Questions that popped in my head today

Have you ever had those moments when a question just popped into your head and you just sit there gazing into the distance? Then after an hour of wondering, you give up and HAVE to Google it? Then after another hour of finding it and reading about it you say to yourself, “ahhh.. now I can sleep easy tonight.”

What? Just me?

Anyway, here are some of those random questions popped into my head suddenly. My curiosities are usually triggered by watching TV, some are sudden realization in things I do routinely. So read on and delve into my weird mind and who knows.. I might answer some of your ‘popped questions’.

Why Apple (as in the iPod, Mac) is called Apple?

This came about while I was playing my iPod, of course.

The reason why Apple Computers are called that is so that it would, symbolically, come before rivals Atari in the phone book.

How did people with poor eye-sight see before glasses were invented?

This question popped into my head while watching Will & Grace.

Now this took me a while to find out but I was too curious to be satisfied with just one answer.

There are a few answers out there. Here are a few that I found and made sense to me.

1. There was no definite exact date of when glasses were invented and by whom. It was a technology that was developed over time. In an old transcript by a Roman, in 4 B.C., said that he was able to read “all” the books in Rome peering through a glass globe of water. Then there was Emperor Nero, watching gladiator matches with an emerald in front of his eye. But since the emerald was green, it could mean he used it to block out sunlight so that he could see well. Kind of like sun glasses.

Around 1000 A. D. the reading stone, what we know as a magnifying glass, was developed. It was a segment of a glass sphere that could be laid against reading material to magnify the letters. It enabled presbyopic monks to read and was probably the first reading aid. The Venetians learned how to produce glass for reading stones, and later they constructed lenses that could be held in a frame in front of the eyes instead of directly on the reading material. The Chinese are sometimes given credit for developing spectacles about 2000 years ago--but apparently they only used them to protect their eyes from an evil force. But even with all this information, the life expectancy in those days was 40 years-old. And sight deficiency doesn’t usually start until after that age.
Now you might be thinking, “I’m way younger than 40! And I have glasses as thick as the Hubble Telescope!” On to number 2.

2. Early sight-loss could be in the genes but most cases can be blamed to lighting. Either there’s not enough, like reading in a dim area or watching TV in the dark; or it could be because of too much light. With all the technology we have now, TV, computers, etc, our eyes are having a hard time coping and get very strained easily. Long hours in front of these artificial lights were not a daily ritual in the old days as it is today.

3.Glasses weren’t really ‘discovered’ until after the 16^th century. So before then, literacy was a rare skill to have and the rich were the only ones that could afford books and if they lost their eye-sight, the Egyptians would used their slaves to read for them.

How much is it to advertise on Facebook?

I wondered about this when I was just checking my account and noticed the tiny advertising. So it got me thinking.. Since Facebook is so popular and costs over a billion dollars, the advert cost should be immense!

On the contrary it could be cheap, even normal people could advertise. I couldn’t find the exact number online so, I wore my journalist hat and went to the advertising section of Facebook. There, you can advertise almost anything. I tried to advertise this blog.

From there, I can choose which type of people I’m trying to target. Here, I chose any ages since my blog is family friendly. As you can see, you can choose your potential ‘targets’. (that’s how they use our profile details to get their money). Over 10 million people. Cool. It’s going to get me a lot of hits. J

Next, you choose your budget. It can be as low as $5.00. Then you choose how much you’re willing to pay per click.

Let’s say I chose to be cheap and will only pay just $5.00 and $0.01 per click, your advert will be on Facebook until your budget runs out. But since I was being very cheap, it could mean, my advert would pop up very rarely, making it rare for people to click on it. Or more often so that I’ll pay again for advertising. Now I get how online networking can be so lucrative. Anyone want to start one with me?

