Comparison shopping

Internet shopping ... where would we be without it? Actually I think it would be better characterised as internet window shopping and/or price comparison. I had to buy a new camera battery the other day and I checked online to see what was available in the area and how much I would be paying. Consistently the price on the internet was around $100 (it sounds so much cheaper if it's only $99.95) so imagine my surprise when I went into the camera shop and they were selling it for $149. What the? So I asked if they would price-match (as I pulled out my phone) and they said yes - but not Amazon. Fair enough. So I pulled up the price for one of their local competitors - $99.95 - and to their credit (pun intended), they matched it. Mind you, had they not, there was no way I would have bought the battery from them. It is a huge price difference. So thank goodness for the internet because had I not done the research beforehand, I may well have spent the $50 (or so) extra.

Powers of observation - not

I would hate to have to pick someone out of a police line-up. Not because it would mean I had been in close proximity to a crime (although there would be a bit of that) but because I don't really recognise faces* and am sometimes not that observant. Take today: I was at one of the local coffee shops getting a takeaway coffee and I noticed they seem to have replaced one of their tables: where there was now an art deco black and white table and chairs set there had been an old school table and chairs. I must have been distracted then because I noticed the bottle on the counter - filled with water, some greenery and one of the tiniest coloured fish I've ever seen. As I watched it, the owner came over to ask if I could see it - yes - and then took me over to the art deco table to show me the other two fish "bottles" there. Truly I had not even seen them although I was looking straight at the table! What else do we miss seeing in everyday life?  I'm thinking there might be more than we could imagine.  

*This has a name - Prosopagnosia - it is also known as face blindness or facial agnosia.  

Meerkats under wraps

Meerkats in the wild would apparently breed like rabbits which is why any zoo in Australia only has single-sex populations just in case they stage a mass break-out. I had thought the person who told me this was pulling my leg but this is what the keeper explained during the talk at the meerkat enclosure at the Darling Downs Zoo when I was there the other week. So, where do the new/replacement meerkats come from? Are there special "breeding pairs" safely tucked (read: locked) away somewhere to boost the numbers when a replacement is needed (I was going to call it "natural attrition" but that would suggest they were leaving of their own volition - nope, we don't want that!)? Or do they come in from overseas? Or do they use AI for the job ... which would work in female populations, but not so much the male populations.

That's bananas ...

Where do we pull Trivia knowledge from? I was just thinking about East Egg and West Egg - from The

Great Gatsby. Who knew we knew this? Certainly not me -it's all I can do to remember the plot points let alone where the action takes place. But we all continue to "learn" (or is that "amass"?)

Trivia - like the fact that Cavendish bananas do not self-propagate. Or that the first monkey-human embryo has just been developed and while it survived only 20 days, it makes you wonder why they would even think to do it- haven't these folks seen Planet of The Apes? But if these chimeras did survive and gain world dominance they'd soon run out of Cavendish bananas as a ready food source if they didn't learn how to fertilise and farm them!

What's in a name?

Would it have been as successful a game if MOUSETRAP had been called RATTRAP? Would that group have been as big a hit if they were called Coleoptera instead of The Beatles?

Cosplay

As we were driving back from breakfast this morning we noticed there were folk in costumes around the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre - and it didn't take long to work out Supernova is in town.

It's a while since I've been to Supernova - and the last time was with our neice, nephew and two of their friends.  The bathroom was off-limits to us that morning as they primped and preened and applied buckets of pancake make-up and put the finishing touches on their quite elaborate costumes.

I was chatting with one of the Supernova crew members (SCM) later today about how the event has changed last year and this year - because of CoVid. One of the big changes is that there are no international stars - and they used to be a huge draw card. There are Australian stars of course but the SCM seemed to think that the cosplay, merchandise and panels were the reasons for folk coming along. The SCM said it was "packed" inside and I thought about buying a ticket ($37 - cheaper than I remember) and having a look for myself but I was very concerned I would be amongst many of those emerging from the Centre - laden down with merchandise! I just knew there would be something that wanted to come home with me - Star Trek, StarGate, Dr Who, Torchwood, Star Trek (did I say that already? There are so many different shows!).

I spent some time outside the entrance/ exit taking photographs of the cosplayers. Isn't it good that folk still play dress- up!

That's entertainment ...?

Married at First Sight is almost over for another year ... thank goodness because I am still not sure what the program sets out to do. There is a lot of titillation and you can see that the scenes are heavily edited to be as sensational as they can be - and then some.
On the whole, it isn't as issue I guess, but one"marriage" in particular has been worrying: it's been referred to as toxic in the media and it certainly does seem to be a relationship you wouldn't want anyone you cared about to be in. But that one appears to have thrived and continues "outside the experiment". Gaslighting, coercive behaviour - all warning signs of a relationship that could easily tip into domestic violence territory; all in full view on National television and not in any way, mitigated, explained or commented on by the "experts" who are said to take such care matching the participants and making sure they receive 'intensive counselling throughout the experiment. 

