Click the cartoon to enlarge.

One of the really fun things about being a cartoonist is coming up with new features for readers. Sometimes a new feature will just pop into your head. Other times,  the feature develops over weeks, months, or years.

When Georgetoon.com was launched, I needed one more feature to round out the package of cartoons we sell to newspapers.   When I was with DBR Media, I had proposed the feature I Knew That! to my editor, Diane Eckert. (By the way, Diane Eckert is the person who gave me my first big shot at national syndication with King Features.  I’m forever grateful. Thanks, Diane!)

The idea behind it takes trivia in a slightly new direction.

I Knew That! involves EASY trivia questions everyone knows.  But every so often, when we hear a question and we KNOW that we know the answer, our brain hiccups.  The answer sits in the back of the head and just won’t come forward.

When we finally hear/read the answer, we slap our foreheads and exclaim, “I knew that!”  (Even when we do know the answer, we still end up saying, “I Knew That!”)  Hence, the name of the feature.

I talked about I Knew That! once before, briefly, here in the blog.  I was selling the I Knew That! New Year’s shirt.

Anyhow, I pitched it to Diane.  At the time, DBR had a nice package of features for newspapers and really didn’t need another game panel.  So, I filed it away.

Then, a few years later, I found myself launching Georgetoon.com and needing just one more fun feature for newspapers.  I pulled out I Knew That! , drew up a new batch of panels, and included it with the other four features I draw.

It’s been a big hit with client newspapers ever since its launch. And I really enjoy thinking up these questions.  The really fun part is drawing the cartoon for the question.  Sometimes the cartoon gives you a very strong hint to the answer. Other times, it’s more obscure.  I t all depends on how much I want to give away.  (And I give away quite a bit.  It’s supposed to be EASY, remember?)

Above is an I Knew That! panel.  I’ll drop ’em in from time to time.  If you really want to see the feature every week, give your local newspaper a call and ask them to pick up the Georgetoon cartoon package from georgetoon.com.

Click the carton to enlarge it and take a shot at answering it.   Then  hit your Back Button in your browser to come back to this page.

Oh, and the answer to I Knew That! is just  below.  Slapping your forehead yet?

Answer: (Click, hold down, and move your mouse to the right to reveal the answer)======> Steve Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (Based on Michael Cricton’s novel of the same name).

Who doesn’t love Disney cartoons and films? I know I do.   Walt Disney and his animators made a huge impression on me.  When I was a kid, if there was a Disney carton on the tube, no one was going to drag me away for it.

So, it’s with this same spirit and enthusiasm I present some bits and pieces of Disney trivia I picked up over the years.

Call it a “King of Useless Knowledge Disney Edition.”

When Disney was producing the animated feature Bambi, many children auditioned for voice parts.  One kid was dismissed because the casting director felt he couldn’t act.   However, his voice was so distinct and full of “character, ” when the animators heard it on tape, they insisted that the casting director get that kid back!  Which character did the child give voice to?  Thumper.

Walt Disney coined the word EPCOT.   It stands for “Experimental Prototype Community Of  Tomorrow.”  And, it was actually first designed to be an actual working/living community.

Before Micky Mouse, Walt Disney’s first real hit character, was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

The Love Bug was the top grossing movie of 1969.

Even though The Love Bug was the top grossing movie of 1969, Volkswagen never took advantage of the film’s popularity to officially market their cars.

My brother Dave often refers to me as, “The king of useless knowledge.”  The nickname came about due to my being able to answer somewhat obscure trivia questions or relate little bits of information.  This skill really serves no useful purpose other than filling up the still night air with a bit of sound.

So, I decided to turn my useless knowledge into blog posts.

Last Friday, Northeast Ohio got one more wallop of Winter.  When I awoke, it looked like Jack Frost had worked overtime while being on steroids.

While driving out, I had to stop the car, and with my trusty cell phone, snap a couple of pictures for the blog.  It was an extremely beautiful scene despite the headache it brought to commuters.

March can bring a variety of weather.  24 hours after this snowstorm hit and  dumped as much as 12-17 inches in Mentor, Ohio, it was a balmy 46 degrees.

