Randomness Blog

More Circular LogicAs you’ve surely noticed, The Ballad of Sharon and Steve is little more than a nonsensical trip in circles. Here are some fun facts for those who enjoy their circular logic in more literal fashion. The earth’s first satellite, of the non-natural variety (shout out to all you moon fans), was launched into orbit in 1957, courtesy of the Soviet Union, Sputnik 1, or so they called it. Since then, numerous writers have struggled to resist the urge to make the obvious “spud” vs. “sput” phonetic comparison as it relates to Russia’s national predilection for potato-based vodka. One could say the Sovets’ historic innovation paved the way for both Big Pun to be broadcast uncensored and commercial-free in car radios (I don’t have satellite radio, but I’ll assume he’s come across the airwaves) and innumerable bad puns, like this one.Fictionally speaking, satellites first showed up in 1869, in a publication known as The Atlantic Monthly, though author Edward Everett Hale’s description of what a satellite might look like differs greatly from scientists and science fiction fans of present day. Then again, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was a rough composition of dead human limbs, neither square-headed with neck-penetrating bolts nor actually named Frankenstein, yet she’s still credited with creating perhaps the world’s most famous monster. In fact, Hale’s satellite sounds more like a Commodores’ scrapped sequel hit than plausible flight-taking structure, a sphere referred to as “The Brick Moon,” some 200 feet in diameter and made with mortar.Whether you credit the Soviet Union or Edward Everett hale, satellites have gone on to have wide-spanning influence around the world (bad puns are contagious), from arts to science to everyday living/functioning apparatuses. Skeptical? Here’s your own orbital trip around the internet to prove my point.1. www.satelliteinternetbroadband.com2. www.pandora.com3. www.footstone.com/gs4. www.sirius.com5. RepeatSatellite internet –> internet radio –> The Georgia Satellites –> satellite radio –> satellite internet. Boom. Orbit.

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Once upon a time in a suburb near Sacramento there was a slowly aging woman by the name of Sharon. Sharon really wasn’t fond of green apples. She lived with her brother Steve and their pet gerbil named Hamster. They didn’t know the difference between gerbils and hamsters. Guinea pigs would’ve blown their mind. On the way to the store, they decided to take Hamster for a walk. Then they decided not to. “Gerbils might be allergic to the store,” Steve said. “You’re an idiot,” Sharon swiftly replied, “I’m sick of your nonsense; I want you out of my townhouse.” It was really more of clustered subdivision, if you want to get technical, Steve thought to himself.So Steve walked out the door and took a left, repeating all the while, “the left will lead you home.” Of course, it couldn’t lead him home because Steve had lived in Sharon’s home. Steve did have a job, might as well get to work early, so he figured. Steve was a fortune teller at Sacramento Sq., an oval shaped open-air plaza with shops that mostly sold fresh fruit and vegetables. Blindsided by this cruel twist of fate, suddenly questioning his fortune telling prowess, Steve paused to ponder whether there might be a better occupation within reach. After all, “Mr. Steve” had little otherworldly mystique, and his sign drew in few customers.As he approached Sacramento Sq., Steve saw a familiar face. It was DiJon, an old friend from high school. “Hello Colonel Mustard,” Steve emphatically called out, “What’s new?” To be honest, DiJon didn’t get it. He’d never really understood the nickname. DiJon had only played Clue once and no one picked Colonel Mustard, so there was really no reason to blame him. He had been in the Army, but not as a commissioned officer, making the unexplained promotion more of slight. “Just out for a stroll,” DiJon politely informed him. DiJon turned right, he always went right, seemed to be a more righteous path. As a result, Steve and DiJon rarely ran into each other; it had been years since their last chat. Soon after, they fell out of touch.

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“I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, but only love.” Mother Theresa”Love is like oxygen. You get too much you get too high, not enough and you’re going to die.” Sweet (British rock group)”Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” Robert Frost”Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend” Martin Luther King Jr.”To love another person is to see the face of God” Les Miserables“I’m in trouble because I’m normal and slightly arrogant. A lot of people don’t like themselves and I happen to be totally in love with myself.” Mike Tyson (on self-image)”I love to hit people. I love to.” Mike Tyson (on boxing)”There’s no love. They don’t know me as an individual, they know me for what I actually do. They pay to see me smash anybody” Mike Tyson (on his fans)”When you are in love, you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.” Dr. Seuss”At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.” Plato

