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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 02-20-2003 12:38 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What is the origin of the legend that storks bring babies? This legend started in Germany and Sweden long ago. Every spring, white storks return to Europe from their wintering grounds in Africa. Upon their return, the storks seek out suitable nesting sites to raise their young. Frequently, they build their large nests on high chimneys or rooftops. Since the storks return every spring, the citizens believed that they brought good luck and that a stork's nest on top of one's house was a sign of good fortune or fertility for the occupants. To avoid telling young children the facts of life, adults would explain that storks deliver babies and that mother needed bed rest after the delivery because she was bitten by the bird. Storks can be quite heartless parents. If food supplies are low, the youngest born hatchlings will usually starve to death and be cast from the nest, or even be eaten by an indifferent parent! ~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 02-22-2003 12:40 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - So what's the difference between a frog and a toad? Some "authorities,"such as Webelo troop masters and various witches stirring bubbling cauldrons,will swear up and down that there's an absolute,clear-cut distinction between these two groups of amphibians,but they're mistaken. From the standpoint of anatomy,metabolism,and evolutionary lineage,frogs and toads are basically one and the same;serious herpetologists make no formal distinction. To them,they're all frogs,members of the multitudinous order "Anura".The word "toad" is a bit of sloppy—albeit handy—slang that we have long used to describe those homely members of the family "Bufonidae",creatures that tend to have drier,wartier skin,a squatter physique,less pronounced foot-webbing,and a preference for dry land. But even these general differences come with notable exceptions. For example, there are highly aquatic "toads" (like the Suriname toad), and there are any number of frogs (such as the barking tree frog) that avoid water altogether except to breed.There are warty frogs with dry hides, and slimy toads with webbed feet. To compound the imprecision, sometimes a given species of amphibian might be known as a frog in one locality,and a toad three counties over. Not only are toads not toads,technically speaking,some of them aren't even frogs—such as the horny toad, which is actually a lizard.For all of these reasons,insists San Diego herpetological authority Chuck Crumley of the San Diego Natural History Museum,"the whole frog/toad dichotomy is without scientific validity.It's artificial,it's slangy, and it's imprecise!"By God,let's put a stop to it. ~source used:"Why Moths Hate Thomas Edison" by Hampton Sides~ [ 02-25-2003, 07:03 AM: Message edited by: Bob Maar ]  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-24-2003 09:07 AM                        Rated G Useful fact - Early Clocks: Throughout the ages, people have striven to find better ways of keeping track of time. In the Middle Ages hourglasses were rarely used and sundials were inadequate when skies were cloudy. Strange methods were used to circumvent these problems. England's King Alfred the Great, for example, carried a supply of candles of equal lengths. He lit each in turn to mark the passage of the hours. The invention of the mechanical clock was influenced by monks who lived in monasteries that were the epitome of order and routine. They had to keep accurate time so that monastery bells could be rung at regular intervals to announce the seven hours of the day reserved for prayer. Early clocks were nothing more than a weight tied to a rope wrapped around a revolving drum. Time was determined by watching the length of the weighted rope. The discovery of the pendulum in the seventeenth century led to a proliferation of clocks and enormous public clocks. Eventually, keeping time turned into serving time and rationing time. People started to follow the mechanical time of clocks rather than their natural body time. They ate at meal time, rather than when they were hungry, and went to bed when it was time, rather than when they were sleepy. Even periodicals and fashions became "yearly." The world had become orderly. A common expression was "regular as clockwork." Even today, our society is preoccupied with time. We all have numerous clocks, watches, and calendars. Perhaps it's not all bad. As an anonymous author said, "Time is God's way of keeping everything from happening at once." ~source used: "Do Fish Drink Water?" by Bill McLain~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-24-2003 11:16 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Does champagne get you drunk faster than non-bubbly wine? Yes, and there are two reasons for it, not even factoring in the fact that many people think it tastes better and therefore drink more of it. The first is chemical: The carbon dioxide in the bubbles of sparkling wine moves alcohol more quickly into the bloodstream. The second reason is contextual: People don't usually drink champagne