Why Did We (The English) Start Using Surnames?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bm7pqR4hDTY

Memes of the Day

Take a close look at this photo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5O3gmF776s&t=39s

How A Writer Can Turn An Ordinary Idea Into A Great One

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Kl1tGBJT0

Cat, I Farted (and Other Branding Catastrophes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwXA0ocSZhI

Frostbite Falls | Rocky and Bullwinkle Wiki

Frostbite Falls is a fictional town in Minnesota based on the real town of International Falls, Minnesota

 
https://rockyandbullwinkle.fandom.com/wiki/Frostbite_Falls

Bowser Glitch Trick in Super Mario Bros!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NUYQGGqm1fo

The mysterious case of the "lost positive"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7TfjCIbtng

English is a mess and probably always will be.  It combines West Germanic languages, Latin, Old Norse, and French.  This gives us more words that mean the same thing.

At one time English had grammatical gender just like many languages do today, but dropped it.  I'm grateful for this simplification.

Two Interesting Memes. Five guys/If only.../

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAxG8W1uDQc&t=102s

Why Do Americans Write the Date Like This?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HS-KmLnkyhY

The International ISO standard for dates is YYYY-MM-DD.  I've been using this format for the simple reason that I like it.

Emma Watson Explains Difference American vs British Guys

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rpX5Bi5TtDU

Comments made in 1957?

Fact Check: 'Comments Made In The Year 1957' List Has A History, But Not Back To The '50s | Lead Stories

https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2020/12/fact-check-light-hearted-comments-made-in-the-year-1957-has-a-history-but-not-back-to-the-50s.html

The Mind

"The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quotes From Our Favorite Halloween Movies

https://www.inspiringquotes.com/quotes-from-our-favorite-halloween-movies/ZScjzpBbgAAI3tfy

Why American English is Highly Misunderstood

https://youtu.be/jTm1Pu4buGM?si=s3m8ywNDct6F-sQ_



Best wishes,

John Coffey

The different layers of an Edwardian outfit; chemise, corset, petticoats, walking suit etc

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KM9TeQh5oQ4

Now that’s satisfying log cabin building

Lincoln Logs.

https://youtube.com/shorts/3D4W5cJTuhU?si=shMPvcaYRzWMxW-N

What Happened To 18th Century Men Who Visited Brothels?

https://youtu.be/R9JOYSGW_Gw?si=lJsuY3bDmwyRthq6

The Latin words you don't know you're using

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf9Q68DZlok

Another bad idea.

5 Grammar Rules to Forget

Interesting.  The first one is a myth going back to the 19th century.

I've struggled with #5.

https://www.wordgenius.com/grammar-rules-to-break/Xr0yWBPAJQAG8xAr

Lessons from a Can Opener

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

The commentary at the end is interesting.

People born in the 2000’s don’t exist.

https://youtube.com/shorts/lh18QGPmvn0?si=lQ0qPuS6tPN-zqa9

I frequently misspell this word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC753JH5Xdk

3 More Surprising Clothing Origin Stories

https://youtube.com/shorts/Qu3VdmgYOwY?si=ZeckfA6F94L8nL1w

The First Skyscrapers Were Boats

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Uc9DOKADmXc

Words Shakespeare Invented

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nxZLKnHyiIQ

5 Ways British and American Suburbs Look Very Different

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VQT8X4Rvxg

Who Is Charles III Named After?

https://youtu.be/_l6y4GMbUnc

Are chatbots the wave of the future?

Many people, myself included, tend to latch onto new technology.

So far, I'm not particularly impressed with the current level of chatbots.  They have no real understanding, but do a great job of imitating human conversation.  They only understand the relationship between words in ordinary speech.  The chatbots are essentially a version of Wikipedia that can hold a conversation with you.

That is all about to change.  It can't be far off because there is an AI arms race going on between major companies.  Eventually computer programs will talk to you with some understanding of what they are talking about.  I see a future, possibly within a decade, where your computer or smartphone is your artificial friend who regularly talks to you, keeps you company, and helps you deal with any problem you may have.  Better than real friends.  

It is inevitable.

Right now people are pushing Augmented Reality, and although I don't see much point, it will likely be the norm in a decade.  For me, it would be nice to spend time with some of my Utah friends as if they were in the room with me.

--
Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

Tuesday’s Jumble

Today’s Jumble

Just killing time at the cancer center.

Oldest Living Cat - Guinness World Records

https://youtu.be/4ge-ym-JpHU

5 Things Americans Do That Germans Find WEIRD! | Feli from Germany

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRLI0T7PV10

'Don't Give Up, Kid': 16 Quotes From Charlie Brown

https://www.inspiringquotes.com/dont-give-up-kid-16-quotes-from-charlie-brown/Yr9-r8gVJQAGE4Rb

Sly Stallone- Courage, get rid of your problems

https://youtu.be/MU5vPhKQENU

It Should Be Illegal to Drink Like This

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

This Pac-Man Game will NEVER be Released Again

https://youtu.be/OFigQ4GwdnQ

John Coffey
7 minutes ago (edited)

I liked Jr. Pac-Man although the difficulty seems tough.  The Atari 2600 version is one of the best games on the Atari 2600.  The 2600 version has selectable levels of difficulty.

8 American Things Britain Doesn't Even Have a Word For | PART 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiMu7i_aEaw

What’s in a Mile? The Evolution of Measurement and the Words to Describe It

https://www.wordgenius.com/whats-in-a-mile-the-evolution-of-measurement-and-the-words-to-describe-it/YMItXrwkhgAHtSG4

The second article is also good.

Best wishes,

John Coffey

Black bears don't stand a chance against Grizzlys

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c_-rsHHctBc

Why Some Americans Say 'Warsh' Instead of Wash

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jtDjUAz3WTA

John Coffey

0 seconds ago

Most of my extended family, aunts, uncles, etc., say "warsh."  They were originally from Kentucky.  I grew up in Indiana.  I try to avoid saying "warsh", but some people in Indiana still say it.

Split Infinitive: The Complete Guide (with Examples) - The Grammar Guide

This has been a source of confusion for me.  I assumed that infinitives were verbs, but that isn't correct.

English grammar seems complicated.

I have tried to avoid splitting infinitives, but sometimes you step all over yourself in the process.  In some cases, it is better to split the infinitive.

https://prowritingaid.com/split-infinitive

"Infinitives don't act as verbs. Rather, they act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

As nouns, they act as subjects of sentences or as direct objects:

To rescue Princess Aurora was Prince Philip's only goal. (subject)

A smart approach is to do a little each day. (direct object)

As adjectives, they modify nouns or pronouns:

His favorite toy to sleep with is his stuffed giraffe. (modifies toy)

As adverbs, infinitives modify verbs:

She ran to stay in shape. (modifies ran)"

I found myself wondering why this isn't true.

--

Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

How would you like this guy's job?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jMAdIm71oVA

Abraham Lincoln's Quotes part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fhC5sQ1KhA

Why Do Americans Call it Aluminum?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Gfxm2qqghsQ

11 U.S. States That Are Larger Than the UK - Lost in the Pond | British accent. American life.

http://www.lostinthepond.com/2014/02/11-us-states-that-are-larger-than-uk.html

Fwd: Anticipation!

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Larry