Thursday, October 31, 2019

Through the Keyhole - October 2019

OCTOBER 2019
Through the Keyhole
Take a break from your day...

Not your typical company OR newsletter
Can you guess the location?
"Voted America's #1 Small City 6 years and counting, this town played a large role during the golden age of piracy.  The City is world renown for its rich history, well preserved architecture, distinguished restaurants and hospitable people."

Send your guess HERE

Halloween is Nigh! 
The month of October is here and that officially starts the last of this decade.  Oh my heavens. The. Last. Part. Of. The. DECADE...  My did that go fast.  I remember back in the days of Y2K that the year 2020 seemed so very far away.  Guess What?  Blink and it's here.  As we look forward to the fall and the sprint into the Holiday Season, let's look back at the last decade and remember what happened since 2010.

2010 - Apple releases the original iPad (I still have one) and the iPhone 4

Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson all auditioned for The X Factor UKThey auditioned separately and were nearly cut from the show altogether, before the judges put them together as One Direction.

Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" was the number one song of the year. And yes, she still used the $ back then.

Toy Story 3 was the highest-grossing movie of the year. It earned $1,063,171,911 at the box office.

2011 - The first Chromebooks go on sale and the first 4 terabyte hard drive is released by Seagate

Charlie Sheen's meltdown

The rise of Adele

Friday Night Lights says goodbye

Oprah's last show

Book of Mormon hits Broadway


An estimated two billion people tuned in to watch the televised wedding of Britain's Prince William to Kate Middleton.

2012 - Windows 8 is released, Wii U is released by Nintendo

Whitney Houston died

Gangnam Style is all over the radio

Fifty Shades of Grey Book released

2013 - Microsoft releases Xbox One, Sony releases PlayStation 4

What does the Fox Say? song released

Beyonce's lip synced performance at Obama's inauguration

Barry Manilow's surgically transformed face

Bingewatching became a thing (Breaking Bad, Netflix, etc.)

2014 - Intel releases its first i7 processor

Jay Leno's final show

Sochi winter olympics

House of Cards released on Netflix

Guardians of the Galaxy released on the big screen

2015 - Microsoft releases Windows 10

TV show EMPIRE debuts

Amy Schumer breaks out

Fifty Shades of Grey movie released

Broadway show "Hamilton" hits the theatre to big reviews

2016 - Samsung releases the Galaxy Note 7

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Split

Kim Kardashian robbed at gunpoint in Paris

Michael Strahan leaves Live! with Kelly and Michael

Ryan Lochte has some big problems at the Rio Olympics

2017 - Nintendo releases the gaming console called the Switch

Donald Trump inaugurated as the 45th US President

Harvey Weinstein saga and #MeToo movement underway

Snapchat came to the forefront of photo and video sharing

2018 - 3D printing is widely released

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed

Kanye visits the White House

Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande hook up for a short time

2019 - The first SD card that can hold 1 terabyte of data

A royal baby

US Women's Soccer team wins World Cup

Lori Lightfoot becomes mayor of Chicago

Cookie Monster sang the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley Field
One of the few good things that happened to the Cubs this year...
9th Annual TURNkey IT Chili Cookoff NOV. 2
At least the Fall has comfy, attractive clothing (for some)...
Guess the Location Game

Last month the winner of the guess the location game was Sergio Selles who guessed the right answer.  I appreciate all of the participation.  THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon AZ
"This picturesque bend is a must see if you visit this region.  The water is quite cold and the current swift. Pictures don't do it justice and it is no backyard game..."  
A few years ago my family and I had the good fortune of visiting this picturesque landmark.  It really looks like it is fake when you stand there and look across the vast canyon.  If you have not been (and you really only need to go once) you should go and check it out.

My parents and brother took a plane ride through the canyon and I have known several people who have taken helicopter rides down to the basin.  Those are also some daring options to take in this national treasure...

Here are some cool facts about the Grand Canyon...