Okay, this post is getting too long now and I don’t like long posts. Look for part 2 in the near future. Hope you had a good read.

weekend randomness

after a long week, it was nice to just be cooped up in my room and did absolutely nothing. although, i should be worried about the week that was to eventually come. 2 assignments due and a presentation to, well, present. i should have spent my weekend more wisely and finish an assignment and just be more at ease about my dreaded situation. instead, today, i woke up late and watched two movies back-to-back. national treasure (the first one) and deep impact.

i watched national treasure 2 and loved it! so i had to watch the first one and to my expectations, loved it too. i can't wait for the third installment. why deep impact? i dunno. i only watched it once and remembered it being really good. it came out in 1998 when the movie theme of the year was 'great tragedies'. (i.e. titanic & armageddon).

the only i am looking forward to monday is that that's when i'm getting my allowance. been broke for a whole long month and it was not fun at all. so, now i can be more relaxed with my spendings. i might just go to london next weekend. so, ali, if you're reading this, i'm letting you know. i haven't been away from southampton since easter break and that was a while back. so, a good weekend away should be refreshing.

hope you had a good weekend. a proper geeky post coming up next.

5 simple ways to save our planet

a featured video from youtube.



let's help out our planet everyone.

10 fun facts about our moon

the geek inside me loves watching documentaries. a long time ago, i was into ocean science. the deep sea creatures astonished me. one time, i was captivated by the history of the Roman Empire and when it became the a great superpower until it's untimely demise. now, however, my interest is not on this Earth but at close proximity - our moon. history channel has been showing a series about the Universe. how it theoretically began and even an episode on how it'll end. but that's another very long topic, which if you're interested go look for the series on tv.

anyway, on to our moon and some really cool facts about it.
ref: space.com

1. The Moon was created when a rock the size of Mars slammed into Earth, shortly after the solar system began forming about 4.5 billion years ago, according to the leading theory.



2. Perhaps the coolest thing about the Moon is that it always shows us the same face. Since both the Earth and Moon are rotating and orbiting, how can this be?

Long ago, the Earth's gravitational effects slowed the Moon's rotation about its axis. Once the Moon's rotation slowed enough to match its orbital period (the time it takes the Moon to go around Earth) the effect stabilized. Many of the moons around other planets behave similarly.

What about phases? Here's how they work: As the Moon orbits Earth, it spends part of its time between us and the Sun, and the lighted half faces away from us. This is called a new Moon. (So there's no such thing as a "dark side of the Moon," just a side that we never see.)

As the Moon swings around on its orbit, a thin sliver of reflected sunlight is seen on Earth as a crescent Moon. Once the Moon is opposite the Sun, it becomes fully lit from our view -- a full Moon.

3. More than 400 trees on Earth came from the Moon. Well, okay: They came from lunar orbit. Okay, the truth: In 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa took a bunch of seeds with him and, while Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell were busy sauntering around on the surface, Roosa guarded his seeds.

Later, the seeds were germinated on Earth, planted at various sites around the country, and came to be called the Moon trees. Most of them are doing just fine.

4. The Moon's heavily cratered surface is the result of intense pummeling by space rocks between 4.1 billion and 3.8 billion years ago.

The scars of this war, seen as craters, have not eroded much for two main reasons: The Moon is not geologically very active, so earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain-building don't destroy the landscape as they do on Earth; and with virtually no atmosphere there is no wind or rain, so very little surface erosion occurs.

5. The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. Right? Maybe not. In 1999, scientists found that a 3-mile- (5-kilometer-) wide asteroid may be caught in Earth's gravitational grip, thereby becoming a satellite of our planet.

Cruithne, as it is called, takes 770 years to complete a horseshoe-shaped orbit around Earth, the scientists say, and it will remain in a suspended state around Earth for at least 5,000 years.

6. The Moon is not round (or spherical). Instead, it's shaped like an egg. If you go outside and look up, one of the small ends is pointing right at you. And the Moon's center of mass is not at the geometric center of the satellite; it's about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) off-center.

7. Apollo astronauts used seismometers during their visits to the Moon and discovered that the gray orb isn't a totally dead place, geologically speaking. Small moonquakes, originating several miles (kilometers) below the surface, are thought to be caused by the gravitational pull of Earth. Sometimes tiny fractures appear at the surface, and gas escapes.

Scientists say they think the Moon probably has a core that is hot and perhaps partially molten, as is Earth's core. But data from NASA's Lunar Prospector spacecraft showed in 1999 that the Moon's core is small -- probably between 2 percent and 4 percent of its mass. This is tiny compared with Earth, in which the iron core makes up about 30 percent of the planet's mass.

