A-MUSINGS

May 25th was Geek/Nerd Pride Day, and I flew my flag proudly. Gone are the days when either term would be considered derogatory. We Geeks and Nerds proclaim our status with verve, no longer hiding behind horn-rimmed glasses and ill-fitting, mismatched clothes.

According to Facebook (where 77,230 fans cyberspatially celebrated this year’s event), Geek/Nerd Pride Day was created in Albany, New York in 1998.  May 25th was chosen to commemorate the 1977 premiere of Star Wars (which, as we all know, rocketed sci-fi movies into a new realm of mass acceptance).

Nerd vs. Geek

So what’s the difference between a nerd and a geek? Various online dictionaries define a nerd as one who is intelligent, industrious, but socially inept and physically awkward.  Nerds also tend to be indifferent or oblivious to the aspersions cast upon them.

A geek, on the other hand, may or may not have superior intelligence, but tends to be fixated upon, and has amassed great knowledge about a particular area of interest (usually one in which others are generally not interested) — for example:  math geeks, band geeks, motorscooter geeks and Lord of the Rings geeks.

Were one to create a Venn Diagram (as developed in the 1800s by British mathematician John Venn) of nerd and geek attributes, one might find within the intersecting segment, an interest in computers and science fiction/fantasy.

Still need help distinguishing geeks from nerds?  Click here for some simple steps to help you.

Nerds and Geeks Are Cool

In recent years, acceptance of geeks and nerds within society has increased due in part to the favorable or endearing portrayal of them in popular culture, such as television and movies. Two of my favorite TV shows include lovable geeks and nerds for whom I have a distinct affinity:  the brilliant, yet socially dysfunctional physicists in The Big Bang Theory sitcom, and Special Agent Timothy McGee of NCIS with his Masters degree from MIT in Computer Forensics. Let’s not forget the many superheroes whose mild-mannered alter-egos are frequently nerds or geeks:  Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Clark Kent (Superman) and Barbara Gordon with her Ph.D. in library science (Batgirl). And of course, we must pay homage to the movie that brought nerdhood to the forefront of the world’s consciousness:  Revenge of the Nerds starring Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards. Yes, nerds and geeks are cool — dare I even suggest respected?  Best Buys’ Geek Squad is looked upon as computer experts to whom people pay good money for assistance in fixing technology challenges that common folk dare not tackle.

So how does one celebrate being a nerd or a geek?  It’s so much more than donning propeller beanies. Here are a few suggestions:

• Wear anything printed with a mathematical formula, dinosaurs or a periodic table.
• Sing The Elements Song (by Tom Lehrer).
• Bake yourself a pi (yes, pi:  3.14159265…).
• Dress as your favorite sci-fi or comic book character (I proudly wore my Star Trek: The Next Generation communicator badge replica).
• Teach some poor, unenlightened soul something about your favorite academic obsession.
• Reorganize the food in your pantry in your choice of criteria:  alphabetically, by major food group, calorie count, or Sheldon Cooper’s idea–fiber content.
• Take over the world.

Do you need help figuring out if you are a nerd or a geek?  Take this funny test — at least I thought it was funny (because I’m a “modern nerd”).

If you actually read this entire blog (much less enjoyed it), you are most assuredly one or the other.

My daughter and I were in Target last weekend browsing the cosmetics when we came across a dress… hanging off a shelf of mascara and eye shadow. Now what is that about? Someone had decided she didn’t want the dress and just left it there, not six feet away from its proper display. I lifted the dress and hanger and hung it on the rack with the other dresses.  It took all of two seconds. Simple, painless, but helpful. Which made me think. There are many ways we can all help out that are just as easy and quick. Here are a few. 

Help a stranger:

• Hold open a door for someone at a store, building or car.
• Wave at a baby and watch for the wonderful, innocent smile in return.
• Say “please” and “thank you” often.
• Reach an item on a high shelf for someone my size.
• Smile.
• Shake hands when you greet someone (and make sure your handshake is firm — no dead fish or fingertips-only).
• If you see a book out of order in the library, put it back where it belongs so others can find it.
• Pick up a dropped book, papers, pencil, etc.

Help a friend:

• Offer a compliment or provide a word of encouragement.
• Listen.
• Wave at your neighbor.
• Give a big hug.
• Pick a piece of lint or stray cat hair off your friend’s jacket (be careful grooming people you don’t know well –they could consider it creepy).
• Tell your friend if she has lipstick on her teeth,  a stray piece of salad in her smile, or toilet paper stuck to her shoe;  after her embarrasment passes, she will be truly grateful.
• Bite your tongue;  sometimes it’s better to leave something unsaid if the words will not help a situation.

