A great investment that the fed lied about

Back in the 60s the federal government began phasing out silver 25-cent pieces, replacing them with a sandwich-design of nickel and copper. The Fed issued periodic press releases, telling the populace not to hoard the old coins, that their value would not increase over time.Yeah, right.

Most folk believed their government. That, as it turns out, was a mistake.

Washington silver quarters that were minted 1932-1964 and contain 90% silver and 10% copper, if melted down strictly for mineral value, are worth almost $6 apiece today. Most 'ordinary' silver quarters can fetch $30 on the open market.

 Wanna start looking through your loose change? There were 9 million silver quarters minted in Denver in 1946; a mint-condition Denver 1946 quarter is worth $130. The Denver guys sort of slacked off in 1955. They only released about 4 million quarters then -- but they could be worth $250 apiece.

If you 'hoarded' 200 silver quarters in 1965 (a $50 investment) you would get a minimum of $1200 for them today, and probably closer to 10 grand.

Jazz great George Shearing dies at 91

In the 50s and 60s, nothing was cooler than George Shearing. If James Bond had a favorite night club, some place he could go to relax, unwind, and contemplate his next mission, Shearing would be playing in the background. His music sneaked a little intellectual order and calm into an increasingly chaotic world, and it gave a listener the impression that, just maybe, everything was under control.

by George Morris, Variety
George Shearing, the esteemed British jazz pianist who composed the standard "Lullaby of Birdland," died of congestive heart failure Feb. 14 in New York. He was 91.

Blind from birth, Shearing enjoyed a long recording and performing career that stretched into his 80s. His bop-flavored quintet, which employed the noted vibraphonists Gary Burton and Cal Tjader and guitarist Joe Pass, was a popular club and concert attraction for decades.

He was also known for his peerless accompaniment of such pop and jazz vocalists as Nat King Cole (his labelmate at Capitol Records in the '50s and '60s) and frequent partner Mel Torme.

Born in London, Shearing began playing piano at the age of 3. His only formal training came during four years at a school for the blind.

He was influenced by such jazz predecessors as Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum and was recognized for his virtuosity by his late teens. His "locked hands" technique of parallel melodies emulated the work of Milt Buckner. He won Melody Maker's poll as the top British pianist for seven consecutive years.

During the war years, he was partnered with Stephane Grappelli, the violinist for guitar legend Django Reinhardt's famed quintet.

Emigrating to the U.S. in 1947, Shearing cut his first quintet sides for Discovery in 1949; the unit's first hit was a version of Harry Warren's "September in the Rain." He wrote "Lullaby of Birdland," his ode to the jazz oasis on New York's 52nd Street, in 1952. He signed to Capitol in 1955 and remained with the label until 1969.

Shearing later recorded prolifically for such specialist labels as MPS, Concord and Telarc. He remained active until he was sidelined by a fall at his home in 2005.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2007 for his contributions to music and also performed for three U.S. presidents at the White House.

Shearing is survived by his second wife, singer Ellie Geffert, and a daughter from his first marriage.

Spacecraft Seeks Doomed Comet for Valentine�s Day Rendezvous -- and the update

Watch it with your sweetie live tonight at 11:30 -- Can you get more romantic? 

Check NASA for your local coverage

Late Monday night, NASA�s Stardust-NExt spacecraft will make a close flyby of the comet Tempel 1, destined for fiery destruction by the sun.

This will be the second comet rendezvous for Stardust-NExT, which caught dusty bits of comet Wild 2 in 2004 and sent them back to Earth.

It will also be the second encounter with a spacecraft for Tempel 1, which collided with the Deep Impactprobe in 2005. Combined with Deep Impact�s visit, the Stardust-NExT flyby will give astronomers their first view of a complete cometary circuit around the sun, and the best picture yet of how the sun devours a comet.

�We know that comets lose material,� said astronomer Joe Veverka of Cornell University, principle investigator of the Stardust-NExT mission, in a recent press conference. �But the question is, how does the surface change, and where does the surface change?�

At closest approach, Stardust-NExT will come within 120 miles of the comet�s core. Astronomers hope to get a good look at the scars Deep Impact left behind, and to map some uncharted territory on the comet�s dusty, icy surface. Of particular interest are parts of the surface that look like they�re layered like a stack of pancakes. Another intriguing spot is a large plateau that looks like material flowed across it in the recent past.

The flyby will air live on NASA TV from 11:30 pm Eastern time on Feb. 14 to 1 am Eastern time on Feb. 15. The spacecraft is expected to make its closest approach at 11:37, although confirmation won�t reach Earth until 11:56. But if you don�t want to stay up that late, we�ll have a re-cap tomorrow.

Image: Comet Tempel 1 immediately after its brief, explosive relationship with Deep Impact. Credit: NASA

By Lisa Grossman  

February 14, 2011  |  

Categories: Space, from Wired Science

If you stayed up late and didn't get to see this, here's why: (sorry)
NASA Craft Snaps Images of Comet in Valentine Fling - NYTimes.com

Tonight! Cage Match! IBM's Watson vs. Jeopardy Champions

Nearly 15 years after an IBM machine defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov, the US computer pioneer is rolling out another device to challenge mankind. Watson, a supercomputer named for IBM founder Thomas Watson, is to take on two human champions of the long-running Jeopardy! television quiz show in two games over three days starting tonight.

Watson's programmers have fed it on the order of 200 million pages of text,
including encyclopedias, thesauri, novels, plays, past "Jeopardy!" clues and
answers and other information-rich sources. Hundreds of algorithms then
allow the machine to sift through these reams of text.

Like Kasparov, who lost a six-game match to IBM's "Deep Blue" in 1997, Ken Jennings, who holds the Jeopardy! record of 74 straight wins, and Brad Rutter, winner of $3.25 million on the show, are expected to have their hands full. In a practice match at IBM Research headquarters in upstate New York last month, Watson came out on top in terms of prize money, although the computer and the two human contestants correctly answered all of the 15 questions.

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