tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72108172216913278092024-02-20T07:54:09.423-05:00Wikipedia DailyBecause the daily featured article isn't enough!scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-10482602115014087502011-04-26T21:20:00.001-04:002011-04-26T21:20:00.201-04:00Shibboleth<blockquote>A shibboleth is any distinguishing practice that is indicative of one's social or regional origin. It usually refers to features of language, and particularly to a word whose pronunciation identifies its speaker as being a member or not a member of a particular group...</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth">Read more...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-1985954890370087652011-03-25T21:51:00.000-04:002011-03-25T21:51:00.483-04:00Reb<blockquote>Reb (Yiddish: רעב) is a Yiddish honorific traditionally used for Orthodox Jewish men. It is not a rabbinic title; it is the equivalent of the English "mister". In writing it is abbreviated as 'ר.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reb">Read More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-23317062701022155502011-03-14T20:22:00.001-04:002011-03-14T20:22:00.171-04:00Algonquin Round Table<blockquote>The Algonquin Round Table was a celebrated group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle," as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929. At these luncheons they engaged in wisecracks, wordplay and witticisms that, through the newspaper columns of Round Table members, were disseminated across the country.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algonquin_Round_Table">Read more...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-28639975587760107222011-03-07T18:58:00.000-05:002011-03-07T18:58:01.006-05:00GEDCOM<blockquote>GEDCOM, an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication, is a proprietary and open de facto specification for exchanging genealogical data between different genealogy software. GEDCOM was developed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an aid to genealogical research.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gedcom">Read more...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-68089383790116021082011-02-28T20:07:00.003-05:002011-03-07T17:01:34.129-05:00Smörgåsbord<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Swedish_buffet-Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord-01.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Swedish_buffet-Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord-01.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><blockquote>Smörgåsbord (Swedish pronunciation: [ˌsmœrɡɔsˈbuːɖ]) is a type of Scandinavian meal served buffet-style with multiple dishes of various foods on a table, originating in Sweden. In Norway it is called koldtbord, in Denmark it is called kolde bord, in Finland seisova pöytä and in Estonia rootsi laud. Smörgåsbord became internationally known as Smorgasbord at the 1939 New York World's Fair when it was offered at the Swedish Pavilion's "Three Crowns Restaurant." It is typically a celebratory meal and guests can help themselves from a range of dishes laid out for their choice. In a restaurant, the term refers to a buffet-style table laid out with many small dishes from which, for a fixed amount of money, one is allowed to choose as many as one wishes.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord">Read more...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-43971176999493161402011-02-27T11:17:00.000-05:002011-02-27T11:19:26.537-05:00Nadar (photographer)<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Nadar_autoportrait_tournant.gif" /><br /><br /><blockquote>Félix Nadar was the pseudonym of Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (6 April 1820, Paris – 21 March 1910), a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist and balloonist.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspard-F%C3%A9lix_Tournachon">More more...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-26591044034388799282011-02-23T22:13:00.001-05:002011-02-23T22:15:25.248-05:00Uncombable hair syndrome<blockquote>Uncombable hair syndrome, also known as Pili trianguli et canaliculi, Spun-glass hair, and Cheveux incoiffables, is a rare structural anomaly of the hair with a variable degree of effect. It was discovered in the 1970s. It becomes apparent from as little as 3 months to up to 12 years.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncombable_hair_syndrome">Click here to read more...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-79060344727779046712011-02-21T10:53:00.003-05:002011-02-21T10:58:31.760-05:00Frikadeller, aka Frikadella<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frikadeller.jpg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Frikadeller.jpg" width="300" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><blockquote>Frikadeller are flat, pan-fried dumplings of minced meat, often likened to the Danish version of meatballs. They are a popular dish in Denmark, Poland and Germany. In Sweden, poached quenelles are called frikadeller and are usually served in soup.<br /><br />Many variations of frikadeller exist but traditionally they are made of minced pork, veal, or beef; chopped onions; eggs; milk (or water); bread crumbs (or oatmeal or flour); salt; and pepper; then formed into balls and flattened somewhat. They are then pan-fried in pork fat, or more commonly in modern times in butter, margarine or even vegetable oil.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frikadeller">Click here to read more.</a><br /><br />At the deli where my bother worked, they would take all of the ends of the slicing meats that were two small to slice more, grind them up, mix in eggs and deep fry them.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-90002809817553825722010-10-07T07:29:00.001-04:002010-10-07T10:31:29.751-04:00Stravenue<blockquote>A stravenue (portmanteau of street and avenue) is a type of road particular to Tucson, Arizona. The United States Postal Service officially supports the suffix STRA for stravenues. A Stravenue runs "diagonally between and intersects a Street and an Avenue."