Friday Four

1. File this one under "Signs of the Times": "Cyber Attack That Sent 750k Malicious Emails Traced to Hacked Refrigerator, TVs and Home Routers".

2. If you're in the market for a house, you might amuse yourself by being on the look-out for "parcel mullets":

[A] parcel mullet is a house with a mowed, manicured front lawn but a wild, unkempt yard in the back -- reminiscent of the unlamented mullet hairstyle, which is short at the front and sides of the head, and ickily long in the back. [bold in original]

Having two young kids, I considered starting my own a couple of times last summer when pressed for time, although I was unaware of the term then.

3. Greg Ross describes something you can't get from eBooks:

Some of your old books may contain hidden artworks: Beginning in the 17th century, a book's binder would sometimes paint a watercolor scene on the edge of the book's page stack. If the pages were then gilded, the image might remain hidden for years until the pages were fanned.

Visit his site for a video. Some of these are quite beautiful.

4. Two birds, one stone: I needed to put together a small bookcase for my wife the other day, but, being swamped, didn't want to spend precious child-care time doing it. Then it occurred to me that the kids might like to watch me do it, so that's what I did. "Pumpkin", my two-and-a-half year old daughter, enjoyed "helping" me, too, by counting parts, putting away tools and trash, and holding things for me. Our seven-month old boy, who sat nearby in an ExerSaucer, seemed fascinated.

As I completed the three-level unit in steps, Pumpkin climbed onto or under its shelves. In turns, she pretended it was an airplane (middle shelf with legs attached), a bed, (bottom two shelves attached), and a cave (bottom-most shelf of the completed unit), through which she slithered as a "snake".

-- CAV