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WITandWISDOM(tm) – November 15, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible. – Norton Juster, author ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: In the mid 1930s, a German Protestant pastor was abducted from his church. Suspected of aiding and abetting Jews, he was thrown into prison without a hearing, a trial, or even a phone call to his family. The prison guard outside his cell hated everyone associated with Jews and purposefully skipped the pastor's cell when meals were handed out, made him go weeks without a shower, and gave him the most difficult job on the labor gang. The pastor, on the other hand, prayed that he would be able to love this guard with God's love. As the months went by, the pastor smiled at the guard, thanked him for the few meals he did receive, and even got to talk about Agape love. The guard never said anything; but he heard it all, and one night he cracked a smile. The next day the pastor received two meals and was able to shower for as long as he wanted. Finally, one afternoon the guard personally made the long-awaited call to the pastor's family, and a few months later, he was released. It is against our human nature to love someone like that prison guard; but through His power, God can give us the ability to love the unlovables. By David Jeremiah Source: Turning Point Daily Devotional http://www.turningpointonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Creaking Noise By Albert Ching There's this problem that has been bugging me for months already. Every once in a while I would hear a creaking noise somewhere along this short corridor leading towards the living room. The noise is not regular and seems to happen when doors are being opened or closed, or when someone is passing through. It also seems to happen more at night. Given that we have timber flooring, my first guess would be a creaky floorboard. Then again, there would be times when I can still hear the short, creaking sound even when no one is around. Give that ghosts and spirits are weightless, my guess was that temperature differences was causing a tight floorboard to creak. I tried to pinpoint the source, but it's not easy given the surrounding acoustics. A few weeks later, the creaking/chirping noise became more insistent and regular. My dad's theory is a trapped rat in the attic because he says the sound is definitely coming from above. Turns out he was right - partly. I looked up and there it was - a fire alarm in need of a battery change. Source: Nybble Bi-Weekly Newsletter, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nybble ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: "You know you're on a diet when cat food commercials make you hungry." - Andy Bumatai Source: Clean Laffs, http://www.cleanlaffs.com/ ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Computer Closest to the North Pole – A Webcam Who's in charge: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory takes care of this floating eye. Make and model: NetCam XL, made by StarDot Technologies. Proximity to the pole: Varies. "Since the North Pole is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, we deploy our instrumentation on an ice floe as close to the pole as we can," says Nancy Soreide, associate director for IT at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. "However, the ice floe does not stay at or near the pole. It drifts." How it works: The webcam's container stands on a metal apparatus, on top of a piece of plywood and the ice. A battery floats beneath the ice surface, powering the webcam, which sends back pictures via satellite. Prime time: Runs only during the balmier months, between April and October. Life span: Think Titanic—at the end of each year's season, the webcam sinks, and is replaced by a newer model. Operating temperature: From a chilly minus 40 degrees F to a balmy 120 degrees F. Resolution: 2048 by 1536 (3.1 megapixels). Weight: 19.5 ounces. Dimensions: 3.25 inches wide (82.5 millimeters) by 2.20 inches high (56 millimeters) by 6.6 inches deep (167 millimeters). On the scene: Lots of ice but no Santa sightings or flying reindeer, to date. Live from the North Pole!: http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np.html Source: Nybble Bi-Weekly Newsletter, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nybble |
