Robison Crusoe

The book Robison Crusoe is a little over 300 years old. I read it as a teenager.

It is one of the most widely published books.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_Crusoe

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Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

Can't Focus? It's Not Your Fault, You're Being Tricked. This is How.

https://youtu.be/h6bIhubBA_k

I have a problem with YouTube addiction, which I am trying to manage.  My problem is that YouTube has a great deal of content that I find interesting.  I suppose that any form of entertainment is an escape from reality.

It's not you. Phones are designed to be addicting...

https://youtu.be/NUMa0QkPzns  

The following uses very crude language, but he is not wrong:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t53Y8eBfzI

I'm not sure if this is helpful...

https://youtu.be/q_xm5Weu3nE

#15 puzzle

I used to be fond of the #15 puzzle, and even Bobby Fischer was fond of it. The 19nth century puzzle maker Sam Lloyd claimed that he invented it, but it was actually invented by a 19nth century postmaster named Noyes Chapman.

It seems to me that the puzzle is a precursor to the Rubicks' Cube. Both involve sliding pieces in a limited way. It is possible to take apart and reassemble both in a way that can't be solved. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15_puzzle

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Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

Cataract

I went to a new optometrist in Columbus, who recommends that I have a cataract in my good eye removed.  I'm supposed to make an appointment at South Emmerson in Indianapolis to be evaluated.  I have had a cataract in my good eye for at least ten years.  Since I only have one good eye, Doctors in Salt Lake City recommended that I do nothing until this condition got worse.   According to the Optometrist, I have progressed from stage 1 to roughly stage 2.5.  I am only seeing about 20/40, whereas in the past I was correctable to 20/30, which is about as good as my heavily nearsighted eyes can get.  It appeared to me while driving, especially at night, that my vision was a little off.

I don't know yet when the operation will be, but I am holding off on some other plans I had until I find out.  I am told that this operation might correct my much of nearsightedness.

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Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

Nice quote

Remember warming up the TV before watching it?

For those who don't remember, on powering up really old televisions the image would start as a dot in the middle of the screen, and then expand. It might only take a couple of seconds to a few seconds to reach full size. The reason for this is that old televisions used vacuum tubes instead of transistors, and these needed warming up. I remember going to a repair shop that had dozens of different types of tubes for replacement parts.

Sometime in the mid-1970s, manufacturers began to advertise televisions that were "Instant On". Since many of these TV's still used vacuum tubes, I noticed that these TV's kept some of the vacuum tubes powered up even when the TV was "off". I could tell because most vacuum tubes glowed. Many old televisions had heat vents toward the back and an orange glow would emanate from these vents. It would light up the wall behind my television.  The TV also put out a great deal of heat.

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Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

My long distant past keeps catching up with me

My long distant past keeps catching up with me, especially on Facebook.

Leroy Watson

Facebook

You're not friends on Facebook

New Facebook Account

1:12 PM

Leroy sent Today at 1:12 PM

Are you the one that wrote the BASIC compiler from JRC Software? If you are I just wanted to say I really liked that program and learned a lot from it.

2:40 PM

You sent Today at 2:40 PM

Yes. That was me. I wasn't terribly happy with that program because I thought that I could make it better but I didn't have the time. I am trying to explore the 2068 computer again because I am retired and I have the time. I have an idea for a video game that I want to write. I worked for videogame companies in Utah from 1993 to 2000.

You can now message and call each other and see info like Active Status and when you've read messages.

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Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

Amish Facts: These Amazing Facts Will Teach You More About Their Culture

https://definition.org/amazing-facts-amish-will-make-appreciate-culture/22/

According to this article, the Amish population in the United States has increased rather dramatically to about 300,000.  I find this number surprising because it means that roughly one in a thousand people in the United States is of the Amish faith.  

There is or was a community of Amish people living somewhere between Scottsburg and Salem, Indiana.  I was born in Salem.  When I lived in Scottsburg back in the 1980s, I saw some of them in a buggy while driving to Salem, even though I didn't take that trip very often.  I would on rare occasion see a few of them in Scottsburg, and I met and talked with an Amish young man in the mid-1980s.   My impression of him was not very favorable.  He seemed to me to be remarkably ignorant, but I assume that his faith does not encourage knowledge beyond what he needs for life in his community.  Because of this, I feel like his faith is repressive, although he no doubt chooses that lifestyle.

How Crash Bandicoot Hacked The Original Playstation | War Stories | Ars Technica

I find this interesting as a former videogame programmer.  When the game came out, some programmers thought of it is as not true 3D, although actually, it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izxXGuVL21o

Denny's

It took me 3.5 days to drive to Salt Lake City in 1993.  I would stop at restaurants that were familiar to me, especially, Denny's, because I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to get.  So I used to really like them and associated them with a good dining experience, but I went to one in Fort Union, Utah around 2014 and I was disappointed.  I had fried chicken tenders and french fries, but this seemed to be the typical type of thing on their menu.  Plus the booths were small and crowded together.