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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 03-18-2007 12:46 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What purpose do eyebrows serve? It seems the consensus is that eyebrows are there to keep the sweat and rain out of our eyes. Try running a couple of miles and having salty sweat run down in your eyes. You'll appreciate those little caterpillar- like things. Most scientists aren't sure why we lost most of the hair on our bodies as we evolved but retained the hair above our eyes. Their best guess is that the arch shape of the eyebrow diverts rain or sweat down our cheeks, keeping our eyes dry. This was an important feature for early man to retain. It's difficult to outrun a predator if you have sweat in your eyes and can't see where you're going. Eyebrows also help us to communicate. Sometimes a raised eyebrow is more effective than words. So aside from providing a convenient location for a facial piercing, it appears that eyebrows actually do serve a purpose.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-19-2007 01:28 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - How do astronauts sleep in the International Space Station? Do they use beds? There are a variety of ways astronauts can sleep in space, depending on the mission and personal preference. Since there is no "up" in space, they can comfortably sleep vertically as well as horizontally. On space shuttle missions, they often sleep in their seats, in sleeping bags attached to the walls of the shuttle, or by tethering themselves to the walls. However, in the new International Space Station, astronauts sleep in the Habitation Module, which features sleeping bags attached vertically to the module walls. Since the Space Station temperature is maintained at a comfortable 72 degrees Fahrenheit, the preferred sleeping attire is a T-shirt and shorts. And, just in case you were wondering, microphones have officially proven that astronauts can snore in space (previously, researchers weren't certain if gravity was required for snoring).  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-20-2007 07:04 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What's the story behind Easter Island? Rapa Nui -- christened "Easter Island" by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen because he first arrived there on Easter Day in 1722 -- is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. It's 2,300 miles from Chile and 2,500 miles from Tahiti. The nearest land is Pitcairn Island (population 54) about 1,400 miles away. The island was colonized by Chile in the late 19th century and remains a Chilean possession. In Chile, the official name for the island is Isla de Pascua, and the islanders call it both Rapa Nui (Great Rapa) and Te Pito te Henua (the navel of the world). Aside from its isolation, Easter Island is best known for the giant stone heads called moai that dot the otherwise barren landscape. Almost 900 moai exist, and they average 13 feet tall and nearly 14 tons in weight. They were probably erected between 1400 and 1600 AD. Most researchers believe the moai represent important ancestors, such as chiefs. It doesn't appear that the statues were worshipped, but they may have acted as spiritual conduits between the people and their gods. Unfortunately, little of the culture that created the moai remains. Between 1600 and 1722, the island's population decreased dramatically. Evidence suggests that deforestation and soil depletion lead to food shortages, causing the population decrease. After European contact, Easter Island's history took an even darker turn. Peruvian slavers kidnapped about one-third of the island's population in the mid-19th century. These slavers also brought smallpox to the Rapa Nui people. In 1888, Chile claimed possession of Easter Island. Later, a Chilean business turned the island into a sheep ranch. Native islanders were treated like prisoners, and it wasn't until 1916 that the company's rule was overthrown. The Chilean Navy took control of Rapa Nui in 1952, and, once again, islanders were subject to autocratic controls. Islanders secured the right to vote for their governors through a revolt in 1964, and the military influence diminished. Some military sites remained -- the United States built a tracking station in the 1960s and later expanded the island's airport runway as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle. Today, Easter Island has a population of several thousand people. Agriculture, cattle ranching, fishing, artwork, and tourism are the main industries. Flights from Santiago, Chile, land on a regular basis. The moai still stand around the island with their backs to the ocean, while various research teams ponder how they were moved from an inland quarry to their coastal locations. As Easter Island admirer Lee Van Court notes, "You do not have to have all the answers to enjoy this place. Only the moai have the answers."  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-21-2007 12:15 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Is the Red Sea really red? The name of the Red Sea does not indicate a real red color, as the seawater is actually blue when viewed afar, and transparent when held in hand. It may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-colored cyanobacteria ("Trichodesmium erythraeum") near the water surface. Some suggest that it refers to the mineral-rich red mountains nearby, which are indeed called "Mounts of the Edomites" or "the Rubi mountains" in Hebrew language. Red Sea is one of the most popular diving destinatins in the world, and all divers agree - Red Sea is not really red.