Month: January 2017

Betty White—who turns 95 years old today—is busier, sassier, spunkier, and better than ever. The beloved actress and comedian has appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, Hot In Cleveland, and on countless talk shows during her incredible 60-some years on television. Known for using language to masterful (and often surprising) effect, it’s only right that we pay proper tribute to some of her best wise words and one-liners.

1. ON THE ART OF A DIRTY JOKE.

“Well, I mean, if a joke or humor is bawdy, it’s got to be funny enough to warrant it. You can’t just have it bawdy or dirty just for the sake of being that—it’s got to be funny.”

—From a 2012 interview with The Huffington Post

2. ON HER REGRETS.

“I have no regrets at all. None. I consider myself to be the luckiest old broad on two feet.”

—From a 2013 interview with Guinness World Records

3. ON WHETHER SHE’S EVER MADE SOMEONE ANGRY. (SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE, RIGHT?)

“I have two ex-husbands.”

—From a 2012 interview with Momtastic

4. ON LIKING OLDER MEN.

“I’ve always liked older men. They’re just more attractive to me. Of course, at my age there aren’t that many left!”

—From a 2010 interview with Parade Magazine

5. ON HER CULINARY SKILLS.

“I’m not a big cook. I only go in the kitchen to feed my dog.”

—From a 2014 column in Bon Appetit

6. ON HER COLLEAGUES.

“I am still to this day star struck. I look out at this audience and I see so many famous faces, but what really boggles my mind is that I actually know many of you. And I’ve worked with quite a few … maybe had a couple … and you know who you are.”

—From her 2009 Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech

7. ON HANDLING GRIEF.

“There’s no formula. Keep busy with your work and your life. You can’t become a professional mourner. It doesn’t help you or others. Keep the person in your heart all the time. Replay the good times. Be grateful for the years you had.”

—From a 2011 interview with Time Goes By

8. ON STARRING IN A SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL FOR SNICKERS.

“Well I love Snickers and I thought, sure that’d be fun, why not? So I got over there early one morning and didn’t know I was going to be in the … ice cold muddy water, but all I had to do was just lie down in it. This poor stunt woman took the dive, she went in. And it was a great stunt that she did, and I got the laugh. Now, really, that’s unfair when that happens. She’s probably sticking pins in a little Betty White doll.”

—From a 2010 interview with Ellen DeGeneres

9. ON HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS OUTSIDE OF SHOW BUSINESS.

Happy #NationalPuppyDay! Today is all about celebrating puppies and encouraging adoption. pic.twitter.com/D27j889PUO

— Betty White (@BettyMWhite) March 23, 2015

“I’ve worked with the Morris Animal Foundation for over 50 years, I’ve worked with the Los Angeles Zoo for over 50 years. The Morris Animal Foundation is an animal health organization, and we fund humane studies into specific health problems—dogs, cats, horses and zoo and wildlife. And at one point, I said nobody was addressing pain in animals … I said, okay, I’ll start it. And so, bless their hearts, they sent out these brochures about anybody wanting to research that and study it. And now, there’s not a scientific study that Morris Animal Foundation funds—and they fund hundreds—that doesn’t have pain medication built into the research. And I think I’m happiest about that.”

—From a 2012 interview with Momtastic

10. ON HOW IT FEELS TO BE CALLED “LEGENDARY.”

“I just laugh. Have I got them fooled.”

—From a 2010 interview on CNN with Joy Behar

11. ON HOW SHE STAYS HEALTHY.

“I’m a health nut. My favorite food is hot dogs with French fries. And my exercise: I have a two-story house and a very bad memory, so I’m up and down those stairs.”

—From a 2012 interview with The New York Times.

12. ON THE VIRAL FACEBOOK PETITION THAT GOT HER TO HOST SNL.

“Well I didn’t know what Facebook was, that’s how dumb I was. And I had turned [hosting SNL] down about three times years and years ago, because I was so afraid it was so New York and I’m so west coast, I thought it’d be like a fish out of water. Which I probably was, but I was too dumb to know it!”

