Clipmarks | Sheroug's 'facts' clips

Turtle Facts

Sun, 18 May 2008 20:53:59 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Testudo, the Latin word for tortoise, shell, arch or vault, was also the name given to a technique used by Roman soldiers in warfare. Standing close together, in the shape of a rectangle, they held their shields flat over their heads, to form a protective dome, allowing them to approach the enemy en masse, unharmed by spears, stones and arrows.

The black soft-shelled turtle figures importantly in Hindu mythology. The animals are believed to represent the souls of long ago sinners, transformed into reptiles by a 13th century saint, are in a tank attached to a temple in Bangladesh. Each animal is considered sacred

The oldest known tortoise may have been a radiated tortoise from Madagascar (Astrochelys radiata), which died in 1965. She was at least 188 years old, having been given to the Tonga royal family, by Captain Cook in 1773 or 1777.

The growth rings on the scutes or scales on a tortoise cannot be used to determine the animal's age with any degree of accuracy

Interesting Olympic Facts

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:15:18 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: history1900s.about.com

The Official Olympic Flag

five interconnected rings on a white background.

The colors were chosen because at least one of them appeared on the flag of every country in the world.

The Olympic Motto

Pierre de Coubertin

a Latin phrase from his friend, Father Henri Didon, for the Olympic motto

("Swifter, Higher, Stronger").

The Olympic Oath

one athlete recites the oath on behalf of all the athletes.

The Olympic Creed

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

The flame itself represents a number of things, including purity and the endeavor for perfection

A City, Not a Country

the IOC specifically gives the honor of holding the Games to a city rather than a country

the procession of athletes is always led by the Greek team

last team which is always the team of the hosting country.

Tags: olympics, facts

Overheard Everywhere!

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:41:59 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: www.overheardeverywhere.com

Sometimes You Do Know What You're Missing

Little old lady to husband: I don't care how many times you've washed it or how clean it is! I've lived 60 years without my tongue making acquaintance with your asshole, and I'm not about to introduce the two of them now!

Clip Source: www.overheardeverywhere.com

Poof! Like an Astronaut Landing on Moondust.

Guy to pals: Did you ever put baby powder on your butt and then fart?

Clip Source: www.overheardeverywhere.com

Is That a Lip-Liner and EpiPen in One?

Hottie: Here ya go -- put this in your man-purse for me, please.
Indie boyfriend, indignantly: It's not a man-purse! It's a medical evac bag!
Hottie: Okay. You got any bandages or sterile alcohol in there?
Indie boyfriend: ... No.
Hottie: Yeah, right -- it's a man-purse. [Guy sullenly puts item in bag.]

Clip Source: www.overheardeverywhere.com

But We're Totally in the Clear with Wikipedia, Right?

Dude: You know, less than half of Snapple facts are true.
Chick: Really? Because I totally cited those in research papers

Tags: overheard everywhere, funny

Facts About the Human Body

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:03:25 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: www.businesscreditcards.com

100 Weird Facts About the Human Body

The Brain

Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour.

The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-watt light bulb.

The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream.

The brain is much more active at night than during the day.

Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream.

The brain itself cannot feel pain.

80% of the brain is water.

Hair and Nails

The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger.

Women’s hair is about half the diameter of men’s hair.

Human hair is virtually indestructible.

Internal Organs

The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades.

The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet.

Women’s hearts beat faster than men’s.

Scientists have counted over 500 different liver functions.

You could remove a large part of your internal organs and survive.

Tags: facts, humans, body

10 Most Historically Inaccurate Movies!

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:56:58 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: movies.yahoo.com

10,000 B.C.

we hate to inform him that woolly mammoths were not, in fact, used to build pyramids. Heck, woolly mammoths weren't even found in the desert.

Gladiato r

A violent alcoholic, sure, but not so whiny. He ruled ably for over a decade rather than ineptly for a couple months. He also didn't kill his father, Marcus Aurelius, who actually died of chickenpox. And instead of being killed in the gladatorial arena, he was murdered in his bathtub.

300

The most obvious one being Persian king Xerxes was not an 8-foot-tall Cirque du Soleil reject. The Spartan council was made up of men over the age of 60, with no one as young as Theron (played by 37-year-old Dominic West).

And the warriors of Sparta went into battle wearing bronze armor, not just leather Speedos.