Help your family:

• Throw your dirty clothes and towels in the clothes hamper (it takes just a second, but those with whom you live will appreciate it).
• Men, put the toilet seat down (and everyone else, close the lid;  it will help avoid things accidentally falling into the toilet…like cell phones, but that’s a blog for another day).
• Wipe up spilled water around the sink.
• Pet your dog or cat; it will make both of you happy.
• Put dishes straight into dishwasher; don’t leave them in the sink.
• Lock your doors and windows at night.

Help yourself:

• Turn down your mp3 player a notch or two;  it can save your hearing.
• Stop to admire something beautiful or listen to a bird sing.
• Take a deep breath. Cleansing. Relaxing. Recharge. Clear your head.
• Put on sunglasses on a bright day; protect your eyes from the UV rays.
• Read and compare food labels. It can help your waistline and your wallet.
• Buckle your seat belt.
• Put on your helmet when biking, motorcycling or scootering.

Help the world:

• Turn off lights as you leave a room.
• Recycle.
• Vote.
• Do the right thing. It might only take a second but it could save the world or change someone’s life for the better.

Two seconds or less.  Give it a try.

My Birthday Cake!

Yesterday for my birthday, my family baked me a cake. From scratch. And hand-decorated it, too, with those tiny silver cake decorating tips that I loved watching my Mom use to make edible works of art when I was a little girl.  The cake was so beautiful, I didn’t want to eat it.

But then I thought about what would happen if I didn’t eat it. All the hard work and love that my husband and children put forth would not be appreciated in the way they were meant to be. The cake would eventually dry out into a concrete mass, or worse, would start to grow black fuzzy stuff all over it. In any case, it would go to waste. I could just hear my Mother whispering in one ear about all the children who are starving in third world countries, and Marie Antoinette yapping in the other. No, I couldn’t be selfish and not eat this gorgeous cake. So I did. And it was delicious. Is it possible to taste love? Does it have a flavor? If so, it would be yellow cake with mocha frosting and pink flowers.

How many times do we deny ourselves cake or other indulgences because we consider ourselves unworthy, we want to lose those last five pounds first, this isn’t the right time, or some other excuse? And don’t we all know someone (maybe it’s us) who is saving a piece of jewelry or dressy outfit to wear for a special occasion?

When my aunt passed away, we went to her home to go through her belongings to give away to other family members and charities. On a high shelf in her hallway closet, I found a beautiful gold-leafed set of Chinese bowls, cups and spoons that was probably 30 years old. It had never been used. Ever. Each piece was still wrapped in original tissue paper. My aunt was one of those people who saved things for special occasions. And she never got to enjoy how wonderful a meal would have tasted served on her gold-leafed china because the right special occasion never presented itself.

There are many opportunities we have to experience cake every day:

• Take the extra five minutes to cuddle with your little ones, or throw a few extra sticks for your puppy
• Wear the high-heeled pumps to the grocery store
• Read the hardcover, not the paperback
• Diamonds are for everyday, not just that special event
• Drink the expensive wine or the gourmet coffee

There is a special occasion lurking around each corner every day. My aunt’s china found a new home in my kitchen, and we regularly use the dishes and think fondly of her. I’m not saying you have to use your wedding china every day, or constantly gorge yourself with cake and sweets. Moderation in all things. I’m just saying that if someone takes the time to do something nice for you — even if it’s fattening — appreciate and savor it. Then spend an extra half hour on the treadmill. Eat your cake.

Okay, you know the name alone made you pause and giggle.  Even more, you can’t help yourself: you have to look at the picture.  The Naked Mole Rat.  Native to Africa, this three-inch-long rodent is hairless and wrinkled with a rat-like tail and strong, protruding teeth. Some have said it resembles a bratwurst —  or worse, a part of the human male anatomy — but with teeth. It has a face only a mother could love. And as we celebrate Mother’s Day this month, isn’t that what it is really all about?