—From a 2010 interview on The View

13. ON CHIVALRY.

“If you’re walking with your lady on the sidewalk, I still like to see a man walking street-side, to protect the lady from traffic. I grew up with that, and I hate to see something like that get lost. I still like to see that a man opens the door. I like those touches of chivalry that are fast disappearing. If I sound old-fashioned, it’s because I’m as old as I am! But it’s just polite.”

—From a 2011 Q&A with The Chicago Tribune

14. ON HARRY HOUDINI.

“I not only knew Houdini, but we had a very lovely relationship … I really thought we had something going, and then the son of a gun disappeared.”

—Joking in a 2014 interview with Craig Ferguson (Note: She was 4 years old when Houdini died in 1926.)

15. ON PLASTIC SURGERY IN HOLLYWOOD.

“Gravity has taken over. So there’s not much I can do about it … My problem with [plastic surgery] is you’ll go to a women’s press conference or something like that, and old friends will come up and I kind of don’t recognize them. I recognize the voice, but I don’t—all of a sudden, there’s this whole new face that I don’t know who that is.”

—From a 2010 interview on CNN with Joy Behar

16. ON HER GOLDEN GIRLS CO-STAR BEA ARTHUR.

“Bea and I are the two almost reclusive, unsocial types … And Bea is very shy. I’m shy, but you’d never know it, and with Bea, she seems so strong, and she’s a bowl of Jell-O come show night.”

—From a 1986 interview with Barbara Walters

17. ON HER CAREER LONGEVITY.

“I had no idea that I would still be around at this point for one thing, but that I’d still be privileged enough to still be in this business. And it is such a privilege. And the bottom line I think to the television business is that unless you’re a real bad egg, it is such fun. It really is. Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

—From her 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at the Emmy Awards

Few celebrities have become internet cult heroes the way Jeff Goldblum has. He’s come in the form of countless memes, YouTube mashups, and a very odd prayer candle over on Etsy. Now Goldblum’s brand of neurotic charm is being turned into its own activity book.

UK publisher Belly Kids is responsible for this dream product, aptly titled Do I Hate Being Right All the Time: The Jeff Goldblum Activity Book. Coming in at £7.00 (about $8.43), the book is 32 pages of stammering fun, complete with games, mazes, puzzles, and more, spanning the highlights of Goldblum’s career. There’s a page urging you to draw a Goldblum emoji, a look-and-find puzzle set in Jurassic Park (1993), and a cut-out of The Fly (1986).

Belly Kids isn’t shy about its love for the actor, as the book’s description reads, “First crush, only love, most charming man on screen. To say Jeff Goldblum is the one great thing in this world would be a mass under statement.” 

If Goldblum isn’t for you, Belly Kids has plenty more items to satisfy your obscure soul, like a Bill Murray coloring book (called Thrill Murray), a David Attenborough quote book, an illustrated collection of classic eating scenes from movie history, and a book collecting various illustrations of Milhouse from The Simpsons.

But let’s be honest, Jeff Goldblum is for everybody, and you can order Do I Hate Being Right All the Time: The Jeff Goldblum Activity Book here.

[h/t Nerdist]

English is a notoriously difficult language to learn to speak—and it’s perhaps even harder to write. Benjamin Franklin—who was born on this day in 1706—certainly thought so, which is why he proposed getting rid of certain letters that make redundant sounds. Why have the letter “C,” for example, when all the sounds it makes can be covered by “S”or “K”?

Other letters he thought were completely replaceable: J, Q, W, X, and Y. Cutting all of these “useless” letters wouldn’t shorten the alphabet, however, because Franklin also proposed six entirely new letters, including one to replace the “sh” sound and one that makes a soft “o” sound. Check out this letter he wrote using his phonetic alphabet:

Since kids these days are still learning the ABCs and not the ABDs, it’s clear that Franklin didn’t get his way. Though he managed to convince famous lexicographer Noah Webster that a phonetic alphabet would be best for the new country, they couldn’t convince anyone else. The public was unimpressed with the idea, and Franklin eventually gave up.

