This very interesting article on Nature.com tells the tale of Luci Mori studying the area around his home in Sorbolo, Italy, using Google Earth. Noticing something odd in a field, he zooms in and discovers an unknown Roman ruin!
That’s right, folks, a guy surfing the Internet made an important archeological discovery.
As Indiana Jones said, “Seventy percent of all archeology is done in the library.” Well, now it’s going to be done on Google.
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If you are curious about where a famous person is buried, or which famous people are buried in your local cemetery, there’s an online place called “Find A Grave” where you can find out: www.findagrave.com
You can search by person, by location, and by claim to fame. There are numerous other options, including the ability to search for your own ancestors, making this a virtual Google of the dead.
Best of all, it’s free.
If you spend too much time there, though, it starts to get creepy. Maybe that’s just me.
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Right up front I have to tell you that this is not legal advice, this is just the experience of one person doing his own divorce. I have to tell you this up front because, especially in Texas, even distributing forms and instructions can be construed as legal counsel. That threatens the sanctity of the lawyer’s domain (and their income) so they come after you with all the fury of someone defending their own children.
Woe to anyone charged with offering legal advice without a license. Remember, most judges were also lawyers. They protect their own, and in my opinion, that’s the sole reason law seems so complicated. However, it’s not that complicated.
If you can keep a to-do list and fill out forms, you have the skills necessary to do your own divorce. When I first started the process I thought I was getting myself in way over my head, but after following through and looking back, it turned out to be nothing. It was simple. My ex and I saved ourselves thousands upon thousands of dollars.
For it to work you need one thing: the ability to agree with your soon to be ex. If you two are so angry at each other you can’t agree on anything, and your goal is revenge instead of the basic separation of your lives, then get a lawyer. You can’t do a do-it-yourself divorce if you can’t agree on the terms of the divorce.
A divorce is nothing more than an agreement in writing that follows legal guidelines. You agree on who gets what, who pays what, who sees the kids and when, and then a judge gives a stamp of approval. That’s all a divorce is. That, and a stack of legal forms. Those you get from the Internet. If you go to Google or Yahoo and search Texas Divorce (replace your own state, of course) up will pop a plethora of ads and links for legal forms services.
For some of them, you pay around $300 and then talk to a paralegal on the telephone. They ask you questions and fill the forms out, then send the forms to you. What I did, I paid less and answered the questions online. They plugged my answers into standard legal forms that were in Microsoft Word format, which they emailed to me. What I ended up with was a set of instructions, and these forms:
With the exception of the Waver of Citation, none of these look like regular everyday forms. In other words, they don’t look like a credit application. It’s more like script that reads, “This is who we are,” and “this is what we want,” and “this is how we’d like to do it.”
That’s the key right there. Using the guidelines of the instructions that should come with your forms, figure out between the two of you exactly who gets what, who pays what, and how. When you have this worked out, you can proceed with form filling and filing.
The Original Petition is the one you actually file with the court. For me, it was a simple matter of taking several copies down to the local county clerk, forking over some money, and having them stamp them and assign a case number. I believe at this point you can opt to pay the court to have your spouse served with the papers — most people do that — but because my ex was in on all this and she was in agreement with the terms, I sent her a copy personally along with a Waver of Citation.
The Waver of Citation, if you can get your spouse to sign it and return it to you, tells the court that your soon-to-be-ex agrees with everything that is in the divorce, does not intend to challenge any of it, and in fact may opt not to even appear in court.
Next comes the cooling off period, designed to make you think about what you’re doing, and possibly to change your mind and stay together. This waiting period varies by state. Also, if there’s children involved, you may be required to attend a class for how to deal with children during a divorce. If you have children and you care about them, I highly recommend you attend this type of class even if it’s not mandatory. There are a lot of behaviors which to you may seem natural or even healthy, but which will mess your children up or even turn them against you. Take the class, read a book, do something.
Also during this waiting period, it’s time to go over the details of The Final Decree. You see, in the Original Petition, you’re declaring to the court that you intend to divorce. The Final Decree spells out the terms of the divorce.
That was the biggest surprise to me in this whole process — I’d wrongly assumed the court would dictate to us how the divorce would be. No, it’s you who decide the details, you write the decree. It’s YOUR divorce. You have to follow the guidelines, and the document service will have created a rather generic version for you, but it’s up to you and your spouse to add the details.
The document service should have also created for you a Prove Up Script. You may or may not have to modify this to fit your details, but make sure this is done and you’ve read it over out loud until you’re comfortable with it. This is what you will stand up and read before the judge, the formal request for the divorce.
When the waiting period is up, you contact the court and schedule a trial. I found I could do that over the Internet by filling in a form. In your case, it may be that you have to call, or perhaps even go down to the courthouse.
