Curious Mind Blowing Facts - 23

Will make you say "Seriously?

Go to Google and search for the word askew. I’ll wait. After you read the rest of this newsletter come back and type in: “do a barrel roll”, “pac-man”, “roll a dice”, “flip a coin”, “metronome”, “calculator”, “color picker”. Try some games…type  “tic tac toe”, “solitaire”, “minesweeper”, or “snake”, “set timer for x amount of time”, “playfair font”. Then click https://mrdoob.com/projects/chromeexperiments/google-sphere/, https://mrdoob.com/projects/chromeexperiments/google-gravity/, https://elgoog.im/underwater/

There is $35 trillion worth of manufacturing plants in China. 

Does Taylor Swift write her own songs and lyrics?
Yes. Taylor Swift has written and is credited as a songwriter on all of her songs.
She has also collaborated and co-written with many other songwriters and producers, including Liz Rose, Jack Antonoff, Max Martin, Shellback, Aaron Dessner, Ed Sheeran, Justin Vernon, Ryan Tedder and several more. 

Bots Compose 42% of Overall Web Traffic; Nearly Two-Thirds Are Malicious, Reports Akamai

An Airbus A-300 crashed in Queens, NY two months after 9/11.
It was the second-deadliest aviation accident in US history, and not well remembered.
Sadly, a woman who survived the World Trade Centre attacks perished on that flight.

• 87% of customers read online reviews for local businesses,

• 73% of consumers pay attention to reviews written only in the last month,

• Only 48% of consumers would consider using a business with fewer than 4 stars

High Valyrian is the top trending “how to learn” language. (https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/High_Valyrian)

The legal voting age for Nicaragua, Scotland, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Cuba, Brazil, and Austria is 16 years young.

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, is associated with a rare blinding disease, according to new research. Thankfully the Deplatformable Newsletter is not associated.

Elon Musk just convinced Tesla shareholders (June 2024) to approve his $56 billion pay package, making him the highest-paid CEO in history.

“World breaks 1,400 temperature records in a week as heat waves sweep globe” Headline for this Semafore article at https://www.semafor.com/article/06/23/2024/world-breaks-1400-temperature-records-heat-waves-sweep-globe

Meta is tagging real photos as ‘Made with AI,’ say photographers.

91% of U.S. ad agencies are either currently using generative artificial intelligence (AI) or exploring use cases for genAI. (Source: Forrester)

75% of the brain is made out of a substance called myelin. Myelin is made up of 100% cholesterol.
The good cholesterol, no doubt.

Scientists are Injecting a Radioactive Material Into Live Rhino Horns Making Them Poisonous to Humans.  

The Vatican is going solar. The Pope will transition the City to 100% green energy.

The top retailers in the world:

The briefcase in 'Pulp Fiction' is one of the most well-known MacGuffins in film history.
A MacGuffin is an object that propels a story forward but, realistically, has no bearing on the story whatsoever. Examples would be the rug in 'The Big Lebowski', the Heart of the Ocean necklace in 'Titanic' the stone in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’, the word “rosebud” in the film ‘Citizen Kane’ and as we're now discussing - the briefcase in 'Pulp Fiction'. It could literally be anything that pushes the story along. What's made the briefcase so interesting in 'Pulp Fiction' is that nobody's really sure what it is. Quentin Tarantino has said that it's whatever the audience wants it to be. 

copyright image by Miramax

Pope Francis has now asked Vatican authorities to begin constructing a solar plant.

Around 30% of all home insurance claims were due to water damage and freezing, which is second only to wind and hail damage.

One of the top Google searches after the recent presidential debate is the word “malarkey”. It has been in use since 1929, and its origin is still a mystery. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “malarkey” as foolish ideas or words. It can also mean foolish or insincere talk.
President Joe Biden likes to use the word. He said “I never heard so much malarkey in my whole life,” in response to one of Trump’s answers during the June 27/24 debate against Trump. Malarkey also became one of the most looked-up words after the vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan in October 2012. Vice President Biden used “malarkey” twice during the debate to show his disagreement with what U.S. Rep. Ryan was saying. 
More words to use to describe untrue statements: balderdash, baloney, blah-blah, blarney, blather, bull, bunk, codswallop [British], crapola [slang], crock, drivel, fiddle-faddle, folly, foolishness, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokum, hooey, humbug, nonsense, nuts, piffle, poppycock, rot, rubbish, silliness, slush, stupidity, trash, trumpery, and twaddle

The mighty T-Rex had lips, just like humans, that covered their razor-sharp teeth. They are similar to lizards and iguanas which also has lips. Chickens still don’t have lips.

