The Fact Site

Unusual Facts About Pygmy Seahorses

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Pygmy seahorses were first discovered by a scuba diver called George Bargibant in 1969. Here's a short video giving some unusual facts about pygmy seahores, if the video is slow, you can read the facts below.

They're less than an inch long. They can change color. They're called Pygmy Seahorses and they're nearly invisible.

The coloring on the seahorses can vary from bright red to dull grey, depending on the coral to which they anchor.

In order to hold onto the strands of coral, the pygmies have prehensile tails, like some species of land mammals and reptiles.

Though their name and appearance suggest otherwise, pygmy seahorses are a species of bony fish, related to bass or salmon.

Because they are so small and well camouflauged, many seahorses were only discovered within the last ten years, so there is still much to learn about them.

Interesting Facts About Tigers

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

The tiger is my favourite of the big cats! I hope you enjoy these facts as much as I did.

The Latin name for the tiger is ‘Panthera tigris’.
They can live up to 26 years in captivity and in the wild.
Tigers prefer to inhabit forests, grasslands and mangrove swamps.
There are six distinctive tigers: Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, Siberian, South China and Sumatran.
White tigers are caused by recessive genes and inbreeding.
There are as few as 30 Golden Tigers in captivity.
There are three extinct breeds: Bali, Caspian and Javan.
They can measure up to 11ft, including tail.
They can weigh up to 670lbs.
The stripes that a tiger has are as unique as human fingerprints.
Tigers are generally solitary creatures, but are seen as highly social able.
They have a great fondness for water and are very strong swimmers.
Tigers feast on many different animals, depending on their territory. These include: antelope, boar, buffalo, camel, fish and horse.
Interestingly, a tiger can go two weeks without feeding.
They can gorge up to 75lbs of flesh in one sitting.
A tiger’s method of killing prey is to stalk it, before ambushing and overpowering it, before biting.
Human behaviour can make the tiger feel threatened and attack humans. These are known as ‘man eaters’.
They can make horizontal leaps of up to 33ft.
Usually, in a litter of cubs, there are up to three, but as many as six can be born.
After fourteen days, the cubs will open their eyes.
A cub can take up to two-and-a-half years to separate from its mother.
Tigers are heavily endangered.
They are hunted for fur, meat, medicine and sport.
Save China’s Tigers are a conservation group, which is extremely successful at breeding and reintroducing tigers to the wild.
The Bengal tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh and India.
They are one of the Chinese Zodiac animals, depicting wood.
In Asian folklore, the weretiger is seen as a horrific and terrifying creature, replacing the werewolf.
Shere Khan was a deadly tiger in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (1894).
The breakfast cereal Frosties is sponsored by Tony the Tiger, who claims, “They’re grrrreat!”
Siegfried and Roy, the magical entertainers, closed their show after a confused seven year old tiger bit Roy’s neck and attempted to treat him like a cub.

The Facts About Ludwig van Beethoven

noreply@blogger.com (Jack De-Graaf) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Often considered one of the most influential music maestros, Ludwig van Beethoven was a true rock-star of the classical music world. Here's a list of the top twenty facts about Beethoven.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany sometime in December 1770, although no one is sure of the actual date!
For years the young composer thought he had been born in 1772, a deception believed to be conceived by his father to make him appear younger and more advanced and gifted for his age.
As a young boy Beethoven played the violin and often enjoyed musical improvisation rather than playing from a score. His father once said “I can’t bear that – scratch by note, otherwise your scratching won’t amount to much”!
The earliest piece of Beethoven dates from 1782 (whilst he was 12!) and consists of 9 variations for piano in C Minor – which is uncommon for music of the time – and is notoriously difficult to play.
After Mozart’s death in 1791, the Viennese Count Waldstein told the young Beethoven if he worked hard enough he would receive ‘Mozart’s spirit through Haydn’s hands’.
Beethoven kept a diary of his day-to-day goings on when living in Vienna from 1792, giving us insights into his daily life, from finding a new wig-maker to finding a place to buy a piano.
By 1793, at age 22, Beethoven often played the piano in the salons of the Viennese nobility and quickly established himself as a piano virtuoso, playing preludes and fugues from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier.
Beethoven started to go deaf aged only 25 so he used conversation books to communicate, asking his friends to write what they wanted to say so he could respond.
Beethoven first performed his first symphony at the age of 30. Symphonies were considered light-hearted pieces of work but Beethoven’s introduction took things two steps further – so much further in fact that it is often considered a joke!
In 1802 during a retreat to Heiligenstadt outside of Vienna, a despairing Beethoven wrote “I would have ended my life – it was only my art that held me back. Ah, it seemed to me impossible to leave the world until I had brought forth all that I felt was within me.” This is now known as the Heiligenstadt Testament, and was published in 1828.
Beethoven’s early period is considered to have ended in 1802, after the Heiligenstadt Testament, and contains his first and second symphonies, a set of six string quartets, piano concerto no. 1 and 2, and around a dozen piano sonatas – including the 'Pathétique' sonata.
Beethoven’s ‘heroic’ middle period is heavily emotional and expresses heroes and struggles – this period includes Symphony No. 3, the last three piano concertos, five string quartets, Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, and piano sonatas including the ‘Moonlight’, ‘Waldstein’ and ‘Appassionata’.
Beethoven’s late period – which included his works Symphony No. 9 with its choral finale, the Missa Solemnis, late string quartets, and some of his greatest piano music including sonatas and the Diabelli variations – is often considered to be jam-packed with musical genius and is characterized by its high intellectual intensity.
The ‘Moonlight’ Sonata is one of Beethoven’s most famous works, yet was known only to him as Piano Sonata No. 14, and did not receive its nickname until 1832, 5 years after his death. German poet Ludwig Rellstab said the first movement sounded like moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne, and the name stuck.
Beethoven was a large admirer of the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte, dedicating his third symphony to him. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor Beethoven sprung into a wild rage, ripping the front page from his manuscript and scrubbing out Napoleon’s name.
Beethoven may have only composed one opera, but he reworked and revised the piece over a ten year period giving us the two-act version performed today.
Beethoven’s music is widely used in film, and appears in some unexpected films, such as Saturday Night Fever where hints of his fifth symphony can be heard.
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony features a finale using a choir although singers within a symphony was a crazy idea at the time, yet it paid off as Beethoven’s 9th changed the face of classical music forever.
Beethoven was a man very partial to a tipple; in fact he was once arrested by an unsuspecting policeman for being a tramp! After his death his autopsy revealed a shrunken liver due to cirrhosis.
Like his birth, Beethoven’s last words are also shrouded in mystery. Some believe his last words were ‘applaud friends, the comedy is ended’, but after a publisher bought Beethoven 12 bottles of wine as a gift, the dying composers final words actually were ‘Pity, pity, too late!’

