here’s something undeniably addictive about the simple act of popping bubble wrap. The satisfaction that comes with each delightful burst is nearly impossible to resist. But what makes popping bubble wrap so gratifying?
The answer seems to be that it’s a pleasant, relaxing way to keep your hands and brain occupied.
Wanting something to keep your hands and fingers busy is possibly an intrinsically human trait. Having a special object to fiddle with is a human delight that dates back to the ancient Greeks. Fidget cubes, crocheting, coloring books, and bubble wrap all have that in common: they’re an easy, calming occupation for your hands.
The simple, repetitive motion combined with the anticipation and release of the bubble’s pop almost triggers a mini celebration in our minds. For many people, the act of popping bubble wrap serves as a stress reliever and tension diffuser.
It offers a brief escape from the pressures of everyday life, allowing us to momentarily indulge in childlike fun and playfulness. It’s a way to built-up release tension and reduce stress.
The primal satisfaction we experience could possibly be attributed to our human love for sensory stimulation. The sensation of pressing down on the bubble, followed by the happy “pop” creates a multisensory experience.
In other words… it’s fun. While it may not qualify as a fun hobby, it can be a perfectly enjoyable pastime.
We can all probably agree that gas prices have made a significant leap over the last couple of years, and the prices are taking a toll on many people’s wallets. So is there a way to hack gas prices by switching up your buying days?
Turns out, buying gas on the “right” day might actually be cheaper. But what’s the best day to buy gas? Monday.
Many of us dread Mondays, but can’t deny it’s the day of the week to get things done. According to a study by GasBuddy, Monday is the best day of the week to fill your tank.
You can save anywhere from $50-$100 each year by filling up your tank on the right day, though it depends on the type of vehicle you have and how often you drive.
Why is gas cheaper on Mondays? It has to do with supply and demand.
Wednesdays and Thursdays are often the most expensive days, while Fridays are great for topping off and Mondays are perfect for filling up the tank. During the middle of the week, people are thinking about the weekend and where they want to go. Or, they know they have a lot more commuting to do for work, so they’re going to need more gas.
There’s less of a demand for gasoline on Mondays, so you can enjoy a slight price dip. It might not seem like much, but a few saved cents here and there can add up quickly.
I came across an online poll that asked which season you prefer, Spring or Fall. That got me thinking.
The two seasons of Spring and Fall are both times of great change.
Spring is the change from Winter to Summer. Fall, or Autumn is the change from Summer to Winter.
The temperatures are changing, warming in Spring and cooling in Fall. The days are growing longer in Spring and shorter in the Fall. The plants are coming alive in Spring and dying off in the Fall
Spring is the change when we go from the dreary depths of Winter, where everything is dead and drab looking. The grass, and the fields are all a depressing brown color. The skies are mostly cloudy, dull and grey in color.
In Spring, small green shoots, coming out of the ground, growing taller by the day signal the coming flowers and other plants coming back to life. The beautiful colors of the Crocuses the Daffodils, the Tulips, and the yellow flowers on the Forsythia bushes are a welcome sign that warmer Spring, then hotter Summer days are coming.
Forsythia in bloom
Driving down country roads, the fields change from a drab brown, to a darker brown or black when the soil is tilled. Then a few days after the crop seeds are planted, you can start to see rows of green shoots appearing. Then the game is trying to figure out if it will be Corn or Soybeans. Then watching as the thing green lines of shoots fill out and eventually cover the brown of the soil
An old saying here in Indiana, is that the Corn stalks should be knee high by the fourth of July. Normally they are much taller than that by that date.
Fall is the change from the heat of Summer, that slowly changes to cooler evenings and nights, with warmth still during the day. It is a time of change when the crops in the fields, around here in Indiana, it is Corn and Soybeans, ripen and the leaves turn a beautiful golden color. The leaves on the trees change from green, to yellow and then to brown, before finally they let go and fall to the ground.
Driving down country roads, the scenery changes from the 6 or 7 foot tall Corn stalks, that blocks the views across the fields, to being able to see for miles again, as the crops are harvested
The Fall colors are sure nice to see, but they signal a change coming, to colder days and Winter.
