Believe it or or not, the Ouija board was one of the first wireless communication devices.

For a thorough history of the Ouija board and the man responsible for its popularity, pay a visit to WilliamFuld.com. Researched and created by Robert Murch, the site is sanctioned by the Fuld family and describes the family feud that Murch helped put to rest by getting the grandchildren in touch with each other.  Of course there’s a listing of all the early iterations of the board plus other historical items such as customer letters, patents, and even the stencils used to make the boards.  On the more modern side, there’s a list of iPhone/iTouch apps, which is what led me to the site originally as my brain had conjured up the image of a new age fortune teller communicating with the spirits by gesturing over an iPad. (Related site: Museum of Talking Boards)

Nantucket Lightship LV-112 operated from 1936 to 1975 out of Boston Harbor, a beacon for trans-Atlantic shipping lanes.  After being taken out of service it was purchased by non-profit groups, became a National Historic Landmark, and eventually ended up in Oyster Bay, Long Island where it awaited the funds to become a museum. Robert Mannino Jr bought the ship for $1 last year and committed to its restoration. On Tuesday it returned home to Boston.  $125,000 in repairs made the lightship seaworthy enough to be towed to its old home port, but Mannino estimates $850,000 more is needed for a full renovation.  I previously wrote about Lightship Nantucket WLV612.

Washington State will begin taxing candy and gum in June. However, not everything you consider a candy is on the taxable list.  The Department of Revenue states “Any product that lists flour as an ingredient on the nutritional facts label is not taxable as candy.” Yes, we’re now living in a state where Twix and Nestle Crunch bars are not considered a candy by the government. Not only that, but regular Milky Way bars are not taxable (wheat flour) and Milky Way Midnights are. The spreadsheet is nicely thorough enough to include separate lists for Asian and Mexican candies.

For a young trumpet player, meeting idol Wynton Marsalis was a dream come true, but having him give you his address and take you under his wing was not even in the realm of imagination. Marsalis did exactly that when Joey Pero and his father came backstage several years ago. The dad’s sincerity and sacrifice in helping his son’s musical ambitions reminded Marsalis of what his own mother had done for her children. Pero soon became like a part of the family, hanging out at Marsalis’ apartment along with the neighbors and other friends who drop in for a chat, to watch a game, or, yes, even to play music. Pero is now a Julliard graduate and has released his own album.

Lena Horne passed away Sunday at the age of 92. The N.Y. Times obituary notes “Ms. Horne might have become a major movie star, but she was born 50 years too early, and languished at MGM in the 1940s because of the color of her skin.”

“My identity is very clear to me now. I am a black woman. I’m free. I no longer have to be a ‘credit.’ I don’t have to be a symbol to anybody; I don’t have to be a first to anybody. I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.” -Lena at 80

Photos of cute baby animals and their moms.  Awwwwwww.  Most of the moms are cute too.

San Francisco is notorious in international lepidopterist circles for its long list of disappearing butterflies.

My husband (aka dadhacker) needs new earbud covers and, having been raised by the kind of thrifty mother who would buy marked down cans of food with missing labels, he picked the most cost effective replacements. Soon, 400 earbud covers for a mere $6.95 will arrive at our house. Paying no attention to my quips about listing them on eBay for a modest markup or that we’d all have neural implants long before they run out, he simply remarked that we could pass them down to succeeding generations as family heirlooms.  In a well meaning attempt to remedy my unfortunate situation, a friend provided me with the following list of earbud cover applications:

• Wear them on your fingertips.
• Use them as very small, inefficient sponges.
• Add water to them and declare them defective magic capsule dinosaurs.
• Poorly construct some sort of lumpy poodle or sheep.
• Make fake beards and mustaches.
• Regift them individually to be known as the worst gift-giver ever.
• Rest assured when the Earbud Cover Shortage of 2011 arrives, you will be regarded as kings.
• Put them on Lego minifigs as fashionable berets.
• Put them on a doll to get instant Princess Leia hair buns.
• Spill them all on the floor and roll over them and pretend you are rich in some foreign currency.
• Send them to Lady Gaga’s costume designer for her next music video.

Word on the street is that if you actually count them, you’re usually short a few so perhaps the situation is not as dire as I believe it to be.

Starbucks continues to push its instant coffee Via. It’s now available in grocery stores and in the U.K. and Japan.  This summer they’ll release an iced coffee version which is sweetened and sized for a 16 oz drink, perfect for a water bottle.

Mario Batali is in town promoting his new book and of course he’ll be at Salumi’s and other favorite local eateries, but he’s lost 35-40 pounds and no longer considers eating “a sport.”  Batali says local vegetables are the next big thing and recommends black kale with ricotta.