Month: August 2020

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Steven Spielberg receives…

Steven Spielberg receives $30–50 million a year from all park ticket revenue/portion of park concession for his role as a creative consultant for Universal theme park rides. He can also trigger an exit deal clause and collect a lump sum payment of $535 million, some predicting to be $1 billion.

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Here Are Ways You Can Help Save the Fireflies

If you live in a part of the world where fireflies (or lightning bugs) are around, you likely look forward to their arrival every summer. You can’t wait to share the fun of seeing them and catching them with your kids, and no matter how old you get, their appearance delights you.

There’s some bad news, though, if you haven’t heard – experts are worried about the very real possibility that they may go extinct.

No one is a hundred percent sure why this is happening – and the data does show a definitive decline.

One theory is that their habitat is disappearing. 

Most fireflies thrive in environments rich in rotting wood and forest litter, with small water sources nearby. They’re part of the beetle family, which means they enjoy warm, humid environments near ponds and streams, or even a shallow dip in the ground that holds water for a few days.

According to the website Firefly Conservation & Research, run by a master naturalist and researcher,

“…Our open fields and forests are being paved over, and our waterways are seeing more development and noisy boat traffic. As their habitat disappears under housing and commercial developments, numbers dwindle.”

Firefly populations also deal with logging, pollution, and pesticides that threaten their prey and habitats, but most experts believe the second biggest threat to their existence is light pollution.

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Fireflies use their lights to communicate and to find a mate, but when car headlights flash, or there are too many homes, streetlights, or storefronts are nearby, their flashes get out of sync and result in no mating taking place.

They also use their flashes to warn others, and other sources of light invading their spaces mean some might not be able to evade predators in time.

If you want to help them navigate this brave new world, here are 5 things you can do.

1. Turn off your outside lights.

This could help the insects in your yard find a mate, and more babies next summer is good for everyone.

2. Plant some native trees.

The lightning bug larva grow in rotten logs and forest litter, so don’t be too quick to clean up what’s beneath the trees, either.

3. Make sure to include a water feature or two.

They thrive around standing water, eating grubs, snails, and other small insects – and the birds will love the water, too.

4. Don’t treat your yard with chemicals.

Look for natural options, especially when it comes to lawn fertilizers.

5. Don’t over-mow.

Your grass is where most fireflies hang out during the day, so frequent mowing causes trouble. If you can keep an area with naturally long, native grasses, more the better!

There you go! These are pretty easy to incorporate into our landscaping, so I’m definitely in.

Let’s all help the fireflies and lightning bugs stay around for generations to come, okay?

The post Here Are Ways You Can Help Save the Fireflies appeared first on UberFacts.

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Want To Make Perfect Popcorn at Home? Get Out Your Aluminum Foil.

We can’t go to the movies right now, but that doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to bad, bagged popcorn for the rest of your life.

Of course, we all know we can make popcorn at home, in a pot, but let’s be honest – you’ve probably never perfected that to the point you feel as happy with that bowl as the carton at the theater, right?

Well, that’s all about to change, my friend, whether you like yours simple – salt only – or enjoy loads of butter or spicing it up with different flavors, you only need one thing to make it perfect: aluminum foil.

Image Credit: YouTube

This YouTube video from Polygon video’s Brian David Gilbert introduces his “pepcorn,” a signature snack that uses Lao gan Ma chili crisp and gochugaru for a savory, spicy treat.

Now, you should try it as shown just to see if you like it (have an adventure in your kitchen, my friends!) but even if the interesting “pepcorn” flavors aren’t for you, the video includes the aluminum foil tip that will change the way you eat popcorn (however you like it) at home.

Image Credit: YouTube

Instead of putting a lid on his pot, Brian covers it with a sheet of aluminum foil stabbed with a knife.

That’s it. So simple, but transformative, I swear.

The perforated foil acts like a steam-release valve, allowing some to stay trapped inside while the excess is released and doesn’t drip back into the pot.

No messing with a lid that’s not perfectly ajar, no looking for a hot pad to grasp a steamy handle, no dripping boiling condensation onto your hand.

