With it being so warm now, compared to how cold it was just last week, I got to thinking about some other places that experience those temp shifts much more regularly & frequently: deserts. During the day, scorching heat can be torturous to humans. But then, after dark, the problem is reversed & you’d need…
Have you ever noticed those tiny black dots around the edge of your car’s windshield? They’re easy to miss, but they actually serve some important purposes. Firstly, there’s a black strip that wraps around your windshield, which is called a “frit” or a “frit band”. It’s basically ceramic paint that’s been cooked into the glass…
Y’know the old “Which Came First: The Chicken Or The Egg” quandary? You could ask a very similar question about “Orange”: is the fruit named for its color, or is the color named for the fruit? Well, if you’ve ever pondered this question, you can rest assured that there is a definitive answer (unlike the…
Each spring, Catholics observe Lent by skipping steak in favor of fish sticks & swapping a Big Macs for a Filet-O-Fish. But, why is that? One legend says a medieval pope with connections to Europe’s fishing business banned red meat on Fridays centuries ago, to boost his pals’ industry. While that story’s not true, Sunday…
Many people will say with pride, “Yeah, I’ve got 20/20 vision”. But, what even is that? What do those numbers mean? The overall figure is your “Visual Acuity Grade”. And the first number is always 20, because the 20 refers to the distance from which you’re supposed to be sitting or standing from…
Since they’ve been in the news a lot lately, have you ever wondered if there’s actually a difference between an attorney & a lawyer? As a general rule, the terms lawyer & attorney are pretty much interchangeable. Originally, the term “lawyer” was used generally for any person who’d been trained in the law. Some of…
While not everyone has them, chances are that you or someone you know has had the unfortunate experience of having to have wisdom teeth removed. For some, it’s not a difficult experience. For others, like yours truly, it’s one of the worst things they’ve ever been through. But the question comes up: why, if we…
Try going into any retail store right now & not seeing pink & red boxes of chocolate on display on almost every aisle. You couldn’t do it! Because chocolate’s become one of the standard Valentine’s Day gifts, alongside flowers & jewelry. But chocolate didn’t develop its romantic reputation overnight. It took centuries of Mayans, myths,…
Following a big win in a major sporting event, such as this year’s Super Bowl, fans will try to score championship merchandise as quickly as possible. So, to meet that demand, manufacturers make & stock two different sets of T-shirts, hats, and other gear ahead of time declaring each team the champion. This was done…
Have you ever been watching a football game & wondered why the quarterback yells “hut” or “hike” just before starting a play? “Hut” descends from the military. In the service, “hut” often replaces a syllable in a word to make it sharper & more distinct. Think about a drill sergeant screaming “atten-hut!” at cadets. It…