Saturday, February 28, 2009
Surf's Up, Brah!
The Beach Boys were the founders of surf rock; however, only Dennis Wilson knew how to surf, and he died of drowning in 1983.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Where's the mercy rule when you need it?
The 1916 Cumberland vs. Georgia Tech football game was a college football game played on October 7, 1916 between the Georgia Tech Engineers and the Cumberland College Bulldogs. The game became the most lopsided game in the history of college football, as Georgia Tech was victorious 222–0.
Cumberland College, a school in Lebanon, Tennessee, had actually discontinued its football program before the season but was not allowed to cancel its game against the Engineers. The fact that Cumberland's baseball team had crushed Georgia Tech earlier that year 22-0 (amidst allegations of Cumberland using professionals as ringers) probably accounted for Georgia Tech coach John Heisman's running up the score on the Bulldogs. He insisted on the schools' scheduling agreement, which required Cumberland to pay $3,000 (almost $60,000 in 2008 dollars) to Tech if its football team failed to show. So, George E. Allen (who was elected to serve as Cumberland's football team student manager after first serving as the baseball team student manager) put together a scrub team of 14 men (including some of his Kappa Sigma brothers) to travel to Atlanta as Cumberland's football team.
Cumberland received the opening kickoff and failed to make a first down. After a punt, the Engineers scored on their first play. Cumberland then fumbled on their next play from scrimmage, and a Tech player returned the fumble for a touchdown. The Bulldogs fumbled again on their next play, and it took Tech two runs to score its third touchdown. Cumberland lost nine yards on its next possession, then gave up a fourth touchdown on another two-play Tech drive.
The Engineers led 63–0 after the first quarter and 126–0 at halftime. Tech added 54 more points in the third quarter and 42 in the final period.
Several myths have developed around the game. Some have written that Cumberland did not have a single play that gained yards; in fact, its longest play was a 10-yard pass (on 4th-and-22). One page on Cumberland's website says Georgia Tech scored on every offensive play, but the play-by-play account of the game posted online says otherwise. Another part of Cumberland's webpage states a more likely scenario: that Georgia Tech scored on every one of its drives.
Cumberland College, a school in Lebanon, Tennessee, had actually discontinued its football program before the season but was not allowed to cancel its game against the Engineers. The fact that Cumberland's baseball team had crushed Georgia Tech earlier that year 22-0 (amidst allegations of Cumberland using professionals as ringers) probably accounted for Georgia Tech coach John Heisman's running up the score on the Bulldogs. He insisted on the schools' scheduling agreement, which required Cumberland to pay $3,000 (almost $60,000 in 2008 dollars) to Tech if its football team failed to show. So, George E. Allen (who was elected to serve as Cumberland's football team student manager after first serving as the baseball team student manager) put together a scrub team of 14 men (including some of his Kappa Sigma brothers) to travel to Atlanta as Cumberland's football team.
Cumberland received the opening kickoff and failed to make a first down. After a punt, the Engineers scored on their first play. Cumberland then fumbled on their next play from scrimmage, and a Tech player returned the fumble for a touchdown. The Bulldogs fumbled again on their next play, and it took Tech two runs to score its third touchdown. Cumberland lost nine yards on its next possession, then gave up a fourth touchdown on another two-play Tech drive.
The Engineers led 63–0 after the first quarter and 126–0 at halftime. Tech added 54 more points in the third quarter and 42 in the final period.
Several myths have developed around the game. Some have written that Cumberland did not have a single play that gained yards; in fact, its longest play was a 10-yard pass (on 4th-and-22). One page on Cumberland's website says Georgia Tech scored on every offensive play, but the play-by-play account of the game posted online says otherwise. Another part of Cumberland's webpage states a more likely scenario: that Georgia Tech scored on every one of its drives.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Aloha!
The state fish of Hawaii is the humuhumunukunukuapua’a.
The reef, rectangular, wedge-tail, or Picasso triggerfish, also known by its Hawaiian name, humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, also spelled Humuhumunukunukuapua'a or just humuhumu for short; meaning "fish with pig's nose"), is one of several species of triggerfish. Classified as Rhinecanthus rectangulus, it is endemic to the salt water coasts of various central and south Pacific Ocean islands. It is often asserted that the Hawaiian name is one of the longest words in the Hawaiian Language and that "the name is longer than the fish."
The reef, rectangular, wedge-tail, or Picasso triggerfish, also known by its Hawaiian name, humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, also spelled Humuhumunukunukuapua'a or just humuhumu for short; meaning "fish with pig's nose"), is one of several species of triggerfish. Classified as Rhinecanthus rectangulus, it is endemic to the salt water coasts of various central and south Pacific Ocean islands. It is often asserted that the Hawaiian name is one of the longest words in the Hawaiian Language and that "the name is longer than the fish."
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Ready.....Aim......Victory!!!!
History's shortest war, the Anglo-Zanzibar war, lasted a whopping 38 minutes.