Yeah, it turns out Jiffy Pop was really onto something from the beginning.

You can use the foil hack with any stovetop popping routine, and you’ll have perfectly crispy, fluffy popcorn in no time!

If you try it (or the pepcorn) make sure to report back – I want to know how it went!

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Movies That Twitter Users Never Forgot That Gave Them Nightmares for Years

When you’re young, you don’t really know what you’re supposed to be afraid of until you see it, or read it – and then you can’t forget it.

Me? I read way too many Dean Koontz novels in high school and still have to pull my curtains the moment it gets dark outside!

For these 13 people, these were the movies that made them realize there were monsters out there…and they’ve never really gotten over it.

13. It’s no Walking Dead, but…

If you’re seven, this is some scary stuff.

12. If you like birds you must not have seen this movie.

Or you’re not right in the head. Only options.

11. Only for a month?

You’re a braver 10yo than I was.

10. Oh those poor babies.

No one warned me about the book, either.

9. Who didn’t watch this at a sleepover?

And have immediate regrets?

8. This must be on most people’s lists.

Unless you’re not human.

7. I still don’t like to close my eyes to rinse the shampoo.

And my shower is enclosed by glass.

6. Those costumes, though.

Who thought that was a good idea for kids?

5. Pretty sure this traumatizes adults, too.

I know it gets me.

4. Who watches that as a kid?

I would have needed to be institutionalized.

3. The future is now.

Maybe that makes it even scarier.

2. This just about ruined me in middle school.

I used to think animals were so sweet before that.

1. If you haven’t seen it, maybe don’t watch it with your kids.

Or in the dark when you’re home alone.

Some of these definitely did a number on me, too!

What was the scariest movie you watched when you were too young? Tell us in the comments!

The post Movies That Twitter Users Never Forgot That Gave Them Nightmares for Years appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Share 14 Movies That Traumatized Them

You usually know what you’re getting into – pretty much – when you decide to see a film. Between the internet, television, (digital) newspapers, and your friends on social media, it’s hard to really be surprised.

These 14 movies, though, took turns so traumatizing that some of us who saw them as children still are not ever going to be okay.

14. It was the flying monkeys for me.

Every story about Oz is supremely messed up.

13. Any movie that has a character named “the child catcher” is not for kids.

It was definitely written by someone who doesn’t have any, too.

12. This movie is made out of every nightmare you’ve ever had.

Whoever made it sure likes dark jokes.

11. It’s a movie about puppies, right?

And a lady who SKINS PUPPIES MY GOD.

10. No explanation needed.

If you’ve seen it, you know. Because you can’t forget it, either.

9. Then I guess it was time to traumatize HIS kids.

And the cycle continues.

8. I saw this in college and it freaked me out.

Never go into the woods at night.

7. There is no appropriate age to view this one.

Yes, it definitely holds up.

6. This is the saddest Disney movie for me.

I refuse to watch it with my kids.

5. If you don’t want your kids to ever ask for a beach trip…

This is one way to cure the urge.

4. Why are creepy kids so scary?

Maybe because they could live under your roof.

3. To be fair, having a baby is sort of like that.

But it’s cuter in the end.

2. There’s no way this isn’t a horror movie.

1. No one wants to think about traumatically losing a parent.

I’m 41 and I still don’t want to think about it.

Some of these definitely got to me as a younger person!

What movie scarred you as a child? If it’s not on this list, tell us about it in the comments!

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Think You Can You Solve These Tricky Math Riddles?

Some folks are great at math. That’s what I hear, anyway, though the concept is foreign to me (and honestly makes me a bit jealous!).

If that’s you, and you like to keep your skills sharp, give these 7 math riddles a go!

7. People on a train.

6. That’s a lot of clocks.

5. His mother’s age.

4. How long until midnight?

3. All the way to the top.

2. A magic tree.

1. How old is John?

Continue reading to check your answers!

Ready to find out more?

Are you sure?

Really sure?

Really, really sure?

Okay, here we go…

I’m serious…

It’s happening!!!

Okay, for real now…

7. There are some people on a train. 19 get off at the first stop. 17 get on. Now there are 63 people on the train. How many were on the train to begin with?

