The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
Sometimes I just stumble across fun little facts and/or tidbits. When that happens, they will wind up duly noted in this category.
It’s looking that way. According to a recent article from IT Facts, last year more digital cameras were sold in the United States than film cameras. Just over 40 percent of U.S. households now have a digital camera.
Read moreNo one invented the piggy bank. The piggy banks’ origin owes more to the history of language, than to an individual inventor. In old english (around the 15th century) there was a word “pygg” which referred to a type of orange clay. People made all kinds of useful objects out of clay, including dishes and jars to hold spare change. Around the 18th century, the word “pygg” now sounded the same as the word for the animal “pig”. An unknown person(s) thought to shape a “pygg” jar, to look just like a real “pig”. Perhaps an order came in for a “pygg” jar and the potter misunderstood.
Read moreThe United States Football League is one of history’s more interesting failures. It was founded by entrepreneur David Dixon in
Read moreWe’ve heard it’s because pants and shorts have two legs. But shirts have two sleeves, and you don’t have a “pair of shirts.” Hmm, so much for that theory.
Read moreEver since Elvis died in 1977, tribute artists have been filling the void. These men, women, and children walk the
Read moreIt wound up being a far more active weekend that I had hoped for. I took Friday off and got
Read moreI’ve always heard the wives tell that you count the seconds between seeing a lightening flash and the sound of the thunder to figure out how far away it is. Living here in Florida, we get lots of both. So is it true or an old wives tale?
Read moreThe external ear itself has the valuable function of collecting and directing sound into the inner ear. The parts of the ear you can see without a doctor’s help are called the pinna; those curvy bits conduct sound vibrations in the air down into the tympanic cavity. The shape of the pinna helps your ear and brain figure out what direction sound is coming from. But the lobule — the part hanging down — isn’t any help. In fact, some people are born lobeless because of recessive genes, and this doesn’t seem to affect their hearing.
Read moreI haven’t had a cheeseburger yet, but it is feeling like paradise today. I took Thursday and (most of) Friday off, and got most all my chores done around the house.
Read moreIt is when we have loved greatly that our life is abundant. What does that mean. To me it implies passion. Not just passion for another person, that special someone, although that may be part of it. But it also means a great love for life and all the people that are part of our life…a passion for life if you will.
Read moreWhen bees need a new queen, special “queen cells” are made in the hive. Zoo.org describes these cells as extensions of the wax and shaped like a peanut. Young worker bees secrete a special food called “royal jelly,” and place it in the queen cells as food for the special larvae.
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