Swim at your Own Risk
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Shark Week Returns
Summer vacation is drawing to a close, and the start of a new school year is just around the corner. Hopefully you have been able to take a nice, relaxing trip to the beach ... and survive. The time has come again for the annual terrifying, yet thrilling, Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. The 'fear returns' on August 2nd, 2009 with an action packed week filled with informative shark facts, attack stories, myths, shark tracking strategies, and much much more.
Conveniently enough, our family vacations usually fell around the first week in August, the general time for Shark Week to be aired on the Discovery Channel. Nothing says relaxation like curling up with a blanket and popcorn watching shark attack stories, only to fearfully head out on a boogie board the next morning. You know you have seen enough Shark Week when a plastic bottle floating atop the water sends you running out of the ocean shrieking with fear, convinced that the fin of a Great White Shark was lurking in your direction... Especially when Read more
Adios Analog
The time has finally come. On Friday, June 12th, 2009 we witnessed history in the making. On this day, a federal law required all television broadcast stations to officially make the switch from the analog format to the digital format. The conversion is taking place for a number of reasons. Some of these motives include; the fact that digital is a more efficient transmission technology, opportunity for improved pictures and sound quality, increased options in programming, and the freeing up of many frequencies to be used in more efficient ways.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and the Government are working hand-in-hand to ensure that everyone is aware of the conversion, and knows how to handle it. Numerous information sites have been created in order to ease the transition for all consumers.
The originial date for the analog to digital conversion was set for February 17 or 18, 2009. However, the House of Representatives voted and President Obama signed the bill to postpone to switch on the basis that millions of consumers were unprepared. Prepared or not, the switch took place on Friday and we saying Adios to Analog!
To read more information about the switch and other news from the Federal Communications Commission, please visit their website! https://www.fcc.gov/
Contributed by Carrie Friedrich
As Named on TV
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Anyone who watches television between the hours of 10pm to 6am is no stranger to the hypnotic lull of the infomercial. In the wee hours of the morning while I am battling the occasional bout of insomnia, I find myself amazed by the power of an oxygen based cleaner, or convinced that an air sealed bag is the solution to all of my house hold clutter. I also wonder why the same dark headed man with a thick beard and excruciatingly loud voice appears on almost all infomercial product ads---but that is beside the point.
The question I have about these As Seen on TV type products, that pops into my head after Ron Popeil practically jumps out of my television screen demanding me to “SET IT, AND FORGET IT!”, is who in the world names these things?
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