The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which is an international organization dealing with matters related to tall buildings, has officially declared One World Trade Center in New York City the tallest building in the United States. The height from the ground to the roof of the top floor is 1,368 feet but when including the spire, which the council has done, it brings it to 1,776 — the year the United States declared independence from Britain.
One World Trade Center surpassed the height of the Empire State Building in April 2012, topped out in August of that year and the last part of the spire was installed in May of this year. It takes the title of tallest building in the United States away from the Willis (Sears) Tower in Chicago, which had held this record since its completion in 1973.
I am satisfied with this decision. One World Trade Center is a magnificent building and a worthy successor to the original World Trade Center; it's a shame that the loss of life couldn't be replaced just as easily. The city has come a long way since the events of September 11, 2001; it's great that it once again has a building with the title of the tallest in America.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Monday, 11 November 2013
"Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey
I think that most people are familiar with this song, but I'll post it anyway; it's "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey:
I love this track. It's one of those songs that can really help lift you out of a sour mood. I think that this is the 2009 version of the song; the track found at this link sounds different to the aforementioned version, which is what I'm most familiar with.
This song also holds special significance for me because it was one of the songs I listened to during my family's flight from the United States to the United Kingdom. The Open House Party on KIFS (107.5 FM) had also been playing the song in the weeks up to our flight.
I love this track. It's one of those songs that can really help lift you out of a sour mood. I think that this is the 2009 version of the song; the track found at this link sounds different to the aforementioned version, which is what I'm most familiar with.
This song also holds special significance for me because it was one of the songs I listened to during my family's flight from the United States to the United Kingdom. The Open House Party on KIFS (107.5 FM) had also been playing the song in the weeks up to our flight.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Captain Janeway's comments on coffee
As a humorous follow-up to both my post about giving coffee to children and to some discussions I had with fellow coffee-drinkers, I'd like to link to this video I found of a couple of relevant Star Trek: Voyager clips:
Yes, Captain Janeway is fictional, but her reactions — and description of coffee — aren't exaggerated: I know a few people who "need" their morning coffee before they have to deal with the day's problems. They're quite grouchy and difficult to reason with unless they get their cup of Joe.
Of course, one should be mindful not to drink too much coffee; Captain Janeway has some words for that, as well:
Yes, Captain Janeway is fictional, but her reactions — and description of coffee — aren't exaggerated: I know a few people who "need" their morning coffee before they have to deal with the day's problems. They're quite grouchy and difficult to reason with unless they get their cup of Joe.
Of course, one should be mindful not to drink too much coffee; Captain Janeway has some words for that, as well:
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Jar with a hat
Time for another "hat" post.
It's the penny jar, wearing my Jubilee hat. While the penny jar is stored in my room, the coins it stores aren't mine; we use it to keep all the 1 pence and 2 pence coins that we collect. We've had various penny jars over the years.
Friday, 8 November 2013
Coffee and children
About a week ago, I listened to a segment on the radio about a father who took his son into a coffee shop. Naturally, the dad had a coffee; then, his child asked if he could have a coffee, too. This supposedly attracted stares and mutterings from many of the other customers and the dad was mortified, lost for words.
This attracted a debate on the radio station and its website about whether or not children should be allowed to have coffee. I was surprised by how many people stated that they would not give their children coffee; after all, I've been drinking coffee since before I became a teenager and never considered any parent(s) being opposed to letting their kids have coffee.
Coffee is not alcohol, so there are no legal ramifications to be concerned about. That being said, coffee does contain caffeine, which can cause hyperactivity in children, although on that note, any parent who objects to their children having coffee should also refuse them sodas and sugary drinks, given that they are far more unhealthful. If anyone is concerned about kids having coffee, perhaps teaching them to consume it in moderation is in order, as with any food or drink.
Finally, returning to the aforementioned incident in the first paragraph, if the dad was bothered about his son having coffee, he shouldn't have been in a coffee shop in the first place. In addition, as coffee isn't an age restricted drink, nobody had any business staring at the father and his son as though they were engaging in some sort of socially unacceptable behaviour.
What about you? How do you feel about children drinking coffee?
This attracted a debate on the radio station and its website about whether or not children should be allowed to have coffee. I was surprised by how many people stated that they would not give their children coffee; after all, I've been drinking coffee since before I became a teenager and never considered any parent(s) being opposed to letting their kids have coffee.
Coffee is not alcohol, so there are no legal ramifications to be concerned about. That being said, coffee does contain caffeine, which can cause hyperactivity in children, although on that note, any parent who objects to their children having coffee should also refuse them sodas and sugary drinks, given that they are far more unhealthful. If anyone is concerned about kids having coffee, perhaps teaching them to consume it in moderation is in order, as with any food or drink.
