Speaking of time, sliced bread was introduced
in 1928 by Otto Frederick Rohwedder. Before then, bread was sold in
whole loaves as bakers didn't believe sliced bread could stay fresh.
Betty White was born in 1922 and that makes her older than sliced
bread.
Also, 1922 was the last year of the Ottoman Empire, when it was
taken over by the Turkish government. It was also 14 years after the
last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series, in 1908. The
record still stands at 105 years.
Mar 7, 2014
Sound Mirrors
Mirrors can actually reflect sound as well as
light. Mirrors that reflect sound waves are known as “acoustic
mirrors,” and were used in Britain during World War I to detect
certain sound waves coming from enemy aircraft from 8 to 15 miles
away. This was before the development of radar.
Several were built around the coast of Britain, and are still standing today on both the north and south shores of England. They are also called listening stones.
Concrete acoustic mirrors were built on the south and northeast coasts of England between about 1916 and the 1930s. The ‘listening ears’ were intended to provide early warning of incoming enemy aircraft.
They did work, but the development of faster aircraft made them less useful, as an incoming aircraft would be within sight by the time it had been located. Also, increasing ambient noise made the mirrors more difficult to use successfully, and then radar rendered acoustic detection redundant.
There is also an example of one that is a parabolic sound mirror carved into boulders to dramatically magnify the sound of a nearby stream for listeners. It is inspired by satellite dishes, the seating in choir lofts where curved walls reflect sound, and the antique hand-held sound magnifiers used in the days before hearing aids.
Several were built around the coast of Britain, and are still standing today on both the north and south shores of England. They are also called listening stones.
Concrete acoustic mirrors were built on the south and northeast coasts of England between about 1916 and the 1930s. The ‘listening ears’ were intended to provide early warning of incoming enemy aircraft.
They did work, but the development of faster aircraft made them less useful, as an incoming aircraft would be within sight by the time it had been located. Also, increasing ambient noise made the mirrors more difficult to use successfully, and then radar rendered acoustic detection redundant.
There is also an example of one that is a parabolic sound mirror carved into boulders to dramatically magnify the sound of a nearby stream for listeners. It is inspired by satellite dishes, the seating in choir lofts where curved walls reflect sound, and the antique hand-held sound magnifiers used in the days before hearing aids.
Dial 311
The 311 number has been used for years, but many
are not aware of it. It was used in the distant past as a number
dialed in TV shows and some movies in the same way as the now used
555 prefix.
This number is available in most US and Canadian cities for a wide range of non-emergency services, such as graffiti, high weeds, litter, and garbage cart replacement, aggressive or dead animals, non-working street lights, noise complaints, potholes, etc. Most large cities have made this available and the list of cities continues to grow. When in doubt, try dialing 311 before calling 911 and they can help. Handy to use when you do not know the phone number for non-emergency police or city services.
This number is available in most US and Canadian cities for a wide range of non-emergency services, such as graffiti, high weeds, litter, and garbage cart replacement, aggressive or dead animals, non-working street lights, noise complaints, potholes, etc. Most large cities have made this available and the list of cities continues to grow. When in doubt, try dialing 311 before calling 911 and they can help. Handy to use when you do not know the phone number for non-emergency police or city services.
Old Spice
The first Old Spice® product, called
Early American Old Spice for women, was introduced in 1937, closely
followed by Old Spice for men in 1938. The Old Spice products were
manufactured by the Shulton Company that was founded in 1934 by
William Lightfoot Schultz.
Early American Old Spice was developed around a colonial theme. When Old Spice was introduced, Schultz was interested in maintaining a colonial framework for those products and chose a nautical theme for Old Spice. Thus, colonial sailing ships were used as a trademark. Through continuous use and advertising, the various ships have become a valuable trademark identifying the Old Spice product for men.
The original ships used on the packaging were the Grand Turk and the Friendship. Other ships used on Old Spice packaging include the Wesley, Salem, Birmingham and Hamilton.
Procter & Gamble purchased the Old Spice fragrances, skin care, antiperspirant, and deodorant products from the Shulton Company in June 1990.
Early American Old Spice was developed around a colonial theme. When Old Spice was introduced, Schultz was interested in maintaining a colonial framework for those products and chose a nautical theme for Old Spice. Thus, colonial sailing ships were used as a trademark. Through continuous use and advertising, the various ships have become a valuable trademark identifying the Old Spice product for men.
