After World War II ended the Naval Operations Chief, Admiral Chester Nimitz decided that there was a need for a nudge to the public in order to keep them interested in all aspects of Naval aviation so he arranged for a “flight demonstration team”.  Approximately one year later in June 1946, flying the F6F Hellcat the team performed for the first time at NAS (Naval Air Station) Jacksonville, Florida under the leadership of  Lieutenant Commander Roy Voris. Within two months they began flying their renowned diamond formation in the new F8F Bearcat.

Towards the end of the 40′s they began flying their first jets, the Grumman F9-2 Panther and with the advent of the Korean War there was an increased demand within Naval aviation so the team was dispatched to their new home in 1950 which was the USS Princeton aircraft carrier where they were the center of the Satan’s Kitten fighter squadron VF-191.

A year later they began flying the faster and new Panther, the F9F-5 and relocated to the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas. They stayed in Corpus Christi where they became permanent “snow birds” and moved to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida in 1955 where they soon began flying the Grumman F9-8 Cougar, a swept-wing aircraft. During the next 20 years they transitioned twice more to the F11-1 Tiger in 1957 and the Phantom II, a McDonnell Douglas F-4J aircraft in 1969.

At the end of 1974 the team was reorganized into the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron which allowed them to establish a commanding officer, where the first of which was Commander Tony Less, a flight leader as well as other support officers. This helped to emphasize its mission as well as having support in their recruiting efforts.

It was in 1986 during their 40th year anniversary celebrations that they presented their current aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas FA-18 Hornet; it is the first fighter/attack aircraft that now serves in our nation’s first line of defense.

The Blue Angels have performed for over 260 million fans and spectators; pretty impressive isn’t it?

(Photo by Jason Hunken, 10/8/05.)

So, you have all of these digital photos, video’s and music on your hard drive but now you really want to be able to enjoy all of it on your TV and stereo in the living room; well if you have a network connection and any of the game consoles like PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, you may have everything you need to enjoy streaming digital media. Each one of them is capable of streaming a wide variety of photo, video and audio formats from the PC to the TV using your home network. However, if you are not a gamer there are some products that will fit the bill.

Sonos digital music system (bundle 130) – it is a 2 room wireless audio system that can be expanded for up to 32 rooms. The wireless remote uses an iPod style scroll and has a very easy installation process. It has audio input that allows you to access 3^rd party audio sources and will stream the same audio to all rooms or different music to every room.

Apple TV (40 GB) – this allows you access to both premium and free media content that includes TV shows, movie rentals, photos, podcasts, music and YouTube videos. Works with both Windows and Mac, has a great sleek design and a good user interface with a simple setup and provides smooth streaming.

Roku Soundbridge M1000/M1001 – a network receiver with a sleek design, big front panel display and has great compatibility with all digital files including those purchased from online sites and premium subscription services (includes DRM WMA files). Has both analog and digital output that allows you to connect to any speaker or stereo system and works with any Ethernet or wireless home network. Both the setup and the user interface are simple and it streams from both Mac and Windows.

The Sony VGF-WA1 – this is a very reliable wireless audio stream with a lithium battery providing 4 hours of life; includes an auxiliary mini-jack for external sources and digital audio output.

MVIX MX-760HD – great file compatibility, room for internal hard drive and a DVI output capable of us to 1080p. It has 2 USB ports, Dolby soundtracks and both wireless and Ethernet networking.

So, if you love gadgets and want some excellent streaming video then any one of these should be more than adequate.

Let’s face it, everyone loves gadgets. They come in many different shapes, sizes and uses, but the one thing they have in common is their novelty. While it is not known exactly how the word came about there are several theories on the subject. 

One such theory is that Rudyard Kipling invented the word sometime in 1904, citing the phrase “Steam gadgets always take him that way” that appears in his book titled Traffics and Discoveries. But evidence suggests that he may have actually picked up the word during a journey to India.

Another theory is that it comes from a gentleman in France by the name of Gadget who was connected with the building of the Statue of Liberty which was a gift to the United States from France in 1886. It has been said that he sold small bronze copies of the statue in New York, with his name printed on the bottom of each one; however this is false.

However, the word gadget is actually associated with the construction of the statue because the business that was responsible for creating the outer copper portion of the statue was called Gaget, Gauthier & Cie and there were small versions but they did not have the name Gadget stamped on them. But, other than the company being associated with it, there is no evidence that he was indeed responsible for creating the word.

The person who actually made the word known was writer Robert Brown in his book “Spunyarn and Spindrift: A sailor boy’s log of a voyage out and home in a China tea clipper” written in 1886 where the boy describes words used by sailors when they forget the name of something.

Most prefer to think of it as a hand-waving phrase or term for something that one has temporarily forgotten the name of; similar to a doohickey or thingamajig. Wherever it came from it sure has become a popular term.

If you are looking for garden design ideas you have more options than just driving around neighborhoods or looking at magazines you also have the choice of checking out online landscape designs. The most professional and detailed choice for online landscape designs seems to be landscape design drawings, they can be anything from simple garden design ideas to a complex complete renovation; in both instances you would get a done to scale drawing. This means that either you or a contractor would have to perform measurements on everything to ensure an easy installation.

You will also be likely asked to provide pictures of the property and home together along with a survey; some of the online landscape design companies will take measurements of the property and house in lieu of a survey. For garden design ideas you will need to provide them with some idea of what you want; for instance, if you are looking for a complete design or foundation plants, a patio, an arbor or simply a walkway around a garden.

