Don't Be Ignorant

Ignoramuses = plural of ignoramus

Here's what Richard Nordquist at About.com has to say about running into a group of morons. Well, sorta.

New Process / Thought on Sources

Well, I must say, it wasn't 5 minutes after posting the introduction, that I began to realize the immediate impact that keeping up with this blog will have. I realized that I will not only learn little things here and there (as was normal), but now there will be the necessity to remember to remember them, in order to pass them on. I found myself scanning through my day, attempting to remember anything that I might have learned (but forgot about), so that I could add them. It will be strange to...sort of...recognize myself learning something. I have to spot the process, the interaction, the assimilation of knowledge. I have to say to myself, "There! That's something I didn't know. I have to remember that (and that I learned it just now), so I can write it down later." Weird.

I am going to mention 2 things today, that both came from staring at my television. It's funny, but I remember having an argument once (I'll spare them, by not mentioning who the argument was with), about television and movies, and whether they are a reliable source of information. One argument was that it's all fake, it's acting. My argument was that there has to be realism present, in order for any of it to be taken seriously. An example would be whether you can actually learn something about hospitals and doctors, how they operate and function, by watching House, M.D. It's obvious that there has to be realism there. We can certainly learn things from shows and films that show an accurate portrayal of their subject matter. And the writers and creators of these shows/films know that the audience has come to expect a certain amount of realism. Even with sci-fi, the science, if completely fake otherwise, has to have some semblance to reality. It has to seem like it could be true.

It's a sort of Chicken-And-The-Egg situation. Did writers/creators decide to aim for authenticity of their own volition? Or did the audience begin it by not responding well to illogical content anymore? We certainly demand it now, and no studio or network will dare risk it. It's something that frustrates me immensely. You probably couldn't introduce an idea like Neverending Story now, because as dumb as it sounds, some executive would ask, "But how does the book thing work? How is this kid interacting with this world, just by reading the book?" The sad thing is, this exec would be asking because they would be worried that a mass audience wouldn't buy it, and they'd probably be right.

Okay, enough about that. I got these two facts from watching Veronica Mars and the movie Sunshine, respectively.

THINGS I LEARNED TODAY:

• You know manila folders? Ever wondered what the "manila" part is? Is it talking about color? Texture? Maybe the processing method? Nope, it's about a place. Or, rather, the material (specific to a locale) from which manila folders were originally made. Wikipedia says, "The manila component of the name comes from manila hemp or abaca, from which manila folders were originally made. This is the origin of the name. Manila hemp is a type of fiber that comes from a relative of the banana plant. Commonly used for ropes, paper products, and coarse fabrics, manila hemp is indigenous to the Philippines and gets its name from the country's capital." Who knew?
• Did you know that 80% of dust is human skin? Holy crap, that's disgusting!

Okay, the second fact just brought to mind something I learned a long time ago. It will be today's...

RANDOM FACT:

• Many people know that glass is made of melted sand, right? Did you know that it's actually in liquid form? In fact, (and I think that this is really cool) dust moves through glass. You could have a sealed room, never opened, with all 4 walls being solid glass, and yet it would get dusty inside. The dust particles get trapped in small air pockets on the surface of the glass, and slowly move through, to the other side. That is so frickin' cool to me. Dust moves through glass. Awesome.

Introduction / First Thoughts

Well, the idea for this blog popped into my head about 10 minutes ago. I read a letter from someone this morning, someone I knew about a dozen years ago. She was 9 years old at the time, and apparently impressionable (as kids will be). In the letter, she mentioned some things that I convinced her of, all those years ago.

Those things I told her consist of the following:

• burps smell (??? - you got me)
• flies throw up every time they land somewhere (still held to be true, to the best of my knowledge)
• boys are smarter than girls (um yeah, what can I say, I was an adolescent)

Another source of inspiration, actually the thing that made me think to start this blog, was something I learned from the gas company guy that came today, to check out our non-functioning wall heater. He told me what was wrong with it, I remembered what he said a few minutes ago, and decided to start this blog. In fact, the letter I got this morning is just luck. I actually didn't think of it, or its relevance, until I started writing!

So, what did the gas guy tell me, you ask? Well, that will be my first "Thing I Learned Today" and I will add any more that comes to mind. I will probably also add Random Facts, which would be things I've learned before today, that might be of interest. I hope this blog stays interesting. Enjoy.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED TODAY:

• If you have a gas heater that won't keep the pilot lit, look at the flame when it IS burning. If it's yellow and is burning like a candle flame, your pilot is dirty. After cleaning it out (dust, animal hair, etc.), it should burn blue and strong.

RANDOM FACT:

• Many (if not most) of the "diet" versions of drinks (pop, soda, coke, whatever you might call them) actually have more caffeine in them than the regular versions. They just don't have sugar.