Curious Mind Blowing Facts - 37
"Boo-ya"
From the Department of the Redundancy Department.
Here are 20 popular redundant phrases and expressions in English, which are often used despite containing unnecessary repetition, in a list of 20:)
1. ATM machine – “ATM” already means Automated Teller Machine, so adding “machine” is redundant.
2. PIN number – “PIN” stands for Personal Identification Number, making “number” redundant.
3. Advance warning – A warning is always given in advance.
4. Close proximity – Proximity already means closeness.
5. End result – The result is always at the end.
6. Free gift – A gift is by definition free.
7. Added bonus – A bonus is something extra, so “added” is unnecessary.
8. True fact – A fact is inherently true.
9. Exact same – “Same” implies exactness.
10. Past history – History refers to the past.
11. Future plans – Plans inherently deal with the future.
12. Join together – To “join” implies bringing things together.
13. Unexpected surprise – A surprise is by definition unexpected.
14. New innovation – Innovation refers to something new.
15. Safe haven – A haven is already safe.
16. Completely full – “Full” means something is filled completely.
17. Repeat again – To repeat something is to do it again.
18. Final outcome – The outcome is already final.
19. Temporary reprieve – A reprieve is by nature temporary.
20. General consensus – A consensus is an agreement by most, so “general” is unnecessary.
These phrases tend to creep into everyday language despite their redundancy, and while they’re often used for emphasis, they should be made more concise! If you catch yourself using them in your writing, you may get scolded by your English teacher, editor, or editor subscribers:)
A Canadian man walks 38 dogs in South Korea at once to break a Guinness world record. He took the dogs on a single walk for one kilometer.
None of the members of the band “The Police” has naturally blonde hair. They started dyeing their hair for a Wrigley's gum commercial.
Compared to other types of doctors, anesthesiologists are more likely to be found in programs for treating drug addiction (mostly opioids). While they make up only 5% of all doctors, they represent 13% to 15% of the doctors who are getting help for drug addiction in special centers that treat and monitor doctors after their treatment.
The “Drunk-o-meter” was the first roadside breathalyzer. It was first used in 1931.
11% of all E-commerce goes through Canadian based Shopify. It’s the number 2 e-commerce platform in the western world . Only behind Amazon. Over one trillion dollars of sales goes through it’s platform. I founded a Shopify business about 8 years ago. Send me a chat if you have any questions.
Anthropic is an artificial intelligence platform. They have updated its Claude AI to now let it control a computer. The new "computer use" feature allows the AI to move the mouse, click buttons, and type, just like a person. All by itself. This is different from other AI assistants that can only view a computer screen.
Why do the Amish have lower cancer rate than the rest of the population? Decreased use of tobacco and decreased sexual promiscuity. They cover up their skin while working outside. It is possible that the Amish have genetic “protective” factors that reduce their susceptibility to all cancer types. The Amish rate of cancer occurrences was 56% of the national rate.
The world's smallest washing machine is smaller than a couple of Oreo cookies. And it can run a full cycle.
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/10/14/india-Guinness-World-Records-smallest-washing-machine/2261728920502/
Called the best collaboration ever - Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé - Barcelona (Original David Mallet Video 1987 Remastered).
Have you ever seen this picture? Part of the iconic picture shoot from 1969.
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/08/08/the-abbey-road-cover-photography-session/
Unicorn Companies. Unicorn companies are those that reach a valuation of $1 billion without being listed on the stock market. Leading 10 cities globally by unicorn count:
Plants can count?
The idea of the "memory of winter" is that some plants, like fruit trees, need to experience a certain number of cold days in winter to be ready to bloom in spring. It’s not just about warmer weather arriving; they need a long stretch of cold before they "know" it's safe to grow. This way, they avoid sprouting during unusual warm spells that can happen too early, like in February, which could harm them if it gets cold again. Plants have a way of "counting" these cold days, but scientists still don’t fully understand *how* plants keep this "memory" of winter.
Summarized from the book “The Light Eaters” By Zoë Schlanger
As reported by the RBC news website, Google’s unpaid fines in Russia have spiraled to an unimaginable 2 undecillion rubles ($2.5 decillion USD). To give you an idea of just how massive this number is, it requires 33 zeros to write out. That's more money than exists on Earth. How much money is a decillion? That’s 2.5 trillion trillion trillion dollars. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/10/googles-compounding-fines-in-russia-add-up-to-more-than-worlds-total-gdp/
My Generation - Baby Boomer
What’s your Generation?
From https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2024/10/08/generation-names-years-explained/74701974007
Words of wisdom from Reddit - Can’t Believe Other People Don’t Do:
https://old.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1ff2r5g/whats_your_i_cant_believe_other_people_dont_do/
Montreal Canadiens goalie Jacque Plante broke his nose during a game in 1959 and refused to continue playing unless he could wear a makeshift mask. The coach allowed it as long as he took off the mask when his nose stopped bleeding. Plante wore the mask for the rest of the game and they won.
Plante then wore the mask for the next 17 games The coach didn't want him wearing the mask but since they won 18 games in a row, he allowed it. On the 19th game, Plante didn't wear the mask and they broke their winning streak. Plante would wear the mask every game after and the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup that year.
Female porcupines are only fertile for 8-12 hours a year and give birth to a single porcupette. (A baby porcupine). How do they mate? Very carefully.
Canada Divided into Four Equally Populated Regions: Gold, Blue, Green and Red have the same amount of people.
The singular of confetti is confetto.
Dyna Mitte is the adoptive mother of actor RJ Mitte, who played Walter White Jr. (Flynn) on the AMC series Breaking Bad.
The top 11 global list for time spent on social media. Humanity will spend a combined total of 500 million years on social media in 2024.
This graphic lists the countries with the highest average time spent on social media by users aged 16-64, as of January 2024. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/who-spends-the-most-time-on-social-media
When Chuck Norris enters a room, he doesn’t turn the lights on. He turns the dark off.
Which fact was the most surprising to you today?
Is "convicted felon" on your bingo card?
The link to the Abbey Road photo is great!! Thanks, Paul!!