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-21-2007 06:59 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Is it true that only female mosquitoes bite people? What do the males eat? All the links we came across confirmed that only the female mosquito bites. The female will land on your skin, stick her proboscis into you, and then suck your blood into her abdomen. Her saliva contains proteins that prevent your blood from clotting and leave behind an itchy bump. Female mosquitos need blood to develop fertile eggs. Since males do not lay eggs, they do not bite. Few people realize that mosquitoes rely on sugar as their main source of energy. Both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, fruit juices and liquids that ooze from plants. The sugar is burned as fuel for flight and is replenished on a daily basis. Blood is reserved for egg production and is imbibed less frequently. To sum up, male mosquitos rely solely on sugar sources for their energy.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-22-2007 02:02 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What was the first American car to offer automatic transmission? Automatic transmission was based on technology first developed in the early 1900s by German manufacturers of marine engines. However, it was not adapted for automobiles for several decades. In 1938, General Motors developed the first line of cars to sport automatic transmission - - Oldsmobiles that offered "Hydra-Matic drive." The cars were introduced to the public in 1940. In 1941, Chrysler followed suit and introduced three different cars that offered their version of automatic drive, "Vacamatic" (later called "Fluid Drive"). Automatic transmission was a fairly common option on most American cars by 1948. A bit more information about Hydra-Matic drive as described by the automaker: "It provided true clutchless driving with four forward speeds. Its fluid coupling between engine and transmission eliminated the clutch and its associated foot work. Olds made the breakthrough Hydra-Matic available on all models for only an extra $57." Not only was GM the first to market with automatic transmission, according to Chrysler's site, Vacamatic was really only semi- automatic. It featured four speeds and would switch automatically between the two lower or two higher gears, but the driver needed to use the clutch to switch from a lower gear to a higher gear or vice versa. So there you have it -- in this race, Oldsmobile was the clear winner.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-23-2007 11:19 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why does a full moon look larger when it rises than when it is overhead? We grieve to report that there is no single satisfactory explanation for this storied phenomenon, otherwise known as the "moon illusion." The apparent size difference in the moon was noted in the 7th century B.C. by Chinese and Greek astronomers, and has been puzzling heavy intellectual hitters ever since: Aristotle, Ptolemy, Roger Bacon, Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Kepler, Rene Descartes, and Karl Gauss. As of last count, there are at least eight competing theories and one whole book devoted to the moon illusion. What do we know as fact? The moon illusion is a psychological, not a physical phenomenon. The moon always subtends (i.e., takes up) an angle of 0.5 degrees in the sky, so something must be going on between our retina and our cortex. The more popular theories have involved comparisons with buildings and other objects on the horizon, differences between apparent size when looking horizontally and looking vertically, and the physical position of eyeballs in the cranium. The first theory seems to have the most popular support, even though the moon illusion occurs on water as well as land.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-24-2007 12:08 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What is freemasonry? Freemasonry calls itself the world's oldest and largest fraternity. Freemasonry and Masonry are interchangeable words for the same organization, which has its roots in the medieval trade guilds of stonemasons. In fact, the most widely used symbols of Freemasonry are the tools of the stonemason -- a square and compass. The organization was formally created in London in 1717, and quickly spread to the American colonies and across Europe. Today, there are probably four to six million men in the fraternity worldwide. The mission of Masonry is: "to teach a man the duty he owes to God, his neighbor, and himself." Charity work and community involvement are important parts of Masonic life. Freemasonry is not affiliated with any religious group, but members are required to profess belief in a supreme being. Masonic groups are called lodges, and the United Grand Lodge of England is the oldest body of Freemasonry. Membership is restricted to adult males, and lodges do not usually recruit members. Potential members must seek out a Mason or a Masonic lodge and apply to the organization (hence their slogan: "2B1ASK1"). Freemasonry has been decried as a secret society and even a political conspiracy or religious cult. But Masons believe that what little secrecy they have is simply so members of the fraternity can identify each other by things like handshakes and passwords. They state that the rituals of Masonic meetings are used to reinforce the central values of the organization, such as morality and belief in a supreme being. Many Masonic activities (especially charitable works) are open to the general public. Freemasons aim to keep the organization separate from both politics and specific religions. Masonic lodges do not support political campaigns, and they discourage political discussion inside the lodge. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsees, and even Wiccans have become Freemasons -- and all are encouraged to maintain their religious affiliations. Masonic ritual refers to the supreme being as the "Great Architect of the Universe," to avoid disharmony between different religions. Despite the critics, there are many notable Freemasons. Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, astronaut Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, writer Leo Tolstoy, comedian Richard Pryor, and at least 14 U.S. presidents (including George Washington) are just a few famous Masons.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-25-2007 03:12 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - In skydiving, what is terminal velocity? A skydiver reaches terminal velocity when the force of air resistance pushing up against the skydiver is equal to the force of gravity pushing her downward. At this point, the skydiver is no longer accelerating, but falling at a constant speed. The terminal velocity for skydivers varies according to weight and physical position, but it's usually a very healthy 120 miles an hour. While a rock and a feather fall at exactly the same speed in a vacuum, in our atmosphere this isn't the case. The feather encounters more air resistance, giving the rock more time to accelerate, and thus giving it a faster terminal velocity. How can a skydiver adjust her terminal velocity? By lowering wind resistance and arching into a dive. Which brings us to the incredibly important topic of parachutes. As the physics of skydiving tells us, the increase in surface area reduces the terminal velocity to a much slower speed. One at which you won't go splat. Most skydivers fall in a spread eagle position to maximize their surface area, thus lowering their terminal velocity, thus giving them more time to fall through the sky.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-26-2007 11:16 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why do people say "Mayday" when in distress at sea? Mayday distress call is used only in cases of "grave and imminent danger." The correct way to signal mayday consists of three repetitions of the word mayday, then the name of the boat, and its radio call sign. Once this initial message is transmitted, a follow-up message should be transmitted that includes the word mayday again, as well as the boat's position, the nature of the emergency, number of persons aboard, and any other relevant information to assist a rescue effort. But what's with the word "Mayday"? Well, it has nothing to do with the observance of May Day, the ancient pagan planting festival and international working class holiday. So, what does it mean? "Mayday" is an anglicized version of the French m'aidez (help me) or m'aider (to render help to me). In 1927, the International Radiotelegraph Convention of Washington adopted the word "Mayday" as the radiotelephone (RT) distress call, although it was not until 1932 that the International Telecommunications Convention of Madrid changed from earlier frequency standards and established 1650 kHz as the international RT distress frequency. A variety of other frequencies are still used and monitored by Coast Guard and naval radio personnel. Current instructions from a variety of maritime agencies worldwide suggest transmitting on VHF channel 16, or HF 2182.0 KHz. A word of advice for boaters -- print out a copy of distress procedures and leave it alongside your vessel's radio equipment in case of emergency. Roger. Over and out.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-27-2007 02:24 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Does putting batteries in the freezer make them last longer? Storing batteries in the freezer (or refrigerator) will make them last longer, but it depends on what kind of battery you're using. And in the long run, it may not be worth the hassle. For alkaline batteries (the most common kind of household battery), putting them in the freezer will extend their shelf life by less than 5%. And cold batteries can't be used immediately -- you have to wait until they've warmed up to room temperature first. If you need those batteries for a flashlight in an emergency, this could prove problematic. When stored at room temperature, alkaline batteries retain 90% of their power, and the average shelf life of alkaline batteries is five to seven years. For NiMH and Nicad batteries (often used for electronics), storing them in the freezer might be more practical. These kinds of batteries lose their charge after a few days when kept at room temperature. But they'll retain a 90% charge for months if you store them in the freezer. Just like alkaline batteries, you'll need to wait until they've warmed up before using them. However, this isn't a problem when you need new batteries for your digital camera or other electronic gadget. Battery manufacturers tend to agree. Kodak says "refrigeration is not necessary, nor is it recommended" and "freezing is not recommended" for its alkaline batteries. Duracell advises: "Do not refrigerate Duracell batteries. This will not make them last longer." Both recommend storing batteries in a cool, dry place.