Snowman Burning Day

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Snowman Burning Day falls on 20th March every year. This special holiday marks the changing of seasons, where we leave winter behind and head towards spring. 'How do you burn a snowman'? I hear you ask, well to be honest, it's not an actual snow man. The snowmen are made out of straw, paper, wood, wire and decorated with paint to resemble a snowman. Over the years they have stood at about 3 meters tall and came in a variety of shapes/people.

On 20th March 1971, Snowman Burning Day was first celebrated at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) by the Unicorn Hunters - a former campus club. Their idea of this day was inspired by the 'Rose Sunday Festival' in Germany, where the mayor passes through the town with a straw snowman, if the children have been well behaved, studied hard and obeyed their parents, the mayor orders the straw snowman to be burned.

Lake Superior is one of the coldest areas in the country, so burning a snowman, to mark the end of winter is celebrated in a huge way with a festival, hot dogs, burgers, poetry and the biggest fire they have seen all year.

This traditional celebration is mainly celebrated by American and Swiss citizens. Although it's such a great reason to enjoy a day, I'm suprised it's not celebrated anywhere else!

In 1992, Snowman Burning Day was cancelled because of environmental concerns, however the public was outraged by this and it turned into a big deal with petitions being signed and a lot of talk on the television and radio about how the tradition shouldn't be stopped. The public citizens won, and the event has been ongoing ever since.

Facts About Fifty Shades of Grey

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Ever wondered what the hype is surrounding the Fifty Shades trilogy? Well here is your chance to get some facts about it!

Fifty Shades of Grey is an erotic romance novel.
It is written by British author, EL. James.
EL. James’ real name is Erika Leonard.
She is married to screenwriter and director, Niall Leonard. They have two teenage sons.
She has been named one of Time magazine’s ‘World’s 100 Most Influential People’.
She described her books as her midlife crisis.
Fifty Shades of Grey is the first book in the Fifty Shades trilogy.
The books are: Fifty Shades of Grey (2011), Fifty Shades Darker (2011) and Fifty Shades Freed (2012).
They were published by Vintage Books.
The books follow the relationship of college graduate Anastasia Steele and business magnate Christian Grey.
The books are noted for its BDSM themes (bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism).
The books have topped the best sellers charts in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Over 65 million copies have been sold worldwide.
The book rights have been sold in over 37 countries.
It is the fastest selling paperback of all time, beating the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.
The books were developed from a Twilight fanfiction, originally titled Master of the Universe.
James wrote under the penname "Snowqueen’s Icedragon".
James removed her fanfiction from the various websites after comments were made about the sexual content concerning characters Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.
After its removal, James rewrote and extended her story, making it an original trilogy.
The series has been dubbed as "Mummy Porn", as its fanbase is composed of married women over the age of 30.
Interestingly, the book has been incredibly popular among teen and college girls.
It has been criticised for its prose style and literary merit.
It has also been criticised for its BDSM themes. Comments have been made that the series is "horribly written" and "disturbing", whilst others believe that "if it enhances sex and relationships, so be it".
The book was banned at the Brevard Public Library in Florida.
The Brazilian Judge Raphael Queiroz Campos ordered bookstores to stock the series out of the reach of juniors.
Universal Pictures and Focus Features secured the rights to turn the series into films in 2012.
It helped bring Britain out of recession by 1%.
Newspaper, The Independent, reported on the recession that the book had boosted sales of sex toys. There was: a 15% increase in the sale of whips, 60% increase in the sale of blindfolds and a 200% increase in jiggle balls.
James and company Lovehoney teamed up to produce an official Fifty Shades of Grey sex toy set. Prices range from £9.99 to £44.99.
Imitation books followed such as Bared to You by Sylvia Day.

Facts about Game of Thrones

noreply@blogger.com (Jack De-Graaf) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”

HBO’s T.V. Show Game of Thrones is based on a series of books by author George R. R. Martin known as the Song of Ice and Fire series.
When making an ideal cast, Martin and producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss had only two definite actors in mind. These being Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) and Sean Bean (Eddard).
In the original pilot “Winter is Coming” for Game of Thrones there are several actors who were replaced later on, including those that originally played Catelyn Stark and Daenerys Stormborn.
MagistarIllyrio’s manse across the Narrow Sea is actually the summer palace of Malta’s president. Although camera crews were not permitted to film inside, the palace was also used as the Red Keep’s gardens in King’s Landing.
All of the snow and ice that is seen on-set is created for the use of Game of Thrones.
After the filming of the third episode, Sophie Turner (Sansa) adopted the dog that played Sansa’s direwolf Lady.
The first season of Game of Thrones premiered on April the 17th, Sean Bean’s birthday!
Shortly after the filming of the Dothraki wedding was completed, Malta was hit by one of the worst storms in their history, causing many of the props to be lost at sea!
HBO commissioned the Dothraki tongue through the Language Creation Society and created by linguistics expert David Peterson. At the start of filming there were approximately 1700 words, and there are now 3000.
Actor Liam Burke was cast as Aerys II Targaryen, the ‘Mad King’, in flashback scenes but these scenes were cut from filming.
Actress Maisie Williams is right-handed, although her character Arya is left-handed, so she learnt all her fight scenes with Syrio left-handedly.
In his audition tape, Jason Momoa (KhalDrogo) performed the Haka dance, an ancestral war-cry, dance or challenge of the Maori people from New Zealand.
Most cast members haven’t read the books that the series is based on so as not to find out their characters’ fate as some think this will affect their acting.
In a letter to actor Jack Gleeson (Joffrey), author Martin complemented him on his acting saying “Congratulations on your marvellous performance, everyone hates you.”
There are more words within the Dothraki tongue for ‘kill’ than there are for ‘love’.
The part when Ser Hugh of the Vale dies – including the falling horse, the spurting blood and other effects – was kept as a secret from the likes of Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams (Sansa& Arya) to create a genuine reaction.
The crypts beneath Winterfell and the dungeon beneath the Red Keep in King’s Landing are the same set.
During the scene where Daenerys eats the horse’s heart, actress Emilia Clarke was chewing for filming all day – her retch at the end of the scene was genuine!
During the scene in which Ned is seen in a fever dream after his clash with Jamie Lannister, actor Sean Bean caught the flu in order to look as feverish as possible for this scene.
Winterfell’s courtyard may look realistic enough but it is actually set within a car-park to allow for 360 degree shots.
Actress Carice van Houten was previously asked to audition for a role within season one, but couldn’t due to schedule conflicts. She was asked to audition for a different role within season two and was later cast as Melissandre.
The pool within the godswood of Winterfell is actually filled with black paint in order to make it as reflective as possible.
The armourer seen crafting the sword Needle for Jon Snow in the T.V. show is Tommy Dunn, and he is the smith who creates all the weapons used in the show.
One of the production artists who helped design Pandora within Avatar also worked on Game of Thrones, with their influence seen especially through the Vale of Arryn and the Eyrie.
Jon Snow’s night-time chase towards the end of season one lead to a stunt-woman needing eight stitches after the set’s generators crashed and she ran into a tree.
The sky-cell of the Eyrie where Tyrion is kept was in the parking lot facing the trailers of the rest of the cast. It also over-looked the same place where James Cameron built his gigantic replica of the Titanic.
The actor who plays the character Theon Greyjoy is Alfie Allen, Lily Allen’s younger brother who her song ‘Alfie’ is wrote about.
The dead stag at the opening of season one on the road is no prop – it was killed by local hunters and gutted by an animal handler Kenny after being left for a few days to ripen.
After the pilot episode many people believed the girl nailed to the tree was a doll and it was criticised for this. In actuality it was 19 year-old actress Claire Wright.
The title sequence, by Angus Wall of E52 Elastic, was based on the notion of a raven flying over a map. Martin said that “because geography is very important, getting in the map was a good idea” and was pleased with Wall’s opening title sequence.

