my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon   » Useless Fact's (Page 52)

This topic comprises 88 pages: 1  2  3  ...  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  ...  86  87  88

Author Topic: Useless Fact's Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 07-07-2005 10:58 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What's the ratio of introverts to extroverts in the human population? Introverts draw their energy from themselves, while extroverts are motivated to action by being with others. The assumption that introverts are shy and socially awkward is incorrect; introverts can be and often are confident and assertive. According to the links in the Personality category, extroverts make up 60% to 75% of the population, and introverts make up the remainder. This might explain society's alleged preference toward extroverted behavior. One introvert vented his frustration in an essay entitled "The Tyranny of the Extroverts." Introverts shouldn't fret, though -- even though they're outnumbered, 60% of gifted children are believed to be "on their team." [ 07-08-2005, 02:08 PM: 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 07-08-2005 02:08 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Is it illegal to drive barefoot? We visited the links in the Driving category to answer your question. While most driving schools recommend wearing proper footwear while operating a vehicle, we were unable to find any specific laws against driving sans shoes. The Urban Legends Pages groups illegal barefoot driving with other transportation myths, like the one about sea captains performing marriages and American interstates being designed for use as emergency landing strips. Laws appear to vary by state. We can confirm that in California and Michigan, it's legal to drive barefoot, but not recommended. The AAA Digest of Motor Laws will likely be able to answer any other state-specific questions.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 07-08-2005 08:19 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Who's the guy wearing the hat on the back of the $2 bill? We assume you're referring to the 1976 version of the $2 bill that features John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" painting, and turned to the links in the Paper Money category to help us unswer your question. Created between 1788 and 1795, the painting memorializes the document's historic signing. However the scene didn't actually take place as depicted. Trumbull included all the key players in his painting, whether or not they supported independence, and whether or not they actually signed. Twenty-five years after he finished the painting, Trumbull identified the man in the Quaker hat as Stephen Hopkins, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and first governor of Rhode Island. But in the 1940s, Trumbull's original sketch of Hopkins was discovered. It called into question the identity of the man in the wide-brimmed hat. Art historian Irma Jaffe concludes the mysterious man was actually John Dickinson, a Pennsylvania Quaker opposed to independence. A commission from the Rhode Island Governor's Office investigated the claim and agreed with Jaffe's findings. Maybe John Trumbull intended to be vague. Or maybe he was pulling a joke. He certainly showed a sense of humor when he painted John Adams stepping on Thomas Jefferson's foot. Check it out on a two dollar bill.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-01-2005 05:21 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - How do car companies name their new models? From the Accord to the Zephyr, car manufacturers have come up with some pretty interesting names for their models. But finding a compelling name for a new car requires ingenuity, intensive research, and a little luck. Here's what we learned from the links in the Autos category: Some car companies hire a brand consulting firm to suggest model monikers. The consultants may come up with as many as 1,000 names, which they winnow down to a few to present to the client. Other times, the name is developed by employees of the car company. Sometimes, the code name for a model under development becomes the final name, as in the case of the Chrysler Crossfire. Over at Honda, a product planner came up with the name Insight for Honda's first hybrid vehicle. At Chrysler Canada Ltd., all members of the team developing a new model take part in naming it. Other manufacturers use the results of focus groups and consumer research, which can indicate names car buyers feel more favorable toward. Car makers that want to emphasize the name of the make rather than the model (such as Lexus and BMW) may choose simple alphanumerics for names -- some combination of letters and numbers or just letters  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-07-2005 08:45 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Does a vodka martini really taste better when shaken instead of stirred? We turned to the links in the Cocktails category to answer your question. The vodka martini (shaken not stirred, mind you) -- the one drink that's impossible to order without looking like a pompous jerk. Thanks 007, way to ruin a good thing for the rest of us. But still, it does beg the question, why does the secret agent like his drink this particular way? Does it really taste better, or is Bond just a high-maintenance nightmare? First off, it's important to note that we're talking about a vodka martini (as opposed to a regular martini, which is made with gin). Now as to whether or not it tastes better when shaken, it really depends on how you like your drinks. The oft-quoted Straight Dope notes that shaken martinis are colder, "sharper," and because the vermouth dissolves when shaken, have a "less oily mouth feel." So it comes down to matter of taste. We suggest donning your finest dinner jacket and strolling down to your local watering hole to see which you prefer (assuming you're of legal age). Just don't be surprised if the bartender rolls his eyes when you place your order.