got a lot of interesting stuff this week, I hope you all learn something new!
-Mice never stop peeing.
-In 2011, there were 16 cases of Americans dying in terrorist attacks (including soldiers). The same amount as Americans dying of falling televisions.
-You can't hear your own real voice when you talk or sing. Your mouth and ears cause an echo in your head that changes the sound. That's why your voice always sounds weird on answering machines, videos, P.A. systems, etc.
-Escargot, was created by the French in a time of poverty.
-Sunflowers follow the sun across the sky.
-There's a parasite in cats brains that make people (mostly owners or other people who spend lots of time with them) like them more than they really do.
-There were 2 creation myths in Genesis when the Bible was first written. There was the whole "let there be light" deal and a second where Adam threw clods of dirt over his shoulder to create first Eve and later all the other people of the world that don't believe in God, i.e. Pagans. The church later removed this once all the Pagans had been either converted or exterminated.
-Adam had a wife before Eve named Lillith who was a succubus and didn't want to go along with Christianity, so she was replaced by Eve.
-There's a parasite that infects snails and creates these pulsing worm-like growths in the head and controls their minds to go out into the sun to attract birds. The birds go after the growths because they look like worms, bite them off and get infected by the parasite themselves.
-Most fruit juices are sweetened with grape juice.
-There's a type of female wasp that injects roaches with a paralyzing venom into the legs and then another injection into the head to block the "fight or flight" response in the roach. After the roach becomes docile, the wasp uses the roach's antennae to essentially ride it back to the wasp's burrow like a horse. Once the roach is in the burrow, the wasp lays an egg on the roach's abdomen then leaves and blocks the entrance with rocks. The egg hatches and the larva feeds on the roach then eats into its body, devouring its organs in a way to keep it alive until it is big enough to form a cocoon inside the roach's body to grow to its full size.
-The East India Company was the first international corporation and they created essentially a monopoly in India to control the country. They only sold their crappy products to the Indian people, not allowing any other products to be sold, then used the massive profits to better the products they sold to the British.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
back to school
So, as you may have noticed, I haven't posted in a little over a month. And I'll be honest, I gave myself a summer vacation from posting, mostly because I didn't really learn shit. There were a few things I did learn, and I'll try to include them in this post if I can remember any of them. Now that I'm back in school and actually supposed to be learning things, I figured it was a good enough time to get back into the blog before I forget about it completely again. Without further ado, let's get started!
-Tomatoes grow bigger if exposed to more direct sunlight.
-As humans evolved to a more upright posture, our larynx dropped in our throats, creating a second higher cavity called the pharynx that gives us more vocal power through a wider range and clarity of sounds coming out of our vocal chords (in the larynx). This pharynx also makes it more likely for humans to choke on our food. Primates don't have the same vocal power we do, but they don't have to worry about choking.
-Humans are the only species capable of thinking or talking about language.
-When honeybees find a new source of nectar, they communicate its location to other bees by performing a complex dance routine. (round dance for nearby and tail-wagging dance, with variable tempo, for further away and how far). But it can only be about the most recent source, they are unable to communicate past or future sources.
-Bees don't have a "word" for up in their language, and cannot create a new one because their language has a fixed number of "words" that they can use.
-In the mid 1980s, a man named Terrence Deacon discovered a seal in the Boston Aquarium that was able to "speak"-or rather, imitate human sounds like "Hey! Hey you! Get outa there!".
-Charles Darwin believed that humans developed musical ability before speech as a means of "charming" each other.
-Written language started about 5,000 years ago.
-Human lips have more intricate muscle interlacing than other primates which makes them more flexible and easier for us to make p or b sounds.
-Human tongues are smaller, thicker and more muscular than those of other primates.
-Human babies and chimpanzees have the ability to drink and breathe at the same time.
-The clitoris never stops growing.
-The largest penis in the world is 9 inches flaccid, 13.5 erect, and belongs to a man in New York.
-The average speed of male ejaculation is 28mph.
-The scent of a man's sweat can reduce tension in women.
-Rosemary can increase memory.
-Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on a bug bite will stop the itch and speed up the healing process.
-Tomatoes grow bigger if exposed to more direct sunlight.
