9/11: The day the line went dead

This week we look back on a cool, clear September day in 2001 when our country watched in shocked horror as four commercial jets, commandeered by Islamic jihadists, plowed into the World Trade Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.

We Americans remember watching as our fellow Americans frantically called for help while an inferno raged around them. We remember those who had to make the unimaginable choice to fry in the fire or die by jumping out the skyscraper windows. We remember the panic felt by those who searched in vain for loved ones who never came home again. We remember how we mourned and came together as a nation. We remember 9/11. We will never forget. We will always take it personally. We will always remember the day the line went dead ...

Taxpayer march

The 9-12 Taxpayer March on Washington is just days away and shaping up to be a tremendous event in the nation's Capitol.

The schedule of events begins on Thursday with the Liberty Summit. On Friday, several local organizations will hold training sessions to learn how to raise money for a grass-roots organization, how to communicate effectively online, and how to effectively advocate on behalf of capitalism and free markets.

Saturday is the main event and crowds will gather at Freedom Plaza at 9 a.m. to hear speakers and music until the march kicks off at 11:30. Taxpayers from each state will march in alphabetical order down Pennsylvania Ave. to the West Front Lawn of the Capitol. The official rally will begin at 1:00 p.m. Be sure to check this site for a list of things you can bring.

Do you need a seat on a motor coach leaving your area for DC? Freedom Works has a complete listing by state of all the contact information.

Win a few, lose a few

It was a week of pluses and minuses for Twitter. A big win for the popular micro-blogger when Gmail went down for a half hour and Twitterers picked up the slack, substantially boosting usage.

"Google's Gmail electronic mail platform went down about 1 p.m. PST for at least some fraction of the Web audience, and it didn't take long for tens of thousands of Twitter users to note that the service was offline."

On the other hand…

TV execs must have been having a cow when Fox's "tweet-peats" combined with reruns of popular new shows Fringe and Glee, bombed big time. The idea was to have producers and members of the cast tweet their show commentary as the episodes rolled. Unfortunately, the promising experiment went off the rails because of the implementation.

Zatz Not Funny caught a screengrab of the overlay that showed Twitter commentary taking up the lower third of the screen.

The resulting viewer frustration with the nearly unwatchable episode caused many fans to turn off the broadcast. Twitter is refining the concept. If at first you don't succeed...

Multi-tasking on the road.

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about a video that depicts what happened to a car full of teenage girls when the driver began text messaging behind the wheel. This week I found a game you can play that shows how you overestimate your ability to multitask behind the wheel. This game measures how your reaction time is affected by external distractions.

State of the art, for a fleeting moment

In 1987, the company I worked for assigned me a mobile phone, one of the first on the market. It was made by Motorola and was the size and weight of a concrete block. It came in its own black bag complete with shoulder strap and pockets for a battery charger and owner's manual. Today, that seems so antiquated.

Here's a photo gallery that takes a look at gadgets that used to be cutting edge once upon a time. Remember the radio facsimile receiver? Me either!

Prime time!

What time of day do you log on to check your e-mail and surf the 'net? If you're like most of us, your surfing habits peak at about 11 p.m. ET.

That's according to a study by Arbor Networks, an Internet security firm, whose research shows that folks in North America are burning the midnight oil in front of glowing screens. Earlier studies showed Internet usage peaked during the daytime, but that has changed.

"At 8 p.m. Eastern, U.S. and Canadian home Internet traffic starts spiking, and stays surprisingly strong past midnight, Arbor found. At 2 a.m. Eastern, overall traffic is as high as it is at 9 a.m., when people are logging in at work."

A full deck!

Who are the RINOs in this marked deck? Take a guess. Who's the Joker? This deck of cards is the brainchild of WND reader Bob. And no matter what you're dealt, it's guaranteed to be a handful of losers.

"I've just now, after more than a thousand hours of research and technical labor, launched a new website,Remove the RINOs.

"It's designed to be an educational tool as well as a focused effort at electing conservative candidates in the primaries, to replace our current crop of RINOs."

Great job Bob! No matter how you shuffle it, we the people hold the cards. Dealer's choice!

Keeping up with the bills

Looking for the status of a particular piece of legislation? A resolution? Members of Congress? Voting records, committees, the Congressional record? GovTrack has it all in a user friendly format. So simple, even your school children could use it!

Got spare time? Take in a lecture!

Academic Earth lectures you on a wide range of topics. Want to know more about romance? Understanding the financial crisis? Wars through history? Taking risks and learning through failure? Click here.

Welcome

Surfin Safari welcomes Kathy Shaidle, World Net Daily’s newest contributor to the Diversions page, whose weekly column, Talk Radio Watch, made its debut last Friday. According to WND publisher Joseph Farah, Kathy will keep us updated with a recap of the week's biggest stories – both on the air and behind the scenes – from across the radio dial.

Kathy is a blogging pioneer whose FiveFeetOfFury blogsite is now in its ninth year. Her most recent book – "The Tyranny of Nice: How Canada Crushes Freedom in the Name of Human Rights, and Why It Matters to Americans" – features an introduction by Rush Limbaugh guest host Mark Steyn.

Kathy will join me on my radio program Wednesday night, Sept. 9th.

On the road again

A friend of mine was on the road and unable to access the Internet. She had to make unanticipated reservations for the night at a Disney hotel, so she called to ask if I would do it for her on Hotwire. This experienced flight attendant is a frequent traveler, so whenever she needs a room, a flight, or a rental car, Hotwire is her online destination. She walked me through the process, which was a breeze. Five minutes later, we had her all set with accommodations at a 4-star hotel for $79, tax not included, on Disney property.

And while we're on the subject, did you know you can make online restaurant reservations? With Open Table, you can find a restaurant and choose a table. Open Table is trusted by 11,000 restaurants and millions of diners.

Movie trivia for film buffs only

Last week's movie trivia winners were Darrell from Texas, and Beverly from Kentucky (for the second week in a row!). Both correctly identified the character Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, played by actor Burt Lancaster in the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams." The movie will be shown this week on TV LAND on Mon. Sept. 7 at 4 PM ET; Fri. Sept. 11 at 9 PM; and Sat. Sept. 12 at 8:30 AM.

Our movie trivia question this week is drawn from a film that was based on a book that continues to generate controversy to this day. Name the movie, the character, and the actor who said: "Fundamentally, people are suckers for the truth. And the truth is on your side, Bubba."

Send your answer to me at the e-mail address below. The first three readers to guess correctly will be announced in next week's Surfin' Safari.