If you are an American, you know that when you see the name John Doe, it means someone whose name is not known. You also know that John Q. Public is a generic name for anyone and everyone. What about other countries? In Belgium, you might read about Jean Dupont, which won’t be his real name. In Finland, Matti Meikäläinen is not a real person; it means “generic male”. NationMaster has a list of generic names informally used for unnamed persons in many countries. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/lan_joh_doe_inf_nam_for_unk_or_uns_per_in_var_cou-unspecified-persons-various-countries-regions -via Dump Trumpet
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
Some animals use a bad smell for defense; others find it attractive in each other. Environmental Graffiti has seven of the most vile. Believe it or not, the skunk came in at only #3!
Link -via J-Walk Blog
(image credit: Qmnonic)
There are 11 species of skunk, two in Asia and nine in the Americas. All of them have the ability to spray a foul smelling chemical when threatened. The famous skunk spray is a mix of sulphuric chemicals, and skunks can spray accurately up to 15 feet. The stench is so powerful the skunk almost every animal leaves it alone, the sole exception being the Great Horned Owl which has almost no sense of smell.
Link -via J-Walk Blog
(image credit: Qmnonic)
The Leningrad Cowboys (from Finland) and the Red Army Choir perform Sweet Home Alabama. It’s a small world after all. -via Cynical-C
We’ve been thinking about a new project for Neatorama, a possibile way to bring you enhanced content. It’s still in the planning stage, so we want your input. What kind of things do you look for when you click on Neatorama? What posts would you like more information on? What would you like to see more of, or less of? What suggestions do you have for us, to make your surfing experience more pleasurable, or more informative? Do you have any questions we could work on answering? To get you thinking, Alex tells me that the best comment or suggestion could win you a Neatorama t-shirt (old style). Thanks!
The lunchtime quiz today at mental_floss is on veteran news correspondent Andy Rooney. His quotes are all over the internet, but many that have been attributed to him never actually came from his mouth. How well can you seperate the real quotes from the fakes? http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/13051
Well back in 1876 an ol' boy named Bell
Invented a contraption that we know so well
By the 1950's they're in everybodys home
It's a crazy little thing they call a telephone
Now there's one in every corner, in the back of every bar
You can get one in your briefcase, on a plane, or in your car
-Why Haven’t I Heard from You (Reba McEntire)
It was on March 10, 1876 that Alexander Graham Bell called his assistant in the next room by speaking into his new invention. From Bell’s journal:
I then shouted into M [the mouthpiece] the following sentence: "Mr. Watson, come here -- I want to see you." To my delight he came and declared that he had heard and understood what I said.
I asked him to repeat the words. He answered, "You said 'Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you.'" We then changed places and I listened at S [the speaker] while Mr. Watson read a few passages from a book into the mouthpiece M. It was certainly the case that articulate sounds proceeded from S. The effect was loud but indistinct and muffled.
The new “telephone” wasn’t free of controversy. There has long been talk of Bell stealing the idea and the technology from Elisha Gray. Bell won the patent, and is therefore known as the inventor of the telephone. Link
Here’s a jigsaw puzzle with people and animals as puzzle pieces. You can turn them around and see how they fit together. When you find pieces that fit, they will stick so you can manipulate them together. I found it quite fun! There are many more pieces than are shown here; the two I put together are just a hint. Link -via Dump Trumpet
Ruth Butterworth of Brisbane fought a python to save her kitten’s life. She was calling Tuffy to come inside when the snake encircled the cat and started to crush it.
The same python had killed her mother’s cat just days before. Link -via Digg
(image credit: Peter Wallis)
"I just started punching the thick part of the snake where it was about the size of my arm," Ms Butterworth said. "I wasn't looking, I just kept punching until it let go."
The snake bit Ms Butterworth twice before it released Tuffy, who ran indoors. It wasn't until Tuffy was safe and Ms Butterworth fell backwards to get away from the snake that she realised she had broken her wrist and been bitten.
The same python had killed her mother’s cat just days before. Link -via Digg
(image credit: Peter Wallis)
The eye you see here is a planetarium, L’Hemisfèric in Valencia, Spain. The bottom half is its reflection in the water. See more pictures of it and La Géode, a spherical IMAX theater in Paris in the post Extremely Impressive Shiny Balls. http://deputy-dog.com/2008/03/08/extremely-impressive-shiny-balls/
(YouTube link)
Acrobats and contortionists from The Great Chinese State Circus perform Swan Lake on the TV show Wetten dass...? You’ve never seen ballet like this. -via Grow-A-Brain
Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead tonight! Daylight Saving Time begins tonight for most of the United States and Canada. The expansion of the period we use DST is due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005; although studies show the effect on energy consumption is negigible, if not counterproductive. DST will last until the first weekend in November, which is almost two-thirds of the year. European Summer Time begins the last Sunday in March and runs til the last Sunday in October. Nations in the southern hemisphere who observe the practice have been on DST for months, and will soon go back to standard time as their fall approaches. Wikipedia has more on Daylight Saving Time history and practices around the world. Link
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