FORMAT FESTIVAL 3 DAY PASSES
Q102 has YOUR CHANCE to win 3-day tickets to Format Festival 2023!!!
Format Festival is three days and nights of music, art, and technology, September 22nd through the 24th in Bentonville, Arkansas! It’s biggest collection of the world’s best musicians, artists, emerging talent, special performances, and much more, featuring headliners like LCD Soundsystem, Leon Bridges, and Alanis Morrisette!
For more information or to purchase tickets to Format Festival, CLICK HERE.
Enter to win 3 day tickets to Format Festival below!
Details for the 2023 Tax-Free Weekend
If you've got kids, or maybe you're getting ready to go back to college, this weekend is the tax free weekend!
Here’s what qualifies:
- Clothes that have a taxable value of $100 or less.
- School supplies – not exceeding $50 per purchase.
- Computer software with a taxable value of $350 or less.
- Personal computers at $1,500 or less.
- Other computer devices like a mouse, keyboard, external disk drive that cost $1,500 or less.
- And graphing calculators at $150 or less.
Missouri is one of only 16 states in the county offering tax-free back-to-school shopping.
According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, every store in Kansas City and the rest of the state will be part of Missouri’s tax-free weekend.
Municipalities within the state can no longer opt out of the sales tax after Senate Bill 153 was passed in 2021.
The Department of Revenue said tax-exempt items bought online also count toward the tax-free weekend. Items can be delivered after the weekend, and the transaction must be completed during August 4-6 and shipped to a Missouri address.
Free Community Fridge
Friends! Check this out! This is so awesome!
You've seen the Little Free Libraries in people's yards, maybe you've seen a Little Free Pantry here and there. The West Central neighborhood in Springfield now has a free community fridge! Located right in front of the Urban Roots Farm. The fridge is free for everyone to donate and take whatever food items they want. There are also baskets to hold household items or canned goods. There’s a list of items that are accepted and a list of items that are not accepted. Basically, packaged items or freshly grown fresh produce items are okay. So items prepared in your kitchen are not allowed. Read more about the free fridge in the links below.
Click the link below for full fridge guidelines.
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Where to watch fireworks
If you're wondering where you can watch fireworks on the 4th, here’s a list of city celebrations and firework shows this weekend in the Ozarks.
Friday, June 30
Mount Vernon – Spirit of 76 Park at 9 p.m. Fireworks begin at dark.
Republic – Martin Park at 6 p.m. Attractions include live music, kid’s zone, axe throwing and more. Fireworks begin at 10 p.m.
Saturday, July 1
Billings – Billings City Park at 5 p.m. Fireworks begin at dusk.
Branson – Treasure Lake Firework Display beginning at 10 p.m. Best seats in mini golf parking lot.
Buffalo – Independence Day Country Fair beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Southern Dallas County Fire Station. Fireworks begin at dusk.
Galena – Fireworks at the Y bridge.
Eagle Rock – Fireworks at 9 p.m. at Highway 86 bridge.
Marionville – Fireworks at Marionville City Park begin at dark. Food trucks will be available.
Pomme de Terre Lake – Fireworks over the water at Over Look Picnic Area in Hermitage. Fireworks begin at dusk with event beginning at 5 p.m.
Shell Knob – Independence Fest on Needles Eye Road beginning at 4 p.m.
Springfield – Springfield Raceway Fireworks beginning at 5 p.m.
Stockton – Fireworks begin at 8 p.m.
Taneyville – Event at Taneyville School beginning at 5 p.m. Fireworks begin at dusk.
Theodosia – Fireworks begin at dusk at Theodosia Marina Resort.
Thomasville – Gates open at 4 p.m. at Eleven Valley Community Center. Rodeo begins at 7 p.m. at fireworks begin at dusk.
Sunday, July 2
Chateau on the Lake – 4th of July celebration at 415 N. State Highway 265 in Branson. Fireworks begin at dusk.
Eureka Springs – Jamboreeka from 5-9:30 p.m. at Lake Leatherwood City Park. Fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m.
