Brainy Snacks

 When I logged into my computer there was a screen page about Singapore. I decided to explore some of the quirky experiences a person can have in Singapore. I learned that you can go "glamping" with penguins!! I love penguins! Bird Paradise is a bird lover's dream location. They began offering a "glamping" experience with penguins in 2023. This attraction also provides a Southern Lights showcase that mimics the lights of the Southern Hemisphere. There are four tents that are adorned with fairy lights and have soft mattresses to sleep on. The best part is that each of the tents has a full view of the diving penguins!! To learn more watch the YouTube video or click the image below!!    

 I learned today that elephants have a superpower few people know about!  I know that I have read articles that the ground vibrates when elephants run or move together. I did not know that they use these seismic vibrations to actually talk to each other through the ground!! They have special sensors in their feet to understand the vibrations. They can detect predators and storms coming, then communicate to others. They also use these vibrations to coordinate their herd movements. To learn more about elephants watch the YouTube video or click the image below!  

 I think most of us know that bats have "radar" that allows them to avoid flying in to things and to help them detect food. This "radar" is actually ultrasonic detection. I did not know that they can use their ultrasonic abilities to identify poisonous frogs by analyzing the differences in their calls. They can tell by the sound. Bats are also able to eat scorpions with no reactions to their venom! To learn more about bats, watch the YouTube video or click the image below!  

I learned today that there is a waterfall in northern Minnesota called the Devil's Kettle. This waterfall is unique in that half of the river disappears into a giant rock "pothole" and never reappears anywhere!  There have been dye test done where the dye was sent down the waterfall. It was never seen coming out anywhere! The river runs around a rock formation. Half continues to flow the other half goes over the Devil's Kettle waterfall and disappears. Some scientists have even tried to send logs, ping pong balls, and even GPS devices over the waterfall. They disappear and have never been recovered or detected!  How creepy is that! To learn more, watch the YouTube video or click the image below!    

 I decided to learn more about hummingbirds today as I have been following the updates on their migration north in the United States. I love watching hummingbirds in the summer months! I learned that the sound they make does not come from their beak/mouth!  It is a sound that comes from their tail feathers!  When they dive or move at a high speed, the wind through their tail feathers makes the chirping sound you hear! The whirring sound of a hummingbird comes from their tail feather as well, rather than the wings moving so fast! To learn more weird hummingbird facts, watch the YouTube video or click the image below.   

 I learned that on April 12, 1934, a 231-mph wind gust was recorded at the Mt. Washington Observatory in New Hampshire!  This was the fastest wind gust recorded by humans at that time! Winds at that speed will rip roofs off of houses and throw debris around like a tornado!  What is fascinating about this is that it was recorded with analog instruments long before today's technologies existed! To learn more about weird April 12 phenomena, watch the YouTube video or click the image below!  

 I learned today that flamingos produce milk! I would never have imagined this piece of trivia! It is not like the milk of mammals. Flamingos produce a bright red fluid that is rich in nutrients for their young. It forms in the digestive tract. They are able to basically regurgitate it to feed to their chicks!  The other interesting fact of this phenomenon is that both male and female flamingos produce this milk to feed their young. To learn more, watch the YouTube video or click the image below.   

 I read news from the Turtle Patrol that the first Loggerhead turtle nest has been found for the season!  I decided to learn more about these beautiful animals. Mamas make the laborious journey from the ocean to the dunes to dig and fill their nests each season. On average, they lay anywhere from 100 - 126 eggs! They return to the ocean never knowing whether their eggs hatched and if the hatchlings survived. In Florida, there are Turtle Patrols that monitor the nests and keep watch over them. When the hatchlings come up out of the nest, they make sure as many as possible make it back to the ocean. What I did not know is that the first year of the hatchlings' lives, the enter a "lost" phase where they simply drift with the movement of the ocean. Many of them stay within sargassum blooms. Sargassum is a floating algae that forms a bit of protection for the hatchlings. The hatchlings also have plenty to eat as there are many small crustaceans that live in the sargassum bloom...

 I learned today that there was a protest in 1986 held in Rome to take a stand against the first McDonald's restaurant!  It was opening in Rome next to the Piazza di Spagna. This is one of the city's most elegant and historic landmarks. It was an insult to Romans to have an American fast food restaurant opening next to it. They held a protest where they passed out free plates of spaghetti! A fashion designer, Valentino Garavani, complained in public that his clothes smelled like fryer oil!  This was a time when haute couture and fine dining joined forces! To learn more about the pasta protest watch the YouTube video or click the link below!  

