It occurred to me that telling time in
sixty second and sixty minute intervals seemed odd, so I looked it
up. In the early second millennium B.C., the Babylonians invented
their number system, and its influence still affects us to this day.
Because of a limited amount of symbols (they only had two, along
with their indicator for zero), they had to innovate, creating a
system where one column indicated multiples of 1, one column
indicated multiples of 60, and one column indicated multiples of
3,600. The columns were separated by a small space.
Once they had their number system in place, the Babylonians began
applying it to various aspects of their life, such as the number of
degrees in a circle and the number of days in a year. Since their
system was much easier to calculate and divide, the Babylonian
numbers reigned supreme over those of other nations, remaining the
favored system for astronomers up to the 16th century. Eventually,
thanks to its divisibility, the base-60 system was applied to the
concept of time, giving us the number of minutes in an hour and the
number of seconds in a minute.
May 2, 2014
Bluetooth Symbol
Have you ever wondered how the
bluetooth symbol was developed? Look at the top line on your smart
phone to see it.
It comes from the Nordic runes for the letters GH and B for Harald 'Bluetooth' Gormson, the king of Denmark and Norway back in the nine hundreds, who turned the Danes to Christianity. The name suggests he had a dark or blue tooth.
It comes from the Nordic runes for the letters GH and B for Harald 'Bluetooth' Gormson, the king of Denmark and Norway back in the nine hundreds, who turned the Danes to Christianity. The name suggests he had a dark or blue tooth.
Color Me Red
The Proto-Indo-European
word for red, reudh, remained largely unchanged for thousands of
years, showing up in English red, Spanish rojo, French rouge,
German rot, Icelandic rauðr, and Welsh rhudd. Not only did it lead
to these words for the color itself, it also led to red-related
English words like ruby, rust, and rubeola.
For the ancient Romans, a red flag was a signal for battle.
Because of its visibility, stop signs, stoplights, brake lights, and fire equipment are all painted red.
The ancient Egyptians considered themselves a red race and painted their bodies with red dye for emphasis.
In Russia, red means beautiful. The Bolsheviks used a red flag as their symbol when they overthrew the tsar in 1917. That is how red became the color of communism.
In India, red is the symbol for a soldier.
In South Africa, red is the color of mourning.
In China, red is the color of good luck and is used as a holiday and wedding color. Chinese babies are given their names at a red-egg ceremony.
Superstitious people think red frightens the devil.
A “red-letter day” is one of special importance and good fortune.
In Greece, eggs are dyed red for good luck at Easter time.
To “paint the town red” is to celebrate.
Red is the color most commonly found in national flags.
In the English War of the Roses, red was the color of the House of Lancaster, which defeated the House of York, symbolized by the color white.
The “Redshirts” were the soldiers of the Italian leader Garibaldi, who unified modern Italy in the nineteenth century.
Red is a song by Taylor Swift
To “see red” is to be angry. A “red herring” is a distraction, which takes attention away from the real issue. A “red eye” is an overnight airplane flight. If a business is “in the red,” it is losing money.
For the ancient Romans, a red flag was a signal for battle.
Because of its visibility, stop signs, stoplights, brake lights, and fire equipment are all painted red.
The ancient Egyptians considered themselves a red race and painted their bodies with red dye for emphasis.
In Russia, red means beautiful. The Bolsheviks used a red flag as their symbol when they overthrew the tsar in 1917. That is how red became the color of communism.
In India, red is the symbol for a soldier.
In South Africa, red is the color of mourning.
In China, red is the color of good luck and is used as a holiday and wedding color. Chinese babies are given their names at a red-egg ceremony.
Superstitious people think red frightens the devil.
A “red-letter day” is one of special importance and good fortune.
In Greece, eggs are dyed red for good luck at Easter time.
To “paint the town red” is to celebrate.
Red is the color most commonly found in national flags.
In the English War of the Roses, red was the color of the House of Lancaster, which defeated the House of York, symbolized by the color white.
The “Redshirts” were the soldiers of the Italian leader Garibaldi, who unified modern Italy in the nineteenth century.
Red is a song by Taylor Swift
To “see red” is to be angry. A “red herring” is a distraction, which takes attention away from the real issue. A “red eye” is an overnight airplane flight. If a business is “in the red,” it is losing money.
Google Search Tip
Google's site-specific search; the
search company's results are often better than many big operations.
This works great on everything from media sites to retail outlets.
Just include "site:www.example.com" (replacing example.com with
actual site name) along with your search term to get results just
from that site.
Wordology, Collywobbles
I love words that roll off the
tongue and actually sound like what they describe. Collywobble is
one of them and means a pain in the abdomen and especially in the
stomach; a bellyache. "I awoke this morning with collywobbles, and
had to take a small dose of laudanum with the usual consequences of
dry throat, intoxicated legs, partial madness and total
imbecility..." Robert Louis Stevenson.
