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Author
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Topic: Useless Fact's
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 01-31-2006 08:55 AM
Rated G ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Useless fact - When purchasing a new car, is there a grace period in which you can return the car?
Some manufacturers have, at one time or another, advertised deals in which the purchaser could return a new car for a complete refund; Saturn did that initially, though I don't believe they still offer it.
Some states have "lemon laws" that allow a purchaser to return a car if it meets some pre-determined level of problems, spends an excessive amount of time being repaired, or some other criteria. Apart from that, there are no laws I am aware that allow a purchaser to return a car without the dealerships approval. But there's a thing called a "roll back", "rewind". When you purchase and finance a car at a dealership, the finance company basically purchases the car and holds onto the title as a lien. Sometimes when selling a vehicle to someone who has bad credit, the finance manager will attempt to finance the customer within certain guidelines/stipulations set by the actual financing companies without first getting the financing companies approval. This can occur if it is late at night or during the weekend. The finance manager will assume based on down payment and other financial data if a customer can buy a car based on the financial company's guidelines. Sometimes the financial company will turn down the application afterwards. At which point a "roll back", "rewind" occurs and the customer has to return the vehicle.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-05-2006 07:33 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - How does bone marrow produce blood?
Red blood cells, which make up the bulk of blood, are produced from stem cells in the bone marrow. Stem cells reproduce in bone marrow and provide the raw material from which red blood calls can be produced.
A pluripotential (undifferentiated) stem cell goes through the change stages and becomes a unipotential stem cell, which is to say it is now a specialized cell destined to become a specific type of blood cell. After going through a few more stages it is released from the bone marrow, and ultimately becomes an erythrocyte, or mature red blood cell.
White blood cells, which are actually immune cells, are also produced in bone marrow from pluripotential stem cells, but go through different stages to eventually become one of the six types of immune cells classified as white blood cells.
There are other components in blood: plasma (the liquid component), platelets, etc., which are produced by other specialized cells. Plasma is 90% water, but also contains other proteins, like albumin, that are produced by specialized marrow cells.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-05-2006 07:38 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - How can planets and stars have any influence on a person's life on Earth?
Most of the so-called rules of astrology were laid down more than 2,000 years ago, when people understood much less than today and were highly superstitious. Seers used all sorts of signs to reveal events that affected people's lives. (The only one I think had any merit was that feeding the sacred geese well usually resulted in good- quality goose liver pate.) The planets and stars have shifted relative to the earth, some by a significant factor, since these rules were formulated. While day, night, the brightness of the moon and the tides can affect humans directly, the positions and physical effects of other heavenly bodies have no measurable connection with happenings on Earth. If we even presume that the positions of the planets and stars have an influence on our behaviour and lives, astronomical changes have made these ancient rules obsolete and, with them, today's astrological forecasts. If you read the astrology column in a newspaper, you will certainly find that most of the predictions are worded so vaguely they could be 'correct' in just about any situation.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-06-2006 09:56 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
It's either orange or yellow. Such bright colors make the 'black' box easier to locate in the event of an air crash than, say, had it been actually black. Traditionally, black boxes are placed in the tail of the aircraft. In this position, the entire front of the aircraft acts as a "crush zone" to reduce the shock that reaches the recorder. Also, modern black boxes are double wrapped, in strong corrosion-resistant stainless steel or titanium, with high-temperature insulation inside. Additionally, since they are often crushed into unreadable pieces, or never located, some modern units are self-ejecting, and brightly colored (yellow or orange), with radio and sonar beacons (Underwater locator beacon, ULB, pinging at 37.5 KHz). FAA regulations require both recorders to withstand 1100 ° C for thirty minutes, the water pressure at 20,000 feet deep and 3,400 gravities for 6.5 ms. Black boxes are often poorly maintained, because they are not critical to flight and have six-year batteries. FAA regulations do not require a regular test. There is a growing sentiment that they should be reliable, solid-state digital systems (a digital flight data recorder).
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-07-2006 07:35 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Where does the legend of werewolves come from?
Also known as Lycanthropy, the word comes from the Greek lykoi, "wolf", and anthropos, "man".
The legend of the werewolf is one of the most ancient and wide spread. Stories of werewolves can be found as far back as history has been written. These shape-shifter myths can be found all over the word from China to Iceland and Brazil to Haiti.