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-08-2005 08:30 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Is it possible to improve eyesight naturally? Several links in the Eyesight category helped us answer your question. While there's a lot written on the subject, most of the "articles" are selling products and should be taken with a grain of salt. We couldn't find any official medical studies supporting the idea that eyesight can be improved naturally. That said, your vision can get better -- it doesn't have to be a slow descent to bifocals. Perhaps the most effective way to help your vision is by reducing eyestrain. Long uninterrupted hours spent staring at a computer monitor, television, or book lock your eye muscles in position, causing them to tire. You may want to consider re-arranging your workstation to position your monitor correctly, reduce poor lighting and glare, and make sure your posture is squared away ergonomically. It's also very important to take "vision breaks" -- glancing across the room or out the window every 15 minutes or so. Other suggestions include closing your eyes periodically, blinking a lot, and using artificial tears.  |  IP: Logged Dieter Depypere Master Film Handler Posts: 343 From: Deutsch-Wagram, Lower Austria, Austria Registered: May 2005 posted 08-11-2005 06:04 AM                     Rated G (hopefully ) Only few know, how much one must know, in order to know how few one knows.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-12-2005 02:55 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What makes SuperBalls bounce so high? At the risk of making an unpaid endorsement, we think no childhood is complete without (accidentally) chucking a SuperBall into mom's crystal display case. Indeed, when it comes to instigating pure household chaos, nothing tops these wee bouncing balls of anarchy. So what gives SuperBalls their tremendous power? We leaped over to Vintage Toys category for some answers. Toymaker Wham-O claims their SuperBall is made of something called "Zectron." Hmm, "Zectron" sounds a lot like some made-up Willy Wonka word rather than real scientific material. It turns out Zectron is legit, combining polybutadiene with sulfur. It was discovered by the ball's inventor, Norman Stingley. Like the adhesive behind Post-It Notes, this new rubber compound wasn't an intentional invention, but the material's ability to rebound 90 percent when greatly compressed led Stingley to believe he had a hit toy on his hands. And, of course, he was right.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-14-2005 05:40 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - If someone with a pacemaker dies, does their heart keep beating? According the the Arrhythmia category, No. A pacemaker can only stimulate an irregularly beating heart, not a dead one. The pacemaker would almost certainly be triggered, since it would detect the absence of a regular heartbeat, but it would be to no avail. Your heartbeat is a bioelectrical process, instigated by a mass of specialized cells in the top of the right atrium called the sinoatrial (or SA) node. When this "natural" pacemaker sends an electrical charge through a heart chamber, the chamber contracts. A pacemaker is a small mechanical device implanted underneath the skin that monitors this biolectrical process. If a heart is beating abnormally (say, slower than usual), it discharges a steady series of shocks to stabilize it. No doubt you're familiar with the dramatic scenes in medical dramas involving heart defibrillators and lots of shouts of "CLEAR!" These devices only work if the patient's heart is in fibrillation, which is a random twitching generated when a specific part of the heart starts to die. There's still electricity there, it's just uncoordinated.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-14-2005 06:05 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - How many people do you have to kill to be considered a serial killer? The public's strange fascination with these monsters goes back to the days of Jack the Ripper -- possibly even further. Quantifying what it takes to be considered a serial killer is about as morbid a question as we've ever tackled. As it turns out, the number of murders committed is just one of several criteria that must be met before a murderer is classified as a serial killer. First, to answer your immediate question, the alleged killer must have committed three or more murders, according to several sites from the Criminology category. Second, there must be a cooling off period between the slayings, when the killer returns to "normal behavior" to avoid suspicion. And third, "there is frequently -- but not always -- a sexual element to their crimes." Serial killers are often confused with mass murderers. Whereas serial killers commit their acts over a long period of time, mass murderers kill many people at once. There are two types of serial killers according to the FBI -- organized and disorganized. Depending on the type of killer, there may or may not be a motive or logic to their criminal pattern. Organized serial killers plot their killings carefully and are typically of above average intelligence while disorganized serial killers act far more impulsively and as a result, are usually captured far more quickly  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-14-2005 06:07 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Can dogs really sense natural disasters before they actually happen? We visited the links in the Natural Disasters and Hazards category to answer your question. There is much folklore and anecdotal evidence surrounding the ability of dogs, as well as other animals, to predict weather and natural disasters. Observations of animals abandoning an area right before tragedy strikes have abounded for centuries. Accounts of such animal behavior prior to the recent tsunami in south Asia, coupled with the surprising lack of animal carcasses found in the aftermath, has revived speculation about four-legged forecasting. One possibility is that many animals, including dogs, can detect sounds inaudible to humans, as well as ground vibrations, both of which were likely generated by the massive quake that preceded the giant waves. Regarding dogs specifically, a Japanese medical doctor in 2003 claimed public health records showed accounts of excessive dog barking before the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Seismologists, however, were skeptical. One former United States Geological Survey geologist claims he can predict earthquakes by monitoring the number of missing pet ads in the newspapers of earthquake-prone areas. A three-year study, however, showed no correlation. While evidence of dogs' ability to predict natural disasters is inconclusive, evidence of their ability to predict the aftereffects of such catastrophes is more robust. When asked what conditions would be like after the next Big One, many dogs replied, "Ruff."  