</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stravenue">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-86195197304225867702010-09-15T18:48:00.000-04:002010-09-15T18:48:00.303-04:00Jamón ibérico<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Jam%C3%B3n_de_Huelva.jpg" alt="ham" /><br /><br /><blockquote>Jamón ibérico, Iberico ham, also called pata negra, is a type of cured ham produced mostly in Spain and in some Portuguese regions, where it's called presunto ibérico. It is at least 75% black Iberian pig, also called the cerdo negro (black pig). According to Spain's Denominación de Origen rules on food products jamón ibérico may be made from cross-bred pigs as long as they are at least 75% ibérico.<br /><br />Until recently, jamón ibérico was not available in the United States (a fact referenced in the movie Perdita Durango, where the ham of Jabugo is praised as "illegal, but delicious").<br /><br />Prior to 2005, only pigs raised and slaughtered outside of Spain were allowed to be processed in Spain for export to the United States. In 2005 the first slaughterhouse in Spain, Embutidos y Jamones Fermín, S.L., was approved by the United States Department of Agriculture to produce ibérico ham products for export to the United States.<br /><br />The first "jamones ibéricos" were released for sale in the United States in December 2007, with the bellota hams due to follow in July 2008. The basic jamón ibérico is priced upwards of $52 a pound, and the bellota is priced upwards of $96 a pound, making these hams some of the most expensive in the world.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam%C3%B3n_ib%C3%A9rico">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-3515920994143613332010-07-08T18:11:00.002-04:002010-07-08T18:11:00.912-04:00SS Delphine (1921)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/SS_delphine.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/SS_delphine.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><blockquote>SS Delphine is a yacht commissioned by Horace Dodge, co-founder of Dodge Brothers. The yacht was launched on 2 April 1921, and spans 258 feet (79 m). Power comes from three Babcock and Wilcox boilers which power two 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW) quadruple expansion engines. "Of all the large American-built steam yachts built between 1893 and 1930, the Delphine is the only one left in her original condition with her original steam engines still in service."[</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Delphine_%281921%29">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-35574465603440564152010-06-29T11:50:00.001-04:002010-06-29T11:51:38.369-04:00Drones Club<blockquote>The Drones Club is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a gentlemen's club in London. Many of his Jeeves and Blandings Castle stories feature the club or its members.<br /><br />The name "Drones" has been used by several real-life clubs and restaurants.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drones_Club">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-60191285743891177002010-05-20T20:05:00.001-04:002010-05-20T20:05:00.187-04:00Vexillology<blockquote>Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum, meaning "flag", and the suffix -logy, meaning "study of". The vexillum was a particular type of flag used by Roman legions during the classical era; its name is a diminutive form of the word vela meaning sail, and thus literally means "little sail". Unlike most modern flags, which are suspended from a pole or mast along a vertical side, the square vexillum was suspended from a horizontal crossbar along its top side, which was attached to a spear.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vexillology">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-62592071232259781892010-02-10T21:54:00.000-05:002010-02-10T21:56:19.268-05:00Hollywood Pins<blockquote>Hollywood Pins was a company that operated in California from 1990 to 1995. The company's primary products were replica Starfleet insignia associated with the Star Trek science fiction franchise.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Pins">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-33621258816551161862010-01-29T13:36:00.000-05:002010-01-29T13:37:41.386-05:00Geneva drive<blockquote>The Geneva drive or Maltese cross is a mechanism that translates a continuous rotation into an intermittent rotary motion. It is an intermittent gear where the drive wheel has a pin that reaches into a slot of the driven wheel and thereby advances it by one step. The drive wheel also has a raised circular blocking disc that locks the driven wheel in position between steps.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_wheel">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-46224554084980136692010-01-22T14:00:00.000-05:002010-01-22T14:01:29.620-05:00Moloch<blockquote>Moloch, Molech, Molekh, Molek, or Moloc, representing Semitic מולך m-l-k, (a root which occurs in various Hebrew and Arabic words related to kings) is either the name of a god or the name of a particular kind of sacrifice associated with fire. Moloch was historically affiliated with cultures throughout the Middle East, including the Ammonite, Hebrew, Canaanite, Phoenician and related cultures in North Africa and the Levant.<br /><br />In modern English usage, "Moloch" can refer derivatively to any person or thing which demands or requires costly sacrifices.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-28567849186371269832009-11-07T21:55:00.001-05:002009-11-07T21:58:07.004-05:00Aiguillette<blockquote>An aiguillette is an ornamental braided cord most often worn on uniforms, but may also be observed on other costumes such as academic dress, where it will denote an honor. Originally, the word "aiguillette" referred to the lacing used to fasten plate armour together. As such a knot or loop arrangement was used which sometimes hung down from the shoulder.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiguillette">more...