Amazing Fact (24 May)

It might seem long, but today is shorter than you think. The average day is actually 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds. We have a leap year every 4 years to make up for this shortfall.

What’s In A Name (24 May)

• What part of a wine bottle is known as the ‘punt’? [The indentation on the bottom of the bottle is called the ‘punt’ or ‘kick’.]
• Where on your living room lamp would you find the ‘harp’? [It’s the metal hoop that runs around the top of a lamp shade.]
• What does a sales clerk measure with a ‘Brannock Device’. [That’s the name of the adjustable metal instrument used to measure feet in a shoe store.]

What Would Jesus Smoke? (24 May)

An article in “High Times” magazine argues that Jesus Christ may have used a cannabis-based anointing oil in order to help cure people of such ailments as skin diseases, eye problems, menstrual problems and even epilepsy. Author Chris Bennet says his conclusions are based on scriptural texts and claims the medical use of cannabis during the time of Christ is supported by archaeological records.
– BBC News

Cellphones Kill Farmers? (20 May)

Cellphones may pose a higher health risk to rural dwellers because they emit more intense signals in the countryside, Swedish scientists claim. The researchers at University Hospital in Orebro, Sweden say that's because rural base stations tend to be further apart so the phones compensate with stronger signals, and the stronger the signal, the higher the risk. This is all still theory, of course. There has still been no hard evidence the technology causes health problems.
- Yahoo! News

Worldwide Noos (20 May)

• German swimming champion Franziska van Almsick says she likes to warm up for races by - having sex. It's always given her performance in the pool a big boost, she claims. Her favorite location? In the water, of course. Her boyfriend, by the way, is German handball player Stefan Kretzschmar.
• A gang of Welsh thieves thought they'd hit the big time after smashing into a Swansea-area warehouse and walking off with a haul of TVs and DVD players. Imagine their chagrin upon finding out - the warehouse was used to store faulty electronics on their way back to the manufacturer after being returned by consumers.
• A Norwegian woman has breast-fed - a litter of puppies. The 23-year-old mother of a 3-month-old baby felt it was necessary to save 6 out of a litter of 10 Canary Mastiffs since their mother had died and they were refusing bottled formula.

Engagement Just Got More Expensive (19 May)

Researchers at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory have developed a new technique for making extremely large diamonds of high quality, meaning the mega-rich may soon be showing off gaudy sparklers up to one-inch-wide! Using a process called 'chemical vapor deposition' the lab has already produced a 10-carat, half-inch diamond, about 5 times larger than what commercial diamond manufacturers can now make. Researchers say that, in theory, the technique should eventually be able to make diamonds of 1-inch - roughly 300 carats.
- Yahoo! Live Science

Rarer Reds (19 May)

According to a prediction by Britain's Oxford Hair Foundation, by the year 2100 the number of natural redheads in the world will dwindle to - none! The reason, according to scientists at the independent institute, is that just 4% cent of the world's population carries the red-hair gene and the gene is recessive, so it will continue to dilute out and become rarer.
- "Social Studies"

More Questions Plaguing Humanity (19 May)

• Is sexual harassment at work a problem for the self-employed?
• Will we ever find a cure for that mysterious illness that turns 3-day weekends into 4-day weekends?
• How come creditors' memories are better then debtors'?
• Was the pole vault accidentally discovered by a clumsy javelin thrower?
• Are you breaking the law if you drive past those road signs that say 'Do Not Pass'?
• What do people in China call their good plates?

Scientists Say (18 May)

A compendium of recent 'discoveries' ...

• Men who don't shave every day are 70% more likely to suffer a stroke than daily shavers. The Bristol University study also shows non-shavers have less sex.
• Gila monster spit is good for you. The experimental drug 'exenatide' is derived from the saliva of Gila monsters and appears to help people with type 2 diabetes.
• The old saying that opposites attract is hooey. A new University of Iowa study finds the happiest couples seem to be the ones who share the same personality traits.
• Office workers who wear jeans burn an additional 25 calories a day. A study by the American Council on Exercise shows physical activity during the workday increases by 8% when casual clothing is worn.
• About 75% of newly-emerging diseases are coming from wildlife, according to the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Buzzwords (18 May)

New cutting-edge vocab ...

