Trivial Tree

origin of shit

2009-07-25T16:41:00.001+08:00

Something i got from forwarded emails:

In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common.
It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen.
Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!
Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening.
After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship High In Transit" on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.
Thus evolved the term " S.H.I.T ", (Ship High In Transport) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.
You probably did not know the true history of this word.
Neither did I.

one lazy blogger

2009-07-25T16:39:00.002+08:00

got tired of posting entries hehehe... some days i just go lazy... so after 10 posts for my 1 a day project... decided to drop it off... will be posting new trivia anytym from now on :)

Day #010 - The first SMS ring tone

2009-07-09T22:57:00.002+08:00

Do you remember one of the first-ever popular SMS ring tones? Back when polytones and mp3s are not yet around... It goes like "tititit teeteet tititit". Had dinner with some old friends and I just found out why. This sound is S-M-S in morse code.

Do you know your dots and dashes?

S in morse is represented by ...
M in morse is --

So SMS is ...--... or tititit teeteet tititit =)
For Nokia phone, this ringtone is named "Special".

I googled it up further and stumbled upon this site: http://www.eeggs.com/items/31136.html
Apparently, Nokia's "Ascending" tone is morse for "CONNECTING PEOPLE". And I thought that was just an annoying ring tone good for alarms.

Day #009 - NOTHING NEW

2009-07-09T06:36:00.002+08:00

I read an article today about how deaf people can hear... how the deaf can enjoy music in a bar... how they can dance to the music. The article says that they do this by either finding the beat by feeling the vibrations in the floor or furniture, watching others dance, and feeling the sound waves among other things.
When on the dance floor, the deaf can communicate with their other deaf friends across the room - 'could you get me a soda?'. Of course, they just use hand signals. As long as they can see the other, that wouldn't be a problem. I find this as a really cool advantage=D.

SHOULD'VE put that in as a learning for today BUT I feel that's nothing new. It's a bit understandable/deducible as I see it... having lacked in one important sense, they'd have developed more in one or more of the other senses. This just points out that some deafs have a more developed sense of touch(?) than non-deafs to compensate for their deafness.

source: Bite Magazine, Nov 2008

Day #008 - Of plate tectonics and our "matter"ial age

2009-07-08T06:42:00.002+08:00

One of the videos I watch in my "free" time is this video about how the earth works... lots of trivial and interesting things from this video. This time, two things caught my fancy:

plate tectonics
well, i guess we all know that the earth we're standing on moves sideways. bet you don't know that it moves constantly and slowly - that north america is moving 60 millionths of an inch from europe every 30 minutes. now, how's that for 'moving on' =)

our bodies age
when asked 'how old' or 'how young' our body is at this moment, bet all of us would answer with our age... but really, how old is our body - the matter of it. hmmmm 2/3rds of our body is water; 2/3rds of water is hydrogen; this means that 4/9ths of our body is ~13.7 billion years old. yes, that's hydrogen - one of the elemental components of the earth.

source: 'how the earth works' lecture series by wysession phd

Day #007 - Learned of a cool blog

2009-07-06T23:13:00.002+08:00

I learned of a cool fun blog from a friend today. It's also trivial BUT most of all it's fun =)
Check this link out.

Day #006 - Learned how to skate (longboard)

2009-07-05T22:58:00.003+08:00

My first time to use a long skate... learned how to turn... got addicted to the feel of a moving board =D

Day #005 - About SLR displays

2009-07-04T10:53:00.000+08:00

Watched a photography tutorial video and learned some things...

- adjust your LCD brightness so preview can be closer to what you see on the PC
- when doing macro shots, subject movement is OK for small prints BUT when enlarged, it looks fuzzy

Few learnings =(, had to stop the tutorial since I had an appointment in the afternoon

Day #004 - NOTHING NEW =(

2009-07-03T22:49:00.000+08:00

Lame Excuse: TGIF =) learned nothing new today... =(

Day #003 - Learned a Magic Trick

2009-07-02T23:11:00.005+08:00

I was late at the gym for a jog... thought i wouldn't have anything new today... but then =D learned a magic trick from AXN ;) It's hard to explain with words so i'll just try my best to mspaint it :D

1. Magician has cloth hanging from a rod and a panel as props.
2. Magician goes behind panel holding clothrod in front of the panel.
3. Magician raises the clothrod and waits a few secs.
4. When magician drops the cloth rod... VIOLA!!! magician is now in front of panel as if passing thru the panel while concealed behind the cloth.

Really a simple trick once the "trick" hac been revealed. =D Read on...

To understand the trick, let's see it from the top...
a. Magician holds the clothrod
b. then goes behind the panel.
c. The "trick" here is a fake hand (glove) which is stuck to the rod. Magician can then freely
d. go to the front of the panel while holding the clothrod with one hand.
e. When he drops the clothrod, he rolls the clothrod with some distraction to conceal the fake hand.

