Procrastination is funny. A recent article prompted readers to share things they had not “gotten around to.” Here are a few examples: “A bathroom that began its redecoration twelve years ago and has yet to be painted. Oh, that hurts!” The Christmas tree is still up from the year before… and it’s September. A reader …
Each fall, monarch butterflies migrate over 2,000 miles to Central Mexico. Interestingly, monarchs do not simply take the shortest turn to get back on course. When making course corrections, they align themselves according to what’s called a “separation point”. If a monarch begins flying off-course, it realigns itself relative to that separation point, without crossing …
Tryon Palace was built in 1770 as the first permanent capital of the colony of North Carolina. Governor William Tryon brought John Hawks, an English architect, with him to design the palace in a similar style to manor homes in London. Once completed, it was considered one of the finest buildings in America. Sadly, in …
Since the late 1980s, geophysicists have been building a network of hyper-advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments to monitor the Earth. With this technology, they have discovered something that the Earth’s surface is constantly moving AND changing direction. By carefully observing and recording this data, it’s possible to simulate possible future changes and courses of …
By analyzing each of his paintings pixel by pixel and creating a height map to mimic his brush strokes, scientists have produced what they believe to be a painting Rembrandt could have painted himself. With powerful data analysis and computer graphics technology, the creators actually manufactured this new, real-life “Rembrandt” portrait with a 3D printer. Would Rembrandt be happy with this? …
How would you feel if you hired an architect to custom-design your dream retirement house, but it turned out looking like everyone else’s house in your neighborhood? Not good, I’m assuming. Can you believe this happens every day in the world of retirement and estate planning? Folks think their “custom plan” is truly personalized… but …
If you’re like me, the unity of your family is important! Inheritances may not be everyone’s favorite subject, but planning now will yield can greatly benefit the whole family in the future. So what does Paris Hilton have to do with it? Well, we cringe when we see what Paris Hilton and others have done with …
In the 1983 hit film, Trading Places, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, Aykroyd’s character, Winthorpe, is haggling with a pawnshop owner over the value of the watch he is desperately trying to pawn in order to get cash. When the pawnshop owner offers $50 dollars, Winthorpe indignantly says, “This is a Roche Vouceau. The …
Due to failing health in old age, Groucho Marx’s family decided that they should make his decisions for him. The story goes that family took him to court and wrestled decision-making control from him. For the rest of his life, his decisions were not his. He lost flexibility. He lost control. Worse, he lost personal …
In the good ole days, when your car was on the fritz, your mechanic needed a trained eye and ear to figure out the problem. Today, they need mechanical and computer training. The engines and systems are much more complex. Your engine needs to be hooked up to a computer to properly diagnose hidden issues …