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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 02-13-2006 10:26 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Who invented the deck of playing cards and when? I searched for a good while on this one, but no one seems to know WHO invented them. The origin of playing cards is also obscure, but it is almost certain that they began in China after the invention of paper. Ancient Chinese "money cards" have four "suits": coins (or cash), strings of coins (which may have been misinterpreted as sticks from crude drawings), myriads of strings, and tens of myriads. These were represented by ideograms, with numerals of 2-9 in the first three suits and numerals 1-9 in the "tens of myriads". The first cards may have been actual paper currency which were both the tools of gaming and the stakes being played for. The designs on modern Mahjong tiles and dominoes likely evolved from those earliest playing cards. The Chinese word "p'ai" is used to describe both paper cards and gaming tiles. In early games the kings were always the highest card in their suit. However, as early as the late 1400s special significance began to be placed on the nominally lowest card, now called the Ace, so that it sometimes became the highest card and the Two, or Deuce, the lowest. This concept may have been hastened in the late 1700s by the French Revolution, where games began being played "ace high" as a symbol of lower classes rising in power above the royalty. The term "Ace" itself comes from a dicing term in Anglo-Norman French, which is itself derived from the Latin as (the smallest unit of coinage). So, we may know a bit about origin of playing cards, but we may never know WHO to thank for the great invention. But at least we know it's not Hoyle, like many people think.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-13-2006 11:56 AM                        Rated G Bob Yesterdays "Factoid" Today's useless fact - Is it possible to safely lose 100 pounds in two months? No. That is rediculous! Of course you can! You just have to think a little unconventionally! For instance, you might ask yourself, "Do I really need these legs?" An incredibly obese person who cannot walk could easily shave 100 or more lbs just by removing a leg or two. Is it safe? Sure! doctors do amputations all the time. You just have to think outside the box.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-14-2006 08:28 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why do cats knead? To understand what it is doing, we have to understand what kittens do when they are young. When a kitten suckles, it will knead its mother's stomach with its tiny paws to stimulate the milk flow. This "milk-kneading" (as it is called) is done at a slow pace of about 1 stroke every 2 seconds. And the little kitten purrs loudly while kneading. What appears to happen when we sit down is that we look relaxed to our cat, signaling to it to hop up and start the milk-kneading activity. Our cat reverts to kittenhood and happily starts kneading.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-15-2006 01:11 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - When did drinking coffee become popular in the United States? Its popularity in North America began shortly after the Boston Tea party and American independence. Americans, wishing to be different and apart from their former rulers (and the rest of the world-- tea is favored in most of the eastern hemisphere), took up drinking coffee instead of drinking tea. Coffee has been there for cops, construction workers and nurses ever since.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-17-2006 01:49 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Can vitamins cause acne? Not directly. However, nutritional imbalance - an excess or lack of vitamins and minerals in your body - may contribute to the severity of acne. Such imbalances also cause physical stress that, along with psychological stress, may also be a factor. It is also important to eat a balanced diet and to avoid certain types of foods (e.g., those with a high fat content). Moderation and balance in your diet and in the use of supplements is the best approach. Some vitamins are considered beneficial to the skin and may help in ameliorating acne. However, you should use these with due caution. Vitamins A, D, and E are often claimed as being beneficial, but they are fat-soluble vitamins. Increasing their dosage should be managed with care. Overdoses or long-term overconsumption of Vitamin A, in particular, or D may lead to serious health problems.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-17-2006 02:01 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - How safe is LASIK eye surgery? What are the possible complications? LASIK eye surgery is generally considered to be a safe and effective method of treating near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism and millions of people undergo this procedure every year throughout the world. No surgery is without risks or complications, however, and this must be understood and accepted before making the decision. The most common side effects of LASIK eye surgery are dry eyes and glare. The incidence of these are debated between proponents and opponents of the surgery. The FDA considers the risks to be low enough to approve the technology required for LASIK (microkeratomes, excimer lasers, etc.) Safety can be increased by selecting a skilled surgeon using the best technology. Studies show that experience is one of the most important factors in selecting a surgeon.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-18-2006 07:29 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why doesn't the hair in our armpits keep on growing? Actually, your hair keeps growing throughout your life (excluding the upper scalp hair on some men). It's just that the hair follicles each have a programmed length to which the hair shaft will grow. When the shaft reaches that length, it falls out and a new one starts to grow. Obviously, for some follicles, this programmed length is longer than it is for others. That is why body hair is usually shorter than head hair. This is also why it is silly for a man to start worrying about going bald just because he sees some hairs in his brush. We are all constantly shedding hairs that have reached their maximum length. So, seeing a few hairs come off is normal. You only need to worry about it if you see an actual thinning of the hair.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-19-2006 08:49 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Does the Five Pointed Palm Heart Exploding technique from the movie Kill Bill vol.2 really exist? No. Although it might be possible that similar techniques work. The Straight Dope had an article about this. The facts are as follows: There are cases where people did die after being hit by a single blow, and it is likely that there are pressure points where a well-applied and strong enough hit manages to kill an otherwise healthy person by causing heart failure. However, to this day, nobody has been able to do the feat repeatedly - one cause might be that it's kinda hard to find volunteers for this kind of experiment. Experiments where the goal was to disable a person for a short amount of time were done, however, and were successful.