Hartville – Celebration of Unity at Hartville City Park beginning 5 p.m. Fireworks at dusk.
Holiday Island – Holiday Island Marina and The Barn beginning at 6 p.m. Fireworks begin at dusk.
Kimberling City – Fireworks at Table Rock Lake. Fireworks begin at 11:30 p.m.
Ever wanted to mess with a scammer? Thanks to AI, you can!
Are you sick of these scammers calling you trying to get you to hand over your hard earned cash? Well, worry no more! Thanks to the Jolly Roger Telephone Company! For $1.99 a month, you can get an AI bot to take these scam calls for you and they will waste the scammers time instead of the scammer wasting YOUR time.
In an article in The Wall Street Journal, 54-year-old Californian Roger Anderson explained how his mission in life, getting back at scam callers, started with an irritating phone message a decade ago. He now deploys cutting-edge artificial intelligence tech and audio cloning to keep scammers talking in circles.
Best yet, for $1.99 a month, his brainchild, now officially The Jolly Roger Telephone Company, can be used by anyone.
According to a short video tutorial, when you get a call about, say, your car's extended warranty, you can patch the caller in with the AI bot, who will take care of the rest, needlessly — and realistically — distracting scammers hungry for financial and other information.
You can choose various personalities to take the call, including Salty Sally, who's not afraid of profanity, enthusiastic Debbie Doldrums or the gruff Bloody Billy, to name a few. When the AI gets a sniff of what the caller wants, it can generate a realistic — but intentionally futile — conversation.
Anderson's program even includes a "Summon a Pirate" feature that makes things simpler for use on mobile phones. It also gives you a call log so you can happily listen to the AI voice frustrating the telemarketer afterward.
Click the link below to visit the Jolly Roger Telephone Company's website & to hear some sample calls.
Jackson Martin and The Jackson Martin Band LIVE at The Riff July 8th
Want to check out a talented young musician? Be sure to check out Jackson Martin and The Jackson Martin Band LIVE at The Riff on July 8th. Whatever you do, do not miss out on this opportunity! Check out the video below!
Cooling Centers & Water Refill Stations in Springfield
It's going to get real hot in the coming days and here is some information on how you can protect yourself and your pets from the heat:
To protect people against heat-related illness:
- Drink plenty of water, even if you do not feel thirsty; avoid drinks that contain alcohol or caffeine. Also, avoid very cold drinks because they can cause stomach cramps
- Avoid strenuous work or exercise outside during the hottest part of the day. If that is not practical, take frequent breaks and remember to drink plenty of water.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
- Protect yourself from the sun with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels).
- Never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle
Pet owners should also follow these tips to keep animals safe in the heat:
- Do not leave a pet unattended in a hot car.
- Always make sure pets have access to cool, clean, fresh water as well as adequate food and shelter.
- Walk your dog in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler. If you must walk mid-day, shorten the distance. And keep your dog in the grass as much as possible, as hot sidewalks can burn the pads of their feet.
- Do not leave a dog outdoors unattended on a chain or tether. Long-term chaining during the summer can result in countless insect bites, dehydration, and heat stroke.
- If you see a child, pet, or unresponsive adult in a closed, parked vehicle, immediately call 911. For more information on staying safe in the heat, visit health.springfieldmo.gov/heat.
If you are out and about in town and you need a place to cool down for a bit, or perhaps you know someone who needs some relief from the heat, here's a list of cooling centers in Springfield:
Cooling Centers
- The Library Center - 4653 S. Campbell
- Ozarks Regional YMCA - Pat Jones YMCA - 1901 E. Republic Rd.
- Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library - 2241 Brentwood Blvd
- Midtown Carnegie Branch Library - 397 E. Central St.