Some of the earliest accounts of werewolves come from Romania and Greek sources. Ovid, in the Metamorphoses, told of King Lycaeon, who was visited by passing gods. Not believing them to be true gods he decided to test them by serving human flesh in one of the many dishes served at a banquet in their honor. Cannibalism being very frowned upon in that part of the world was a major slight indeed. Upon discovering the tainted dish, the gods changed King Lycaeon into a werewolf -- since he obviously liked human flesh, the wolf form would be a more acceptable form to take part in such a vile activity
The most widely known story of the werewolf would be Little Red Riding Hood. There are many ancient were tales to worn the fragile, small and easiest of targets -- children. Little Red Riding Hood features a wolf who talks to Little Red Riding Hood and then dresses in grandmas clothing to fool the innocent little girl. Not something any 'ol wolf could do.
The full moon has been linked to werewolves. Conversely, unlike movie werewolves, 'real' werewolves change shape voluntarily. In many myths they are witches who take animal form to travel unnoticed using either a potion made from magic ingredients - the fat of dead children, herbs, human blood - or an animal-skin. A 'real' werewolf changes completely, becoming the animal rather than a hairy human. The full moon business seems to be dramatic license. However it is an interesting notion since the full moon has been associated with creating madness in humans and to be a time during which man and beast have a magical connection.
As with witches, finding a werewolf largely seems to be a matter of looking hard enough. Some of the warning signs, according to the world's myths, are:
- Red hair
- Born on the 25th of December
- Eyebrows join in the middle
- Index and middle fingers are of the same length
- Love of rare or raw meat
- Hairs on the palms of the hands
- Hair on the inside of the skin (that seems like a tough one to check!)
- Will change back to a human if you throw a piece of iron or steel over its head when in animal form
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-08-2006 08:22 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Is it true that before the 17th century carrots used to be purple?
I thought this had to be some sort of urban legend, but apparently it's true. Originally carrots came in several colors, including white, purple, red, yellow, green and black. From as far back at the 10th Century, the crop grew purple in India, the Middle East and Europe, with its origins traced to Afghanistan. There are even reports that as long ago as 2000 BC, temple drawings from Egypt show a plant believed to be a purple carrot.
It was not until the 17th Century that they turned orange, when patriotic Dutch growers favored the color - as used on the national flag. Nowadays some supermarkets start to sell purple carrots. But the move is nothing new, the carrot is in fact returning to its roots.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-11-2006 10:16 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - What can I do to make my skin look clearer?
The first thing can do for your skin is to adjust your diet. A newspaper report a few years ago said that in cultures where no processed food (such as white flour based and refined products) are eaten, acne is almost unheard of. I came across this personal experience while looking for the answer: "I thought I'd give this a bash and swapped white bread for wholemeal, white rice for brown, white pasta for buckwheat, and cut out things like ready meals and fast food. Within two months I'd noticed such a big difference I'd go so far as to almost call it miraculous."
It's also worth making sure you keep your water consumption high (6-8 glasses a day, spread out evenly) and eating a variety of veg to get vitamins to help your skin to repair and renew and keep it hydrated and plumped up, which will make it look clearer. If you wear make-up, clean it off every night, and try to have one or two make up free days a week. Don't waste your time and money on huge amounts of harsh chemical filled products that promise miracles, they often do more harm than good by stripping the skin of natural oils and stimulating it to produce more. Stick to a simple cleansing and light moisturizing regime and keep tea tree oil handy to dab on individual spots and blemishes. Avoid long exposure to sun rays. Don't smoke, and avoid smoky environments, it's one of the worst things you can do for your skin.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-12-2006 08:18 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - Is it possible to safely lose 100 pounds in two months?
No. Even removing the word "safely," I'm not sure if it's even physically possible. Whenever you see quotes from a doctor (as opposed to a ridiculous fad diet), they seem to agree that a few pounds a week is best. Making for about 10 pounds a month, maybe 15 if you're really on a roll. That's for people who really want to do it the healthy way, make sure it's fat they're burning, and keep the weight off. "The healthy way" should be a combination of diet and exercise, and since muscle weighs more than fat, people who do it this way often prefer to measure inches lost instead of pounds lost. It is physically possible to lose weight at a faster rate (although your scenario still sounds extreme to me). But, when you lose weight too quickly it tends to be "water weight" that goes. The pounds don't stay off, you're not losing fat, and it's generally not healthy. In fact, your body's metabolism will go into "starvation mode," which will work directly against your attempts to lose weight. Too many dieters looking for a quick fix are thrilled to see results and then disappointed to see the weight come back so quickly.
The only scenario I know of where people lose weight at a much higher rate than normal is bariatric surgery (aka weight-loss surgery, stomach stapling, etc.). But this is only an option for people who are several hundreds of pounds overweight and really experiencing major health problems as a result. The jury's still out on whether it's "safe" or not, and I'm not qualified to answer either way. That's one you'll have to take up with a doctor.
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