The online landscape designs normally will include an estimate and agreement for you to sign, professional grade drawings, a list of any type of paving material that may be needed, additional notes on the drawings that they feel are necessary, a lighting design if appropriate, where the drainage areas should be and a complete plant list that has not just the name of the plants, but the size and quantity that you will need to create the design.

There are also 3D online landscape designs which are pretty amazing since often times people can have some difficulty actually seeing a design. The 3D design will include not just the landscape design done in three dimensional form it will also have the actual architecture of your home. This means that you will actually be able to see a better picture of what the final results will look like.

Most of the online landscape designs come from a program called Sketchup for their 3D renderings; the Cad drawing is entered into the software program and it transforms even the simplest of garden design ideas into beautiful, highly detailed, full color 3 dimensional drawings. This produces a lifelike illustration that becomes available to you in a PDF format or if you prefer they can also transfer the images to a CD or DVD and have it sent to you.

Did you know that Marie Antoinette did not really say “Let them eat cake”? There are two other sources as to where this actually originated: one is from a woman known as Marie-Therese of Spain who is said to have uttered the phrase and the other is from an author in the 18^th century who was writing about a princess that suggested the poor people should eat brioche (similar to a sweet roll) if they did not have bread.

Photo by: Sandra Kühr

Did you know that the Great Wall of China is not the only visible man-made thing that can be seen from space? Although historian Richard Haliburton made the bold statement that it could be seen from the moon this is not true, but the myth that it is the only one that can be seen from close orbiting is still incorrect. Pictures and descriptions from astronauts have indicated that highways and airports can be seen also.

Did you know that Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb? In 1809 Humphry Davy invented an arc lamp and later Warren De la Rue actually invented the first sealed light bulb and later still in 1840 William Grove managed to light a whole room of lamps. It wasn’t until 3 patents and 8 scientists later that Edison expanded on the invention and created a cheaper and longer lasting version.

Did you know that despite popular belief humans do use more than 10% of their brains? It is true that fairly simple tasks do require a small specific amount of brain area but complicated tasks require far more as has been proven by magnetic imaging. One belief as to why this myth continues is that psychics promote the myth in order to make everyone believe that they use more brain power than everyone else.

Did you know that while you can debate whether men are actually more driven sexually than women the thought that men think about sex every 7 seconds is purely a myth? This thought has been attributed to Alfred Kinsey and his famous sex studies but even he wasn’t that specific; he simply stated that during one of his studies he found that about 97% of the men had sexual thoughts anywhere from a few times every day to several times during a month and most of those (about 54%) did fall into the daily category.

Photo by: G. Georgiev

Do you think that pigeons and other birds really will blow up if they eat rice? Since both the Simpson’s and Ann Landers have warned us against throwing rice at weddings just for this reason then it must be true, right? Wrong; no explosions due to rice consumption have ever been recorded or documented. As a matter of fact most birds actually eat rice grains as a way of keeping a healthy body mass during the cold months.

Did you know that technically Napoleon really wasn’t short? Although nicknamed “Le Petit Caporal” according to the Imperial system he was actually average height (5’6”) for the men of his country. The nickname was really given because he was said to have a respectful and friendly attitude toward the soldiers.

Some of you may be disappointed to learn that shaving/cutting hair really does not make it grow back thicker or faster. It is like seeing special effects: the hair that you can see is not alive (since the living part is under the skin) so naturally cutting it will not change its texture or how fast it grows; you are just seeing the hair at a different stage of growth.

Did you know that the Salem witches were never really burned? While there were over 150 arrests and about 20 of them were executed these accused witches were not burned at the stake. Some of the European laws did actually encourage burning after they were dead so that they may be cleansed of their witchcraft but this was forbidden in Massachusetts. All of them (except one that was crushed because they would not enter a plea) were hanged.

Did you know that there really is gravity in space? Yep, although the astronauts do seem to be weightlessly floating around in zero gravity that is not the case. The reason that space gives this impression is because the astronauts are gravitating towards Earth at the exact rate that the ships are.

With spring and summer fast approaching it is time to start thinking about your yard and gardening tools replacing or repairing as necessary. Backyard tools can only work so well without having any type of maintenance; if your hose leaks you will waste water and money, etc. Here are a few tips on what you can do to ensure that your yard tools are in good working order.

Start with the lawnmower as it is one of the major yard tools and change the filter if you have not done so since last year; if it is a paper filter then replace it, otherwise you can take it out and clean it with soapy warm water. After disconnecting the spark plug turn it over on its side and clean out the old debris and grass, using a screwdriver or something similar for difficult clumps. You can also use the water hose to help spray it clean; using a disinfecting cleaner if your yard had any kind of a fungus.

Another one of the backyard tools to check is the gardening water hose, check it carefully for cracks and holes. If you only have a minor crack or hole you can choose to repair it using something like plumbing tape but check it often to be sure that it holds and doesn’t leak. If you use more than one hose then be sure to check the washers where the two connect together; you can pick up replacement washers at any hardware or home store.

Weed-eaters are also yard tools that come in very handy; the amount of area that you need to edge and the number of plants or trees that you need to get around has a lot to do with the type of weed-eater that you should get. Your local home store can offer valuable advice on which model to get as well as the pros and cons of gas or electric ones. Just be sure that the base guard and the handle are on securely before starting so that they do not fly off or slip while operating it.

Your supply of gardening backyard tools should also include some kind of hedge clippers; to ensure that the blades are sharp use heavy gauge grit sandpaper or take them to a shop to have them sharpened in order to keep your shrub lines clean.