The Seven Most Epic Unibrows of All Time

Posted on by
5

In this edition of Lucky 7s, I tackle the seven unruliest unibrows ever. Read on below to see who made the cut.

1. Anthony Davis

Arkansas-Little Rock v Kentucky
Image via Business Insider.

This past March, I wasn’t so much obsessed with NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament as I was with fierce-looking unibrow of University of Kentucky basketball phenom, Anthony Davis. Don’t worry about him though. He’s getting ready to count the millions he’ll be getting when he is drafted into the NBA later this year.

2. Gerald Samson

Gerald Samson
Image via Simpsons Wiki.

Gerald, AKA “The Monobrow”, Samson is the arch-nemesis of Maggie Simpson. How could a baby possibly have any enemies you may ask? She probably didn’t like the way he was looking at her.

3. Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo self portrait
Image via Wikipedia.

I’ll say this for Frida, at least she was honest. She painted how she looked. I mean, if I had her talent as a painter I’d have been tempted to not fill in the space above and to the center of my eyes.

4. The Red Bird

Angry Birds for iPhone
Image via Rovio.

It’s no coincidence that the angriest looking of the Angry Birds is the one with one big, honkin’ eyebrow. Known only as the Red Bird, this avian antagonist flings himself at anything shielding his sworn porcine adversaries.

5. George Harrison

George Harrison
Image via ZTams.

George Harrison was my favorite Beatle not named John or Paul. Amazingly, he also wrote all of the best Beatles’ songs not written by John or Paul. What George lacked in the not being John or Paul department he more than made up for in the having a giant caterpillar over his eyes department.

6. Bert

Bert Smile
Image via Muppet Wiki.

Oh, Bert! He’s the nerdy half of my favorite Sesame Street duo. From his pigeon obsession to his love of checkers and the letter W, everything about him reeks of lameness. Not being able to grow a mustache under his nose he decided to grow one over his eyes instead.

7. Wally Moon

WALLY MOON LOS ANGELES DODGERS 1964
Image via Frank Kelsey’s flickr.

I’d never heard of Wally Moon until I stumbled across this blog post about the worst baseball cards of all time in which Moon’s brows are prominently featured. Wally Moon is to unibrows what Tom Selleck is to mustaches—in a word, epic.

“Eyebrows. There should be two.”

Yes, I know I totally just quoted Miss Congeniality right there. However, truth is truth regardless of the source. Remember—tweezers—they’re not just for splinters.

Am I missing anyone from the list of epic eyebrows? Sound off in the comments below.

Related articles

Mac Tip: Cycle Through Open Application Windows

Posted on by
4

If you’re like me then you love keyboard shortcuts. If you’ve come to OS X from a Windows background then most of the shortcuts are very similar in function.

In a PC world when you use the familiar Alt-Tab keystroke it cycles through all open windows. The OS X equivalent, Command-Tab, switches from one app to another, however—not all windows in all apps.

This can be frustrating if you’re trying to navigate between multiple open Finder windows for example …

Lots of Finders

… or if you’re using an app with a multi-window user interface like MarsEdit.

MarsEdit Windows

To quickly switch from one window to another in the same application use the keyboard combo Command and ` (the key just above Tab on the left side of your Mac’s keyboard).

Cycle Through Application Windows

This little shortcut should save you some frustration. I wish I’d known about it much earlier.

What are your favorite OS X shortcuts? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Related articles

Awesome AutoCorrect Prank for April Fools Day

Posted on by
5

Warning, this post contains immature language.

Don’t let April Fools Day catch you off guard this year—be prepared! I’ve got the perfect prank for you to play on your family, friends, and co-workers.

someecards.com - I plan to spend April Fool's Day remembering all of the pranks I thought of last year but completely forgot to execute this year.

Chances are really good that everyone you know has at least one of the following: an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC. I’ve got a prank for you that you can use on all of those devices.

