Welcome to Katfrog's Corner

It has been difficult to find news or information not related to the recent U.S. election.  I know that life goes on outside that sphere. but so much has been written, speculated, threatened, reported, and protested that it feels as though both traditional and social media have exploded with more politics and political coverage than ever before the election. While I do have some hope that Trump will be an acceptable president, I do have a few real concerns about his term in office.  Concerns based on more than the size of his hands, his orange skin, bad toupee, and philandering ways.  Instead of quietly obsessing over them, I decided to share and see if anyone else feels the same way. My Concerns about a Trump Presidency: 1.  Climate Change and the Environment       I decidedly believe in climate change and that fact that humans have contributed and continue to contribute to this problem.  There is just too much scientific evidence to believe otherwise.  But Trump is a climat

Road Signs How to Watch Game of Thrones Happy Shush... T-Rex of Oklahoma

JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/GETTY Leonard Cohen Died Poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen died this week at the age of 82. Cohen moved from Canada to the US in the 1960s to start on a music career.  He is well known in certain circle for both his poetry and his music, but most people know him for the song "Hallelujah", popularized in the movie "Shrek" and covered by a variety of artists. Goodbye, Mr. Cohen. Super Moon Next Monday Credit:  Tim McCord On November 14, the Moon will be at perigee with the Earth.   Perigee means the moon will be at the point in its revolution where it is the closest to the earth. Next Monday is also the next full moon. When a full moon happens around perigee, you get a super moon.  Generally, super moons are approximately 16-18% brighter and 30% larger than micro moons (full moons at apogee). But next Monday, the timing of the full moon and perigee will bring the largest and brightest super moon since 1948 and won't

This morning did not turn out how I expected.  To be totally honest, I am not certain as to what I expected.  I know I expected Hillary Clinton to win, but I also expected a feeling of relief that this election cycle is finally over.  I guess I also expected fallout from Trump losing.  Maybe violence in some places, maybe protests that the election was "rigged".   So on one hand, I feel relief that there will be no long, drawn out process of confirming votes and calming voters down over the fairness of the election.  On the other hand, we now have four years of soon-to-be President Donald J. Trump to look forward to. Until I heard his acceptance speech, I despaired about our future.  But the man who accepted the job as President was different than the man who campaigned.  Trump asked people to come together, "as one united people".  He praises Hillary Clinton for all of her hard work, and acted like a sane man.  Maybe, just maybe, he will surprise us all in hi

Netflix Original JOE ROGAN: TRIGGERED "Scientology. Lying to kids. Butt stars of Instagram.  Just a few talking points from a master of Zen." I admit, I used to watch Fear Factor .  I just could not get over people voluntarily eating cockroaches and worms.  Lying in a box with snakes?  No problem.  That doesn't sound too difficult, especially because I'm not afraid of snakes.  Jumping off a really tall object?  Any day of the week.  But the eating contests?  I would never have passed even one of those. That was my introduction to Joe Rogan.  He ran the show, consoling the contestants who failed and high-fiving the ones who survived.  I liked his sense of humor and good spirit.  So when I saw that he had a Netflix special, I watched it. And I got blown away. Joe Rogan is funny.  He has the ability to make jokes about his life and laugh with you.  He relates his experiences to society in general in such a way that you find yourself nodding, agreeing

So I know a LOT of people are feeling tired and worn out after this entirely too long campaigning season.  I also know that very few people are solidly for either of the presidential candidates, and don't want to have to choose between Clinton and Trump. But tomorrow is about more than just picking the next president of the United States.  California has 17 propositions on the ballot to decide on matters such as the price of prescription drugs and a hidden tax on pornography (it's supposed to be a law requiring condoms for adult performers, but it got blow out of proportion).  Georgia, where I live, has four amendments that appear on the ballot.  I assume other states also have statewide legislation. Plus there are federal races for the Senate and House of Representatives.  You may also live someplace with state or county level races.  So you need to go out and vote. If you worry because you have no idea what else is on the ballot where you live, go to Google.com and

Fantastical animated machine creates a wonderful, happy tune.

Or Why Anything You Delete Might Not Actually Be Gone Imagine this situation: You just signed up for Face+, a new social media service.  You find family and friends here, and you are just ecstatic about all the new bells and whistles.  Suddenly, an ex finds you and sends you a message.  OMG, what a stalker!  You write back a nasty reply and post it.  A few hours later you realize that you might have made a mistake, so you delete your reply and compose a more thoughtful one that doesn't include threats of bodily harm. Here's the big question:  was your original reply really deleted? To answer this question, first we need to discuss how information is stored on the Internet.   The vast majority of data on the Internet is stored via a distributed system.  This means your data is physically stored on multiple computers in various locations, so that you have access to your data regardless of where you are and what's going on in the real world.  For exa

Attributed to Gage Skidmore, 2012 Steven Seagal Becomes A Russian Citizen This week, Vladimir Putin issued a presidential decree granting Steven Seagal citizenship in Russia.  I know that may sound like a plot to one of Seagal's B grade action movies  But this happened in real life.  Seagal and Putin have been friends for years, with Seagal calling Putin "one of the greatest world leaders alive". For some reason, this news did not surprise me as much as Tina Turner becoming a Swiss citizen. Welcome, Alexander Camelton! Earlier this summer, the Lincoln Park Zoo decided to name its newest camel after one of our founding fathers and a Broadway hit musical.  So I present to you, Alexander Camelton!   Alexander Camelton and his parent, From Lincoln Park Zoo Born:  May 18, 2016 Height:  48 inches tall Weight:  81 pounds Mom:  Nasan Dad:  Scooter ; Centralia, Pennsylvania is Still Burning Back in 1962, a fire started next to the coal m

Welcome to the insanity that is my life.  :-)  November is the official National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short.  It is a time when writers everywhere pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days.  Yes, this is crazy, but it's also fun and challenging. I started doing NaNoWriMo several years ago.  I even published a book, "Crazy", from my work one year.  This year I'm writing an urban fantasy focused on the protagonist, Eva, trying to solve the murder of her boss, Roberto.  The plot involves vampires, Special Agent werewolves, undercover werewolves, money laundering, betrayal, nosy editors, old lovers, and a chicken-wielding housewife.  Suffice it to say, my creative head space is full, and I don't really have the capacity to work on "Grecian Gambit" until December. Instead, how about an excerpt from the beginning of my new novel?  Assuming no one complains about this, I will publish small bits of what I'm writing this month.  I hope