The Last Samurai

Apocalypto

Sure the Maya did have the odd human sacrifice but not to Kulkulkan, the Sun God, and only high-ranking captives taken in battle were killed.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Braveheart

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

The Patriot

Tags: movies, history, facts

Chatter away with an AI agent!

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:02:39 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: www.jabberwacky.com

About the Jabberwacky AI

Jabberwacky is an artificial intelligence - a chat robot, often known as a 'chatbot' or 'chatterbot'. It aims to simulate natural human chat in an interesting, entertaining and humorous manner.

Jabberwacky is different. It learns. In some ways it models the way humans learn language, facts, context and rules.

The 'general AI' of Jabberwacky stores everything everyone has ever said, and finds the most appropriate thing to say using contextual pattern matching techniques. In speaking to you it uses just that learnt material, and borrows a little bit of your intelligence as it learns more. With no hard-coded rules, it relies entirely on the principles of feedback. This is very different to the majority of chatbots, which are rule-bound and finite. If you speak in a foreign language it will learn it, and respond appropriately if it has enough to go on.

Tags: ai, chatterbot

Acronym Facts?

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:08:48 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: sooboth.blogspot.com

Some Facts

MOPED is the short term for 'Motorized Pedaling'.

POP MUSIC is 'Popular Music' shortened.

BUS is the short term for 'Omnibus' that
means everybody.

FORTNIGHT comes from 'Fourteen Nights' (Two
Weeks).

DRAWING ROOM was actually a 'withdrawing room'
where people withdrew after Dinner. Later the
prefix 'with' was dropped.

NEWS refers to information from Four directions
N, E, W and S.

AG-MARK, which some products bear, stems from
'Agricultural Marketing'.

Tags: facts, acronym

Interesting Animal Facts

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:11:22 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: sooboth.blogspot.com

Some Interesting Facts

DALMATIONS are the only breed of dog that gets gout (because they are the only mammals, other than humans, which produce uric acid).

SLUGS have four noses - well actually a pair of gills for breathing and a pair of rhinopores (chemosensory organs) used for smelling.

HONEYBEES have hairs on their eyes to help them collect pollen.

The left leg of a CHICKEN is more tender than the right one, which it uses most, therefore increasing muscle development.

The sperm of a MOUSE is longer than the sperm of an elephant.

Mice are highly promiscuous and need particularly large testes to keep up with demand.

Some LIONS can mate more than 50 times a day.

Tags: facts, animals, interesting

The Macgyver multitool!! wait a minute, isn't that a paper clip -.-

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:50:35 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: blog.coolz0r.com

The Power Of Marketing

It’s a fact that if you are a marketeer, a lot depends on how well you can wrap up your message to sell your product. Presentation is everything. The way you propose your product, supported by testimonials and based on facts that have been broadcasted on international TV stations will definitely determine the success of a product. Word of mouth will also help you out a bit, because nowadays, people very often rely on the statements their peers make before they decide to purchase a product. The perfect illustration of a great marketing stunt is the (most likely photoshopped) product below. Needless to say, this is so much more than the bare product could ever be. This carries a story, and stories sell. Even when this is a fake, it points out exactly what marketing is all about. You can make people want something, and they’ll be happy to pay a little more for it, as long as you succeed in wrapping it up nicely before you deliver.

Interesting Facts Blog

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:32:07 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: interesting-facts.fun-with-english.co.uk

Interesting Fact # 447 - Witchcraft

It's only 62 years since the last person was prosecuted for witchcraft in the UK.

(Helen Duncan (1897 – 1956) was a Scottish medium. During World War II, she held a seance in Portsmouth at which she indicated knowledge that a warship had been sunk. Because this fact had been kept from the public, the British Admiralty chose to attempt to discredit her. She was arrested and eventually charged at first with conspiracy and then witchcraft, she was jailed for nine months. Winston Churchill was less than impressed with the whole thing and eventually repealed the Witchcraft Act in 1951.)

Clip Source: interesting-facts.fun-with-english.co.uk

Interesting Fact # 694 - Sleep

In Japanese work culture, sleeping on the job is tolerated, as long as you remain upright and obey certain other rules. It's called inemuri.

(I shall try to explain this to my culturally illiterate boss if he ever catches me snoozing at my desk.)