July 2010
30 posts
12 tags
Bulimia (7/30/10)
Etymologically, “bulimia” comes from the Greek bous (meaning “ox”) and limos (meaning “hunger”). One with bulimia is said to have the appetite of an ox.
Wait… appetite of an ox? Ohhhh, I get it. People with bulimia have the desire to eat grass.
16 tags
Simulation Hypothesis (7/29/10)
I’m going to have a little fun with this one. This theory is both insane and ingenious:
The Simulation Hypothesis is so much fun to think about (at least for me). Nick Bostrom, director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, proposes a theory that claims that our life as we know it is nothing more than a computer simulation. Basically, we are all just living in a more...
13 tags
Koala Killer (7/28/10)
The koala is one of the few mammals, other than primates, to have fingerprints. Their fingerprints are very similar to human fingerprints. According to an infamously dubious, free, online encyclopedia, human and koala fingerprints are so similar that “even with an electron microscope it can be quite difficult to distinguish between the two.”
Crime Scene Investigator: Here’s...
15 tags
No Cigs For You! (7/27/10)
Nazi Germany initiated the first public anti-smoking campaign in modern history. Hitler smoked in his younger years, but unfortunately gave it up when he got older. He viewed smoking as “the wrath of the red man against the white man, vengeance for having been given hard liquor.” Could also be the highly addictive nicotine, but whatever. Hitler expressed that “so many...
13 tags
Going Postal (7/26/10)
The slang phrase “going postal,” as in getting uncontrollably furious and violent, derives from tragic incidents involving United States Postal Service workers. Between 1986 and 1997, more than 40 people were murdered by spree killers in over 20 acts of workplace violence. You know what hasn’t murdered 40 people? E-mail.
17 tags
Bikini (7/25/10)
The bikini was invented in 1946. I don’t really understand how it was “invented” in 1946. Could no one honestly figure this one out on their own? Anyway, the “inventor” named the swimsuit after Bikini Atoll, the site of nuclear weapon tests earlier the same year. I was at the beach this weekend. As great as bikinis can be, there really is a fine line between a...
7 tags
Pigeons (7/24/10)
The white doves that are “set free” at some weddings are most likely just white homing pigeons. Nice. I don’t like pigeons. They’re gross. Might as well just release a bunch of white rats on my wedding day.
18 tags
Homunculus (7/23/10)
I’ve been reading a lot about sexual ethics, so forgive me if my past two posts have been in the same vein. In early theories of how babies are made, semen was believed to carry a homunculus (Latin for “little human”). This theory of preformationism was prevalent before we understood that both a man and woman are equally important in active procreation. So, yeah, some...
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Octopus Man (7/22/10)
I was perusing an etymological dictionary, and, like an 8-year old, I immediately looked up the word “penis.” I haven’t changed at all. I remember when I was younger I would look up the word “sex” in every dictionary I could get my hands on (if I had a time machine I would go back in time and stuff child-me in a locker). Anyway, “sex” was always next...
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SmartestYear-14 (7/21/10)
A Catch-22 refers to an unsolvable logical dilemma. The phrase comes from Joseph Heller’s 1961 novel “Catch-22.” The number 22 has no significance. Heller originally intended to call it “Catch-18,” but this was rejected by his publisher for being too similar to the title of another recently published war novel. “Catch-11” was also proposed and...
11 tags
Furbies (7/20/10)
Just when I started to think mullets were the best/worst thing ever, someone reminded me of the Furby. He didn’t say anything about the Furby. I didn’t even talk to him. He just looked like a Furby. If you don’t remember Furbies, google them. Anyway, I remember about 10 years ago hearing about how some intelligence agencies banned Furbies from their offices, fearing that the...
8 tags
The Mullet (7/19/10)
The mullet is undoubtedly one of the most painfully enchanting haircuts of all time. There are hundreds of epithets for the mullet: “Business in the front, party in the back,” “The Tennessee Top Hat,” “The Kentucky Waterfall,” and my favorite “The Missouri Compromise,” to name just a few. But the Oxford English Dictionary credits the term...
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Brown Phat vs White Fat (7/18/10)
Brown adipose tissue (aka brown fat) is one of two types of mammalian fat (the other is white fat). The primary function of brown fat is to generate body heat- it’s especially important in hibernating animals and newborns that don’t shiver. (I’m sure it’s even more helpful for hibernating newborn babies…) Compared to white fat, brown fat has a higher density of...
