Today in 1775, the U.S. postal system is established by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general.
The Forecast
Participation is the new consumption.
The News
Amid death threats, Paul the Octopus retires from the oracle business.
Wisdom
"It's been a prevalent notion. Fallen sparks. Fragments of vessels broken at the Creation. And someday, somehow, before the end, a gathering back to home. A messenger from the Kingdom, arriving at the last moment. But I tell you there is no such message, no such home -- only the millions of last moments . . . nothing more. Our history is an aggregate of last moments." :: Thomas Pynchon
The Monthly Report
...the need for recognition and status is at the heart of every consumer trend.
© 2010 The Layman's Almanac in cooperation with the Click Boom Pow, Inc. All rights reserved.
Knowledge is overrated - diligence is what's required in the service of a willing spirit ::
:: Michel Gondry's latest The Thorn in the Heart.
:: Believe the hype, LCD Soundsystem :: This Is Happening is great from start to finish.
:: New York Magazine's HIGH PRIORITY.
Past Features
- An Interview with Meri Bourgard
- The Decay & Rebirth of Design Through Reintegration
- Your Epitomic Guide to Understanding the Card Act
- We're So Future :: Albeit Debased, Intricate & Profound.
- Eau de Toilette :: The Austere Strange
- Commencement & the Value of Simple Awareness
Funambules
The Life & Times of E.E. Hale :: She Loves Me Not
The Life & Times of E.E. Hale :: The Finishing Touch
Ask a Layman
Where do my 911 calls go after they've been recorded?
Into a database file of course! However, & keep this close to the chest, sources say that Google stores your frantic & frankly embarrassing 911 call in a maximum security shipping container on a Venezuelan off-shore cargo ship. Watch yourself. Everything you've ever searched for on Google is also stored in said container. Big brother, I mean Google is watching.
Do you have a question?
ask@laymansalmanac.com