Timely nuggets of information and ideas we want to share with you. The Spice Trail series, 2011 BBC This series traces the history and origins of six spices—pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, saffron, and vanilla—whose pursuit sparked wars and helped open... The post The Friday Bulletin   January 16, 2026 appeared first on Sharp Eye.

Timely nuggets of information and ideas we want to share with you.

The Spice Trail series, 2011 BBC

This series traces the history and origins of six spices—pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, saffron, and vanilla—whose pursuit sparked wars and helped open the Americas to the world.  Kate Humble, a BBC host, journeys to the remote geographical sources of these six spices in her series The Spice Trail. There is lots of travel, culture, blood, fighting, and big money involved in the history of spices.  They were traded as currency and were considered status symbols.  The cinematography is beautiful.  The Spice Trail.

My mother the Grammar Cop could never resist the urge to correct someone who misspoke, and use of redundant acronyms fit that bill perfectly for her.  The definition is “a phrase containing an acronym plus a word or phrase such that, when the acronym is expanded, the phrase would contain a redundancy”.  Here are 10 of the most common Redundant Acronyms:

1. ATM
   (Automated Teller Machine)
   Misuse – “ATM Machine”
2. LCD
   (Liquid Crystal Display)
   Misuse – “LCD Display”
3. PDF
   (Portable Document Format)
   Misuse – “PDF Format”
4. DC
   (Detective Comics)
   Misuse – “DC Comics”
5. MLB
   (Major League Baseball)
   Misuse – “MLB Baseball”
6. RSVP
   (Répondez S’il Vous Plaît)
   Misuse – “RSVP Please”
7. SAT
   Scholastic Aptitude Test
   Misuse – “SAT Test”
8. UPC
   (Universal Product Code)
   Misuse – “UPC Code”
9. AC/DC
   (Alternating Current and Direct Current)
   Misuse – “ACDC Current”
10. PIN
    (Personal Identification Number)
    Misuse – “PIN Number”

 FAMELACK

Argentina TV show

Famelack provides live TV stream from all around the world.  Choose a country and you’ll be watching a TV show from there. It’s a fascinating browse.  https://famelack.com/

This tool is for prying and opening.  It is a thin, flexible steel blade that easily slips between the tightest gaps and corners.  It has a flexible handle to allow for precise control, the item is 8” long and the blade is stainless steel.  It will pry open battery covers, laptops and phones for replacement components.   $7.95.

The post The Friday Bulletin   January 16, 2026 appeared first on Sharp Eye.

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