Facts About the Number 28

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Is twenty-eight your lucky number or birthday? Maybe you want to know how awesome this number actually is, well why not check out the top 28 facts about this special number.

There are 28 days in February, unless it's a leap year. February also has the least amount of days than any other month in the year.
A 28 sided polygon is called an icosikaioctagon.
28 is the square root of 784.
In Roman Numerals, the number 28 is XXVIII.
The Binary number for 28 is 00011100.
One twenty-eighth (1/28) as a decimal is 0.035714285.
In a standard box of Dominoes, there are 28 tiles in the game.
28 is a card game which originates from India which usually has 3-8 players involved.
Twenty-Eight is the atomic number of Nickel.
It is also the atomic mass of Silicon.
The Arab alphabet has 28 letters.
28 miles is equivalent to 45.061632 kilometres.
The average human menstrual cycle in women is 28 days.
The melting point of butter starts at 28°C.
The 28th President of the United States was Woodrow Wilson from 1856 to 1924.
28 Days Later is a 2002 British horror film directed by Danny Boyle. Because of it's success, in 2007 a sequel was made called 28 Weeks Later. Since then, there has been a graphic novel called 28 Days Later: The Aftermath and a comic book series in 2009. Danny Boyle has also revealed that there is a possible chance of another sequel - 28 Months Later, however this is not definite yet.
28th January is known as Data Privacy Day.
28th February is known as National Tooth Fairy Day.
28th March is Weed Appreciation Day.
Jorge García, famous for his role in the television show Lost was born on 28th April 1973.
On 28th May 2002, the Mars Odyssey found signs of ice deposits on the planet Mars.
Pope Paul I died on 28th June 767 at the age of 67.
Cher Lloyd was born on 28th July 1993.
28th August is 'Race Your Mouse Around the Icons' Day!
In the U.S, 28th September is Ask a Stupid Question Day.
28th October is National Chocolate Day.
On a leap-year, 28th November is the 333rd day of the year, with 33 days left until the end of the year.
28th December is the fourth day of Christmas.

Top 100 Technology Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Jam Ward) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

I have searched high and low to find you the most bizarre, interesting facts about technology!