The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. The conflict lasted approximately 40 minutes and is the shortest war in history. The immediate cause of the war was the death of the pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini on 25 August 1896 and the subsequent succession of Sultan Khalid bin Barghash. The British authorities preferred Hamud bin Muhammed, who was more favourable to them, as Sultan. In accordance with a treaty signed in 1886, a condition for accession to the sultancy was that the candidate obtain the permission of the British Consul, and Khalid had not fulfilled this requirement. The British considered this a casus belli and sent an ultimatum to Khalid demanding that he order his forces to stand down and leave the palace. In response, Khalid called up his palace guard and barricaded himself inside the palace.
The ultimatum expired at 09:00 East Africa Time (EAT) on 27 August, by which time the British had gathered three cruisers, two gunships, 150 marines and sailors and 900 Zanzibaris in the harbour area. The Royal Navy contingent were under the command of Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson whilst their Zanzibaris were commanded by Brigadier-General Lloyd Mathews of the Zanzibar army. Around 2,800 Zanzibaris defended the palace; most were recruited from the civilian population, but they also included the Sultan's palace guard and several hundred of his servants and slaves. The defenders had several artillery pieces and machine guns which were set in front of the palace sighted at the British ships. A bombardment which was opened at 09:02 set the palace on fire and disabled the defending artillery. A small naval action took place with the British sinking a Zanzibari royal yacht and two smaller vessels, and some shots were fired ineffectually at the pro-British Zanzibari troops as they approached the palace. The flag at the palace was shot down and fire ceased at 09:40.
The Sultan's forces sustained roughly 500 casualties, while only one British sailor was injured. Sultan Khalid received asylum in the German consulate before escaping to Tanganyika. The British quickly placed Sultan Hamud in power at the head of a puppet government. The war marked the end of Zanzibar as a sovereign state and the start of a period of heavy British influence.
The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. The conflict lasted approximately 40 minutes and is the shortest war in history. The immediate cause of the war was the death of the pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini on 25 August 1896 and the subsequent succession of Sultan Khalid bin Barghash. The British authorities preferred Hamud bin Muhammed, who was more favourable to them, as Sultan. In accordance with a treaty signed in 1886, a condition for accession to the sultancy was that the candidate obtain the permission of the British Consul, and Khalid had not fulfilled this requirement. The British considered this a casus belli and sent an ultimatum to Khalid demanding that he order his forces to stand down and leave the palace. In response, Khalid called up his palace guard and barricaded himself inside the palace.
The ultimatum expired at 09:00 East Africa Time (EAT) on 27 August, by which time the British had gathered three cruisers, two gunships, 150 marines and sailors and 900 Zanzibaris in the harbour area. The Royal Navy contingent were under the command of Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson whilst their Zanzibaris were commanded by Brigadier-General Lloyd Mathews of the Zanzibar army. Around 2,800 Zanzibaris defended the palace; most were recruited from the civilian population, but they also included the Sultan's palace guard and several hundred of his servants and slaves. The defenders had several artillery pieces and machine guns which were set in front of the palace sighted at the British ships. A bombardment which was opened at 09:02 set the palace on fire and disabled the defending artillery. A small naval action took place with the British sinking a Zanzibari royal yacht and two smaller vessels, and some shots were fired ineffectually at the pro-British Zanzibari troops as they approached the palace. The flag at the palace was shot down and fire ceased at 09:40.
The Sultan's forces sustained roughly 500 casualties, while only one British sailor was injured. Sultan Khalid received asylum in the German consulate before escaping to Tanganyika. The British quickly placed Sultan Hamud in power at the head of a puppet government. The war marked the end of Zanzibar as a sovereign state and the start of a period of heavy British influence.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Everybody is born right-handed; only the gifted overcome it.
Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon with his left foot first.
7 to 10 percent of the adult population was left-handed.
Left-handedness is more common in males than females.
Exposure to higher rates of testosterone before birth can lead to a left-handed child.
Left-handed men are 15 percent richer than right-handed men for those who attended college, and 26 percent richer if they graduated.
Scouts shake with their left hand, not their right.
Left handers are better at reading mirror-writing than right handers.
Nearly all the characters in the Muppets were left handed.
Using a standard “qwerty” keyboard, and typing with both hands in the conventional manner, the number of words in English that are typed solely with the left hand is in the neighborhood of 3400. Around 450 words are typed solely with the right hand.
In the 1992 U.S. Presidential election, all three major candidates were left-handed.
7 to 10 percent of the adult population was left-handed.
Left-handedness is more common in males than females.
Exposure to higher rates of testosterone before birth can lead to a left-handed child.
Left-handed men are 15 percent richer than right-handed men for those who attended college, and 26 percent richer if they graduated.
Scouts shake with their left hand, not their right.
Left handers are better at reading mirror-writing than right handers.
Nearly all the characters in the Muppets were left handed.
Using a standard “qwerty” keyboard, and typing with both hands in the conventional manner, the number of words in English that are typed solely with the left hand is in the neighborhood of 3400. Around 450 words are typed solely with the right hand.