Etymologist believe that collywobbles most likely has its origin in cholera morbus, the Latin term for the disease cholera (the symptoms include severe gastrointestinal disturbance). How cholera shifted into collywobbles was probably influenced by the words colic and wobble. John Chapman is currently suffering from the collywobbles.
Etymologist believe that collywobbles most likely has its origin in cholera morbus, the Latin term for the disease cholera (the symptoms include severe gastrointestinal disturbance). How cholera shifted into collywobbles was probably influenced by the words colic and wobble. John Chapman is currently suffering from the collywobbles.
Apr 25, 2014
Happy Friday
There are three kinds of people: those who want to improve the
world, those who want to enjoy the world, and those who do both.
I try to do both by sharing smiles and celebrating a Happy Friday!
I try to do both by sharing smiles and celebrating a Happy Friday!
ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day is the solemn day of remembrance of
those Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who fought and
died at Gallipoli in 1915. It is also a day of remembrance for all
soldiers who died while fighting for their country.
On 25 April 1915, eight months into the First World War, Allied soldiers landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula. The troops were there as part of a plan to open the Dardanelles Strait to the Allied fleets and force a Turkish surrender. The Allied forces encountered unexpectedly strong resistance from the Turks, and both sides suffered enormous loss of life. The forces from New Zealand and Australia, fighting as part of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), played an important part in the Gallipoli campaign.
The day is marked with parades, tributes, and playing Reveille and The Last Post (now used in British Ceremonies and funerals).
On 25 April 1915, eight months into the First World War, Allied soldiers landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula. The troops were there as part of a plan to open the Dardanelles Strait to the Allied fleets and force a Turkish surrender. The Allied forces encountered unexpectedly strong resistance from the Turks, and both sides suffered enormous loss of life. The forces from New Zealand and Australia, fighting as part of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), played an important part in the Gallipoli campaign.
The day is marked with parades, tributes, and playing Reveille and The Last Post (now used in British Ceremonies and funerals).
Origin of Safety Glass
Safety glass is used widely today and
has saved millions of people, especially during vehicular mishaps.
French chemist Edouard Benedictus in 1901 discovered the unique
properties by accident.
When he accidentally bumped a flask, causing it to fall and crash, he discovered the flask was broken, but not shattered. After researching, he discovered the glass contained cellulose nitrate, which served as an adhesive and held the broken pieces together.
"Indestructo" safety glass was originally manufactured by British Indestructo Glass Ltd of London. This glass was first used as gas masks during WWI and has become a standard in manufacturing windshields since 1939 and many other items today.
When he accidentally bumped a flask, causing it to fall and crash, he discovered the flask was broken, but not shattered. After researching, he discovered the glass contained cellulose nitrate, which served as an adhesive and held the broken pieces together.
"Indestructo" safety glass was originally manufactured by British Indestructo Glass Ltd of London. This glass was first used as gas masks during WWI and has become a standard in manufacturing windshields since 1939 and many other items today.
Top Ten Pistachio Facts
Pistachio seeds were a common food
as early as 6750 BC. Remains of the Atlantic pistachio and pistachio
seed along with nut-cracking tools were discovered by archaeologists
at the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov site in Israel's Hula Valley, dated to
780,000 years ago. The seed, commonly thought of as a nut, is a
culinary nut, not a botanical nut. When they split open while on the
tree, there is an audible pop.
The United States is currently the world leader in pistachio (Pistacia vera) production and second is Iran. Exports more than doubled during the past six years from 100 million pounds to almost 270 million pounds. Chine is the largest importer of pistachios.
One ounce of pistachios provides:
- More dietary fiber than 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli
- Six grams of protein – the same amount as 1 ounce of soybeans
- Seven grams of monounsaturated and four grams of polyunsaturated fats, which are considered heart healthy
- Less than 2 grams of saturated fat
- As much potassium as 1/2 of a large banana.
Pistachios contain more potassium than any other nut.
They contain only three to four calories each.
Pistachios help maintain healthy blood glucose control, and tend to minimize a rise in blood glucose levels when added to certain high carbohydrate meals.
Pistachios have four hundred times the amount of vitamin A as almonds.
Pistachio trees, a member of the cashew family, take from five to seven years to produce nuts and are biennial bearers, with a heavy crop one year and a smaller crop the next.
California, Arizona, and New Mexico represent 100 percent of the US commercial pistachio production.
Eating pistachios may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer. Pistachios are an excellent source of phytosterols, plant compounds that have been found to decrease levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), and they are packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants (including the carotenoids beta-carotene and lutein, which gives the pistachio kernel its distinct green color.