NOTE that this can be done ONLY with the audience in front as audiences watching from the sides, back and especially from the top can see the whole "trick".

I really have no plans on doing this one =D. Lots of props involved... BUT it's a nice thing to know that things are NOT always as they seem.

Day #002 - About Solid Yellow Lines

2009-07-01T20:53:00.002+08:00

Nothing much today... just learned about road lines from the taxi driver...
Ever wondered what those lines on the road mean? Honestly, I just ignore them but the taxi driver went on lecturing me about road lines. >:)

Solid Yellow Line - No U-Turn; Do not cross this line when overtaking, go to the right lane instead (if available)
Double Solid Yellow Line - NEVER NEVER cross; when caught, you pay double fine
Broken Yellow Line - usually exist to allow for crossing to opposite road; usually follows after a solid yellow line
Broken White Line - just there to divide lanes

Disclaimer: I didn't bother to verify these. These may be true but I just don't really care >:) I think these apply to Philippines only BUT is not strictly implemented.

Day #001 - About Naps

2009-07-01T00:21:00.004+08:00

I learned something good about naps today... =D
Naps refresh us mentally as well as physically. I guess everyone already knows that. What I learned today is how to get the best out of naps =D

Click this link to learn HOW TO NAP properly. =D

One Day At A Time

2009-07-01T00:05:00.006+08:00

It has been a long time since I was able to update this blog...
I just got an idea though which would benefit myself and others as well =)
Since this is supposed to be a record of trivial infos... i'll continue doing so but with a twist : I will learn new things one day at a time and write them all here ;)

I'm setting up these guidelines for myself:
1. I should be able to learn something new each day and share it through this blog.
2. Put useful and consistent categories for the entries.
3. If a post is missed for a day, an explanation should be provided in the next post.
4. Initially, I will be doing this for 100 consecutive days starting today. What happens after the 100th day will be decided by then.

... i guess that's it... I'll be starting in the next entry =D

The Good Beer

2007-12-19T09:37:00.000+08:00

Just read this from Men's Health: (not exact words)

Drinking two beers daily increases HDL(good cholesterol).
Researchers found out that men who drank two beers daily had their HDL(good cholesterol) upped by 12% after two weeks.

- Just found this interesting... hmmmm

2006-11-20T07:31:00.000+08:00

got this from forwarded mail (the comments are not mine):

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)

If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it!)

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
(O.M.G.!)

AA pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life, I want to be a pig.)

A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
(I'm still not over the pig.)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories a hour
(Don't try this at home, maybe at work)

The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
("Honey, I'm home. What the...?!")

The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes.. lucky pig! Can you imagine?)

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?!)

Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)

Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know.)

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmm......)

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(okay, so that would be a good thing)

A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that.)

Starfish have no brains
(I know some people like that too.)

Polar bears are left-handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer)

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig??)

be inspired...

2006-10-21T00:57:00.000+08:00

here's a story of faith, love and dedication...
truly inspiring, even for those who think they don't need it...
NOTE!!! read this first before watching the vid

!!!double post!!!

site blocking anyone?

2006-10-18T23:31:00.000+08:00

ever wanted to block a URL site (for whatever reason)?
check this link

i've been wanting to NOT visit a site for a time now but my senses always fail me so i've been looking for a way to block sites at browser level...
i just found this one... what's good about it is that you don't have to install anything so it's perfectly safe if you're worrying about installing softwares from unwanted sources

keywords: browser level URL site blocking

Are you floater or a sinker?

2006-10-11T02:31:00.000+08:00

Signs From A Stool

If your diet has sufficient fibre your stool should be a floater.
However it it's a sinker, you might not be eating enough fibre.

taboos

2006-10-05T01:44:00.000+08:00

An 8-year-old muay thai boxer fighting for his 'life'...
A 6-year-old forced by a nation to be a living goddess...
A 13-year-old deep-miner depending on cigarettes and coca leaves to get thruogh a miner's day...
These are real 'taboos' in different places of the world. I'll try to describe them as how I understand it as short as possible.

OUTSIDE BANGKOK, THAILAND
Muay Thai is a national sport in Thailand and is considered deadly. Bangkok has banned fighting for those weighing below 100-lbs, targeted for children. Since these 'young' fights draw big crowds, they still have fights outside Bangkok. Jay, the 8-yo featured fights not for pleasure of beating someone up but for the money. One win could give their family his father's half-year salary. Sad to think that his parents even put him up to it. Muay Thai fights in Thailand are fueled by gambling. The audience bet on their winning fighters. At a championship bout, Jay had the opp to win an equivalent of his father's yearly salary. Putting their faith in him, Jay's neighbors and his family gamble a large sum for him to win. A terrible pressure for and 8-yo. For that championship bout, he lost the fight and along with it, his family's and neighbors' money.

