Thursday, July 12, 2007

inner dork: all things useless (I mean, useful)

Yippee-yahoo! It's Inner Dork Thursday. (It really needs to be a national event.) (I will get started on that campaign after this post.)

Did you know...

The slogan on New Hampshire license plates is "Live Free or Die." The license plates are manufactured by prisoners in the state prison in Concord. (Well, that's just mean.)

The abbreviation ORD for Chicago's O'Hare airport comes from the old name Orchard Field. (Now that I know this it makes much more sense.)

The names of the two stone lions in front of the New York Public Library are Patience and Fortitude. They were named by the then-major Fiorello La-Guardia. (Because if you are made of stone and sit in front of a library you need to be patient and have fortitude.) (I really wish I would have made it to see them when I was in NYC.)

The University of Alaska stretches across four time zones. (I need to Google this to see how that is possible.) (What did we do before Google? Oh, yeah. We had to get up an look at books. I wonder how much more instantly intelligent we are because we have it all at our fingertips.) (Okay, that made me laugh. Because people are Googlin' info all over the place. No one is going to porn sites.)

The largest object ever found in the LA sewer system was a motorcycle. (Maybe it just pooped out.)

In 1980, a Las Vegas hospital suspended workers for betting on when patients would die. (Oh c'mon. What's unethical about that?)

A third of Taiwanese funeral processions include a stripper. (Ecstasy, Champagne Showers, and Candy Cane could not be reached for comment.)

Hindu men once believed it to be unlucky to marry a third time. The could avoid misfortune by marrying a tree first. The tree (a.k.a the third wife.) was then burned, freeing the man to marry again. (Do you Bob take thee Maple to be your lawfully wedded wife?)

The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher. (Because it came from a kosher horse named Ed, of course.)

The radioactive substance Americanium-241 is used in many smoke detectors. (Well, that seems safe.) (And more than slightly counterproductive.)

The bark of a redwood tree is fireproof. Fires that occur in a redwood forest take place inside the trees. (And I'm gonna guess the leaves are not "poof-proof." Just a guess.)

Now, go apply for a chance to be on Jeopardy!

8 comments:

Nick said...

"Hindu men once believed it to be unlucky to marry a third time. The could avoid misfortune by marrying a tree first. The tree (a.k.a the third wife.) was then burned, freeing the man to marry again."

Is that considered a homosexual marriage since a man is marrying a big woody?

Michelle Lara said...

Thanks for the random facts...I think I CAN go win Jeopardy now :D

http://migratingcoconuts.wordpress.com/

Bob said...

Instead of Maple, can I have Pecan (or Hickory, or Oak)?onaccountofbecause if I am getting married for the third time --- ONE OF US HAS GOT TO BE NUTS!!!

limpy99 said...

My brother got his master's from the University of Alaska. It spans four times zones becuse of all the branches across the state.

Also the city of Fairbanks is apparently a shit-hole.

Old Man Crowder said...

A stripper at a funeral?

Man, Taiwan just gets more appealing every day!

Bre said...

Why is there a stripper?!?!?

Anonymous said...

Well good to see that at least one state puts convicts to good use. Sheesh...I'd like to know what inmate comments are when they see some of the vanity plates. Yikes.

Dirty Bunny said...

You may have guessed that I liked the suspended hospital workers one best.