So, is it entertainment? I don't think so but chances are l'm not the target demographic! 

Orange ...

Which came first - the colour orange on the word orange? You would think it would be fairly easy to find out - given we have the internet and other excellent research tools at our disposal. I now know that the only fruit named after a colour is the blueberry. But if that's the case, what about the blackberry?   So, the colour ... orange, in English anyway, is named after the ripe orange fruit - from the French pomme d'orenge.  According to Wikipedia, the earliest known use of the word "orange" as a colour was in 1502 to describe clothing purchased for Margaret Tudor.  Prior to this orange was commonly known as geoluhread - "yellow-red".

In 1512, "orange" (actually "orenge") appeared in a will (filed with the Public Records Office*) to describe the colour between red and yellow.  The report I read did not specify what item was thus described.   

*Still looking ... but it's hard to believe - or maybe not - that the will was consigned to the Records Office because of the use of the word orange. Were all wills sent to the Records Office way back when? Perhaps the only people who would have had wills then were the wealthy and it could make sense that their wills would be filed for legal and/or historical reasons.

By the letter ...

It's not always easy to know the origin of words but sometimes it's fairly self-explanatory even if not immediately obvious.  I don't think I had even really thought about the word alphabet* until we were driving in Central Queensland and we saw the signs for the next town along the road - Alpha.  This led to discussion about the Greek Alphabet ... and at some point shortly thereafter the penny dropped - the word Alphabet is from the first two letters of the Greek Alphabet - Alpha and Beta.  The Phoenician Alphabet was the basis of the Greek Alphabet ... so did they call it an Alphabet or was that term coined later?  Later it seems ... the world Alphabet has it's origins in the Middle Ages but does derive from the Greek word alphábētos.  
* Oxford Dictionary:  a system of writing, developed in the ancient Near East and transmitted from the northwest Semites to the Greeks, in which each symbol ideally represents one sound unit in the spoken language, and from which most alphabetical scripts are derived.

Riding high

How do they build roller coasters* and what do they build them of/from? We have been watching the new roller coaster being constructed at SeaWorld on the Gold Coast and it seems to be being made of wood ... but it could just be that that is the framework for holding up the real roller coaster as it is being built.  I know there are renowned wooden roller coasters around the world but I would have thought that metal roller coaster would be more cost efficient to erect these days.  We will just have to keep an eye on it to see what happens as it gets nearer to completion.  

*Oxford Dictionary: a fairground attraction that consists of a light railway track which has many tight turns and steep slopes on which people ride in small, fast open carriages.

Holding a torch ...

A question at Trivia a while ago was about whether you can ascend to the top of the Statue of Liberty's torch.  The answer is yes you can but you actually can't ... access to the top of the torch has been restricted since 1916 when an explosion caused by German spies during World War I permanently closed the area.  I read this today, together with some facts about the symbolism of different aspects of the Statue of Liberty and its history.  You can read more here.

Like no other can

We were at a service station on the way home today and I bought a can of Coca-Cola. Two cans actually because they were on special - two for $6. I was planning to buy a can of drink, I just hadn't planned on a 500ml can - who ever knew there were cans larger than 375ml. So why did I buy the larger can? It looked so good - I think they must have used the Golden Ratio or something like it in the design of the cans, because they certainly hit the right visual note. Examples of the Golden Rule in nature - snailshells and sunflower seeds; in art - the Mona Lisa. The Golden Ratio is 1.618 (or thereabouts). Powerful figures indeed ... that could be why it's used so widely in the advertising industry.

Changing the formula

It doesn't seem like 24 years ago - but it is - that Coca-Cola replaced its traditional secret receipt with "New Coke" - which fell flat and had the company revert to the original recipe after sales declined. To paraphrase another logo ... when you're on a good thing (business-wise) ... stick to it.

Curiosity

I read something the other day about the Mars Curiosity Rover ... that, all alone on the Red Planet (as far as anyone would be aware), it had been programmed to sign "Happy Birthday" to itself once a year.  How sad!  But then it became just a little sadder.  Last week marked the Rover's fifth anniversary on Mars ... but there was no "Happy Birthday" this time ... in fact, there was only one "Happy Birthday" sung and that was back in 2013.  Why?  The report I saw quoted Florence Tan, the deputy chief technologist at NASA's Science Mission Directorate as saying (after she had said that "the answer to your [Marina Soren - the author of the article] questions will sound rather cold and unfeeling" ):  in a nutshell, there is no scientific gain from the Rover playing music or singing 'Happy Birthday' on Mars.  Marina Soren's comment in response:  In the battle betwen song and science, science always wins.   Why did it do that one time?  Well, in that case, it was to see if it could be done:  so ... Curiosity (Rover) won!