Phantom Vibration Syndrome is the name given when someone thinks their phone is vibrating but isn't.
Facebook has a blue colour scheme because the creator, Mark Zuckerberg cannot see the colours red & green.
The last game for the Sega Mega Drive was released in 2010 and was so popular it sold out before release.
Email has been around longer the the world wide web!
In 2004, the at symbol used in emails (@) became the first new character to be added to Morse code in several decades! The new character, known as the "Commat" consists of the signals for both A (dot-dash), and C (dash-dot-dash-dot) with no space or break in between.
Headphones have magnets in them.
Alaska is the only state in America that can be typed on one row of a traditional English QWERTY keyboard.
If you find a security bug in Facebook's code, they are willing to pay from $500 for you to tell them about it!
The very first domain name registered was www.symbolics.com, on the 15th March, 1985.
According to the Message Anti-Abuse Working Group, between 88 and 92% of all emails that were sent in the first half of 2010 were spam!
Anthony Greco was the first ever man to be arrested for sending spam messages in 2005.
Marc Andreessen released "Netscape Navigator" in 1994, and during the height of its popularity almost 90% of all internet use was done via this browser!
Only 25% of people can text well without looking at their keyboard.
All the letter combinations from aaa.com to zzz.com have already been registered.
On eBay, there is an average of $680 worth of transactions every second.
It is estimated that one in every eight couples in the US who went on to marry each other met online.
The Apple II had a hard drive of only 5 megabytes when it was launched.
It is estimated that spammers only receive 1 reply for every 12 million emails that they send out.
Around 20% of all YouTube videos are music related.
The domain name www.YouTube.com was registered 14th February 2005.
In general, people tend to read as much as 10% slower from a screen than from paper.
Since 2008, video games have outsold DVD's each year.
Someone on Twitter who has a million or more followers is known as a "Twillionaire".
Amazon now sells more eBooks then it does printed books!
Amazon.com was previously known as Cadabra.com.
A UFO is reported once every three minutes in the world.
Ubuntu is one of the more popular distributions of Linux. The word Ubuntu comes from an African word meaning "I am because of you".
Using your phone while it is on charge can damage the battery, this is why the leads for the chargers are so short.
The first ever Internet Service Provider (ISP) was a company named CompuServe.
One-third of the world population has never made a phone call.
The original URL for Yahoo was was http://akebono.stanford.edu
The name Yahoo was created by Johnathan Swift for his book Gulliver's Travels (1726) - which explained a yahoo to be a really ugly person.
Up until the 14th of September, 1995, domain registration was free.
Dragon Skin Body Armor is a newer invention that can withstand a grenade explosion at point blank range.
The very first Apple logo featured Sir Isaac Newton sitting underneath a tree, with an apple about to hit his head.
The Name "Macintosh" Was Inspired by an Apple with the name "mcintosh"
Websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are banned in China.
Google's first ever Tweet on Twitter was in February 2009, and reads"I'm 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101100 01110101 01100011 01101011 01111001 00001010." Translating from binary into English, this tweet says "I'm feeling lucky."
Google rents out goats from a company called California Grazing to help cut down the amount of weeds and brush at Google HQ!
Microsoft's third Xbox console is the Xbox 720 and is rumoured to be on shelves by Christmas 2013.
In 1932 Professor August Dvorak created the Dvorak keyboard, which was made to be superior to the standard QWERTY keyboard.
The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, was a college drop out.
Bill Gates house was designed using a Macintosh Computer.
The word robot comes from the Czech "robota". This translates into forced labour, or work.
CD's, or Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge, which is the reverse of how records work.
In 1973, the very first mobile phone call was made by Martin Cooper, who was an employee of Motorola. The call was made from the streets of New York City.
The most expensive number ever sold was a mobile phone number, 666-6666, which was put up for auction and sold for $2.7 million!
The average computer user blinks seven times a minute, the normal rate is twenty times per minute.
The very first computer mouse was made from wood in 1964 by Doug Engelbart.
The first ever VCR, which was made in 1956, was the size of a piano!
The average age of gamers in the United States is 35.
Nokia was founded in 1865 and its primary business was manufacturing paper.
Nokia's first mobile phones were released in the 1980s.
On an average work day, a typist's fingers travel approximately 12.6 miles.
The QWERTY keyboard was created by Christopher Sholes in 1868.
The first banner advertising was used in 1994.
In 2010, the United States Air Force used 1,760 Playstation 3's to build a supercomputer for the Department of Defense. They used PS3's because it was more cost efficient and "green".
In 1984, the number of internet devices reached 1000.
In 1992, the number of internet devices reached 1 million.
In 2008, the number of internet devices reached 1 billion!
The Apple Lisa was the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) and a mouse.
The Apple Lisa was released in June 1983.
In 1822, Charles Babbage created the first computer.
In 1999, PayPal was voted as one of the top ten worst business ideas.
The Sega Dreamcast was the first 128-bit console in the market.
97% of people type in random words on Google, just to see if they spelled it right.
Google+ was developed under the code name 'Emerald Sea'.
The first alarm clock could only ring at 4am.
The Dreamcast was the first console which allowed real time online play feature.
The 30th of November is known as "Computer Security Day".
Surgeons who grew up playing video games make 37% fewer mistakes.
On 1st April 2005, NASA pulled a prank telling the world that they had found water on Mars.
1024 Gigabytes is equivalent to 1 Terabyte.
1024 Terabytes is equivalent to 1 Petabyte.
1 Petabyte can hold 13.3 years of HD-TV video.
Remember MySpace? Well it has over 200 million registered users.
There are over 35 billion Google searches every month.
The first commercial text message was sent in December 1992.
Today, the number of text messages sent and received everyday, is more than the total population of the planet.
The radio took 38 years to reach a market audience of 50 million.
The television took 13 years to reach a market audience of 50 million.
The iPod took 3 years to reach a market audience of 50 million.
Facebook took 2 years to reach a market audience of 50 million.
Nintendo was started in 1889 as a playing card company.
Skype is banned from the public in China.
Originally, the design for the original iPhone was literally the shape of an apple.
A red panda is an animal native to the Himalayas and southwestern China. The English word for red panda is 'Firefox' which is where the browser gets its name from - so the Firefox logo is actually a red panda, not a fox!
86% of people try to plug in their USB devices upside down.
An average of 60 billion emails are sent every day, 97% of which are spam.
If you was to have your picture taken by the very first camera, you'd need to sit still for 8 hours.
Only 4% of Arab women use the internet.
The Xbox 360 was first released on 22nd November 2005 and is Microsoft's second video games console.
The electric chair was invented by a dentist called Alfred Southwick.
Almost half the world's population have never made a phone call.
The creators of the PNG file format wanted it to be pronounced as 'ping'.
In January 2007, the PS3 DualShock controller won an Emmy Award for 'Peripheral Development and Technological Impact of Video Game Controllers' by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
In Japan, the Nintendo Wii2 has been nicknamed the "Weenie" (Wii-ni) because the Japanese number for two is 'ni'.
The Sony Playstation 4 will be released around Summer 2013.
The Atari 2600 was originally called "Atari Video Computer System", or "VCS".
There are Braille accessories for smart phones.

Irrational Games Present BioShock

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

There are many games out there that encompass a dystopian feel. The BioShock series encompasses it too. Read on to know more.

The BioShock series are a set of first person shooter and survival horror video games, which were developed by Irrational Games and 2K Marin. They have been released on XBOX 360 and reissued on PS3.

The games were inspired by many dystopian texts such as Animal Farm by George Orwell. In interviews, creators have revealed that they have had interests in biological research and the surrounding moral issues.

Developers claim that that it is a spiritual successor to the System Shock games.

The games follow the exploits of what happens in the fictional underwater city, Rapture, and its society.

BioShock was produced in 2007, where the protagonist Jack explores Rapture. The antagonist of the game is Atlas, the guide, who reveals himself to be criminal mastermind, Frank Fontaine.

The first game gives the player a moral choice when attacking the enemies known as, Little Sisters, who are young girls which are genetically altered and conditioned to retrieve ADAM. ADAM is a substance found in sea slugs, which plasmids are created from, and which can overwrite genetic material.

The Sisters are protected by the Big Daddies, which are humans who have been spliced into atmospheric diving suits.

You can simply kill the Little Sisters and harvest the ADAM, or you can remove it safely, leaving her alive.

This has an impact on how the game ends. If you decide to safely remove all the ADAM from the Little Sisters, then Jack takes them to the surface where he looks after them as they attempt to live ordinary lives.

Kill one, and by the end, Jack will have harvested all the Sisters.

The Little Sisters seemingly have relations. These are the Big Sisters, who are post-pubescent and unstable. They have natural affinity for the powers which the ADAM creates, due to their bodies adapting with it inside them as children.

Splicers are insane infantry humanoids with mutated powers.

BioShock 2 takes an interesting turn of events as the protagonist is Johnny Topside, who discovered Rapture. He is known throughout as Subject Delta, as he became the first Big Daddy to successfully bond to his Little Sister.

The antagonist of this game is Dr Sofia Lamb, a psychiatrist and the new leader of Rapture.

During the games the player collects upgradeable weapons and “plasmids”, which are DNA molecules, which give you various abilities such as increased speed. Many recovery items are scattered along the way such as health phials and recording equipment, which reveal to the player the backstory of the game.

BioShock: Infinite is due for release in March 2013. This game is set in the fictional city in the sky, Columbia. The game is not a direct prequel or sequel in the series.

The novel BioShock: Rapture was published in 2011, and follows events up to the start of the first game.

Many companies were interested in making a film of BioShock, but director Gore Verbinski has recently gone on record stating that a film is unlikely to be funded, due to the dark themes of the game.

Fun Sugar Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Guest) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

How much do you really know about sugar? Different sugar studies consistently find that people have some misconceptions about sugar. Test your own knowledge of sugar here with these fun sugar facts.

