The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
We’ve all had the experience of suddenly wondering why something is referred to into a particular way, how things work, or where something comes from. In this series, I’ve used the inter-tubes to find what I can about a particular nagging question.
The origin of the “bless you” tradition is not entirely clear. The urban legend experts at Snopes.com list an impressive number of possibilities. One involves the (hopefully) mistaken belief that a human’s soul might escape through a sneeze. Saying “God bless you” wards off Satan while the soul is temporarily vulnerable. I’ve also heard that it was thought, in Biblical times, that a sneeze was an attempt to rid the body of a demon.
Read moreKidz World explains that beans contain sugars the human body simply cannot digest. Once these sugars (called oligosaccharides) reach a person’s lower intestines, “the bacteria go berserk, start feasting, and make loads of gas.” Before you know it — toxic fumes.
Read moreAccording to anecdotage.com, the aptly titled “Cure for Insomnia” is the longest film ever. It runs about 87 hours and features L.D. Groban reading a really looooong poem. Just in case you find that kind of boring, according to IMDb, the film slices in pornography and music video footage. Probably not the best “date movie.”
Read moreIf human skin comes and goes like dust in the wind, why do tattoos stick around? The explanation is simple. The top layer of skin is called the epidermis. This page from A Moment of Science explains that while the epidermis is always regenerating, a tattoo needle actually penetrates through to the dermis, the second level of skin. It’s here that the tattoo makes its home for the rest of your natural life.
Read moreEver since Elvis died in 1977, tribute artists have been filling the void. These men, women, and children walk the
Read moreEach year, a committee solicits nominations from thousands of select individuals (visit the page for a complete list of those eligible to submit nominations). These individuals must submit their nominations by February 1 of the year for which the nomination is being made.
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 moreWe’re all paying record high prices for gas making us chumps to the super profitable oil companies. Many people are taking hybrid cars more seriously now. So just which car is the most fuel efficient?
Read moreThird World countries (now known as “developing nations”) are countries with a low “Human Development Index.” First World countries (like the United States, Japan, and Germany) score much higher on the HDI. A nation’s HDI is determined by its literacy rate, poverty rate, life expectancy, etc. There is indeed a Second World, though the expression isn’t exactly parallel to the other terms, and these days, few mention it.
Read moreIt’s possible the lion in the famous MGM production logo may be more fatigued than ferocious. Hollywood thrives on illusion, after all. But to get to the lion’s heart of the matter, we’d need to know which lion you’re referring to.
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