I took piano lessons for 7 years when I was younger. Iâm not actively playing now but really appreciated the grounding in music it gave me. If I had actually worked less during the hard lockdown, maybe I could have picked up playing again. Weâve got my grandfatherâs piano in our lounge, but it is in desperate need of some tuning.
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tune it what what, give it stick man!
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In celebration of World Piano day, I share with you The Piano Guys rendition of Coldplayâs Paradise:
This is the song my wife walked into the church on our wedding day, and will forever be one of my all time favourite songs. Both the Piano and Cello features perfectly in this track
For a more emotional celebration of the piano, the most gifted and best piano composer of the modern era, Ludovico Einaudi gives Oltremare:
But the piano can be the source of great laughter as well as emotion, as portrayed by this somewhat creepy but unbelievably talented Brazilian Vinheteiro, and he does it WITHOUT LOOKING at the piano.
For a more progressive display of unimaginable skill and talent with the piano, look no further than Lionel Yu, a classically trained pianist and composer with hands of lightning.
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attempt no 8, only COD 4 players would know 
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I love this guy.
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Good morning! 
It is Tuesday, 30 March 2021
(W13/D89/276 rem)
Today is: 
Pencil Day
Pencil Day honours the humble writing tool that has done more than just teach millions the alphabet and draw straight lines. Itâs helped win wars, produced amazing art, and satisfied our subconscious need to chew on our writing implements for hundreds of years.
Celebrated since the mid-1970s, I couldnât find a definitive answer as to exactly who started Pencil Day, but did discover why it happens today.
Hymen Lipman received the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil on this day in 1858. Before that time, pencils and erasers existed separately. Lipman combined the two making the pencil significantly more convenient to use. The intuitive businessman also manufactured envelopes for his stationery shop and was the first to add adhesive to the flap of envelopes.
The pencil is one of the earliest writing tools, its modern version thought to have originated in Europe in the 16th century when a large graphite deposit was discovered in England. Early, crude examples consisted of nothing more than a graphite stick wrapped in string; later a hollowed wooden stick served as the forerunner to the wood-cased pencil.
Germany birthed the first mass-produced pencils, with Faber-Castell, Lyra and Steadtler, as well as a few other companies, leading the way. Across the pond, the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company of Massachusetts, which later became the Dixon Ticonderoga Company, and others jumped on the bandwagon in the late 19th century, and some German manufacturers even set up shop in the US. By 1872, it is estimated that the Dixon company was making about 86,000 pencils a day.
Today, Faber-Castell is one of the few companies that still places emphasis on its luxury wood-cased pencils, in addition to its lovely array of pens, limited editions and more. It is estimated that the company now makes over a couple of billion pencils in a variety of colors per year, including its art and premium pencils.
In the United States, most pencils are painted yellow. It is believed this tradition began in 1890 when the L&C Hardtmuth Company of Austria-Hungary introduced their Koh-I-Noor brand, named after the famous diamond. They intended the pencil to be the worldâs best and most expensive pencil. However, other companies began to copy the yellow color so that their pencils would also be associated with the high-quality brand.
This may come as a shock to some people but lead pencils do not contain any lead. The âlead pencilâ as we know never has. The âleadâ actually is a mixture of graphite and clay; the more graphite, the softer and darker the point. The common name âpencil leadâ is due to an historic association with the stylus made of lead in ancient Roman times.
Notable pencil pushers:
- Thomas Edison had pencils specially made by Eagle Pencil. His pencils were three inches long, thicker than standard pencils, and had softer graphite than typically available.
- Vladimir Nabokov rewrote everything he ever published, usually several times, by pencil.
- John Steinbeck was an obsessive pencil user and is said to have used as many as 60 a day. His novel East of Eden took more than 300 pencils to write.
- Vincent van Gogh used only Faber pencils as they were âsuperior to Carpenters pencils, a capital black and most agreeable.â
- Johnny Carson regularly played with pencils at his Tonight Show desk. These pencils were specially made with erasers at both ends to avoid on-set accidents.
- Roald Dahl used only pencils with yellow casings to write his books. He began each day with six sharpened pencils and only when all six became unusable did he resharpen them.
