Tag Archives: you should know

When to Use I.E. Versus E.G.

Now You Know

You should know when to use “i.e.” and when to use “e.g.” Many people use these interchangeably, but as you look into what “i.e.” and “e.g.” actually mean, you start to see how they are distinct.  Specifically, “i.e.” is an abbreviation for the Latin “id est”, more or less meaning “that is”.  “E.g.”, on the other hand, is an abbreviation […]

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How to Stop Windows Update from Automatically Restarting Your Computer

Now You Know

You should know how to prevent Windows Update from automatically restarting your computer. There are few more annoying default settings than Windows’ developers choosing to have the default on Windows Update be to automatically restart your computer and further not providing any obvious way to disable auto-restarts after a Windows update..  Sure, they have a “postpone” button that pops up, […]

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How to Treat a Jellyfish Sting

You should know how to treat a jellyfish sting. Contrary to popular belief, you should never urinate on a jellyfish sting. This will just make the problem worse, as does washing the sting with fresh water without prior treatment.  You should also not try to put ice on it before properly treating the area, which is sometimes people’s initial inclination […]

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The Difference Between an Acronym and an Initialism

Now You Know

You should know the difference between an acronym and an initialism. Both acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, but there is a key difference between the two, at least at present. Due to rampant misuse of the term “acronym” some dictionaries are now starting to add an extra definition to it, allowing acronyms to expand their scope to include initialisms.  So […]

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It’s Bad Rap, Not Bad Wrap

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You should know that the expression to describe when someone is falsely convicted of a criminal charge or is on the receiving end of unjustified criticism is “bad rap”, not “bad wrap”. Further, “rap” in this sense is not an acronym of “Record of Arrest and Prosecution”, though has since been backronymed as such.  The reality is that the meaning […]

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During Absence Seizures People Will Often Just Look Like They are Staring Off Into Space and May Walk Around Aimlessely

absence seizure facts

During absence seizures, the person will often appear to be just staring off into space.  There is no typical jerking or twitching as is associated with many other types of seizures.  Absence seizure victims may also move from one location to another without purpose or thought behind it.  If they are speaking when the seizure hits, they may or may […]

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The Difference Between Venom and Poison

Now You Know

You should know the difference between venom and poison. The difference is in the delivery. Poison must be inhaled, ingested, or delivered via touch, while venom is injected into a wound.  This may seem overly pedantic, but it should be noted that venom isn’t usually poisonous (meaning it generally won’t hurt you too much or at all if delivered in […]

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Porcupine Quills are Just Extremely Enlarged Hairs

A porcupine’s quills are just extremely enlarged specialized hairs that have unusually (compared to other mammals) thick layers of keratin, which is the main structural component of hair and finger nails, among other things.  These thick layers of keratin make porcupine quills extremely rigid and good for poking things. A Cat’s whiskers are also just specialized hairs.  With cats, these […]

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Certain Almonds are Highly Poisonous

Now You Know

You should know almonds come in two varieties, sweet and bitter, and the latter is highly poisonous when raw. Bitter almonds contain glycoside amygdalin. When eaten, glycoside amygdalin will turn into prussic acid, a.k.a. hydrogen cyanide, which incidentally was the key ingredient to Zyklon B, the pesticide used in the Nazi gas chambers. So if you’re walking out in the […]

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How to Add RAM to Your Computer

Now You Know

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Crucial.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. You should know how to add RAM to a computer. As a Computer Scientist (Master’s degree and all), I can tell you that in the vast majority of cases, dollar for dollar there is no single thing you can do to […]

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What to Do if You See Someone Having a Seizure

Now You Know

You should know what to do if you see someone having a seizure. Not all seizures result in a person jerking about uncontrollably.  With many seizures, the person may simply smack their lips, seem to be oblivious to their surroundings, wander around mindlessly, stare off into space, or the like.  In these cases, there is often little to be done.  […]

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