The Grand Canyon reveals 40% of Earth's history.  
The Grand Canyon contains the metamorphic rock Vishnu schist, and layers of sedimentary rock that date back to 1.75 billion years old — that’s nearly half the age of the Earth  (4.5 billion years old)! That means there are tons of fossils and tracks to help us learn about ancient species.

There are pink snakes!  There are six different types of rattlesnakes that call the Grand Canyon home (yikes!) but one of them sticks out a little more than the others. Or doesn’t stick out, actually, because the pink hue of the snake works as camouflage among the sunlit rocks. It must work well, because it took us a while to find the snake in this photo.

The Grand Canyon encompasses several ecosystems.  As you descend into the Grand Canyon, your surroundings can change rapidly. There are around 70 mammal species, 47 reptile species, 250 species of birds, and over 1,750 plant species. Temperatures have been recorded from -10° to 110° Fahrenheit in various locations of the canyon. Now that’s variety!

The Grand Canyon is the reason we have the FFA.  Back in the 1950’s, the awe-inspiring view of the canyon was so tempting that there were numerous plane collisions resulting from pilots who decided to take a scenic detour away from their flight path. These tragedies necessitated the in-air regulations we have today, and they’re the reason that, these days, you can safely fly over the Grand Canyon for a unique view.

The air at the Grand Canyon is some of the cleanest in the U.S.  As a National Park, the Grand Canyon is well protected. Barring the occasional dust storm or forest fire, chances are good that you’ll be breathing easy. It’s no wonder that over 5 million people a year come to experience this beautiful feat of nature.

It’s still growing!  Scientists generally agree that the Grand Canyon is a result of continual erosion by wind, rain, and the powerful Colorado river. The Colorado river still flows today, of course, which means that the Grand Canyon is constantly getting bigger and changing shape. It’s a slow process, but it’s happening nonetheless!

People still live in the Grand Canyon, even today!  While you might think that the Grand Canyon is a beautiful place to visit, many people call this beautiful place home. Records show that some 2,000 people live in the Grand Canyon all year round. The majority of the inhabitants are members of the Havasupai Tribe, but we can’t forget those who keep Phantom Ranch (the only place to stay at the bottom of the canyon) up and running.

The Grand Canyon is considered to be one of the 7 Wonders of the World.   On average, the canyon is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 1 mile deep. Not to mention there are over 20 layers of rock jam-packed full of geological history, and numerous ecosystems brimming with unique life forms. (Did we mention there’s a horned lizard that shoots blood out of its eyes? We’ll let you google that one yourself.) If you ever have the chance to see this jaw-dropping masterpiece, you can definitely count yourself lucky!

The Grand Canyon was once home to a booming photo business!  The Kolb brothers discovered that they could make money photographing tourists while they were photographing the canyon for themselves. They would take a photo when the tourists departed on mules and sell them back when the riders returned from their journey. The Kolb Studio is located in Grand Canyon Village.

 
10 Amazing Grand Canyon Facts...
Is the Famous El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon HAUNTED?

Grand Canyon Skywalk First Person View

Windows 7 End of Life Support
The end of the Windows 7 lifecycle is set for January 2020. "End of life" means Microsoft will discontinue all support, including paid support; and all updates, including security updates.
Between now and then, the operating system (OS) is in an in-between phase known as “extended support.” During this phase, Microsoft is offering paid support, though not the complimentary support that comes with the license; and will continue to provide security updates, but not design and feature updates.

Why Is the Windows 7 Lifecycle Ending?

The Windows 7 "end of life" cycle is similar to that of previous Microsoft operating systems. Microsoft states, “Every Windows product has a lifecycle. The lifecycle begins when a product is released and ends when it's no longer supported. Knowing key dates in this lifecycle helps you make informed decisions about when to update, upgrade or make other changes to your software.” 
Even though Microsoft says it will support Windows 7 until January 2020, it began blocking older machines, such as those using Pentium III, in June 2018. Microsoft can block support for any machine at any time, so Windows 7 users should be prepared.

What Does "End of Life" Mean?