In the 1992 U.S. Presidential election, all three major candidates were left-handed.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Migraine Monday!!!!
There is actually a four-point verbal pain scale used to measure the severity of migraines.
Number Name Result
0 no pain
1 mild pain does not interfere with usual activities
2 moderate pain inhibits, but does not wholly prevent usual activities
3 severe pain prevents all activities
MC Huemmer must get 3's pretty frequently...
Number Name Result
0 no pain
1 mild pain does not interfere with usual activities
2 moderate pain inhibits, but does not wholly prevent usual activities
3 severe pain prevents all activities
MC Huemmer must get 3's pretty frequently...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I guess it's not a politically correct term...
Oddly enough, the word “mafia” is never mentioned in the film version of The Godfather.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sucks being a bulemic horse...
Because of the angle that the esophagus enters the stomach, horses are physically unable to vomit.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wait, I think I have a coupon...
Wrigley’s gum was the first product with a bar code to be scanned at a supermarket.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Like father ,like son
‘Lincoln Logs’, the popular toy, was invented by John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Good for him!
Charles Curtis, Herbert Hoover’s Vice President was a Kaw Indian. He attained the highest elective office (so far, anyway) of any American Native.
Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was a United States Representative, a longtime Senator from Kansas elected to Senate Majority Leader, as well as the 31st Vice President of the United States. He was the first person with acknowledged non-European ancestry to reach either of the two highest offices in the United States government's executive branch (and the last until Barack Obama's election as president in 2008). Most of Curtis' maternal ancestry was Native American, and he spent years of childhood living with his maternal grandparents on their Kaw reservation.
An attorney, Curtis entered political life early, winning multiple terms starting in 1892 as a Republican to the US House of Representatives from his district in Topeka, Kansas. He was elected to the Senate first by the Kansas legislature, and then by popular vote in 1920 and thereafter. Curtis served in the Senate from 1915 to 1929. His long popularity and connections in Kansas and national politics helped make Curtis a strong leader in the Senate; he marshaled support to be elected as Senate Minority Whip from 1915–1924 and then as Senate Majority Leader from 1925–1929. In these positions he was instrumental in managing legislation and accomplishing Republican national goals.
After the landslide victory of the Republican ticket in 1928, Curtis resigned from the Senate to serve as Vice-president to Herbert Hoover as President.
Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was a United States Representative, a longtime Senator from Kansas elected to Senate Majority Leader, as well as the 31st Vice President of the United States. He was the first person with acknowledged non-European ancestry to reach either of the two highest offices in the United States government's executive branch (and the last until Barack Obama's election as president in 2008). Most of Curtis' maternal ancestry was Native American, and he spent years of childhood living with his maternal grandparents on their Kaw reservation.
An attorney, Curtis entered political life early, winning multiple terms starting in 1892 as a Republican to the US House of Representatives from his district in Topeka, Kansas. He was elected to the Senate first by the Kansas legislature, and then by popular vote in 1920 and thereafter. Curtis served in the Senate from 1915 to 1929. His long popularity and connections in Kansas and national politics helped make Curtis a strong leader in the Senate; he marshaled support to be elected as Senate Minority Whip from 1915–1924 and then as Senate Majority Leader from 1925–1929. In these positions he was instrumental in managing legislation and accomplishing Republican national goals.
After the landslide victory of the Republican ticket in 1928, Curtis resigned from the Senate to serve as Vice-president to Herbert Hoover as President.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Hand Lo!! I mean.....land lo? hand ho? I'm not as thrunk as you drink i am
The Mayflower landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 because they had run out of beer.
On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower set sail for the New World on one of the boldest voyages in American history. On board were 102 passengers, including fifty-one Separatists and fifty-one “Strangers” – hired hands, indentured servants and others who came for their own reasons. The history books most remember such prominent figures as William Bradford, Edward Winslow and Myles Standish for their leading roles in the adventure. But it was a young hired cooper named John Alden who held perhaps the most important job – building and tending the wooden barrels which carried the Mayflower’s most precious cargo, thousands of gallons of beer that sustained the Pilgrims on their arduous journey to America.
Indeed, beer was the staple drink on board the Mayflower. Unlike water, which quickly spoiled when stored in the hold of ships, beer contained no bacteria, and the then-recent introduction of hops made it keep longer. It was also a terrific source of carbohydrates. Men, women and children drank beer daily, and sailors aboard the Mayflower received a daily ration of a gallon.
After sixty-five grueling days at sea, the Mayflower sighted land along the coast of Cape Cod. The ship headed south towards its planned destination on the Hudson River. But treacherous seas from the Polluck Rip off Monomoy Point forced the Mayflower to turn north and drop anchor at Provincetown. After several weeks of searching unsuccessfully for a suitable harbor on the Cape, the Pilgrims were cold, tired and, most importantly, low on beer. In their words, “we could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer.”
