Interesting Facts

According to new research by Glasgow-based Go Group, the speed of your smile can have an impact on the first impressions created in others. (Smiling too quickly can lead others to think that you are insincere, but slow grins appear more genuine. So, the Cheshire Cat had it spot on.)

Floccinaucinihilipilification is used (or not) to describe something as worthless. (So, you could say that floccinaucinihilipilification is a perfect example of floccinaucinihilipilification.)

According to Dr Enlli Thomas, there is evidence that being bilingual "may provide protection against age-related memory loss". (Language processing is one of the most complex activities that our brains carry out and the ability to be able to speak, listen, and think in two languages and of using two languages on a daily basis may help protect against the decline in the brain's abilities when ageing. I can only hope they're right, and that I didn't start learning German too late.)

According to a Pentagon report, there is so much junk whizzing around Earth that any collision in space could now cause a knock-on effect that would destroy vital satellites. (A crash between a satellite and a hunk of space junk could send thousands of pieces of debris spinning around, which could destroy other satellites. This was illustrated in a major crash in 2009 between a U.S. communications satellite and a defunct Russian military probe over Siberia. That one collision at speeds of at least 15,000mph created a cloud of 1,500 pieces of space junk, and a Chinese missile test in 2007 left 150,000 pieces of junk in the atmosphere. The latest efforts being made up there include two spacecraft that are about to begin an unusual waltz above the Pacific Ocean to try to evade interference from a third, failed satellite; Intelsat's Galaxy-15 platform in April.) Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

According to Google Ad Planner, Facebook.com is visited monthly by 540 million people, or slightly more than 35 percent of the Internet population. (This makes Facebook king of the Internet, followed, not so closely by, Yahoo.com which gets a measly 490 million visitors per month. It all makes me feel so small and insignificant.)

Casu marzu (also called casu modde, casu cundhídu in Sardinian dialects, or in Italian formaggio marcio) is a traditional Sardinian sheep's milk cheese. But, I hear you asking, what makes it interesting? Well it's notable for being riddled with maggots. (It's name literally means "rotten cheese" in Sardinian, and the cheese is known colloquially as maggot cheese. Derived from Pecorino, Casu marzu goes beyond typical fermentation to a stage most would consider rotten. This decomposition is brought about by the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly Piophila casei. The larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down of the cheese's fats. The texture of the cheese becomes very soft - well it would, wouldn't it - with some liquid (called lagrima, from the Sardinian for "tears") seeping out. The larvae themselves appear as translucent white worms, about 8 millimetres (0.3...

Britain has been named the chip capital of the world, with 16 different kinds of chips on offer (not to be confused with crisps, or Intel). (A survey by Tesco found 16 chip types, and 13 regional preferences. They included: Homestyle - oven chips that go crispy Home fries - chunky chips with a fluffy texture Steakhouse - long and straight. Rustic - with the skin on one side Holden fries - with a crispy turmeric and paprika coating Frying chips - small and thin Then there are: crinkle home fries, chunky oven, crinkle oven, straight cut oven, thin & crispy oven, crispy French fries, chunky homefries, beer battered, curly fries and low fat oven. Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2985679/UK-is-world-leader-with-16-chip-types.html#ixzz0ovfJOL3O