Our Moms love us, no matter what we look like, who we are, or what we do. Consider the life the naked mole rat lives. Barely able to see with its beady eyes, it spends most of its life burrowing tunnels with its four sharp teeth in search of tubers or roots to eat. Like bees, they live in colonies ruled by a queen, and only a select few males get the honor of mating with the her. The rest fall into subordinate levels of a caste system:  soldiers who guard the colony, and the workers — just more cogs in the underground machine. The lower-caste naked mole rats even serve as door mats allowing the upper-class creatures to crawl over the top of them in the tight, dark tunnels.

But mothers are able to boast about even the tiniest of their offspring’s accomplishments. To Moms, everything their children do is praiseworthy. So what’s it like to be a proud Mother Naked Mole Rat? Let’s eavesdrop on a couple of Naked Mole Rats Mommies. [Think Mike Meyer’s sketch “Coffee Talk with Linda Richman” from Saturday Night Live.]

Mommy NMR #1:   “You should have seen my son yesterday.  He was so industrious: he dug three miles of tunnel!  The dirt, it was like buttah. And he found a new supply of roots for the colony.”

Mommy NRM #2: “Well, that’s nothing. My son, the Soldier, killed a snake this morning and protected the Queen.  It was so dangerous. I’m all verklempt just thinking about it.”

Did you know that naked mole rats are xenophobic, and they use odor to recognize fellow colony members? In order to demonstrate unity, they willingly roll themselves in the colony’s “toilet chamber” to pick up the uniform smell of the colony’s poop.  Now that is dedication to the group. Another trait that would make a mother naked mole rat beam with pride.

So you may be a lowly worker, a brave soldier, or one who is responsible for the continuation of the species. Maybe you might still live with your mother, she lives down the street, across the country, or has moved on to the next world. No matter what, your mother loves you. Even if you are a naked mole rat, you are beautiful… to your mother. Thanks, Mom. I love you. Happy Mother’s Day.

The other morning, my husband purchased a new computer and got it set up in our office before the kids got home from school. The moment our son walked through the door that afternoon, he said “You got a new computer!” He hadn’t yet stepped into our office and couldn’t see it, and all the boxes and packaging were out of sight. So I had to ask. “How did you know that?” “I smelled the ‘new computer’ smell!”

New computer smell??!! Like new car smell? Apparently, the olfactory systems of teenage children are especially adept at detecting the scent of new digital devices. They are naturals at recognizing the fragrance of ‘new Blu-Ray player,’ ‘new digital camcorder’ and ‘new iPhone’ as well. We are surrounded by digital thingamabobs.  Now you know how I love my gadgets, but is it possible that sometimes we have just a little too much digital in our lives?

The Meaning of Digital

Let’s take a look a the meaning of digital. Definitions include “manipulating with finger or fingertip” and “available in electronic form, readable and manipulable by computer.” It’s all in the manipulation. The big electronics companies manipulate us into desiring and buying the latest contraptions that are supposed to make our lives easier, but invariably we end up in tangle of power cords and USB cables and spending way too much money on double-A batteries.

I don’t consider myself old (although my children might disagree), but a lot of today’s computer and digital lingo had very different meanings in my childhood:

• A memory device was known as the brain
• Scanning was done with your eyes
• Bits and bytes always involved teeth
• A CD was an investment tool that you hoped would make you a lot of money
• Drive was something you couldn’t wait to do on your 16th birthday
• A hard drive involved a cross-country trip with two parents, three siblings, two suitcases, an ice chest and a dog, all stuffed into a station wagon
• A mother board was a nasty paddle for spanking bad kids

The Power of Analog

So if digital is so great, why are my children also fascinated with its polar opposite:  analog? One of the things they consider coolest is my old Pentax 35 mm “analog” camera. It uses real film. That you have to crank and rewind. By hand! And you can’t see your pictures instantly. You have to take the film somewhere to be developed, so you never know what you’re going to get (like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates).  When they open the envelope of printed pictures, each image is a little gift offering the chance to relive the moment long after it has passed.

And don’t get me started on record albums. We actually went out and bought a turntable so the kids could listen to The Beach Boys, Bobby Sherman, The Chipmunks and of course, The Beatles, as they were originally intended at 33-1/3 RPMs. Is it a coincidence that sales of vinyl records are up by 33% from the previous year!

If everything old becomes new again, then there’s hope for me. For while I live for faster downloads, the incredible information resource called the internet and the immediacy of email, I still think nothing is nicer than receiving an “analog” letter or card that someone took the time to write. With a pen. By hand.