After you’ve got it scheduled, and the big day arrives, dress nicely and show up to the courthouse with copies of your Final Decree and your Waver of Citation (and/or whatever other documents are required for your state), and also bring that Prove Up Script. In the court, you’ll sit and wait while other business is attended to, and when it’s your turn you approach the bench, read your script, and hand over your papers. If all goes well, and all your paperwork is in order, the judge grants the divorce right then and there, stamps it, and it’s done.
I spent less than $500 for mine.
Good luck!
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Every night I go to sleep with a machine strapped to my face, and it’s wonderful.
Used to be that I’d fall asleep while driving so often that I had my kids trained to pull the hair on my arms to keep me awake. I’d routinely fall dead asleep during meetings at work, and even once during a job interview. When visiting friends, I’d always end up dozing off on their couch. I even used to catch myself falling asleep while standing in line.
Coffee only had a limited effect. Herbal stimulants could only do so much. It was bad. I thought I had narcolepsy.
My doctor pegged it, though — she said I probably have sleep apnea. The moment she described what that meant, I knew she was right. People often told me that I snored loud, and then stopped, and then started again. During camping trips my snoring would scare other campers — my friend’s wife even thought I was an angry bear.
Spending the night at the local sleep lab confirmed the diagnosis. When I’d go to sleep, my throat would slowly close and cut off my airway. I’d stop breathing. My lungs would fight for air, which would wake me up only enough to gasp and open the airway again. Then, drifting back to sleep, it would happen all over again. All night long. Waking up every five minutes.
No wonder I kept falling asleep while I was driving. So many times I’d nod off and then come back just split seconds before disaster! It was because I wasn’t sleeping at night.
The solution to the problem turned out to be a machine called a CPAP, which stands for “Constant Positive Airway Pressure.” It’s basically a specialized air pump with a hose and a mask. The mask comes in various designs, all meant to put air into your nose at a specific pressure that’s just enough to keep your throat from closing while sleeping.
Let me tell you, I was very dubious of being able to sleep with what I considered a SCUBA apparatus strapped to my face all night. But being that it was so hard for me to stay awake in the first place, it only took me twenty minutes to drift off even with the strangeness of the contraption. I slept so well that first time, I woke up a new person. Literally. It had been so many years since I actually had a full night’s sleep that when I finally did, I felt like I’d just woken up from a coma. It was amazing.
Even now, years later, I’m awake all day long. I never fall asleep while driving. I don’t snore anymore. I’m a totally different person. The CPAP doubles as a white noise machine, and is usually much quieter than a fan. You can usually get your health insurance to pay for it — mine did, twice. Even if not, you can now find them on the Internet for a quarter of the price they used to cost.
A beneficial side effect I’ve found — and my doctor has confirmed — it may also solve any acid reflux problems you have at night.
I’m writing this to help anyone facing the decision of going with a CPAP to know that it’s not horrible — it’s wonderful. And I’m hoping that if someone else out there recognizes these symptoms, to please go to your doctor before you fall asleep while driving.
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I am happy to announce another spin-off site has gone live this evening: GroovyGizmo.com
It’s just getting off the ground, but already we’ve got:
If you’re into gizmos and gadgets, please feel free to go take a look. And, if you’ve got one for us to look at, please contact us.
Thanks!
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A girl asks her boyfriend to come over Friday night and have dinner with her parents. Since this is such a big event, the girl announces to her boyfriend that after dinner, she would like to go out and make love for the first time. Well, the boy is ecstatic, but he has never had sex before, so he takes a trip to the pharmacist to get some condoms.
The pharmacist helps the boy for about an hour. He tells the boy everything there is to know about condoms and sex. At the register, the pharmacist asks the boy how many condoms he’d like to buy, a 3-pack, 10-pack or family pack. The boy insists on the familypack because he thinks he will be rather busy, it being his first time and all.
That night, the boy shows up at the girls parents house and meets his girlfriend at the door. “Oh I’m so excited for you to meet my parents, come on in!”
The boy goes inside and is taken to the dinner table where the girl’s parents are seated. The boy quickly offers to say grace and bows his head. A minute passes, and the boy is still deep in prayer, with his head down. Four minutes pass, and still no movement from the boy. Finally, after nearly ten minutes with his head down, the girlfriend finally leans over and whispers to the boyfriend, “I had no idea you were this religious.”
The boy turns, and whispers back, “I had no idea your father was a pharmacist.”
- From our big dusty archive of funny email
(Authors Unknown)
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Here’s a bit of psyche mojo for when you have to ask someone for something, like a raise from your boss, or some extra time off from work.
First, make a list of reasons to back up your request. In the case of a raise, come up with all your job-related accomplishments and things you’ve done that are above and beyond the call of duty. In the case of time off, list all the extra hours you’ve put in without pay. Include times and dates, and what you were working on. The secret here is to be specific.