And so it was that on December 20, 1620 the Pilgrims chose the site for their new colony in Plymouth. Set on high ground and protected from the sea by the natural harbor, the plantation was easily defended and provided a commanding view of the bay and Cape Cod. There was also a great deal of land that had already been cleared and planted with corn by the native Patuxets several years earlier. Most important, the plantation contained a “very sweet brook” and “many delicate springs of as good water as may be drunk.”
On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower set sail for the New World on one of the boldest voyages in American history. On board were 102 passengers, including fifty-one Separatists and fifty-one “Strangers” – hired hands, indentured servants and others who came for their own reasons. The history books most remember such prominent figures as William Bradford, Edward Winslow and Myles Standish for their leading roles in the adventure. But it was a young hired cooper named John Alden who held perhaps the most important job – building and tending the wooden barrels which carried the Mayflower’s most precious cargo, thousands of gallons of beer that sustained the Pilgrims on their arduous journey to America.
Indeed, beer was the staple drink on board the Mayflower. Unlike water, which quickly spoiled when stored in the hold of ships, beer contained no bacteria, and the then-recent introduction of hops made it keep longer. It was also a terrific source of carbohydrates. Men, women and children drank beer daily, and sailors aboard the Mayflower received a daily ration of a gallon.
After sixty-five grueling days at sea, the Mayflower sighted land along the coast of Cape Cod. The ship headed south towards its planned destination on the Hudson River. But treacherous seas from the Polluck Rip off Monomoy Point forced the Mayflower to turn north and drop anchor at Provincetown. After several weeks of searching unsuccessfully for a suitable harbor on the Cape, the Pilgrims were cold, tired and, most importantly, low on beer. In their words, “we could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer.”
And so it was that on December 20, 1620 the Pilgrims chose the site for their new colony in Plymouth. Set on high ground and protected from the sea by the natural harbor, the plantation was easily defended and provided a commanding view of the bay and Cape Cod. There was also a great deal of land that had already been cleared and planted with corn by the native Patuxets several years earlier. Most important, the plantation contained a “very sweet brook” and “many delicate springs of as good water as may be drunk.”
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Motorless Highway
State highway M-185 on Mackinaw Island, Michigan, is the only state highway in the US that prohibits motorized vehicles.
The first city ordinances banning all motorized vehicles from the island were passed in 1896, with similar state park rules coming by the 1920s. As such, other than a handful of emergency and utility vehicles as well as others by special, limited-time permit, no cars or trucks are allowed on the island and no motorized vehicles appear on M-185. Traffic on this highway is by foot, on horse or by horse-drawn vehicle, or bicycle.The M-185 designation was first assigned to Lakeshore Drive around Mackinac Island before 1936.
The first city ordinances banning all motorized vehicles from the island were passed in 1896, with similar state park rules coming by the 1920s. As such, other than a handful of emergency and utility vehicles as well as others by special, limited-time permit, no cars or trucks are allowed on the island and no motorized vehicles appear on M-185. Traffic on this highway is by foot, on horse or by horse-drawn vehicle, or bicycle.The M-185 designation was first assigned to Lakeshore Drive around Mackinac Island before 1936.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Hooray for Being Different!!
The US, Burma and Liberia are the only countries in the world that have not officially adopted the metric system as the standard of measurement.
Many years ago USMA took a survey to determine which countries have officially adopted the metric system. According to that survey, the only other countries besides the U.S. that have not officially adopted the metric system are Liberia (in western Africa) and Burma (also known as Myanmar, in Southeast Asia). These two countries did not have an official policy of converting to metric at the time of the survey.
Most other countries have either used the metric system for many years, or have adopted the metric system within the last 30 or 40 years. (The story of the metric transition in several countries is given in detail farther down on this page.) Nearly every country in the world has taken steps to replace traditional measurements. And, use of the metric system in the U.S. is ever increasing as well, especially linked with the wider acceptance of global standards and global trade which are mostly in metric measurements. Just as English has become the global language of commerce, the metric system has become the global language of measurement. Thus the phrase heard more and more: "Speak in English, and Measure in Metric."
Jamaica was the most recent country to convert to the metric system, having done so in 1998.
Many years ago USMA took a survey to determine which countries have officially adopted the metric system. According to that survey, the only other countries besides the U.S. that have not officially adopted the metric system are Liberia (in western Africa) and Burma (also known as Myanmar, in Southeast Asia). These two countries did not have an official policy of converting to metric at the time of the survey.
Most other countries have either used the metric system for many years, or have adopted the metric system within the last 30 or 40 years. (The story of the metric transition in several countries is given in detail farther down on this page.) Nearly every country in the world has taken steps to replace traditional measurements. And, use of the metric system in the U.S. is ever increasing as well, especially linked with the wider acceptance of global standards and global trade which are mostly in metric measurements. Just as English has become the global language of commerce, the metric system has become the global language of measurement. Thus the phrase heard more and more: "Speak in English, and Measure in Metric."
Jamaica was the most recent country to convert to the metric system, having done so in 1998.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Y.A.H.O.O.
Yahoo! is an acronym for “Yet Another Hiearchical Officious Oracle.”