Finally, a quick primer on grading your pencil graphite (not lead!), from the people who know everything there is to know about pencils: Pencils.com
So whatâs your pencil of choice? Do you like it blacker, or harder? <âThatâs what she said, prime Out of Context content 
Have a lekker, lead-free Tuesday! 
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I imagine Shakespear liked a 2B, or perhaps not.
Personally it depends on what I am doing. I love writing with a softer pencil like a 2/3B but when it comes time to draft something or illustrate, I prefer going for a harder option like a 2H or H.
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I wonder which John Wick prefers
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He did mark Pencil Day a couple of years agoâŚ
Thereâs also âcommemorative merchâ available:
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It is Wednesday, 31 March 2021 my dudes! 
(W13/D90/275 rem)
Today is: World Backup Day
You keep meaning to do it. You keep putting it off. And then unexpected kak happens. And your backups are either horribly out of date, or non-existent.
Itâs happened to all of us at some stage of our technology-dependent lives. Whether itâs photos and contacts on stolen phones, documents on a failed hard drive, or corporate data on a lightning damaged server somewhere. And each time it happens, we lament not having solid backups of our data, and vow to never let it happen again. And then we diligently make backups for the next few months, and then slowly fall back into our old habits. Stop doing that already!
World Backup Day is set aside as a reminder to back up your files, even if itâs once a year! A backup is a reserve copy of all the files youâd be loathe to use.
Thereâs nothing more traumatizing than losing your phone, or having your hard drive crash, and having hundreds of valuable and irreplaceable documents or photos suddenly gone.
No matter how secure or safe you feel your data and equipment is, itâs important to back up your files. 30% of people donât have any way to save their important files in the event that tragedy strikes. In our electronic based world, there are hundreds of ways to suddenly have things go terribly awry. 29% of all disasters are caused by accidents, costing valuable time and money as the resources they affected are lost forever. You may feel your computer is safe, but 1 in 10 of all computers, including household and business computers, are infected with a virus that may suddenly cause all of your data to be gone beyond retrieval.
âBut my phone is always on me!â I hear you say! Wonderful! Thatâll make it easier for you to be one of the hundreds of phones stolen every minute, each day. In this modern digital world, many of us live from our phones. Whether itâs for business, or just personal use, these electronic assistants often contain gigs of valuable documents, pictures, videos, and music. Do you really want to chance losing all of that when backup options are so easy and available?
âEasy? How do I backup my files and protect myself?â There ya go! Now weâre asking the right questions!
There are a myriad of ways you can use to backup your files, most phones are connected to some form of backup system. iPhones are tied directly into iTunes, which can back up all of your valuable data, you just need to hook that thing up to your computer and update the files daily! You can even do it as part of charging, just plug it in to your computer, set it to backup, and itâll go about the process automatically while it takes a charge.
Android phones are intrinsically tied to Google, and with the availability of Google Docs and the Google backup, itâll tie all of your data in to your profile, uploading it to a secure location while allowing you to choose which ones to share!
Google Docs can also be used to store all of your valuable files online! The bonus here is that from google docs you can access your files from any computer, saving you from having to wait for your system to be back up before you get those important files back!
Go on, do it right now. Many of you are reading this on your phones right now. Go to Settings > Backups and double-check that the automatic backup setting you know you created when you got your phone is still active. And that your backups are being stored on the device being backup! That would be kak pointless!
Visit http://www.worldbackupday.com/en/ for more backup tips and tools. And donât become an April fool!
Have a data-safe Wednesday, my dudes!
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Does sitting up straight count?
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I still want to get myself 6TB storage to backup my PC, but eish, the money is not there.
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It is Thursday, 01 April 2021
(W13/D91/274 rem)
Today is: April Foolâs Day
Perhaps one of the oldest of the daily celebrations weâve had so far⌠itâs April Foolâs Day!
Since April 1, 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Foolsâ Day by playing practical jokes on each other. Even so, the history of All Foolâs Day stretches even further backâŚ
Although the day, also called All Foolsâ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery.
Some historians speculate that April Foolsâ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes.
These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as poisson dâavril (April fish), said to symbolize a young, âeasily hookedâ fish and a gullible person.