• 'Horseful': A combination of hungover and remorseful. ("Joe was feeling horseful this morning after insulting the boss's wife at last night's bar promotion.")
• 'Fukuenya': A new combination job in Japan - a private-eye who will track a wayward spouse, then try to bring the estranged couple back together by patching up the damaged marriage. The concept was initially inspired by a popular TV show.
• 'Sneakerheads': People who collect high-end running shoes, a hobby that's quickly growing worldwide. There a new book on the topic ("Sneakers: The Complete Collectors' Guide") as well as a magazine ("Sole Collector").
• 'Narty': Not invited to the party. ("Paris Hilton was totally narty at Nicole Richie's last night.")

Bearly Unacceptable (18 May)

A protester in a bear costume is following Queen Elizabeth II around during her tour of western Canada this week. It's all about those famous bearskin hats, known as busbies, that Buckingham Palace guards have been wearing since 1815. The black-dyed bearskins originate from brown bears captured on native reservations in Canada. Animal rights activists, including PETA, are demanding the bearskins be replaced by artificial fur. The British government is again checking into synthetic alternatives but previous attempts proved unacceptable. It seems when synthetics are subjected to Britain's infamous wet weather, they end up looking more like - punk hairstyles.
- Discovery Channel

Too Stupid For Us To Make Up (18 May)

• A massive search near Martinsburg WV for a pair of 5-year-olds that involved up to 50 people, a State Police helicopter, military airplanes and 3 police K-9 units ended after 90 minutes when the boys were found - under a bed in their grandma's house. They were playing hide-and-seek.
• A Brasov, Romania doctor was stunned when he bent over a corpse in the morgue - and it punched him. It seems the teenage boy had been declared dead a tad prematurely and when he woke up with a dead woman on either side, he panicked and struck his examiner. The doctor, meantime, has been allowed time off after being treated for shock.
• In order to keep students 'focused on learning', Sky View Middle School in Bend OR is now giving out stiff detentions for - hugging.
• A 36-year-old man in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany used several cans of insect spray before sitting down at his computer to surf the 'Net. So much aerosol spray, in fact, that a small spark from his PC ignited it, causing an explosion that demolished his apartment and blew out all the windows. Amazingly, even though damages top $150,000, the buggy guy wasn't seriously hurt!
• A Brazilian woman in her 50s is suing police after she spent 2 days in jail for transporting - 2 bags of flour. The cops mistook her for a drug courier hauling cocaine. You'd think it would be a tough mistake to make since she was carrying the stuff - in a supermarket bag.

What Is Your Star Wars Name? (16 May)

Just in time for "Revenge of the Sith", here's a fun name generator you can use to find out your 'Star Wars / Jedi Name'.

Horizontal Thought (16 May)

New research by scientists at Northumbria University in northern England suggests that the best way to think is - lying down. In experiments, study subjects were able to solve problems more quickly when lying down compared with standing or sitting.
- "Sunday Times"

TV Makes You Smart? (16 May)

In his new book, sociologist Steven Johnson suggests that complex storylines in TV shows such as "CSI" and "The Sopranos" help to get our brains working. After studying IQ tests conducted between 1943 and 2001, Johnson found that average intelligence has gone up by 17%. While common thinking suggests pop culture is following a steady decline toward the lowest common denominator, Johnson claims the exact opposite is true - it's getting more intellectually demanding, not less.
- "The Mirror"

Why Is It That In Movies ... (16 May)

• Any apartment or hotel in Paris will have a view of the Eiffel Tower?
• A kid always knows more than an adult?
• All members of alien species wear the same outfits?
• Pedestrians are never hit when cars drive down a sidewalk in a chase scene?
• Whenever someone knocks out someone else and takes their clothes, it's always a flawless fit?
• Most homicide detectives are brooding, near-crazed loners?
• Whenever someone looks through the binoculars, you see 2 joined circles instead of one?
• Women always fight other women by pulling hair, then falling to the ground together and rolling over twice?

