A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Secrets of the Deadline

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
In English, the Rosetta Stone translates, “Very expensive language instruction that can be had at the local bookstore for a fraction of the price.” In the age of the internet, one must be careful. There are many “this date in history” sites that are not entirely reliable, particularly concerning celebrity birthdays. This, one finds out the hard way.

Recent Posts

Ghost of Christmas Past

This holiday Arlo & Janis comic strip from 2022 is similar in concept to the new strip that ran yesterday. I thought the latter ...

Spearhead

I have produced a number of comic strips related to Veteran’s Day. Especially in latter years, I have tried to emphasize the universal experience ...

Dark Passage

Remember: it’s that weekend. The return to standard time can be a bit of a shock in the late afternoon, but I rather enjoy ...

What’s old is old, again

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to build a web site, but there are similarities. Everything needs to be just right, or ...

Back to the ol’ drawing board

I don’t have a lot of time this morning. I wasn’t going to post anything, but I’m tired of looking at that old photograph ...

Thursday’s Child

On Sunday, I teased you with the suggestion there are more changes coming here. There are. They will appear soon, and I think you’ll ...

201 responses to “Secrets of the Deadline”

  1. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Jackie, if it’s any consolation, I also often think of a lot of thongs. And I can’t blame speelchek.

  2. emb Avatar
    emb

    OF due 1602-1622 CDT. I’ll likely still be napping. Peace, emb.

    http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/webcam/oldFaithfulStreaming.html

  3. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Jackie, try speech to text if that phone has it. Or press the little button onscreen that looks like a microphone and record a short voice message to send them. You can also get WhatsApp to do these things, but you can only use it with other people who have it too.

    Sebond email? So you were texting him about denture adhesive?

  4. Jackie monies Avatar
    Jackie monies

    Smartphone thought so. I have speaking feature. Will try switching.

  5. emb Avatar
    emb

    OF due 1736-1756 CDT. Good nap, dream I wish I could remember the details of.

    http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/webcam/oldFaithfulStreaming.html

    Peace, emb.

  6. Steve from Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    Voice recognition is much much worse than spell check. I have had some terribly embarrassing things that I have almost sent or for that matter have sent…

  7. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
    Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

    Trapper Jean:

    Mrs. Rick in Shermantown and I saw the Stones in Columbus. The highlight of the show was the Ohio University Choir singing on “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

    Yesterday, I bought tickets for Sir Paul. He will be in Columbus in October.

  8. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
    Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

    DJJG:

    I’ve always liked “heretofore.”

    I’m also a big fan of “hithertofore.”

  9. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Jackie, on your phone find the Settings. On mine there is a little icon that looks like a gear. Open it up and look for Language and input. Open that and you will find the keyboard and speech to text settings. Mine has the gear icon at the end of the line. Touch that to open the keyboard settings and you will be able to turn off spell check, next word suggestion(which throws you a curve ball when you don’t look before you send), and mine also blocks offensive language so you don’t get something added which you didn’t want. The offensive language disable is also built into the Google speech to text feature. Since your phone has the Android operating system like mine, the settings should be similar. Good luck!

  10. emb Avatar
    emb

    GR6:

    “… it was in all the papers, and I read about it later.” I read about it then, aged 9. ’39-’45 was an interesting time to go through early adolescence. Which reminds me, there are still no “Bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover”, unless some idiot has introduced them. They are native American thrushes. I don’t know if Blue Tits range as far S. as Dover, or maybe even onto the Continent. My European bird guides are in another room.

    Just like the “Nightingale” that sings in “Appalachian” folk songs. Nightingales are O.W. thrushes. Their habit of singing both day and night has led to the common euphemism, “the nightingale sang” [=the guy scored, another euphemism]. The song may have come with colonists, who fortunately did not import the birds.

    Peace, emb

  11. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Debbe 😉 The post of your tune just fell into Moderation Heck. Ask me not why. If it never emerges, I will try it again later.

  12. emb Avatar
    emb

    Blue Tit: See

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_blue_tit

    They are all over Europe, the Middle East, and even N. Africa. The site has a map and good discussion of habits and habitat. Close relatives of our three chickadees and Tufted Titmouse, but put in a different genus in the Wiki acct. Peace, emb

  13. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    I’m back and I turned on the windshield wipers on slow only once the entire trip. Where I was apparently Erika wasn’t.

  14. Jackie monies Avatar
    Jackie monies

    Steve that is why I didn’t try voice mode, I figured I would say even more embarrassing things. Sometimes I do it accidentally out loud anyway without assistance.

  15. Mindy from Indy Avatar

    Jerry – Glad you are back safe.