April Foolsâ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with âhunting the gowk,â in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on peopleâs derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or âkick meâ signs on them.
Historians have also linked April Foolsâ Day to festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful), which was celebrated in Ancient Rome at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele. It involved people dressing up in disguises and mocking fellow citizens and even magistrates and was said to be inspired by the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris and Seth.
April Foolsâ Day traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling âApril Fools!â at the end to clue in the subject of the April Foolsâ Day prank. While its exact history is shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Foolsâ Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holidayâs long life.
In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Foolsâ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations, global fast-food brands, and many other websites and companies have participated in the April Foolâs tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences and customers.
In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees.
In 1985, Sports Illustrated writer George Plimpton tricked many readers when he ran a made-up article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a fastball over 168 miles per hour.
In 1992, National Public Radio ran a spot with former President Richard Nixon saying he was running for president again⌠only it was an actor, not Nixon, and the segment was all an April Foolsâ Day prank that caught the country by surprise.
In 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphiaâs Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell.
In 1998, after Burger King advertised a âLeft-Handed Whopper,â scores of clueless customers requested the fake sandwich.
Google notoriously hosts an annual April Foolsâ Day prank that has included everything from âtelepathic searchâ to the ability to play Pac Man on Google Maps.
Hereâs a handful of articles covering some classic April Foolâs pranks:
- A Brief, Totally Sincere History of April Foolsâ Day. Washington Post
- Historyâs Greatest April Fools Jokes. National Geographic
- Some of the greatest April Foolsâ pranks of all time. CNN
- 15 Best April Foolsâ Day Hoaxes. CBS
- 40 April Foolâs Pranks to Pull this Year. Readers Digest
Which are some of the more memorable April Foolâs jokes that you remember? Which have you been caught out by?
Have a fun-filled (but safe!) Thursday friends! And try not to get fooled!
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Also to be noted, a lot of April Foolâs gags were canned last year because apparently the whole world lost its sense of humour due to the pandemic.
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Google once again canned theirs this year as well. I feel its stupid - we need the humor to cope!
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I agree this is exactly the time we need humour.
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It is Friday, 02 April 2021
(W13/D92/273 rem)
Today is: World Autism Awareness Day 
World Autism Awareness Day was established on December 18, 2007 by the United Nations. The General Assembly put together resolution 62/139, which consisted of four major elements. The participation of all UN organization and its member states, a dedication to raising awareness of Autism in the general community, and a standing request to the UN Secretary-General to move forth this message to all it the UN member states.
Autism affects approximately 1 out of every 150 children around the world. It is a neural development disorder that affects their ability to socialize normally by impacting their abilities to utilize verbal and non-verbal communication. Since 2012, there has been a 30% increase in the amount of children being affected with autism, and World Autism Awareness Day helps to bring awareness to this growing health concern.
Autism first appears very early on, sometimes manifesting as early as infancy, in other times waiting until later in childhood.
The disease progresses steadily without remission, its first symptoms generally appearing around six-months, and being firmly in place by age two or three. Rather than having one distinguishing characteristic, Autism is indicated by the coming together of three separate symptoms. The triad includes difficulty socializing, problems in communication, and a limited number of interests combined with repetitive behavior such as can-stacking.
Autism is no longer classified as a single disorder, but rather an entire spectrum ranging in severity. Autism is the core of all of these syndromes, with its features being prevalent to varying degrees throughout, and includes such disorders such as Rett Syndrome and Childhood disintegrative disorder.
One of the most commonly known disorders on the list, outside of Autism itself, is Aspergerâs. Asperger Syndrome is signified by the presence of Autism symptoms with no impairment of language development.
Asperger Syndrome often leads to problems with social interaction with their peers. Common body language queues that are picked up on by those not on the Autistic Spectrum are often lost on those who suffer from AS. It is not uncommon among the Asperger community to hear them speak of their frustrations with non-Asperger people, as huge chunks of the conversation just seem utterly lost on them. Things such as tone, context, and sarcasm have to be considered very carefully, as they are not often native to those with AS, and their frustration with communication often stems from this and other social queues.