"End of life" is the date after which an application is no longer supported by the company that makes it. After Windows 7 "end of life," you can continue to use the OS, but at your own risk. New computer viruses and other malware are developed all the time and, without the security updates to fight them off, your data and your system are vulnerable.
Call us today to schedule your upgrades...
Get your FALL on...
All this done in 10 days...
This documentary came out the year TURNkey IT began.  A good watch on how technology got usable.
No matter what you think of the wall, building and construction is very cool to watch in time lapse format.  This is a video of moving massive amounts of earth and building with precision in a harsh environment.
Oil Production History - very interesting
This animated graph shows oil production by country from 1901 to 2018.  I never knew this and it is very interesting... Take a look and feel free to fast forward.
Spooky Places to visit
Boo.
Here comes the Farmer's Almanac
It's supposed to be cold and snowy here in the midwest... Read Article HERE
Copy & Paste in Windows 10 
This might be the coolest thing that I have discovered in a long time (on my PC).

For years, I have been copying and pasting photos, texts, links and other items while using windows.  However, I have been using it one clip at a time.  To copy, I have highlighted what I want and then pressing CTRL C and pasting by pressing CTRL V.

With Windows 10 you can now enable multiple item clipboard.  Once you do that (it is easy), you can press the WINDOWS KEY (right next to CTRL) and C or V to bring up the items in your clipboard.  It is super easy and very efficient to use.  Give it a try...

See Article HERE
Little Girl Tips Street Musician
Watch to the end.  AMAZING power of MUSIC
Buffalo Wild Wings and GAMBLING
Buffalo Wild Wings is joining forces with MGM Resorts International and its sports betting venture, Roar Digital, for a multi-year partnership – a first-of-its-kind alignment between a national sports bar and a gaming leader. In accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, the partnership will deliver sports gaming experiences at a national scale inside Buffalo Wild Wings through MGM’s digital gaming platform, BetMGM. In addition, the deal is expected to spawn collaborations inside MGM properties and sports books, including a new Buffalo Wild Wings sports bar slated to open at Mandalay Bay in 2020. Roar Digital is the 50/50 venture established in July 2018 between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings.

That's right, you can soon go to Buffalo Wild Wings and pretend it's a real SPORTS BOOK.

Full article HERE
Best OBIT Ever.
Joe Heller always wanted to have the last laugh.
So when he died at 82 on Sept. 8, his daughter Monique Heller sought to provide it by writing a paid obituary in the local paper describing her father’s inimitably irreverent and preposterous personality.
Her humorous tribute was published — online and in print — last week in The Hartford Courant and immediately caught digital fire.
Readers loved the infectious account of this small town Everyman who embodied the tight-knit nature of this hamlet near the Connecticut River, between New Haven and New London.

The obituary listed achievements such as being a “consummate napper” and a regular browser of collectibles at the local dump.

“There wasn’t a road, restaurant or friend’s house in Essex that he didn’t fall asleep on or in,” Ms. Heller wrote, adding that her father “left his family with a house full of crap, 300 pounds of birdseed and dead houseplants that they have no idea what to do with.”

Full Article HERE

Purdue Food Delivery Robots
I was just down visiting Purdue this weekend with my wife and son.  These robot food delivery carts were all over the place and really futuristic.  Take a look.
Behind the Scenes at Photoshoot
Just for FUN...
Pecan Pie - So Easy yet SO GOOD
Some people love Pecan Pie while others hate it.  I happen to love it.

This recipe is so easy to make that you will stun your friends and family with its deliciousness...

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients
 
1 ¾ cupswhite sugar
¼ cupdark corn syrup
¼ cupbutter
1 tablespooncold water
2 teaspoonscornstarch
3eggs
¼ teaspoonsalt
1 teaspoonvanilla extract
1 ¼ cupspecans (chopped)
1 9-inchesunbaked (frozen) pie shell

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, water, and cornstarch. Bring to a full boil, and remove from heat.
  3. In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Gradually beat in cooked syrup mixture. Stir in salt, vanilla, and pecans. Pour into pie shell.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until filling is set.