- OTC Shelter Service - 1001 E. Chestnut Expy
- Park Central Branch Library - 128 Park Central Square
- Library Station - 2535 N. Kansas Expy
- South Side Senior Center – 2215 South Fremont
- Chesterfield Family Center – 2511 W. Republic Rd
- Salvation Army Springfield – 1707 W Chestnut Expy
- Jordan Valley Ice Park – 635 E. Trafficway
- Dan Kinney Family Center – 2701 S. Blackman Rd
- Northview Senior Center – 305 E. Talmage
- Doling Family Center – 310 E. Talmage St
- Gerry Pool Senior Friendship Center (formerly Republic Senior Friendship Center – 210 East Hines, Republic
- Republic Branch Library - 921 N. Lindsey, Republic
- Willard Branch Library - 304 E. Jackson St., Willard
- Rogersville Area Senior Center - 197 S. Marshall, Rogersville
- Strafford Branch Library - 101 S. State Hwy 125, Strafford
- Strafford Senior Center - 201 W. Bumgarner, Strafford
- Union Hill Church Of Christ - 865 N. Nicholas Rd., Nixa
- Nixa Fire Station #1 - 711 N. Main,
- Nixa Fire Station #2 - 301 S. Nicholas Rd.
- Nixa Community Library Branch - 208 N. McCroskey St.
- Nixa Senior Center - 404 S. Main
- Ozark Senior Center - 727 N. 9th St
- Ozark Community Library Branch - 1005 N. 4th Ave
Connecting Grounds Water Refill Station
Currently, there are 9 stations out to provide clean, safe drinking water to those without stable shelter in our community. They will also help reduce the amount of plastic waste created with summer outreach, as they will give out 1,000 reusable water bottles through the outreach center and partner organizations. This was a project of The Connecting Ground's lived experience cohort, who helped design the stations, build them, and install the completed ones at our host locations. Their first-hand knowledge of the dangers heat creates for individuals on the streets helped us create and place these new outreach tools! Each night the Connecting Grounds will have an outreach team that will visit each location to refill water and ice, pick up trash, and ensure everything is in good condition.
- First Unitarian Universalist Church - 2434 E. Battlefield Ave
- Brentwood Christian Church - 1900 E. Barataria St
- National Avenue Christian Church - 1515 S. National Ave
- University Heights Baptist Church - 1010 S. National Ave
- Christ Episcopal Church - 601 E Walnut St
- The Venues at 425 - 425 W. Walnut St
- TCG Outreach Center - 3000 W. Chestnut Expressway
- The Connecting Grounds - 4341 W. Chestnut Expressway
- Sacred Heart Church - 1609 N. Summit
Please see the links below for more information
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The Microscopic Handbag
EDIT: Someone ACTUALLY bought this thing. The exact selling price was $63,750.
Smaller versions of things are cute, right? But when they become too small, it just starts to get ridiculous. Enter the Microscopic Handbag.
the MSCHF Microscopic Handbag, a nearly invisible little speck that's actually a remarkably accurate rendering of a Louis Vuitton OnTheGo handbag. It measures about 657 by 222 by 700 micrometers. Forget head of a pin — we're talking about dimensions comparable to a single strand of human hair. Ridiculous.
Click the link to take a look at this thing and to read more about it.
Need a girlfriend? make one!
So... here we are. We live in the times where you can make a girlfriend, or, TRY to make a girlfriend.
A tech developer who has been working on artificial intelligence platforms has taken on a side project, developing a ChatGPT clone of his girlfriend.
The gist of it is Enais Cailliau's GirlfriendGPT works like any other ChatGPT program: You feed it information — in this case, material his real girlfriend has sent him, her photos, her likes and dislikes and the like — and in turn, with some coding, it should mimic his girlfriend's words such that it would be like talking to the real person via text.
It can even send him selfies, which are also AI generated.
On that point, Cailliau concedes "it needs more work," seeing as one selfie it generated is supposed to show his girlfriend reading a book in a park. Well, it got the park setting right, as well as the book. But her face is distorted and she's sitting atop an extra torso, instead of a park bench. Oh, and she has three and a half legs and only one foot.
This guy needs to get new material. It's already been done before and look how it turned out for Gary & Wyatt.
Leslie chats with Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust
Leslie spoke with Lajon Witherspoon today about Sevendust's new album "Truth Killer", due for release on July 28th. Check out the video for the new single "Everything" below.
Listen to the full interview here: