7 Things I've Learned Recently #3

Hey guys, I just wanted to thank you all for your continued support. Since I really enjoy writing my new "7 Things I've Learned Recently" series and you guys seem to like it, I figured I'd stick with it. Check out the first two if you haven't already. Thanks!

-Drinkware that detects drugs - A company called DrinkSavvy created drinkware that can detect roofies and other rape drugs. This is one of the coolest new things of 2013 and bars/clubs/social events everywhere should start using these cups, glasses, straws, and stirrers to show their commitment to fighting sexual assault. In case you're wondering how you can tell whether or not there might be something in your drink, check out this image. Pretty self-explanatory.

-Dress for the job you want, not the job you have - Ah, the old adage. I don't agree with it entirely, but it is a great piece of advice--especially for criminals.  Some guy committed a robbery in Spokane, WA (where I'm flying out of today, woo!) recently and they didn't manage to catch him... at first. Long story short, cops found security footage and saw a tattoo on the side of his neck. And what did it have? His name. So yeah, you can probably figure out how easy it was to catch him after that.

I would never encourage anyone to become a felon, but if you feel compelled to to commit crimes, make sure you don't tattoo your name on the side of your neck. 

-Clap-off bra - I don't know what it's like to walk around all day wearing a bra but I understand it can be pretty constricting? Anyways, someone just made a bra that you can take off by simply clapping. All in all, this is a cool concept, but is it really a wise idea? Just think about what would happen at the end of a classy concert or a wedding ceremony if these became popular. 

-If you're scared of spiders... - Well, just read this. Thanks Cracked and thanks spiders! You're awesome.

-You can be naked in Barcelona, but not half-naked - My friend Angel studied in Barcelona +for a year and he told me that apparently it's illegal to be half-naked (shirtless) in public in the streets of Barcelona. However, due to some technicality, it's totally legal to be completely naked in public and Angel even saw a man who would often be seen riding his bike naked.

-Where did the huddle come from? - Yes, I'm talking about when football players gather around in a circle and fire each other up and go over a play. Well back in 1892, Gallaudet University had a player who was deaf, meaning that other players were only able to communicate with him through hand signals. Noticing that players from the opposing team could read these signals, the Gallaudet squad "huddled" in a circle to hide their hand signals from the other team. And now football and cricket players everywhere do it too!

-Mind-controlled cybernetic limbs - The future looks bright for amputees as mind-controlled prosthetic limbs will be available sometime in the near future. It's one of the coolest technological advancements I've heard in a while, and hopefully it will improve the quality of life of amputees. You can complain as much as you want, but technology's awesome. It really is.

7 More Things I've Learned Recently

Check out last week's edition of random crap I've learned recently if you haven't already. Since it was my most viewed blog post, I decided to do another one.

-The cigarette lighter was invented before the match - Woah, really? That's pretty cool. Wait, so why did they even bother making matches? I thought the whole point of technology was to make life easier and safer for people. During my 8th or 9th birthday, my mom was trying to light the candles of my cake, and the head of a match went flying to my chest as she tried to ignite the match. A cigarette lighter just seems smarter. Anyways...

 -Following the Pope on Twitter gets you closer to heaven - So...yeah. Apparently following the Pope on Twitter reduces your waiting time in purgatory. You still have to prey and confess your sins, but Twitter is the key to seeing God's light in a timely fashion.

-Muirfield doesn't allow women to join - In case you don't know, Muirfield is where the 2013 edition of one of golf's four big tournaments, The Open, took place, and apparently they don't allow women to join as members. It's been around since the 19th century but it's 2013. Why haven't they changed their policies?

-I look like someone who likes comedies - I finally got around to opening a bank account in Idaho, and my personal banker scanned me and said I look like someone who likes to watch comedies. This guy claims that I could be a character in the Hangover and American Pie movies. Good to know.

-60 percent of NBA players go broke after 5 years - I'd feel bad for them... but all this does is make me laugh. Seriously, if someone's making over $400,000 a year (the best players make gazillions), I would've imagined that they would hire a financial adviser or maybe, oh I don't know, use common sense?

-Rebecca Black was born... - on a Saturday. Yup, now you know.

-It's truly amazing what the human body is capable of - Seriously, we're so full of potential. It's unbelievable what we can achieve if we put our minds to it. If you ever feel like you're just a spec in the microcosm who's incapable of achieving anything, just remember this.

PS: Please don't figure out a way to do this. I just wanted to let you know how awesome you can be.

7 Things I've Learned Recently

Since I've been short on ideas lately, I felt like an educational post would work as a crutch until I can find something more substantial to write about. Anyways, here's some random crap I've learned in the last few months or so.

-Pork chops are serious business: Late last year, some dude in Florida killed his roommate over pork chops. Yeah, apparently using 3 tablespoons of garlic is way too much and anyone who uses more than 2 should be shot to death. The economy's hitting some of us harder than others.

-Marshmallows soothe sore throats: They may look like large, white cubes of fluff, the sap from marshmallow plants can reduce throat soreness during a cold. There's no hard evidence to back up this fact, but apparently the soft, gelatinous texture of marshmallows is very appeasing to the throat.

-Mexico is fatter than us now: Yes, apparently Mexico has overtaken the US as the fattest country in America. I'm not exactly sure how this is even possible, but maybe people are starting to realize that a) tacos are awesome, and b) McDonald's buns taste like cardboard.

They do have good fries...

-I'm the only person who runs in Idaho: I like to go on runs around campus because the weather here is beautiful, but instead of seeing a campus full of runners during the summertime, I see flocks of competitive cyclists at every corner.

-Wet paper towels are the perfect way to cool your beers/sodas: Seriously, just try it. Soak a paper towel with tap water, wrap it around a can or bottle of your favorite beverage, and stick in the freezer for 15 minutes. It'll be ice cold after that, I promise.

-Kangaroos think pillows are their mommies: Even though kangaroos aren't domestic animals, some people keep baby kangaroos as pets in Australia. And if there's one thing I know about kangaroos, it's that the adults have pouches, and the youngins jump into that pouch to sleep. Since people who have them as pets don't have pouches, they nail a pillow case to a wall, and kangaroos jump inside the pillow case when it's bedtime.

And this is what their parents do.

-Iceland lacks diversity...badly: I don't mean in size--I mean in population. They only have 300,000+ people, but they have some serious problems when it comes to dating. The Islendiga-App was created as a cool way to find out whether or not someone else in Iceland is a distant relative of yours. Even though it was simply created as a way to expand one's family tree, most Icelanders have been using it to...umm...avoid incest. So yeah, if you're in Iceland and you're reading this, just make sure you take your phone or tablet to the bar with you.