In January 1994, Jerry Yang and David Filo were Electrical Engineering graduate students at Stanford University. In April 1994, "Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web" was renamed "Yahoo!", for which the official expansion is "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle". Filo and Yang said they selected the name because they liked the word's general definition, which comes from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: "rude, unsophisticated, uncouth." Its URL was akebono.stanford.edu/yahoo.
By the end of 1994, Yahoo! had already received one million hits. The Yahoo! domain was created on January 18, 1995. Yang and Filo realized their website had massive business potential, and on March 1, 1995, Yahoo! was incorporated. On April 5, 1995, Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital provided Yahoo! with two rounds of venture capital, raising approximately $3 million. On April 12, 1996, Yahoo! had its initial public offering, raising $33.8 million, by selling 2.6 million shares at $13 each.
Like many search engines and web directories, Yahoo! diversified into a Web portal. In the late 1990s, Yahoo!, MSN, Lycos, Excite and other Web portals were growing rapidly. Web portal providers rushed to acquire companies to expand their range of services, in the hope of increasing the time a user stays at the portal.
On March 8, 1997, Yahoo! acquired online communications company Four11. Four11's webmail service, Rocketmail, became Yahoo! Mail. Yahoo! also acquired ClassicGames.com and turned it into Yahoo! Games. Yahoo! then acquired direct marketing company Yoyodyne Entertainment, Inc. on October 12. On March 8, 1998, Yahoo! launched Yahoo! Pager, an instant messaging service that was renamed Yahoo! Messenger a year later. On January 28, 1999, Yahoo! acquired web hosting provider GeoCities. Another company Yahoo! acquired was eGroups, which became Yahoo! Groups after the acquisition on June 28, 2000.
When acquiring companies, Yahoo! often changed the relevant terms of service. For example, they claimed intellectual property rights for content on their servers, unlike the companies they acquired. As a result, many of the acquisitions were controversial and unpopular with users of the existing services.
In January 1994, Jerry Yang and David Filo were Electrical Engineering graduate students at Stanford University. In April 1994, "Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web" was renamed "Yahoo!", for which the official expansion is "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle". Filo and Yang said they selected the name because they liked the word's general definition, which comes from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: "rude, unsophisticated, uncouth." Its URL was akebono.stanford.edu/yahoo.
By the end of 1994, Yahoo! had already received one million hits. The Yahoo! domain was created on January 18, 1995. Yang and Filo realized their website had massive business potential, and on March 1, 1995, Yahoo! was incorporated. On April 5, 1995, Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital provided Yahoo! with two rounds of venture capital, raising approximately $3 million. On April 12, 1996, Yahoo! had its initial public offering, raising $33.8 million, by selling 2.6 million shares at $13 each.
Like many search engines and web directories, Yahoo! diversified into a Web portal. In the late 1990s, Yahoo!, MSN, Lycos, Excite and other Web portals were growing rapidly. Web portal providers rushed to acquire companies to expand their range of services, in the hope of increasing the time a user stays at the portal.
On March 8, 1997, Yahoo! acquired online communications company Four11. Four11's webmail service, Rocketmail, became Yahoo! Mail. Yahoo! also acquired ClassicGames.com and turned it into Yahoo! Games. Yahoo! then acquired direct marketing company Yoyodyne Entertainment, Inc. on October 12. On March 8, 1998, Yahoo! launched Yahoo! Pager, an instant messaging service that was renamed Yahoo! Messenger a year later. On January 28, 1999, Yahoo! acquired web hosting provider GeoCities. Another company Yahoo! acquired was eGroups, which became Yahoo! Groups after the acquisition on June 28, 2000.
When acquiring companies, Yahoo! often changed the relevant terms of service. For example, they claimed intellectual property rights for content on their servers, unlike the companies they acquired. As a result, many of the acquisitions were controversial and unpopular with users of the existing services.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
What's a vomitorium for?
A "vomitorium," despite being derived from the Latin "vomere," meaning, "to spew forth," isn't the place where the Romans threw up after their meals. It was the name for the entrance or exit from an amphitheater, and is still used in that sense today in some sports stadiums.
The "vomitoria" of the Colosseum in Rome were so well designed that it's said the venue, which seated at least 50,000, could fill in fifteen minutes. (There were eighty entrances at ground level.)
The confusion of the exit with a specialized vomit chamber appears to be a recent error. The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary finds Alduous Huxley using the term incorrectly in his comic novel, Antic Hay, with the stern comment "erron." However, no Roman writer ever referred to a chamber where gluttons threw up to be able to eat even more, no have any such rooms been found.
The "vomitoria" of the Colosseum in Rome were so well designed that it's said the venue, which seated at least 50,000, could fill in fifteen minutes. (There were eighty entrances at ground level.)
The confusion of the exit with a specialized vomit chamber appears to be a recent error. The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary finds Alduous Huxley using the term incorrectly in his comic novel, Antic Hay, with the stern comment "erron." However, no Roman writer ever referred to a chamber where gluttons threw up to be able to eat even more, no have any such rooms been found.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Son of a (Insert grawlix here)
Those nonsense symbols ( !#@%& ) used to indicate swearing or cursing in comic strips are called grawlix.
