OMG it's October!
Where
did the time go? It's already the 4th quarter and TURNkey's
network report cards go out to our customers soon. We like to take the
opportunity every quarter to inform people where they are doing well and
where things might need a little help. Networks are constantly
evolving and technology marches on. When you get yours later this month
do me a favor and look at it. You may have gotten good marks...
Ok enough of that.
Now the seasons start to change and the leaves vacate the trees. Kind of a bummer but there are some things to look forward to:
1) It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
2) Pumpkin Seeds
3) Halloween Parties that you aren't invited to
4) TURNkey's 5th Annual Chili Cookoff ( you are invited - seriously)
12 Noon - 5 pm
Saturday Oct. 10
213 S. Milwaukee Ave.
Wheeling, IL (across the street from TURNkey)
The
fifth annual event features at least 10 chilis made by individuals
hoping to win bragging rights, their name on a trophy, and $100 cold,
hard cash (second place gets $50). If you are interested in coming,
please do. The more the merrier and there will be plenty of chili,
beer, soft drinks and desserts for all. This is one of our best events
of the year so don't miss it.
Next year TURNkey IT turns 20 years old. Holy Cow! To give some perspective, here are some things that happened 20 years ago:
OJ Simpson found not guilty in murder of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman
Oklahoma City Federal Building Bomb
The Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian Mir Space Station
The heat wave of 1995 hits Chicago and 750 die
Windows 95 is released
Ebay was started
DVD, optical disc storage media format, is announced
Popular Films were: Toy Story, Apollo 13, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Braveheart
Bill Clinton was President
The Dow Jones Industrial average hit 5,000 for the first time
That
was a long time ago and we have seen so much change over the years.
I'm very proud to say that TURNkey IT is still relevant and necessary
(and has really evolved over time). I thank each one of you for your
relationship with this business. It is amazing to think I was 26 years
old seemingly just yesterday...my how fast it goes.
And now for a new
keyhole picture above- Can you guess where it is?
"You
can still see bubbles of oil escaping from the wreck below. It is just a
short boat ride from shore but so moving that you may be moved to
tears. It is a must see and part of our history as a nation."
Last month, Mike Bird guessed correctly with the Blarney Stone. Great recognition of an obscure Irish Landmark. He also pointed out that you can
have ties in football although they are rare these days (and not in the
playoffs). Thanks for the info as I am not such a good NFL fan... Now
go have a pint.
Correct answers will be given recognition but half the fun is trying to figure
it out. The correct answer will be revealed in the subsequent
issue. Good luck and have fun.
If you like this newsletter, forward it to someone else or sign them up HERE.
As always, send any items you think are newsworthy, interesting or just plain
odd to news@turnkey.pro
Blarney Stone near Cork, Ireland - Keyhole Answer
"If
you have been here to do what this woman is doing in the picture then
you are in a unique club recognized for being lucky. Name the country
and the exact place for extra credit."
Geri
Slattery recently corrected me about my clue above. I stand corrected
and submit the following: Kissing the Blarney Stone endows the kisser
with the gift of the gab (skill at flattery) NOT LUCK.
The stone was set into a tower of a castle in 1446 and is a popular
tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to
kiss the stone and tour the castle gardens.
The
word "blarney" has come to mean "clever, flattering or coaxing talk".
Blarney is a flattery sweetened by humor and flavored by wit. Those who
mix with Irish people may have many examples of it in their everyday
experience. Think Tim Walsh who we all know is Irish...
The
ritual of kissing the Blarney Stone, according to the castle's
proprietors, has been performed by "millions of people", including
"world statesmen, literary giants [and] legends of the silver screen".
The kiss, however, is not casually achieved. To touch the stone with
one's lips, the participant must ascend to the castle's peak, then lean
over backwards on the parapet's edge. This is traditionally achieved
with the help of an assistant. Although the parapet is now fitted with
wrought-iron guide rails and protective crossbars, the ritual can still
trigger attacks of acrophobia, an extreme or irrational fear of heights.
Before
the safeguards were installed, the kiss was performed with real risk to
life and limb, as participants were grasped by the ankles and dangled
bodily from the height. In the Sherlock Holmes radio dramatization "The
Adventure of the Blarney Stone" (first broadcast on 18 March 1946), a
man attempting to kiss the Blarney Stone falls to his death. Holmes'
investigation reveals this as a murder, the man's boots having been
surreptitiously greased before the attempt.
In
1985, I visited this site with my fellow band mates from Wheeling High
School. We had the luxury of going for 10 days and playing 3 parades
and 23 concerts. Frankly, what I remember about Ireland is being tired.