Did you know that…

Sugar is found in the fibers of all plants, as a byproduct of the process of photosynthesis. Sugar occurs naturally in fruits, dairy products, grains, and vegetables.
Sugar is only found in high enough concentrations from two plants to make sugar crystals for food consumption: sugarcane and sugar beets.
Carbohydrates can be obtained from three different sources: sugar, fiber, and starch. Carbohydrates are necessary for human and animal survival as the building blocks of cells.
Contrary to what many people believe, there are only 15 calories in a teaspoon of sugar, which can be burned off in 15 minutes simply by socializing with other people.
Sugar does not make a person gain weight. Consuming too many calories is what causes a person to gain weight, regardless of where the calories are found.
Sugarcane is a species of grass native to Southeast Asia. There are 37 different species of sugarcane and they all crossbreed with one another.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, sugarcane is the world’s largest crop. 168 million tons of sugar were produced around the world in 2011. 80% of the world’s sugar production comes from sugarcane, while the other 20% comes from sugar beets.
Before sugar became more widely available in the 18th Century, common people relied on honey for sweetening foods.
Christopher Columbus was the first person to bring sugarcane to the New World.
Brown sugars contain more vitamins and minerals than granulated sugars (white table sugars), according to nutritional information listed in the USDA Nutrient Database.
When it comes to food there are two types of sugar: added sugar and naturally occurring sugar. The body can’t tell the difference between the two because they have the same chemical composition.
Labels on food packages include both added and naturally occurring sugars, while ingredient lists include only added sugars. Added sugars are usually natural sweeteners other than granulated sugars.
According to TotalHealth, men and women should consume different amounts of sugar. Women should limit their sugar consumption to 6 tsp. per day, while men may eat as many as 9 tsp. of sugar per day.

Written By Elizabeth Gomez
Elizabeth Gomez is a successful caterer in the Houston area. In her free time she enjoys wine tasting, baking and testing new recipes on her family. She also loves to share her catering skill and nutritional knowledge in blogs to help others improve their diet & nutrition, learn the benefits of natural sugar and how to cook quick and healthy meals for the entire family.

'Call the Midwife' Facts

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

If you’ve been watching BBC One, you may have seen the trailer for Call the Midwife. But did you know it was originally a book? Read on for more facts.

Call the Midwife is an original memoir by Jennifer Worth.
It is the first in a trilogy.
The complete trilogy is: Call the Midwife (2002), Shadows of the Workhouse (2005) and Farewell to the East End (2009).
The books were about Worth’s experiences as a district nurse and midwife.
The books chronicle life in the 1950’s.
At the time of Worth’s death, the books sold over one million copies.
Worth wrote a separate book, In The Midst of Life in 2010, about her time working with mental health patients.
Call the Midwife became a television adaptation.
Worth was born on 25th September in 1935.
She died on 31st May in 2011.
She suffered from oesophageal cancer, which was the cause of her death.
Worth was born in Essex, and grew up in Buckinghamshire.
She trained at the London Hospital in Whitechapel.
She assisted the poor at the Sisters of St John the Divine.
Worth became a ward sister at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital.
She later worked at the Marie Curie Hospital.
She retired from nursing to pursue a musical career.
She criticised the portrayal of abortions in the 2004 film, Vera Drake.
Call the Midwife was written in response to an article about under-represented midwives in literature.
She hand-wrote Call the Midwife.
The narrative is split between the midwifery and their stories, and incidents at the nunnery.
Many of the characters are pseudonymous.
The general characters are: Jenny herself, Camilla ‘Chummy’ Browne, Cynthia Miller, Trixie Franklin, Sister Julienne, Sister Evangelina, Sister Monica Joan and Constable David Thompson.
After the success of the book, the publishers released other books with similar themes such as The Sugar Girls by Nuala Calvi.
The BBC commissioned the books for a UK Drama series.
There have been two seasons (on-going) and a Christmas special.
Actresses such as Pam Ferris, Miranda Hart and Vanessa Redgrave have starred in the show.
Season two was commissioned after the pilot episode attracted over ten million viewers.
It won TV Quick’s Best New Drama award.
Miranda Hart won the National Television Award for Best Drama Performance: Female.

Yann Martel - Life of Pi Author

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

If you’ve seen the recent film Life of Pi at the cinema, or even the trailer, then you know it has come from a book. Here’s some facts about the author – Yann Martel.

Yann Martel is a Canadian author.
He was born in Salamanca, Spain.
He was born on 25th June, making his star sign, Cancer.
The year of his birth was 1963.
His first language is French.
He prefers to express his thoughts in fiction, through English.
His parents are French-Canadian.
His father, Nicole Perron, was a diplomat for the Canadian government.
As a child, his family moved around a lot. He’s lived in: Canada, Costa Rica, France and Mexico.
He was educated at Trinity College School in Ontario.
He studied philosophy at Trent University in Ontario.
As an adult, he has lived in India, Iran and Turkey.
He currently lives in Saskatoon, Canada.
He spent thirteen months in India.
Whilst there, he visited many churches, mosques, temples and zoos.
For two years, Martel read just adventure books and religious texts.
His first book Seven Stories was published in 1993.
His second book The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios was the winner of the Journey Prize.
In Saskatoon, he spent a year as the public library’s writer-in-residence.
He collaborated with composer Omar Daniel in Toronto.
The piece was for bass, piano and string quartet, and included telephone conversations from life.
He was the scholar-in-residence at the University of Saskatchewan.
His most famous text, Life of Pi, was published in 2001.
With Life of Pi, he was accused of plagiarism because of the text’s plot.
After the accusation, he later said it was “inspired” by Moacyr Scliar’s novel, Max and his Cats.
Life of Pi became a film by Ang Lee in 2012.
It is up for eleven Oscar nominations.
The book has sold over one million copies worldwide.
Dante’s Divine Comedy is “the single most impressive book” he has ever read.
A book that made him cry was Alphonse Daudet’s Le Petit Chose.

Clementine, Orange, Satsuma & Tangerine Differences

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Have you ever looked at an orange and wondered what the difference was when it came to the smaller fruit? Well here is some facts for you.

Clementine’s, Oranges, Satsuma’s and Tangerine’s are all types of Mandarins, which were fruit that was originally cultivated in China. They were deemed fruit for the upper society and in the 1900’s, exportation finally began to Europe. They are all a type of citrus fruit.

A Clementine is slightly smaller than an Orange. It has few seeds at the centre. The skin, or rind, is thin and easy to peel. It often has a glossy sheen to it. They are very tart when eaten. They are grown around the world, and it is claimed that it is named after Father Pierre Clement, who inadvertedly bred the fruit in his garden in Oman.

The Orange is a cross between a Pomelo and a Mandarin. It was originally cultivated in China, but is more often than not found growing in tropical and subtropical climates. They are sweet to eat, and the peel is very fragrant. It can be eaten fresh, and the peel can be used in cooking. It can also be squeezed to make juice.