The fact for tomorrow (Monday) will be posted on Tuesday, as I will not have access to a computer tomorrow. Sorry.
The fact for tomorrow (Monday) will be posted on Tuesday, as I will not have access to a computer tomorrow. Sorry.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Watch out for that bloat of hippopotamuses!!!
Ever see a group of animals and wonder what the correct term for the group was?
Wonder no more! (I limited the list to the more obscure names...)
Mammals
albatross...rookery
apes...troop
asses...drove
baboons...flange
badgers...company
bears...sleuth
buffalo...gang
cats...clowder
elk...gang
ferrets...business
fox...leash
giraffes...tower
goats...tribe
hippopotamuses...bloat
kangaroos...troop
leopards...leap
moles...labor
otters...romp
porcupines...prickle
squirrels...scurry
tigers...streak
Birds
buzzards...wake
cranes...sedge
crows...murder
eagles...convocation
flamingos...stand
hawks...cast
jays...party
larks...exaltation
owls...parliament
rooks...building
ravens...unkindness
storks...mustering
turkeys...rafter
Reptiles/Amphibians
crocodiles...bask
frogs...army
toads...knot
turtles...bale
Fish
herring...army
sharks...shiver
trout...hover
Wonder no more! (I limited the list to the more obscure names...)
Mammals
albatross...rookery
apes...troop
asses...drove
baboons...flange
badgers...company
bears...sleuth
buffalo...gang
cats...clowder
elk...gang
ferrets...business
fox...leash
giraffes...tower
goats...tribe
hippopotamuses...bloat
kangaroos...troop
leopards...leap
moles...labor
otters...romp
porcupines...prickle
squirrels...scurry
tigers...streak
Birds
buzzards...wake
cranes...sedge
crows...murder
eagles...convocation
flamingos...stand
hawks...cast
jays...party
larks...exaltation
owls...parliament
rooks...building
ravens...unkindness
storks...mustering
turkeys...rafter
Reptiles/Amphibians
crocodiles...bask
frogs...army
toads...knot
turtles...bale
Fish
herring...army
sharks...shiver
trout...hover
Friday, February 6, 2009
Let's just call it "Lake C"
Lake Chaubunagungamaug, also known as "Webster Lake", is a lake in the town of Webster, Massachusetts, United States. It is located near the Connecticut border and has a surface area of 1,442 acres (5.83 km²).
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, a 45-letter alternative name for this body of water, is often cited as the longest place name in the United States and one of the longest in the world. Today, "Webster Lake" may be the name most used, but some (including many residents of Webster), take pride in reeling off the longer versions.
This lake has several alternative names, but Lake Chaubunagungamaug is the name of the lake as recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Nonetheless, many area residents, as well as the official website of the town of Webster, prefer the longer version.
The name comes from the language of the local Nipmuck people and means something close to "fishing place at the boundary". The lake was an important fishing spot on the borders of several tribal territories and lay at the nexus of many local paths of the Great Trail system. For these reasons the lake was often used as a meeting place.
Algonquian-speaking peoples had several different names for the lake as recorded on old maps and historical records. However, all of these were similar in part and had almost the same translation. Among other early names were "Chabanaguncamogue" and "Chaubanagogum".
A map of 1795, showing the town of Dudley, indicated the name as "Chargoggaggoggmanchoggagogg". A survey of the lake done in 1830 lists the name as Chaubunagungamaugg, the older name. The following year, both Dudley and Oxford, which adjoined the lake, filed maps listing the name as "Chargoggagoggmanchoggagogg".
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, the extra-long version of the name, is the longest place name in the United States and 6th longest in the world. Its 15 uses of "g" are the most instances of any letter in a word. The name also contains 9 instances of the letter "a" (not including the "a" in "lake"), more than any word in the English language.
This longest name means approximately "Englishmen at Manchaug at the fishing place at the boundary" and was applied in the 19th century when White people built factories in the area. "Manchaug" is derived from the "Monuhchogoks", a group of Nipmuck that lived by the lakeshore. Spelling of the long name varies, even on official signs near the lake. Webster schools use this long form of the name in various capacities.
Larry Daly, editor of The Webster Times, wrote a humorous article in the 1920s about the lake and the disputes concerning the meaning of its name. He proposed the tongue-in-cheek translation "You Fish on Your Side, I Fish on My Side, Nobody Fish in the Middle". It has met with so much popular acceptance that relatively little attention has been paid to the actual translation.
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, a 45-letter alternative name for this body of water, is often cited as the longest place name in the United States and one of the longest in the world. Today, "Webster Lake" may be the name most used, but some (including many residents of Webster), take pride in reeling off the longer versions.
This lake has several alternative names, but Lake Chaubunagungamaug is the name of the lake as recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Nonetheless, many area residents, as well as the official website of the town of Webster, prefer the longer version.