When the digital world starts to overwhelm our lives, perhaps we can just press Alt+Ctrl+Delete and start the day over again…

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuant63/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

You remember me from school, don’t you?  I was always the one placed in the front row for class pictures and chorus. While others got to be the towering pine trees in the school play, I was the shrubbery. Ankle-biter. Shorty. Smurf. I’ve heard all the nicknames.

I’ve always been petite. My daughter started to borrow my clothes when she was just 11 years old. At 5-feet tall and under 100 pounds, I’m embarrassed to say that I was actually knocked over by a Texas-sized gust of wind one day.  Still, I never understood why people — even strangers — offered to help me carry large packages out of a store, or why friends asked if I needed help climbing into their SUVs. Surely, I can’t be that small. When I asked my husband’s opinion, he said, “You have the Chihuahua Syndrome.  You just think you’re bigger than you are.”

Maybe he’s right. I feel big — not fat or tall.  Just strong and substantial.  Fierce. Like bold little chihuahuas, who despite their diminutive frames, have the courage of a German Shepherd and the tenacity of an Iditarod husky. In fact, the only time I really notice myself having to look up when I talk to someone is when I’m conversing with my business partner Adam, who is 6′ 5″.  Otherwise, I’m right in there with everyone else.

Lady Gaga

Positive that there must be other women who feel the same way, I went on a quest to find more small, yet fierce, females. Here are a few famous ones:

• Lady Gaga – 5′ 1″
• Kristen Bell – 5′ 1″ (on her Twitter page she tweets ‘5’1 is the new 6’2″‘)
• Judy Garland – 4′ 11-1/2″
• Kristen Chenoweth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Lil’ Kim – 4′ 11″
• Linda Hunt and Mary Lou Retton – 4′ 9″
• Dr. Ruth Westheimer – 4′ 7″

And I’m in good company among my fellow 5-footers:

Mother Teresa

• Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
• Pat Benatar
• Ellen Page
• Dolly Parton
• Jada Pinkett Smith
• Harriet Tubman
• Mother Teresa
• Chandra Wilson
• Natalie Wood

In my teens and twenties, I wouldn’t be caught dead without my 4″ heels. However, over the years, my lower back and stilettos have stopped getting along. But now that my Chihuahua Syndrome has kicked in, I no longer feel the need to be physically taller.

So what has my Chihuahua Syndrome taught me?

• Dream big; believe big.
• Know your limitations, but don’t let them stop you from finding a work-around.
• Don’t be annoying and yappy.
• Use your stature to your advantage; tiny can mean nimble and fast.
• Don’t be offended if people say you’re cute. If they only knew…

My family and friends have always accepted me for who I am (although they may have occasionally used the top of my head as an arm rest). And in the end, that’s all that matters — that we accept and love ourselves… however small, yet fierce, we are.

On the ninth day after my son got his learner’s permit, we took a drive down the street to the post office with him behind the wheel. He pulled into a narrow parking space that terminated in a large concrete wall. As he inched closer and closer to the wall, I gripped my arm rest tighter and finally told him to stop. “I have plenty of room,” he insisted.  And…he was right. There was probably four feet of space between the wall and the front bumper. In my defense, I told him, “The wall looked closer from the passenger seat.” His exasperated response: “You just have Mommy Vision.”

From my son’s perspective, Mommy Vision is not a flattering term. It occurs when Moms can see…

…kids stuffing their unfolded clothes into their dresser.

…youngsters feeding their vegetables to the dog.

…little ones hiding dirty socks behind the cushions of the couch.

…a test marked “F” in a child’s backpack (even though the paper was hidden inside a text book).

…teens on Facebook when they are supposed to be in bed asleep.

…kids (even those who are not your own) who are generally up to no good.

My son also believes Mommy Vision is a spoiler of fun. It causes mothers to see dangerous situations in otherwise recreational pursuits, such as jumping off the roof with a shower curtain parachute, or doing an Evel Knievel leap on a bicycle over your little sister. Girls think Mommy Vision blinds a mother’s fashion sense by making skirts look too short, T-shirts to appear too low cut, or eye shadow to seem too dark.

To me, Mommy Vision means something very different and valuable:

• It helps me be mindful of hazards (sharp corners on furniture, choking risks, neighborhood delinquents) in order to protect my offspring.
• It gives me the power to see when my children are upset or sad even when they say “It’s nothing.”
• I allows me to see past the awkward growth stages of today and view my children as the successful adults I know they will become.

