| Your Bookshelf is Comforting |
 You collect books because you love to read. You love stories, and you reread your favorites over and over again. It's hard for you to pass up a book by your favorite author. Once you find a writer you love, you tend to read his or her whole catalog. Your favorite books are full of engaging stories, relatable characters, and surprising plot twists. You like to be immersed in a story. You read when you want to relax a bit or get away from the dreariness of life. Nothing renews you like a book. You love books for what's in them, and you don't get too caught up in the appearances of your collection. In fact, some of your favorite books are well worn, sentimental favorites. That's worth more to you than the latest shiny hardback. |
March 17, 2013
The Bookshelf Test
March 14, 2013
There Are No Stupid Questions
I've heard that all my life, but earlier today on Facebook, I saw these questions posed by someone who was trying to be clever. I decided I'd answer them.
If Mars had earthquakes would they be called marsquakes?
Yes, Wikipedia has an entry: Marsquake. Don't trust Wiki? Check out this article on the respected Space.com: Marsquakes: Red Planet May Still Rumble. It was even in the news a few months back: NASA wants to measure 'Marsquakes'
When lightening strikes the ocean, why don’t all the fish die?
First, it's spelled "lightning" and if fish were in the immediate vicinity of a lightning strike, they'd probably die, but fortunately for marine life, the electrical current spreads out and dissipates until it becomes too weak to do any harm.
How far away from the immediate strike do fish still die? Ewen Thomson, an electrical engineer at the University of Florida says the "lethal distance," depends on (1) how much current there is in a lightning bolt and (2) how much current it takes to electrocute a fish. Ichthyologists (fish biologists) sometimes catch fish to study by zapping them with electricity. The best estimates are that lightning bolts probably don't kill fish more than 200 feet away in salt water, even less distance in fresh water. (because salt water conducts electricity better)
If there’s a speed of light and a speed of sound, is there a speed of smell?
The speed of an odor from source to the time your brain registers it depends upon the air currents and your own neural impulses. So, there's no set speed of smell.
Can you cry underwater?
Of course you can. The tears will rapidly dissolve into the surrounding water, but tears can be leaving the tear duct. If you're wearing a mask, then it's feasible that you could cry enough to fill it up. Doubtful, but feasible. If you are in that much pain or having that much grief underwater, it's probably best to get to the surface ASAP...unless you're TRYING to drown yourself, then....
Does the postman deliver his own mail?
If his house is on his route he would. Why wouldn't he? (or she - the proper term now is "letter carrier") I was friends with my regular letter carrier and he told me routes are often rotated amongst all of them, with the more senior carriers getting their choice of the best routes.
That said, I went to both the official USPS website as well as the one for the letter carrier's union and couldn't find anything. I did see a phone number, so I dialed it and after FINALLY being transferred to a human, I asked the question. She was taken aback and then looked through all of her "pat answers" and found nothing, but agreed with me there didn't seem to be any rules or regulations against it. We both didn't think a carrier would be dispatched ONLY to deliver another carrier's mail.
Why is there a light in the refrigerator and not in the freezer?
The newer "side by side" fridges do have lights in both compartments. Back in the days before the advent of LED lights and frost-free freezers, putting a light into the freezer compartment was an engineering challenge. An incandescent light globe in the freezer will generate heat while the door is open, and will be covered in frost soon after the door is closed. The sudden temperature change and moisture could cause the bulb to shatter when the door is opened again. In my search for the answer, I found several sites that sell add-on lights for freezers without lights.
Can crop circles be square?
If something is square, it can't be a circle, but there ARE squares that have been found inside the "mysterious" crop circles. Google "crop circles with squares" images and you'll see them with not only squares, but triangles and other non-circle geometric shapes inside them.
Are eyebrows considered facial hair?
Eyebrows are on your face, therefore by definition they ARE facial hair.
Is there ever a day mattresses aren’t on sale?
Well, the seemingly continuous sales aside, the answer has to be "Yes", simply due to the fact that most mattress stores aren't open every day. Most are closed on Sundays and nearly all are closed on major holidays. They can't have a sale if they're not open. Every store I've ever been to has sales on merchandise, even item specific businesses; for example, tire stores have sales on the products that aren't selling well or tires they've got a deal on for buying in bulk and can offer them at a discount to their customers. The same is true for places that sell stationery, liquor stores, clothing shops, etc.
From my own short time spent working in a furniture store, I learned that mattresses have a huge mark-up in price and a "sale" might only mean the product is "marked down" to the store's regular profit margin. Just a trick of the trade, used in many other businesses. Other than that sneaky tactic, it's hard to begrudge them a good profit because a mattress store can have quite a bit of money tied up in inventory, what with different brands, styles, sizes, etc. Also, if a customer buys a mattress, they probably won't be back for a replacement for at least four/five years or longer.
How come lemon washing up liquid contains real lemons but lemon juice has artificial flavorings?
The stupidest question of a stupid bunch. How can a real lemon have artificial flavorings?
What's really stupid was me spending any amount of time finding the answers to these stupid questions.
If Mars had earthquakes would they be called marsquakes?