The name comes from the language of the local Nipmuck people and means something close to "fishing place at the boundary". The lake was an important fishing spot on the borders of several tribal territories and lay at the nexus of many local paths of the Great Trail system. For these reasons the lake was often used as a meeting place.
Algonquian-speaking peoples had several different names for the lake as recorded on old maps and historical records. However, all of these were similar in part and had almost the same translation. Among other early names were "Chabanaguncamogue" and "Chaubanagogum".
A map of 1795, showing the town of Dudley, indicated the name as "Chargoggaggoggmanchoggagogg". A survey of the lake done in 1830 lists the name as Chaubunagungamaugg, the older name. The following year, both Dudley and Oxford, which adjoined the lake, filed maps listing the name as "Chargoggagoggmanchoggagogg".
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, the extra-long version of the name, is the longest place name in the United States and 6th longest in the world. Its 15 uses of "g" are the most instances of any letter in a word. The name also contains 9 instances of the letter "a" (not including the "a" in "lake"), more than any word in the English language.
This longest name means approximately "Englishmen at Manchaug at the fishing place at the boundary" and was applied in the 19th century when White people built factories in the area. "Manchaug" is derived from the "Monuhchogoks", a group of Nipmuck that lived by the lakeshore. Spelling of the long name varies, even on official signs near the lake. Webster schools use this long form of the name in various capacities.
Larry Daly, editor of The Webster Times, wrote a humorous article in the 1920s about the lake and the disputes concerning the meaning of its name. He proposed the tongue-in-cheek translation "You Fish on Your Side, I Fish on My Side, Nobody Fish in the Middle". It has met with so much popular acceptance that relatively little attention has been paid to the actual translation.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Freedom fries? Not so much...
The “french” in french fries actually describes the way the spuds are sliced, not their country of origin.
Belgians claim that "French" fries are in fact Belgian, but definitive evidence for the origin is difficult to present. Belgian historian Jo Gerard recounts that potatoes were already fried in 1680 in the Spanish Netherlands, in the area of "the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liège, Belgium. The poor inhabitants of this region allegedly had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals."
Many Americans attribute the dish to France — although in France they are almost exclusively thought of as Belgian — and offer as evidence a notation by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. "Pommes de terre frites à cru, en petites tranches" ("Potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small cuttings") in a manuscript in Thomas Jefferson's hand (circa 1801-1809) and the recipe almost certainly comes from his French chef, Honoré Julien.[4] It is worth noting, though, that France had recently annexed what is now Belgium, and would retain control over it until the Congress of Vienna of 1815 brought it under Dutch control.[15] In addition, from 1813[16] on, recipes for what can be described as French fries, occur in popular American cookbooks. By the late 1850s, one of these mentions the term "French fried potatoes".
Some claim that the dish was invented in Spain, the first European country in which the potato appeared via the New World colonies, and assumes the first appearance to have been as an accompaniment to fish dishes in Galicia, from which it spread to the rest of the country and further to the Spanish Netherlands, more than a century before Belgium was created there.
Professor Paul Ilegems, curator of the Friet-museum in Antwerp, Belgium, believes that Saint Teresa of Ávila fried the first chips, referring also to the tradition of frying in Mediterranean cuisine.
Belgians claim that "French" fries are in fact Belgian, but definitive evidence for the origin is difficult to present. Belgian historian Jo Gerard recounts that potatoes were already fried in 1680 in the Spanish Netherlands, in the area of "the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liège, Belgium. The poor inhabitants of this region allegedly had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals."
Many Americans attribute the dish to France — although in France they are almost exclusively thought of as Belgian — and offer as evidence a notation by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. "Pommes de terre frites à cru, en petites tranches" ("Potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small cuttings") in a manuscript in Thomas Jefferson's hand (circa 1801-1809) and the recipe almost certainly comes from his French chef, Honoré Julien.[4] It is worth noting, though, that France had recently annexed what is now Belgium, and would retain control over it until the Congress of Vienna of 1815 brought it under Dutch control.[15] In addition, from 1813[16] on, recipes for what can be described as French fries, occur in popular American cookbooks. By the late 1850s, one of these mentions the term "French fried potatoes".
Some claim that the dish was invented in Spain, the first European country in which the potato appeared via the New World colonies, and assumes the first appearance to have been as an accompaniment to fish dishes in Galicia, from which it spread to the rest of the country and further to the Spanish Netherlands, more than a century before Belgium was created there.
Professor Paul Ilegems, curator of the Friet-museum in Antwerp, Belgium, believes that Saint Teresa of Ávila fried the first chips, referring also to the tradition of frying in Mediterranean cuisine.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
How do moths feel about flames?
They're not attracted to them (or any light for that matter). They are disoriented by them.
Apart from the odd forest fire, artificial light sources have been in existence for an extremely short time in comparison with the age of the relationship between moths and the sun and moon. Many insects use these light sources to navigate by day and night.
Because the moon and sun are a long way away, insects have evolved to expect the light from them to strike their eyes in the same place at different times of day or night, enabling them to calculate how to fly in a straight line.