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Consider this a proverbial Masked Magician video for the everyday questions you are either too embarrassed to ask or simply pretend to know the answer to. You know, the guy in the black suit with a creepy mask that looks like a cross between Sting (the professional wrestler not the musician) and a little kiddie skeleton costume. After all, with Wikipedia at your fingertips, there are few if any legitimate excuses for not knowing such concepts that commonly elude even the most intelligent mindsHow Do I Covert Celsius to Fahrenheit? Everyone knows the two most fundamental modes of temperature but surprisingly few can do a conversion without two separate thermometers. Well here’s the secret. To go from Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply the original number of degrees by 1.8 then add 32. For example 10 degrees Celsius times 1.8 equals 18, plus 32 gives you 50 degrees Fahrenheit. To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius invert the process (still following basic order of operations) by dividing by 1.8 then subtracting 32.How Do I spell Fahrenheit? See above.What is an NFL Quarterback Rating? JaMarcus Russell has a career QB rating of 65.2. Steve Young on the other hand put a lofty 96.8. We already know that Russell is a waste of space and Young is a Hall of Famer but exactly how much worse was the big fellow. QB Rating is determined based on 4 primary factors, completion percentage, yards gained per pass attempt (YPA), percentage of touchdowns per pass attempt (TDPA), and percentage of interceptions per pass attempt (IPA). Calculate using the following process:Step 1) Take the completion percentage then subtract 30 and divide by 20.Step 2) Take the YPA and subtract 3 then divide by 4.Step 3) Take the TDPA and divide by 5.Step 4) Start by dividing the IPA by 4, then subtract that number from 2.375.Step 5) Add the results from steps 1 through 4. Divide the sum by 6 and then multiply by 100, and there you have it.Is there a difference between sparkling water, seltzer water, mineral water, club soda and tonic water? Yes and no. Sparkling water and mineral water are merely terms for standard water with carbonation. Seltzer water and club soda are essentially the same both containing small amounts of sodium, resulting in a saltier taste. Tonic water, on the other hand, has quinine added to it and can be easily distinguished by its signature bitter (read: disgusting) aftertaste.To what does the Mendoza Line refer? The Mendoza Line is a benchmark for batting averages in baseball, set at .200. The term was inspired by former MLB shortstop Mario Mendoza, though his career batting average was actually .215, leaving him comfortably above his namesake standard. George Brett first coined the term in 1980, noting he regularly checked the paper to see who was below the Mendoza Line, in reference to the then Pirates shortstop.Could I Be Time “Person of the Year”? Yes, in fact, in 2006 you already were, as editors selected the generic “You” as the award’s recipient in recognition of all the user-generated web content that defined the year (i.e. social media, YouTube, blogs, etc.).How many Baldwin brothers are there? Four. Alec, Daniel, William and Stephen, in chronological order. Adam Baldwin, best known for his roles as Animal Mother in Full Metal Jacket and Agent John Casey in the NBC sitcom Chuck is approximately the same age, but of no relation.Why is Chicago the “Second City”? This is subject to a variety of interpretations, one of which being New York’s preeminent status as the top dog in American pop-culture (followed by Chicago, though today you could make a case for Los Angeles). Second City may also refer to the city being rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, making the first city pre-fire Chicago and the second city its post-fire counterpart.Who is Keyser Soze? This is the central question that drives the 1995 hit film The Usual Suspects, and given the movie’s cult status, is often referenced off-handedly in the form of parodies and allusion. Spoiler Alert In short, Keyser Soze is an organized crime king pin, exaggerated in lore among cops and criminals so much that few even believe he exists. In the closing scene it is revealed that the narrator, Roger “Verbal” Kint, is in fact Keyser Soze all along.