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-20-2006 08:43 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What is the proper age for an infant to start crawling? It depends on the infant. Some start crawling as early as the 5th month (some as super early as the 3rd, but that's extremely rare) however, my neighbor's daughter did not start until she was 16 months. So there really is no "proper" age. If you are concerned about your child's development, tell your doctor. They well let you know whether or not there is a need to worry. Sometimes children just pay more attention to other skills to start crawling. Like my neighbor, - she was singing her ABCs and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" before her first birthday.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-21-2006 08:19 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What was the original name of The Seven-Up Company? 7Up (sometimes spelled Seven Up) is the brand name of a lemon-lime flavored soft drink produced by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. in the US (a division of Cadbury-Schweppes since 1995). 7Up itself was originally named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda". 7Up was created by C. L. Grigg who launched his company The Howdy Corporation in 1920. His original product was the Howdy Orange drink. Grigg tested several formulations and decided on one that he hoped could be marketed as distinctive and refreshing. There were roughly 600 other lemon-lime beverage brands sold in the US at the time. He launched his product two weeks before the 1929 Stock Market crash. 7Up was able to survive and become the market leader in the category by being one of the first to be nationally distributed as well as being marketed as more healthy than other sodas. Based on the success of the new drink, Grigg renamed his company to The Seven-Up Company in 1936. Grigg never explained the origin of the 7 Up name, hence many folklores were born about the name. The most popular one is that Grigg named the soft drink after he saw a cattle brand with the number "7" and the letter "u." Other rumors suggest that the name reflects the drink's seven flavors and carbonation, or that Grigg came up with the name while playing dice.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-22-2006 07:31 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why does Rome have so many cats roaming about? Stray cats are very well-protected in Rome. Italy has a no-kill law, meaning no euthanasia for stray animals. Combine that with the fact that spaying and neutering are less common in Europe than in the USA, and you get... lots of stray cats! Besides, with two million rats in Rome they need as many cats. Both are honorary citizens of Rome. Apparently, the cats hang around tourist attractions in Rome and have become something of an attraction themselves. The city council in Rome has announced that the cats are part of the city's heritage, and that they are committed to protecting them. The Italians adore their cats, always have and always will. There is a whole staff of volunteers who feed them and receive minimal compensation for their time. And I imagine the occasional cat-loving tourist will feed them too.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-23-2006 03:12 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What causes "brain freeze"? "Brain freeze" is the pain sometimes inflicted by devouring something cold like ice cream or a cold beverage, often very quickly. The reaction is (obviously) triggered by the cold ice cream or beverage; coming into contact with the roof of the mouth. It triggers nerves that give the brain the impression of a very cold environment. To heat up the brain again, blood vessels start to swell, which causes the headache-like pain for approximately 30 seconds. The temperature change in the roof of the mouth has to be rather drastic; this is why brain freeze often occurs on warm days. The pain can be relieved by putting the tongue to the roof of the mouth, which logically will heat it up.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-27-2006 08:15 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Are 'light' or 'mild' cigarettes lesss harmful than normal cigarettes? 'Light' or 'mild' cigarettes have been found to be just as harmful as other cigarettes. Nicotine is powerfully addictive and the smoker's brain seeks to ensure a desired level of nicotine is maintained in the blood. Smokers consequently adapt their smoking behavior to ensure they inhale enough smoke to achieve a satisfactory nicotine 'hit'. When a smoker cuts down the number of cigarettes they smoke, or uses light cigarettes, they're likely to 'compensate' by taking more or deeper puffs, smoking the cigarette further down to the butt, smoking more cigarettes, holding the smoke in their lungs for a longer time, or by unwittingly blocking ventilation holes in the filter of light cigarettes with fingers, saliva or lips having experienced greater 'satisfaction' when doing so. By increasing their intake of nicotine, smokers also take in more tar.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-27-2006 10:43 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why is there a worm in some tequila bottles? It is illegal for a bottle of liquor to bear the name "Tequila" and also contain a worm. The drink that has worms in and is often confused with tequila is mezcal, a related but different beverage produced in Mexico. The grub in question is the agave worm (gusano rojo) and there are several theories about its presence in the bottle. One of these is that the worm guarantees the strength of the distilled spirit. Another is that the worm is supposed to endow special powers and is said to have hallucinogenic properties. The originator of this practice was a man named Jacobo Lozano Paez. In 1940, while tasting prepared agave, he and his partner found that the worm changed the taste of the agave. (Agave worms are sometimes found in the pina after harvesting, a sign of badly chosen, infested, agave). While consumption of it has become somewhat of a young man's rite of passage, it is, in essence, a marketing ploy. Some brands associated with containing the worm are 'Gusano de Oro', 'Gusano Rojo', and 'Dos Gusanos'. Yes, they have a worm.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-27-2006 10:45 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - How and when did Japan receive its name? The English word for Japan came to the west from early trade routes. The early Mandarin Chinese word for Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. The two Chinese characters may be translated as "origin of the sun" or "land of the rising sun". However, the Cantonese word for Japan, from which the word Japan was probably originally born, is Jatbun. In Malay the Cantonese word became Japang and was thus encountered by Portuguese traders in Malacca in the 16th century. It is thought the Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word to Europe. It was first recorded in English in 1577 spelled Giapan. The Japanese flag is called Hinomaru (circle of the sun). The red circle on the white background symbolizes the sun.  |  IP: Logged

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