In the Fall, mostly in October, there are Festivals here in Indiana, from the Apple Festival in Covington, the Covered Bridge Festival at Bridgeton, to the annual Hill Climb at Newport, to name but three.
Then at the end of October, there is Halloween, a time to decorate your house, to then scare and provide candy for the children.
I think for me Spring is the better of the two seasons. A time of life appearing from the dead looking soil. Of warmer days, lighter evenings, and time spent on the porch. New beginnings. .
In a world where streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are ubiquitous, it’s easy to forget the benefits of buying a CD. But before you turn your back on CDs, here are eight reasons why they’re still worth considering.
No Internet? No Problem
Streaming music can be a nightmare when you’re out of range or have spotty internet. However, CDs provide a reliable offline alternative. With a CD, you can enjoy your music without worrying about buffering or waiting for songs to load.
Of course, with a paid streaming subscription like Spotify Premium, you usually have permission to temporarily download music, but you still need to connect at some point to refresh your licenses. In contrast, your CDs will survive the collapse of internet infrastructure in the post-apocalypse.
Obscure and Rare Music
Music streaming services might boast millions of tracks, but they don’t have everything. CDs offer access to rare and obscure albums that you won’t find on any streaming platform. Collecting CDs allows you to explore your favorite artists’ lesser-known works or discover new artists you might not have found otherwise.
While you can get rare and obscure music from services like YouTube, uploaded by regular users, it’s often a game of whack-a-mole as content gets taken down. Of course some of the CDs you find might be so rare that no one will ever upload them.
You Can Preserve Old Mixes and Masters
Music remastering has become more common in recent years, but sometimes, it can be hit or miss. Owning the original CD ensures that you have access to the music as it was originally intended to be heard, including any nuances or subtleties that might have been lost in the remastering process.
Big Brother Can’t Delete Your Music
You don’t have to worry about anyone taking your music away when you own a CD. Music licensing deals change all the time, and sometimes that means your favorite tracks are no longer available on streaming services. Even if you’ve purchased digital music outright, what happens when the service inevitably shuts down? With a CD in your possession, you always have access to your music.
CD Booklets Are Awesome
There’s something special about opening a new CD and flipping through the booklet. CD booklets are filled with lyrics, photos, and artwork that help you connect with the music on a deeper level. This experience can’t be replicated by streaming services, and definitely brings something special to the music-listening experience.
You Can Make Your Own DRM-Free Digital Music
One of the most significant benefits of buying a CD is that you can rip it and create your digital music files. This means you can create a DRM-free library of your favorite tracks that can be played on any device, without being tied to a specific platform or subscription.
Of course, some CDs may have nasty DRM on them that makes it harder to make your own digital backups, but the majority of discs are trivial to back up for your own use while you still have the original disc safely tucked away.
Note: Before you use software to rip music from CDs you own for use in MP3 players or other devices, make sure you’re allowed to do that under the laws of the place where you live. For US residents, the RIAA outlines when it’s OK to rip CDs for personal use. So do familiarize yourself with the rules.
Believe it or not, sometimes CDs can be cheaper than their digital counterparts. Keep an eye out for sales; you might be surprised at the deals you can find. Unlike digital music, you can buy used CDs at places like pawn shops or thrift stores. Streaming subscriptions may not be particularly expensive, but when you consider buying a CD for a dollar gives you the right to listen to that music for so long as the disc lasts, physical media can be an amazing bargain.
Amazing Audio Quality
Last, but certainly not least, is the audio quality. CDs offer uncompressed audio that often sounds better than the compressed formats used by streaming services. If you’re a true audiophile and care about sound quality, CDs can provide a listening experience that’s a cut above the rest.
Of course, you can get access to lossless digital audio, but again there’s a vast, cheap, selection of CD music out there with top-tier audio quality to grab. Finding your favorite music online in a lossless digital format can be a pain, and quite pricey in some cases. With CDs, all of the music you get will have that level of fidelity.
