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Author Topic: Useless Fact's Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-06-2002 02:14 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why is it unsafe to go swimming immediately after eating? This is another of those old wive's tales that your mother forced you to follow. All your friends would be frolicking in the water, coaxing you to come in while you stood there, looking stupid, explaining that you just ate and had to wait an hour to swim or you would get cramps and drown. Your friends would just laugh. Well, it turns out your friends may have had good reason to laugh. There is probably more chance of drowning on an empty stomach than a partially full one. The old reasoning went that food being digested in your stomach took blood away from other parts of the body, including your muscles. This lack of blood could cause muscle cramps and drowning. In fact, a little food in your stomach is good. Food supplies glucose to your muscles, which increases your energy. Long-distance swimmers have known this for years and always eat a light meal before swimming. The real danger of cramping up comes from cold water and fatigue. Eating can decrease fatigue and also stoke the body's furnace to help keep you warm. Just don't gorge yourself and then take the plunge, as too much food can make you drowsy and slow your reflexes. ~source used: "Thoughts for the Throne" by Don Voorhees  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-07-2002 10:28 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What Happens to the 1,000 or More Prints After Films Have Finished Their Theatrical Runs? Distribution strategies for films vary dramatically. A "critics' darling," especially a foreign film or a movie without big stars, might be. given a few exclusive runs in media centers like New York City and Los Angeles. The film's distributor prays that word-of-mouth and good reviews will build business so that it can expand to more theaters in those cities and later be distributed throughout the country. "High-concept" films, particularly comedies and action films whose plot lines can be easily communicated in short television commercials,and films starring "bankable" actors are likely to be given broad releases. By opening the film simultaneously across the country at 1,000 to 2,000 or more theaters, the film studios can amortize the horrendous cost of national advertising. But the cost of duplicating 2,000 prints,while dwarfed by marketing costs,is nevertheless a major expense. A run-of-the-mill horror film from a major studio, for example, might open in 1,500 theaters simultaneously. The usual pattern for these films is to gross a considerable amount of money the first week and then fall off sharply. A horror film without good word-of-mouth might be gone from most theaters within four weeks. Of course, studios will release the film on videotape within a year, but what will they do with those 1,500 prints? The first priority is to ship the prints overseas. Most American films are released overseas after the American theatrical run is over. Eventually, those American prints are returned to the United States. hen they are destroyed and the silver is extracted from the film and sold to precious metals dealers. The studios have little use for 1,500 scratchy prints. Mark Gill, vice-president of publicity at Columbia Pictures, told Imponderables that his company keeps twenty to thirty prints of all its current releases indefinitely.The film studios are aware of all of the movies from the early twentieth century that have been lost due to negligence—some have deteriorated in quality but others are missing simply because nobody bothered keeping a print. With all of the ancillary markets available, including videotape, laser disc, repertory theaters, cable television, and syndicated television, today's movies are unlikely to disappear altogether (though we can think of more than a few that we would like to disappear). But the problem of print deterioration continues. ~source used: "Do Penguins Have Knees?" By David Feldman Note:Since this was written by David Feldman several years ago, Mark Gill moved to Miramax and is now with another distribution company.Bob M.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 12-07-2002 10:50 PM                        Useless fact - Which material were George Washington`s third teeth made from? This fact, while still useless, may be of interest for American readers. George Washington`s third teeth were not made from ivory, as one might suspect, but rather from wood (!) I learnt that once in a game of Trivial Pursuit.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-08-2002 07:25 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - SOS. This distress signal does not stand for "Save Our Ship" or "Save Our Souls." It does not stand for anything. First recommended at a radio telegraph "inference in 1906, then officially adopted in 1908, it was selected because it is easy to remember and trans-mit (three dots, three dashes, three dots), and easily recognized. In fact, it does not really even consist of the three letters S, O, and S; it is sent as a composite group,is if it were composed of the three letters. Nor is SOS a "Morse code" signal, in the opinion of many telegraphers who confine "Morse" to the code used on land lines in the U.S. and Canada, not the inter-national code in which SOS is sent. (Some authorities, however, consider "Morse" a general term covering both international and U.S.