Springfield State Revealed!

After watching The Simpsons for over a decade and a half, I think I've finally found an episode where they reveal the State which Springfield is in.

The episode is Season 4, Episode 16, titled "Duffless".

The slip-up occurs when Homer is being sentenced for DWI, just as the judge's gavel comes down around 9 minutes into the episode (the next frame is Patty/Selma stamping a "VOID" stamp over it):

You can see Homer's address (sorry for the bad screen capture, but it's the best I could do), and the State is labeled with the abbreviation "NT"... perhaps a reference to the Northwest Territories in Canada? The Zip Code appears to be 48007, which is actually Troy, Michigan. 

Through years and years of watching the Simpsons, I loved to use a TiVo or DVR to pause the screen just as they flashed through different scenes. You can usually catch an off-handed joke or comment, but this is the first time I've ever seen a State referenced in the history of the show!

Enjoy!

Mr. Burns endorses Romney with a plethora of jabs...

If you watched The Simpson's endorsement of Mitt Romney, you may have missed a couple of the references.

Here are some news articles which explain the references and may help (said in order by Smithers):

1. 47% Tape: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/18/politics/campaign-wrap/index.html
2. Empty Chair: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/31/politics/eastwood-speech/index.html
3. Cayman Islands: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/01/mitt-romney-tax-haven-cayman-islands-abc-news-/1#.UJlP5MWUPDQ
4. Swiss Bank Accounts: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/romney-failed-disclose-swiss-bank-account-income/story?id=15447680#.UJlQMcWUPDQ
5. $10,000 Bet: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/mitt-romneys-10000-mistake/2011/12/11/gIQA9aEQpO_blog.html
6. I like to Fire People: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57355212-503544/mitt-romney-i-like-being-able-to-fire-people-for-bad-service/
7. Forcible Haircut: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142469/Mitt-Romney-held-gay-taunt-classmate-cut-hair-school-attack.html
8. Suspicious Tax returns: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/mitt-romney-missing-tax-returns_n_2079903.html
9. Wesley Snipes tax returns : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/business/25snipes.html?_r=0
10. Seamus the shaggy dog: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part4_main/?page=1

Enjoy!!

Blocking Spam Emails beginning with "@a.*.com"

I have been hammered with Spam email which comes from an email domain beginning with "@a.xxxxx.com"
Despite adding every single domain which begins with "@a." to my blocked domain list, new ones keep showing up.

Unfortunately, Hotmail, Windows Live Mail, and Outlook.com email settings do not allow you to add wildcards (such as "*" or "?") to block senders or create email rules.

To get around this, you can set up a rule to block emails which contain the "@a." text.
This is really straightforward. Simply sign into Hotmail or Outlook.com and navigate to the gear icon.

Gear Icon > More Email Settings > Rules for Sorting New Messages > New

Then fill out the two step rule as follows:

Step 1: Sender's Address > contains > @a.
Step 2: Move to Junk

This should help you get rid of the @a.xxxx.com spam emails.

Removing Duplicates in Hotmail and Windows Live Mail

Recently I attempted to import contacts into Windows Live Mail (the free email client from Microsoft). I thought the import was unsuccessful, so I re-ran the import tool another three times.
When I finally looked in my contacts list I had four copies of all contacts.

Luckily, you can [sort of] easily remove duplicates using the Hotmail interface.

First, close down Windows Live Mail.
Second, log into hotmail.com and click on Contacts. At the top of the page there will be an option to "Manage" and then "Clean Up Contacts". Click this option and hit "save" to remove the duplicates.

This works great at removing duplicates and combining profiles, but it only does it three contacts at a time! When you have lots of contacts (I have over 1,000), it takes quite a while.... at least it's automated, though.

Consolidating Service Items on Flights

If you travel internationally or long distances, you’ve probably received an in-flight meal.

The meals are almost always are grouped on to small plastic trays which separate each “course” or meal option (pictured).
If you’re anything like me (or seeming everyone else who sits by me), you might be tempted to “consolidate” all of the wrappers, scraps, and small items which are leftover (napkins, plastic cutlery, salt/sugar sachets, etc.).
While this may make your service tray look tidy, it’s actually very bad for the recycling efforts of the on-board crew. All of these service items are later separated for recycling, and consolidating makes this process more difficult or forces the recyclable materials to be disposed of as general waste (this is especially the case of you stuff things in plastic water bottles).

Next time, embrace a disorderly tray in an effort to aid recycling on flights.

High Fidelity Earplugs

After blowing out my ears one too many times at concerts and clubs, I decided there had to be a way to protect my hearing without ruining the listening experience and (perhaps more importantly) not looking stupid.

Foam earplugs are cumbersome and block the sound at all levels, ruining the highs and lows.

There is the concept of "high-fidelity" earplugs which are designed to reduce noise (not block it), while delivering the full spectrum of sound.

I've tried two:

1. Etymotic ER20 http://www.etymotic.com/hp/er20.html


2. EarPeace http://earpeace.com/

Etymotic ER20:
These come in two sizes: Standard (white) and Baby Blues (smaller, blue color). I purchased the Blues and used them a few times. They have rubber ear tip and a plastic shaft which stick out of your ear when worn. At first they were a bit uncomfortable, but after my ears adjusted I forgot they were there.

The sound quality is surprisingly good. They let in a good amount if mid's and high's which make the music sound clear. Depending on how deep you push the plugs into your ear, you can (sort of) control the amount of noise reduction



EarPeace:
These plugs are made of soft silicone which feel really comfortable in the ear. They come in three colors (pictured) so you can choose the one which best fits your skin tone. I suppose this is to camouflage the plug from your friends.

The sound reducing level is stronger than the ER20's. They block a lot more of the mid's and high's so they give a bit of a muffled sound.

They are almost impossible to see when worn, but because they block a significant amount of sound they should only be worn at the loudest of concerts/shows.



After trying both, I think I like the ER20's a bit more. They do stick out of your ear more, but the clarity of the sound and right amount of reduction make them a winner.

Windows Phone Update Error

If you have a Windows Phone, you may get an error while updating the software.
There is now a tool which you can download to recover your device and force the update:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2530409

Takes a few minutes to download and run, but seems to work!