The original ships used on the packaging were the Grand Turk and the Friendship. Other ships used on Old Spice packaging include the Wesley, Salem, Birmingham and Hamilton.
Procter & Gamble purchased the Old Spice fragrances, skin care, antiperspirant, and deodorant products from the Shulton Company in June 1990.
Origins of Gin and Tonic
British soldiers fighting in the
Indies had a serious problem with Malaria. The British also had a
tonic water that contained quinine, which was effective at fighting
malaria. The tonic water tasted terrible, so the British soldiers
mixed gin with it to make it palatable. Upon returning home after
the war, they continued to drink the mix and it became quite
popular.
Incidentally, Malaria comes from the Italian, meaning 'bad air' as it was originally thought to be caused by dirty air.
Tonic water still contains some quinine, but much less than the original, and now usually has artificial sweeteners to moderate the bitter taste. Interesting to note the sensitivity of quinine to UV makes it appear fluorescent in direct sunlight and glows blue under black lights.
Incidentally, Malaria comes from the Italian, meaning 'bad air' as it was originally thought to be caused by dirty air.
Tonic water still contains some quinine, but much less than the original, and now usually has artificial sweeteners to moderate the bitter taste. Interesting to note the sensitivity of quinine to UV makes it appear fluorescent in direct sunlight and glows blue under black lights.
Minced Oath
No, it is not a spicy oath. 'Bye George, by
George we’ll miss ya!' The minced oath, “by George” where one
letter - ‘g’ word is substituted for another ‘g’ word. In this case,
the second George is substituted for God, because some people did
not believe in God. The use of George came into use around the turn
of the 20th century and usually meant great or OK, as in ‘everything
is George’.
Feb 28, 2014
Happy Friday
"Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted, but
getting what you have, which once you have got it, you may be smart
enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known." -
Garrison Keillor
I am very lucky, because I always want and have a Happy Friday!
I am very lucky, because I always want and have a Happy Friday!
Chuck Norris Belts
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris, born
March 10, 1940, is the first Westerner in history to be awarded an
8th degree Black Belt (Grand Master) in Taekwondo. He also has 10th
degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do (he is founder of this school); 9th
degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and BJJ; and brown belts in
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. In 2005, Norris founded the World
Combat League, a full-contact, team-based martial arts competition.
What Recycle Symbols Mean
As we approach that
time of year when thoughts turn to Spring cleaning, it is probably a
good idea to also think about what we might recycle. The original
recycling symbol was designed in 1970 by Gary Anderson, a senior at
the University of Southern California at Los Angeles. It was
submitted to the International Design Conference as part of a
nationwide contest for high school and college students sponsored by
the Container Corporation of America.
The symbols below show the various types of materials. If there is an R in front of the letters, that means it was already recycled. The numbers range from 1 to 7, defining which type of material it is.
Type 1 PolyEthylene TErephthalate is used for pop bottles. Type 2 High-Density PolyEthylene is used for milk and detergent bottles. Twenty-seven percent of type 1 is recycled, including 41 percent of plastic pop bottles. About 7 percent of type 2 plastic recycled.
Type 3 is used on window cleaner bottles, cooking oil bottles, detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, clear food packaging, wire and cable jackets, medical tubing, and in other household products and building materials, particularly siding, piping, and windows
Recycling types 3 through 7 are rare, because using virgin material is cheaper. Recycling rates for these materials are about 1-2 percent.
The recycling rate for all plastic packaging is about 4.5 percent, compared with 53 percent for aluminum.
- A container or package, marked with this symbol above was manufactured with at least some materials that have been recycled. Generally, additional information is conveyed with the symbol such as, 'Printed on recycled paper'.
There is a symbol for glass, but usually all glass is recyclable. There are many other symbols used for various materials, and different symbols in different countries. They are all meant to make consumers aware of recycling, even if many of the products are not recycled.
The symbols below show the various types of materials. If there is an R in front of the letters, that means it was already recycled. The numbers range from 1 to 7, defining which type of material it is.
Type 1 PolyEthylene TErephthalate is used for pop bottles. Type 2 High-Density PolyEthylene is used for milk and detergent bottles. Twenty-seven percent of type 1 is recycled, including 41 percent of plastic pop bottles. About 7 percent of type 2 plastic recycled.