You don’t have to be a Mommy in the traditional sense to have Mommy Vision.  Many people I know (women and men) developed Mommy Vision when they became aunts or uncles, or even pet parents. And as you grow older, your Mommy Vision becomes more acute. So even though my last trip to the optometrist resulted in a stronger prescription for my aging eyes, I am confident that my Mommy Vision will always be 20/20.

James Marsden & Cameron Diaz in "The Box"

Last night, my husband and I watched the DVD of The Box, a sci-fi psychological thriller starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as Norma and Arthur Lewis, a couple in dire financial straits. A mysterious man delivers a seemingly innocuous box to their home and tells them that they will receive $1 million in cash if they will push the button inside the box. The catch? Someone they don’t know will have to die in exchange.  [Spoiler alert!!!] After much deliberation, Norma presses the button not really believing that someone will die…and everything goes downhill from there. Ultimately, Arthur is forced to choose between killing his wife or allowing their young son to suffer an agonizing fate for the rest of his life. [Spoiler alert #2!!!] The couple chooses to end Norma’s life claiming, “There is no other way.”

At this point in the movie, my husband argues out loud, “There’s always another way.”  And that is why I love him.  With an engineering background, he’s a great problem solver. But most of all, he has a positive attitude. No matter how bleak turn of events might seem, he is always able to find that “other way” of approaching a problem. He never lets himself or his family get boxed in.

Here are some helpful hints on how to find that other way, or how not to get boxed in when it feels like you have no choices:

1. Take a breath. Problems seem more manageable when you are calm. As Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. says in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, “I find if I just sit down and think…the situation presents itself.”
2. Surround yourself with people who support you, and brainstorm with them. And drop the dead weight;  people who bring you down will just smother you with negativity.
3. Network with new people or those with whom you may not have spoken in a while. Alternatives are out there, and you never know who might have the answer. Think of it like a treasure hunt. The hidden gem might just be around the next corner.
4. Try something new – it doesn’t have to be drastic. Maybe cook a new recipe, start a blog, or tune into a TV show you’ve never watched before. (That’s how I got hooked on NCIS.) It will open your mind to new possibilities.
5. Get some sleep.  Your judgment is clearer when your mind is refreshed.
6. Eat healthy foods that are good for your brain, like wild salmon, nuts and avocados. A healthy brain is better equipped to tackle problem solving.
7. Drink enough water. Your brain is 90% water; if you’re not properly hydrated, your brain won’t function well.
8. Temporarily set emotions aside. It’s easier to identify options when looking at challenges logically.
9. Take stock of your resources or assets, both tangible and intangible (family, friends, knowledge, experience, money, love, faith), and factor them into your problem-solving equation.
10. Ask for help — don’t be afraid or too proud. There are no rules that say you have to go it alone. Your friends want to help you — that’s part of the definition of “friend.” And when you are in a position to do so, be the friend who helps someone else.
11. Listen to your heart, keep the faith and know that if you keep working at it, a better solution will materialize.

There’s always another way.

Sometimes I talk to myself. Like yesterday when I came out of the grocery store. An older woman was loading her groceries into her trunk and had left her empty shopping cart directly behind my car. As I approached my vehicle, I expected her to move the cart; but instead, she got into her car and prepared to drive away — leaving the cart behind my car for me to either move or back over and squash. 

My initial reaction was to knock on her window and ask her why she would so inconsiderately abandon her cart. Or maybe inquire sweetly (with only a hint of sarcasm) if she was finished with the cart (with the implied message, “Show a little courtesy and put it back”). Or even give her an out and ask her if she knew whose cart it was. But instead, I launched into a Smeagol/Gollom-like conversation with myself that went something like this:

Me: Really?  I can’t believe she’s really going to leave the cart there.

Myself: Yes, you can. This is New York. Obnoxious people abound.

Me: Okay, but I’m going to set her straight.

Myself: Well, maybe she’s really old and infirm, and doesn’t have the energy to return the cart.

Me: She got the cart to her car, didn’t she?

Myself: Yes, she did. But what good will it do to tell her off? Besides, she’s probably been doing this sort of thing her entire life. It’s too late to change her now.

Me: It will make me feel better.

Myself: Why don’t you just suck it up and return the cart to the grocery store sidewalk? Maybe she’ll see you doing it and feel bad about leaving the cart behind our car.

Me: Right, like that’s going to happen.