However, I did visit all the major landmarks and even drank a pint with
our tour guide.
This
beautiful country is very green and you have not seen green until you
have been there. The lush green color helps to explain why Irish people
are so annoying with their shamrocks and green sweaters...
Office 2016 is here and you may want a sub...
Office
2016 isn’t a major departure from previous versions, and the biggest
changes involve new ways to collaborate in real-time. The productivity
suite will also offer new color themes—taking a page from Microsoft’s
free Office mobile apps—and a “Tell Me” feature that helps dig up
hard-to-find menu items.
An Office 365 subscription starts at $16.50 per month for business use, and includes free updates to Office 2016 and beyond.
You may want to get a subscription.
Before
you read this, please understand that you may never want to fly again
after learning these things. However, the truth is that people have
been surviving germs for centuries and with a little hand hygiene, you
can avoid the HAZ MAT suit. So here goes...
Don't touch:
1) Tray Tables
2) Bathrooms
3) Overhead air vents
4) Seatbelts
5) Seat back pockets
6) Window shades
7) The Floor
8) Your Luggage (on the floor)
9) Blankets and pillow
10) In Flight Entertainment Systems
That
is pretty much the whole plane and you'd have a hard time NOT touching
all of those things. Bring sanitizer, wash hands regularly and travel
safely.
I think sometimes it may be better not to know...you're welcome.
Surfing in the middle of a Chinese City
Once
every year, when the moon and planets align, this Chinese city gets a
great big wave that pushes right through the heart of it. The wave is
so big that it nearly capsizes the boats that are otherwise tranquil the
other days in the year. Really interesting.Watch here.
In N Out - why you'll never see one in Chicago Have
you ever had an In N Out Burger? Chances are if you had, you'd agree
that there is something really special about the food. In 1990, I had
my first In N Out and it changed my life. It was like the heavens opened
up and the angels sang and my arteries clogged just a little bit...
Seriously, this burger is something to get on a plane for. In N Out
began as a family business in Southern California and slowly grew
throughout the southwest. There are NO FRANCHISES and here is why you
won't see one around here anytime soon:
In-N-Out
will "never" go public or franchise its restaurants, the burger chain's
president, Lynsi Snyder, told CBS in a rare interview.
"The only reason we would do that is for the money, and I wouldn’t do it," Snyder said in the interview.
"My
heart is totally connected to this company because of my family, and
the fact that they are not here — I have a strong tie to keep this the
way they would want it."
That means In-N-Out probably won't be expanding to the East Coast any time soon. The
304-store chain has slowly expanded eastward over its 65-year lifetime
from California to Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and more recently Texas and
Oregon. The company has also been holding "pop-up shops" around the
world, where burgers tend to sell out within minutes.
All signs would point to a plan for expansion, but without franchising
or going public, it's unlikely we'll see an In-N-Out on the East Coast
any time soon.
Here's why:
1. Quality control:
There are no freezers or microwaves in In-N-Out restaurants because the
company has a strict policy of serving its food fresh. Therefore, all
locations must be within 300 miles of the company's distribution
facilities.
"At In-N-Out Burger, we make all
of our hamburger patties ourselves and deliver them fresh to all of our
restaurants with our own delivery vehicles," In-N-Out vice president of
planning and development Carl Van Fleet told Business Insider in a
previous interview. "Nothing is ever frozen. Our new restaurant
locations are limited by the distance we can travel from our
patty-making facilities and distribution centers."
2. Exclusivity:
Everything has more appeal when it's not available to everyone, and the
exclusivity of In-N-Out is what has helped the restaurant gain such a rabid following of fans.
In response to pleading from a
local politician for an In-N-Out to open in Denver, Van Fleet made it
clear the company was not planning to expand farther east.
"You continue to give us the
biggest compliment possible with your efforts to interest us in
Colorado," he wrote in a letter obtained by The Denver Post.
"That said, at this time, we're still not looking to add a sixth state
and we're just focusing our growth efforts in the five states where we
currently operate."
Since then, In-N-Out has expanded to Oregon — which is the chain's sixth state of operation.
3. Competition: The East Coast has numerous burger joints that would offer tough competition for In-N-Out, including Shake Shack and Five Guys.
4. No franchising: A large-scale expansion without franchising would require a massive amount of up-front capital from the company.
"In-N-Out remains privately
owned and the Snyder family has no plans to take the company public or
franchise any units," the company reaffirms on its website.
Free WiFi ? LOOK OUT!
