Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne CBD, November 2012
Crayola crayons have been around for one hundred and ten years - check out their evolution.
Showing posts with label fact for the day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fact for the day. Show all posts
Friday, March 08, 2013
Colour your world/city
Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne CBD, November 2012
Crayola crayons have been around for one hundred and ten years - check out their evolution.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Get the gist?
The soft 'g' in gist is pronounced in the same way as the 'g' is in giraffe or ginger,
not
like the hard 'g' in girder or get.
Get it?
Got it?
Good!
not
like the hard 'g' in girder or get.
Get it?
Got it?
Good!
Friday, January 01, 2010
Nurdles aka mermaid tears
Nurdles are tiny plastic pellets from the plastic moulding industry. Raw plastic is formed into pre-production plastic pellets or plastic resin pellets less than 5mm in size. Their size and shape make them easy to feed into the hopper of a plastic moulding machine. Not every nurdle makes it into the hopper. Some may be spilt or blown away on the wind. These usually end up in waterways.
Nurdles are also known as mermaid tears because they make up a large portion of marine debris. Scientists have been aware of the danger of marine plastic debris for some years now*. However it is only the recent set of images of dead albatross chicks that have made a wave in the sea of public consciousness.
*So have I (see blog entry here) though not as long as they have obviously.
Nurdles are also known as mermaid tears because they make up a large portion of marine debris. Scientists have been aware of the danger of marine plastic debris for some years now*. However it is only the recent set of images of dead albatross chicks that have made a wave in the sea of public consciousness.
*So have I (see blog entry here) though not as long as they have obviously.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Romping otters!
Fact for the Day
A group of otters is known, appropriately, as a romp.
from the
Website of the Day
Cute Otters
A group of otters is known, appropriately, as a romp.
from the
Website of the Day
Cute Otters
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Stationary versus stationery
Here’s an easy way to spell the right word when you mean it. All my life – this is no exaggeration – I’ve never bothered to ensure the difference. Today I thought ‘Hell with it, I’m off to Borders to locate a dictionary and get this sorted once and for all!’
Stationary is an object that is not moving.
Stationery is office supplies, Smiggle stuff and Streamline staplers*.
Now, how to remember the difference?
E for eraser (and easy!).
Or you might prefer:
A for airport full of stationary aeroplanes.
So now we have no excuse to get them muddled ;)
*Judging by Milton from Office Space, they must be bloody good staplers…Love that movie.
Stationary is an object that is not moving.
Stationery is office supplies, Smiggle stuff and Streamline staplers*.
Now, how to remember the difference?
E for eraser (and easy!).
Or you might prefer:
A for airport full of stationary aeroplanes.
So now we have no excuse to get them muddled ;)
*Judging by Milton from Office Space, they must be bloody good staplers…Love that movie.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
I always thought moray eels were creepy...
...Now I know they are even creepier.
Fact for the day
I read yesterday in the November, 2007 Smithsonian magazine about it being recently discovered that they have a second set of jaws reminiscent of Giger's Alien (eep! the horror...). Other fish use the suction created when they open their mouth to suck in prey. Moray eels can't do this since they live in confined spaces which won't allow them to open their mouths so wide. When they bite onto prey the second set comes up from the throat into the mouth. It grabs onto the prey helping to guide it down the esophagus. Other species of fish also have a second set of jaws known as pharyngeal jaws, but none have this remarkable, startling degree of mobility and deftness.
Read more about it here at National Geographic, and see pictures!
Fact for the day
I read yesterday in the November, 2007 Smithsonian magazine about it being recently discovered that they have a second set of jaws reminiscent of Giger's Alien (eep! the horror...). Other fish use the suction created when they open their mouth to suck in prey. Moray eels can't do this since they live in confined spaces which won't allow them to open their mouths so wide. When they bite onto prey the second set comes up from the throat into the mouth. It grabs onto the prey helping to guide it down the esophagus. Other species of fish also have a second set of jaws known as pharyngeal jaws, but none have this remarkable, startling degree of mobility and deftness.
Read more about it here at National Geographic, and see pictures!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Shy shark chooses flatulence
Listening to: Goodbye by Sneaky Sound System
Fact* for the day
The sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus,** is unique as a shark when it comes to regulating buoyancy. Instead of just having the high density lipid squalene***, this shark farts. It gulps then swallows air from the surface of the water. As necessary it then farts to control its position at a depth.
*Fact paraphrased from 'Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze' published by New Scientist, 2006, p53, Alexandra Osman, London UK
A fascinating book derived from the 'Last Word' page of New Scientist. It won me before I started reading it when I discovered it has a cute flick/flip book animation of a penguin down the right hand margin. I had to laugh with delight! If you enjoy this part of New Scientist - especially if you do what I sometimes do and read it before I get to the end - if you have an enquiring mind and appreciate a scientific and sometimes humourous explanation for why things are, then you will enjoy this.
**Species corrected via cross referencing Shark Info / Dr. Erich K. Ritter.
***Edited 04/02/08 Also known as shark liver oil since that is what it is. I recently read that it has been used extensively in cosmetics including lipstick (eww!). Fortunately most cosmetic manuafacturers won't be doing this anymore.
Fact* for the day
The sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus,** is unique as a shark when it comes to regulating buoyancy. Instead of just having the high density lipid squalene***, this shark farts. It gulps then swallows air from the surface of the water. As necessary it then farts to control its position at a depth.
*Fact paraphrased from 'Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze' published by New Scientist, 2006, p53, Alexandra Osman, London UK
A fascinating book derived from the 'Last Word' page of New Scientist. It won me before I started reading it when I discovered it has a cute flick/flip book animation of a penguin down the right hand margin. I had to laugh with delight! If you enjoy this part of New Scientist - especially if you do what I sometimes do and read it before I get to the end - if you have an enquiring mind and appreciate a scientific and sometimes humourous explanation for why things are, then you will enjoy this.
**Species corrected via cross referencing Shark Info / Dr. Erich K. Ritter.
***Edited 04/02/08 Also known as shark liver oil since that is what it is. I recently read that it has been used extensively in cosmetics including lipstick (eww!). Fortunately most cosmetic manuafacturers won't be doing this anymore.
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