Type 3 is used on window cleaner bottles, cooking oil bottles, detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, clear food packaging, wire and cable jackets, medical tubing, and in other household products and building materials, particularly siding, piping, and windows
Recycling types 3 through 7 are rare, because using virgin material is cheaper. Recycling rates for these materials are about 1-2 percent.
The recycling rate for all plastic packaging is about 4.5 percent, compared with 53 percent for aluminum.
- A container or package, marked with this symbol above was manufactured with at least some materials that have been recycled. Generally, additional information is conveyed with the symbol such as, 'Printed on recycled paper'.
There is a symbol for glass, but usually all glass is recyclable. There are many other symbols used for various materials, and different symbols in different countries. They are all meant to make consumers aware of recycling, even if many of the products are not recycled.
Shaft Tax for 2014
For calendar year 2014, the tax imposed
under § 4161(b)(2)(A) on the first sale by the manufacturer,
producer, or importer of any shaft of a type used in the manufacture
of certain arrows is $0.48 per shaft. It is one of the few taxes
that has not changed from 2013.
What's in a Name, Small Fry
Seahorses are one of very few
species where the male 'gives birth'. The female deposits her eggs
in a brood pouch located on her mate's belly. He fertilizes them
internally and carries them until they hatch, which can be anywhere
from 9 to 45 days based on species and water temperature. A single
male may carry hundreds of eggs in his pouch. Baby sea horses are
called fry (singular and plural). Baby big-belly seahorses, aside
from being too small to exhibit their distinct characteristic round
bellies, are exact miniature replicas of their parents.The picture
shows how small a fry is.
When baby seahorses are first born, the fry will gulp air at the surface to help fill their swim bladder. Their diet is usually live brine shrimp called Artemia. Seahorses live among coral reefs and sea grass beds.
When baby seahorses are first born, the fry will gulp air at the surface to help fill their swim bladder. Their diet is usually live brine shrimp called Artemia. Seahorses live among coral reefs and sea grass beds.
Throwing Things
Fans at the University of Pennsylvania
throw toast on the football field after the third quarter because
the school banned liquor, which was formerly used to toast the team.
The students took the toast literally and now throw real toast.
This is much better than the University of New Hampshire fans, who throw a fish on the ice during school hockey games. Also fishy, during 2011, fans of the Nashville Predators threw catfish on the ice.
Speaking of hockey, fans in Detroit have a tradition of throwing an octopus on the ice during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games. It began during the 1952 playoffs, when a National Hockey League team played two best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup. The octopus, with eight arms, symbolized the number of playoff wins necessary for the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. Brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano hurled an octopus into the rink. The team swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens en route to winning the championship.
Florida Panthers fans littered the ice with plastic rats during face-offs and regular play during Game 5 of their 2012 playoff series.
Other tosses, that seem mild by comparison, include throwing flowers for figure skaters, or tossing hats when a hockey player makes a hat trick.
This is much better than the University of New Hampshire fans, who throw a fish on the ice during school hockey games. Also fishy, during 2011, fans of the Nashville Predators threw catfish on the ice.
Speaking of hockey, fans in Detroit have a tradition of throwing an octopus on the ice during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games. It began during the 1952 playoffs, when a National Hockey League team played two best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup. The octopus, with eight arms, symbolized the number of playoff wins necessary for the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. Brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano hurled an octopus into the rink. The team swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens en route to winning the championship.
Florida Panthers fans littered the ice with plastic rats during face-offs and regular play during Game 5 of their 2012 playoff series.
Other tosses, that seem mild by comparison, include throwing flowers for figure skaters, or tossing hats when a hockey player makes a hat trick.
How to Stay Young
It need not take a lot of effort.
John Morley, M.D., director of the division of geriatric medicine at
Saint Louis University outlines a ten-step program to improve
quality of life as we age.
He suggests little changes that involve good eating, such as including dark chocolate in your diet, drinking wine, socializing, adding simple exercises, fidgeting in your office chair to burn calories, spending time walking from your car to the store rather than driving to find a close parking space, working in your garden, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going dancing once a week. I already socialize, drink wine, and eat chocolate, but need to practice fidgeting a bit more.
He suggests little changes that involve good eating, such as including dark chocolate in your diet, drinking wine, socializing, adding simple exercises, fidgeting in your office chair to burn calories, spending time walking from your car to the store rather than driving to find a close parking space, working in your garden, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going dancing once a week. I already socialize, drink wine, and eat chocolate, but need to practice fidgeting a bit more.
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