Blog Marco - Random Stuff

Random Facts and Figures

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 18:08:40 -0800

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Why is Clerks Black and White?

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:11:00 -0700

Clerks (1994) is one of the few well-known recent films shot in black-and-white for no artistic purpose; because of the extremely low out-of-pocket budget, the production team could not afford the added costs of shooting in color (though the difference in film stock price would be slight, the store's fluorescent lights could not be used to light for color; by shooting in black and white, the film-makers did not have to rent lighting equipment).

How Much Does BP Make in Profit Every Single Day?

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 17:23:18 -0700

Teaser:
How Much Does BP Make in Profit Every Single Day? They Must Make an Enormous Amount of Money!

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With the oil spill crisis still ongoing in USA, with no signs of ending anytime soon, and with environmental damage which will last more than 50 years, I ponder about how much BP actually profits from piping oil from deep underground. According to this media release, BP p.l.c. made a replacement cost profit of $5,598 million just in the first quarter of 2010. Assuming BP's first quarter is from January to March, that's 90 days. $5,598 million/90 days = BP made $62.2 million in profit (on average) for each day of the first 90 days of 2010. That's making $2.59 million in profit per hour!

What's "replacement cost profit"?

It is a profit figure that is calculated using the cost of supplies at the cost of replacing supplies at current prices Oil companies often disclose replacement cost profit. This is because the oil price is so volatile, they hold large stocks, and the amount stocked also varies significantly from one reporting period to period.

Good Running Technique

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 02:45:00 -0700

Teaser:
It's Important to know how to run properly

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How to run properly, good running technique is important, especially to avoid any injuries - such as a Shin Splint. Aim to learn to run with good technique will help you run faster, more efficiently with less stress on your body.

Look Straight Ahead and Not at your Feet
Land MidFoot, not on your toes or heel (Are you a Toe Runner or a Heel Striker?)

Landing on your toes will make your calves get tight and you'll fatigue quickly and may develop shin pain. Landing on your heels wastes energy as you have overstrided and you're braking. It is best to land in the middle of your foot then rolling through the motion to the front of your toes.

Run with your Hands Swinging by your Waist - where they may brush your waist while your run

Beginners, especially when they get tired, will hold their hands by their chest. This will get you more tired and you'll find that you'll start to feel tightness and tension in your shoulders and neck.

Why Does my Shin Muscle Hurt?

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:04:33 -0700

Teaser:
Shin muscle, the muscles located in the anterior shin or the front of the shin is called the tibialis anterior

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I've started walking and running at the gym and I've noticed a pain around the shin area of my leg after running a couple of minutes. After some research on Wikpedia, I've found that this shin muscle has a name: the muscles located in the anterior shin or the front of the shin is called the tibialis anterior.

According to MadetoRun:

When either running or jumping athletes will sometimes over-stride and forcibly plant on the heel of the foot. This causes a whip like reaction with the distal end of the foot in which the toes are stretched forward and downward (following heel strike), placing significant stress on the muscles and ligaments that regulate your toes, which happen to run up your ankle all the way to your shin. Repeating this motion continues to stress the muscles and ligaments of the shin and can rapidly develop into a debilitating overuse injury. Basically, with a heavy heel strike you are giving the tibialis anterior a bit of whiplash.

Telephone - Lady Gaga Music Video Clip

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:45:02 -0800

Lady Gaga has released a music video clip of her song Telephone which is over 9 minutes long and features Beyonce Knowles. Within 12 hours of the video being released on the internet it had half a million hits and nearly as many blogs dissecting its possible meanings. Lady Gaga has said the video had been inspired by Quentin Tarantino's films.

"There's certainly always a hidden message in my music videos," she said. "I'm always trying to convolute everyone's idea of what a pop-music video should be." Early in the clip, there's a scene set in a prison yard featuring a lesbian snog between a butch lesbian dressed in leather and Lady Gaga, who is wearing a pair of sunglasses constructed from burning cigarettes.

Are All Chickens Female?

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:29:32 -0800

Teaser:
No. Female chickens are called hens.

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No. Female chickens are called hens. Male chickens are called roosters or cocks or cockerel. And yes all the chickens we eat are females. The egg-laying hens are genetically-modified/bred so that they only lay eggs that are female. Any male ones are wastage and are often gassed to provide food for snakes. This is because male chickens tend to have a tougher meat.

Are All Cows Female?

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:29:29 -0800

Teaser:
Yes, all cows are female.

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Yes, all cows are female. However, the species as a whole are referred to as "cattle" are also known colloquially as cows. But strictly speaking, male cattle are bulls, female cattle are cows and castrated cattle are called steer. Most beef we eat are from steer. Dairy cows don't have as much meat in prime cuts such as loin and rump so they are mostly ground to make hamburgers.

Are Race Horses Male or Female?

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:29:04 -0800

Teaser:
Racehorses are both male and female.

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Racehorses are both. Stallions, geldings and colts are male race horses. Mares and fillies are female race horses. In Australia, the males and females usually race against each other. There are races for one sex only, but most of them have them competing against one another. A mare named Makybe Diva is the one and only race horse to win the prestigious Melbourne Cup three times. Phar Lap was a Gelding who won the Melbourne Cup in 1930.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine Viral Video

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:47:28 -0800

OK Go - the band responsible for the treadmill dance video "Here It Goes Again" which was a youtube viral video have created another viral video for the band's new song "This too Shall Pass". "This Too Shall Pass" has been viewed over 300,000 times in less than two days, and according to link-shortening service Bit.ly, the link has been shared over 26,000 times on Facebook.

