Annual Report Once a year, I receive an Annual Report from Jetpack. Jetpack is a widely-used plug-in (app) in WordPress, the framework on which this site is built. I thought this annual report was interesting enough to share with you, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Trivia
Science Fact: Champagne and its bubbly cousins make a festive way to great the New Year. Today’s post discusses the ancient origins of Champagne, back in the Stone Age, no less. Tomorrow we’ll enjoy a comparative tasting of brut rosé, that … Continue reading
Reindeer are the #1 popular animal of the holiday season. This time of year, they even edge out pandas, puppies, baby elephants and pocket pets. Here are eight things you might not have known about Rudolph and his real-world cousins. … Continue reading
Science Fact: Sunlight is necessary for human health and for almost every living thing on the planet. Sunblock also turns out to be a universal need. In particular, recent research shows that “chicks need sunblock,” as explained below. The Goldlocks … Continue reading
(Non) Science Fact: Unusual jobs are a media standby for slow-news days. And journalists vie to outdo each other in finding odd jobs that will grab the reader’s attention. However, sometimes unusual jobs appear in the course of a regular news … Continue reading
Science Fact: The five senses bring the world into our awareness. But who decided there were five senses, anyway? Five Senses. In Western culture many things we think we “know” often come from ancient Greece. Sure enough, Aristotle, who has … Continue reading
Science Fact: Humpback whales make a great companion to the Green Sea Turtles in Wednesday’s blog. Not because they are friends, or symbiotes, or even spend much time in the same part of the ocean. But because they share other … Continue reading
Green Sea Turtles, “honu” in Hawaiian, are denizens of the deep that may seem sleepy and lazy. However, a sea turtle shows quite a personality when you watch him engage in his “sea turtle” behavior. A Maui vacation offers many chances … Continue reading
Science Fact: Personal preference is a lot more than “I know what I like.” It embraces a wide range of emotions and has even encouraged scientific study. The meaning of life embraces what we like as well as how others … Continue reading
Science Fact: The toy known as the Sqwish Ball may be taking a long long trip – to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. Science fiction traditionally describes interplanetary and even intergalactic travel as commonplace. However back here on earth, … Continue reading
Science Fact: Fireworks! One of the few things every culture seems to agree on: they are a great way celebrate a holiday or a special occasion. And although calendars differ, the arrival of a new year is a frequent excuse for … Continue reading
Science Fact: Santa Claus traces his origins to Saint Nicholas, a third century bishop who left secret gifts for the needy. In 16th century England the celebration of Saint Nicholas was moved from December 6 to Christmas Day. Thus a … Continue reading
Science Fact: Coffee has now joined an exclusive club – it’s becoming the basis for a new alcoholic beverage. A group of six researchers in Portugal and Spain, who must have thought that their morning Joe was missing something, set … Continue reading
Science Fact: The seahorse is a popular favorite among snorkelers, scuba divers and aquarium-goers. It is beautiful and graceful as it undulates in the currents, and looks not only familiar, but weirdly out of place among all the fish. Although some … Continue reading
Science Fact: Did Benjamin Franklin really recommend the Thanksgiving turkey instead of the bald eagle as the American national bird? Well, not quite. The best explanation I have seen comes from the American Heraldry Society in an article no longer … Continue reading
Science Fact: Contradictory sayings pose a dilemma: what folk wisdom can we trust? Call them sayings, adages, proverbs, old wives’ or husbands’ tales, fairy tales, Aesop’s Fables. These wise words are supposed to serve as shorthand, a quick way to … Continue reading
Science Fact: If you have $1,500 to $2,700 in spare cash, you can acquire a necessity of the modern home – a robotic bartender. This modern technical breakthrough is named Monsieur and its availability was announced last month with a … Continue reading
Science Fact: The headline Invasion of the Nostril Ticks was irresistible. What would you do? Naturally, I had to share it. Tony Goldberg went to Uganda to study disease transmission in chimpanzees, and from chimps to humans. When he reached … Continue reading
Science Fact: Renamed food – the restaurant owner’s secret, coming to a school near you. How about a burger? Or would you rather have two 100% pure beef patties, hand-leafed lettuce, tomato, spread with or without onions, stacked high on … Continue reading
Science Fact: Sunsets are always special, but a sunset with a Green Flash is a rare and memorable event. The Green Flash is common enough to be visible to anyone, but rare enough to be exciting. Moreover, it’s a nice … Continue reading