Can't Win For Losing...!

Did you ever have a seemingly good idea that turned out to be disastrous? This man did, for sure. From Listverse, here is his story.

Thomas Midgley Jr

Thomas Midgley was an American chemist who invented both leaded petrol and CFCs. Though lauded during his time, he has come to be known as having “had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth history” and “the one human responsible for more deaths than any other in history” due to his inventions. He eventually contracted Polio and lead poisoning and was left disabled in his bed. This caused him to create an elaborate system of pulleys and ropes in order to lift himself from bed. He died at the age of 55 after being strangled by one of his pulleys and is notable for the fact that both his inventions, leaded petrol and his pulley operated bed, contributed to his death.

Seems as if this poor guy was snakebit, if you know what I mean.

Coffee out on the patio this morning.

What A Crazy Speeder...!

Did you know that there was an actual arrest made in the case of the first speeder, and the auto was an electric? Yep...that's right!

The First Driver Arrested For Speeding Was Traveling 12 Miles Per Hour

Photo credit: gizmodo.com

On May 20, 1899, 26-year-old Jacob German was the first motorcar driver arrested for speeding. Officer John Schuessler (aka The Scorcher’s Terror) was renowned for chasing down and arresting those in horse-drawn carriages and on bicycles speeding on the streets of Manhattan.

German worked for the Electric Vehicle Company, a taxi service with an all-electric fleet. He was doing 19 kilometers per hour (12 mph) at the time he was spotted by Officer Schuessler of the Bicycle Squad of New York. At the time, New York laws forbade drivers from exceeding 13 kilometers per hour (8 mph) on roads and 6 kilometers per hour (4 mph) when going around corners.

Schuessler went after German’s car with his bicycle and arrested the lawbreaker. Reporting the news, The New York Times wrote that German was traveling at “breakneck speed” and “so reckless a rate.” German did not get a ticket for speeding, but he spent some time in jail.

Sounds pretty crazy by today's standards, doesn't it? Certainly made sense at the time though.

Coffee out on the patio, but you already knew that...right?

How About Those Stump Houses...?

We all know that coming up with adequate shelter was probably one of the hardest endeavors for the early pioneers. In some cases though, they did have a little help by using the leftovers from logging operations.

Early Settlers In The Wild West

Photo credit: boingboing.net

After loggers swept over the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest in the late 1800s, many pioneers were just coming across on wagon trains to settle down with their families. To their surprise, these early settlers discovered a mauled landscape dotted with enormous, towering tree stumps that the lumber companies had left behind.

Some of these sturdy stumps were 3 meters (10 ft) tall. These old logging sites that had cleared the forest seemed perfect for farmland. So some of the thriftiest pioneers had the wise idea to homestead these areas. They settled in what became known as “stump homes.”

[10]Basically, all the settlers had to do was put a roof on top of the stumps and attach a door. While some lived in these homes with their families, others used them for storage or chicken coops.

For some stumps that remained on the property, the pioneers came up with other creative uses. Some were leveled off at the top into flat platforms where the people would have social gatherings, like “stump dances” to folk music. One of these stump homes became the first US Post Office in the remote Olympic Peninsula, and it still stands today as a historic landmark.

This is a case of making lemonade when life gives out lemons. At least all those stumps could be used for something, right?

Coffee out on the patio this morning.

The Tricky English Language...!

I've heard from many folks that the english language is one of the hardest to learn for people that are primarily english speakers. This little exercise from DidYouKnowFacts will show why.

“I never said she stole my money” has 7 different meanings depending on which word you emphasize when you speak it aloud.

Try it…

I didn’t say she stole my money – someone else said it.

I didn’t say she stole my money – I didn’t say it.

I didn’t say she stole my money – I only implied it.

I didn’t say she stole my money – I said someone did, not necessarily her.

I didn’t say she stole my money – I considered it borrowed, even though she didn’t ask.

I didn’t say she stole my money – only that she stole money.

I didn’t say she stole my money – she stole stuff which cost me money to replace.

I can see how it could get confusing when there are so many different ways this simple sentence could be interpreted, can you?

Coffee out on the patio one more time.

Plant Or Animal...?

Here is a case of nature's ability to confuse us all. This critter can change from plant to anima...and back again. How is that for strange?

Mesodinium Chamaeleon

Photo credit: Ojvind Moestrup/Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology

Microscopic in size, Mesodinium chamaeleon has scientists stymied. It’s not a plant, but it’s not an animal, either. As an animal, it uses its hair-like cilia to swim about, devouring plants. After feeding, it turns into a plant itself and is able to photosynthesize. After a while, it consumes the chlorophyll granules it obtained by eating the plant and reverts into an animal to begin the process of transformations anew. The bizarre creature dwells at the bottom of the ocean. In 2012, it was discovered off the coast of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Scientists are mystified by it. They can’t describe it in detail, and they haven’t been able to determine the amount of energy it obtains from photosynthesis. They also don’t know why it eats the chlorophyll granules it acquires. Further discoveries await “getting this animal-plant established in a culture in our laboratory,” says Ojvind Moestrup, a professor in the Marine Biological Section of the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Biology.

I found this article over at Listverse. Seems to me this certainly qualifies as a good Monday Mystery, don't you think?

Coffee out on the patio today, where it's gonna be dry and hot.

How About Those Wolves...?

Here is something a bit different for you this morning. It includes a 4 minute video that I hope you'll watch.

Wolves can shape the ecosystem and physical geography of the land they live on.

When wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in ‘95 after a 70-year absence, trees grew faster, animal populations increased, and rivers even changed their behavior because new vegetation helped reduce erosion.



Pretty neat, isn't it? Let nature just do Her thing.

Coffee out on the patio again.

Some Cereal History...!

You wouldn't think that something as common as breakfast cereal would ever cause a controversy, but it has. Some of the controversy goes back to a time long ago.

Elijah’s Manna

Photo credit: New York Times

Cereal controversy has gone on as far back as the 1800s.

Seventh-Day Adventist Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, were trying to develop a food that went with their church-recommended vegetarian lifestyle to feed patients at their sanitarium. They would not go on to officially market corn flakes until 1906, which allowed a former patient, C.W. Post, to take his own stab at the idea.

After C.W. Post finished creating Grape Nuts, he decided to try his own take on corn flakes that he would call Elijah’s Manna. This began a major controversy, with clergymen denouncing the product as sacrilege, and Britain even barred it from being imported into the country. Though Post tried to defend his brand, he eventually gave in, and in 1908, the cereal went on to become Post Toasties.

Some of these controversies seem a bit much to me, but what do I know. I'm more of a bacon and eggs person myself.

Coffee out on thew patio again today!