The video, depicting an elaborate series of chain-reactions known as a Rube Goldberg machine, may be rising in popularity by tapping into a YouTube trend. Rube Goldberg machines, named after the US cartoonist and inventor, are a popular subject of YouTube videos. Users share clips of the best contraptions, often created for real-world competitions, with some clocking up to 1.9 million views online. The four-minute video was shot in one take and took 60 tries to get it right over two days, according to Wired.com.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - RGM version

Top 10 Definitions of the Month

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:45:07 -0800

Teaser:
Top 10 Definitions of the Month: Banal, Erudite, Loquacious, Lugubrious, Maudlin, Obsequious, Perturbing, Platitude...

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Dictionary reading was a favourite pastime of mine when I was younger. I love discovering new words such as psychosomatic and many others. Other popular words... I was taking a quiz on definitions online when these 10 words popped up:

Banal: lacking force or originality; trite; commonplace

Erudite: having or showing extensive scholarship; learned

Loquacious: characterized by or showing a tendency to talk a great deal

Lugubrious: excessively mournful; doleful

Maudlin: foolishly tearful or sentimental, as when drunk

Obsequious: obedient or attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner

Perturbing: 1. To disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious; 2. To throw into great confusion.

Platitude: 1. a trite, dull, or obvious remark or statement; a commonplace; 2. staleness or insipidity of thought or language; triteness

Paypal vs. Credit Card Currency Conversion - Which Gives Better Rates?

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:26:01 -0800

Teaser:
Which should you choose, credit card or paypal? Compare which gets the better rate?

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Here's a topic which would interest frugal shoppers and businesses who pay for outsourcing, services, gifts and other products online with Paypal. Comparing Paypal vs. Credit Card Currency Conversion - Which gives better rates? Personally I thought my credit card would get the better rate. But it turns out Paypal gives the better rate taking in consideration the whole transaction including fees. I though Paypal was only trying to be difficult when they try to force me to use Paypal for the currency conversion process and not my credit card.

Ok this is the experiment I did: First I took note of how much it was to convert from Australian dollars to US dollars using Paypal's payment method, with Paypal Conversion Rate. For $100 USD, it would cost me $115.78 AUD. That's including all the fees and currency conversion costs and Paypal allowed me to pay this bill either by using my Direct Deposit, or credit card or current Paypal Funds. But then I switched my payment conversion method to my own credit card company - so my credit card will do the currency conversion. My bill came to this: $100 USD cost $113.56 AUD.... BUT... there was an additional International transaction fee of $3.35, bringing my cost to $116.91 - which is $1.13 AUD more expensive. I did the same experiment with another transaction of a smaller value, and it was similar: PayPal was cheaper to use. Yes the Credit card companeis give you a good exchange rate, but then they charge their fees - and that's when they double dip as the card companies make money on the exchange spread and the supposed "international transaction fee" which is a fixed price per transaction plus a percentage. Check with your own credit card if this is the case.

Eastern Creek Go Karting

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:43:25 -0800

Went to Eastern Creek Go Carts in Western Sydney last weekend. These are my racing cheat notes for their track for the next time I go there. I love how they say on their website that "The circuit has a total of two kilometres of the best quality Bitumen available. The racing surface was produced by Boral and is the finest ever laid on a kart circuit." But in reality, the track has degraded over the years and it really needs resurfacing. My local road has a better surface than their track! Watch out for loose gravel!

When you first hit the track from the pits, just gun it. There is no starting line. The faster you go, the more muscle you need to put into steering your go-kart, lose control and you'll find yourself hitting the kerb or the tyres. Oversteer with too much acceleration around a corner will send you spinning. It takes a little courage to not brake through a curve because it feels like you're going to run into the grass. You'll get faster times when you don't brake around shallow corners and just follow through by releasing the gas a little before the curve then gunning it after you've passed the main curve while completing the turn. For tighter turns, you need to enter the turn wide and brake before, then 50% into the turn start accelerating. You get a printout of your time at the end of the race.

Go Karting at Eastern Creek costs $85 for the 13 HP karts for 2 x 15 minute heats. It gets busy during weekends and holidays so if you can, go on a weekday, otherwise get a group booking so you're only racing with your mates and not some other randoms.

Ella Fitzgerald is Awesome

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:37:04 -0800

Ella Fitzgerald's music is awesome. When I discovered her music a long time ago while browsing the selection of CDs at the local public library, I was lucky enough to pick her CD. Below are the two songs that are really memorable to me: Mack The Knife and Let's Call the Whole thing off (duet with Louis Armstrong).

Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife

Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz vocalist. With a vocal range spanning three octaves, she was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing and intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. She is widely considered one of the supreme interpreters of the Great American Songbook. Over a recording career that lasted 59 years, she was the winner of 13 Grammy Awards and was awarded the National Medal of Art by Ronald Reagan and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush.

Afternoon Siesta Makes You Smarter

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:58:19 -0800

Teaser:
Your afternoon nap - siesta - can make you smarter

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According to this report, having a siesta, or an afternoon nap not only refreshes you, but it can make you smarter by "improve the brain's ability to learn by clearing out cluttered memory space". I love taking afternoon naps, especially on a Sunday afternoon... maybe I should schedule it as a daily task? I tend to nod off towards the afternoon anyway, so if having a siesta in the afternoon could improve my performance - why not? (I work for myself anyway so I can do this easily!).

People who nodded off for an hour after lunch performed better in learning tests than those who stayed awake all afternoon, the scientists found.

A study of students revealed that their brains were refreshed by napping only if they entered what is called stage 2 non-REM sleep, which takes place between deep sleep and the dream state known as REM, or rapid-eye-movement, sleep.