Winter is winding down.  This week we’ll see temperatures in the lower to middle 50s.

When you think about it, Friday and Saturday brought us the kind of winter we rather enjoy.  24 hours of picturesque winter scenes followed by melting snow, clear roads, and warm weather.

My brother Dave often refers to me as, “The king of useless knowledge.”  The nickname came about due to my being able to answer somewhat obscure trivia questions or relate little bits of information.  This skill really serves no useful purpose other than filling up the still night air with a bit of sound.

So, I decided to turn it into a blog post.

From time to time, I’ll post some of my “King Of Useless Knowledge” tidbits that I’ve accumulated over the years.

Let’s kick things off:

1.  Burkes Law was a 1960s television show starring Gene Barry that featured a Rolls Royce.

2.  Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Man in The Wizard Of Oz.  Actually, he was cast as the Scarecrow but switched parts with Ray Bolger.  He ended up in an oxygen tent because his lungs became coated by aluminum dust from the tin man  makeup.  They changed it after Jack Haley took over the roll.

3.  Jerry Van Dyke starred in the television show My Mother The Car.   The car was a 1928 Porter.

4.  Harvey Korman was the voice of The Great Gazoo (sometimes Kazoo) on The Flintstones.

5.  Characters on cereal boxes are drawn so as to be looking at little kids in shopping carts.  It’s true.  The cartoon character’s eyes are drawn in such a way that they are looking directly at, and at the same level as the child sitting in a shopping cart or walking down an aisle with mom or dad.

There are more to come.  Stay tooned.

With KMyMoney, say goodbye to stacks of paper and piles of bills!

Personal computers are absolutely wonderful for keeping our financial household straight. There are many financial software applications available for keeping our checkbooks balanced.  (And by the way, if you’re NOT using a PC and some form of personal accounting software, you are really missing out on a terrific tool!)

Over the years, I’ve used the two main personal financial software powerhouses on the market, Quicken and MSMoney. Both are fine personal financial software programs, and quite easy to set up and use.

But they come with an initial cost.  Anywhere from $50.00 on up.  MSMoney is about the same price.  However, Microsoft has discontinued this software title. So, you may be able to pick up a used copy for a few dollars less.  In fact, I’ve seen Microsoft Money 2004 Standard on Amazon.com for as little $19.00.

Or, you can make the switch to Linux and install a FREE personal  financial software application.

It’s called KMyMoney and it has all the power and features you’ll ever need to keep your finances in order.

KMyMoney is:

• Free
• Powerful
• Accurate
• Easy to use and set up
• Familiar
• Manages as many accounts as you want
• Offers Online banking
• Offers data encryption for extra security

I’ve been using MSMoney for years.  It’s done a very good job.  But, since moving to Linux, I’ve been looking for a totally Linux solution to my personal finance needs.

Since Microsoft made the decision last year to discontinue MSMoney, it was clear that it was time to make the move.

I suggest that when you do move to KMyMoney, make a clean start.  Even though MSMoney and Quicken give you tools to export your financial data into a QIF, the file sometimes doesn’t translate over as reliably as we’d like.  I took this piece of advice from Scott Carpenter on his blog called “Moving to Freedom.”

You can also get a nice overview and screen shots of KMYmoney at the KMyMoney web site at http://kmymoney2.sourceforge.net/index-home.html

So, I started from zero, so to speak.  I made note of my ending bank balances, entered these and a few other transactions to get things caught up, and then started using KMyMoney.  I also continued to use MSMoney just to make sure things were working out and being recorded correctly in KMyMoney.

Well, it appears to have worked and I’m now ready to cut the strings on MSMoney and use KMyMoney exclusively.  I will, however, need to keep my MSMoney data file for archival purposes.

If you want more information regarding the features of KMyMoney, I highly recommend Scott Carpenter’s blog post.  He gives a very thorough review of KMyMoney.

His review, along with Microsoft’s abandonment of MSMoney, convinced me to give KMyMoney a try.  I hope it convinces you, as well.

Get Linux and then get KMyMoney.