unless they're celebrating something, so the giddiness of the moment can have them half-drunk even without the direct effects of the alcohol. ~source used: "Just Curious Jeeves"by Erin Barrett & Jack Mingo~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-25-2003 07:05 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Horse Racing: Horse racing is one of the most ancient sports,originating in Central Aisia among prehistoric nomadic tribesmen around 4500 B.C.When humans began keeping written records,horse racing was already an organized sport throughout the world.Chariot and mounted horse racing were not only popular in the Greek Olympics almost 700 years before Christ,but also became an obsession in the Roman Empire. When the Crusades were over in the twelfth century,many returning English knights rode fast Arabian horses.For the next 400 years,more and more Arabian stallions were imported and bred with English mares to produce horses that had both speed and stamina.The nobility enjoyed wagering on two horse races. During Queen Anne's reign in the early 1700s,more horses were used in races and the spectators were allowed to bet on the outcome.Race courses proliferated all over England and large purses were offered to attrack the best horses. The sport expanded so rapidly that in 1750 the Jockey Club was formed to govern the races.To this day,the Jockey Club has complete control over horse racing in England. ~source used: "Do Fish Drink Water?" by Bill McLain~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-26-2003 03:28 PM                        G Useless fact - How do time-release medications work? The first time-release medication was probably just a sugar- coated pill;the coating did not dissolve and release the bitter medicine until it was safely past the mouth. Many time-release medications,like Contac, Introduced In 1961, are based on that fairly simple idea:small amounts of the medication are coated with varying thicknesses of soluble material;the thicker the coating,the longer it takes to dissolve in the body.If exactly the right number of pellets of exactly the right thicknesses is in each capsule,the dose is released gradually over a fairly predictable period. However, the release actually takes place in tiny spurts,not continuously.Some drugs that can be absorbed through the skin, like nitroglycerine,can be put in patches that release the drug both slowly and constantly.One system to deliver scopolamine to fight seasickness uses a disk with an impermeable backing,an ultrathin reservoir holding the drug,a membrane with microscopic pores to control the drug release and an adhesive surface to hold it on the skin.Some drugs,like hormone implants used as birth control,use a similar system in pellets implanted in fatty tissue under the skin. A recently patented timed delivery system for a drug that does not dissolve in water uses a pair of separated compartments. One compartment contains a polymer that draws water into the pill through a semipermeable membrane.The inflow of water increases pressure within the pill, pushing medication out of the other compartment through a tiny hole. ~source used: "The 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 02-27-2003 09:48 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - How do bill changers tell that the money isn't counterfeit? Many of the specific techniques machines use to detect counterfeitmoney are closely guarded secrets,since once counterfeiters know how the machines work, they try to foil them. But two common means of identifying paper money are magnetic sensing and optical sensing. Inks used to print notes have certain magnetic properties, which can be sensed by a magnetic head in a bill changer. A computer can recognize the electronic signature of specific tracks along the money and accept or reject it. In optical sensing,light is passed through or reflected from a bill.Some inks absorb light and others reflect it.The computer can analyze these patterns and determine if the bill is acceptable.In either case, the scanning takes about one second. ~source used: "The 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 02-28-2003 05:58 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Does ketchup always contain tomato sauce? Nowadays pretty much so, but that hasn't always been true. In fact,"ke-tsiap" was originally developed by the Chinese in 1690 from pickled fish,shellfish,and spices.The tangy sauce spread (slowly,of course,and with great anticipation)to Malaysia and Singapore,where British sailors discovered itbeing eaten under the name "kechap". When the Brits brought back samples,English chefs tried to duplicate the sauce's texture and flavor with mushrooms,walnuts, cucumbers,and whatever else they had available.But ketchup still had no tomatoes,which were believed by much of the world to be poisonous. Finally, in 1792,a recipe for "Tomata Catsup"appeared in a New England cookbook, "The New An of Cookery" by Richard Brigg. ~source used: "Just Curious Jeeves" by Erin Barrett & Jack Mingo~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-01-2003 01:15 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What Use Is the Appendix to Us? What Use Are Our Tonsils to