “the public comment session about Federal Heights’ (Colorado) controversial rental inspection program was abruptly cut short ‘in the interest of public safety,’ according to City Manager Jacqueline Halburnt.”
Roomba with a View, a Memory, and Data
Submitted by Don Doman Welcome to the world of the Internet of Things (IoT). That means connected products delivering fantastic services AND reasons to worry. “Smart” products use the internet and report back to their home database. For example an smart electric circular saw might report back to the manufacturer when your blade needs to […]
Art Talks: Jim Anderson
It all started with a comrade’s well-made, but none too well-made cornhole board for an army event; he re-designed and created it to perfection. Or maybe it started way earlier, in school, when drawing was one of his favorite subjects. And he was good at it – that good, that he won an architectural drawing […]
Down Under and Above Board
Submitted by Don Doman We donated a special Name That Tune night to our Tacoma Rotary auction. Politician Jake Fey won the bid and was the only person we knew at the evening of fine dining, talk, and Name That Tune with me at the piano. My wife, Peggy was the sole judge and jury. […]
Exercise a Teenage Mind and Compete – Science Olympiad
Submitted by Don Doman Writing in an article entitled “The US is falling behind academically” the World Economic Forum writes “Recently released data from international math and science assessments indicate that U.S. students continue to rank around the middle of the pack, and behind many other advanced industrial nations.” An earlier report in 2015 noted […]
Letter: Lakewood’s Use of Force Policy – now will it be reviewed?
One of the largest police deadly force wrongful death verdicts in state history – more than $15 million awarded to the family of Leonard Thomas “an unarmed black man killed by a SWAT sniper in Fife”– recently found against the near-by cities of Lakewood and Fife, Washington.