Students attend graduate school to gain more knowledge in a specific field, increase their future earning power, or switch careers. But depending on the type and length of the program, grad schools can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Whether you’re planning to get your master’s, Ph.D., MBA, or J.D. degree, here are nine things you should know about paying for grad school.

1. START RESEARCHING YOUR OPTIONS EARLY.

If you know what type of graduate program you want to attend, start researching your options early. Different schools offer a variety of scholarships, fellowships, grants and department funding, and starting the application process early will increase your odds of receiving money from a university’s limited funds. After reading about your options on the university’s website, speak to a representative from the school’s financial aid department.

2. CONSIDER STUDYING PART-TIME FOR YOUR DEGREE.

If you’re willing to spend more time earning your degree, consider taking classes part-time instead of as a full-time student. Depending on the program, earning your degree part-time may cost less than a full-time program, and you won’t lose a year (or more) of income while you’re studying.

3. DON’T OVERLOOK YOUR PROFESSORS.

If you’re currently in college, ask professors in your area of study to recommend relevant scholarships, fellowships or grants for which you could apply. Even if you graduated years ago, get in touch with your old professors to benefit from their knowledge and contacts. And because most scholarship applications require letters of recommendation, your professors can also help by vouching for you.

4. ASK YOUR EMPLOYER TO FUND YOU.

If you’re currently working and your graduate degree will be in the same field, check with your company’s human resources department to determine if there is a tuition assistance or reimbursement program. Even if your company doesn’t have a formal policy in place, don’t be afraid to ask about getting a salary advance or time off for studying. Keep in mind, though, that in exchange for funding, your employer may require you to maintain a high GPA or work for them for a certain amount of time after you get your degree.

5. THINK ABOUT MOVING STATES.

Because many grad schools charge less tuition for in-state rather than out-of-state students, consider moving. Depending on the state, you may be able to establish residency in six months to a year. If it’s not feasible to move states before you begin your program, you may be able to apply for in-state status after a year of living in-state. Some schools also offer in-state tuition to residents of nearby states as part of a regional college exchange.

6. APPLY TO WORK AS A TEACHING ASSISTANT.

Depending on the university, grad students who work as teaching or research assistants may get health insurance in addition to part-time wages. To get free or reduced room and board, consider working as a resident assistant, living in a dorm and being responsible for a group of undergraduates.

7. CHOOSE WISELY BETWEEN FEDERAL AND PRIVATE LOANS.

The federal government offers grad students loans with fixed interest rates, while private lenders and banks offer student loans with variable interest rates. This means the interest rates on private loans may start lower, but have the ability to rise. When they do, you may need to refinance your private loans to get a better rate, and private loans often have fewer, less flexible repayment options than federal loans.

8. WORK IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR TO QUALIFY FOR LOAN FORGIVENESS.

If you opt for a federal student loan, consider working in the public sector after you graduate. Thanks to a loan forgiveness program, the government will forgive the rest of your debt after you make your monthly payments for 10 years. The catch? You must work full-time for the government or a not-for-profit organization. Some grad schools offer their own forgiveness programs to graduates, rewarding those who choose careers in teaching, healthcare or not-for-profits.

9. REMEMBER TO CLAIM RELEVANT TAX CREDITS AND DEDUCTIONS.

Grad students can take a variety of tax credits and deductions depending on their financial situation. Before you file your tax return, make sure you have a solid understanding of the requirements for taking any deductions for grad school. Ask an accountant if you qualify for the lifetime learning tax credit, student loan interest deduction or tuition deduction.

Florida Tech’s online programs offer flexibility and affordability via scholarships and financial aid packages for qualified applicants. Click here to learn more about Florida Tech’s online graduate degrees.

In a report dated July 22, 1975, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded the details behind one of the biggest raids of a pirated movie collection in the agency’s history. The previous December, agents had descended on an opulent home in North Hollywood and seized more than 160 film canisters and more than 1000 video cassettes from the garage, all unlawfully copied for use in private screenings. The Bureau estimated the collection to be worth more than $5 million.

After boxes of films were hauled out of the home and into FBI vehicles, the owner of the collection was interviewed. Rather than face serious charges, he agreed to inform investigators about how he acquired his library and who else he knew that might be in possession of similar goods.

