Fact O' The Day

[Colorado700R]

[Krandall]

"The U.S. loses $2.6 billion per year on water-main breaks."


The country relies on literally millions of miles of pipelines for the transportation of trillions of gallons of water per day, but that water infrastructure is aging. Some parts of the country still use old wooden pipes for their water mains. These sometimes century-old pipes break around 240,000 times per year, a figure that will only increase as most weaknesses are compounded by age.

[Krandall]

"Coca-Cola invented the coupon."


Before Asa Candler began a national campaign of distributing tickets for a free glass of Coca-Cola, redeemable at "any dispenser of genuine Coca-Cola," the company did only modest business, and its muddled ownership was split among at least three manufacturers. Candler's tickets, mailed to customers and included in magazines, changed everything. By the end of the campaign, 1 in 9 Americans had tasted a free Coca-Cola, and the company was well on its way to establishing itself as a retail icon.

[Krandall]

"Occasionally goofing off at work is less disruptive than merely wishing you could."


In an attempt to gauge the effects of workplace distraction, a University of Copenhagen study asked two groups of subjects to watch videos of people passing a ball and to record the number of passes. The first group was suddenly interrupted with a funny video; the second group received a popup that told them such a video was available if they clicked a button -- but told them not to. Having spent several minutes laughing, the first group, despite being more "distracted," substantially outperformed the second group.

[Krandall]

"Unemployed men are much more likely to die earlier."


A McGill University study found that unemployed men's mortality risk increased 40% in comparison with unemployed women's; the effect was even more pronounced on men under 50. The researchers suggested that stress is particularly at fault in the case of men who expect themselves to be materially supportive of their families, but who instead fall into an unhealthy and discouraging lifestyle. Though previous studies have addressed this topic, researcher Eran Shor stressed that those studies didn't account for preexisting health conditions and other mortality-affecting behaviors.

[Krandall]

The cracks in breaking glass move at speeds of up to 3,000 mph

[Colorado700R]

it's actually faster than that depending on the type of glass, If I remember right Pyrex glass is one of the fastest

[phucker]

ya the harder the glass the faster it fractures

[Krandall]

"Men generally care about honor above all else."


A Kinsey Institute study surveyed nearly 28,000 adult men in eight countries, asking them to articulate what was important in their lives. Since the study was initially an erectile dysfunction study, the men were asked other questions regarding that condition as well, but all responses from men with and without ED were included in the results. Above all, the men expressed the importance of being seen as a "man of honor," and that, along with "being in control of your own life," accounted for 60% of their responses.

[Krandall]

"Swearing reduces physical pain."


Researchers at Keele University in the UK found that swearing can have a painkilling power, especially for people who don't regularly curse. Dr. Richard Stephens and other scientists conducted an experiment with student volunteers. The students were asked to submerge their arms into a bucket of icy water while repeatedly uttering a swearword. They then repeated the experiment while repeating a "harmless" word instead of a swear. The results showed that volunteers were able to keep their arms in the icy water longer when they were swearing than they could when they were uttering the non-swearword.

[Peelz]

"Swearing reduces physical pain."


Researchers at Keele University in the UK found that swearing can have a painkilling power, especially for people who don't regularly curse. Dr. Richard Stephens and other scientists conducted an experiment with student volunteers. The students were asked to submerge their arms into a bucket of icy water while repeatedly uttering a swearword. They then repeated the experiment while repeating a "harmless" word instead of a swear. The results showed that volunteers were able to keep their arms in the icy water longer when they were swearing than they could when they were uttering the non-swearword.

helps when turning wrenches on rusty bolts too. My Dad actually taught me that. "get a breaker bar, and swear at it like it just stole your bike" Said that when we were getting a hub off an old f150

[Colorado700R]

too bad he didn't tell you the same when tighting bolts sprocket boy

[Peelz]

too bad he didn't tell you the same when tighting bolts sprocket boy

  he never had any funny anecdotes about loc tite though

[Krandall]

"The world's most expensive apartment is a $221 million penthouse in London."


Apartments at the development One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, central London, start at around ÂÃ,£6 million pounds (just under $10 million). The Ukrainian buyer of "Flat A" paid $221 million for his unfinished apartment, and reportedly spent another $100 million on interior decoration. The apartment covers the top three floors in its complex, and, like almost all of the other apartments, was purchased through an overseas trust.

[Krandall]

"People who spend their free time sitting have a 20% higher death rate."


Even with all other factors taken into account (including diet and exercise), being entirely sedentary is a dangerous lifestyle. A series of studies by Mayo-Clinic researcher Dr. Ken Levine gauged the impact of inactivity by monitoring his subjects with a sensor apparatus that recorded their every movement. Even though the subjects all had the same caloric intake and were prohibited from exercise, some subjects -- those who unconsciously fidgeted or moved around more -- didn't gain weight. Conversely, occasional exercise doesn't quite offset being sedentary for long stretches, which decreases your insulin effectiveness and increases your risk for diabetes.