8. Our Moon is bigger than Pluto. And at roughly one-fourth the diameter of Earth, some scientists think the Moon is more like a planet. They refer to the Earth-Moon system as a "double planet." Pluto and its moon Charon are also called a double-planet system by some.

9. Tides on Earth are caused mostly by the Moon (the Sun has a smaller effect). Here's how it works:

The Moon's gravity pulls on Earth's oceans. High tide aligns with the Moon as Earth spins underneath. Another high tide occurs on the opposite side of the planet because gravity pulls Earth toward the Moon more than it pulls the water.

At full Moon and new Moon, the Sun, Earth and Moon are lined up, producing the higher than normal tides (called spring tides, for the way they spring up). When the Moon is at first or last quarter, smaller neap tides form. The Moon's 29.5-day orbit around Earth is not quite circular. When the Moon is closest to Earth (called its perigee), spring tides are even higher, and they're called perigean spring tides.

All this tugging has another interesting effect: Some of Earth's rotational energy is stolen by the Moon, causing our planet to slow down by about 1.5 milliseconds every century.

and i leave the best fact about our moon for last..

10. our moon is moving away from us! It is expected that in 15 billion years, the Earth day will be 55 days long equal to the time it will take the Moon to orbit the Earth. but don't worry, in less than 7 billion years, the Sun will have evolved into a red giant star and engulfed the Earth-Moon system, thereby incinerating it!

curious about the death of our Sun? click here.

graduation, facebook and sleepy mornings

i've been sleeping really late this week. i missed a few morning classes because of it. i don't know why i sleep late. in the mornings, i tend to be really exhausted and i know i should just take a short nap in my free periods but i end up fighting it and be online or play video games. i guess life is short and i feel that sleeping it away is a waste.. even though i know how tired i'll end up. it's 10.40pm and i'm already exhausted.. i should sleep early but chances are 2am will be my bed time.

even though it's still early to talk about graduation, the organization committee wants the guest list and payment. uggh.. to be honest, i don't feel like going. i don't feel like paying over £100 just to buy the navy shirts and jacket for one night, which i'm fairly sure is going to be dull. i'd forget about it right here and now if it weren't for my mother who's coming to the darn event. i talked to my sister about this last night and she told me it's my decision and prepare to be bleed in the ear when i decide to tell mom. haha. i'm sure my mother would kill me if i tell her how i feel. she would not understand at all.. she's the type that's like, "other people are doing it, why don't you?" uggh.. i hate that reasoning.. i don't know.. i don't feel like celebrating.

i've been on facebook for almost a week now and already people i know have been adding me up (on the first day, i had 30 friend invites!). the thing that i find both scary and cool at the same time about facebook is that you get to see what people are doing when they're on facebook. every conversations.. every wall-to-wall messages.. every picture posted.. anything. but i guess privacy is null and void when you're in one of these online community sites. so far, i don't find it as addicting as some of the people i know who can't seem to leave it for a 30 minutes! i'd check it more often if it had a blog application like multiply has. does it have one? anyone know? can't be asked to rummage through all the applications..

weekend is almost here. i need a good rest..

death by blogging

that's right.. people have actually died from blogging! i found this really scary article from the NY times.

Some of the blogging community are worried that blogging could be bad for your health. The constant need to publish new and exciting facts is putting stress on successful bloggers, and the recent deaths from heart attacks of three popular writers is causing something of a rethink in the industry. “I haven’t died yet,” Michael Arrington, founder and co-editor of TechCrunch, told The New York Times. “At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to hospital, or something else will happen. This is not sustainable.”


Arrington claimed that he has gained 30 pounds and developed a severe sleeping disorder over the past three years as a result of his job. Two other technology bloggers, Russell Shaw, 60, and Marc Orchant, 50, have died of heart failures. While blogging has not been directly linked to their deaths, the stress of churning out thousands of words a day may have been a factor. “There is no time ever, including when you’re sleeping, when you’re not worried about missing a story,” said Arrington. “Wouldn’t it be great if we said that no blogger or journalist could write a story between 8pm Pacific time and dawn? Then we could all take a break. But that’s never going to happen.”

scary..

how to know if someone likes you romantically

most of the time, i'm pretty much in the dark when it comes to someone liking me that way.. in fact, i'd be the last one to know and whenever someone tells me someone was crushing on me, i have a hard time believing them. so, here are a few tips from the book of knowledge, eHow's How To Do Just About Everything.

sometimes the direct approach is the best - just ask. but if that seems too bold, look for some of these telling signs.