Yes, Wikipedia has an entry: Marsquake. Don't trust Wiki? Check out this article on the respected Space.com: Marsquakes: Red Planet May Still Rumble. It was even in the news a few months back: NASA wants to measure 'Marsquakes'
When lightening strikes the ocean, why don’t all the fish die?
First, it's spelled "lightning" and if fish were in the immediate vicinity of a lightning strike, they'd probably die, but fortunately for marine life, the electrical current spreads out and dissipates until it becomes too weak to do any harm.
How far away from the immediate strike do fish still die? Ewen Thomson, an electrical engineer at the University of Florida says the "lethal distance," depends on (1) how much current there is in a lightning bolt and (2) how much current it takes to electrocute a fish. Ichthyologists (fish biologists) sometimes catch fish to study by zapping them with electricity. The best estimates are that lightning bolts probably don't kill fish more than 200 feet away in salt water, even less distance in fresh water. (because salt water conducts electricity better)
If there’s a speed of light and a speed of sound, is there a speed of smell?
The speed of an odor from source to the time your brain registers it depends upon the air currents and your own neural impulses. So, there's no set speed of smell.
Can you cry underwater?
Of course you can. The tears will rapidly dissolve into the surrounding water, but tears can be leaving the tear duct. If you're wearing a mask, then it's feasible that you could cry enough to fill it up. Doubtful, but feasible. If you are in that much pain or having that much grief underwater, it's probably best to get to the surface ASAP...unless you're TRYING to drown yourself, then....
Does the postman deliver his own mail?
If his house is on his route he would. Why wouldn't he? (or she - the proper term now is "letter carrier") I was friends with my regular letter carrier and he told me routes are often rotated amongst all of them, with the more senior carriers getting their choice of the best routes.
That said, I went to both the official USPS website as well as the one for the letter carrier's union and couldn't find anything. I did see a phone number, so I dialed it and after FINALLY being transferred to a human, I asked the question. She was taken aback and then looked through all of her "pat answers" and found nothing, but agreed with me there didn't seem to be any rules or regulations against it. We both didn't think a carrier would be dispatched ONLY to deliver another carrier's mail.
Why is there a light in the refrigerator and not in the freezer?
The newer "side by side" fridges do have lights in both compartments. Back in the days before the advent of LED lights and frost-free freezers, putting a light into the freezer compartment was an engineering challenge. An incandescent light globe in the freezer will generate heat while the door is open, and will be covered in frost soon after the door is closed. The sudden temperature change and moisture could cause the bulb to shatter when the door is opened again. In my search for the answer, I found several sites that sell add-on lights for freezers without lights.
Can crop circles be square?
If something is square, it can't be a circle, but there ARE squares that have been found inside the "mysterious" crop circles. Google "crop circles with squares" images and you'll see them with not only squares, but triangles and other non-circle geometric shapes inside them.
Are eyebrows considered facial hair?
Eyebrows are on your face, therefore by definition they ARE facial hair.
Is there ever a day mattresses aren’t on sale?
Well, the seemingly continuous sales aside, the answer has to be "Yes", simply due to the fact that most mattress stores aren't open every day. Most are closed on Sundays and nearly all are closed on major holidays. They can't have a sale if they're not open. Every store I've ever been to has sales on merchandise, even item specific businesses; for example, tire stores have sales on the products that aren't selling well or tires they've got a deal on for buying in bulk and can offer them at a discount to their customers. The same is true for places that sell stationery, liquor stores, clothing shops, etc.
From my own short time spent working in a furniture store, I learned that mattresses have a huge mark-up in price and a "sale" might only mean the product is "marked down" to the store's regular profit margin. Just a trick of the trade, used in many other businesses. Other than that sneaky tactic, it's hard to begrudge them a good profit because a mattress store can have quite a bit of money tied up in inventory, what with different brands, styles, sizes, etc. Also, if a customer buys a mattress, they probably won't be back for a replacement for at least four/five years or longer.
How come lemon washing up liquid contains real lemons but lemon juice has artificial flavorings?
The stupidest question of a stupid bunch. How can a real lemon have artificial flavorings?
What's really stupid was me spending any amount of time finding the answers to these stupid questions.
March 13, 2013
Capital Trivia
Did you know the least populous state capital in the U.S. is Montpelier, Vermont? Its population, according to the 2010 Census, is 7,855.
Did you know the most populous state capital is Phoenix, Arizona, with a population of 1,445,632?
List of capitals in the United States
Did you know the most populous state capital is Phoenix, Arizona, with a population of 1,445,632?
List of capitals in the United States
Roundabout - Yes
RIP Peter Banks
There were other better known Yes tunes I could have chosen, but this is the one that first comes to my mind when I think of the group. My roommate in college used to play the opening riff on his guitar and we'd listen to their album all night long, leaving it on the turntable where it would play over and over and over.
There were other better known Yes tunes I could have chosen, but this is the one that first comes to my mind when I think of the group. My roommate in college used to play the opening riff on his guitar and we'd listen to their album all night long, leaving it on the turntable where it would play over and over and over.
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