NKF knOwz..

Why do we blush?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:41:37 PST

Blushing and embarrassment go hand in hand. Feeling flushed is such a natural response to sudden self-consciousness that if it weren't part of an emotionally crippling experience, it could almost be overlooked. But blushing is unique, which is why scientists want to know more about blushing. While...

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How did the term skipper originate?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:30:00 PST

We all know that a skipper is a person who has command of a boat or ship, more or less equivalent to "captain." The word is derived from the Dutch word schipper; schip is Dutch for "ship". In Dutch sch- is pronounced [sx] (as in German), and English-speakers rendered this as [sk].The word "skipper"...

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why do we yawn?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:30:00 PST

The simple truth is that even though humans have been yawning for possibly as long as they have existed, we have no clue as to why we do it. Maybe it serves some healthful purpose. It does cause us to draw in more air and our hearts to race faster than normal, but so does exercise. There's still...

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How did the custom of a bride throwing the bouquet originate?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:36:40 PST

Throughout Europe and North America, it is traditional for the bride to throw her bouquet at the reception and for all single women present to compete in catching it. The woman who catches the bouquet is said to be the next who will marry. But how did this custom originate? In medieval Europe, a...

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How do cats always land on their feet?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:01:36 PST

If cats fall a short distance, they can almost always right themselves and land on their feet. If they fall more than one or two floors, however, they may sustain severe or even fatal injuries. The number of cats who become injured from falling is increasing, partially because of the large number...

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What's inside the Bean bag??

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:05:41 PST

A bean bag is a sealed bag containing "dried beans or PVC pellets" with various applications. Bean bag chairs are a popular form of furniture made of fabric and filled with small chunks of styrofoam or PVC pellets. They were hugely popular asmod furniture during the late 1960s and early 1970s;...

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What is Quicksand and does it really suck you down?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:01:55 PST

How many times have you watched a movie where the hero is sucked down into a pit of quicksand, only to be saved at the last minute by grabbing a nearby tree branch and pulling himself out? Quicksand is not quite the fearsome force of nature that you sometimes see on the big screen. In fact,...

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Why does the soil smell sweet after a rain?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:20:56 PST

Most people notice a distinctive smell in the air after it rains. It's frequently linked with spring, as the smell of fresh cut grass is associated with summer. You'll find it in a lot of poetry and also on many inspirational lists of things to be happy about. But what causes it? As it turns out,...

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Why do we get sudden splitting headache, whenever we eat ice cream too quickly?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:15:40 PST

That achin' in the head is known as an "ice cream headache" or "brain freeze." It is a form of brief cranial pain or headache commonly associated with consumption (particularly quick consumption) of cold beverages, milkshakes or foods such as ice cream. It has been estimated that one in three...

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How does the bulletproof glass stop the bullet??

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:22:08 PST

At first glance, bullet-resistant glass looks identical to an ordinary pane of glass, but that's where the similarities end. An ordinary piece of glass shatters when struck by a single bullet. Bullet resistant glass is designed to withstand one or several rounds of bullets depending on the...

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Why does a "side stitch" occur when we run?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:00:45 PDT

fig: woman clutching her side due to the cramp (side-stitch) This must have occured to most people during our school or teenage days. Near the stomach, we get a horrible pain after running a lot. Ever wondered why?? The answer is right here. When you run, you use more oxygen than you do when...

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Humpty Dumpty is not an EGG...

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:11:10 PDT

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horses, And all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty together again! Who was Humpty Dumpty? It should be noted that it is not stated in the rhyme that Humpty Dumpty is an egg. In its first printed form in 1250, the rhyme is...

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Why are the boxing ring's "square" ?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:25:10 PDT

The contests were usually fought in a roughly drawn circle, called the ring, on the ground in the early days. The name, 'ring' continued with the Jack Broughton rules in 1743, which specifed a small circle in the centre of the fight area where the boxers met at the start of each round. The first...

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Why is a pineapple called so?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:20:23 PDT

The name pineapple in English comes from the similarity of the fruit to a pine cone. The word was first recorded in 1398, when it was originally used to describe the reproductive organs of conifer trees (now termed pine cones). When European explorers discovered this tropical fruit that grows on...

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What exactly is the "T" in T-shirt?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:44:50 PDT

The origin of the name is uncertain: it may refer to the shape of the shirt as a "T", or it may derive from the use by the army as a "training shirt". The shape-based theory is supported by the existence of an A-shirt in the 1930s, which was the typical undershirt later referred to as a tank top....

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What Causes Hiccups?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:02:54 PDT

Hiccups are caused by a sudden involuntary spasm, or contraction of the dome shaped muscular partition separating the chest and the abdominal cavity. This partition, called the diaphragm, plays an important role in breathing. Normally, the diaphragm expands and deflates as it draws air into...

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Why do we get dizzy when we spin around a lot?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:13:34 PDT

The inner parts of our ears does another job besides hearing, viz: they give you a sense of balance. Deep inside your ears are some special cavities filled with fluid. Inside these cavities are sensitive little hairs attached to nerve cells. Any movement of your head makes the fluid slosh around....

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Why are left-handed people called "south paws"?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:14:35 PDT

We have often heard cricket commentators describing a left-handed batsman as a southpaw. Had often thought about it; Well now, here is the answer. A left-handed individual may be known as a southpaw, particularly in a sports context. It is widely accepted that the term originated in the United...

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Why do people have red eyes in flash photographs?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:30:12 PDT

We've all see photographs where the people in the picture have spooky red eyes. These are photos taken at night with a flash. Where do the red eyes come from? The red color comes from light that reflects off of the retinas in our eyes. In many animals, including dogs, cats and deer, the retina has...

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Why is the white dove associated as a symbol of peace?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:28:00 PDT

When we think of a symbol of peace, the first thing that springs to mind is often a White Dove, particularly in Western culture. In the Far East, a more familiar peace symbol might well be a Red Crowned Crane. When something from nature is used to symbolize peace, it is usually a bird or a flower;...

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Width of Railroad Tracks is based on a History that Extends Back to Roman Chariots- FICTION!!!

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:50:21 PDT

This story is a "We've always done it that way" tale. It says that the standard distance between railroad rails in the U.S. is four-feet, eight-and-a-half inches. Why? Because that's what it ws in England. Why? Because that's the gauge the tramways used before the railroads. Why? Because the...

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"5" key on the keypad of a calculator or a mobile phone has a bump...why??

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:11:03 PDT

The raised dot on the "5" key on the numeric cluster is the home key for the middle finger. Folks (blind or not) use that for keying in numeric entries without having to look at the keyboard. when the middle finger is properly aligned, it is used to strike the "2", "5", & "8" keys, while the...

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Why do cutting onions makes us cry??

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:48:05 PDT

It is not the strong odor of the onion that makes us cry, but the gas that the onion releases when we sever this member of the lily family. The onion itself contains oil, which contains sulfur, an irritant to both our noses and to our eyes. Cutting an onion arouses a gas contained within the onion,...

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Why Do Bats Hang Upside Down?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:10:08 PDT

Since bats are the only mammals who can fly, with wingspans ranging from 6" to 6', they failed to make great strides in the walking-about, or in the standing departments. Their legs and feet are simply not strong enough to support these functions for great lengths of time.For this very reason,...

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Why do clocks run clockwise?

noreply@blogger.com (NkF) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:52:17 PDT

The reason is quite simple. Our original clocks were sundials. In the northern hemisphere, where sundials were first used extensively, the shadow on a sundial moves around its face in a clockwise direction, as the sun moves across the sky. Mechanical clocks with hands were originally built to...

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