When people come along with their portable miniature suns and moons and a moth flies by, the light confuses it. It assumes it must somehow be moving in a curved path, because its position in relation to the stationary sun or moon has unexpectedly changed.
The moth then adjusts its course until it sees the light as stationary again. With a light source so close, the only way to do this is to fly around and around it in circles.
Apart from the odd forest fire, artificial light sources have been in existence for an extremely short time in comparison with the age of the relationship between moths and the sun and moon. Many insects use these light sources to navigate by day and night.
Because the moon and sun are a long way away, insects have evolved to expect the light from them to strike their eyes in the same place at different times of day or night, enabling them to calculate how to fly in a straight line.
When people come along with their portable miniature suns and moons and a moth flies by, the light confuses it. It assumes it must somehow be moving in a curved path, because its position in relation to the stationary sun or moon has unexpectedly changed.
The moth then adjusts its course until it sees the light as stationary again. With a light source so close, the only way to do this is to fly around and around it in circles.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Fly like a...New Ford F-150?
The launching mechanism of a carrier ship that helps planes to take off, could throw a pickup truck over a mile.
The primary takeoff assistance comes from the carrier's four catapults, which get the planes up to high speeds in a very short distance. Each catapult consists of two pistons that sit inside two parallel cylinders, each about as long as a football field, positioned under the deck. The pistons each have a metal lug on their tip, which protrudes through a narrow gap along the top of each cylinder. The two lugs extend through rubber flanges, which seal the cylinders, and through a gap in the flight deck, where they attach to a small shuttle.
When the plane is ready to go, the catapult officer opens valves to fill the catapult cylinders with high-pressure steam from the ship's reactors. This steam provides the necessary force to propel the pistons at high speed, slinging the plane forward to generate the necessary lift for takeoff. Initially, the pistons are locked into place, so the cylinders simply build up pressure. The catapult officer carefully monitors the pressure level so it's just right for the particular plane and deck conditions. If the pressure is too low, the plane won't get moving fast enough to take off, and the catapult will throw it into the ocean. If there's too much pressure, the sudden jerk could break the nose gear right off.
When the cylinders are charged to the appropriate pressure level, the pilot blasts the plane's engines. The holdback keeps the plane on the shuttle while the engines generate considerable thrust. The catapult officer releases the pistons, the force causes the holdbacks to release, and the steam pressure slams the shuttle and plane forward. At the end of the catapult, the tow bar pops out of the shuttle, releasing the plane. This totally steam-driven system can rocket a 45,000-pound plane from 0 to 165 miles per hour (a 20,000-kg plane from 0 to 266 kph) in two seconds!
The primary takeoff assistance comes from the carrier's four catapults, which get the planes up to high speeds in a very short distance. Each catapult consists of two pistons that sit inside two parallel cylinders, each about as long as a football field, positioned under the deck. The pistons each have a metal lug on their tip, which protrudes through a narrow gap along the top of each cylinder. The two lugs extend through rubber flanges, which seal the cylinders, and through a gap in the flight deck, where they attach to a small shuttle.
When the plane is ready to go, the catapult officer opens valves to fill the catapult cylinders with high-pressure steam from the ship's reactors. This steam provides the necessary force to propel the pistons at high speed, slinging the plane forward to generate the necessary lift for takeoff. Initially, the pistons are locked into place, so the cylinders simply build up pressure. The catapult officer carefully monitors the pressure level so it's just right for the particular plane and deck conditions. If the pressure is too low, the plane won't get moving fast enough to take off, and the catapult will throw it into the ocean. If there's too much pressure, the sudden jerk could break the nose gear right off.
When the cylinders are charged to the appropriate pressure level, the pilot blasts the plane's engines. The holdback keeps the plane on the shuttle while the engines generate considerable thrust. The catapult officer releases the pistons, the force causes the holdbacks to release, and the steam pressure slams the shuttle and plane forward. At the end of the catapult, the tow bar pops out of the shuttle, releasing the plane. This totally steam-driven system can rocket a 45,000-pound plane from 0 to 165 miles per hour (a 20,000-kg plane from 0 to 266 kph) in two seconds!
Monday, February 2, 2009
No gum allowed!
In 1992 chewing gum was banned from Singapore. Chewing gum was causing serious maintenance problems in all areas of the city-state. After the 1987 launch of the $5 billion mass transit train system, it was reported that vandals had begun sticking chewing gum on the door sensors of the trains, preventing the doors from functioning properly and causing disruption of train services. Surprisingly, after the ban no known black market for chewing gum ever emerged in Singapore, although some citizens did occasionally manage to smuggle some from Malaysia for their own consumption. In 2004 the ban was revised to recognize the proven health benefits of certain gums that contain calcium lactate to strengthen tooth enamel. The sale of this newly categorized medicinal gum was allowed, as long as it was sold by a dentist or pharmacist, who is required to record the name of the purchaser.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Awfully suspicious...
President Lincoln’s oldest son was on the scene of three presidential assassinations. His father in 1865, Garfield in 1881, and McKinley in 1901.
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