A Satsuma comes from the Japanese province, also called Satsuma. In Japan, it is also known as a mikan. It can be traced back to the 15th Century. It has a loose skin, which is easy to peel away. A usually sweet fruit, it can also be very bitter depending on when it is picked. It is mainly seedless.

A Tangerine has a harder skin than most of the above, and is slightly knobbled like an Orange. It is less sweet than the others and can be used in salads. It is named after Tangier, a port in Tunisia, where Madarins were originally imported.

Amazing Facts About Cheetahs

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

If you like this speedy big cat, then you’ll love this article!

The Latin name for the cheetah is Acinonyx jubatus.
They generally inhabit Africa and the Middle East.
A cheetah can weigh up to 160lbs.
Including their tail, they can measure up to 92in.
Their spots can be up to 1.5in in diameter.
The black ‘tear tracks’ that line a cheetah’s face prevent the sun from infiltrating and blinding the animal whilst hunting.
A cheetah has semi-retractable claws, like the Fishing Cat, Flat-Headed Cat and the Iriomote Cat.
The King cheetah had distinctive black stripes, as well as spots. This cat is now extinct.
The spots of a cheetah are used for camouflage.
During chase, the cheetah can take up to 150 breaths per minute.
It can reach upto 62mph in five seconds.
A normal chase speed for a cheetah is 60-65mph.
During a chase, they can run up to 1,600ft in short bursts.
The tail is used as a rudder for steering whilst chasing.
Interestingly the cheetah cannot roar. In fact, it purrs.
It is considered to be the smallest of the big cats.
It is the least able to adapt to its environments.
A male matures at 12 months, whilst the female matures at 24.
There can be up to nine cubs in a litter.
The distinctive fluff of the cubs is a mantle, and gives them the appearance of having Mohawks.
A cheetah can live up to twelve years in the wild, and twenty in captivity.
A male cheetah is social able, and is often seen in small groups.
Whilst social able, the males can be extremely territorial and urinate on plants and trees to mark their land.
A female cheetah tends to roam and they form home ranges, which tend to overlap with other lands.
Cheetahs eat a variety of gazelles as well as impala and springbox.
The cheetah prefers to hunt early morning or late at night, when it is not so hot.
During the chase for prey, a cheetah trips its meal and suffocates it.
If a mother takes her cubs wit her during the hunt, she will hide them in the thick underbrush for safety.
Cheetahs can change direction by spinning in mid-air.
A cheetah has different purrs for different times:

The chirp is used when they try to locate more of their species. In documentaries, this is often seen when the cubs call out to their mothers.
Churring or stuttering is used to greet others, or invite the opposite gender into mating.
Growling is used when the creature feels that it is in danger.
Yowling is a higher pitch of growling, often heard when danger increases.
Purring is used when they feel content, usually seen with the mothers and cubs.

Valentine's Day InfoGraphic

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Valentine's Day is a lot like Marmite - you either love it or you hate it. However this infographic will appeal to you no matter what!

If Valentine's Day is a day you love and have somebody to share it with, then you'll enjoy a look at the top Valentine's Day gift Choices.. If you're single this year and not really looking forward to the 14th February, you should look at how much the majority of consumers plan to spend on valentine's day gifts, and think yourself lucky that's not you!

Sorce: PriceGrabber.co.uk

Why Do We Give Chocolate on Valentine's Day?

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

On the 14th of February, it is Valentine’s Day. A working holiday, it is celebrated worldwide. While seemingly over commercialised, the sales of many items, such as aftershave/perfume, big red balloons, cards, chocolate, jewellery, lingerie and plush toys sky rocket (along with the prices).

These gifts are almost seen as traditional.

February is also a time when chocolate factories reach an all-time high, and the sales increase.

But why do we give chocolate?

Chocolate is supposed to symbolise affection, attraction, deep love, luxury, passion and sensuality. Some scientists have undertaken various studies and seen that chocolate is also an aphrodisiac.

It increases the desire and energy levels. Endorphins are released. And as Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods said in Legally Blonde (2001) said, “Endorphins make you happy.”

Chocolate comes from "theobroma cacao" tree, which in Greek translates as to "food for the Gods". People see this message and realise that if it’s good enough for the Gods, it must be good for my boy/girlfriend.

It has a huge psychological and emotional effect on people. It can show a sincere apology, express delight and happiness, initiate desire, reflect love, rekindle friendships and uplift morale.

With all these benefits to humans and an incredible taste, why shouldn’t you give chocolate to someone you hold near and dear to you this Valentine?

Interestingly, there is a tradition in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, known as White Day. On the 14th February, women give men their gifts. On the 14th March the men then give their gifts, usually, white chocolate chip cookies, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie and marshmallows. A general rule states that the return gift should be double, or triple the cost of the Valentine gift.

Flippin' Awesome Pancake Day Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Shrove Tuesday - more commonly known as Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday is celebrated every year to mark the first day of Lent. Eating pancakes on this day is celebrated world-wide and the idea of eating pancakes before Ash Wednesday back back to over a thousand years ago. Here's some awesome facts about Pancake Day, and pancakes in general.

Traditionally, during Lent, foods such as eggs, flour, fat and sugar are not allowed to be eaten, so Shrove Tuesday was the day to use up the ingredients, and Pancakes are the best (and yummiest) way to use them up.
"Shrove" comes from the word "Shrive" which means to confess.
A village in England called Olney, Buckinghamshire celebrates Shrove Tuesday with a pancake race, they were the first to celebrate Pancake Day in this way and have been racing since 1445.
In the US, Pancake Day is commonly known as 'Mardi Gras', which is French for 'Fat Tuesday'.
In 1994, a record for the largest pancake ever tossed measured 15.01m wide, 2.5cm deep and weighed 3 tonnes!
In 1995, Dean Gould achieved the world record for tossing the most amount of pancakes in two minutes, he managed 349 flips!
In Ireland the day is known as Máirt Inide, which is Irish for "Shrovetide Tuesday".
In France, it is tradition to make a wish while the pancake is being tossed, holding a coin in the other hand.
In Iceland the day is known as Sprengidagur, which translates to Bursting Day, it is celebrated by eating salted meat and peas!
In the UK, 52 million eggs are eaten on Pancake Day, which is 22 million more than on any other day of the year!
The second side of a pancake takes half the amount of time to cook as the first - a good tip to remember.
On average people consume two pancakes per person on Shrove Tuesday

Put A Pillow On Your Fridge Day

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

May 29th is Put A Pillow on Your Fridge Day. It is celebrated in Europe & USA and supposedly brings good luck and wealth to the household.

It is unclear as to where this tradition originated from. However it is known that before the 1930's, cloth was put in larders to bring prosperity and good luck to the household.

The first refrigerator to see widespread use was the General Electric "Monitor-Top" refrigerator which was introduced in 1927. Since then fridges have replaced larders worldwide, causing the old tradition to be unheard of.

