Daily Discovery: Strange Stories and Amazing Facts

text based emoticons dict

2009-04-01T11:36:00.004+08:00

Most of the text based emoticons are either Japanese or Korean.

Japanese text based emoticons are called "kamoji" and doing a Google search on it would result to tons of sites that enumerate many of it.

o(^_^)o (._.) (^.^) (o_o) (¬_¬) W(`0`)W (^-^) ٩(•̮̮̃•̃)۶٩͡[๏̯͡๏]۶ ٩(•̮̮̃•̃)۶٩͡[๏̯͡๏]۶

Bruce Lee

2009-03-26T12:38:00.002+08:00

Bruce Lee underwent "isometric training" - done by holding a certain position for a certain amount of time in order to exercise the muscles. Such training is good for muscle toning.

Bruce Lee had only one testicle.

Why do cats have whiskers?

2009-03-13T08:53:00.003+08:00

Question: Why do cats have whiskers?

Observation: All cats have whiskers.

Hypothesis #1
May be whiskers are cats' form of mustache - since we are to assume that every creature evolved from one parent life organism then such similarity may have stayed during the course evolution. This implies that whiskers have no particular use for cats.

Hypothesis #2
May be whiskers are like ant antennae. They assist in cats' olfactory sensing.

Fact
Whiskers are properly known as Vibrissae.
They don't only appear in the "mustache-area" or in the snout or muzzle of car (and most mammals) but also above the eyes (like eyebrows, but not really since cats don't have eyebrows).
Cat whiskers are especially sensitive. They use it to navigate through space - especially useful in judging if it will fit itself through a narrow opening. A cat's whiskers are usually as wide as its body, making space measurements more effective.

Fat affects your thing's size

2009-03-09T11:27:00.003+08:00

According to Vicky Belo, a famous cosmetic surgeon in the Philippines, during a radio interview where she answered questions from callers to that show, a fat man has a smaller penis.

This is not only due to the proportion of a fat man's body to his penis but also because an over weight body has more estrogen (female hormones) than a normal, leaner man's body. This is supported by other studies where a man with more muscles (a healthier, more fit man) has more testosterone (male hormones) in his system.

Cosmopolitan magazine however does not take "pumped up testosterone" light - it's not always a win-win situation. Just because a man has a better body, has more testosterone, doesn't mean he's more "desirable". Also according to studies, men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to cheat - blame it on their testosterone levels and lack of self discipline. However, just because there is such a tendency, it doesn't make it normal and uncontrollable.

Fw: 8 Main Causes of Liver Damage

2009-03-02T09:32:00.000+08:00

Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
Not urinating in the morning.
Too much eating.
Skipping breakfast.
Consuming too much medication.
Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

Fw: Brain Damaging Habits

2009-02-27T12:59:00.001+08:00

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level.
This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain

Fw: Top 5 Cancer-Causing Foods

2009-02-26T13:58:00.000+08:00

1. Hot dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.

2. Processed meats and bacon
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams .

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies
All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

Judge Your Thing (Hypothetically)

2009-02-25T09:21:00.000+08:00

Warning: there has been no scientific tests or experiments to prove the validity of the below provided means of measurement.

Male sperm cells are said to be stronger than female sperm cells. That means that on the epic race to the Egg, they can wade their way faster than the female cells. Strong as they are they, however, have a short life span. That means that if they want to get there first, they have to give it all they have before they expire.

Female sperm cells, though weaker, have longer lives. Sounds a lot like people, right? Men are biologically stronger than women, however, women almost always outlive their male counterparts. The same characteristics are traced back to the sperm cells that determine a person's sex on conception.

Applying such concepts then, if the sperm cells have to swim a longer distance then the males will die and a female will win. However, if the travel distance is short then a strong male sperm that can withstand the acidic embryo of an egg has a higher likelihood of making it to the goal.

In plain terms: if the thing is short then the males would die before reaching the egg, and you probably have daughters; if the thing is long then they'd win the swimming contest with brute strength, and you probably have sons.

L-Carnitine Lie

2009-02-24T07:52:00.000+08:00

New products are sprouting everywhere bearing the "promise" of weight loss with their secret ingredient: L-Carnitine. Well it's not really a secret because they all but emboss their plastic bottles with its name.

L-Carnitine supplements, like the slimming pills in the drug stores, "slim drinks" in the groceries, do not help you burn fat.

It's a fact that L-Carnitine does help the body burn fat, but it's a lie that it'll help you when you intake such L-Carnitine-packed pills and drinks. There's no scientific proof, no concluding observations that can show you that someone actually lost weight or burnt more fat when he/she drank Del Monte's Fit 'n Right or Belo's SlimFit puke-flavored powdered juice.