So before you ditch your CD player forever and completely jump on the streaming bandwagon, consider the many reasons why CDs might still be worth your time and money. Whether it’s for the nostalgia, the audio quality, or the thrill of collecting, CDs still have a place in today’s music landscape.
What If I Don’t Have a CD Player?
CDs have a lot going for them, but what if you don’t have the required player? Then the disc are nothing more than plastic baubles!
The good news is that it’s still super-easy to get your hands on a CD player, and they run the gamut from cheap portable players to expensive audiophile-grade systems.
For example, this Deluxe Products portable player is just over twenty bucks, and is probably more than enough for most folk who just want to hook up some speakers or decent headphones to listen to their album collection.
The incredible 270° rotation of an owl’s head is a necessity. Their eyes are tubular and cannot move side to side like ours can, so instead of moving their eyes, they move their entire head.
Whether you live near a beach or you’re heading to the shore this summer, you’ll likely notice different colored flags displayed high above the sand. For example, do you know what a purple flag means?
The last thing you want is to recreate a scene from Jaws while you’re on vacation, so paying attention to these flags is important! Before you step into the water, they can alert you to any potential hazards you could face while swimming.
Seeing a purple flag doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stay out of the water. But, you should exercise caution if you decide to take a dip and consider keeping small children out until the flag is removed. But honestly, do you really want to take your chances in a battle with a jellyfish?
Do you ever find yourself rolling along and then seeing a funeral procession slowly making its way down the road? This isn’t all that uncommon of a situation, but so many of us don’t know what to do. Do you have to stop for a funeral procession? Should you keep going?
In most states, stopping for a funeral procession is not required by law. However, it is considered a common courtesy and a sign of respect for the deceased and their family when you stop.
Basically, if you see a funeral procession out on the road, be considerate and give them space if you can. Keep in mind, there are some specific traffic laws around funeral processions in certain states, so stopping being a courtesy.
For example, in some states, it is illegal to cut off a funeral procession or drive between its vehicles. In other states, funeral processions have the right-of-way at all intersections (regardless of a red light). Meanwhile, some states require the procession to yield to normal traffic laws.
While there may not be a clear-cut answer for every single state regarding whether or not you have to stop for a funeral procession, it’s always a good idea to err on the side of caution. Always show respect for the mourning family.
If you’re ever in doubt about the traffic laws in your area, it’s worth a quick check at your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
This is probably more of a British thing, but do you remember waking up to a machine, by your bedside gurgling away making a fresh pot of tea in the morning?
In the 1980’s, we had one, that we bought used. There is nothing better than a nice hot, fresh cup of tea, in bed, when you wake up. Without, of course having to go downstairs, fill the kettle, then wait on that to boil, then make and bring tea back upstairs to bed. Especially on a cold winter morning.
Sometimes, you just don’t question things because they’ve always been the norm. Take gas cans, for example. Have you ever noticed that they’re always red? Truly, always red. But why?
As it turns out, there is a reason gas cans are red, and it’s all about safety.
To help protect people, OSHA requires that all highly-flammable liquids be stored in color-coded containers. Gas specifically is stored in red containers. Gasoline’s incredibly low flashpoint means that it easily meets the criteria for a highly flammable liquid and thus, it must be stored in a red container.
Essentially, the red color of a gas can serves as a visual cue to indicate potential danger. This helps keep users safe around potentially hazardous materials.
It’s worth noting that these color regulations only apply to commercial use, which means personal use is far more lenient. You don’t absolutely have to keep your gasoline in a red can. However, it’s still a best practice to use red safety cans for gasoline even for personal needs. When you go to purchase one, it’s likely going to be red regardless of how you intend to use it.
But red gas cans aren’t the only color-related regulation.s There are also specific shades for other liquids. Diesel, for example, is usually stored in yellow cans, kerosene in blue, and oil in green. Think about it as a quick color code for safety.
So the next time you see a bright red gas can, you’ll know exactly what’s in it plus that it’s a necessary safety precaution to prevent accidents and ensure proper handling.
Colins Place 