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-44233680024883772222009-05-28T09:20:00.000-04:002009-05-28T09:22:14.046-04:00Majordomofrom wikipedia:<br /><br /><blockquote>A majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, the term refers to the highest (major) person of a household (domo) staff, one who acts on behalf of the (often absent) owner of a typically large residence. Similar terms include castellan, concierge, chamberlain, seneschal, Mayor of the Palace, maître d'hôtel, butler and steward. The term also refers, more informally, to someone who oversees the day-to-day responsibilities of a business enterprise.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_domo">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-18075003134515445082009-03-22T15:40:00.001-04:002009-03-22T15:42:15.574-04:00Kentucky Do-Nothing<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sakraft1/3375895909/" title="Entertainment Center: Kentucky Do-Nothing by sakraft1, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3466/3375895909_9b6e342d5e.jpg" width="400" alt="Entertainment Center: Kentucky Do-Nothing" /></a><br /><br /><blockquote>A Kentucky Do-Nothing is toy or novelty consisting, in its simplest form, of a base and a crank and two sliding parts. One sliding part is connected to the crank at the crank's end, the other is connected at the crank's midpoint. When the crank is turned, the sliding parts move back and fourth in grooves cut into the base. Because of the restricting movement of the sliding parts, the free end of the crank (often with a knob) moves in an elliptical pattern.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Do-Nothing">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-70259998236287073072009-03-18T11:00:00.003-04:002009-03-18T11:04:30.001-04:00Kinda looks like the SeaduckBlohm & Voss BV 138<br /><br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Blohm_und_Voss_Bv138.jpg/300px-Blohm_und_Voss_Bv138.jpg" /><br /><br /><blockquote>The Blohm & Voss BV 138 Seedrache (Sea Dragon, but nicknamed Der Fliegende Holzschuh (flying clog)) was a World War II German flying boat that functioned as the Luftwaffe's main long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft.<br /><br />...Unusual were the aircraft's twin boom tail unit, and gun turrets at the bow and the stern of the fuselage, as well as behind the central engine. These features together produced the aircraft's ungainly appearance.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blohm_%26_Voss_BV_138">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-33373244009364300382009-01-17T19:32:00.001-05:002009-01-17T19:33:59.197-05:00Decoy effectIn <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing" title="Marketing">marketing</a>, the <b>decoy effect</b> (or <b>asymmetric dominance effect</b>) is the phenomenon whereby consumers will tend to have a specific change in preference between two options when also presented with a third option that is asymmetrically dominated. An option is asymmetrically dominated when it is inferior in all respects to one option; but, in comparison to the other option, it is inferior in some respects and superior in others. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoy_effect">more...</a>)Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420111370131273253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-67712085516794890292008-11-17T20:22:00.001-05:002008-11-17T20:24:59.901-05:00Piet Pieterszoon HeinPiet Pieterszoon Hein (or Pieter Pietersen Heyn) (November 25, 1577 – June 18, 1629) was a Dutch naval officer and folk hero during the Eighty Years' War between the United Provinces and Spain.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-59430818251611966042008-09-02T17:39:00.001-04:002008-09-02T17:39:01.575-04:00Cargo cult<blockquote>A cargo cult appears in tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced, non-native cultures. Focused on obtaining the material wealth of the advanced culture through magical thinking, religious rituals and practices, the cargo cult believes the wealth was intended for them by their deities and ancestors.<br /><br />Following contact with people from more technically advanced societies through exploration, colonization, missionary efforts, and international warfare, the cultures of New Guinea and other Micronesian and Melanesian countries in the southwest Pacific Ocean are locations where these religious movements were initially documented.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-88327378833140148042008-07-28T09:54:00.001-04:002008-07-28T09:54:54.097-04:00Chicken Busfrom wikipedia:<br /><br /><blockquote>A chicken bus (Spanish: "camioneta") is a colloquial English name for a colorful modified and decorated US school bus and transit bus that transports goods and people between Guatemalan communities. The word "chicken" refers to the fact that rural Guatemalans regularly transport live animals on such buses, a practice that tourists from other countries might find remarkable. The buses are also commonly used in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_bus">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210817221691327809.post-56110959227292430772008-07-11T09:51:00.000-04:002008-07-11T09:52:30.581-04:00Pith Helemtfrom wikipedia:<br /><br /><blockquote>The pith helmet (also known as the sun helmet, topee, sola topee, salacot or topi) is a lightweight helmet made of cork or pith, typically from the sola (Indian swamp growth, Aeschynomene aspera or A. paludosa) or a similar plant, with a cloth cover, designed to shade the wearer's head from the sun. The pith would be soaked in water before wearing, and the gradual evaporation of the water would act as a steady coolant. Pith helmets were once much worn by Westerners in the tropics; today they are most frequently used in Vietnam. (The forms solar topee and solar topi are folk etymology—the name comes from sola, and is not connected—etymologically—with the sun in any way.)</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pith_helmet">More...</a>scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855349454170347851noreply@blogger.com0