However, the national tradition of putting cloth into larders didn't die with the larder. Since then, the old tradition has gradually developed over the years, and is now celebrated by placing a pillow on, or inside the refrigerator.

If this national holiday is something you celebrate every year, or you've only just found out about it, why not join in and hope it brings you luck! If you would like to be involved with this special day and see your photo on this site, please take a photo of your pillow on your fridge and upload the image, then send me the link either in a comment below, or by email and I will upload the best here!

15 Facts On The Planet Uranus

noreply@blogger.com (Jam Ward) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Uranus, a distant planet in our Solar System that orbits the Sun billions of kilometres from the Earth. What facts do you know about Uranus? Apart from it's slightly odd and funny name, what else is there to know about this beautiful planet?

Uranus is the 7th planet away from the Sun, and by diameter, is the third largest.
Like Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus is known as being one of the gas giants.
The planet Uranus gets its name from "Uranos", the ancient Greek deity of the sky, and grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter), father of Cronos (Saturn) and son of Gaia.
The angle of the tilt of the axis of Uranus is 97 degrees! This means that Uranus' south pole is pointed straight towards Earth. It is believed that the reason for such a tilt is due to an object the size of Earth smashing into it during its formation billions of years ago.
Because of the unique tilt of the planet, a night at one of its poles lasts for 21 Earth years, during which it will receive no heat or light from the Sun at all.
The atmosphere on this planet is mainly made up from hydrogen, helium and methane. The methane absorbs all the red light it receives from the sun, and reflects the blue light. This is what gives the planet it's beautiful blue colour.
It takes Uranus 84 years to orbit the sun once.
All but two of the moons of Uranus are named after characters in plays written by the famous William Shakespeare. All the other moons within our Solar System are named after characters in both Greek and Roman mythology. The two moons that are not named after Shakespearean characters: Arlel and Umbriel, are named after characters in a book titled "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope.
Saturn is well known for it's rings. However, many people forget that Uranus has the second most dramatic set of rings in the Solar System! Unlike Saturn’s which are made of bright ice, the rings of Uranus are very dark and narrow (measuring a few km across). Astronomers believe that these rings were formed relatively recently.
There has only ever been one spacecraft to visit Uranus. NASA’s Voyager 2 passed by Uranus in January, 1986. It managed to take thousands of photographs of Uranus and its moons before continuing on it's journey towards Neptune. No other spacecraft has been sent out towards Uranus, and as of the beginning of 2013, there are no plans for any future spacecraft to visit this planet.
The average surface temperature of Uranus is -224°C making it the coldest planet in the solar system.
There are two main ways to pronounce this planets name. The most common way is to pronounce it as "your-anus". This often gets many giggles, so to avoid this, Astronomers have started pronouncing the name as "urine-iss".
Because Uranus is so far from Earth (2.57 billion km), it moves very slowly though the night sky. For centuries it was believed to be just another star, and wasn't until the 13th of March in 1781 when a man named Sir William Herschel realised it was in fact a planet.
Like Venus, Uranus spins from east to west - the opposite of what Earth does.
The orbital speed of Uranus is 6.6 km/sec!

Nicholas Hoult Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Nicholas Hoult is an award winning English actor well known for his roles in About A Boy, Jack the Giant Slayer, X-Men, Skins & Warm Bodies. He has had a lot of acting experience and is a celebrity you want to keep your eye on in the coming year!

His full name is Nicholas "Nick" Caradoc Hoult.
Hoult was born on 7th December 1989.
His star sign is Sagittarius.
He was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
His parents are Roger Hoult, who is a pilot and Glenis Hoult, who is a piano teacher.
Nicholas has tree siblings called James, Clarista and Rosie.
All his siblings have had some acting experience in the past.
Nicholas Hoult is 1.89m tall.
Hoult dated Jennifer Lawrence, who is an American actress from 2011 to early 2013.
He attended Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, this is also the same school Amy Winehouse attended.
From Sylvia Theatre School, he attended Ranelagh School, which was a local church secondary school.
At the age of 7, Hoult played Bobby in the film Intimate Relations (1996).
He played Marcus Brewer in the 2002 film About a Boy.
For his role of Marcus, he won a Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for the "Best Performance by a Youth in a Leading or Supporting Role".
In 2006, he played Brake in the film Kidulthood.
From 2007 to 2008 he played Tony Stonem, in the British television series Skins.
For his role in Skins, he won an award for an Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.
He has confirmed he will not be in the seventh season of Skins, as he has too much work on.
In 2011, he played the role of Hank McCoy/ Beast in X-Men: First Class, where he won an IGN Award for Best Ensemble Cast.
He will be in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which is due for release in July 2014.
Hoult is also to star in Jack the Giant Slayer in March 2013 and Mad Max: Fury Road in 2014.
In 2013, Hoult starred in Warm Bodies as R, which is a American romantic-zombie comedy film - or Rom-Zom-Com as I like to call it!
He appeared in an episode of the American television series Keen Eddie, where he played a boy called Edward Mills.
During the filming for Keen Eddie, Hoult performed a stunt where a bus was supposed to hit him, however the bus stopped too late and actually hit him, his leg even smashed through a window! - I find this ironic, his character Tony Stonem in Skins was also hit by a bus.
Hoult has appeared in many other films, such as: Mr White goes to Westminister (1997), Wah-Wah (2005), Coming Down the Mountain (2006), A Single Man (2009) and Clash of the Titans (2010).
Hoult also voices a character called Elliot on the video game, Fable III.
Nicholas favourite sport is basketball.
Hoult can to play the trombone.
He was a choir boy.
His Twitter account is @NicholasHoult.

Fun Facts About Chris Griffin

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

If you are a fan of Family Guy, don't miss the top facts about the slightly overweight, unintelligent and kind-hearted child, Chris Griffin.

His full name is Christopher Cross Griffin. Yes, 'Chris Cross', as funny as it sounds, it's not the reason why that is his middle name. He is named after Christopher Cross, who was a popular singer back in the 1980's.

Chris is voiced by Seth Green. Seth Green also voices Dylan Flannigan - Brian's son and he voices Neil Goldman - Mort's nerdy son.

Chris is 14 years old. In the first three seasons, he is 13 years old, although he reached 14 in the episode Trading Places. He's only aged one year during the time of the show, however Meg has aged three years.

His birthday is 8th February This is also the same date as Seth Greens birthday.

Chris was a Paperboy until season six. He got a new job working as a cashier at Quahog Mini-Mart. He has had other jobs, such as a Rickshaw Driver, a waiter at Big Pete's House of Munch and a worker in the shipping department of the Pawtucket Brewery.

Chris was born as an accident due to a broken condom. Because of this, Peter and Lois filed a lawsuit against the company, which they won and the money bought the house they currently live in. This was revealed in the episode Emission Impossible.

Chris is much like his father Peter, he is overweight, he has a low IQ and no common sense. However Chris does have several talents, he is a good artist and has a detailed knowledge of film and TV actors.

The Evil Monkey lived in Chris's bedroom closet. He regularly tormented Chris, and was unseen by the rest of the family except Stewie. Chris captured the monkey and showed the family in the episode Hannah Banana, since then, Chris and the Evil Monkey became friends and now the monkey lives in Jake Tucker's closet.

In the episode When You Wish Upon a Weinstein, Peter told Chris that Jews are smarter and more successful, to try and impress his father, Chris was going to convert to Judaism to do better in school.

His neighbour Herbert, is an elderly peadophile, who has a fondness of Chris.

In the Family Guy video game, Chris is the only member of the Griffin family that is not playable.

JJ Hamblett Facts (Union J)

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

J.J. Hamblett, a member of the four-piece British boy-band Union J. Union J came to fame for their success in Series 9 of the UK's X Factor.

His full name is Jamie Hamblett.
He was born on 25th May 1988.
His star sign is Gemini.
His hometown is Newmarket, London, United Kingdom.
JJ is 1/4 Norwegian.
JJ is the oldest member of Union J.
His brother is called Ashley, his Twitter is @AshHamblett.
He is 5'10" (177cm)tall and weighs 138lbs (63kg).
His shoe size is 6.5 (UK).
JJ has brown eyes and hair.
JJ used to be a jockey, he took part in over 260 races and won 24 times.
Before JJ was in the band Triple J, he was a model and an actor.
JJ auditioned for the BBC series 'The Cut', but didn't get the part because he didn't quite fit the role they was looking for.
He also auditioned for a low budget feature film Called 'Vampires Don't Cry', where he played a 15 year old School boy.
JJ sleep walks and sleep talks.
He is scared of rubber bands!
His favourite film is 'I Love You Man'.
His X Factor serial number was 763127.
He is a fan of Justin Bieber.
When JJ was younger, his favourite band was Backstreet Boys.
He has a tattoo of an angel playing cards on his left arm.

Nelsan Ellis Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Nelsan Ellis is an American film and television actor who became well known for his role in the HBO series True Blood as Lafayette Reynolds. He is one of my favourite characters from True Blood, hope you enjoy the read!

Ellis was born 30th November 1978.
His star sign is Sagittarius.
Ellis was born in Harvey, Illinois.
He is 5' 10" tall (1.78m).
He is Christian.
At age 6, he moved to Bessemer, Alabama with his mother.
During this time, Nelsan's sister, who was pregnant, was murdered by her husband when he shot her point-blank with a sawed-off shotgun. This happened in-front of Nelsan's six-year-old nephew.
At age 15, Nelsan moved to Dolton, Illinois to attend Thornridge High School.
He graduated from Thornridge High School in 1997.
At the age of 17, he joined the United States Marines, although quit shortly after.
When Ellis was 21, he was accepted for enrollment at the Juilliard School's Drama Division, where he first met Rutina Wesley, also known as Tara Thornton.
In 2004, Ellis earned a B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree from Juilliard.
Ellis won a 2008 Satellite Award from the International Press Academy for best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in HBO's True Blood.
In 2008, he won a Satellite Award for the best actor for a supporting role in the television series True Blood.
In 2011 and 2012, he was nominated for an Image Award for 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for True Blood.
He appeared as a waiter called Henry in a film called The Help (2011).
In the True Blood novels, Lafayette Reynolds isn't an important character, however director Alan Ball worked with Ellis to make the TV version of Lafayette come to life more with important, complex story lines.
Nelsan said he did not like Lafayette in the books, however he loved Lafayette's script for the pilot episode.
He supports gay marriage.
Ellis gets annoyed when people in the industry assume he is gay because of his role in True Blood.

Making Wine

noreply@blogger.com (ZeeZee Dreaming) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Have you ever smelt a glass of wine and been enchanted by the scent? If you'd like to learn how wine is made, here's everything you need.

Wine making is a natural process that requires little human intervention. There are five steps to making a good wine, and here they are:

Harvesting

Grapes, used for wine making, are grown in vineyards, typically in warm climates. This is because the fruit produces a reliable amount of sugar, to yield sufficient alcohol and preserve the beverage. Not many other fruits have the required acids needed for winemaking, making grapes natural and stable components.

When they are ripened, they are picked. This can be done mechanically, but most places still prefer to do this by hand. This is because the machinery can be too rough and many of the grapes can be damaged.

When all the grapes are collected, the bunches will be sorted, removing any which are damaged or bruised.

Crushing and Pressing

Traditionally, men and women alike used to perform the harvest dance in large barrels. The fruit would be crushed under foot, releasing the juices that are essential for wine making. This romantic notion and tradition has been lost with the introduction of machinery, which saves on time.

Some winemakers allow the fermentation process to naturally burst the skin. Some pressing machines can also do this at a faster rate, increasing productivity.

To make white wine, grapes are pressed and the skin is immediately removed so the juice is separated and contained.

In red wine making, the skin is left in contact with the fruit to deepen its colourisation and heighten its flavour and scent.

Fermentation

Natural fermentation can begin from between six to twelve hours after pressing. Some containers are left bared to the air, where the wild yeasts can mingle and quicken the process. The process continues until the sugar is fully converted, making a dry white wine.

Fermentation is anywhere from ten days to a month.

Clarification

The wine can be siphoned from tank to barrel, barrel to rack. If any solids (also known as pomace) remain from the fermenting process, they are disposed of, and sometimes used in the scrap food given to farm animals. Sterile filter pads remove any sign of life in the wine.

Ocassionally, solids are added, which people believe will remove any remaining life in the wine.

Aging and Bottling

Once in bottles, they are labelled and shipped out to stores or houses where it is made available to the general public.

Aging is when the bottle is stored for a length of time, where the price value increases.

Aging can also take part in tanks, ovals or barriques. Interestingly, the process can be taken into your own home, with wine making kits readily available from superstores and specialist stores.

Working Naked Day

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Ward) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Working Naked day falls on 1st February every year, it is the perfect day for people who work from home, not so perfect for those who don't.

Working Naked Day first started in 2010 by Lisa Kanarek, she is a business consultant who wanted to dedicate Working Naked Day to those who work from home, to help them feel free and relaxed. It is celebrated by those who don't have to go in to the office and put up with a boss giving you grief.

This holiday isn't officially recognised, however over the last few years, it has caught on quickly with the home-based workers. If you work from home, and year reading this thinking 'that's ridiculous', all I can say to you is it's only one day a year, why not just do it!

As February is a cold time of the year, I would personally advise a blanket, or having the heating turned up to the max!

Source: WorkingNaked.com