    In reference to Mindy and bamboo – I’m not sure if it is specifically bamboo, but all along the edge of overgrown mess that is my backyard “driveway” is what I’m calling bamboo. And yes, it is out of control. 🙁 So at least one Mindy is battling obnoxious plant-life.

    Went up to see grandma for her 89th birthday on Sunday. My aunt was there earlier in the day, and my sister went up to see her today. She was having a good memory day and was able to have extended conversations. I posted a couple pictures of us on Facebook and spotlighted an old photo I have of her from the late 40s in a two piece swimsuit. She enjoyed all of the birthday greetings, and playful catcalls on the swimsuit picture. I pulled up an online album of old pictures, and we spent some time on memory lane. Had a good visit, she enjoyed the flowers and the licorice, and she “tossed” me out at nine so she could get ready for bed.

    The next day, I caught up on my to do list at my aunt’s. Reinstalled the mirrored doors to her medicine cabinet, finally got the shed doors back on their tracks (interrupting the largest arachnid family reuniom in Indiana, I think. Ick!), cleaned up around the roses, and pruned numerous low-hanging and dead branches on her silver maples. And because no good deed goes unpunished, I also pruned the small (< 3') pines in the front yard. I happen to be allergic to pine and cedar sap. I figured it was only a couple small branches, I could manage. Apparently one of the stupid branches got my wrist – SO ICHY!

  16. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Lady Mindy, I know that your grandma loved what you did for her, and even more so, you being there to do it. You are a good person.

  17. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Rick from S town
    “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” is supposedly a quote from “Mr Jimmy”
    in Excelsior, MN – Mick met him there many years ago while playing a gig at the Amusement Park.
    Mr Jimmy was a town character – developmentally challenged. That is the story around here anyway.

  18. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Back the other day about Wills and Trusts – What Jackie said.
    If you are not careful the govment gets it.

    c-xp
    On the PC hold Alt then type 0246 ö should appear. The ä & å are there also but I don’t recall the numbers – 1/2 is Alt 0189

    Judy in Conroe — in my case think Pearl Harbor.

    Debbe – “How It’s Made” did a segment on eggs in 2005. They keep repeating on the
    SCI Channel.

    MIL always added Gluten to her bread (All Purpose?) flour to make bread rise correctly.

    GR6 — to me Guys is gender nonspecific.

    just catching up.

  19. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    From even further back before were were untimely interupted

    Thanks all for best wishes =
    I checked other people with 8/23 B/D
    of the 48 listed I knew of 5
    Gene Kelly
    Barbra Eden
    Shelly Long
    Keith Moon
    River Phoenix

  20. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Dear Mindy from Indy, I sure agree with Ghost’s comment on your visit with Grandma — he is a wise man. You are such a caring granddaughter, to make her so happy on her birthday. I saw you on Facebook and the pictures are great.

    Gosh, I admire the energy and determination with which you tackled the jobs at your aunt’s house. Epecially, in spite of the spider family, and all the stuff you’ve had to put up with at work, too!

  21. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    I had thought the number was 62 (no not 42) but very interesting fact:

    Surprisingly in a room of 70 people there is a 99.9% probability 2 will share a Birthday
    40 people it is 90%
    23 people it is 50%

    100% is 367 people (leap year)

  22. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Ruth Ann
    Re: Progress & Change
    I have been using that ever since a company I worked for introduced mainframe computers. (That was all there were)
    It was the size of a Ford Torus with less computing power than a modern Laptop the printer was the size of a chest freezer.

  23. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Old Bear, once at a floral association meeting they asked to honor the birthday members and asked we stand up. There were ten of us seated at the officers’ table and four of us stood up, me and three guys. No one else in room of about 300 members.

    We asked each other what day in February was their birthday on? All four of us were born on February 7, 1944! And we were all born along the Mississippi Delta on both sides of the river in towns approximately 50 miles apart from each other!

    So the rest of table starts going “Doo dah doo dah doo” like the theme song from the Twilight Zone and speculating what kind of spaceship dropped us off in the pods.

    It was bizarre and inexplicable, we were all friends but had no idea about birth dates.

    Love, Jackie

  24. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Charlotte and Mindy from Indy, I have to admit my mind instantly flashed to Mindy this morning as I reached my hand up to turn off the lights out in breezeway and porch. An entire pack of rather largish spiders came racing out of I assume the light box the switch was connected to, like a herd of cats.

    All I could think of was “Thank God that Mindy isn’t here, these giant albino spiders would give her heart failure” and I switched off lights and left them alive. I don’t know why?

    Love, Jackie