Behaviour:

• pay attention to your conversations with the person in question. does this person show a special interest in talking with you and, once it's started, make an effort to keep the conversation going?
• does this person "accidentally" run into you in places where they know you will be?
• notice whether this person mentions future plans to spend time with you; "that band is coming here soon. we should really get tickets."
• notice if the person is making an effort to spend time alone together. canceling other plans in order to be with you longer, or finding excuses not to leave, could be a sign of romantic interest.
• has the person been calling for seemingly random reasons, such as, "i was wondering if you knew what that pizza place down the street is called', followed by, "are you hungry?"
• has the person taken a sudden interest in you life and hobbies? this is a sure sign that they are interested in something - and it's probably not your stamp collection.
• observe how the person acts around your friends - they might be extra friendly to your closest pals for a reason.

body language:

• sometimes seeing someone you have a crush on results in telltale physiological signs. does the person in question blush when you look at them? his/her sympathetic nervous system is probably going into overdrive. does he/she jumble their words when talking to you?
• see if the person mirrors your movements: when you lean back, they lean back; when you put your elbows on the table, they do the same.
• notice whether this person sits or stands in the open position - that is, facing you with arms uncrossed, or crossing her legs in your direction if the person is a woman.
• does he move closer to you and/or touch you subtly, such as patting your hand or touching your cheek? (that's kinda freaky..)
• look for other elements of body language, such as frequent eye contact, holding your gaze and looking down before looking away, energetic speech coupled with open hands, or flashing palms.
• does the person you're wondering about smile at you a lot?

think about these.. maybe you just realised someone secretly crushing on you. ':)
have a good weekend everyone!

Free-IQTest.net

Free-IQTest.net - IQ Test

it's 1.30am here and i was bored.. did this very short IQ test and scored 121. googled what the score meant.

• Over 140 - Genius or near genius

• 120 - 140 - Very superior intelligence

• 110 - 119 - Superior intelligence

• 90 - 109 - Normal or average intelligence

• 80 - 89 - Dullness

• 70 - 79 - Borderline deficiency

• Under 70 - Definite feeble-mindedness

cool. very superior intelligence.. i don't feel like one though..

then i found this which confirmed just that..

High IQ & Genius IQ

Genius IQ is generally considered to begin around 140 to 145, representing ~.25% of the population (1 in 400). Here's a rough guide:

• 115-124 - Above average (e.g., university students)
• 125-134 - Gifted (e.g., post-graduate students)
• 135-144 - Highly gifted (e.g., intellectuals)
• 145-154 - Genius (e.g., professors)
• 155-164 - Genius (e.g., Nobel Prize winners)
• 165-179 - High genius
• 180-200 - Highest genius
• >200 - "Unmeasurable genius"

so i guess, i'm at a level of what i should be.

7 things you shouldn't do after a meal

i'm back after a very short, 2 weeks of easter but even so, i had a very good easter break. went to keele to celebrate my sister's birthday then spent the rest of easter in london just hanging out till 8am almost everyday. it was awesome. anyway, i learned a few things while i was there and today's topic is one of them. enjoy!

1- Don’t smoke- Experts have proven that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes.

2- Don’t eat fruits immediately - Immediately eating fruits after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air. Therefore eat fruit 1-2 hr’s after a meal or 1hr before a meal.

3- Don’t drink tea - Tea leaf’s contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the protein content in the food we consume to be hardened thus difficult to digest.

4- Don’t loosen your belt - Loosening your belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted & blocked.

5- Don’t bath - Bathing will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.

6- Don’t walk about - People always say that after a meal walk a hundred steps and you will live till 99. In actual fact this is not true. Walking will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake.

7- Don’t sleep immediately - The food we intake will not be able to digest properly. Thus will lead to gastric & infection in our intestine.

to those who are still on a break, have a good one!