Archive for the ‘All’
The Origins of the Demotivator Meme
Today I found out the origins of the demotivator meme. The meme, as we know it today, has its origins in a company called Despair, Inc. Before them though was a company called Successories. This company was started by Mac Anderson in 1985. Among their products were motivational posters with the now classic black background and [...]
The First Known Robot Was Created Around 400 BC and Was a Mechanical Bird
Today I found out the first known robot was created around 400-350 BC by the mathematician Archytas and was a steam powered pigeon.
Archytas, who coincidently is known as the “father of mechanical engineering”, constructed his bird out of wood and used steam to power the movements of the robot. This bird was then suspended from a pivot [...]
How an LED Works
Today I found out how an LED works. An LED or “Light Emitting Diode” is basically as the name describes; it is a special type of diode that is specifically optimized to give off light, usually in the visual or infrared spectrum, as electricity is passed through it.
A diode is a special type of semiconductor that has [...]
A Typical Human Gut Contains About 100 Trillion Bacterial Cells
Today I found out the human gut contains about 100 trillion bacterial cells, about 10 times as many cells as make up the human body. In other news, today I found out that the human body is made up of about 1 trillion cells.
The human gut is basically sterile until you are born. [...]
What Happens When You Stick Your Head Into a Particle Accelerator
Today I found out what happens when you stick your head into a particle accelerator.
Exhibit A: Anatoli Petrovich Bugorski, a Russian scientist who has the distinction of being the only person to ever stick their head in a running particle accelerator. Shockingly, he also managed to survive the ordeal and all things considered, come out [...]
Tony’s Pizza is Delicious With Ranch Dressing
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Tony’s Pizza. All opinions are 100% mine.
Today I found out that Tony’s Pizza is freaking delicious with ranch dressing. Now I know this isn’t like my normal posts that tend to be based in universal fact and not opinion. However, because pizza and [...]
One Calorie is Equivalent to One Gram of TNT in Terms of Energy
Today I found out that one Calorie (note the capital “C”) is equivalent to one gram of TNT in terms of the energy. It is important to note the capital “C” in calorie because this traditional implies a kilo-calorie, also known as a “food calorie” because the value listed on food labels are typically in [...]
The Sun is White Not Yellow
Today I found out the Sun is white, not yellow. For you graphics people or web developers out there, the exact color of the sun is #fff5f2. The reason the Sun looks yellow to us on Earth is that our atmosphere scatters light from the Sun; so the apparent color of the sun changes. This [...]
The Baseball Box Score was First Developed by Henry Chadwick
Today I found out the baseball box score was first developed and introduced by Henry Chadwick, “The Father of Baseball”. Chadwick also authored Baseball’s first rule book; devised the batting average and earned run average; compiled the game’s first instructional guides and player and statistical reference books, among a variety of other contributions to the [...]
How ‘Gay’ Came to Mean ‘Homosexual’
Today I found out how ‘gay’ came to mean ‘homosexual’.
The word “gay” seems to have its origins around the 12th century in England, derived from the Old French word ‘gai’, which in turn was probably derived from a Germanic word, though that isn’t completely known. The word’s original meaning meant something to the effect of [...]
