thebigzowie

Posts Tagged ‘fun facts’

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110 Year Old Light Bulb Baffles Scientists

In Science, Strange Oddities, Wild Stuff on July 9, 2011 at 5:00 am

An incandescent light bulb recognized by Guinness World Records as being the longest burning is still glowing strong days after celebrations that marked its 110th anniversary.

The Centennial Light Bulb, at Fire Station No. 6 in Livermore, Calif., has been burning bright since it was first installed in 1901. (The exact date appears unknown, though the bulb’s “birthday” is typically held in June, most recently June 18th.) Since then, the 60-watt bulb has been alight 24 hours a day, operating at about 4 watts, to provide night illumination of the fire engines.

Other than a few power outages, there has only been one break in its operation, when it was removed from one fire station and fitted in another in 1976. The cord was severed out of fear that unscrewing the bulb would break it, and it was moved with a full police and fire truck escort, under the watch of Capt. Kirby Slate. It got but 22 minutes of rest during the ordeal.

The bulb is an improved incandescent lamp, invented by Adolphe A. Chaillet, and produced by the Shelby Electric Co. It is a hand-blown bulb with carbon filament. The light continues to confound scientists from across the country who have been unable to explain how it has managed to continue to glow for so long. Read the rest of this entry »

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Feed Your Brain To Live Longer And Feel Better

In Food & Drink, Medical Benefits, Mind-Body, Quality of Life on June 13, 2011 at 9:26 pm

Many people exercise to keep their muscles strong and healthy. However, with so much attention on keeping our bodies looking and performing their best, it’s easy to forget that the brain also needs to be protected from weakness and age.

Just like the human body, the brain also requires adequate nutrition to remain healthy and perform efficiently.

WILD SALMON

A source of high-quality animal protein, wild salmon is one of best foods to improve brain health. Omega-3 fatty acids provide the nutrients necessary for brain function, while also possessing anti-inflammatory properties. Wild salmon is low in saturated fat and has been praised for its cleanliness and abundance, as well as its low mercury levels, according to WebMD.

BLUEBERRIES

Researchers have discovered that a diet rich in blueberries protects the brain from age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, due to their ability to counteract stress. According to WebMD, one scientific study indicated that aging rats, when given a blueberry-based diet, demonstrated evidence of better motor skills and learning ability. Blueberries also contain antioxidants, which improve cognition while protecting the brain from aging prematurely. Read the rest of this entry »

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Can You Guess Where These Famous Places Are?

In Photography, Zowie Contest, Zowie Fun Facts on June 10, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    

Are you good at puzzles? Maybe you’ll like this one. The above three pictures are all a small snapshot of very famous places everyone will know.

The trick is to figure out where in the world you’ve seen them before. Can you guess? Click on each one for a larger image.

Here are some clues: we’ve named the pictures the following from left to right: (L) Her Inside Out (M) Above the Law (R) Stairway Down Under.  One is a place in Washington, one is in New York and the other one, well let’s just say it’s in a place that almost made it to New York.

Stay tuned over the next couple days to see if anyone solved the mystery.

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10 Steps To Winning Arguments – Most Of The Time!

In Culture, Quality of Life, Relationships on June 6, 2011 at 7:06 pm

We all love to argue, but all too often an argument ends in a yelling match, hurt feelings and sometimes even a fist fight! Surviving arguments with egos and friendships intact, is an art form most of us could benefit from mastering. Winning arguments is so much more fun too.

To help you improve in this arena of the oldest of human competitions, we’ve pulled together some of the most essential steps to winning the argument battle, without losing the war.

Taking heed of all of the following will not only help you in future debates, but you will build confidence more generally and never fear another confrontation of words.

1
Stay Calm and Steady

You should never raise your voice when debating. Remain calm and steady at all times. It is not true that the one who shouts loudest overcomes all arguments. In fact the opposite is true. Shouting signals loss of control and loss of control results from loss of reason. Read the rest of this entry »

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Why Your Brain Needs Vacations

In Mind-Body, Quality of Life, Zowie Fun Facts on May 25, 2011 at 12:05 am

In stressful times, when you think you don’t have the time or money to get away and just relax for a change, that’s when you really need it most. Check out this recent CNN article about giving your hard working brain a break for a change.

(CNN) — Mary Kole loves her job, but she’s been feeling like she’s lost the line between “work” and “not work.”

A literary agent for children’s books in Brooklyn, New York, Kole works from home and checks in with clients electronically around the clock — sometimes writers will even call her in the middle of the night with an idea. Stepping outside isn’t exactly relaxing either. “In New York, it’s just subway, office, people, talking, yelling, honking, all the time,” she said.