The film Giant, starring James Dean, had been given to him by actor Rock Hudson; Arthur P. Jacobs, producer of the long-running Planet of the Apes film series, was another source. Other names were redacted in the FBI’s official document released to the public.

The source of this one-man analog pirate operation was Roddy McDowall, a former child star who gained notoriety for his portrayal of Cornelius and Caesar in the Apes franchise. And while his criminal record would remain clean, his willingness to out other celebrity movie collectors would come at considerable personal cost.

Although the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has fought its biggest battles against copyright infringement in the age of broadband file-sharing, film piracy was a problem long before anyone was wired for internet access. In the 1920s, exhibitors tried to get away with cutting studios out of their share by screening films past the agreed-upon distribution windows; projectionists would sometimes make duplicate prints from originals, selling them for a profit. By the 1960s, consumer-use camcorders were being surreptitiously brought into theaters to point directly at the screen, a practice that endured for decades.

Fed up with the theft of their content, which may have cost them an estimated billion dollars in revenue annually, the studio-backed MPAA began a vigorous fight against infringement in the early 1970s. Bootleg sellers were cornered and litigated: if the government could prove they profited from the sale of a bootleg film—which could carry a price tag in the hundreds of dollars—fines and jail time were put on the table.

It’s possible the MPAA and the FBI didn’t stop to consider that some sizable collections would be found inside the industry’s own inner circle. But actors, producers, and studio personnel had something that conventional pirates had a difficult time accessing: original, high-quality prints of major studio films. Some would be loaned to talent for private screenings and then returned; others could be purchased outright, although never for duplication purposes.

In a written statement handed over to the FBI, McDowall said he had been collecting prints since the 1960s, when the actor had the money and means to begin acquiring personal copies of both his favorite films and those he had personally appeared in. The object, he explained, was to study the performances of other actors and to guard against the possibility that some might wind up being lost to neglect or age. The latter was not an unfounded fear: studios had been notoriously negligent in film preservation in the early part of the century.

McDowall eventually ended up with some 337 different films, many of which he transferred to cassette for easier storage and in the belief they might be better preserved that way. (Since his collection predates the mid-1970s introductions of VHS and Betamax, it’s possible he used Sony’s U-Matic magnetic tape technology, an expensive early format that never caught on with the general public.)

When McDowall grew tired of a certain film, he would sell it to a fellow collector, generally for whatever price he recalled paying for it in the first place. Three unnamed films, he wrote, once cost him a total of $705. He specifically recalled wanting to own Escape from the Planet of the Apes so that he could have a copy of his character’s death scene: 20^th Century Fox offered to sell him prints of the Apes series along with How Green Was My Valley. Unhappy with the quality, he declined.

Instead, the FBI raid found films like My Friend Flicka, Lassie Come Home, and hundreds of others. Rather than face criminal penalties, McDowall told authorities that singer Mel Torme, actor Dick Martin, and Rock Hudson were known to be collectors. He also had business dealings with Ray Atherton, a high-profile bootlegger the government had been targeting for some time. His disclosure of those contacts probably saved McDowall from being the first celebrity movie pirate to be charged with a crime.

For the MPAA, the resulting seizure of McDowall’s collection—the FBI never named its tipster, or what led them to McDowall—was significant. In their game of criminal investigation, a well-known party acted like a warning flare to other pirates. Media coverage of McDowall’s incident forced bootleggers to burrow further underground, driving up the prices for films.

The FBI didn’t pursue Hudson or any of the other parties McDowall named; the big fish was Atherton, who was charged but had his conviction overturned in 1977. Roughly 20 other dealers were indicted, with several convicted of conspiracy; the court proceedings were sometimes livened by the appearance of celebrities like Gene Hackman, who testified on behalf of the government to drive home the economic impact of pirated films.

Only a few short years later, the Supreme Court would rule that videotaping movies and television using home cassette recorders was not copyright infringement—so long as it was used for noncommercial purposes. The decision angered the MPAA, which saw the home video industry as a major threat to box office receipts. Later, they’d profit handsomely from sales of videocassettes.

