SOME MORE TRIVIA

I know - I do ramble on.  But I can't help myself. I just hope that you don't think of me as a cockalorum, even though I do talk a lot about my life experiences.

(cockalorum = a self-important person)

Computer Ink

Months ago I purchased a "remanufactured" color ink cartridge for my Canon printer.  I didn't need it at the time so I kept it in a desk drawer until I did need it.  That time came yesterday.

I took out my old cartridge and after ten minutes trying to figure a way to open the shipping container for the new one, I was able to insert the "new" cartridge.

I probably should have not been surprised when the printer would not let me use this Chinese  "interloper."  No matter what I did based on the miniscule "manual" that came with the new cartridge, nothing worked.

Also, handling the cartridge I coated my fingers and shirt with heavy black ink stains.  (I thought it was supposed to be a color cartridge.)

This reminds me of something Arthur Godfrey said long ago. "Always pay a little more and go first class.  You'll never regret it."

I "cheaped out" on ink and got junk.

Class Distinction

When I was in Germany, trains had three classes. 

Third Class was always crowded with people holding pooping animals, people enjoying baskets of stinky food and people who forgot to use deodorant that morning.

Second Class was quieter, cleaner and more pleasant.  One could eat vendor-prepared meals, purchased at numerous station stops.

First Class was wonderful.  Food and services were delivered to you. It was always designed to make you feel like you were royalty. 

I was only able to go First Class on a few occasions, and never on the Orient Express.

In the U.S. when I traveled by train, I always paid a bit more for "Business Class," where I was offered a free drink or two and a nicely pressed newspaper; usually The Wall Street Journal.

Since my airline flights were always of the "white knuckle" variety, First Class wouldn't have made any difference to me.

WIKI?

This week the New Yorker magazine had an article that I am trying to figure out.  It relates to groups interacting with Wikipedia.  (Is it true or just satire?)

Here are some insights (?) from the article:

"There are more than 6.4 million English-Language articles on Wikipedia."

Entry: "'Unknot,' a mathematical concept of the least-knotted possible knot."  

Entry: "Judaism in 'Rugrats' - six episodes are devoted to Jewish holidays."

Entry:  "The earliest-known bar joke, in ancient Sumerian:

A dog walked into a bar and said: 'I can't see a thing. I'll open this one.'

(I guess you had to be there.)

Questions from me about this: "... after X finished a class in which she dissected the brain of a fly ..."

(Is that possible?  What kind of a brain does a fly have?  I did not take college courses that could answer these questions.)

Subject:  "Tiger penis soup." 

(A very expensive Chinese delicacy.  I guess tigers aren't too keen on contributing to such a food.)

Entry:  "x to the eighth power is called zenzizenzizenzic."

Much of this was supposedly delivered as part of a one-time ninety minute show in Manhattan.

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