Was just in the mood to listen to this again... this is one of the greatest comedy routines of all time, "Who's on First" by Abbot and Costello.

This routine never gets old... Got a few minutes? Listen to it below!

Audio Clip

Transcript of Who's on First

I saw this amazing clip on CBS news the other night. It was so popular they ran it a second night. It is about an autistic high school student in Rochester NY (I went to college in Rochester actually). He has been helping the high school basketball team for the past 4 years assisting with drills, providing spirit, etc. Well in the final game they decided to suit him up to possibly play. With 4 minutes left they put him in, hoping he would maybe hit a shot.

Well I won't spoil it for you -- here is a link to the video at CBS... it's a pretty amazing story!

Link to video at CBS

This is a really cool, and FREE program!

"Atmosphere Lite" lets your computer create natural sound environments such as rainforests, storms, dawn, night-time, campfire, and more. For example, click "Dawn" and you hear sounds of dawn such as birds randomly singing, a light breeze blowing, wind chimes, etc.

There are many programs like this, but so far I like this one a lot. First, the "Lite" version is free and seems to not be limited or crippled. Apparently there is a deluxe version and more downloadable sounds that they hope you upgrade to for a nominal fee.

The other cool thing is that you can create your own environments. Most programs let you choose a sound type and that is it... you can't really change them. This one allows you to completely customize it. Want to hear a river, ocean breeze, a campfire, and crickets... all during a thunderstorm? No problem! You can choose from like 40-50 different nature sounds as well as how often they play, and even save/load your own ambience.

Apparently you can also burn them to CD for use in the car or create an MP3 for your mp3 player. Really neat. The website says the deluxe version has more advanced sounds like downtown cities, etc.

The website is:

http://www.relaxingsoftware.com/atmlitehome.htm

As always, download your own risk. I don't have anything to do with the website. They claim they have no adware/spyware in the product and it is featured at downloads.com (which mean it has been at least tested to some degree).

Update: I would currently NOT recommend the Petmate Purrforma after a week of use... (see original post below) I have returned it and an again trying the Litter Sweep Ultra, which I have been told had problems with the motor that have been resolved.

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Ok, a while back I wrote about the "Litter Sweep Ultra" -- a fairly new automatic litter scooping device for cats. I wrote that I had just gotten it and loved it. I have some new feedback on it, as well as on a yet another new device, "Petmate Purrforma Plus XL".

A little background -- I have two cats and HATE cleaning litter boxes. I can't imagine anyone actually likes it, but I'm really lazy... anything I can do to reduce how often and how dirty changing a litter box is, I'll get.

The original device on the market was the "Litter Maid" auto scooper. This device is rectangular in shape, and has a plastic rake that powers through a litter box horizontally a few minutes after the cat goes, and dumps the litter into a plastic bin on the end. You buy replacement plastic "recepticals" for about $1-1.50 a piece. They are pretty expensive. The recepticals have a cover that automatically opens/closes as well. You just take the receptical out when it is full and throw it away. The negative is that they are semi-rigid and it makes them hard to throw away in the trash -- the lid falls off and they have kind of pointed edges which are annoying to put in trashbags.

The litter maid works "ok" -- it does the job but has flaws. The rake is plastic and gets clogged up sometimes, and the motor is not very powerful (at least the last few units I had (yes, I went through about 1 unit a year). If the cats had an extra heavy session, the rake would get stuck halfway and the unit would go back and forth a few times and try to get through it, and would eventually fail until I would notice and clean the spot up for it. Also this unit is medium loud -- its not quiet and not overloud, but you know its running, especially when it gets stuck and the motor "strains". This unit runs about $150 normally and $100 on sale. They claim they have made the motor more powerful but I have not tried the latest revision in about 1 year.

So next I tried the Litter Sweep Ultra, a new style that is round. It has a very clever design.... rather than the arm sweeping through the litter box, the whole litter box rotates! The arm just moves at an angle through the box slowly as it rotates, and then the arm scoops litter up and out into a side receptical. If you see it in action you can see what I mean when I say it was very clever... it worked great -- for a while. Then i started to have problems. The outer plastic ring started popping loose and causing problems, so I taped it down (which solved the problem). Just a poor manufacturing design. Next, the rake would have problems and get stuck sometimes, making a loud banging sound. The problem is that the rake does not just go horizontally like the Litter Made. It moves in about 3-4 different angles and directions during a scoop. Amazing how they did it, but way too complicated. The old rule "KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid" comes to mind. Well, after a while, the motor just wore out and it would not complete its motion properly and would not dump the litter right. One last thing, my cats seem to crust up the bottom of the bin -- and for some reason this style unit would not clean the clumps out properly and they would just break up and the litter would get "wet" and not work properly anymore. I think this was due to some kind of flaw in the way it scooped but am not sure. It never happened with the Litter Maid. This unit is also very noisy, must more so than the other unit. The positive is that it uses bags which are much cheaper and easier to throw away, and the unit was only $79.

In fairness, I did go to PetSmart and asked about returning it, they said no problem just bring it back -- and did inform me there was a recall on the units and there was a motor problem. However, I did not bother (yet) trying a newer unit.

So I tried the Petmate Purrforma Plus XL. This unit is pretty expensive, around $170. But it comes with everything... it is basically a copy of the litter maid unit, but it seems more smartly designed. It looks like they improved upon many of the problems and flaws of the LM.

First, they made a disposable plasic liner for the bed where the litter goes -- on the LM, you had to clean the units base every once in a while -- which nobody wants to do. :) With the Petmate, you throw away a clean pastic liner when it gets too nasty, and just buy a new one for a few dollars. Second, the rake is metal and the movement mechanism was more smartly designed to not get fouled up -- its external to the unit (you have to see it) and not internal with gears. It is also MUCH more powerful. The LM you could stop with a strong force of the hand -- this one is pretty much impossible to stop. I think they decided that if your cat is stupid enough to sit there while its cleaning, it deserves to get pinched. :) The rake is also removeable (very easy) to clean.

Next, they got rid of the expensive plastic containers and changed to a plastic bag liner you buy that you place in the unit -- they work great, when you are done you just tie them up and throw them out.

Lastly, they give you all the extras with the unit, a hood, paw ramp, etc. Its probably similar in price to the LM when you count all the stuff they put in it.

I have used it a few days and so far its working well -- I realize that cleaning cat litter is actually pretty complex for a machine, and this one seems to do the best job so far... I'll let you know down the line if I have trouble. There are a few minor flaws, like the litter is slipping behind the clear plastic liner, so it will get a little dirty underneath anyway -- but thats not a big deal long term -- all of the other units dont even have the clear liner.

OH yes, this unit is also very quiet compared to the other two -- you hardly know its running. And it comes with a whole cover and charcoal filter, so if you are worried about smell this one is probably one of the top choices for that.

I just got a chance to see the new Broadway play, "Jersey Boys". I think it just opened recently.

It's great! It's the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons who were (obviously) from New Jersey.

I always loved their music as a kid -- Even though I'm only 34, I like to say I grew up with oldies... my parents always played them around the house and use to run record hops in the 70's.

The 4 Seasons had hits such as "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Rag Doll", "Walk Like a Man"... and Frankie Vallie had his own hits such as "December, 1963" (Oh what a night...) and "Can't take my eyes off of you...".

Anyway, the story is great... I won't spoil it, but lots of ups and downs and connections with a well known actor of today. It's very well paced, keeps you interested, and the music is great. The lead who plays Frankie is about 95% of the real deal. He does an excellent job.

Definitely check this out if you get to go to NYC. It's selling out ahead of time so book ahead!