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Sesame Street, the popular children’s show running from November 10, 1969 to present day, has been filmed at its present location inside Kaufman Astoria Studios since 1992, located in New York City. Though there are 6 actual Sesame Street’s within the state of New York (including roads in Ithaca, Plattsburgh, Old Chatham, Wurtsboro and New Windsor), the closest Sesame Street is conveniently situated in King’s Park, just 46.21 miles away.Here are driving directions, courtesy of MapQuest, from Kaufman Astoria Studios downtown headquarters to the King’s Park Sesame Street, for those interested in making the trek:1. Start out going SOUTHWEST on 36TH ST toward 35TH AVE. (0.1mi)2. Take the 1st RIGHT onto 35TH AVE. (0.2mi)3. Turn RIGHT onto 31ST ST. (1.0mi)4. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto ASTORIA BLVD S. (0.08mi)5. Merge onto I-278 W toward GRAND CENTRAL PKWY EAST/LA GUARDIA AIRPORT/EASTERN L I. (0.6mi)6. Keep LEFT to take GRAND CENTRAL PKWY E toward LAGUARDIA AIRPORT. (4.3mi)7. Take the I-495/LONG IS EXPWY exit, EXIT 10W-E, toward MANHATTAN/EASTERN LONG IS. (0.1mi)8. Take the I-495 E exit, EXIT 10E, on the LEFT toward EASTERN LONG IS/RIVERHEAD. (0.4mi)9. Merge onto I-495 E/LONG ISLAND EXPY via the exit on the LEFT. (18.2mi)10. Merge onto NORTHERN PKWY E via EXIT 42 toward HAUPPAUGE. (14.1mi)11. Merge onto SUNKEN MEADOW PKWY N via EXIT 45 toward SUNKEN MEADOW PK. (5.0mi)12. Take the CR-11 E/PULASKI RD EAST exit, EXIT SM4E, toward KINGS PARK. (0.2mi)13. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto E NORTHPORT RD/PULASKI RD/CR-11. (0.7mi)14. Turn RIGHT onto MAIN ST/NY-25A. (1.0 mi)15. Turn LEFT onto LAWRENCE RD. (0.10mi)16. Take the 1st RIGHT onto SESAME ST. (0.02mi)

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We constantly use the dictionary to look up words we don’t know to help read, write, or interpret information, but how much do you actually know about the dictionary itself? Learn a little more about the world’s most prolific learning resource with these dictionary fun facts (concerning the original Oxford English Dictionary First Edition, of course)The First Edition Oxford English Dictionary consisted of 15,490 pages.On those 15,490 pages, readers could find a cumulative total of252,200 entries.In those 252,200 entries, 414,800 individual word forms were defined.The Dictionary used 1,861,200 quotations, with Shakespeare serving as the most quoted single author.The First Edition took approximately 70 years to compile from the project’s start to finish, finally published in 1928.The original proposal gave a 10 year time frame for completion, with the final product hitting the press a full 60 years behind schedule. (Useful information next time you’re running behind a deadline)Ok, so we’ve effectively proven that if there’s anything more boring than reading the dictionary, it’s reading about the dictionary. Use this information for your own personal trivia collection or let it flow in one ear and out the other… either way, you will never get the last 3 minutes back. Your call.

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Fact 1: Megan Fox, though now a bona fide Hollywood celebrity, actually made her acting debut in the Olsen Twins movie Holiday in the Sun, playing the part of Brianna Wallace, a spoiled department store heiress who fancies herself as the hottest thing on the beach, giving unsuitable suitors a quick-witted dismissal. Fox is the film’s central antagonist, hell-bent on luring away Jordan, Ashley Olsen’s love interest, by any means possible. The movie is exactly what you would expect out of an Olsen Twins flick, even if Megan Fox doesn’t seem like the type of wholesome personality to be cast in the preteen family fun genre.Fact 2: In her role for Jennifer’s Body, her demon possessed character has the ability to hover well above the ground, though in real life Megan Fox is actually afraid of flying, a phobia that surfaced around the age of 20. Apparently Britney Spears songs serve as an adequate remedy, helping the actress to calm herself and stave off panic attacks when boarding an airplane.Fact 3: Who would have guessed FHM‘s “Sexiest Woman in the World” for 2008, followed up by a number 2 ranking on Maxim‘s “Hot 100″ list in 2009, actually admits to being insecure? Megan Fox commented on her insecurity in a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone stating, “I see what I look like, but there are things that I like and things that I dislike. My hair is good. The color of my eyes is good, obviously. I’m too short. But overall, I’m not super excited about the whole thing. I never think I’m worthy of anything.” Legions of fan-boys beg to differFact 4: Fox’s most recent tattoo, one of many, is a Nietzsche quote that reads, “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”Fact 5: If you heard anime, video games and comic books listed as a celebrity’s notable interests, would you be more likely to guess Christopher Mintz-Plasse or Megan Fox? For those who picked up that this might be a trick question and chose Fox, pat yourself on the back.

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