Ancient Mayans used indoor toilets and had a sophisticated system for flushing them too, almost 2000 years ago in what is now Chiapas in Mexico. They developed an advanced water management system and researchers discovered evidence of a water pressure mechanism that could create fountains and even toilets.

How do you type a shrug emoji and use it in a true fact?
David Spade dated the woman who played the teacher in Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” video. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Wu Zhao (624–705), also known as Empress Wu Zetian, was the first and only woman to become emperor of China. She was incredibly smart, skilled in politics, and had big ambitions. From 690 to 705, she ruled as the “Holy and Divine Emperor” during the Second Zhou Dynasty. Her leadership is notable and has been compared to other famous women in history like Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great. However, some people think she was very harsh as a ruler, even though opinions about her fairness vary. Wu remains controversial due to stories about how she dealt with her enemies. (https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/wu-zhao-ruler-of-tang-dynasty-china/)

According to IMDB (the Internet Movie Database), Snoop Dogg has an IQ of 147. This is considered to be the level of a "highly gifted genius”. Elon Musk’s IQ has been reported to be in the 155 range. 

from the internet

At one time, Los Angeles of all places–the land of freeways, traffic, and smog–had an electric railway system that was four times the size of the modern London underground. Known as the “Hollywood Subway,” the line opened in 1925; ran 4,325 feet underground, between downtown and the Westlake District; and closed in 1955. 

Well known for his work with his band ‘Toto’ (songs- Africa, Rosanna, Hold the Line…) since the band’s inception in 1977, guitarist Steve Lukather’s parallel work as a session player has placed him on more than 1,500 albums in over 40 years. Gibson Guitar named him one of the Top 10 session guitarists of all time. He has played with music legends like Michael Jackson, the Bee Gees, Boz Scaggs, Warren Zevon, Aretha Franklin, Earth,Wind and Fire, Lionel Ritchie,  Chicago, Donna Summer, Miles Davis, The Tubes, Santana, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, and others - while also writing songs for the likes of Alice Cooper, George Benson and Olivia Newton-John. And he is a current member of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.

picture found at Poster Treasures.com

Windows 10 has 68% and Windows 11’s has 27% of the Windows user-base. As of May 2024.

The backup vocals on the Beatles song “All you need is love” are sung by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (the Rolling Stones), Eric Clapton, and Keith Moon from the Who, and more.

In 1922 Ernest Hemingway had all of his writing stolen. And it was never returned. Story titles like - “The Pretty Good Gatsby”, “The Rain in Tanzania”, “Who the Bell Rings For”, “The Moon Sets”, “See you Later, Legs” and  “The Youngster in the Pool”. And the famous shortest story: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn…way too small” - were all lost forever :)
https://pau1.substack.com/p/how-to-make-your-newsletters-undeplatformable

In Canada, only about 1 out of every 10 transactions involves using physical money, as a recent report shows. Some people are worried that more stores and businesses are moving to accept only digital payments. 
Using cash has its benefits: it doesn't have bank fees, it protects your privacy, and can be used even when the internet isn't working. According to a CBC article, cash is crucial for many vulnerable groups, like Indigenous peoples, homeless individuals, older Canadians, and victims of domestic abuse. For them, cash means economic security, independence, and holds cultural significance.
Another reason people think cash should still be an option is that banks or governments can't access your money in emergencies or make sudden changes without your consent.
Have you been to stores which don’t take cash anymore?

In 2012, a seventh grader studied the family histories of the 43 US presidents. They found that 42 of them, including Barack Obama, are related to King John Lackland of England. He was the king who signed the Magna Carta in 1215. King John was the brother of King Richard the Lionheart, who is famous in legends. One president, Martin Van Buren, isn't connected to King John. There's a story that King John fought against a figure named Robin Hood, though that's more of a tale than a fact.

When Chuck Norris was In school the teachers raised their hands to speak to him.

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