Sep 26, 2014
Wordology, Goodbye
The customs of English speakers and many
English words are based on religion, often without most people being
aware of the fact. In this vein, our most common phrase to bid
someone farewell is “goodbye.” While it seems like a mundane,
secular word, goodbye is actually a contraction of the phrase “God
be with ye,” an expression that dates back to the 14th century.
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Speaking of goodbye, On September 19,
2014, Oasis Beverages announced it acquired the Pabst Brewing
Company. Pabst owns Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz,
Ballantine India Pale Ale, and Colt 45. Oasis has brewing operations
in Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Maybe they will change it
to Pabst red ribbon.
Sep 19, 2014
Happy Friday
Smile at a mirror and it smiles back. Smile at the world and it
smiles back.
Smile at everyone today and share a Happy Friday!
Smile at everyone today and share a Happy Friday!
Talk Like a Pirate Day
Today is September 19, International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2014
It is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur (Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy) of Albany, Oregon, US, who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate.
Pirate Myths Debunked - The rumor that pirates commonly made people walk the plank is not true. Only five documented instances were recorded. Peg legs were not common, because amputated legs usually meant a quick death. Buried treasure was usually found very quickly and no one needed a map. There have only been three well documented instances throughout pirating history where a pirate admitted to burying treasure. The earliest use of “shiver me timbers” came from Captain Frederick Marryat’s 1835 book Jacob Faithful, about hundred years after the age of piracy.
For the intellectuals in the crowd
It is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur (Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy) of Albany, Oregon, US, who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate.
Pirate Myths Debunked - The rumor that pirates commonly made people walk the plank is not true. Only five documented instances were recorded. Peg legs were not common, because amputated legs usually meant a quick death. Buried treasure was usually found very quickly and no one needed a map. There have only been three well documented instances throughout pirating history where a pirate admitted to burying treasure. The earliest use of “shiver me timbers” came from Captain Frederick Marryat’s 1835 book Jacob Faithful, about hundred years after the age of piracy.
For the intellectuals in the crowd
What's in a Name, Lego
Danish carpenter Ole Kirk
Christiansen, the founder of Lego, asked his staff to come up with a
name for his growing toy company. The two names that ended up being
finalists were 'Legio' and 'Lego'. The first was a reference to a
legion as in a Legion of toys. The second was made from a
contraction of 'leg godt', which is a Danish phrase meaning 'play
well'. Lego is also a Latin word meaning 'to gather or collect'.
History of Kevlar
Did you know Kevlar was invented by a
woman? Stephanie Kwolek took a temporary position for DuPont during
1946. Her goal was to save enough money to pay for medical school.
By 1964 Stephanie was still working there and doing research on how
to change polymers into higher strength synthetic fibers. She was
working with polymers that possessed rod-like molecules that were
all lining up in a single direction.
In contrast to the molecules that had been forming in bunches, Stephanie believed that uniform lines would render the resulting material more powerful, although such polymers had been quite challenging to break down into a testable solution. She finally developed the correct solution that had rod-like molecules and at the same time looked dissimilar to every other molecular solution she had yet made.
The next step was to put it through a spinneret, a device that could generate the fibers. The operator for the spinneret initially refused to allow Kwolek to operate the machine, because her new solution was so different than any other before it, and he believed it would ruin the machine.
Kwolek refused to give up and made a fiber, which was as tough as steel. The material was then named, Kevlar and since that time it has been utilized for radial tires, brake pads, drums, skis, helmets, camping gear as well as suspension bridge cables. The most widely known use for Kevlar is bulletproof vests. Kevlar was a brand name, but has become generic term. In July 1995, Kwolek was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Perseverance counts.
In contrast to the molecules that had been forming in bunches, Stephanie believed that uniform lines would render the resulting material more powerful, although such polymers had been quite challenging to break down into a testable solution. She finally developed the correct solution that had rod-like molecules and at the same time looked dissimilar to every other molecular solution she had yet made.
The next step was to put it through a spinneret, a device that could generate the fibers. The operator for the spinneret initially refused to allow Kwolek to operate the machine, because her new solution was so different than any other before it, and he believed it would ruin the machine.
Kwolek refused to give up and made a fiber, which was as tough as steel. The material was then named, Kevlar and since that time it has been utilized for radial tires, brake pads, drums, skis, helmets, camping gear as well as suspension bridge cables. The most widely known use for Kevlar is bulletproof vests. Kevlar was a brand name, but has become generic term. In July 1995, Kwolek was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Perseverance counts.
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