Us? Actually, tonsils and the appendix do have much in common. They are both lymphoid organs that manufacture white blood cells. William P. Jollie, professor and chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University,explains the potential importance of the appendix: "One type of white blood cell is the lymphocyte;it produces antibodies,proteins that distinguish between our own body proteins and foreign proteins,called antigens.Antibodies, produced by lymphocytes,deactivate antigens.Lymphocytes come in two types:B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes.T-lymphocytes originate in the thymus.There is some evidence to suggest that B-lymphocytes originate in the appendix,although there is also evidence that bone marrow serves this purpose." If our appendix is so important in fighting infections,how can we sustain its loss? Luckily, other organs,such as the spleen, also manufacture sufficient white blood cells to take up the slack. Some doctors even suggest that the purpose of the appendix (and the tonsils) might be to serve as a lightning rod and actually attract infections. By doing so, the theory goes, infections are localized in one spot that isn't critically important to the functioning of the body. This lightning-rod theory is supported, of course, by the sheer numbers of people who encounter problems with appendix and tonsils compared to surrounding organs. Accounts vary on whether patients with extracted tonsils and/or appendix are any worse off than those lugging them around. It seems that medical opinion on whether it is proper to extract tonsils for mild cases of tonsillitis in children varies as much and as often as hemlines on women's skirts. Patients in the throes of an appendicitis attack do not have the luxury of contemplation. ~source used: "Do Penguins Have Knees?" by David Feldman~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-10-2003 06:09 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why is that square enclosure used by boxers called a "ring"? In the early days of professional fistfighting,groups of fighters would travel from town to town challenging the local men. The fighters would arrange a few of the spectators in a circle and have them hold a ring of rope.Any man wishing to challenge one of the boxers would "toss his hat into the ring." The bout would then take place in this early boxing "ring."As the number of spectators increased,the hand-held ring no longer sufficed,and it became necessary to fashion an enclosure by attaching ropes to stakes driven into the ground.Four stakes were normally used,which produced a square enclosure,but it continued to be called a boxing ring. ~source used: "Ever Wonder Why?" by Douglas B. Smith~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-10-2003 11:45 AM                        Rated G Useless Fact - Why did the dead in Europe use to be buried with their heads to the west? At one time it was believed that this practice, which was prevalent in northern Europe up until a century ago, was to ensure that on Judgment Day the dead would rise facing Jesus, who would arrive from the east. According to Matthew 24:27, "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." However, this custom predates Christianity by several hundred years. It is now believed that the practice originated with early sun worshipers who wanted their resurrected to be facing the rising sun. ~source used: "Ever Wonder Why?" by Douglas B. Smith~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-11-2003 07:28 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - "Live" TV and radio call-in talk shows? Almost everyone knows dial most big television shows are taped rather than live. But many are unaware that "call-in" shows on TV or radio - that is, programs during which listeners are invited to telephone the host or guests with on-the-spot questions—are not so "live" as they appear to be. Because of fear that a caller may use language not regarded as suitable or that may invite a lawsuit for slander, almost all such programs use a tape delay." In radio, the caller's comments are put on tape which is held back for some five to seven seconds before being put on the air. A technician or director in the control booth can thus hear what is said before it gets on the air and invoke such censorship as is deemed expedient. Television call-in shows achieve the same result by slightly different means: two machines, one of which does the recording and then feeds the program material, after the requisite delay, to the machine that broadcasts it, Those who have called such programs and have wondered why they are always asked to turn off the radio or television set while they are talking now know the real reason. It has nothing to do with "audio interference" or "feedback" in the usual senses. Rather, a person watching or listening to himself or herself saying on the air what has actually been said several seconds before is likely to become so disoriented as to lapse into incoherence. ~source used: "More MisInformation" by Tom Burnam ~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-11-2003 07:53 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Do Penguins Have Knees? They sure do, although