Slap Happy Brits (16 May)

The latest craze of bored, violent youth in the UK has been dubbed 'Happy Slapping' - committing random acts of assault on unsuspecting victims and filming them with a cellphone. London police have investigated some 200 incidents in the past 6 months and suspect that there must be hundreds more that were never reported. The videos of these assaults are then posted on Web forums where moronic thugs can get their rocks off watching unsuspecting bystanders get punched in the head or pushed to the ground. The forum is also home to some sage advice from fellow 'Happy Slappers' such as this timeless wisdom: "If you feel bored wen ur about an u got a video phone den bitch slap sum norman, innit."
- "The Guardian"

For The Record (13 May)

• Actor Kevin Spacey, artistic director of London's Old Vic, has set a lofty goal that ought to create a whack of publicity for the theatre - he intends to write, rehearse and stage 6 plays in just 24 hours. ("Times of London")
• The world's tallest Ferris wheel will be completed in Shanghai, China by 2008. With a diameter of 170 m (558 ft), it will top the current record holder, the London Eye, which spins 135 m (443 ft) above London, England. The big wheel will take 30 minutes for each rotation, carrying a total of 1,080 riders in 36 wagons. The admission will be relatively modest - the equivalent of $12. ("Shanghai Daily")
• How do you bury a 900-lb man? In a 7-foot-wide coffin. The giant casket, custom-made for an obese Alaskan man by Indiana-based Goliath Casket Co, is the size of a double bed. ("NY Post")

Amazing Facts (13 May)

• A Brigham Young University study has found that girls as young as 3 or 4 will use manipulation and peer pressure to get what they want.
• On a dry human tongue, sugar has no taste.

A Dead Grandma's Likely Worth 50 (13 May)

British education boards are offering secondary school students the opportunity to have their marks adjusted for - emotional upset. For instance, if the family cat dies on the day of a test, a student qualifies to receive 2% more marks. However, if the puddy-tat dies the day before the exam, the adjustment is only 1% extra. Critics say the policy is a misguided attempt to quantify and compensate for the effects of emotional distress.
- "Times of London"

Aw, Skip It (12 May)

Researchers at Tohoku University in Japan have perfected a mathematical formula for - skipping stones across water. Using a numerical method called 'smoothed particle hydrodynamics' to simulate a skipping stone, they've confirmed the 'magic angle' first cited by a French researchers last year. And the magic angle is - 20 degrees from the water's surface. According to the journal "Nature", the world record is held by one J Coleman McGhee, who skipped a stone 38 times on the Blanco River in Texas in 1992.
- CBC Health & Science News

Beyond The Haze (12 May)

Alcohol (like Xanax, Valium, and certain other drugs) has a dual effect on memory, according to psychologist John Wixted. While you may have only hazy memories of the period when you were partying, the period that preceded it is usually recalled with extra precision. So while alcohol and drugs impede the formation of memories while you're under the influence, they also seem to safeguard memories formed just beforehand.
- "Wilson Quarterly"

Worldwide Quirkies (12 May)

• A Chinese dating agency has begun a matchmaking service exclusively for - celibate people.
• A Doberman in Newhaven, England has survived a 200-ft fall from a cliff into the sea. The dog was apparently chasing a rabbit that made a quick U-turn.
• New mothers in China are being urged to donate breast milk to help save a premature baby monkey in Chongqing City Zoo.

