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The Internet Is Not a Vast Wasteland

Where else could you find inspiration for turning discarded broadcast equipment into furniture?

Former FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow called TV “a vast wasteland” in 1961 (and now you know how the ship on Gilligan’s Island got its name the “S.S. Minnow” in ’64). I’m wondering how Minow might have descibed the internet. If anything, it IS vast, but certainly not a (total) wasteland. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being amazed at the things I find (and learn) on the internet. Amazing stories, history, pictures … just no end to what exists. This week, some fun facts and other goofy stuff from the web.

A Dentist Invented Cotton Candy
Lots of things on the internet DO require some “fact checking” (and I’ve been burnt more than a few times myself), but this website is fun and interesting for the goofy facts. Reading that a dentist invented cotton candy makes a lot of “business sense,” but did you know that Pope Francis is a member of the Harlem Globetrotters? Oh, yeah, I know this sounds like a headline on a grocery store tabloid. But it’s true! Well, sort of. He was made an honorary member of the Globetrotters in 2015. But, hey, he wasn’t the first as Pope John Paul II also got that honor in 2000. Here’s a link to other goofy fun facts.

Voice-Over Fun
I’m fortunate that I still get to do voiceover work. I came across a great funny video of what things can be like when doing voiceover work. Though the producers I worked with never had clients as “picky” as those depicted here, I often heard my cuts sounding exactly the same as previous EIGHT takes … but “perfect this time”! This is good for a laugh!

Rare Photos
In this link, we get to look at some rare photos that may affect how you view the world. They’re both beautiful and fascinating!

Celebrity Baby Lookalikes
Another goofy web page comes from Shareably. This is nothing but babies that look like famous celebrities. Also good for a laugh.

Cold Weather Beauty
Here’s a link to frozen stuff. The page is called Mysterious Things Found Frozen in Ice, and it has some pretty interesting pics. I wish I would have had my camera at Disney World a few weeks ago when I took my daughters. On our last day, we went to Animal Kingdom and the temp that morning was 28 degrees. The wind-chill was 18 degrees! And yes, Disney is STILL in Orlando, Florida. Someone apparently left the sprinklers on and the small palm trees along the road were thick solid “palmsicles.”

Flea Market Flips
If you’re into recycling, you’ll enjoy this link from HGTV. At one or two past NABs, I recall seeing old broadcast equipment turned into end tables and stuff like this. If you have old gear and are into “nerd furniture,” this link might inspire you to recycle that old cart machine, TV camera, or exciter into something new and unique.

A “Greenhouse”?
When we talk about greenhouses, we think of hot, humid glass enclosures for growing plants. This link may redefine your thoughts of what a greenhouse is. It’s an interesting concept of being “green” with your house. And though these houses blend to the environment, you’ll not only see a green house, but also a sand house and some other conceptual designs.

A Car “Record Player”
And my final fun fact still is amazing to me. Only a few years ago I learned that there was such a thing as a “record player for a car.” At first I thought it had to be a joke. As a former radio jock (DJ, air personality, whatever you want to call them), I know how easy it is for a record to skip. Of course, when we used 45s and LPs on the air, the ONLY time they’d skip is when you decided to hit the bathroom or the break room! Here’s a link to a DeSoto with a record player, and the video shows this thing working and how it even changed 45s. (Note that the car was sitting in the driveway so we don’t get to see the results of large bumps and road hazards when playing a record.) Pretty amazing!

And Finally …
If you haven’t heard about Fiona at the Cincinnati Zoo, you’re missing a great story. Fiona is a baby hippo born prematurely in captivity at the zoo. With a lot of love and great care, this baby hippo continues to thrive. Here’s a link to the first part of the story (and there are a few more parts to the story and will be as she continues to win over fans).

If you stumble across a good or unusual website that might be of interest, please don’t hesitate to send me the link and any info you might have about it. My email address is dan_slentz@yahoo.com.

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