Memory

Is memory fickle, fragile or something else entirely?  At lunch yesterday, one of the guests was a retired teacher - who had taught at Rangeville State School back in the '60's.  That sounded a bit familiar ... and, sure enough, I had also been at Rangeville State School in the '60's  - as a student.  Our times there had not overlapped - we had missed each other by a couple of years ... but she asked an interesting question ... who was head of the school when I was there.  I told her I couldn't remember ... I can't remember any of those years with any clarity. The first teacher I can remember clearly was Mrs Tremble, who taught me during my first year at High School in Charters Towers.  Mrs Tremble used to send chalk home with me for my (by four years) younger brother.  The next teachers I can remember were at my next High School - a couple of years later - on the Gold Coast.  I can't remember lots of their names - and the memories of some of them are much clearer.  And it seems that might not be everyone's experience ... others at the table talked about how well they remembered their school years - even their primary school years - and their teachers.  How amazing would that be!

Imagination

Imagination is alive and well!  While the kids were playing on their tricycles this morning, one was making a call on his mobile phone (a toy one) to the other - who answered on his tennis ball.  The reason for the call:  When you will be home?  I guess that bit may not have been that imaginative at all and probably shows what today's 4-year-old boy thinks a mobile phone is for.  Gone are the old Star Trek days when a mobile phone could have been a space-age communicator!

Names of things

I wonder if this was intentional?  The Brand name for the toaster is VERO but you could be forgiven for thinking it is NERO ... does anyone else smell something burning?

Cutting the Mustard

"Cut the Mustard" - what does it mean? What are its origins? I have been pondering these questions since I saw the plastic squeezable bottle of mild American mustard on the morning tea table when I came in. How do you cut a liquid - but I think you do - cut whisky for example -which essentially means adding just the right amount of water (maybe ice). But where does "cut the mustard" come few? There is some suggestion that it might be about soldiers being mustered - and only the ones who passed muster were called on to fight - or about not being able to harvest (cut) mustard (plants). Or not being able to cut very tiny round mustard seeds. The general consensus is that if you can't cut the mustard, you can't make the grade, are somehow sub-par etc etc ... but what a funny way to say it.

Handwriting

Handwriting is on my mind at the moment ... I'm reading a novel (Last Writes) about a forensic handwriting analyst - and I have started following a blog where one of the key focus areas is handwriting and how to improve yours. It's quite interesting (both of them) - especially for someone who loves handwriting. One of the recommended exercises is filling out crossword puzzles neatly, or writing out your favourite quotes, and, of course, practice ... and lots of it. But it has to  be good practice - mindful of the implements you use, taking care to form each letter, and aiming for consistency. Also recommended - keeping (and dating) your practice sheets so you can come back to them later. The thing that strikes me about this advice is that it seems that the handwriting is an end product, more important than what is being communicated ... when "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." is one of the suggested practice exercises.
I wonder how Claudia Rose, handwriting expert, would cope with line after line of handwriting practice and what she would be able to tell about the writer ... their motivation ... state of mind. She's currently holed up in a sect hideaway looking for evidence of less-than-pure-of-heart converts as she seeks out an-about-to-be-three-year-old girl who is about to be given over to be "sacrificed" (not literally - or so we're being led to believe at this stage) into a subsect of the sect.
Meanwhile, closer to home, I'm wondering about the difference in writing - and if there is one - depending on whether writing is done digitally by typing, or through transcription Software, or by handwriting. Probably different input methods work best for different uses.  I prefer handwriting unless I'm in a hurry - or in a typing mood!

Quizzes

One of the "quizzes" doing the rounds on FaceBook at the moment is "Your Life Quote" - which is fairly easily arrived at.  You select the provided link, then "sign in with FaceBook" and it gives you a quote ... and, the good news is that if you don't like the quote you get .. you can go again (and possibly even  again and again and again) to see if you like that quote better!  I know I did!  But why would people believe that something as generic as FaceBook is (as it must be) could provide something of personal significance?  Who's your soulmate? Who makes you laugh the most? You get the idea.  And you know they can only take names from your FB friends, possibly even friends of friends, or from your contacts (if you've allowed access).  The whole idea intrigues me because I know (from my cyber-security friend) that you should never click on those links (they can be as dangerous as opening that email attachment) but I know I keep doing it!