It was too late for McDowall. While he escaped any criminal trouble, his reputation in the industry reportedly took a hit because of his willingness to point his finger at his fellow collectors. According to a friend, McDowall was considered a “rat” and was so crestfallen by the incident that he stopped screening films in his home, his garage empty of the films he had spent well over a decade compiling. They remained the property of the FBI.

The first snow of the season is always exciting, but the magic can quickly run out when you remember all the hazards that come with icy conditions. Along with heating bills, frosted cars, and other pains, the ground develops a coat of ice that can be dangerous for pedestrians and drivers alike. Outdoor steps become particularly treacherous and many people find themselves clutching their railings for fear of making it to the bottom head first. Instead of putting salt down the next time it snows, consider a less messy approach: heated mats that quickly melt the ice away.

The handy devices are made with a thermoplastic material and can melt 2 inches of snow per hour. They’re designed to be left outside, so you can keep them ready to go for the whole winter. The 10-by-30 inch mats fit on most standard steps and come with grips to help prevent slipping. A waterproof connector cable connects to additional mats so up to 15 steps can be covered.

Unfortunately, this convenience comes at a price: You need to buy a 120-volt power unit for them to work, and each mat is sold separately. Running at $63 a mat, the price can add up pretty quickly. Still, if you live in a colder place where it’s pretty much always snowing, it might be worth it.

[h/t Oddity Mall]

Why do U.S. school grades go A, B, C, D, and F? Why not “E”?

Robert Frost:

The modern letter grade system began at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts in 1897. The system was picked up by other schools and within about 20 years had become the norm across America. During this same period, immigration and mandatory attendance laws were resulting in more crowded schools and a higher student-to-teacher ratio. The letter system caught on with teachers because its simplicity made their job simpler as they became responsible for grading more students. Also at this time, it became more of a standard to report grades to parents, so a scale that was easy for parents to understand was desirable.

Mount Holyoke defined their original scale as follows:

A: Excellent, equivalent to 95— to 100 percent

B: Good, equivalent to 85— to 94 percent

C: Fair, equivalent to 76 to 84 percent

D: Passed, equivalent to 75 percent

E: Failed, less than 75 percent

E was quickly replaced with F, because “F for failed” was more intuitive than “E for … excellent or failed?”

This post originally appeared on Quora. Click here to view.

Loneliness and isolation among seniors in the U.S. is considered an epidemic. Social isolation can change a person’s genome in potentially harmful ways, comparable to what obesity or smoking does to you—increasing risks of heart attacks, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and more. But how do you pull solitary seniors, who may be physically unable to leave their homes, from isolation?

Some companies think technology is the answer. There are virtual reality experiences designed for older adults and anyone else with limited mobility. And then there are robot pets, designed to socialize with older people, including a seal, a dog, and a cat. In the future, though, the home robot friend designed for seniors may look more like a tabletop art piece, according to fuseproject’s Yves Béhar, the designer behind products like the Jawbone UP and the SodaStream.

Fuseproject created an artificial intelligence console, ElliQ, designed to keep older people engaged and connected to friends and families, as part of a partnership for a technology company called Intuition Robotics. ElliQ suggests TED Talks and audiobooks, plays games, reminds people of their appointments and medications, arranges rides, and can even tell you that you should go for a walk if you’ve watched a lot of television that day.

It’s meant to be an easy way for older people to communicate with their families via Facebook, Skype, and similar technologies. Its screen can pull up videos and photos, and remote family members can even access data about their loved ones’ environments (including the indoor temperature). As time goes on, ElliQ learns preferences and can pull up recommendations based on prior requests or input from other family members. It’s kind of like Amazon’s home helper robot Alexa, but created for people who spend a lot of time alone, but still don’t quite understand how their Facebook timeline works.

The robot is on display as part of NEW OLD, an exhibit at the Design Museum in London, running until February 19. In February, Intuition Robots will begin a trial of the technology among people in the San Francisco area.

All images courtesy fuseproject and Intuition Robotics.