Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.

You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” in the upper left corner of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I probably won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog if you have one.

CENTURY-OLD REMINDER
It is particularly important, during these times of union busting state governors, to remember that yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Fire in New York City.

During the years I lived in the Village, when I walked past that building location just off Washington Square Park, which was on my usual rounds, I always paused a bit to think about those 146 people – mostly young, immigrant girls – who burned or jumped to their deaths.

Two years before the fire, Triangle's owners had hired thugs to beat up the workers when they picketed for better conditions and refused the seamstresses' union demands for sprinklers and unlocked stairwells.

The fire was an important impetus in the young union movement in those days and we should honor these women who died. The best online source for information about the fire is here at Cornell University.

TECH SUPPORT FOR ELDERS
Many old people who retired before computers were ubiquitous in the workplace have had to teach themselves the intricacies of these machines or rely on children and grandchildren.

I recall that I learned a lot of tricks and shortcuts from my young colleagues when I was still working and I often wonder what new stuff I haven't picked up because I no longer have their expertise.

Now there is a website from Google called Teach Parents Tech with a whole bunch of short videos covering the basics of computer and web use. For those who are proficient, these may seem simplistic, but I learned a couple of new things and you might too.

ONLINE SMITHSONIAN TOUR
Darlene Costner of Darlene's Hodgepodge finds the most wonderful interactive websites. Did you know you can take an online virtual tour the entire National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution – almost as though you are there in person.

You'll need Adobe Flash Player, version 9.0.28 or later. Give it a try – you'll be amazed. This little image doesn't begin to show you the detail you'll see full screen.

AVOID TELEPHONE TREES
I despise telephone trees. There is almost never a choice that fits my need when I call and it is nearly impossible to find out how to reach a live person.

This week I learned of two websites with lists of hundreds of corporations and the numbers to reach a human. I can't guarantee they always work, but you might want to give them a try next time you need customer service.

Dial a human

Get a human

OLD FASHIONED TECHNOLOGY
Love this paragraph from Sam Grobart in a New York Times story about which electronic gadgets are worth keeping and which can be tossed:

“[C]onsider this about a book: It has a terrific, high-resolution display. It is pretty durable; you could get it a little wet and all would not be lost.

“It has tremendous battery life. It is often inexpensive enough that, if you misplaced it, you would not be too upset. You can even borrow them free at sites called libraries.”

That doesn't mean my Kindle isn't useful, but I'm not giving up books either.

HOW MANHATTAN STREET GRID GREW
I just love playing around with the interactive maps that The New York Times creates. A recent one allows viewers to gradually overlay the changes in the street map of Manhattan over a period of 200 years. This is a portion of the 1811 map:

You can move the zoom tools around the several maps comparing today's streets to old ones that have been renamed or disappeared. Try it out here.

2010 CENSUS MAP
Another new New York Times interactive map shows the population of racial and ethnic distribution throughout the U.S. down to the county level.

Information boxes for each state and country show the percentage change among these groups since the 2000 census. You can play all day with this map here.

THE DEATH OF A SIXTIES ICON
Depending on your proclivities during the 1960s, you may or may not have heard of Augustus Owsley Stanley III. I hadn't heard his name in decades when I read of his death in Australia a couple of weeks ago at age 76.

He was an eccentric who dabbled in many things, was an early supporter of the Grateful Dead but he is most famous for producing superlative LSD – to which I can personally attest - referred to by some as Purple Owsley.

One by one, touchstones of my generation are leaving us. If you are interested, you can read more about Owsley here and here.

IMITATION, THEY SAY, IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY