Category: Did You Know

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Things That People are Really Sick of Explaining

Life is tough enough without being asked to repeat yourself time and again. Especially when it’s because people can’t mind their own business.

From work, to health, to life, how many times have you found yourself sick and tired of explaining these same 15 things to other people?

Let’s take a look!

1. The truth can be harsh

Just because I said it’s true doesn’t mean I like that it’s true.

2. The law isn’t always right

Legal does not equal moral.

Moral does not equal legal.

3. Silence is golden

Nothing is wrong, I’m just quiet.

4. Invisible disabilities exist

Some health issues are not visible.

Chronic fatigue is real.

5. You can’t choose your family

Why it’s ok to go no contact with toxic family members.

6. Math can be hard

Revenue =/= profit.

7. Reading can be hard too

Read the god damned error messages.

8. People are different

That your anecdotal experience is not fact, u don’t know everyone so save the generalizations for the toilet.

9. Mind your own business

That’s it’s okay to let people live their lives even if you don’t agree with them.

10. My body, my art

That my tattoos don’t have to have a big meaning.

I liked them back then and I like them now.

Only reason I got em was cause I thought they looked cool.

11. Things are what you make of them

You can enjoy a game without winning, and you can win but still not enjoy the game.

12. Wear sunscreen

You can still get a sunburn on a cloudy day or in the winter.

Melanoma sucks.

Trust me.

13. Women aren’t just baby factories

That I, a woman, don’t want children.

People either think you’re lying or you’ll grow out of it.

14. Kindness is key

Why basic empathy for other humans is good.

15. There are consequences

That free speech doesn’t mean there are no consequences for what you say.

It just means that the government can’t dole out those consequences.

Your friends, family, employer, school and the public at large have every right to not want to associate with you.

After reading all of those comments, I can totally understand why people get bothered by having to explain that stuff.

What are some things you’re the most tired of always having to explain to other people?

Tell us in the comments!

The post Things That People are Really Sick of Explaining appeared first on UberFacts.

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15 Powerful Portraits of Ellis Island Immigrants

Ellis Island was the point of entry for millions of immigrants arriving in the United States between 1892 and 1954. Opening day on January 1, 1892, saw the entry of 17-year-old Annie Moore from Cork, Ireland. She was the first of 700 people that day who would step off ships, pass through the checkpoints on the island and start their new lives in America.

Wealthy passengers in first and second class were examined onboard their ships before getting sent on their way. Poor passengers were considered more likely to become a burden on the state. They had to undergo medical and legal examinations on the island for hours before their release. Those that were detained had to wait for money or for someone to come and collect them. One of the factors that allowed immigrants to stay was if they had some money on them and a place to stay.

Immigrants from certain countries were considered more desirable. People from Northern and Western Europe, for example, had fewer problem with entry. Then, in the 1920s, there was a limit placed on the number of Southern and Eastern Europeans allowed entry.

Amateur photographer Augustus Sherman worked as the Chief Registry Clerk on Ellis Island from 1892 until 1925. During his tenure, he took amazing photos of detainees in their traditional clothes as they were waiting for final clearances.

Many were turned away.

1. Hungarian Gypsies, all of whom were deported.

Photo Credit: Flickr

2. Group photograph of newly-arrived immigrants in native costumes, some with turbans, some with fezzes.

Photo Credit: Flickr

3. Scottish boys

Photo Credit: Flickr

4. Dutch woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

5. Alsace-Lorraine girl.

Photo Credit: Flickr

6. Bavarian man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

7. Guadeloupean woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

8. Danish man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

9. Bavarian man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

10. German stowaway.

Photo Credit: Flickr

11. Girl from Rattvik, province of Dalarna, Sweden.

Photo Credit: Flickr

12. Norwegian woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

13. Lapland children, possibly from Sweden.

Photo Credit: Flickr

14. Laplander.

Photo Credit: Flickr

15. Russian Cossacks.

Photo Credit: Flickr

There exists approximately 97 portraits of people from around the world proudly wearing traditional clothing and sitting for their portrait as they waited to become residents of the United States. For more of these beautiful images, see Flickr Creative Commons. All images are housed by the New York Public Library.

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11 Genuinely Surprising Facts About the World Around You

Think you know everything about everything? Check out these 12 surprising facts to find out if you’re right!

#11. Lightning “tattoos” its victims

Photo Credit: Reddit

If you survive a lightning strike, there’s a good chance you’ll wear a mysterious pattern called a “Lichtenberg figure” for the rest of your life…but no one knows why.

#10. Dolphins eat puffer fish to get high

Photo Credit: Pixabay

A documentary film captures young dolphins sharing a puffer fish, which releases a nerve toxin that produces a narcotics effect in small amounts.

#9. Fetal stem cells can heal a mother’s heart

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Over half the women who develop heart weakness during or just after pregnancy recover spontaneously – a fetus basically ensures its own survival by protecting the mother’s heart.

#8. Someone has been in space for 437 days and 18 hours – consecutively

Photo Credit: Pixabay

His name is Valeri Polyakov.

#7. NASA’s internet speed is 91gb/second

Photo Credit: Pixabay

You could download your favorite television series – all of it – in less than a second. That is, if you could access their private network.

#6. Steve Jobs made the iPad lighter by tossing it in water

Photo Credit: Pixabay

He wanted a lighter product but was told by engineers it was impossible. He tossed the prototype in a fish tank and when bubbles floated out of it as it hit the bottom, he said “those are air bubbles. That means there’s space in there. Make it smaller.”

#5. A fitness coach gained – and lost – 66 lbs in a single year

Photo Credit: Instagram

His name is Drew Manning and conducted the experiment in an attempt to understand why people want to lose weight.

#4. JK Rowling donated over $160 million to charity in 2012

Photo Credit: Pixabay

She normally appears on lists of the world’s richest people, but that year she didn’t because of her charitable contributions.

#3. Eagle vision is even better than you think

Photo Credit: Pixabay

You’d be able to see an ant from a 10-story building, to detect more colors and even UV radiation, and have a 340 degree visual field.

#2. Germany counts its trees

Photo Credit: Brightside

All the trees in parks are numbered in order to collect data. They love their order!

#1. The Japanese use unique seals in lieu of signatures

Photo Credit: Brightside

You’ll need a hanko, or personal seal, to sign any official documents.

The post 11 Genuinely Surprising Facts About the World Around You appeared first on UberFacts.

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You Can Make Diamonds Out Of Tequila!

Tequila , lime and saltTequila may be just another drink to those out in the town, but to a team of scientists in Mexico their country’s native alcohol turned out to be a gem; a diamond, to be precise. Javier Morales, Luis Apátiga and Victor Castaño at the National Autonomous University of Mexico made the alchemist-worthy discovery while experimenting turning various organic solutions, such as acetone and ethanol, into diamonds. The scientists noted that 80-proof tequila (40 percent alcohol) had the ideal proportion of ethanol to water to create diamond films. In order to make the diamonds, they evaporated the tequila into a vapor, and then heated the vapor above 1400 degrees Fahrenheit before depositing it on silicon or stainless steel trays. The resulting diamond films were between 100 to 400 nm in diameter and free of impurities.

Hard and heat resistant, the diamond films could have several commercial applications, such as for cutting tools and optical electronic devices. At the moment, the team is looking into creating diamonds with impurities for potential use as a new kind of semiconductor. The scientists have bigger plans in sight, too: They intend to turn their work into an industrial-scale venture by 2011 and hope to find a tequila distiller to provide them with the supplies.

[via PopSci]

 

 

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Animal Facts So Cute, They Cheered Selena Gomez Up

Here’s a list of facts that were just so cute, they made Selena Gomez stop crying.

1. A newborn panda weighs as much as a cup of tea.

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Selena cries.

2. Squirrels will adopt an abandoned baby if its parents are gone.

Selena cries some more.

3. Honey bees communicate by dancing.

Selena stops crying for a moment. 

4. Gentoo penguins propose to their mates with a pebble.

Selena starts to see a bright side.

5. Seahorses mate for life, and when they travel they hold each other’s tails.

Selena cracks a smile.

6. Sea otters hold hands when they sleep, so they don’t float away from each other.

This one makes Selena very happy.

7. Cows have best friends and they spend most of their time together.

Selena laughs hard at this because she can’t believe it. 

8. Turtles can breathe through their butts.

Selena’s shocked. 

9. Spiders can’t fly.

Selena is happy because, let’s be honest… No one likes a flying spider. 

Follow @UberFacts on Twitter and be sure to download the UberFacts App for your iPhone now!

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Ten Facts That Sound Like Lies, But Are Completely True

Facts that sound like lies, but are completely true… Accompanied by Britney Spears GIFs.

1. When you get a kidney transplant, your kidneys are usually left in your body and a 3rd one is put in your pelvis.

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And yes, if you know someone who has had two kidney transplants, they can totally have 4 kidneys. 

2. Cosmic rays from outer space frequently cause glitches in your electronics.

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Your cars and phones are not safe. 

3. Your eyes have a pretty large blind spot that your brain is just filling with what it “thinks” you should be seeing.

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Yes, your brain loves to mess with you. 

4. Falling coconuts kill more people every year than sharks.

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Coconuts… you just don’t see them coming. 

5. Humans share 50% of their DNA with bananas.

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Bananas… they’re closer to us than we thought. 

6. Strawberries aren’t really berries… But avocados are.

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Your life is a lie

7. Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than she did to the building of the Great Pyramid.

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Your life is still a lie.

8. It rains diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter.

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You’re living on the wrong planet. 

9. There once existed a flying reptile that was the size of a giraffe.

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They’re extinct now so if you had no reason to be happy today, now you have one.

10. If you have 23 people in a room, there’s a 50% chance two of them have the same birthday

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But there’s a 100% chance that your birthday will be more important than theirs.

 

Make sure you follow @UberFacts on Twitter and get the UberFacts App for iPhone Now!

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4 Mind-Blowing Facts for Star Wars Fans (and a chance to WIN some cool Star Wars gear)

It’s not quite May the Fourth yet, but since we’re giving away some sweet Star Wars™ First Edition STREET by 50 On-Ear Headphones… we’ve got some fun facts from a galaxy far, far away. Don’t worry – none of them have anything to do with Jar Jar.

A Schizophrenic Galactic Empire?

star wars facts memeDid you know Darth Vader was played by a total of six actors on screen? If not, I find your lack of knowledge disturbing.

In the original three films, bodybuilder David Prowse played Darth Vader, while stunt performer Bob Anderson did the lightsaber action scenes.

Actor James Earl Jones provided the famous voice. Sebastian Shaw played Darth Vader unmasked in Return of the Jedi. In the more recent films, Jake Lloyd portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, followed by Hayden Christensen in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. So, which one is Luke’s father?

Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader

Win a pair of the NEW Star Wars™ Galactic Empire headphones from SMS Audio by becoming an Uber VIP through our Twitter contest (click the Twitter link to enter):

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Rebel Alliance and an Alias

Luke Skywalker went through multiple changes in George Lucas’s early drafts of the script. Originally intending Luke to be female, Lucas also toyed with portraying him as a grizzled old general.

In fact, Luke’s last name was almost “Starkiller” before a last minute change. Which is good, because “Starkiller” just doesn’t seem to suit our protagonist.

Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker

WIN Star Wars™ Rebel Alliance headphones by SMS Audio! (click link in Tweet below to enter)

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The Truth About the Elusive Boba Fett

Although the mysterious bounty hunter gained cult status and was ranked #79 in Empire Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters, Boba Fett only has four lines in the Star Wars films. 

Catch all of the lines here, in less than 30 seconds:


George Lucas even admitted that had he known the Mandalorian would become so popular, he would have given him a more dignified death scene. Oh well, Boba Fett’s still a badass.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086190/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2

WIN free Star Wars™ Boba Fett headphones by SMS Audio! (click link in Tweet below to enter)

Win FREE Boba Fett Star Wars Headphones

 

Seriously, Stormtroopers…

Though notoriously bad at aiming, Stormtroopers look freakin’ cool. So much so that there’s an international fan-based organization dedicated to Stormtrooper costumes called the 501st Legion. In its 17th year and 6,500 members strong, the group got an homage in Revenge of the Sith; the legion of blue clone troopers led by Darth Vader into the Jedi Temple was designated the 501st. It pays to be a fan.

Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/501st_Legion

WIN free Star Wars™ Stormtrooper™ headphones by SMS Audio! (click link in Tweet below to enter)

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OR get your own pair of limited-edition Star Wars™ headphones by SMS Audio when you pre-order here >>

How about you? What’s the craziest Star Wars™ trivia you’ve ever heard?

 

 

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Humans Find Meaningful Patterns in Meaningless Data

FPQPNS0H9T4LUWE.LARGEWhy do people see faces in nature, interpret window stains as human figures, hear voices in random sounds generated by electronic devices or find conspiracies in the daily news? A proximate cause is the priming effect, in which our brain and senses are prepared to interpret stimuli according to an expected model. UFOlogists see a face on Mars. Religionists see the Virgin Mary on the side of a building. Paranormalists hear dead people speaking to them through a radio receiver. Conspiracy theorists think 9/11 was an inside job by the Bush administration. Is there a deeper ultimate cause for why people believe such weird things? There is. I call it “patternicity,” or the tendency to find meaningful patterns in meaningless noise.

Traditionally, scientists have treated patternicity as an error in cognition. A type I error, or a false positive, is believing something is real when it is not (finding a nonexistent pattern). A type II error, or a false negative, is not believing something is real when it is (not recognizing a real pattern—call it “apat­ternicity”). In my 2000 book How We Believe (Times Books), I argue that our brains are belief engines: evolved pattern-recognition machines that connect the dots and create meaning out of the patterns that we think we see in nature. Sometimes A really is connected to B; sometimes it is not. When it is, we have learned something valuable about the environment from which we can make predictions that aid in survival and reproduction. We are the ancestors of those most successful at finding patterns. This process is called association learning, and it is fundamental to all animal behavior, from the humble worm C. elegans to H. sapiens.

Unfortunately, we did not evolve a Baloney Detection Network in the brain to distinguish between true and false patterns. We have no error-detection governor to modulate the pattern-recognition engine. (Thus the need for science with its self-correcting mechanisms of replication and peer review.) But such erroneous cognition is not likely to remove us from the gene pool and would therefore not have been selected against by evolution.

(Read more from Scientific American)

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Spending Money On Others Makes You Happier

In their book Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, authors Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton draw on years of quantitative and qualitative research to explain how money can buy happiness, but only if we spend it in certain ways.

The key lies in adhering to five key principles: Buy Experiences (research shows that material purchases are less satisfying than vacations or concerts);Make it a Treat (limiting access to our favorite things will make us keep appreciating them); Buy Time (focusing on time over money yields wiser purchases); Pay Now, Consume Later (delayed consumption leads to increased enjoyment); and Invest in Others (spending money on other people makes us happier than spending it on ourselves).

Recently we featured a video illustrating the emotional benefits of buying experiences. In the following sequel, Norton again gives some cash to two women in Harvard Square. The catch this time: Each of them must spend the money on someone else.

“We’ve shown in our research that giving money to others actually does make people happier,” says Norton, an associate professor of marketing at Harvard Business School. “One of the reasons is that it creates social connections. If you have a nice car and a big house on an island by yourself, you’re not going to be happy because we need people to be happy. But by giving to another person, you’re…creating a connection and a conversation with that person, and those things are really good for happiness.”

Watch the video to find out how the women in Harvard Square chose to invest in others—and whether it made them happier!

Full Article from Forbes.com