Kole finally tore herself away from business calls and conferences to take a vacation, one that didn’t take place in her home office. At the beginning of May, she went to Portland, Oregon, by herself and spent five days holed up in a rented house rereading some of her favorite books, cooking and listening to rain. Read the rest of this entry »

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Get Your Mate a Date With You!

In Food & Drink, Life, Quality of Life, Zowie Fun Facts on May 20, 2011 at 9:12 pm

May is National Date Your Mate Month and it is also our anniversary! My husband and I have started a new tradition: Date Night. 

This is a regular weekly event, scheduled in your calendar, and is subject to change only in a dire emergency. It’s dinner or an afternoon picnic, a simple lunch or a long walk with an ice cream cone reward at the end.  It’s the time to turn off the cell phone and computer and television, and devote yourself to quality time with someone important to you.

Date Night does not have to be expensive because it is about being together. Be creative and think of things you have not done together since you were single and dating. It’s a time to reconnect. At the end of each date, write in a special book what you did and how much fun you had. Read from the book on date night every few months. Read the rest of this entry »

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Why It’s Tougher Being A Guy Than A Woman

In Culture, Life, Mind-Body, Quality of Life, Zowie Fun Facts on May 18, 2011 at 11:13 pm

women live longerWhile it is tough to be a woman, being a man can be downright deadly.

Women live longer than men. And now scientists suggest a simple Darwinian reason: Competing for a mate can wear a guy out or get him killed.

“Women live longer in almost every country, and the sex difference in lifespan has been recognized since at least the mid-18th century,” said Daniel Kruger at the University of Michigan. “It isn’t a recent trend; it originates from our deep evolutionary history.”

The idea is presented in the spring edition of the journal Human Nature.

Butting heads

In common chimpanzees, Kruger and his colleague Randolph Nesse report, mortality spikes among males around age 13, just as they’re old enough to breed and start competing for social status. Read the rest of this entry »

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Why Do We Fear Friday The 13th?

In Wild Stuff, Zowie Fun Facts on May 13, 2011 at 8:13 pm

Today is Friday the 13th again! Bwaahaaahaaa! And believe it or not, some people are pretty worked up about it still, even in these modern times of the 21st Century. 

“According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. It’s been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day.” - as quoted at Wikipedia. Wow, really?

References to Friday the 13th as a day connected with bad luck generally began to appear around the mid-17th century. Quotes referencing Friday the 13th date back to 1656, or perhaps earlier and can be found in numerous citations throughout Western Literature.

Fridays were already generally considered a bad day for many ordinary tasks, from writing letters to conducting business and receiving medical treatment. And adding the unlucky 13 to that just made matters worse. Read the rest of this entry »

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100 Skills Every Man Should Know

In Culture, Life, Quality of Life, Zowie Fun Facts on May 11, 2011 at 9:15 pm

Pay attention here ladies. Brains and charm are fine, but a real guy needs to know how to do real stuff.

After months of debate among Popular Mechanic’s expert editors, here’s our lineup of essential skills, broken down in 10 categories for the competent man — plus 20 tools you need to own.

Did we leave anything out — or included a skill you don’t think is worthy? Take Popular Mechanic’s interactive Do-It-Yourself quiz to see how you measure up!

Automotive

1. Handle a blowout
2. Drive in snow
3. Check trouble codes
4. Replace fan belt
5. Wax a car
6. Conquer an off-road obstacle
7. Use a stick welder
8. Hitch up a trailer
9. Jump start a car

Handling Emergencies

10. Perform the Heimlich
11. Reverse hypothermia
12. Perform hands-only CPR
13. Escape a sinking car

Read the rest of this entry »

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Mother’s Day Is Coming – But Where’d It Come From?

In Culture, Quality of Life, Zowie Fun Facts on May 5, 2011 at 12:31 am

The hallowed day of motherhood is almost upon us once more. Every 2nd Sunday of May, Americans join in the long-standing tradition of honoring their Moms.

In fact, celebrating one day a year that is set aside just to recognize the most important woman in every child’s life, and we’re all still her children in case she hasn’t reminded you of that lately, is an international celebration; not just an American holiday. It’s celebrated in most other countries as well, but sometimes in different months. But how did Mother’s Day first get started?

The idea for Mother’s Day probably originated some 6,000 years or more ago during Pagan rituals and festivals surrounding the idea of Mother Goddess, or Mother Earth. Generally Mother Goddess represents fertility and the bounty of the Earth. Even as far back as 24,000 BCE, archeologists have recovered figurines shaped in the likeness of pregnant females, who apparently played a role in fertility rites in a period of time that relied on the skills of hunters to provide meat for wandering tribes. Of course Mom was the central figure there because without her, there wouldn’t be enough hunters to provide food to sustain them. Read the rest of this entry »

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