9 tags
Diff'rent Strokes (7/17/10)
The word “stroke”, in the medical sense (as in apoplectic seizure), is a shortening of what was originally “The Stroke of God’s Hand.” You would think the Stroke of God’s Hand would be a little less miserable than that.
8 tags
Ahoy! (7/16/10)
Thomas Edison is credited for the use of “hello” as the standard telephone greeting. However, the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell suggested “ahoy” as the standard phone greeting.
2 things:
First, I am so sick of Thomas Edison inventing everything. We get it… you are an inventor.
Secondly, I like the way this Alexander Graham Bell guy thinks. I...
12 tags
Oldest Company (7/15/10)
Kongō Gumi Co., Ltd., a Japanese construction company, was the world’s oldest continuously ongoing independent company until it was absorbed as a subsidiary of a larger construction company in 2006. The company began in 578 AD. They primarily built Buddhist temples, but also built coffins in WWII. Major foreshadowing. They hit hard times after some poor real estate investments, and by...
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I think this one's about duct tape (7/14/10)
In 1942, duct tape was invented to seal ammunition cases during World War II. Many etymologists believe that it was originally “duck” tape, stemming from its similar appearance to cotton duck, which is known as canvas for people outside the textile business. I am not in the textile business, which is known as the “rag trade” in the UK and Australia. I don’t...
12 tags
Godzilla (7/13/10)
The monster Godzilla first appeared in a 1954 Japanese film called “Gojira.” The name Godzilla is the anglicized form of Gojira, which is a combination of two Japanese words: gorira (gorilla) and kujira (whale). This is fitting because, in the early stages of the film’s production, Godzilla was described as “a cross between a gorilla and a whale.”
A cross between a...
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Worst President (7/12/10)
President James Buchanan was the only president to have never married. He also tried to buy Cuba from Spain in order to expand slavery. To make him look like an even bigger loser, his presidency was followed by Abraham Lincoln’s. Historians consider Buchanan one of the worst, if not the worst, president ever. As of 2010, he still can’t get a wife.
What a loser.
11 tags
Anno Domini (7/11/10)
The Anno Domini (A.D.) dating system was proposed in AD 525 by Dionysius Exiguus who wanted to replace the dating system of the Diocletian era as he felt it carried on the memory of Diocletian, who persecuted and oppressed Christians. The last year of the Diocletian calendar 247 was immediately followed by AD 532. Dionysius implied that Jesus’s incarnation had occurred 525 years earlier,...
14 tags
Baby Food Diet (7/10/10)
It has been brought to my attention that there’s a new fad diet: the baby food diet. But this diet isn’t meant for babies. It’s meant for fat adults. Or even adults that just want to lose a few pounds. The diet is pretty self-explanatory. You stock up on some jars of Gerber, and eat one when you get hungry. They are low calorie, and have lots of vitamins and other stuff. ...
9 tags
Coining Phrases and me being an idiot (7/9/10)
I love discovering how particular phrases and words are coined. Wait. Coined? “Coining” in the sense of creation, as in “to coin a phrase,” derives from the creation of monetary coins by stamping metal with a die… Because every time someone makes up a new word or phrase, that person is stamping the word with a die.
And every time a bell rings an angel gets his...
12 tags
Competitive Breath-Holding (7/8/10)
In my symmetry class today, I got really bored. I know, right? How can a class devoted to studying wallpaper patterns get boring? It’s brutal. If my teacher is reading this, I’m sorry. It’s not your fault wallpaper is the worst thing ever. Anyway, I started doing what I always do when I’m bored in class—- I hold my breath and time myself with the classroom...
10 tags
Static Electricity (7/7/10)
Getting static electric shocks isn’t fun. And I know that my science teachers have explained the phenomenon to me for years, but for years I wasn’t paying attention. But basically, most things around us are made up of electrically neutral atoms and molecules. There is an equal number of protons in the nucleus and an equal number of electrons surrounding the nucleus. Static...