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 10-07-2005 07:28 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why don't your palms and the bottoms of your feet get tan in the sun? Actually the palms and soles will darken if they get enough sun, at least according to some links in the Tanning category. And there's the rub. The palms and especially soles are not usually as exposed to as much sun as other parts of your body. But that's not the sole reason for lack of the tan hand, the palms and soles have a thicker layer of dead skin to the point of callouses which block the sun light from getting to the lower levels where the melanin is. Melanin is the pigment which "tanning" causes the skin to produce as a protection from the sun. And finally there is just less melanin in the palms and soles than other parts, mostly because the palms and soles aren't usually exposed to the sun and do not need that protection. Which brings us full circle. The callous on palms and skin is developed as a protection against friction as those parts rub against things more than other parts. Which brings us semi-circle, or somewhere.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 10-07-2005 07:31 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Is the phrase "beer before liquor, never sicker" accurate, and if so, why? According to some links in the Drinking category, there are two schools of thought on this question. One school of thought: Mixing drinks confuses the body detoxification system, so stick to the same drink. This means beer OR liquor. A second school of thought: The saying "Beer before liquor, never been sicker; liquor before beer, never fear" is actually true. Beer is carbonated so it absorbs alcohol more quickly. This is clearly a belief system and not an exact science. By the way the phrases, "beer before liquor never been sicker" and "liquor before beer and you’re in the clear" are English proverbs. You will probably find if you drink alot of water prior to drinking as well as a glass of water between drinks you will greatly reduce the severity of hangovers. However, with alcohol there can’t be an exact science because every "body" reacts differently to the substance.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 10-07-2005 07:45 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What determines the "visions" a person sees resulting from drug-related hallucinations? We visited the links in the Drug Facts category to answer your question. If you're asking what determines the content of the visions, that's depends on each individual's subconscience. People may experience similar symptoms, i.e. fear, paranoia, euphoria.The actual visions vary on what each individual might fear, be paranoid about or what makes them happy. If you are deathly afraid of say, chairs, before you take hallucinogen, then you might have visions of hugely ferocious chairs attacking you. If the idea of Santa Claus makes you very happy, then you might have a vision of a Santa Claus type benefactor. Again, it depends on the individual's psychological make-up as to what determines the content of visions or hallucinations.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 10-07-2005 10:13 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why do diabetics avoid consuming sucrose while continuing to consume other carbohydrates? Diabetics have to be careful in consumption of all carbohydrates. They do have to consume some carbohydrates, as glucose is the “fuel” on which metabolism runs. Ultimately, all carbohydrates are converted to glucose before we can metabolize it to produce energy. On the other hand, diabetics need to control the rate at which glucose is introduced into blood, so that blood glucose level does not become too high. In non-diabetics, this is taken care of automatically; the more glucose is introduced into the blood, the more insulin is produced, causing it to be metabolized as quickly as necessary to keep the blood glucose level within reasonable limits. In diabetics, either the ability to produce insulin is impaired, or else the ability to use insulin is impaired, or both; and it becomes easy for their blood glucose levels to rise too high, which will tend to lead to some rather nasty complications. The rate at which carbohydrates are digested and processed into sugar in our blood is about as important as the actual amount of carbohydrates. Glucose doesn't need to be converted. It goes straight into our blood and immediately, directly affects our blood sugar levels. Other types of sugars take a tiny bit longer, to be processed into glucose, so their impact on our blood glucose level is somewhat more spread out. More complex carbohydrates, such as starches, take longer to be processed into glucose, so their effect on our blood glucose levels are even slower. Other components of the food in which the carbohydrates are found may also affect the rate at which these carbohydrates are digested and processed into glucose. In general, the more slowly this happens, the better.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 88 pages: 1  2  3  ...  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  ...  86  87  88

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.