June 4, 2012

The RCA in RCA cable stands for Radio Corporations of America

1. The RCA in RCA cable stands for Radio Corporations of America. Seriously guys? That's the name that stuck?

March 4, 2012

A permutohedron is a pictorial representation of all the permutations a set of objects can form. Permutohedron of two pens would be a line, of tree pens would be a triangular prism.

1. A permutohedron (pictured below left) is a pictorial representation of all the permutations a set of objects can form. The permutohedron of two pens would be a line, of tree pens would be a triangular prism (most famously a Toblerone, pictured below right). In math language, permutohedron of order n has n! vertices adjacent to n-1 others with total number of edges equal to (n-1)n!/2. Each edge has a length of root 2.


February 23, 2012

Before being the head of FEMA during Hurricane Katrina, Michael Brown was the Comissioner of the Arabian Horse Association

1. Michael D. Brown was appointed the head of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), by president George W. Bush and was in charge during Hurricane Katrina natural disaster. He is widely seen as the chief person responsible for the slow and inadequate response of FEMA during Katrina. It is interesting to note that before joining FEMA, Brown had 12 years of experience in the International Arabian Horse Association, working his way to the Stewards Commissioner. It is unclear how this prepared Brown for his FEMA appointment. Brown has repeatedly shifted the blame of the inadequate response on then Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco and then New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin.

February 22, 2012

The term Siamese Twins originates from the conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker who were born in Siam, now Thailand

1. The term Siamese Twins originates from the conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker who were born in Siam, now Thailand. The twins traveled with P.T. Barnum's circus.

February 20, 2012

-40 Fahrenheit equals -40 Celsius

1. The conversion of Fahrenheit to Celsius is Tf=(9/5)*Tc+32. This equation makes the following instance true: -40F=-40C

February 16, 2012

The heat of chili peppers is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU)

1. The heat of a pepper is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) named after the pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. The SHU, devised in 1912, uses high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure the amount of capsaicin present in the peppers. The scale goes from 0-16million units and a measurement of one part capsaicin per million corresponds to about 15 Scoville units. The hottest Jalapeño has a SHU of about 8,000. A Habanero pepper has about 100,000-300,000. The hottest pepper, the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, has an average SHU of 1.2 million units.

February 15, 2012

Although today 100 pence gives one British pound, prior to 1971 a Pound was divided in 240 pence

1. Prior to 15 February 1971, the British pound was divided into 20 shillings and each shilling into 12 pence making 240 pence in each British pound. After February 15 1971, often known as "Decimal Day," 100 pence was redefined as one Pound sterling.
2. St. George's Day, similar to Valentine's Day, is celebrated on April 23rd. Particularly in Catalonia, a province of Spain, there is an exchange of gifts between couples where men give women roses and women give men books. More recently, a mutual exchange of books is also customary.

February 11, 2012

Augusto Pinochet was a Chilean military dictator who ruled Chile from September 1973 to March 1990

1. Augusto Pinochet, was a Chilean general who took over the country in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973 and ruled until transferring power to a democratically elected president in 1990. During his regime, Pinochet's government was tough on opposition movements, killing over a 1,000+, imprisoning another 80,000+, and torturing another 30,000+. Interestingly, Pinochet's implemented many progressive economic policies such as privatization of state owned companies, implementation of free-trade, and overall stabilization of inflation. Policies implemented under Pinoche from 1973-1990 lead to a 50% jump in Chilean GDP (picture below). Pinochet was put on trial in 2004 for over 300 charges of human rights violation, tax evasion, and embezzlement. He died on December 10, 2006 while under house arrest and still on trial.

February 6, 2012

Charlie Bucket is the main character in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate factory

1. Charlie Bucket is the main character in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

February 1, 2012

Toyota named their first hybrid card Prius (Latin for before) because they thought it was launched before environmental awareness was a social issue

1. Prius is Latin for "before." Toyota named their first hybrid car released in 1997, Prius because Toyota thought that it was launched before environmental awareness became a social issue.

January 26, 2012

There are 6.022136E+20 kDa in one gram

1. The Dalton (Da) is a unit that is used for indicating mass on an atomic scale. In biology kilo-Dalton (kDa) is often used to refer to the molecular mass of proteins. There are 6.022136E+20 kDa in one gram. The Dalton is not an official SI unit.

January 22, 2012

The outlawas Bonnie and Clyde killed 9 police officers

1. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow (better known as Bonnie & Clyde), were robbers and murderers who killed 9 police officers and a number of civilians during the two years they were active. Bonnie and Clyde were killed by a police ambush that resulted in 26 separate gunshot wounds to Bonnie's body and 17 to Clyde's. The four officers who took part in the ambush collectively shot over 130 rounds at the passing car containing the two fugitives.

January 21, 2012

The medical term for hair-loss is Alopecia

1. The medical term for hair-loss is Alopecia.

January 20, 2012

Harry Robbins Haldeman served as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon

1. Harry Robbins Haldeman served as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon.

January 19, 2012

A Battalion is a unit of around 300-1,200 soldiers. 3 to 6 battalions make up a brigade.

1. A Battalion is a military unit of around 300-1,200 that consists of 2-7 companies commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel. The picture below is a standard NATO code for a Battalion.










2. A brigade is a major tactical unit typically composed of 3-6 battalions plus supporting elements. The picture below is a standard NATO code for a Brigade.

January 17, 2012

Thelonious Monk is a jazz pianist and composer, often considered one of the best composers of all time

1. Thelonious Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer, often considered one of the best Jazz composers of all time alongside Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

January 12, 2012

A meritocracy is a system of governance where decisions are objectively made

1. A Meritocracy is a system of governance where appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned only based on merits determined through evaluation of competency measured by some standardized test or achievement criterion.
2. Freemium economics is a business model where a certain basic service or product is offered free to the masses with some paid advanced features or services.

January 9, 2012

NFPA stands for National Fire Protection Agency

1. NFPA stands for National Fire Protection Agency.
The well-known NFPA diamond, and it's meaning, is seen in the image below:

January 3, 2012

Pico de gallo is Spanish for "rooster's beak"

1. Pico de gallo literally is Spanish for "rooster's beak." The dish was named this because originally it was eaten with the thumb and forefinger, an action that resembles a pecking rooster.

January 2, 2012

In 1987, William Clarke developed The Clarke Error Grid Analysis (EGA) system to quantify clinical accuracy of glucose meters compared to actual blood glucose levels of the patients using them

1. In 1987, William Clarke developed The Clarke Error Grid Analysis (EGA) system to quantify clinical accuracy of glucose meters compared to actual blood glucose levels of the patients using them.
An EGA graph below has five sections:
-Region A where values are within 20% actual levels
-Region B are points outside of 20% but would not lead to inappropriate treatment,
-Region C are points that lead to unnecessary treatment,
-Region D are points where potentially dangerous failure to detect hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia exist
-Region E are points that would confuse treatment of hypoglycemia for hyperglycemia and vice-versa.