they are discreetly hidden underneath their feathers. Anatomically, all birds' legs are pretty much alike, although the dimensions of individual bones vary a great deal among species. Penguins,like other birds, have legs divided into three segments. The upper segment,the equivalent of our thigh,and the middle segment,the equivalent of our shinbone,or the drumstick of a chicken,are both quite short in penguins. When we see flamingos, or other birds with long legs, they appear to possess a knee turned backwards, but these are not the equivalent of a human knee. Penguins, flamingos, and other birds do have knees, with patellas (knee caps) that bend and function much like their human counterparts. The backwards joint that we perceive as a knee in flamingos actually separates the bird equivalent of the ankle from the bones of the upper foot. The area below the backwards joint is not the lower leg but the upper areas of the foot. In other words, penguins (and other birds) stand on their toes,like ballet dancers. Penguins are birds, of course, but their element is water rather than sky. Penguins may waddle on land, but their legs help make them swimming machines.Penguins use their wings as propellers in the water, and their elongated feet act as rudders. So rest assured. Even if you can't see them, penguins have legs (with knees).And they know how to use them. ~source used: "Do Penguins Have Knees?" by David Feldman~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-11-2003 01:50 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Do the planets really make a faint "music" that you can hear? It's a beautiful idea, this ancient notion of the "music of the spheres," but like so many beautiful ideas, it's hopelessly wrong. The Pythagorean mathematicians of ancient Greece are said to have been the ones who originated the theory that the planets and stars whirl about us with such elegance and perfect proportionality that they actually play an ethereal harmony that can be heard by the naked ear, if the stargazer is willing to listen intently enough (and drink enough wine). Of course this is entirely imaginary, the kind of rapturous sentiment that only a mathematics-crazed mystic could have dreamed up. The Pythagoreans argued that the cosmos was pleasingly purposeful, like a lyre strung up for our benefit, and we lucky earthlings were sitting in the sweet spot at the center of the whole celestial show. Even after Copernicus figured out that, on the contrary, the sun was at the hub of things, the idea of the music of the spheres wouldn't go away. "Give air to the heaven," wrote German astronomer Johannes Kepler in the late 1590s, "and truly and really there will be music . . . which pure spirits sense with no less enjoyment than man experiences when listening to musical chords." \ In his 'Harmonice Mundi' of 1619, Kepler went on to assign actual notes and harmonic relationships to the different planets, and this, in turn, inspired classical musicians from Johann Strauss to Gustav Hoist to attempt their own interpretations of the celestial spheres. Today, of course, we know that far from being serene, outer space is a place of volatility and crashing violence—dying stars, smashing asteroids, greedy black holes. We can't exactly hear any of this ruckus, since sound doesn't travel in the vacuum of space. The best astronomers can do is train their radio telescopes on the heavens, and when they do, they pick up a deafening cacophony of clicks and bumps and fizzes. It's a discordant world out there, more Johnny Rotten than Johann Strauss. ~source used: "Why Moths Hate Thomas Edison" by Hampton Sides~  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-12-2003 10:16 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Is it true that the Mormon Church used to consummate marriages at the temple during the marriage ceremony? Although it's an intriguing common bit of anti-Mormon propaganda, it's patently untrue. As with all temple rites, the church holds forth that marriage rites are "sacred, not secret." This was true in the early days of the Mormon Church and in today's temple as well. A Mormon marriage takes place in a room that's reserved only for the administration of marital rites (called a "sealing room"). The ceremony goes something like this: The (fully clothed) man and woman kneel down on a padded altar, not unlike the kneeling altar in Catholic churches, facing one another and holding hands while the priest (also fully clothed) recites vows. This all takes place in less than a minute and culminates in the priest asking the man and woman if they are sure they wish to be wed, asking if either person feels coerced into theunion. The priest then blesses the couple, makes wishes for them to spawn many children, and gives them a few quick reminders on how to create a happy marriage. After coming out of the sealing room, the couple exchanges rings and has a picture or two snapped, and that's it. Many modern couples choose to have a more traditional wedding ceremony and reception following the official temple marriage. ~source used: "Just Curious About History, Jeeves" by Erin Barrett & Jack Mingo~  |  IP: Logged

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