Interesting words from the novel Ritual by Mo Hayder

nil vis  (zero visibility)

misper (missing person)

pebbledash (coarse plaster surface used on outside walls)

scrumpy (cider)

Mar. 12, 2015  Over the course of a few days, the debate over whether a dress sold by Roman Originals, a U.K. clothing-store chain was blue and black or white and gold stirred social networks and led to a frenzy that extended to traditional media.  Sales of the frock are up 600 percent since the end of February.  Going viral can make such a difference that some companies look for advice on how to make it happen.  "People are more likely to purchase an item if their friend is sharing it online, says Devra Prywes, vice president of marketing at Unruly, a company that advises brands on how to create viral videos.  "It's also free advertising."  The Cronut's rise from sweet, flaky creation to household name began in 2013.  The mashup of a croissant and doughnut was written up and photographed by food blog Grub Street.  It quickly spread online and beyond.  "By the end of the first week, we had over 100 people in line," says chef Dominique Ansel.  At its peak of popularity, 300 people waited outside the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York daily.  A guard was hired to manage the line, which has shrunk back down to about 100 people.  An Amazon.com review mocking a T-shirt made by The Mountain Corp. changed its fortunes.  A reviewer wrote that the shirt, which has an illustration of three wolves howling at a full moon, transformed him into a ladies' man:  "I walked from my trailer to Wal-Mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women."  More funny reviews followed and soon major media outlets were calling.  "It was such a turning point for us," says co-owner Michael McGloin.  "Our free $50 million worldwide advertising campaign."  Soon, stores that began selling the Three Wolf Moon T-shirt for the first time wanted more styles from the Keene, New Hampshire, company.  The Mountain designed more animal shirts and launched a website.  Since 2009, sales have tripled.  Joseph Pisani  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/short-term-viral-hits-transform-small-business-29582707

Spring 2015 starts on Friday, March 20 at 6:46 p.m. EDT

Spring has sprung, the grass is riz, the boid is on the wing.  Some quote it from Ogden Nash, but from what I can tell looking through some books, this is incorrect.  The saying is sometimes called "The Brooklyn National Anthem" and it dates back to at least 1940.  There are many versions of it. Here’s one:  Spring has sprung, the grass is ris,  I wonder where the boidies is.  The boid is on the wing, But that’s absoid From what I hoid  The wing is on the boid!  Here are other versions:  The spring is sprung, The grass is ris, I wonder where the birdies is.  (1951 – The New Mexico folklore record, Volume 6)  Spring has sprung The grass has riz Come out yourself And see how ‘tiz.  (1956 – Canadian bee journal, Volumes 64-65)   Some others:  "Spring has sprung and the grass has riz, I wonder where the flowers is."  "Spring has sprung and the grass has riz, I wonder where the daisies is."‎  Lisa Yannucci  Link to many topics and to Mama Lisa's blog "a place for poems, songs, rhymes and traditions from around the world" at http://www.mamalisa.com/blog/spring-has-sprung-the-grass-is-riz/

We've got you right where we want you.  You're reading this, right?  Still?  Then we've got you, we've got your eyeballs and we're monetising them left, right and centre.  With any luck, at some point while reading this, your gaze will stray to one of the splendid enticements offered by our esteemed advertisers and we will have successfully brokered your attention.  That attention, that gaze, is what the media-entertainment- internet complex feeds on.  It's our product, it's how we make a living.  We're desperately jealous of it and we want as much of it as possible.  That's why we tend to be obsessed with what you might call "primary attention":  that concentrated essence of attention that means you're looking at X and only X.  Media designers, from games people to newspaper people, are primarily interested in that.  There's more to attention than what meets the eye directly, and designers are becoming increasingly interested in secondary attention, the stuff you're only half-watching, half-listening to, not even really noticing.  They're thinking about this because of the coming superabundance of screens.  We're seeing the first trickles already, and new behaviours are starting to emerge -- behaviours that need exploiting.  It started when media people noticed that TV viewers were often looking at their computers at the same time and realised that there might be an opportunity for "coviewing" applications -- apps that complement what is happening on the TV.  Then everyone realised that one of the screens had to be dominant -- one had to be the main thing and one had to be glanceable.  Russell M. Davies  http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/12/ideas-bank/secondary-attention

Continuous partial attention describes how many of us use our attention today.  It is different from multi-tasking.  The two are differentiated by the impulse that motivates them.  When we multi-task, we are motivated by a desire to be more productive and more efficient.  We’re often doing things that are automatic, that require very little cognitive processing.  We give the same priority to much of what we do when we multi-task — we file and copy papers, talk on the phone, eat lunch — we get as many things done at one time as we possibly can in order to make more time for ourselves and in order to be more efficient and more productive.  To pay continuous partial attention is to pay partial attention — continuously.  It is motivated by a desire to be a live  node on the network.  Another way of saying this is that we want to connect and be connected.  We want to effectively scan for opportunity and optimize for the best opportunities, activities, and contacts, in any given moment. To be busy, to be connected, is to be alive, to be recognized, and to matter.  We pay continuous partial attention in an effort not to miss anything.  It is an always-on, anywhere, anytime, anyplace behavior that involves an artificial sense of constant crisis.  Like so many things, in small doses, continuous partial attention can be a very functional behavior.  However, in large doses, it contributes to a stressful lifestyle, to operating in crisis management mode, and to a compromised ability to reflect, to make decisions, and to think creatively.  In a 24/7, always-on world, continuous partial attention used as our dominant attention mode contributes to a feeling of overwhelm, over-stimulation and to a sense of being unfulfilled.  We are so accessible, we’re inaccessible.  Linda Stone  http://lindastone.net/qa/continuous-partial-attention/

15 recipes for leftover corned beef

1.  Corned Beef Hash  2.  Reuben Dip  3.  Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup   4.  Corned Beef and Spinach Strata  5.  Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza  6.  Corned Beef Stir-Fry  7.  Corned Beef Eggs Benedict  8.  Irish Egg Rolls  9.  Colcannon  10.  Corned Beef and Cabbage Turnovers  11. Irish Tacos  12.  Reuben Sandwich  13.  Corned Beef Cabbage Rolls  14.  Skinny Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup  15. Leftover  Corned Beef and Cabbage Pie  http://www.smartsavvyliving.com/15-recipes-leftover-corned-beef/

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1271  March 18, 2015  On this date in 1850, American Express was founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo.  On this date in 1874, Hawaii signed a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trade rights.