5 fun-random-facts to procrastinate about

in #procrastinate7 years ago (edited)

If you are the type of person who ponders the more peculiar questions of life , the universe and everything else, this post might just be a nice break for your troubled mind. Sit back, relax and have a break from whatever you are supposed to do. #JustProcrastinatorThings #WorkCanWait

1. Alaska is the most northern,western and eastern state of the US.

It is true, you can not only live in the most northern and western state of the US at the same time but also in the most western. (wow!) Parts of Alaska's Aleutian Islands stretch across the 180º line of Longitude, into the Eastern Hemisphere. That is closer to Russian mainland than it is to any other US state.

nsewusa.gif
(source: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/nsewusa.htm)

2. There are more golf courses in the US than there are McDonald's restaurants

Tough one to believe, but the worlds most favourite higher-end fast food chain (high-end fast food is a thing!) comes in for a close second to the worlds most exciting and entertaining sport: Golf! -.- You will find around 14.100 McDonald's branches in the States compared to around 15.500 (public and private) golf courses... and this is why obesity is not a problem in the US - Yeah, you better start running Ronald!

Ks03h4WEAA-lNI.png

(source:https://www.statista.com/statistics/256040/mcdonalds-restaurants-in-north-america/)
(source:http://golf-info-guide.com/courses/)

3. Chocolate bars (can) contain insect parts

Next time you eat that creamy, crunchy and slightly nutty piece of chocolate just think about this: The FDA, the US Food and Drug Administration, has guidelines on the maximum allowed amount of insect parts processed in chocolate bars.

The average chocolate bar contains 8 insect parts.

Let's face it, worse things happen on a daily basis and that crap you eat is probably not better than protein-rich insects in delicious chocolate. In the truest sense of the expression : Swallow your pride and get on with it.
#JUMMY, #NotReallyVeggie

chocolate-701510_960_720.jpg
(source:https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074443.htm)

3 Benford's Law

This one sounds like straight BS coming from the mystical realms of the nerdy web and is addressed towards the numerical steemit crowd. It sounds random, but then again - there is Wikipedia article and a fancy name - it is even a "law".

So what is Benford's Law all about?

Quoting my number one knowledge base on the internet:

The law states that in many naturally occurring collections of numbers, the leading significant digit is likely to be small

Not actually mind-blowing, but I like numbers and this is entertainment for me. #TheSadLife Benford, who wasn't even the first one observing this phenomenon, states that lower digits (lead by 1) are the most likely to be the first digits in "real-life" numbers like electricity bills, phone number (parts), street names, (sadly) salaries and many other everyday scenarios.

FirstDigitLaw.png
(source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benford%27s_law)

4.Google owns a ton of domain names that are common misspellings of Google

Ever tried to reserve 466453.com - no? Bad news, it is already taken by Google. #TheSadLife
Google also owns domain names such as gooogle.com, gogle.com, googlr.com and many others. Most of them will refer you to Google, others will show a google 404.

Phone.png
(source:just google it)

5. One to rule them all

Ever heard of Luxottica? No? How about Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol, Sunglass Hut and many other eye-wear brands? Turns out they all belong to Luxottica, a Milan (Italy) base group with more than 82.000 employees and over 9 billion euro in revenue per year, who is 80% of the annual eye-wear industry (in terms of market cap).


(source:http://www.luxottica.com/en)

BONUS

6. Bluetooth -> Why was it called Bluetooth and what is up with that symbol

I suppose most of you are familiar with the concept of Bluetooth: Some electronic magic that connects phones, your stereo and other technological devices over a short distance or more formal: It is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances. #fancy
In the late 1990s, many mobile phone oriented companies (Nokia, Ericcson, Intel, Toshiba, etc) were looking for wireless standards in data communications. Jim Kardach, of Intel, was allegedly reading a book about the Danish Viking king of 958-970: Harald Garmson, who had a bit of a passion for blueberries. So Jim Kardach named his standard after the Danish Viking king Harald "Bluetooth" (his nickname). The symbol is a combination of the king's initials - mind blown!

Thank you so much

... for reading my very first article on steemit. This was fun for me and I was actually able to delay some of my duties for a while. If you like this kind of articles, let me know. I am always thankful for ideas, criticism and nice words.

Now go back to work! ;)