PARTY PALAVER

THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF

CADILLAC NEWS -- MAY 4, 2024

It's May and that means we're heading into graduation party territory. Since you'll be attending these, it's a perfect opportunity to illustrate that you're the most intelligent person at the confab. To accomplish this, you'll need a variety of discussion topics at your disposal. 

Posing an interesting question is always a good starting point. Everyone has a password they use for their electronic devices. So, how long would it take a hacker to crack your password? “There's a good chance that the password you've been using since middle school can be cracked in seconds.”

According to cybersecurity company Hive Systems, any six-character password can be cracked in a day. If your password is only four lower case letters it will be breached instantly.  “To reach the optimal level of security, you need a password with at least thirteen characters made up of numbers, uppercase, lowercase and symbols.” A password like this would take eleven billion years to solve. See a great chart at: https://digg.com/tech/link/how-long-hack-crack-password-hive-systems-2024. 

Another tech question is sure to foster surprising reactions. What is one of the fastest growing  sectors of the phone industry? It's the “dumb phone” market. DumbWireless.com observes: “The average person checks their phone ninety-six times per day. We touch our phones up to 2,617 times per day and unlock our phones 150 times on average.” 

Enter the dumb phone, a designation that describes exactly what it is. “Breaking up with your smartphone is hard. The well-known negative effects of screens — loneliness, addiction and anxiety or depression — has left many eager to disconnect. A dumb phone is a basic, '90s-inspired cellphone without the vortex of apps that contribute to high screen times. A return to texts and calls, if you will.”  (https://www.axios.com/2024/04/27/toxic-screen-time-social-media-dumbphone)

It's always fun to start an argument. One that is pretty harmless deals with music. DictionaryScoop.com rated the top ten songs of all time. “Some pieces have something that transcends time and trends , capable of taking even the most serious person to the dance floor or moving the most stoic to tears.” 

Their top pick was “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry. “It's hard to find an adult who hasn't heard this song at least once in their lifetime. A true rock and roll masterpiece , you don't even need three seconds of that opening guitar riff to recognize it and start dancing.” Also on the list are hits from Sinatra, Dylan, the Beatles, Elvis, and others. See them all at: https://www.dictionaryscoop.com/article/Lets-Sing-And-Dance-To-10-Of-The-Best-Songs-Of-All-Time. 

All that dancing might make everyone hungry. Luckily, TastingTable.com has a nifty way to make Spam the star of the party menu. “We have a simple and easy suggestion for altering the appearance of Spam. That suggestion involves cookie cutters.” 

Creativity is the key. “This is an especially handy idea when you're coming up to a holiday, where shaping meat could make for a fun meal for the entire family. Alternatively, if you have the right cookie cutters, or if you're handy with a knife and can carve out anything you please, you can use specially shaped Spam slices to spell out someone's name. Serve these up on a plate, a pie, or something whimsical.” (https://www.tastingtable.com/1567690/canned-spam-hacks/)

After all that snacking, perhaps it's a good time to relax a bit and discuss summer travel plans. For those who prefer some education during their trips, ask this question. Where is the one place in the country where four states meet? 

Well, there are sixty-five spots where states three states meet, but only one spot with four. The answer is the intersection of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Four Corners Monument marks the spot. “The monument itself is fairly modest, with each state’s seal embedded in a cement pad around a circular granite disk.” (https://www.interestingfacts.com/fact/61a6a1f7c1597c00070a9e9f and https://www.visitarizona.com/places/parks-monuments/four-corners-monument/) 

For those who like trips with a more adventurous twist, nearby Cedar Point in Ohio has a new offering this summer. “Top Thrill 2 will have two 420-foot tall track towers. The ride is designed to reach 74 mph as the car races up the first tower and reaches weightlessness momentarily, then shifts in reverse going as fast as 100 mph backwards on the way down. The car then speeds backwards up the second 420-foot tower, briefly reaches weightlessness again, shifts back into forward drive and blasts off at a top speed of around 120 mph. Riders will feel the speed in open-air cars. After riders cross over the top hat tower, the train will decelerate briefly before going into a 270-degree spiral.” (https://www.abc12.com/news/regional/cedar-point-to-open-on-may-4-with-a-new-ride/article_bf61ab68-0827-11ef-9328-a3e40459de84.html)

The Cedar Point website exclaims: “Top Thrill 2 is the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch strata coaster. This record-breaking, next generation machine races a course unlike any other on the planet.” (https://www.cedarpoint.com/rides-experiences/top-thrill-2)

See Top Thrill 2 in action at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XsAATlMGlM. You go first. I'll guard your Spam treats until you finish. 

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews. 

CRANK UP THE VOLUME!