Now Scotch Is Good For You (11 May)

A biochemistry conference in Glasgow, Scotland has been told that drinking malt whisky may help prevent cancer. The medicinal properties of the antioxidants in red wine have been well documented, but Dr Jim Swan says whisky offers even greater health benefits. Why? Single malt whiskies have more ellagic acid, a naturally occurring compound that inhibits carcinogens. It's likely just a coincidence that Swan makes his living as a consultant to the distilling industry ... isn't it?
- "The Telegraph"

Near Miss In 24 Years (11 May)

A giant asteroid with the power to cause an explosion 43,000 times bigger than the Hiroshima nuclear bomb will come close to hitting Earth. The asteroid, speeding through space at 27,000 mph (45,000 km/h), will pass Earth closer than communication satellites and will be visible to the naked eye. Astronomers have calculated that the 1,000-ft-wide (320-m) asteroid will pass Earth in the year 2029 on Friday, April 13 (Friday the 13th!). Initially they thought its chances of striking Earth were 1 in 38, but revised calculations show the asteroid will not hit Earth.
- "Herald Sun"

Too Stupid For Us To Make Up (11 May)

• Britain's Defence Ministry has paid an ex-soldier $4,300 for lessons so she can pursue a career as - an exotic dancer. Officials say the 23-year-old's 'special education' was funded because the military has a duty to help troops return to civilian life.
• A mother-of-3 in Poing, Germany has agreed to spend 3 months in jail instead of paying a parking fine - because she wants a rest from her 'demanding children and lazy husband'. When cops showed up to collect the unpaid fine, she actually asked to be taken away and locked up.
• A Romanian traffic cop has been demoted after he pulled over a driver, fined him $40 and handed him a ticket explaining the reason was 'having a face like a moron and being a big monkey'. The cop's new job is in a remote village where he's a desk jockey.

Identity Theft ... By A Vendor (10 May)

Upon buying a new computer, a Boulder CO woman asked the store to save the files from her old PC to a disk. Employees did that, using a floor model computer - but they failed to remove her files from that floor model. It was eventually sold, still containing her private documents, personal info and photos, something she only discovered when the purchaser called her. The store's defence: 'There is no expectation of privacy'. The two sides are expected to settle later this month.
- "The Denver Channel"

True Crime (10 May)

• An inept thief in Bedford, England has been arrested thanks to his - lousy fashion sense. The culprit's clashing combination of green-checked, elastic-waisted pants, a tracksuit top and electric blue sleeveless T-shirt with the word 'Criminal' emblazoned on it in luminous yellow made him hard to miss - especially when he passed by the very store where he'd stolen the gear!
• A Chinese man has been caught trying to smuggle his 10-lb pet turtle onto a plane at Guangzhou airport by - pretending to be a hunchback. The man, in his 60s, actually got through the security check with the turtle strapped to his back, but was later stopped by a guard who thought his hump looked odd and asked for ID.

Scientists Say (10 May)

• After close to 30 years of plant breeding, Penn State University horticulturists have developed a unique flower called 'Elegance Silver' which they claim lives longer than any other. The white flower with burgundy feathers on the top 2 petals is designed to be used as a flowering houseplant.
• A new article published in the "Harvard Mental Health Letter" warns that, contrary to popular belief (and pharmaceutical company claims), no antidepressants are without side effects. In fact, studies show that antidepressant drugs may actually increase the risk of suicidal behavior in children, teens and seniors
• Doctors at the Ealing Hospital in London UK have come up with a breakthrough technique to treat varicose veins - they inject patients with a foam that expands in the blood vessels.
• Boston University researchers have found something new that may be good for your love life - pomegranate juice. It's been tested on male rabbits and found to increase blood flow, allowing them to ... er ... rise to the occasion, so to speak.

My Big Fat Greek Traffic Jam (9 May)

Greece has one of the highest rates of traffic fatalities in Europe and Greek police are now trying an unusual method to combat that fact. In an attempt to calm motorists, they're giving away free folk music CDs that are being distributed in kits with copies of the highway code, maps and a message wishing commuters well.
- "Social Studies"

The Power Of One ... Bug (9 May)

Futurist Ray Kurzweil points out that a $1,000 personal computer now has roughly the computing power of an insect brain. But if today's trends continue, in 15 years $1,000 will buy enough computing power to rival a human brain.
- "New Scientist"

You Are Getting Very Sleepy (9 May)

Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle WA have found a way to induce a state of hibernation on demand. Using a naturally-occurring chemical which virtually stops cellular activity, they've put mice into a state of suspended animation for up to 6 hours and then revived them back to normal life. Researchers hope to someday be able to also put humans into a hibernation-like state, which could be useful for trauma care, organ transplants and space travel.
- "Science"

Buzzwords (4 May)

New terms leaking into the lingo ...