11 tags
10 Gallon Hats (7/6/10)
Stetson helped popularize the “ten gallon” hat, but that doesn’t help me understand why these cowboy hats are considered ten gallon. There are two common explanations. The first, which is likely false, is that it refers to the hat’s ability to hold water (however, a real “ten gallon” hat only holds about three quarts). The most widely accepted theory is that...
9 tags
Laugh Track (7/5/10)
The first TV show to use a laugh track was the sitcom The Hank McCune Show in 1950. I hate laugh tracks so much. Usually, I don’t notice them. But when I do, it’s the worst thing ever. I really hate when the “audience” oohs and aaahs about some on-screen kiss. Who are these people!?
Am I right, or am I right?
Oh man, I really wish there was some kind of literary...
16 tags
Patriotism (7/4/10)
According to Men’s Health, the top 3 most patriotic cities are as follows: 1. Portland, OR- 2. Salt Lake City, UT- 3. Kansas City, MO. Patriotism was calculated by considering the percentage of registered voters who turned out for state and federal elections, by the amount of money spent on military veterans per capita, percentage of residents who volunteer, participate in civic...
8 tags
World Cup...Again (7/3/10)
The playing fields of the World Cup are composed of grass developed in Manitoba. Wow, I didn’t think a soccer fact could get any more boring…until I found out that the grass was Canadian.
11 tags
Fire Hydrants Rule! (7/2/10)
In the United States, the AWWA and the NFPA recommend painting the top of fire hydrants different colors depending on the available flow of water. I did not look up what those acronyms stand for, but I trust them. Anyway, from strongest water flow to weakest, the colors go from light blue, green, orange, and red. If you live in a neighborhood with a fire hydrant that has a light blue bonnet,...
8 tags
Scot free (7/1/10)
“Scot” is a Scandinavian word for tax or payment. “Scot free” just referred to someone not paying taxes. So, if you don’t pay taxes you’ll be getting away scot free, in the literal sense. It’s unlikely that you’ll get away from the government scot free.
June 2010
31 posts
8 tags
Hill vs Mountain (6/30/10)
Generally, in the United States, a hill becomes a mountain once it reaches 2000 feet (~610 meters). Ultimately, though, it depends on who you ask. If you ask me, I will tell you 2000 feet is the cut-off between a hill and a mountain…. as I have already told you.
Road Trip Lesson 2 (6/29/10)
It is really difficult to update with my phone. But today I learned that Columbus, Ohio is actually a good-sized city.
Yep.
Road Trip lesson 1 (6/28/10)
White Castle hurts.
10 tags
I'm Not Lovin' It (6/27/10)
McDonald’s has a lot of odd foods on their international menus. It’s really quite interesting. You should check it out. But one food item on the McDonald’s menu in Hong Kong stood out to me in particular— the Shake Shake Fries. Shake Shake Fries are basically flavored French fries. They come in flavors like salt and pepper, French onion, chargrill, and seaweed. I am...
13 tags
World Cup Refs (6/26/10)
It has been estimated by the U.S. Soccer Federation that, on average, the World Cup referees run 12 miles (19.31 km) in a soccer game. That’s 5 miles (8.05 km) more than the average player. They also get less rest too. For example, a soccer player from Ghana can lie on his back delaying the game for minutes…the refs don’t have this luxury.
I’m over it.
8 tags
Oldest Recorded Song (6/25/10)
The earliest known recorded song was made possible through the phonoautograph, which was a recording device invented in 1857 by Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville. A recording of a French folksong, “Au Clair de la Lune” has been dated to April 9, 1860, making it the earliest recognizable recording of a human voice. Here it is:
...
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Stupid Fact #180 or something (6/24/10)
“The nose print of a dog is like the fingerprint of a person – no two are alike. Get a good relief and you can identify your dog by the mark it leaves behind!”
I’m guessing your dog’s face will help you distinguish your dog too. Or maybe its general appearance or its collar… Maybe this fact is supposed to help me track my dog…or help the police if my dog...
6 tags
Knotty Knotty (6/23/10)
A coastal state has jurisdiction over its territorial water, which extends up to 12 nautical miles out from the coast. A nautical mile is equivalent to 1.151 miles or 1.852 kilometers (which is the same as 1.151 miles…). The nautical mile is very helpful in navigation with charts and maps because the unit is roughly the same as a minute of latitude, thus it’s easy to measure...