6. There are 4 clocks in a room. One gains a minute every hour. Another loses a minute every hour. One runs backward at normal speed. The fourth always keeps the correct time.

At 7:03 today, they all showed the same time, which was correct. When will this happen again?

5. John’s mother is thrice his age. 11 years from now, his mother’s age will be twice that of his. How old is his mother?

4. At six o’clock the wall clock struck 6 times. Checking with my watch, I noticed that the time between the first and last strokes was 30 seconds. How long will the clock take to strike 12 at midnight?

3. A house has 6 stories, each the same height. How many times as long is the ascent to the sixth floor as the ascent to the third?

2. There was a magic tree that on the first day increased its height by half, on the second by day by a third, on the third day by a quarter, and so on. How many days did it take it to grow one hundred times its original height?

1. John was asked how old he is. He said, “In 2 years I will be twice as old as I was 5 years ago.”

How old is John?

Did you solve them all? If so, I’m impressed!

Come back another day for more fun riddles!

The post Think You Can You Solve These Tricky Math Riddles? appeared first on UberFacts.

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Did You Get Mystery Seeds From China in the Mail? Here’s What You Should Do.

Getting an unexpected delivery in the mail can be exciting, but for Virginia residents, a recent string of strange packages has caused more controversy than smiles.

Several people have received packages of seeds in the mail without even ordering them.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Suspected to originate from China, the seeds shouldn’t be planted, at least according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).

“The types of seeds in the packages are unknown at this time and may be invasive plant species.

The packages were sent by mail and may have Chinese writing on them.”

According to the VDACS, invasive species wreak havoc on the environment by displacing or destroying native plants and insects and severely damaging crops.

Photo Credit: Twitter

The best way to avoid future problems is by simply not planting the unsolicited seeds. Failure to comply could result in invasive species infestations that can be quite costly to control and eliminate.

Anyone who receives a package containing these strange seeds should contact the Office of Plant Industry Services (OPIS) by calling 804-786-3515. You can also file a report via email at ReportAPest@vdacs.virginia.gov.

While nobody knows exactly where the seeds originate, the Better Business Bureau does have an idea. The BBB believes that the packages could be part of a customer review scam.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Many companies ship cheap items to people in order to write a fake review on behalf of the resident.

The problem has also made its way to Utah. Jane Rupp, president of the state’s BBB chapter, offered some helpful advice to anyone who receives some unsolicited seeds in the mail:

“The first thing to do is Google your address and see what’s out there.

Numerous things will come up when you Google your address. It’s kind of scary sometimes.”

So if you happen to receive a strange package that you didn’t order, it’s best to file a report and follow the advice of the experts.

Photo Credit: Twitter

The last thing we need right now is a plant pandemic.

Have you ever received something you didn’t order in the mail? Has a company tried to pull a quick one on you?

Tell us your experience in the comments below!

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This TikTok Video Shows That Whatever Word You Read, You Will Also Hear

Brainteasers are a fun way to pass the time, especially for those of us who are stuck at home.

Do you remember the Yanni/Laurel and black/gold dress controversies from a few years back? Well, there’s a new audio illusion in town and a simple explanation as to how your brain deciphers messages along with it.

First, give it a try. It’s easy to do—just read one of the words you see in the video posted by @emilysophie.m, and that’s the word you’ll hear every time.

So, what makes this happen? According to science, something called the McGurk Effect. It’s a phenomenon of perception that demonstrates how your hearing, vision, and speech interact with each other. It occurs when what you hear is paired with what you see, leading to the perception of a sound that only exists as you read the word.

In other words, your visual informs what you hear. In this case, both words are being said at the same time at different frequencies, and your brain is filling in the blanks.

Of course, like Yanni/Laurel and the black or gold dress, this illusion also went viral across social media, with people from all walks of life weighing in. While most people came out on one side or the other, some didn’t hear anything.

And some only heard one word, no matter what they read.


And, well…

To be fair, the McGurk Effect doesn’t work for everyone. This can be chalked up to having different hearing abilities or brain processes.

Which word did you hear? Let us know in the comments below!

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