Computious

MeiMei: 

I love to sing, but I know I’ll never win “American Idol”  or sing as well as Kelly Clarkson. Computious tells me I can still be a star. In my own life! I can be the “best me.” (I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll learn.)  

When I sing karaoke, I feel so happy. “Singing my song,” even if a little off-key! Some of my other favorite singers are Celine Dion, Charlotte Church, Mandy Moore, and the ladies who sing in “Celtic Woman.” Their gowns are so pretty! I wear sparkly “jewels” – including in my hair -– to feel even more like a shining star. Time to practice some new songs. 'Bye for now!

This posting is written by MeiMei, little sister of Computious^® – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! — and friend of DotComplicated, Serge deFault, Sweet & Sour the Pig, C.C the Cat, PingPong the Panda, and Elman the Elephant.  What a group of characters!

The Computious^® product line includes fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Special Values!

Filed under Entertainment, Females/Girls, Music, Shopping & Gifts by MeiMei | 1 comment

Sweet & Sour:

I’m a member of the porcine family, but I don’t always want to “hog” everything! Because 2007 is the “Year of the Golden Pig” in the Chinese lunar calendar, I’m receiving attention I normally don’t.

I’m happy to have a write-up in the recently published Spring issue of Georgetown Magazine, Georgetown University’s alumni publication. But the colorful magazine cover, below, puts things in perspective. It reflects Georgetown’s commitment to solving some of the world’s most urgent problems. Those colored awareness bands on the cover represent global issues. Poverty. Disease. Injustice.

I have the chance to have a (small but) valuable and contributing life. Georgetown, the U.S.’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university, works to help provide everyone at least the same opportunity. 

C.C. the Cat has been wearing an awareness band to remind him to whine less and to complain appropriately. The feature article in this issue of Georgetown Magazine focuses on alumni engaged in humanitarian efforts. It helped C.C.  realize how small some of his problems actually are and how lucky he is in many ways. Incorporating gratitude into his “cattitude”!!

This posting is written by Sweet & Sour the Pig , a friend of Computious^®  – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! — and friend of DotComplicated, Serge deFault, MeiMei, C.C. the Cat,  PingPong the Panda,  and Elman the Elephant . What a group of characters!

The Computious^® product line includes fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Special Values!

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PingPong:

With the terrible news about the campus shootings at Virginia Tech this morning, I wanted to write something lighter for when people need to take a break from thinking about the tragedy.  My heart hurts for the victims and their families.

I’ve been sneezing soooooo much recently! (Did you know we can sneeze out at 100 miles per hour?!!) Computious says I’m sneezing so much because of all the extra tree pollen this year. (What exactly IS pollen?).

The news said part of the reason for so much more pollen in many parts of the U.S. was a mild winter and heavier rains. (Although yesterday there was a snow storm in the Northeast, so they may be sneezing for other reasons!) Here’s a fun chart showing pollen levels in the U.S.

Animals can experience allergic reactions from pollen, too. In fact, if you want to laugh, watch this short YouTube video of a baby panda sneezing. Adorable!! I don’t know if the sneeze is because of pollen, but it’s tooooooo cute!

Thank you to Mr. Al Thompkins for some of the references in this entry.

This posting is written by PingPong the Panda, a friend of Computious^®  – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! — and friend of DotComplicated, Serge deFault, MeiMei, Sweet & Sour the Pig, C.C. the Cat, and Elman the Elephant . What a group of characters!

The Computious^® product line includes fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Special Values!

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C.C.:

Would you believe someone gave me an Easter egg filled with a bunch of those purple wristbands that are supposed to remind me to complain less?! Someone saw I was wearing out the one I had. You’re supposed to change wrists (in my case, paws) every time you complain. 

I’m trying to complain less, but remember, I’m on the 21-month or 21-year plan, not the 21-day plan. And I’m not the only one challenged in this department. There have been more than 4 MILLION bands ordered since last summer!  Even People Magazine had a story on them this past March 2^nd.

Part of the reason it’s so difficult for me is I think I’m one of those “Highly Sensitive” types. I look tough, but can't help it as much that I feel pain easily!

Here’s an idea on how to handle some complainers.

This posting is written by C.C. the Cat, a friend of Computious^®  – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! —and friend of DotComplicated, Serge deFault, MeiMei, Sweet & Sour the Pig, PingPong the Panda,  and Elman the Elephant . What a group of characters!

The Computious^® product line includes fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Special Values!

Filed under Entertainment, Helpful Information, Shopping & Gifts by C.C. the Cat | 1 comment

Serge:

The National White House Easter Egg Roll traditionally takes place on Easter Monday. Today is no exception.