-Canada land line codes.) In the code used by U.S. land line operators, three dots, three dashes, and three dots would not, even if sent as letters stand for SOS; the letter O in this code is two dots, not three dashes.As can be seen, SOS is not, thus, an abbreviation, and should be printed without any periods after the "letters," Finally, SOS is entirely a *code* signal; the international distress signal used in voice transmissions is "Mayday," perhaps selected because it sounds like French "m'aider", help me. ~source used: "The Dictionary of Misinformation" by Tom Burnam[  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-08-2002 11:50 AM                        Useless fact - Is it true that leaders of the Christian church once ruled that bathing was a sin? It's true. In A.D. 500, the Christian church, seeing how the lewd Romans had thrived in their social hot tubs, decreed that exposing one's skin was a sin against God. As a result, bathing fell out of favor and people resorted to dousing themselves in perfume. The decree also led to the belief that bathing was how disease was spread: that the warmth and the water opened up one's skin to "pestiferous vapors" that caused diseases like the plague. Diseases flourished as a result of these attitudes, yet they simply furthered the belief that even infrequent bathing was the culprit. During this era of bathroom history, bathing once a year was not uncommon. Instead of regular bathing, people wiped their bodies with pieces of dry white cloth. When they did get up the courage to bathe, they were very careful. They got plenty of rest both before and after the event. Then as soon as they were scrubbed clean, they quickly wrapped their bodies completely in cloth to block it from harmful diseases. This attitude lasted for over a millennium in some places. In fact, Benjamin Franklin was a pioneer in the 1700s for promoting bathing as a healthy activity. ~source used:Just Curious, Jeeves by Jack Mingo, Erin Barrett  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-08-2002 12:45 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Is it true that we only use 10 percent of our brains? Well, some people certainly aren't operating at 100 percent. But in general the answer is no—you use every part of your brain. Not every area at the same time, of course; they all do different things at different times. At any given moment, only about 5 percent of your brain cells are actually firing—that is, working. So in one sense this old saying is true. But as far as we know, there are no parts that never do anything. It's a good thing. The brain is small and it's got a big job to do. What with algebra, computers, and programming the VCR, these days you need every brain cell you've got. ~source used: "Know It All"by Ed Zotti  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-09-2002 09:53 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - How do circus sword swallowers do it, anyway? Believe it or not, they really do swallow the sword. The main problem is learning to relax the throat muscles and stop gagging. This takes weeks of practice, during which time there isn't much point eating lunch—it won't be down there long, if you take my meaning. But it can be done. The sword doesn't cut the sword swallower's throat because its sides are dull. The point is usually sharp, bin that's not a problem as long as the sword swallower doesn't swallow any swords long enough to poke him (or her) in the pit of the stomach. Some sword swallowers even swallow lighted neon tubes—quite a sight, I'm told. The whole thing is incredibly dangerous even for the pros, so please don't try it ... or when people say you speak with a forked tongue, they won't be kidding. ~source used: "Know It All" by Ed Zotti  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-09-2002 06:20 PM                        Crazy laws in the US: Texas - A recently passed antcrime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed... - In Lefors, it is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer at any time while standing... - In San Antonio, it is illegal for both sexes to flirt or respond to flirtation using the eyes and/or hands.... Florida - Unmarried women who parachute on Sundays may be jailed.... - In Saratoga, it is illegal to sing while wearing a bathing suit... Nevada - It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway... - In Eureka, men who wear moustaches are forbidden from kissing women... California - In L.A. a man can legally beat his wife with a leather strap, as long as it is less than two inches wide, or she gives him permission to use a wider strap..... - It is illegal to set a mousetrap without a hunting