However, much like anyone on the Autistic spectrum, they will present with areas of intelligence that are much stronger than that of others. These areas tend to be in the reading, language, music, or spatial skills, occasionally manifesting to such a degree that they may fall into the âgiftedâ range in those areas. This seems to be counterbalanced by significant delays in other areas of development.
On WAAD, you can help raise awareness by hosting an event with local families with Autistic family members, bringing them all together to be among others sharing their difficulties, challenges, and joys.
You could contact local businesses and encourage them to light up their building blue to signal their support for those suffering from Autism, or you could even light up your own home. Spend WAAD reading about Autism and discussing it with others, and perhaps trying to gain a little understanding about this special group of people and the syndrome they live with.
Have a brilliant, blue Friday!
Today is also the Christian day of observance, Good Friday 
. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his subsequent death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. The reference to it being âGoodâ Friday, when the occasion was anything but good, comes from the obsolete use of the word meaning âpious or holyâ. Other examples of expressions based on this obsolete sense of âgoodâ include âthe good bookâ for the Bible, âgood tideâ for Christmas, and âthe Good Lordâ.
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Have a fantastic and mindful Good Friday all.
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It is Saturday, 03 April 2021
(W13/D93/272 rem) We are 25.2% done with 2021 already. A quarter of the year has passed in a flash.
Today is: Chocolate Mousse Day
After a few serious days of observance and reflection, I feel today is a good day to lighten things up, and have a good celebration day. Luckily our American friends are constantly celebrating food, so we do have one today to enjoy with them: itâs Chocolate Mousse Day!
(After tiramisu, chocolate mousse is my second favourite dessert, so today definitely works for me 
)
In French, the word Mousse means âfoamâ, and this is an apt description of this dessert, being light and frothy, or creamy and thick, it all depends on how you prepare this scrumptious treat.
Though the origins of this delicacy are largely unknown, it is known that it was a popular dish in the 18th century in France. However the first written record of its appearance is actually from an exposition in New York City in 1892.
The recipes first started appearing in a âHousekeepers Columnâ in the 1897 edition of the Boston globe. The recipe actually produced a dish with far more in common with chocolate pudding, instead of the more familiar foamy treat of this day. It wasnât until egg whites were introduced to the recipe, parted from the yellow yolks. It was an art form to create the mousse, as it was necessary to hand whip it at a consistent pace for a long period of time, it wasnât until the electric mixer was involved that it became common to produce the proper consistency.
There are many recipes for a chocolate mousse, all of them introducing different combinations of flavorings and toppings, all in the attempt to produce the perfect mousse flavor and consistency. The first step of creating the perfect chocolate mousse is of course utilizing the best possible chocolate available to you.
There are many ways to celebrate this day, among them being serving chocolate mousse to your family, or bringing them into the office. A challenge can be laid out to those co-workers to bring in their favorite chocolate mousse, whether itâs an old family recipe, or one from their favorite confectionary shop.
There are those who claim that the perfect rendition of a chocolate mousse is based in its simplicity. The very basis of most French Cuisine is to create a panoply of flavors using only the most basic of flavors and techniques. The most basic of chocolate mousse recipes has just five ingredients, and is presented below.
Classic French Chocolate Mousse
- 300 grams of chocolate (dark chocolate is preferred)
- 6 large eggs
- 50 grams of butter, plus a bit.
- 50 grams of sugar
- A pinch of salt
The recipe is remarkably simple on the surface, but the importance lies in processing it exactly. You first need to melt the chocolate with butter in a double boiler, waiting until the top presents with a silky shine. While this is going on, youâll need to whip the egg whites with the salt, and then add the egg yolks with the sugar, and complete the mix with the chocolate, whipping all the while. After this youâll need to place it in the fridge for 6 hours.
This is the most basic recipe for chocolate mousse, and from here on out it takes little more than your innovation to produce a special blend all your own.
There are so many directions you can go, though you must be careful to maintain a proper balance of ingredients to keep the consistency. Vanilla extract is a popular additive, as are various rich dark alcohols such as rum.
Try my classic French recipe, or head online to see what other variations are possible. And share the results of your efforts with us please - what works, what doesnât.
Have a fantastic, chocolate mousse filled day!
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We have made a chocolate cake instead, does that count?
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