That
"free Wi-Fi" you're using? ...may not be so free after all. An alarming
video from the "Today" show investigates how hackers often set up "free
Wi-Fi" networks in popular tourist spots, hoping to catch travelers who
log in and are desperate for a connection. Once tourists do, however, hackers can access passwords, bank information, email accounts, credit card numbers and more.
Hackers
will typically set up fake "free Wi-Fi" networks within a 30-minute
radius of top tourist destinations, says Varun Kohli, VP of marketing at
mobile defense group Skycure. His team recently released a list of the
most dangerous spots, including Times Square in New York City,
Disneyland in California and even St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
So think twice before logging on, and just savor the moment instead.
Best Post-Workout Drink - WHO KNEW?
Drinking
a combination of carbohydrates and protein after a hard workout can
help restore your energy and aid in building lean, metabolism-boosting
muscle, but it turns out that your don't need a fancy recovery beverage
to reap these benefits.
After
participating in a vigorous cycling session, cyclists who drank
chocolate milk were able to ride 51 percent longer in subsequent workout
than those who drank a standard recovery beverage, a 2009 article in
Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism found. Plus, Chocolate
milk is cheaper and tastier than anything you will find in a sports
nutrition store.
Prost! First Day of Oktoberfest
The
world's biggest beer festival, Munich's Oktoberfest, started Sept. 19th
and will last until Oct. 4. This year marks its 182nd anniversary.
Munich's Mayor pounds a tap into the first Oktoberfest beer barrel. "O'zapft is!" he exclaims. "It's tapped."
Opening day parade
Laila
Noeth, the "Muenchner Kindl" or mascot for this year's fest, sings on
stage during the opening day of the 2015 Oktoberfest.
Opening day for Germans!
Hofbrau tent pictured here.
Intel Compute Stick
Transform your HDMI display into a fully functional computer. Don't try this at work but try it at home...
Rent the Runway
Have
a fancy event to go to and don't have anything to wear? This company
for women features designer clothing that you rent. Simply browse the
online gallery, select your size (you get two included), select the date
and voila! Instant wardrobe. After your event, simply place the item
in the pre-paid shipping bag and send it back. They do the laundering
too.
You can rent for just a few days or subscribe to fashion by selecting 3 items to keep and rotate as needed.
Very Chicago...
The only free parking space in the CITY.
Really smart protesters.
THIS is coming soon. Ugh.
Tipping People you'd Never think to tip.
There
are many people that help you along the way that really deserve tips.
Here are some interesting examples of people you should tip. #1 above
is plumbers. Think of the crap they have to deal with.... Now tip them
$10 for something small and 10% for something big. You won't be sorry.
Heavy package being delivered? How about a $5 tip?
Stranded roadside? How about $10?
DirecTV or cable tv just installed? Everything works? Tip him.
Remember the MACARENA?
 Way
back in 1994, Los del Rio released this hit song (got it in your head
yet?) and it went viral. Thousands of people have celebrated this song
and danced its silly line dance. I bet you don't know what the lyrics
mean? It isn't exactly a feel good song....
Give your body joy, Macarena
Because your body is meant to be given joy and good things
Give your body joy, Macarena.
Hey Macarena!
Macarena has a boyfriend who is named
Who is named with the last name Vitorino
And while he was being sworn in as a conscript
She’s giving it to two friends
.…
Macarena dreams of the Corte Inglés*
(*Spain’s biggest department store)
and she buys herself the most modern clothes
She would like to live in New York
And seduce a new boyfriend... aaay!
It's time for October Baseball
As
I write this, it is not quite October 1 and the Cubs are still 6 games
out of first and 2 behind the Pirates. However, we are 9 games in front
of San Francisco giving me hope that they will make it. What a season
it has been for Cub Fans!
The following is a list of what food item each ballpark is famous for:
Never by its cover...
Quotable
Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back.
- Oscar Wilde
PB&J - You are doing it wrong
After years of experimentation, I have finally come upon the best
tasting (and healthiest) way to satisfy a PB&J craving AND keep my
kids healthy. Don't leave out the secret ingredient or it won't be the
same. I guessimated the measurements so feel free to adjust to your
taste.
Ingredients
- 2 slices whole wheat bread (preferably soft)
- 1 teaspoon butter, the secret ingredient
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter (I use smooth)
- 2 teaspoons strawberry jelly
Directions
- Spread a half teaspoon of butter on each slice of bread.
- Spread one slice with peanut butter.
- Swirl jam into peanut butter.
- Cover with other slice of bread.
|
