I heard on the news today that comedic legend George Carlin died yesterday at the age of 71. He was the greatest comedian I have ever seen. I credit a lot of my personality, humor, and my frequent use exaggeration to the style and delivery of George Carlin. I watched his HBO specials from the late 1980s onward. I even saw him perform live in Raleigh, NC in the late 1990s. Never have I laughed so hard as when I listened to him on stage. I’m saddened that he is gone.

Hearing of his death brought to mind an excellent quote of his. In one of his past routines, he explained how language is crafted with the intention to shape people’s thoughts and ideas. He cited that, “At some point in my life, toilet paper became ‘bathroom tissue’.” He went on to say that people had an extreme fear of aging, and how obnoxious it was for people to use phrases like, “80 years young”. The particular quote I’m thinking of came at the end of that speech: “Now, Thanks to the fear of death in this country, I won’t have to die…..I’ll ‘paaassssss aaawwwaaayyy’.” As you imagine, he said it quite mockingly. Too bad he really has “passed away”. He was the absolute greatest.

As everyone knows by now, last night the New York Giants beat the undefeated New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII. It was an absolutely incredible football game. So much was on the line. It turned out to be the best sporting event I’ve ever watched on television. I typically don’t watch any sports, except for a football game once a year or so, and the Super Bowl yearly. I don’t have a favorite team, though I’d certainly root for my home team (Panthers) if they were in the playoffs, or at the Super Bowl. I like to root for the underdog, and this year the underdog won in the biggest way possible. I screamed when Plaxico Burress caught the winning touchdown. Go Giants! That game will be forever remembered. Absolutely amazing.

I absolutely can’t stand that TV commercial for the Swiffer WetJet mop where the woman, who is a terrible actress to begin with, debates on stage with what turns out to be a dripping mop. Who gets paid for this pathetic crap? The whole ad campaign with its stupid puns, and “we’re parting ways” lines, and the dripping mops they confront is downright annoying. I promise, nobody is amused!

After making my new Products category, I went in search of a post that I was sure I’d written about the Sonicare toothbrush. After not being able to find such a post, I am going to make one now.

The Sonicare electric toothbrush from Philips has been around for many years now. I am here to say that is nothing short of absolutely fantastic. Me and Laura have used one for a few years now, and are still brushing with the older Advance 4100 model. I recommend that everybody own and use one. For one, it encourages you to brush your teeth for a longer time than you’d probably spend with a manual toothbrush. The fast vibrating brush head moves the brush at hundreds of times per second, giving you the best teeth cleaning that you can get at home. It feels great while it is running and is actually fun to use. I like to refer to the experience as “a shower in your mouth.” It leaves your teeth and gums with the pure clean feeling that you only get when leaving the dentist. I believe the value of the main unit and the replacement heads are all well worth the price. If the heads initially seem expensive, keep in mind that they last longer than your typical manual toothbrush does, and that you can save by buying two or more heads at one time.

Today, Philips has many Sonicare models to choose from. If you aren’t using at least one of them, then you are simply missing out.

Last week, Apple unveiled its new line of sleek iMacs. They are now thinner, more powerful, and actually less expensive than the previous models. I’ve seen one myself, and it is mouth watering. However, while at the Apple Store in Raleigh this past Friday, I found that the new iMac wasn’t the only new thing to get excited about.

Apple has updated its Mac Mini computer. I own a Mini, having bought it at the end of May. Since then, the Mini’s processor has been upgraded to a 2.0 Ghz Intel Core Duo 2 processor and 1 GB memory now comes standard (I paid extra). The hard drive option has been increased to 160 GB as well. I had read some online predictions that Apple would not be continuing the Mac Mini line. I am very happy to know that this isn’t true. It is truly a fantastic machine and is worthy of more attention. I absolutely adore mine.

Last week also saw the release of iLife ‘08 and iWork ‘08. Both sound like worthy upgrades to already exceptional software from Apple. I am not going to detail those now, but you can read all about them on their website. There has never been a better time to switch to a Mac. Also remember that the new Mac OS 10.5 Leopard will be out in October!

I can’t stand the way the word canceled is supposed to be spelled. I purposely misspell it as cancelled and add it to my computer’s spell check dictionary as a real word. It just feels right. But for correctness in my blog, I’ll spell it the right way on here, reluctantly.

I once read this suggestion a while back and have now put it into practice myself. The suggestion, which I am passing onto you, is for you to post your email address on your website or blog as an image instead of typing it out. Bots are crawling all over the web and they can fish out your email address that is posted online. This is probably especially so if it is linked with a mailto tag. That is easy for a bot to sniff out, and soon after you’ll start getting spam. Instead, create an image out of your address and post that to your page. The bots will not be able to scan within the image to determine the text within. When doing this, make sure you don’t create a link to your mail using the image, or else you’ll be defeating the purpose.

For a couple of years now, I have been listening to NPR while I’m at work. After discovering the station, I was happy to have something that I could always turn on and listen to that wasn’t filled with commercials. I soon became a regular listener.

With that in mind, Dick Gordon used to host the radio show “The Connection.” Since that show left the airwaves, my local station for NPR (WUNC) brought him on board to start a new show called The Story. The Story aired weekly at the beginning, then went bi-weekly, and today is broadcast nationwide five days a week.

The Story is truly a great show. Dick Gordon has really changed his style for this one. He interviews individuals who then tell their story. The topics very widely. The website for the show describes it this way: “(The news) through passionate points of view and personal experiences.” He really has a hit on his hands with this one. The show shines with its integrity and professionalism. It is well worth listening to. I have heard some fantastic things on this program.

Have you seen the stupid TV commercial for the supposed breakthrough weight loss pill called Lipozene? I am sure you probably have. I was just watching TV and it came on yet again. This time, I made notice of the small text at the bottom of the screen. The lady talking says that maximum strength Lipozene is clinically proven to lose body fat and weight. And that in a university study, 78% of the total weight lost in participants was pure body fat. While this is being said, the ultra-small text at the bottom of the screen reads “Over an 8 week university study, average 3.86 pounds fat loss.” Say what? That is all the weight that was lost in 8 weeks? Gimme a break. I knew this was a scam the first time I saw it. This assures it.

I normally wouldn’t write about such a thing, but I almost feel compelled to. If you have never tried cleaning with a Magic Eraser from Mr. Clean, go get some and try it. This is one product that works as well as advertised, if not better. I swear it is truly magic. It works on practically any surface and takes dirt and blemishes away in an instant! It works particularly well on walls and paint. If there is a single product on the market today that performs precisely as advertised, it is the Magic Eraser. You won’t believe your eyes.