The AutoCorrect or text substitution feature built into OS X, iOS, and Microsoft Office can be an amazing productivity boost. But, it can also be used to freak out your unsuspecting family, friends and co-workers this April Fools Day.

On a Mac

In this example I’m using a Mac running OS X 10.7.3 (Lion), but it should also work on 10.6 (Snow Leopard). First, open the System Preferences app.

Mac OS X System Preferences

Launch the Language & Text Preference Pane.

Select Language and Text Preference Pane

Click on the plus sign (+) to create a new symbol or text substitution.

Text Tab

If I were your victim, you’d want to think of something I type all the time, My Name (where My Name is the persons name or whatever text you want to have AutoCorrect change), for example. Enter that in the Replace column.

Replace "My Name"

Now, here’s the best part—in the With column enter the text you want to be replaced when your prankee types My Name. Because I’m so cool and sophisticated I would go with something like Poop.

Replace with Poop

Be sure to close the System Preferences app to cover your tracks. After you’ve added your entry to AutoCorrect it will be available in most of the apps on the Mac: Mail, iCal, TextEdit, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, etc.

Now, imagine the following scenario. I, your hapless target am completing a moving letter in TextEdit and have just typed My Name.

Entering "My Name" in TextEdit

Bang, I’ve just been pranked!

TextEdit Poop

Now, let’s see how to do this on a PC.

In Microsoft Office 2010

For this example I used a PC running Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010. To my knowledge it should also work on Windows XP or Vista using Office 2003 or greater.

Go to the File menu in an Office 2010 application, like Excel in this example. Click on Options.

Microsoft Office File Menu

Click on Proofing.

Microsoft Office Options

Then, click on the AutoCorrect Options button.

Microsoft Office Options - Proofing

Similar to what you did on a Mac above, enter the text you want to change in the Replace column and what you want the substitution in the With column.

Microsoft Office Options - AutoCorrect

To keep things consistent we’ll go with My Name and Poop again. Click on OK to save your changes and then close out of the Options window.

AutoCorrect Adding an Entry

Even though you added the AutoCorrect in Excel, it will be accessible on all Office 2010 programs including Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

So, when My Name is typed …

Typing My Name in Word

You get Poop.

AutoCorrect Poop in Word

On an iPad or iPhone

Lastly, let’s see how to add AutoCorrect entries to an iOS device—an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.

Open the Settings app and tap on General

iOS Settings App

Tap on Keyboard.

Keyboard

Then, tap on Shortcuts.

Shortcuts

To add an entry tap on the plus sign (+) in the upper right hand corner.

Add a Shortcut

Entering AutoCorrect shortcuts is a little different in iOS. First, type in the Phrase or word you want to substitute. Again, we’ll go with our old standby, Poop.

Next, type in the Shortcut you want substituted. Please note that it must be one word only. So instead of My Name you’ll have to just use Name in this example.

Tap Save and close out of the Settings app.

Enter Phrase and Shortcut Text

The next time the recipient of your pranking prowess prepares a message in Mail.app and enters their Name they’ll get, you guessed it, Poop.

Poop Strikes Again

One quirk with iOS devices is that before the AutoCorrect occurs they may actually see a little popup before the text substitution happens. This would give them the option of tapping the little ‘x’ next to the substitution to cancel it. Given the proliferation of humorous AutoCorrect sites on the Internet, it’s a safe bet that your target will fall victim to your prank.

Now you’re all set for April Fools Day. Go forth and prank merrily.

What pranks do you plan on pulling this year? Or what are the best pranks you’ve pulled on April Fools Days past? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Related articles

Favorite Things: Collar Stays

Posted on by
8

Hey, you! Did you just get your dress shirt back from the cleaners only to find that its collars are curling up like the the tip of Dilbert’s tie?

Dilbert (character)

Dilbert (character) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rather than trying to figure out how/why it happens I’d like to propose a simple, affordable solution: collar stays.