-As humans evolved to a more upright posture, our larynx dropped in our throats, creating a second higher cavity called the pharynx that gives us more vocal power through a wider range and clarity of sounds coming out of our vocal chords (in the larynx). This pharynx also makes it more likely for humans to choke on our food. Primates don't have the same vocal power we do, but they don't have to worry about choking.
-Humans are the only species capable of thinking or talking about language.
-When honeybees find a new source of nectar, they communicate its location to other bees by performing a complex dance routine. (round dance for nearby and tail-wagging dance, with variable tempo, for further away and how far). But it can only be about the most recent source, they are unable to communicate past or future sources.
-Bees don't have a "word" for up in their language, and cannot create a new one because their language has a fixed number of "words" that they can use.
-In the mid 1980s, a man named Terrence Deacon discovered a seal in the Boston Aquarium that was able to "speak"-or rather, imitate human sounds like "Hey! Hey you! Get outa there!".
-Charles Darwin believed that humans developed musical ability before speech as a means of "charming" each other.
-Written language started about 5,000 years ago.
-Human lips have more intricate muscle interlacing than other primates which makes them more flexible and easier for us to make p or b sounds.
-Human tongues are smaller, thicker and more muscular than those of other primates.
-Human babies and chimpanzees have the ability to drink and breathe at the same time.
-The clitoris never stops growing.
-The largest penis in the world is 9 inches flaccid, 13.5 erect, and belongs to a man in New York.
-The average speed of male ejaculation is 28mph.
-The scent of a man's sweat can reduce tension in women.
-Rosemary can increase memory.
-Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on a bug bite will stop the itch and speed up the healing process.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Jul 15, 2012
-Microwave ovens cook food by vibrating the water molecules enough to create friction/heat
-Spider web threads have the equivalent strength of steel and are stretchier than nylon
-Einstein wrote the first equations for lasers.
-Every culture has folklore of "little people (leprechauns, Lilliputians, etc)
-computers can not recognize images with hidden features (i.e. a cat hiding behind a tree. comp only sees tree)
-Queen Elizabeth painted her face white with blue veins on it to make herself appear transparent.
-There are 100 billion neurons in the human brain
-A pizza will cook on Venus in 9 seconds
-Sleep turns short term memories into long term.
-Dolphins sleep half of their brain at at time.
-Octopi arms can operate autonomously without a brain connection.
-Spider web threads have the equivalent strength of steel and are stretchier than nylon
-Einstein wrote the first equations for lasers.
-Every culture has folklore of "little people (leprechauns, Lilliputians, etc)
-computers can not recognize images with hidden features (i.e. a cat hiding behind a tree. comp only sees tree)
-Queen Elizabeth painted her face white with blue veins on it to make herself appear transparent.
-There are 100 billion neurons in the human brain
-A pizza will cook on Venus in 9 seconds
-Sleep turns short term memories into long term.
-Dolphins sleep half of their brain at at time.
-Octopi arms can operate autonomously without a brain connection.
Monday, July 9, 2012
July 9, 2012
Oops! Off by a day. Sorry about that, I wasn't at home yesterday so I had to wait until today to post. Anyway, hope you learn something new!
-What we can do in 30 seconds, robots do in one day.
-Tritan, a moon stolen by Neptune, is a twin to Pluto.
-Lobsters do have nervous systems, but no brain so they can't process pain.
-Lobsters have copper blood (like Spock)
-NASA's definition of life is any organism that replicates, metabolizes and evolves.
-Sulfur, a poisonous gas, smells so bad to us because our brains have evolved to make us want to run away from it.
-The bubbles in champagne get you drunk faster and keeps you drunk longer than any other alcohol.
-In space, food has to be able to stick to itself to keep from flying all over the place (i.e. spices have to be liquid)
-In space, blood rushes to the upper body and desensitizes taste buds.
-Instant Jell-O, Tang, Cool Whip, and Pop Rocks were all invented by the same guy.
-Burping in space is equivalent to vomiting because gravity doesn't keep food down.
-On space shuttles, the sources of fuel are 2 separate tanks of hydrogen and oxygen that when combined provide the fuel to move as well as water that the astronauts drink, cook with, shower, etc.
-All food coming from China and Vietnam has to be irradiated.
-Astronauts use tortillas instead of bread because it doesn't crumble and can wrap around other food.