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 04-13-2007 10:21 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What are the five most popular names for pets? The first link on our pet quest led us to iVillage's Pet Name Finder which regularly compiles the list of favorite names. We can't vouch for the methodology, but according to this list, the top five are: * Rocky * Amber * Jasper * Cinnamon * Max Another link we visited, reviewed the study by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). They surveyed veterinarians around the country to compile their list. Their top five were: * Max * Sam * Lady * Bear * Smoky Sadly, old standbys like Fido, Rover, and (our personal favorite) Rex were nowhere to be found. Apparently, there is no consensus when it comes to the top five names, but you can't go wrong with Max (although you may summon every pet on the block next time you call for yours!).  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 04-14-2007 08:31 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - How do microwave ovens cook food? Microwaves have become a ubiquitous appliance in the American kitchen. We use them to heat up last night's dinner, pop some corn, or defrost a T-bone. Despite the fact that millions of people eat "microwaved" food every day, very few know how the process actually works. A microwave oven uses radio waves, usually in the 2,500 frequency range, to cook food. At that frequency, the waves are absorbed by water, fats, and sugars. When that happens, they are converted directly into atomic motion -- in other words, heat. When you cook something in the microwave, the radio waves penetrate the food and "excite water and fat molecules." The heat is everywhere at the same time, and the food is heated fairly evenly. When you use a conventional oven, the heat is conducted from the outside of the food to the inside, so the outside may be hot while the inside is still stone cold. The invention of the microwave oven happened as many inventions do -- by accident. According to the Idea Finder site, two British scientists invented the magnetron, a tube that produces microwaves. Magnetrons were installed in Britain¿s radar system during World War II to help spot Nazi warplanes headed to the British Isles. Percy LeBaron Spencer of the Raytheon Company discovered that microwaves could be used to cook food quite by accident. A candy bar in his pocket melted when he was around the radar waves. Subsequent research showed that microwaves could rapidly increase the internal temperature of food, much faster than conventional ovens. Soon thereafter, Amana Radaranges were being sold as kitchen appliances. Now if we could just figure out how to cook microwave popcorn without burning half the kernels in the bag...  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 04-15-2007 02:27 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - How do I request a birthday card from the president for my 91-year-old aunt? Let us be the first to wish your aunt a very happy birthday. Of course a greeting from Top-Greetings probably pales next to a card from the president. A page from the White House Greetings Office gave us the lowdown on requesting a card from President George W. Bush. Greetings can be sent to U.S. citizens for the following: * birthdays (the recipient must be turning 80 or older) * wedding anniversaries (the couple must be celebrating 50 years or more) * births * weddings * Eagle Scout ceremonies * Girl Scout Gold awards * Bar or Bat Mitzvahs or "equivalent occasions" Here's the procedure: At least six weeks in advance, mail a written request for a greeting to: The White House Attn: Greetings Office Washington, D.C. 20502-0039 Make sure to include the following: * the name and address of the recipient * the date of the occasion * for a birthday, include the age of the recipient * for an anniversary, include the number of years married * for a wedding, include the married names and address of the couple * for a birth, include the date of birth and the full names and address of the parents If all goes as planned (this is the government we're talking about), the card should be mailed 10 days before the event.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 04-16-2007 01:53 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What does the pancreas do? The pancreas is a small, irregularly shaped organ that resides between your stomach and your spine. The pancreas has two primary purposes: to secrete enzymes into your digestive system that help break down carbohydrates and protein, and to produce hormones that help maintain normal blood sugar levels. The pancreas is technically part of the endocrine system, though it plays an important role in the digestive system as well. The endocrine system is a collection of glands, including your pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands, that secrete hormones to monitor your metabolism and cell growth, among many other things. The islets of Langerhans are specialized patches of endocrine tissue that are found throughout the pancreas and are involved in hormone production. Beta cells, the most common type of cells in the islets, produce insulin, which regulates blood glucose. Insufficient insulin results in diabetes mellitus.  |  IP: Logged

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