Recently, Computious talked about the Easter-Holiday kind of fun eggs. But there’s another kind of fun Easter egg – the computer egg!

Digital Easter eggs are hidden surprises in computer programs that developers put in for entertainment. Ours and theirs! A couple examples are: a pinball game in Microsoft Word 97; and a reference by George Lucas to the title of his first movie, “THX-1138,” in every one of his movies.

Currently, one of the most popular hiding places is a DVD. Computer Easter eggs aren’t meant to be harmful. Still, it’s important to be careful if you decide you want to find some. Microsoft no longer allows Easter eggs in their software, even though in the past they’ve created some complicated ones.

For answers to basic questions about cyber Easter eggs, click here.

This posting is written by Serge deFault, a friend of Computious^® – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! — and friend of DotComplicated, and MeiMei. Other friends include Sweet & Sour the Pig, C.C the Cat, PingPong the Panda, and Elman the Elephant. What a group of characters!

The Computious^® product line includes fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Special Values!

Filed under Entertainment, Helpful Information, Technology by Serge deFault | 1 comment

Computious:

Did you know the practice of color-dying eggs goes back thousands of years to the Egyptians? And that the ancient Persians also colored eggs by painting them for their new year celebration? We didn’t!!  

Eggs symbolize new life and fresh beginnings in many cultures. Now we understand why we exchange eggs at Easter.

Dolley Madison, the wife of the fourth president of the United States, established a fun tradition of children rolling Easter eggs in Washington, D.C.  Now, every year on Easter Monday, the President’s wife sponsors the National White House Egg Roll on the White House Lawn.

The bright colors used for painting eggs represent Spring sunlight. We like using lively colors because they make us happy when we look at them. We hope you’ll enjoy the way we colored our eggs this year!  If you’d like to read about how some other cultures decorate their Easter eggs, click here.

On Easter Monday, in honor of the National White House Lawn Egg Roll, Serge will tell us about a different kind of fun Easter egg!

This posting is written by Computious^® – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! –friend of DotComplicated, Serge deFault, and sister to  MeiMei.  Other friends include Sweet & Sour the Pig, C.C the Cat, PingPong the Panda, and Elman the Elephant.   What a group of characters

The Computious^® product line includes fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Special Values!

Filed under Entertainment, Helpful Information, Shopping & Gifts by Computious | 1 comment

Today at sundown, the eight-day holiday of Passover begins. Because we like learning about different traditions, we read a bit about it. Here are some interesting things we learned:

"Passover commemorates the freeing of the Israelite (Jewish) slaves and their exodus from Egypt. This took place about 3,000 years ago during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II."

"This holiday centers on family and community remembering together the importance of Passover, especially thorough a ceremonial meal called a seder* (see Serge below)." 

"'Seder,' in Hebrew, means “order.” There are special readings, food and songs which make up the seder, and they follow a certain order. This ceremony reminds them of the difficulties the slaves faced and the freedom which the celebrants now have."

"The background story of Passover starts with the biblical Moses, who was rescued by the Pharaoh’s daughter and raised him as her own. 
When Moses was older, he tried to persuade the Pharaoh to free the Jewish slaves, and warned him of the plagues that would be sent if he didn’t (** see Serge below on what those ten plagues are). The first nine plagues didn’t change the Pharaoh’s mind!"

"The tenth and last plague was the Angel of Death killing all first-born males, including the Pharoah’s son. Because the Angel passed over the homes of the Jews (they had been warned), this event was named “Passover.” After the tenth plague, the Pharaoh released the slaves!"

"The main symbol of Passover is the matzo, a cracker-like bread that represents how quickly the Israelites had to leave Egypt, with no time to let their dough rise. To learn more about the meanings of the other special foods in the seder, click here. Here’s what a seder plate can look like."

During the seder, the re-telling of the story usually begins with a young child asking “The Four Questions.” The four questions are often sung. Since I like to sing, I was curious how it sounded, and I heard them at this link!

" *Click here to see what the order of the traditional seder is. 

Also, ** The “Ten Plagues” were: Blood, Frogs, Lice, Beasts, Cattle Disease, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness, Slaying of the Firstborn. We noticed there's a movie coming out this week with the theme of the ten plagues, called 'The Reaping.'  Hilary Swank is one of the stars."

                                ~        ~        ~

One of the best things all of us learned from Passover is remembering how much freedom we have in our lives!

This posting is written by Computious^® – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! – DotComplicated, Serge deFault, sister to  MeiMei, Sweet & Sour the Pig, C.C the Cat, PingPong the Panda, and Elman the Elephant.   What a group of characters! 

The Computious^® product line includes fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Special Values!

 ' C y b e r  H o r r o r ' — The 11t h   P l a g u e  ? ! !

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