Red pistachios do not exist in nature. Pistachio importers used to dye the nuts red to hide blemishes resulting from traditional harvesting methods.
The United States is currently the world leader in pistachio (Pistacia vera) production and second is Iran. Exports more than doubled during the past six years from 100 million pounds to almost 270 million pounds. Chine is the largest importer of pistachios.
One ounce of pistachios provides:
- More dietary fiber than 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli
- Six grams of protein – the same amount as 1 ounce of soybeans
- Seven grams of monounsaturated and four grams of polyunsaturated fats, which are considered heart healthy
- Less than 2 grams of saturated fat
- As much potassium as 1/2 of a large banana.
Pistachios contain more potassium than any other nut.
They contain only three to four calories each.
Pistachios help maintain healthy blood glucose control, and tend to minimize a rise in blood glucose levels when added to certain high carbohydrate meals.
Pistachios have four hundred times the amount of vitamin A as almonds.
Pistachio trees, a member of the cashew family, take from five to seven years to produce nuts and are biennial bearers, with a heavy crop one year and a smaller crop the next.
California, Arizona, and New Mexico represent 100 percent of the US commercial pistachio production.
Eating pistachios may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer. Pistachios are an excellent source of phytosterols, plant compounds that have been found to decrease levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), and they are packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants (including the carotenoids beta-carotene and lutein, which gives the pistachio kernel its distinct green color.
Red pistachios do not exist in nature. Pistachio importers used to dye the nuts red to hide blemishes resulting from traditional harvesting methods.
What's in a Name, Meringue
The name meringue came from a
pastry chef named Gasparini in the Swiss town of Merhrinyghen. In
1720, Gasparini created a small pastry of dried egg foam and sugar
from which the simplified meringue evolved. Its fame spread and
Marie Antoinette is said to have prepared the sweet with her own
hands at the Trianon in France.
Undiscovery Day
Officially passed October 1986 by Ocean
Shores city council. Each year on the last Saturday in April, the
citizens of Ocean Shores, Washington, celebrate “Undiscovery Day”
to commemorate the night in 1792 when British explorer Capt.
George Vancouver sailed past Ocean Shores without discovering it.
Vancouver was en route to Nootka Sound, on what is now Vancouver
Island, to settle a controversy between Spain and Great Britain,
He passed the area where Ocean Shores is now located, near the
mouth of Grays Harbor, at about midnight on April 27,1792.
Undiscovery Day will be observed at the entrance to a harbor that was finally discovered by an intrepid Yankee named Robert Gray. About 75 to 100 people are expected to gather at Lumpy’s Tavern from noon to 2 p.m.
At midnight they gather on the shore. Preliminary ingestions are deemed necessary before braving the elements and promptly at the stroke of 12 the intrepid celebrants wend their way down to the shore, giggling and shrieking, “Hey George, over here!” and other appropriate instructions, hoping that Vancouver's ghost will answer and explain his oversight. To date, there has never been a reply.
Undiscovery Day will be observed at the entrance to a harbor that was finally discovered by an intrepid Yankee named Robert Gray. About 75 to 100 people are expected to gather at Lumpy’s Tavern from noon to 2 p.m.
At midnight they gather on the shore. Preliminary ingestions are deemed necessary before braving the elements and promptly at the stroke of 12 the intrepid celebrants wend their way down to the shore, giggling and shrieking, “Hey George, over here!” and other appropriate instructions, hoping that Vancouver's ghost will answer and explain his oversight. To date, there has never been a reply.
Dictionary
I looked it up and found that this week, in
1828, Noah Webster published his "American Dictionary of the
English Language." It was the first dictionary of American English
to be published.
Arousal Ice Cream
Not a joke. Ice cream maker Charlie
Harry Francis of 'Lick Me I’m Delicious' has a new flavor called
the Arousal. The flavor combines two key ingredients, Champagne
and Viagra. It is dosed with 25mgs of Viagra and is flavored with
bubbly champagne. The presentation picture says it all.
Other flavors from Charlie include Chocolate Rhubarb Macaroon, Glow in the Dark Ice Cream, and Salted Whiskey Caramel Cupcake, among others. There is a Facebook page and the official website boasts, "We specialize in making the most delicious incredible frozen treats your mouth will have the pleasure of melting." Yes, he is serious and he obviously loves his job.
Other flavors from Charlie include Chocolate Rhubarb Macaroon, Glow in the Dark Ice Cream, and Salted Whiskey Caramel Cupcake, among others. There is a Facebook page and the official website boasts, "We specialize in making the most delicious incredible frozen treats your mouth will have the pleasure of melting." Yes, he is serious and he obviously loves his job.
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