ATTENTION: FARMERS, CROP GROWERS AND AGRIBUSINESSES OF ILLINOIS.A LETTER OF APOLOGY Your planting season will be delayed thisspring. At least half of, if not nearly all of Illinois topsoilis in my house. You can thank four of my children, theirnumerous friends and three domestic pets, (namely canines) forthis predicament. It seems the mild temperatures and meltingsnow of last week have created a mud...

In the future of war, there will be much use of robotics in the battlespace and you can bet the US Military is on the leading edge of such technologies. Recently in an online think tank this subject came up. One think tanker point to a comment made by Ronald Reagan that the video games of the day were training kids to think fast, develop military strategy and use electronic devices of war. Although...

In my career Ive had plenty of job interviews, probably fifty. And I have to admit that my get-an-offer percentage is maybe 95%; not bad. On the flip side, I have interviewed over a hundred candidates, hiring a number of good people with few exceptions and only one a probable serial killer (he apparently knew the eighteen Do Nots). I have asked it all, heard it all, answered it all, and seen it all....

The news is out: the PS3 games console is to be launched simultaneously around the globe in November 2006. But despite the grand global launch plan for the PS3 games console, there are doubts about its impact on the market. Even more, game analysts doubt if this global launch can help Sony regain lost market because of the earlier release of Microsoft’s Xbox 360. There are also many speculations...

One hot summer afternoon in August, a convenience store clerk leaned against the counter waiting for a customer to come along. Pretty soon a young boy entered the store, who looked to be around eight years old. This was the first time the clerk could recall having seen the boy come into the store. Getting inside turned out to be quite a chore for the child as he struggled to get the big door open...

Video games have been getting a bad rap. Sure, a few involve nothing more than pointing several deadly weapons at the Undead and blasting them into a bajillion pieces. And there are cases of people wasting otherwise productive hours conquering a virtual kingdom and accumulating pixelized gold instead of going out and getting a real job. But there are many, many times when video games actually provide...

Have you ever noticed that when you are on vacation time goes by rapidly? According to my calculations (and I’m the first to admit I didn’t do well in calculus), the average minute during vacation time is less than 20 seconds. This is one reason time goes by so quickly on vacation. The other reason, as everyone knows, is that during a vacation week there are no days beginning with the letter...

If you are a video or computer game purchaser or user, you may or may not be familiar with the rating system for this type of software. Whether you are buying for yourself or someone else, it is important that you understand how the system works and how the actual game rating is determined. For those who have children in their home it is especially important for you to know what the letters (i.e....

1. What rock star worked as a gravedigger before starting his musical career?A. Roy OrbisonB. Billy JoelC. Mick JaggarD. Rod Stewart1. What famous rock star worked as a gravedigger before starting his musical career?D. Rod StewartTBD: That wasn’t The QuizQueen’s guess either, but that’s what the research says!2. Which tradition was NOT a precursor to Halloween?A. The Celtic tradition...