Then, when you’re actually asking, ask in a strong and straightforward manner. “I’ve been working hard and I deserve a raise,” or, “I put in a lot of extra time, and I want some time off with pay to compensate.” Never, ever ask in a weak, roundabout way, like, “Do you think, um, that it would be possible to, say, maybe, consider giving me a raise?” Psychologically, a weak question is easier to dismiss, and you’ve given them the advantage to laugh it off like you were joking, or simply say “Sorry, not this year.”
Now, you’ve asked your strong, demanding question. Without skipping a beat, follow up by asking for much more than you actually want. This is key, because there’s an outside chance that you’ll get it, but even more importantly, this gives you room to negotiate down to what you really want.
Next, and before they have a chance to respond to the amount, immediately list off all the reasons that you deserve this thing you’re asking for. This will keep them off balance and chip away at their ability to say no. Be calm, not too aggressive — don’t act angry and put them on the defensive — simply state it all in a matter of fact, earnest voice.
I deserve a raise. I want x number of dollars. I deserve it because yadda yadda yadda.
The most likely response will be, “I can’t give you that much, but…” and they’ll rattle off a lower amount. You counter with one that’s a bit less than your original demand. And, with luck, you negotiate down to your goal.
This works with more than just raises and time off. Use your imagination, and then get what you deserve.
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You’re in-between relationships and have decided you’re ready to let someone new into your life. Either someone you know has recommended online dating services, or you’ve been wooed by their ads. You sign up, you fill in the forms, and are now facing that blank space where you’re supposed to tell everyone about yourself.
What you write is up to you, but here’s a highly recommended suggestion: Be honest! Not only to your prospective romantic connections, but also to yourself.
If you project only what you think a prospective date wants to hear, you may well attract more people — but probably not the right ones. If you want to meet someone who is going to love you for who you really are, then you’ve got to put your real self out there for everyone to see. Not your alter ego. Not who you’d like to be. But who you really are.
In doing this, the people who you attract will be attracted to you. This is the big advantage that online dating has over traditional dating — the ability to put yourself in front of a lot of people, giving you a much higher chance of finding the right one. Here’s your opportunity to find “pre-qualified” people whom with you really have a lot in common.
If you’re still staring at that blank space where you’re supposed to tell everyone about yourself, and you really don’t know where to start, begin by listing positive bits of information. Positive things about yourself, your interests, your passions, and your goals. Keep it short, sweet, and light hearted. Avoid any negative statements. Then be careful, patient, and remain positive. It might take a while, but true love is worth the wait.
Love is out there, and someone special is looking for you. Help them find you. The real you.
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NOTE: since writing this, it’s gone out of date and some of the links are dead. Updating it is on my to-do list … but in the meantime if you have any tips on this to share, please send them to me or put them in the comments. Thanks!
The scenario: you just spent $24.95 on a new DVD for your kids. You pop it in the player, sit on the couch with them, and they have fun watching it over and over again. You, on the other hand, fall asleep. Time passes, and you wake up with your youngest one shaking you. “Watch again!” she says. “Want to watch again!”
Then she hands you two halves of the DVD disk she mysteriously destroyed while you were napping.
Goodbye $24.95.
Now, without getting into a legal debate [I'm in the camp which believes any laws prohibiting the circumvention of copy protection are invalid because they violate pre-existing fair use laws] I’m going to outline how you can do this, for the explicit purpose of protecting your investment in legally purchased DVDs.
The following programs are free, and they work together:
First, go to www.ripit4me.org and download the main piece of software, RipIt4Me. This is a small program that coordinates and controls three other programs. Download and study it. It goes a long way toward making this complex process simple.
When you run this software it will, in turn, instruct you to download and install the following free programs:
Once you have these software applications installed, RipIt4Me takes control of them and makes it a easy process. This combination gets around most known copy protection schemes (at least, it does at the time of this writing) and enables you to make copies of your legally purchased DVDs, so that you’ll put wear and tear on the cheap copies instead of the valuable originals. Also, you’ll be able to use single layer discs, and not the more expensive and finicky dual layer blanks.
Now, even though RipIt4Me simplifies the process, it still takes some reading and there is a learning curve. If you’re not that technically inclined, you might consider buying a commercial DVD copying solution, such as those produced by SlySoft.com. SlySoft is supposed to make some of the best and easiest to use tools available, and they offer free updates to keep it current, so that newly released copy protection schemes don’t render it useless.
These software titles, both the free and pay versions, also have the added benefit of being able to make good copies of some DVDs that are otherwise damaged. As in, if you’ve got a scratched up and skipping disc, these give you a good chance of resurrecting a playable copy from it.
Unfortunately if your little girl has already snapped the disk in half, then you’re out of luck no matter what software you have.
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I came across this interesting article about how birds in the wild are now imitating mobile phone ring tones. “The birds have an uncanny ability to mimic these ring tones,” states Ornithologist Richard Schneider. “This has picked up in tandem with the boom in mobile phone ownership.”
I can just see it. A future where birds are flying from tree to tree, pooping on your car and saying, “Can you hear me now?”
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