9 tags
Horses and Dwarfses (6/22/10)
I’ve read way too much about horses today. I hate when I do that. Anyway, I knew the height of a horse was measured in hands, but I never knew a hand was equivalent to 4 inches. Maybe dwarfs primarily measured horses back in the day. I also learned that the only truly wild species of horses that still exists is the Przewalski’s Horse, although it’s currently listed as an...
9 tags
Cape Caught (6/21/10)
Excappare is the Latin root of the word “escape,” which literally means “out of one’s cape.” The ancient Romans would escape capture by dropping their capes when fleeing. I don’t really know how much time that would buy you. Couldn’t the person chasing you just drop his cape too? Or perhaps, you could just start off not wearing a cape in the...
10 tags
Gang-Signing (6/20/10)
Somniloquy is better known as sleep-talking. Sleep-talking is very common in young children and decreases in prevalence with age. I found this interesting: people who speak sign language have been known to sign in their sleep. Sleep-talking is so boring compared to sleep-signing. If you’re sharing a bed with someone who’s sleep talking, you can just play some music on your...
10 tags
Uranus (6/19/10)
The most hilarious planet, Uranus, is named after the Greek god of the sky, Ouranos. On this astronomy website, several astronomers discussed the pronunciation of the planet. Dr. Pamela Gay notes, “The safest way, the way that’s least likely to get us made fun of by any small children is to say Uranus (UR-uh-nis), but there’s also the famous ur-ANUS way of saying it.” I...
SmartestYear.com Twitter
Yeah, I made SmartestYear.com a Twitter account. The user name is SmartestYear. This way you can get SmartestYear posts straight to your phone (or Jitterbug for my superannuated readers). I don’t know if you actually get the posts or just a link to them. I had my interns make the Twitter account, so I’m not to blame.
I don’t have any interns.
Follow me anyway. If you have...
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Economics 101 (6/18/10)
In Middle English, the word pygg referred to a type of clay used in pottery. People often kept their money in jars made out of this clay. They were called “pygg jars.” Eventually this evolved into “pig bank,” and finally “piggy bank.” I remember seeing in cartoons people breaking their piggy banks open with a hammer to get the money. I always questioned the...
10 tags
The North Star (6/17/10)
I keep getting lost at sea. It’s getting ridiculous. I always forget how to find the North Star. The North Star, or Polaris, is a very useful navigation tool. You can use it to find your direction, and even determine your latitude based on Polaris’s angle of elevation relative to the horizon. The star can be found easily, as it’s the last star on the handle of the Little...
9 tags
Brown Egg vs White Egg (6/16/10)
Misunderstandings between brown eggs and white eggs have torn families apart for generations. Now it shall be settled. So what’s the difference between brown eggs and white eggs (other than the color…nice one)? The Egg Nutrition Board— yes, it’s a real thing— says that there is no difference in taste or nutrition. Simply, “white shelled eggs are produced by...
7 tags
Sister Cities (6/15/10)
Sister cities…why? The U.S. sister city program was originally proposed as a way to connect people internationally by President Eisenhower in 1956. Eventually this led to the creation of Sister Cities International in 1967, whose goal is to “promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation…” I am pretty sure that exact mission statment can be (and has...
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Copyright vs Trademark vs Patent (6/14/10)
This one comes up a lot in conversation around me. Apparently, I am extremely territorial and materialistic.
A copyright is a form of protection given to authors for their original literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and/or other published or unpublished intellectual works. The 1976 Copyright Act gives the author exclusive rights to the copyrighted work. A copyright only protects forms of...
12 tags
The Clap (6/13/10)
I always wondered why people loudly hit their hands together to show their approval of something. Why don’t we “armpit fart” or snort or just babble some gibberish when we are pleased? The act of clapping has been used as a sign of approval for basically all of recorded human history. There were even professional clappers. In France, for instance, a claque was a group of...
11 tags
The Flying V (6/12/10)
Geese and some other migratory birds fly in a V formation for a couple main reasons. First, the V formation reduces the drag force that each bird encounters compared to the force he would feel flying solo. In one study, the heart rates of pelicans was monitored. It was found that a flock of 25 birds in formation can fly 70% farther than a single bird using the same amount of energy. The second...