-What we can do in 30 seconds, robots do in one day.
-Tritan, a moon stolen by Neptune, is a twin to Pluto.
-Lobsters do have nervous systems, but no brain so they can't process pain.
-Lobsters have copper blood (like Spock)
-NASA's definition of life is any organism that replicates, metabolizes and evolves.
-Sulfur, a poisonous gas, smells so bad to us because our brains have evolved to make us want to run away from it.
-The bubbles in champagne get you drunk faster and keeps you drunk longer than any other alcohol.
-In space, food has to be able to stick to itself to keep from flying all over the place (i.e. spices have to be liquid)
-In space, blood rushes to the upper body and desensitizes taste buds.
-Instant Jell-O, Tang, Cool Whip, and Pop Rocks were all invented by the same guy.
-Burping in space is equivalent to vomiting because gravity doesn't keep food down.
-On space shuttles, the sources of fuel are 2 separate tanks of hydrogen and oxygen that when combined provide the fuel to move as well as water that the astronauts drink, cook with, shower, etc.
-All food coming from China and Vietnam has to be irradiated.
-Astronauts use tortillas instead of bread because it doesn't crumble and can wrap around other food.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
July 1, 2012
-all shades of green match each other
-formaldehyde can keep clothes wrinkle-free forever
-the "Bodies" exhibits use Chinese prisoners as the bodies, who very likely did not volunteer their bodies to be put on display after they died.
-silk traps heat better than most other fabrics
-There is no statistical evidence that proves that Shape-Ups give you a better or harder work out than regular shoes.
-Venus spins backwards and no one knows why
-Venus had runaway greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the climate is so out of control and hot that if a human were to step foot into the atmosphere, they would vaporize instantly. If we don't start taking control of our environment, it could end up in the exact same state.
-Uranus was the first planet seen through a telescope. (true fact and new favorite insult)
-Jesus was probably born sometime between 3-5 B.C.
-The Star of Bethlehem could have been a star exploding as a nova, or a comet.
-There is no land at the North Pole, only water- frozen and liquid.
-Santa would have to travel at 2000 miles per second to be able to go to every house in the world celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve.
-formaldehyde can keep clothes wrinkle-free forever
-the "Bodies" exhibits use Chinese prisoners as the bodies, who very likely did not volunteer their bodies to be put on display after they died.
-silk traps heat better than most other fabrics
-There is no statistical evidence that proves that Shape-Ups give you a better or harder work out than regular shoes.
-Venus spins backwards and no one knows why
-Venus had runaway greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the climate is so out of control and hot that if a human were to step foot into the atmosphere, they would vaporize instantly. If we don't start taking control of our environment, it could end up in the exact same state.
-Uranus was the first planet seen through a telescope. (true fact and new favorite insult)
-Jesus was probably born sometime between 3-5 B.C.
-The Star of Bethlehem could have been a star exploding as a nova, or a comet.
-There is no land at the North Pole, only water- frozen and liquid.
-Santa would have to travel at 2000 miles per second to be able to go to every house in the world celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
been a while
Holy crap! It's been like 2 years since I've posted on this. I am determined to bring this back into a regularly updated blog. After reading some of the past posts, I've realized a lot of the things I've listed are straight opinions with no factual evidence. And that makes me sound stupid. So, none of that anymore. I will also try to focus on things that other people actually care about and want to learn about too (i.e. not that my dad has to have mayo on both slices of bread, but more like defusing WWII bombs). I'm considering making a separate blog in the same style but for the more random and personal aspects ("dad's mayo"-like stories). I'll post the link in a later post if I decide to do it.
So I think I'm going to start updating this weekly, so it's really not Things I Learned Today but rather Things I Learned This Week. I should change it, but let's be real. I'm not gonna do that. That takes time and effort that I lack. Probably not so much time as effort, but whatever. Still not gonna do it.
I guess the list for this post is more Things I Learned Recently That I Still Remember considering it's been a while since I've posted.