• 'Wholpin' - A cross between a whale and a dolphin. The only one in captivity has given birth to a female calf at Sea Life Park in Hawaii.
• 'Latte Factor' - The phenomenon whereby seemingly insignificant daily purchases add up to a significant amount of money over time.
• 'Dungcam' - A remote-controlled camera disguised as a dung-heap. They're currently being used by movie-makers to film African elephant herds.

Chocoholic Paradise (4 May)

Women are being given the chance to 'dive into chocolate' to make themselves beautiful at a health spa in Paris. Beauty treatments at the Four Seasons Hotel George V spa include a 'Chocolate & Cranberry Body Scrub', a 'Toffee Chocolate Wrap' and a 'Deep Chocolate Massage'. The ultimate 2-and-a-half hour 'Decadent Chocolate Package' costs circa $380 and comes complete with a bowl of chocolate sweets beside the massage table. So does it do anything for you? The therapists say yes, claiming cocoa has anti-aging properties.
- Ananova

Clingy Shirt (4 May)

Italian designer Francesca Rosella has developed a special shirt for people in long distance relationships. The 'F+R Hugs' T-shirt has fitted sensors in the upper arms, back, hips and shoulders that recreate the physical pressure of a hug by inflating and deflating at a touch of a button. The shirt also simulates the missing partner's breath, touch and heartbeat based on info transmitted by cell phone.
- Ananova

Curry World Is Coming (3 May)

A 25-acre amusement park called 'Gangadham' is being developed for the banks of the Ganges River in the north Indian pilgrimage town of Haridwar. The town attracts more than 18 million visitors a year. The 'world's biggest-ever mythological theme park' will recreate great moments in Hindu mythology through hi-tech rides, an animated mythological museum, food courts and a sound & light show. Hindu gods such as Ram, Hanuman and Krishna will be the central attractions at what's been nicknamed 'Disneyland on the Ganges'. If the park's a hit, more of them may be built in other parts of the world.
- BBC News World Edition

Tunes-To-Go (3 May)

Nokia's latest smart-phone, the stainless steel N-91, is being called the 'iPod killer'. The phone holds up to 3,000 songs on a 4-gigabyte hard disk, features a stereo headset jack, 12.5 hours of battery life and permits transfer of music files from a PC or over the air. It's biggest advantage over a traditional Mpeg player is said to be that you'll always be connected, even when on the move. It will be on the market by the end of the year.
- "Forbes"

Cemetery Plots (3 May)

• A Vermont teenager faces a possible sentence of 25 years in jail for digging up a grave and stealing a skull. The 17-year-old is being held on $100,000 bail and will receive a psychiatric evaluation after he informed cops he wanted the skull in order to build - a really cool bong!
  - "Argus Times"
• A plan by funeral company Palacom has been given the go-ahead in Victoria, Australia for an unusual cemetery in which the bodies will be buried - standing up! The vertical burials, in which bodies will be buried in 3-m (10-ft) pre-drilled holes, will reportedly be the first of their kind in Australia. What's the point? The eco-friendly, 'feet-first' graveyard will save a lot of space.
  - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Ranking Reliability (2 May)

Google's search engine is set to become even smarter by sorting its stories in order of quality as well as by date and relevance. The company is developing a 'quality ranking system' to monitor the credibility and authority of news sources.
- "Daily Express"

Get Ready For Another Low-Budget Horror Flick (2 May)

Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine have managed to create remote-controlled fruit flies. By manipulating their little fly brains, the scientists are able to use a laser trigger to activate different parts of the nervous system in order to get them to flap their wings or jump around. So far, researchers haven't mentioned what possible practical use this technology might have.
- MSNBC

Return to the top of the page

© www.TobyDaBrit.com