Curiosities

 

Why Didn't I Think of That?

Is it true that an IQ can actually differ dramatically even from day to day?
Is it true that an IQ can drop even without having children or any other activity that causes brain damage?
How come they say "cute as a button"?  Why a button?

- Marilyn vos Savant "Questions That Amaze Even Marilyn"
 

© Dave McLaughlin

An actual tip from page 16 of the Hewlett Packard Environmental, Health & Safety Handbook for Employees:

"Blink your eyelids periodically to lubricate your eyes."

Pulling Rank

Rank of George W Bush among the "most important people in the world today," according to US schoolchildren: 1

Rank of the Pope, J K Rowling, and God, respectively: 2, 13, 19

Rank of "myself": 11

Actual Instructions on Various Products...

  1. On a blanket from Taiwan - NOT TO BE USED AS PROTECTION FROM A TORNADO.
  2. On a helmet mounted mirror used by US cyclists - REMEMBER, OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE ACTUALLY BEHIND YOU.
  3. On a Taiwanese shampoo - USE REPEATEDLY FOR SEVERE DAMAGE.
  4. On the bottle-top of a (UK) flavoured milk drink - AFTER OPENING, KEEP UPRIGHT.
  5. On a New Zealand insect spray - THIS PRODUCT NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS.
     
     
  6. In a US guide to setting up a new computer - TO AVOID CONDENSATION FORMING, ALLOW THE BOXES TO WARM UP TO ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE OPENING. (Sensible, perhaps, but the instruction was INSIDE the box.)
  7. On a Japanese product used to relieve painful haemorrhoids - LIE DOWN ON BED AND INSERT POSCOOL SLOWLY UP TO THE PROJECTED PORTION LIKE A SWORD-GUARD INTO ANAL DUCT.  WHILE INSERTING POSCOOL FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES, KEEP QUIET.
  8. In some countries, on the bottom of Coke bottles - OPEN OTHER END.
  9. On a packet of Sunmaid raisins - WHY NOT TRY TOSSING OVER YOUR FAVOURITE BREAKFAST CEREAL?
  10. On a Sears hairdryer - DO NOT USE WHILE SLEEPING.
     
     
  11. On a bag of Fritos - YOU COULD BE A WINNER!  NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  DETAILS INSIDE.  (The shoplifter special!)
  12. On a bar of Dial soap - DIRECTIONS - USE LIKE REGULAR SOAP.  (And that would be how?)
  13. On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom of the box) - DO NOT TURN UPSIDE DOWN.  (Too late!  You lose!)
  14. On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding - PRODUCT WILL BE HOT AFTER HEATING.  (Are you sure?  Let's experiment.)
  15. On a Korean kitchen knife - WARNING KEEP OUT OF CHILDREN.  (Who are they to tell me what to do with my kids?)
     
     
  16. On a string of Chinese-made Christmas lights - FOR INDOOR OR OUTDOOR USE ONLY.  (As opposed to use in outer space?)
  17. On a Japanese food processor - NOT TO BE USED FOR THE OTHER USE.  (Now I'm curious.)
  18. On Sainsbury's peanuts - WARNING - CONTAINS NUTS.  (Really?  And that's bad why?)
  19. On an American Airlines packet of nuts - INSTRUCTIONS - OPEN PACKET, EAT NUTS.  (I'm glad they cleared that up.)
  20. On a Swedish chainsaw - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO STOP CHAIN WITH YOUR HANDS OR GENITALS.  (What kind of consumer phone-call led to this warning?)
     
     
  21. On a child's superman costume - WEARING OF THIS GARMENT DOES NOT ENABLE YOU TO FLY.  (That's right, destroy a universal childhood fantasy!)

Descartes walked into a café and sits down ready to order.  A waiter came up to him and asked, "Do you need a menu?"  Descartes replied, "I think not," and disappeared!

* * * * * * *

Overheard in 18th century England: "Did you hear that George Berkeley died?  His girlfriend stopped seeing him."

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What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vender?  "Make me one with everything."

Points to Ponder

bulletIf a pig loses it's voice, is it disgruntled?
bulletIf you throw a cat out of the car window, does it become kitty litter?
bulletIf you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn?
bulletIf you take an Asian person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?
bulletWhat do people in China call their good plates?
bulletWhy are there Interstates in Hawaii?
bulletHave you ever imagined a world without hypothetical situations?
bulletWhy is a bra singular and panties plural?
bulletWhy do they put Braille dots on the keypad of a drive-up ATM?
bulletWhy is it that when you transport something by car it is called shipment, but when you transport something by ship it's called cargo?
bulletIf con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
bulletIf flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
bulletWhat hair colour do they put on the driver's license of a bald man?

Source: Various places on the Internet

A Striking Coincidence

by Darryl Reanny

In 1898 a virtually unknown author [named] Morgan Robertson wrote a novel about a huge ocean liner which hit an iceberg and sank.  He called his book Futility.  In 1912 a huge ocean liner did hit an iceberg and sink.  What makes Morgan Robertson's "prophecy" of the disaster so striking is the accuracy of the correspondence between the fictional liner and the real one.  Drawing on material from Walter Lord's A Night to Remember, [here are] the key similarities:

Robertson's Ship

Real Ship

70,000 tons 66,000 tons
800 feet long 882.5 feet long
triple screw triple screw
24-25 knots speed capacity 24-25 knots speed capacity
3,000 passenger capacity 3,000 passenger capacity

While these similarities are remarkable, it might be possible to explain them quite logically by saying that Robertson researched the facts about the largest ocean liners in existence at the time he wrote his novel and simply used them, or a slight projection of them, in his book.  Very well.  Robertson called his boat the Titan; the real liner was called the Titanic.  Both were reputed to be unsinkable and yet both sank, in both cases foundering on an iceberg in the Atlantic.  And both tragedies resulted in an immense loss of life because neither had enough lifeboats to carry the full complement of crew and passengers.  The fictional Titan sank on a cold night in April.  The Titanic sank on April 15.

Source: From The Death of Forever: A New Future for Human Consciousness by Darryl Reanny

For more on the unusual: events, abilities, means of self-expression, houses, conditions, people, luck, narrow escapes, resemblances, facts, diversions, heroism and more - click the "Up" button below to take you to the Index page for this Odds and Oddities section.
 

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