Our greatest natural source of L-Carnitine is red meat. What you eat everyday is enough to meet the daily requirement of L-Carnitine. Anything that you ingest in excess is flushed out as crap/excess. However, anything that you ingest with it is counted as additional calories and is therefore fattening. You're better of drinking water which guarantees zero calories - non fattening, detoxifying.

Women's Buttons

2009-02-23T12:14:00.000+08:00

Pussycat Dolls had something when they sang Button, saying, "...I'm telling you to loosen up my buttons..."

Women's buttons are sewn "the wrong way". The right way would be convenient for a right handed person to loosen up his own buttons. This means that the button should be sewn on right side of person. This is how men's buttons are sewn - which means that theirs are sewn correctly while women's aren't.

The practice/tradition of sewing women's buttons in the wrong way dates back to the Victorian Era when ladies have either their sisters or their handmaids to dress them up - to pull down the uncomfortable and cumbersome gown onto their mistress, to button their dresses, to tie their corsets for them.

Origins of Mouthwash

2009-02-20T08:30:00.000+08:00

During World War I and II, American soldiers used to carry a liquid solution with them when they leave to march. When they rested, they would soak their feet into this solution to rid themselves of fungi and other microorganisms that easily cling to their tired, sweaty, boots-enclosed feet.

When the war ended, the company that produced such solution was fearing bankruptcy because there is not as much demand for their product as during the war. They experimented with their solution and found out that with a little tweak, it's an effective mouth rinse.

It is good to note that the filthiest part of the human body is the mouth.

Topic: A la Carte Buffet Torture

2009-02-19T08:34:00.000+08:00

Pros:
- No lining up.
- You get to hold on to the menu the whole time so you can plan on what to eat next.
- It FEELS like a la carte.
- You're sure that whatever they're serving you wasn't touched by anybody else except by the chef (or your waiter if you piss him off).

Cons:
- You can't try anything, you always have to finish one serving of every order because the "no left over" rule still applies.
- If the menu doesn't have a picture of the food then you don't know what it looks like. You'll either have to settle with how your waiter describes it to you, or you'd just have to order it and finish it all up whether you liked it or not. Or you can glance around the other tables to spot what looks interesting.

Red Kimono offers a Japanese A la Carte Buffet. Read more here.

Robitussin dosage

2009-02-18T08:22:00.000+08:00

Robitussin, an antitussive/expectorant syrup. An over the counter drug for dry cough.

The sales lady in Mercury Drug told me that the Usual Dosage prescribed on the Robitussin box is actually a *requirement*. For adults, recommended dosage is 2-3 teaspoonfuls every 6 hours. It turns out that if you miss one (if you didn't take any for 10-12 hours, then you've messed up the process and you have to start over. She also said that it is recommended that you take it every 6 hours for 3 straight days whereas some doctors prescribe that the patient finish a 120mL bottle.

Pink's cool, strange voice

2009-02-17T09:24:00.000+08:00

Pink has such a unique voice because her tongue is shorter than normal. Something I learned from MTV biography years ago. Her voice is rough or raspy because of its length - just like why a parrot's voice is rough and raspy, also because of its tongue's length.

Something I learned from my parents: the Carpenters were such a hit because Karen Carpenter, their vocalist had a one-of-a-kind voice that not many people can imitate.

Cure for Dengue Fever

2009-02-16T07:11:00.001+08:00

Scientifically speaking, there is no established cure for Dengue Fever. Worst case scenario is that a patient receives platelet transfusion if his platelet count crashes to dangerous levels.

However, non-acute cases of Dengue Fever, often caught and treated on its very early stage when detected or suspected are only treated with intravenous fluids for supplements and are encouraged to hydrate.

In the Philippines, a number of doctors and medical technologists have taken extra precautions by encouraging patients who are diagnosed or are suspected of having Dengue Fever to consume Yakult because it has been observed to increase a person's platelet counts.

Since no official study has been made to confirm the observations, how much Yakult a patient should consume is not determined.

Samsung Media Studio Software

2009-02-13T08:01:00.000+08:00

Installing then uninstalling Samsung Media Studio will mess up your PC's networking.

What you should do: either don't install it if you don't have a Samsung portable MP3 player anyway, or never uninstall it if you do have one and you need it for data transfer - there's no other way to transfer music files, videos, and texts to your Samsung Player but through this software.

I own a Samsung T10 (4GB, black). I enjoy the player's theme, the clarity of the music, and the slim feature. 4GB might be too small for some but it's just right for me. Half of the time, I use my T10 for reading ebooks in .txt format because Samsung T10 can only support that specific file format.

Download Samsung Media Studio here.

Why cats are hard to read

2009-02-12T14:03:00.000+08:00

It's hard to read cat's emotions, or to imagine what they're thinking because they don't have eye brows.

I read that on Time Magazine's article on interesting books: