Wednesday 3/9/22
Celebrate False Teeth, Get Over It, Barbie, Discover What Your Name Means, Panic, National Crabmeat, Meatball, and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day.
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You'll remember this the next time you're trying to turn left on a busy road, then give up and turn right: A recent study at Penn State found it might be better if we just made most of those left turns illegal.
Researchers used a bunch of algorithms to figure out the best way to keep traffic moving and prevent accidents. And the simulations found that traffic would move smoother if we banned left turns at more intersections.
It depends on the city you're in, and the flow of traffic. But in general, the most efficient setups ban left turns near the middle of metropolitan areas, and only allows them as you get farther away from the city center.
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Do you love your dishwasher? Don't put everything in it though.
The Today show reminds you not to wash Sharp Knives because it will dull them.
Also Nonstick pots and pans, Cast Iron, Crystal, and Wood.
Treehugger says you shouldn't put these weird things in your dishwasher. Including Car Parts or Any Machine Parts. Paintbrushes, Computer keyboards (who's doing that?), and Bras. Read their list and reasonings here.
And one more from Cheatsheet.com, that overlaps..this is some things that you can put in your dishwasher. This list includes window screens, rubber boots, flip-flops, Baseball Hats, Mouth Guards, Dog Toys, Keys, and your Razor!!!
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If you ever visit the Washington National Cathedral, look closely and you might see a gargoyle that looks a lot like Darth Vader. Because it IS Darth Vader.
It's there as a result of a contest that was held in the '80s to design a "grotesque" for the cathedral.
Before you ask a grotesque is basically a gargoyle that doesn't spout water. Actual gargoyles have spouts to drain rainwater.
The limestone Lord Vader has been adorning the cathedral since 1986. It's hard to see without a pair of binoculars though.
My college has a stone in the Cathedral. The Brass Choir would play there from time to time, and I got to enjoy them and got a tour.
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What's more important to you: Your relative intelligence in an increasingly mad world . . . or having the opportunity to be blissfully ignorant?
A new poll asked, "If you had to choose, would you rather be smart and sad, or dumb and happy?" In the end, "dumb and happy" won . . . but only by a very slim margin, 36% to 35%. The other 29% said they weren't sure.
Interestingly, men were more likely to say "smart and sad" . . . while women were more likely to choose "dumb and happy."
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If you're eating a balanced meal, with a protein, some vegetables, a grain, and maybe a separate carb, do you alternate items as you eat, or just eat one at a time until it's gone?
That may seem like a silly question, but in a survey on eating habits, 18% said they always eat one thing at a time, while 70% say they alternate. 12% "didn't have a preference."
Here are eight other highlights from the survey:
1. What do you use to eat macaroni & cheese with? 59% will use a fork . . . 21% prefer a spoon . . . 13% said it's a case-by-case thing . . . and 7% don't like mac and cheese.
2. When making pasta, do you salt the water? 61% said yes . . . 22% said no . . . 12% sometimes do, sometimes don't . . . and 5% didn't know how to respond.
3. When it comes to corn, 42% want it on the cob . . . 26% prefer it on a plate, off the cob . . . 24% don't care . . . and 8% don't want any corn at all.
4. Eggs can have an off-putting consistency no matter how they're prepared . . . but 37% prefer them scrambled . . . 18% like them "over easy" . . . 12% like them sunny-side up . . . 6% like poached . . . and another 6% prefer boiled eggs. 14% don't care, and 7% don't want eggs.
5. When it comes to a pan of brownies, which piece do you want? 36% don't care, they just want a piece. Or two. But 28% specifically want a corner piece, and 27% want an edge piece.
9% didn't vote, possibly because they don't like experiencing joy.
6. How do you eat shshi? Well, for starters, 46% say they don't. Beyond that, 20% use chopsticks . . . 15% use a fork . . . 14% are cool just picking it up with their hands . . . and 5% will use whatever they've been given.
7. When it comes to onions, 75% of people like them . . . 14% don't . . . and 11% didn't respond, possibly because their eyes were tearing up.
8. And finally, when asked about spicy foods, 45% said they'd rather have something mild . . . 40% love spicy stuff . . . and 15% could take it or leave it.
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - Today is Barbie Day, her Birthday in 1959..
Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts and made it's debut when she was 17. The original Barbie was sold as both a blonde and a brunette. (the blond one sold better)
Barbie has had many jobs, the first was "teenage fashion model."
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