Myself: Well, it’s not about how she feels, is it? It’s about us feeling good about us.  Besides, we should be grateful that we are strong and able-bodied enough to be able to take the cart back.

Me: Alright. I suppose I can get some modicum of satisfaction out of that.

And I took the cart back, forcing myself to smile at Abandoned-Cart Lady all the while. Now granted, the conversation above took place mostly in my head, lest passersby think I’m muttering to myself in some insane fashion. But it was a productive discussion.

Why do people talk to themselves? I don’t know about others, but here is why I do it and how it helps me:

• As with events like Abandoned-Cart Lady, it gave me the opportunity to reflect on a situation before I acted rashly or said something reactionary that I might regret. I quickly found a better course of action allowing me maintain my self-appointed title of Nice Person.
• It helps me focus. Verbalizing problems or tasks helps me concentrate and hone in on elements that need my attention. This is especially useful when I’m following specific action steps to troubleshoot some sort of technology-based problem, like why do I keep getting two copies of every email that hits my Inbox? Or what happened to the text formatting on my website?
• It can relieve stress. Talking through a problem can be therapeutic, even if you’re just having the conversation with yourself — and you’ll always have a good listener on the other side.
• It provides a little pep talk. On dreary Mondays, I sometimes have to talk myself out of bed reminding myself that great opportunities await, but I have to first get out of bed to greet them.

Sometimes when folks talk to themselves, the conversations are not positive. People berate themselves: “I can’t believe I just said that,” “I’ll never achieve my dreams,” or “Nothing good ever happens to me.”  Those self-conversations can be just as damaging as if someone else said those words to you.  In fact, they are more harmful because you are internalizing and buying into that rubbish.

If you’re going to talk to yourself, be sure to have positive conversations. Here are some intrapersonal conversation starters:

• Be grateful for what you have for there are always those who have less
• Appreciate the world around you; it is a gift
• Notice even the little things – they can be rewarding and helpful

If you’re embarrassed about being a self-talker, just make a point to wear a bluetooth headset. Others will think you’re on your cellphone.

Someone once told me that people who talk to themselves tend to be of above-average intelligence – or maybe that was just me talking to myself!

How many times each day do you Google?  Like Xerox and Kleenex (and Coke if you’re from the South), Google has reached the pinnacle of brand recognition by becoming the generic term for the broader product — in this case, search engines. I easily use Google’s search engine dozens of times each day, and it immediately returns millions of possible answers. However, there are times when I am searching for something very specific and want fewer results.

Here are some helpful tips for refining your search from the moment you start typing into the search box.

Basic:

• Exclude words from your seach:  use the minus sign

Type:  scooter -clothing to search for motorscooters and not girls’ casual skirts.

• Search for similar words/phrases: use ~

Type:  ~nerds to search among nerds, dorks and other words of related geekdom.

• Search for exact words/phrases: use quotation marks

Type:  “one ring to rule them all” to produce results containing the famous Lord of the Rings phrase.

• Search for multiple words/phrases: use AND or OR (uppercase)

Type:  recipes tomato AND onion to find recipes containing both ingredients.  Use OR if you want to produce results with either ingredient.

• Search across a range of numbers: use …

Type:  flat screen TV $1000…$5000 to find listings for flat screen TVs within that price range.

• Search for a word definition:  use define:

Type:  define: ebullient to learn the meaning of the word.

• Search within a site:  use site:

Type:  pets site:edu to search educational sites for pets, or type pets site:killough.us for pets within one particular site, such as www.killough.us.

 Fun/Cool Tips:

• Google is a calculator!  Type basic operations such as + to add (3+5), – to subtract (54-9), * to multiply (24*17), / to divide (42/6) and ^ for exponents (10^3). You can also type 15% of 25, or to find a squareroot, type sqrt(81).
• Instantly convert units:  Type 150 ounces to liters, 45 fahrenheit to celsius, 500 dollars to euros, 142 cm to inches and more.
• Get a weather forecast:  Type weather San Antonio to check the forecast
• Look up the local time:  Type time Australia to check the time down under
• Find someplace near your zip code:  Type Chinese food 11590 or hardware store 78245
• Track a flight:  For example, type Delta 1652 to see the status of the flight.
• Find a movie in your area: Type movie:girl with the dragon tattoo 10019 to locate the theater showing the film near your selected zip code.

Now, to find the meaning of life. Google returns 88,600,000 possibilities for that search string in .55 seconds. But I think that may be one topic that I have to figure out myself.