license.... Michigan - A state law stipulates that a woman's hair legally belongs to her husband.... Arkansas - A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month... - Flirtation between the members of the opposite sex on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term.... Utah - Birds have the right of way on all highways... - A husband is responsible for every criminal act commited by his wife while she is in his presence... Baltimore - In Halethrope, it is illegal to kiss for more than one second... - It is illegal to mistreat oysters.... - In Baltimore it is illegal to wash or scrub sinks, no matter how dirty they get.... New York - In NYC it is illegal for a man to turn around and look "at a woman in that way", and violators are forced to wear horse blinders... Tennessee - It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish... - In Dyersburg, it is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date... - In Memphis, it is illegal for a woman to drive by herself; "a man must walk or run in front of the vehicle, waving a red flag in order to warn approaching pedestrians and motorists".... Colorado - In Logan County, it is illegal for a man to kiss a woman while she is asleep.... Rhode Island - In Province it is illegal to sell toothpaste ands toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday.... - In Neewport, it is illegal to smoke a pipe after sunset.... Oklahoma - Whale hunting is strictly forbidden throughout the entire state... - In Tulsa, kisses lasing more than three minutes are forbidden... Massachusetts - In Salem, even married couples are forbidden from sleeping in the nude in rented rooms... - In Boston it is illegal to take a bath unless one has been ordered by a physician to do so.... - In 1659, the State outlawed Christmas...  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-10-2002 10:01 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Does "whitening" toothpaste work? Not much, as far as anyone can tell. The truth is that age is the prime cause of yellow teeth. Anything that causes outside stains on teeth is easily removed by a regular cleaning at the dentist and often times by regular flossing and brushing alone. But most discoloration takes place below the enamel and is a natural part of a tooth's aging process. There is plenty of evidence that using hard abrasives and corrosive chemicals on die teeth regularly can actually cause enamel loss and gum injury. It's important to have one's dentist advise the best solution to stained teeth  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-11-2002 07:46 AM                        Rated G Useless Fact - Why are there 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour? Blame the Babylonians. The Babylonians lived about 3,000 years ago in what is now Iraq. They thought 60 was a wonderful number. Why,only the Babylonians know. Best guess:They figured it was magic. (The ancients had a tendency to think everything was magic.)Then again, maybe the Babylonians liked 60 because it could be evenly divided (no remainder) by so many smaller numbers: 2,3,4,5,6,10,12,15, 20, and 30. What's the big deal with dividing evenly? Simple — you avoid fractions,as in 10 divided by 3 equals 3 and 1/3. This may be no big deal to you, but look at it from the point of view of Joe Babylonian. The guy lived in a mud hut and washed his underwear in the creek. He didn't have our modern advantages: high school, air conditioning, color television, calculators. When he saw a fraction, he freaked. So to him, 60 was great. ~source used: "Know It All" by Ed Zotti  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-12-2002 11:21 AM                        Rated G -Useless fact - Why is a wedding ring worn on the third finger of the left hand? As far as we know,the ancient Egyptians were the first to place a ring on the third finger of the left hand to signify the marriage union. It was placed on that finger because Egyptians believed (hat the "vein of love" ran from this finger to the heart. They used a ring because they believed that the circle was the symbol for eternity. It represented perfection because it had no beginning and no end. Rings found in ancient Egyptian tombs were made of pure gold. The name or title of the owner was engraved on the ring in hieroglyphs. The poorer citizens of Egypt wore rings of silver, bronze, amber, ivory, or simply glazed pottery. Because gold was precious to the early Romans, a gold ring symbolized everlasting love and commitment. King Edward VI of England decreed that the third finger on the left hand was to be the ring finger.In the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, the left hand was designated as the marriage hand. From the earliest times in our history, people have always given advice to newly married couples such as "comfort each other," "respect one another," and "listen to each other." One of my personal favorites is "Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire!" ~source used: "What Makes Flamingos Pink?" by Bill McLain  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-13-2002 02:38 