KATHMANDU, NEPAL
In Nepal, there's a tradition considered taboo in other cultures. They choose a girl aged around 6-14 yo to be a living embodiment of their god. The chosen girl, kumari, will be worshipped and treated as divine. She will be taken away from her family and will live in solitude until her first period, or until she bleeds from any wound. They believe this living god will set the future of their country. What can be considered taboo with this tradition is that the kumari will lose her childhood. While other children are playing, she is locked up in a 'gilded cage' and visited to be worshipped. She can come out only once a year during the annual kumari festival. The effects of solitude can be seen after the kumari is reverted back to common status. Ex-kumaris are seen to be silent types and speak only when spoken to. Here's a link for more kumari info.

POTOSI, BOLIVIA
In Potosi, there's a mountain filled with silver. Mostly, boys 13-yo above go to work the mine during summer to earn money for necessity. On their way to the mine, they pass by nearby smallshops to by dynamites, cigarettes and coca leaves(raw ingredient for cocaine). They need these for the job ahead. Most of them compare going down to the deep-mine to hell and they need the cigarettes and coca leaves to get them through hell. The dynamites they use for blast digging, where every blast can cause the tunnels to give-in, so they say a prayer before every blasting. Though risky, most boys choose this job from peddling or from being conductors in buses. The mining job pays 5$ a day as compared to the other jobs paying only pennies... Here's a link to a miner's experience at the mine.

***
The above involved children in difficult situations but they are there because of necessity and/or tradition.
I will NOT say these are bad cultures/traditions cause they aren't. They can be considered taboo by other cultures but that's really the world we live in - full of diversity in different cultures - and these make the world and interesting place to explore.

source: "Taboo", documentary, ArtsCentral

of shawarma and other stuffs

2006-10-05T01:09:00.000+08:00

I just learned something(s) new today...
- Shawarma is a turkish dish, contrary to what most believe that this is from india. Well, at least I thought it was from India. I love roti prata - now this is Indian and looks pretty much like the bread used in shawarma. I was in fact surprised that the Indian I asked haven't even heard of shawarma. At least now I know why. =) You're not wondering where I got this trivia, but I'm gonna tell you anyway. :) I was watching a documentary about Korea (Dynamic Korea) and one part of the show was a showcase of the intenational variety of food offered there. Shawarma was featured as one such dish. Here's more: meat used in turkish shawarma is lamb meat and specially prayed over for its mostly muslim turkish customers. I have only tried the beef shawarma (my favorite is the one sold at Ayala MRT) and I really do enjoy it. Hmmmm I wonder what lamb shawarma must taste like? Funny I learned this from a documentary about Korea. =) (More info about Shawarma.)
- Lobsters taste good any way it's prepared. Well, at least i does look yummy. In another documentary, this time about Japan (Japan Hour), the feature was about a group of island provinces somewhere in Japan. A peaceful place with boat routes instead of trains and subways. There's a hotel there which is always full in the peak season. Being a hotel in the islands, one could guess there specialty - yes, seafood =D. Now that's something someone I know would enjoy =). Now back to lobster talk... One of the hotel's specialty is complete meal course (forgot the course's name but I'm sure there was lobster in it) with the main star being the lobster. First, course would be all-sashimi and the fishes are all island-fresh and the type depends on what is caught that day. But a whole fresh lobster is always present in the menu. Just looking at how Mitsugi(was that his name?) ate the first course made my mouth water, and the way he ate the lobster... Then next course would be salted-grilled lobster. Words can't describe the taste I saw but I really wished I was the one doing the tasting. (Count: 2 lobsters) Then the third course came: another lobster, this time halved. The first half steamed in broth, and the other deep-fried. The steamed one looked more appetizing, but I still want to try the deep-fried. Now the last course came. (Mitsugi must have been bloated already by this time, but hwo cares? He might not even feel anything 'cause he was in lobster heaven.) It was a rice-topping. Topped with what? Yup, lobster!!! But only half this time. (Count: 3.5 lobsters) Whew!!! Talk about being full just by watching. (I was actually eating something while watching them lobster hehehe.)

Hmmmm... I think that's trivia overload already for a mere blog entry. Birch3 signing out...

Here's more... I also learned the process of how they create karaoke in Korea, from song-hunting to video editing to live production in a karaoke-machine. Maybe it's also the same elsewhere. It's a simple process but I think that's for another blog entry if the mood hits me. Birch3 signing out... REALLY...

to presume or to assume

2006-10-05T01:07:00.000+08:00

Ever doubted as to when to presume or when to assume? Or rather, ever had trouble when to use presume or assume?
I did lots of times... But just a minute ago, I got the urge to look it up.
->> (If you had trouble as well (or just plain curious), click here.) <<-

Now... I'm wondering if I cam presume and assume at the same time. :-?