Finally, returning to the aforementioned incident in the first paragraph, if the dad was bothered about his son having coffee, he shouldn't have been in a coffee shop in the first place. In addition, as coffee isn't an age restricted drink, nobody had any business staring at the father and his son as though they were engaging in some sort of socially unacceptable behaviour.
What about you? How do you feel about children drinking coffee?
Thursday, 7 November 2013
"Spotlight" - Jennifer Hudson
This is "Spotlight" by Jennifer Hudson, taken from her self-titled debut album:
I love this song. It was popular in the United States and the United Kingdom in 2008 and part of 2009: Heart played the song a few nights ago. I was delighted to hear Hudson again; she has such a beautiful voice. I was pleased to read that her second album, which was released in 2011, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.
I love this song. It was popular in the United States and the United Kingdom in 2008 and part of 2009: Heart played the song a few nights ago. I was delighted to hear Hudson again; she has such a beautiful voice. I was pleased to read that her second album, which was released in 2011, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Using my computer again
My computer was returned to me today and it's been running well. None of the problems that were affecting it over the past weekend are present anymore. Assuming it holds, I'll begin installing additional programs and copying my data back to it this weekend.
Unless it messes up again, this is the last post about my computer's recent troubles. I decided to use a different title this rather than merely change the bracketed number again! Back to regular posts tomorrow.
Unless it messes up again, this is the last post about my computer's recent troubles. I decided to use a different title this rather than merely change the bracketed number again! Back to regular posts tomorrow.
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Computer issues (4)
All being well, I should be back in full control of my computer again tomorrow; it has been stable all day and my most relevant programs have all been re-installed (not the old antivirus). I'm pleased that the problem appears to have been caused by a piece of software, rather than from any hardware failing.
I'm sorry for the fourth post in a row about my laptop's problems; I haven't really though much about blogging over the past few days. I'm looking forward to using my own computer again!
I'm sorry for the fourth post in a row about my laptop's problems; I haven't really though much about blogging over the past few days. I'm looking forward to using my own computer again!
Monday, 4 November 2013
Computer issues (3)
While I don't want to celebrate too early, my computer might be okay. The issues have appeared every time an installation of a certain piece of software: the antivirus scanner. I've had a different antivirus on my computer to the other computers in the house and every time this software has been installed the problems showed up immediately after.
Coincidence? What about when this problem began the other day? Well, it's possible that the software's most recent update caused it. Today, my brother install the antivirus that's on his computer and so far my laptop has been fine; the most stable it's been since the 1st, in fact. Still, we'll see how it goes after a few days; at any rate, I'd rather it be that a piece of software that caused the problem than my hard drive failing...it's better to have to re-install everything than buy new equipment!
In the meantime, I've been using Dad's laptop rather than my brother's. It's a faster device than my computer but I'd like mine to pull through.
Coincidence? What about when this problem began the other day? Well, it's possible that the software's most recent update caused it. Today, my brother install the antivirus that's on his computer and so far my laptop has been fine; the most stable it's been since the 1st, in fact. Still, we'll see how it goes after a few days; at any rate, I'd rather it be that a piece of software that caused the problem than my hard drive failing...it's better to have to re-install everything than buy new equipment!
In the meantime, I've been using Dad's laptop rather than my brother's. It's a faster device than my computer but I'd like mine to pull through.
Sunday, 3 November 2013
Computer issues (2)
The problems with my computer persist; we're still not sure what its exact problem is, although the hard drive is still the leading contender, for a major scandisk found multiple bad sectors on it. Unfortunately, this did not fix the issues, nor did reformatting the entire system; we'll try again tomorrow.
I'm still writing from my brother's computer, so my access and time online are both limited, hence why I haven't approved any comments nor responded to any e-mails. I will catch up soon.
I'm still writing from my brother's computer, so my access and time online are both limited, hence why I haven't approved any comments nor responded to any e-mails. I will catch up soon.
Saturday, 2 November 2013
Computer issues
I've been offline for much of the day, as my computer has been having "issues". My brother, father and I currently think that its hard drive is failing; if this is the case, the hard drive is replaceable but it would mean that it would be a few days before I'm back on my computer again. I'm writing this from my brother's laptop and I can't spend too much time on it; I'm hoping I won't have to borrow his computer for too long.
I recently wrote about backing up files. This is one of those occasions when I'm glad I back my computer up!
I recently wrote about backing up files. This is one of those occasions when I'm glad I back my computer up!