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Is suntan a sign of good health? A suntan shows only that the skin has adopted a protective device against further damage by the ultraviolet rays of the sun, which are dangerous just like many other forms of radiation. It certainly is is no indication of good health. In fact, during the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras it was a signof the lower classes, who were constantly exposed to the sun in the outdoors. A suntan or sunburn, incidentally, can be acquired easily enough on a fairly cloudy; thin clouds do not filter out ultraviolet rays. ~source used: "The Dictionary of Misinformation" by Tom Burnam  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-14-2002 03:34 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why does moss grow on the north side of trees? As every good Boy Scout or Girl Scout should know, you can tell which direction you are traveling in the woods by observing tree trunks. Moss has a tendency to grow on the north side of trees. The sun is responsible for this occurrence. In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere the sun rises in the southeast and sets in the southwest during the winter. In summer, it rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest. Objects that face south, therefore, receive more sunlight throughout the year than those facing north, a fact which is readily evident on mountain slopes as well as on trees. North-facing mountain slopes tend to be moister and cooler than the sunnier south-facing slopes. For this reason, in many areas like the Far West, the vegetation is much lusher and greener on northern slopes.Moss likes the cool, moist conditions that exist on the northern side of trees and often will grow more abundantly there. However, this is not a totally reliable way to navigate through the woods. Better to pack a compass.Boy and Girl Scouts aren't the only ones to use this effect of the sunlight to their advantage. Wine growers in New York State, knowing that the growing season is longer on southern slopes, plant their grapes there to get a better product. Conversely, ski slopes are built on the north face of mountains whenever possible, because the snow lasts longer there. ~source used: "Thoughts for the Throne" by Don Voorhees  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-15-2002 01:16 PM                        Rated G Useless Fact - Why do you aim with one eye closed? Not everyone does, but those who do, do so because of a phenomenon called binocular rivalry. If you look through a sight with the left eye, what you see is not identical with what you see with the right, and the two images compete, rather than blending, as they normally do when you look at something with both eyes. For example, if the left eye is shown only vertical lines and the right eye only horizontal lines, you might think you would see a screen pattern, but in fact you would see patches of vertical lines intermingled with patches of horizontal lines.Some people can mentally suppress the competing image,but some find it uncomfortable,so they close one eye. In aiming, most people tend to use the dominant eye, which generally but not always has better vision. If the eyes differ in focal length, some may use one eye for long distances and the other for short distances. ~source used: "Book of Science Questions and Answers" by C. Claiborne Ray  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-16-2002 08:46 AM                        Useless fact - How soon is California going to fall into the ocean? Not soon enough for some people. (Don't worry, they're just envious.) But let's get clear on one thing. The problem isn't that California is sinking, it's that it's sliding sideways—toward the Aleutian Islands, off the coast of Alaska. Do you know what the weather is like in the Aleutian Islands? Rotten, that's what. But California won't arrive there for 50 million years, so you don't have to break out the mukluks just yet. The "seam" in California (the crack where the two parts are sliding by one another) is called the San Andreas Fault. The west side of the fault is sliding past the east side at the rate of two inches per year. This is important for several reasons. For one thing, if you're putting down carpet in California, you definitely don't want to staple any over the San Andreas Fault. More important, the two parts of the state don't slide past each other smoothly. Instead, they get snagged, like when you're trying to get past a tree in the forest and a branch catches on your pants. What happens next? The same thing that sometimes happens when you try to get your pants leg loose. You tug and tug until it breaks loose and you topple over backward. In California, as the two pieces of the state try unsuccessfully to get past one another, the pressure builds up more and more. Then blammo, something snaps and it's earthquake city. Unfortunately for Californians, that could happen a lot sooner than 50 million years. ~source used: "Know It All" by Ed Zotti~  |  IP: Logged

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