 I learned about a new bird today!  I spotted a beautiful pink and white bird in my back yard after the rains we had. I had never seen a bird like this in my backyard so of course I had to do some internet exploration! It is called a Roseate Spoonbill . The one I saw was an adult because it had a pink body with deeper pink plumage toward its shoulders. They usually feed on small shrimp, small fish, and insects found in the water. They sweep their bill from side to side in the water. There are sensitive nerve endings inside that sense when prey touches it. They snap their bill closed to catch the prey. They are beautiful and quirky and fit right in around my Florida home!  To learn more about these beautiful birds, watch the YouTube video or click the image below!  

 I did not know that there was an international holiday for beavers!  Beavers are recognized on April 7th of every year. This began back in 2009. The holiday was started by Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife. I did not know that were once close to extinction due to hunting practices for their fur. I did know that beaver fur was coveted, but not that they were that close to extinction. I did not know that beavers have bright orange teeth. This is because their tooth enamel is iron-rich. In addition, I did not know that the kits (babies) are able to swim within twenty-four hours! I have seen beaver dams and they are fascinating! To learn more, watch the YouTube video or click the image below!  

 I learned something new about tennis shoes tonight that I did not know.  In the 1970s, there were tennis shoes designed with small pocket in the tongue! I don't remember ever seeing these! It seems that players, especially the younger ones, would sneak things onto the court in their shoes!  They were sneaking things like sugar cubes, pieces of chocolate, and other candies to sneak for additional energy while playing! Shoe makers saw a marketing opportunity and began making shoes with a small pocket in the tongue to fill their need! Players sometimes put notes for other players in their new storage area as well as change or a dollar for the vending machines! To learn more, watch the YouTube video or click the link below!  

 I continued my exploration of the Great Lakes today. I learned that Lake Erie has something the locals call "fish burps"! This happens after a sudden temperature switch or a storm. There are pockets of gas and decaying organic matter that are released all at once when the lake bed is stirred up!  These bubbles that rise to the surface have a strange smell and sometimes fish are launched! To learn more quirky facts about Lake Erie, watch the YouTube video or click the image below!  

 I decided to learn quirky, funny things about the Great Lakes.  First up is Lake Michigan!  I learned a couple of things I never knew. I did not know that Lake Michigan has a spot where keys, shoes, even a pier have disappeared completely! It seems there are shifting sandbars and strong underwater currents that literally swallow things! It has also been known to give things back!  There have been bottles that are perfectly preserved, shipwreck debris and even old shoes that have shown up on the beaches! Another great piece of trivia is that Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes that is fully within the United States of America! To learn more about Lake Michigan watch the YouTube video or click the image below!    

 I loved playing Pac Man when I first discovered the game. I did not know the game was inspired by a pizza with a slice missing! Toru Irwatani was the creator. He was eating pizza and looked at the pie and the idea was born! The original name was "Puck Man" but was changed to avoid people changing the "P" to an "F". The game began as a deliberate attempt to provide a friendlier, less violent game. I did know that each of the ghosts had a name and certain behavior in the game. Their names were Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde! I did not know that Ms. Pac Man was created without Irwatini's permission! To learn more about the iconic Pac Man, click the YouTube video or image below!    

 Artemis II is still on my mind this evening. I learned tonight that there is a superstition among the NASA crews before every launch of every mission.  The flight commander MUST lose a card game just before launch!  They believe that if the commander loses a card game before the launch it dispels any bad luck for the mission!  Before the Artemis II mission, the astronauts played "High Card Wins" until the commander lost! This practice of the commander losing a card game has been done for years, but is rarely spoken about publicly!  The internet is amazing!  To learn more weird facts about the Artemis II mission, watch the YouTube video or click the image below!  

 I decided to learn more about the Artemis II in my quest for knowledge today. I learned that the Artemis II astronauts will be testing a new laser communications system called O2O from the moon's orbit. This system will allow them to send mission data, images, and high-definition videos, from a further distance, and faster than any crew has been able to do previously. They will be attempting to send telemetry, flight plans, data, and images via a narrow laser beam aimed at Earth! There are only two places on Earth, in Las Cruces, NM and Table Mountain, CA , that will be receiving the signals. These areas are known for very little cloud cover to allow a clear path for the laser communications!!  To learn more about the Artemis II mission , watch the YouTube video or click the image below! I also learned how to LINK searches within my posts!  You can click the links in the paragraph to open a Google search for that word or term!