Quality Stays

My personal recommendation is this Box of 50 Plastic Collar Stays from Quality Stays. It comes with the following assortment of collar stays:

  • 12 – 2 inch long stays
  • 24 – 2.5 inch long stays
  • 14 – 3 inch long stays

I’ve had my box of stays for nearly two years and they appear to be holding up well. If you want to spend a bit more you can get them in stainless steel or even titanium!

My box of Quality Stays has kept me from the ironing board and has saved the life of many a shirt which would have otherwise been cast off in disgust.

Image courtesy of Amazon.

Related articles

Hot Links: Hands-Only CPR

Posted on by
8

I attended First Aid and CPR/AED training this week to renew my certification. Expecting only a refresher, I was surprised at how much had changed in the two years since I last certified.

The new focus of CPR is almost exclusively on performing chest compressions. Don’t worry about giving breaths, or anything else. The most important things you can do for someone experiencing cardiac arrest are the following.

Two Steps to Save a Life

Go to Hands-Only CPR today to learn more about this lifesaving technique.

All images are from the the American Heart Association, unless otherwise noted.

Covey’s Time Management Matrix Explained

Posted on by
6

At least once a week I explain Stephen Covey’s time management philosophy to someone. I’ve even written about elements of it here on slightly insightful.

Do it mañana

I keep coming back to Covey because his focus on roles and values resonates with me and I find it the best way of prioritizing my tasks.

Not everyone groks a mindmap, so when I explain Covey’s system to others I invariably end up drawing the four quadrants of the Time Management Matrix.

Time Management Matrix

Let me give you a brief overview of the four quadrants matrix. Look at the things you do. Are they important? If so, they belong in the top half of the matrix. If they’re not they go in the lower half. Are they urgent? If so they belong in the left half of the matrix. If not, they belong in the right hand side of the matrix.

Urgent and Important

Quadrant 1

If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the majority of us spend most (if not all) of our time here. We’re busy putting out fires and dealing with crises.

It’s only natural that some of your actions will fall into Quadrant 1. Unless you love ulcers though, you really don’t want to spend most of your time here.

Non-urgent and Important 2

Quadrant 2

If you don’t give Quadrant 2 activities precedence many of them will turn into Quadrant 1 activities. But, this is also where many of the activities that enhance the quality of your life lie—time with family, exercise, study, etc.

This is the magic quadrant. If possible, you want the majority of your actions to occur here. This is the where good managers and employees spend their time.

Urgent and Unimportant

Quadrant 3

You don’t want to be seen doing Quadrant 3 activities. They are ineffecient time-wasters.

I hate to break it to you, but if you’re in Quadrant 3 you’re really bad at prioritizing. Essentially, you’re hurrying around doing things which don’t add any value.

Non-urgent and Unimportant

Quadrant 4

Do you read and (even worse) forward all those joke emails your grandparents send you? Do you waste time on Facebook (or Twitter or YouTube or whatever) when you should be working? Quadrant 4 is the goof off domain.

One consequence of having spending too much time in Quadrant 1 is that in order to de-stress you’ll probably also be spending a fair amount of time in Quadrant 4 as well.

I Already Did That

For more on Covey’s Time Management Matrix and the Four Quadrants read First Thing’s First. You can also download a copy of the matrix and quadrants here.

Which quadrant do you spend most of your time in? What would it take to get to where you want to be? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Related articles

Don’t Drink and Drive

Posted on by
2

While driving home from a date with my wife the other day we came across the following scene.

Don't Drink and Drive 4

Yes, this is a car—and yes, it is literally wrapped around a tree.

Don't Drink and Drive 2

I had to pull over and check it out. I noticed a plaque that read:

“Two young lives were lost in this accident as a result of alcohol and high speed. The driver was not yet 21 yrs. old.”

“THINK—Don’t let this happen to you.”

All life is sacred. Don’t make this Spring Break your last.

Don’t drink and drive. Period.

Don’t ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ever.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.