Friday, 1 November 2013
Bloggers Blog Party - October 2013
My October 2013 pictures for the Secret Life of Bloggers Blog Party; this post only has four images:
Thursday, 10th October: I found these coins hidden in the same place where I keep my Sacagawea dollar. The coin at the top is an Oregon quarter, the middle coins are British (two pennies and 20 pence) and I think the bottom coin is Japanese (I'm not sure, to be honest). Ironically, when I first obtained the British coins several years ago, I considered them to be foreign currency; now, I spend these, although I intend to keep these particular coins.
Wednesday, 9th October: A bag of jelly babies. My brother bought a few of these when we all came down with a cold; jelly babies help to soothe sore throats, even though they're not actually supposed to be medicinal.
Tuesday, 15th October: The tiny battery on the left is a 28L 6v Duracell lithium battery. I was intrigued by the small Duracell, as I don't ever recall seeing one until that day. I had to take a picture of the 28L being compared to an AA and a D.
Wednesday, 23rd October: Dad found this horse chestnut, more commonly known as a buckeye or a conker. He said that it's not uncommon to find them at this time of year; since I took this picture, he found another!
I did not take any worthwhile pictures from Monday, October 28th to Thursday, October 31st, hence why there are only four in this post.
I did not take any worthwhile pictures from Monday, October 28th to Thursday, October 31st, hence why there are only four in this post.
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Halloween 2013
This Halloween has not been as active as last year's, as that was the week when I was in the East of England. On the bright side, the East Coast of the United States is currently not being affected by a major hurricane, unlike this time a year ago. I'm glad that the vast majority of the damage from Hurricane Sandy has been repaired, although the loss of life cannot be replaced.
Here is a suitable song for Halloween: Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters". Back in Oregon, KIFS (107.5 FM) would play this song at Halloween, as do some radio stations here:
Happy Halloween!
Here is a suitable song for Halloween: Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters". Back in Oregon, KIFS (107.5 FM) would play this song at Halloween, as do some radio stations here:
Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Kepler-78b
I find the discovery of this "lava world" fascinating:
Kepler-78b is an Earth-sized planet orbiting the star Kepler-78, located 400 light-years away. Its distance from its sun is a hundredth of Earth's distance from the Sun, with temperatures reaching 2800C (5072F) . Astronomers have theorised that the planet is tidally locked, with the side facing the star being moltee, giving it "lava world" status. Kepler-78b can be considered a lifeless planet, as the day side is obviously too hot to support life and the night side's temperatures are unknown but are unlikely to be any more hospitable.
Regardless of Kepler-78b's ability to support life, the discovery of planets outside the Solar System has always fascinated me. Countless Earth-sized worlds have been discovered but no Earth-like plants have been found yet. It's just a matter of time before we find a world similar to our own out there.
Kepler-78b is an Earth-sized planet orbiting the star Kepler-78, located 400 light-years away. Its distance from its sun is a hundredth of Earth's distance from the Sun, with temperatures reaching 2800C (5072F) . Astronomers have theorised that the planet is tidally locked, with the side facing the star being moltee, giving it "lava world" status. Kepler-78b can be considered a lifeless planet, as the day side is obviously too hot to support life and the night side's temperatures are unknown but are unlikely to be any more hospitable.
Regardless of Kepler-78b's ability to support life, the discovery of planets outside the Solar System has always fascinated me. Countless Earth-sized worlds have been discovered but no Earth-like plants have been found yet. It's just a matter of time before we find a world similar to our own out there.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
"'C'Mon" - Kesha
This is "C'Mon" by Kesha:
"C'Mon", taken from Kesha's second studio album, Warrior, was released back in January. Its success in the United Kingdom was fairly moderate at best and we heard it on the radio consistently for about a month. I think it's a shame, for "C'Mon" runs a close race with "We R Who We R" as my favorite Kesha song; I love the melody of both tracks and her vocals in them. They have fairly colorful music videos, too.
In my post about Auto-Tune from January 2012, Kesha was one of the artists I highlighted as a decent user of the voice processing technology. While I was slightly taken aback when I initially heard her first single, "Tik Tok", and its Auto-Tuning, I soon came to appreciate Kesha's music.
"C'Mon", taken from Kesha's second studio album, Warrior, was released back in January. Its success in the United Kingdom was fairly moderate at best and we heard it on the radio consistently for about a month. I think it's a shame, for "C'Mon" runs a close race with "We R Who We R" as my favorite Kesha song; I love the melody of both tracks and her vocals in them. They have fairly colorful music videos, too.
In my post about Auto-Tune from January 2012, Kesha was one of the artists I highlighted as a decent user of the voice processing technology. While I was slightly taken aback when I initially heard her first single, "Tik Tok", and its Auto-Tuning, I soon came to appreciate Kesha's music.
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