-Spray paint, Shredded Wheat, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Cracker Jacks, Juicy Fruit gum, picture postcards, the Ferris Wheel, commemorative stamps, and the American serial killer were all introduced at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
-The first American serial killer, "H.H. Holmes"-real name Herman Mudgett- used the 1893 Fair to lure mostly female victims. He eventually fled Chicago and committed dozens of other crimes as he travelled around the country the next year before being arrested in Boston on an outstanding warrant for horse theft in Texas. He is said to have killed anywhere between 20 and 200 people. He was hanged in 1896 and died slowly and painfully (neck didn't snap, he twitched for 15 minutes before dying)
-There are maybe 10 publishing (post-baccalaureate) programs in the U.S. and at least 5 of them are in NYC. The majority of publishing internships and jobs are also in NYC.
-Reading computer screens all day is really bad for your eyes. So naturally, you'd think that reading on a Kindle is bad for your eyes. But apparently, developers used certain kinds of font and lighting on the Kindles to mimic real ink on paper and thus not do the damage that computer screens do to our eyes.
-Vikings from Greenland discovered America and tried to make colonies from ~980-1500.
-Two Native Americans crossed the Atlantic and ended up in Holland in 60 B.C.
-Dr. Dre jumped and beat up female reporter, Dee Barnes for interviewing Ice Cube. He threw her against the wall repeatedly, tried to throw her down a flight of stairs, kicked her in the ribs and head, chased her then grabbed her hair and punched her repeatedly in the back of the head. She tried to sue him for over $20 million dollars and he ended up being fined $2500, forced to do community service and a PSA. People continue to praise him for beating her.
-Kobe beef does not exist in America. It is essentially illegal to have in here in the states. It is incredibly rare because of the way it is prepared and is as such very hard to find. You will only find it in certain parts of Japan and Macau. Any other country claiming to have it is lying. The beef might be prepared in a "Kobe-style" but the beef itself is not Kobe.
-Japan's dating system is written yyyy/mm/dd as opposed to the European dd/mm/yyyy and America's mm/dd/yyyy.
So I think I'm going to start updating this weekly, so it's really not Things I Learned Today but rather Things I Learned This Week. I should change it, but let's be real. I'm not gonna do that. That takes time and effort that I lack. Probably not so much time as effort, but whatever. Still not gonna do it.
I guess the list for this post is more Things I Learned Recently That I Still Remember considering it's been a while since I've posted.
-Spray paint, Shredded Wheat, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Cracker Jacks, Juicy Fruit gum, picture postcards, the Ferris Wheel, commemorative stamps, and the American serial killer were all introduced at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
-The first American serial killer, "H.H. Holmes"-real name Herman Mudgett- used the 1893 Fair to lure mostly female victims. He eventually fled Chicago and committed dozens of other crimes as he travelled around the country the next year before being arrested in Boston on an outstanding warrant for horse theft in Texas. He is said to have killed anywhere between 20 and 200 people. He was hanged in 1896 and died slowly and painfully (neck didn't snap, he twitched for 15 minutes before dying)
-There are maybe 10 publishing (post-baccalaureate) programs in the U.S. and at least 5 of them are in NYC. The majority of publishing internships and jobs are also in NYC.
-Reading computer screens all day is really bad for your eyes. So naturally, you'd think that reading on a Kindle is bad for your eyes. But apparently, developers used certain kinds of font and lighting on the Kindles to mimic real ink on paper and thus not do the damage that computer screens do to our eyes.
-Vikings from Greenland discovered America and tried to make colonies from ~980-1500.
-Two Native Americans crossed the Atlantic and ended up in Holland in 60 B.C.
-Dr. Dre jumped and beat up female reporter, Dee Barnes for interviewing Ice Cube. He threw her against the wall repeatedly, tried to throw her down a flight of stairs, kicked her in the ribs and head, chased her then grabbed her hair and punched her repeatedly in the back of the head. She tried to sue him for over $20 million dollars and he ended up being fined $2500, forced to do community service and a PSA. People continue to praise him for beating her.
-Kobe beef does not exist in America. It is essentially illegal to have in here in the states. It is incredibly rare because of the way it is prepared and is as such very hard to find. You will only find it in certain parts of Japan and Macau. Any other country claiming to have it is lying. The beef might be prepared in a "Kobe-style" but the beef itself is not Kobe.
-Japan's dating system is written yyyy/mm/dd as opposed to the European dd/mm/yyyy and America's mm/dd/yyyy.
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