Who was the first person to...

I often wonder how certain things were discovered; especially things related to foods. For example, imagine the first person who baked bread. He must have seen some grain, ground it up, added water, and then tried to cook it.
This is remarkable considering that if I saw some grass-like grain growing out of the grown, I would either step on it, or put it in my mouth and pretend I am from the South.
How did he do it?
Or consider the first person who discovered sugar. Look up the process, its complicated.
Truth be told, I can understand carrots. Some person picked a tree, and saw orange roots, and disregarding what they know about poisonous things and the color orange, stuck it in his mouth and noticed that their eye sight improved ever so slightly...
It makes you wonder how we have these simple things that we have today...
think about it

YouTube Profit?

Everyone is familiar with YouTube.
I assume they make their money from the people who advertise on their website. However, I was thinking that there might be other ways for them to make money.
What if, they published a DVDof the top movies of the year, and people an buy them, without having to browse for them?

Here is what I was thinking.
-They could have 100 videos on the DVD.
-People would buy it to know what the top 100 videos were of the year. (kind of like how people buy pop cultural magazines
- copyright issues? No sweat, have people who add their movies agree to let their movies be used for YouTube purposes. And give them a stipend for their movies. give them 10 cents for every DVD sold with their movie on it. That is only 10 dollar per DVDfor YouTube ( 10 cents for all 100 movies.) If they sell 10, then the makers of the movie make a dollar. That seems advantageous...
-the series can sell for 20 dollars. That way YouTube gets 10 dollars in profit minus the cost of creating and selling. Can't imagine it being more than 10 dollars per DVD.

I think that in this new digital age, there are so many possibilities which have not been thought up of yet. There is a lot of potential here. Maybe not this idea, but another one.

I'm sure facebook could make some money too. Like being able to buy photo albums? Get a book of all your wall posts...etc. I might consider paying money for that. And if I might, then someone else most definately will...

What are your thoughts on this marketing idea for YouTube?
Thoughts on Facebook?
Thoughts on digital age?

Yawning on the Subway

So here is a eerie trick that I thought of.
When you are on the subway, and you think someone is looking at you, all you have to do is yawn.
(Make sure it is long and noticeable.) And then look around and see who else is looking at you.
Think about it.

MN Guide

Welcome to the MN Guide!

You start off riding with your family in a car, to a parking lot. Sounds pretty normal. Well it is. You park your car on the street because the lot is full, which is also normal; especially for high quality, main attraction type events. Like the MN fair? It has potential.
You wait for a bus for about 15 min, and when the bus comes, it is full. Well almost full, there is a little bit of room for you to stand the whole way...but that option goes out the window when 5 out of the 15 ahead of you decide to take it.
No Worries, another bus comes about 5 minutes later. You make a note to yourself to do a science fair project about the time it takes between buses and hypothesis whether there is a better way to do it.
Well you get on the bus, you sit with your family and you drive to the fair. The bus has AC, and other people on it. That is normal too. FYI.
You get to the bus lot, you buy your tickets from a ticket stand where both the old man, and the young girl don't know how to use their credit card machine. Wait...yes they do! Oh, never mind. Ah! They can! Uh, scratch that. After many attempts to get it going, they figure it out.
You have your tickets, your mom's camera, and clean shoes. You are ready to go.
They take your ticket on the other side of the street, and just like, that, you are in the fair.
It looks something like this.

Except it would be your parents, and not mine walking in front of you. Of course!
The air is filled with the smells of things cooking - mostly meat. I suppose that if Glade was to name the smell, they would call it BBQ Delight. I'd love to see a commercial convincing people that their house should smell like it.
Anyways, they next thing you notice is that the streets are packed. Well not packed, but there are a lot of people who chose to come to the fair.

After moments of dodging the crowds you decide that you need to seek refuge in one of the buildings. Reader should note, that dodging the crowds is some serious business. You have people who are walking always looking to their left, and people who are walking always looking to their right. There are those backing up their strollers without warning, and those who decide to stop at one specific spot in the space time continuum. (When they started moving again, I tried standing in those specific spots, but I didn't think they were especially special.) anyways...
You enter the AGRICULTURE BUILDING. That sounds exotic. Especially because you are a city type and don't get to be on a farm all that often, just every other... century or so. You quickly realize that coming into the building wasn't refuge at all, but rather opportunities for more people who only look to their left and right to stop instantaneously right in front of you, and decide to back up their strollers into you, with nowhere to escape. So you tough it out and follow the crowds.
You eye the corn contest and check out all the contesting corns.

That was exciting. So was the bread contests...

Notice how the challah didn't win. Honestly I don't know why I wanted you to notice that, but it didn't. Poor challah.
You then follow the crowds into the vegetable contest room. Here is where the people who live close to nuclear reactors get to show off their produce:

It is hard to understand how big this pumpkin is. It is 835 lbs. But that doesn't help you with size. Below I added a reference:

So there you have it. That pumpkin is bigger than my head.
Other mutant veggies included:

Watermelon,

zucchini,

and just about everything else you could buy at Publix.

After leaving the room, don't forget to duck out of the doorway. I could have sworn I grew a foot or two in there.
You then walk around and hear lectures about global Cooling, and windmills; the energy of the future, though I am pretty sure that windmills have been around since the industrial revolution. Oh and don't forget that you you can watch to judges at the wine tasting contest.

I wonder if you can complain that your wine didn't win because it was tasted last and the judge was a little wobbly then...who knows, I never found out. I was soon after startled by the nearby scarecrow. And his wife...

Before exiting the AGRICULTURE building, you make a point to visit the other exhibits which are there, and you enjoy the foliage of the flowers and plants.

Finally, you have seen it all and are ready to rejoin the masses on the streets. Don't get too carried away now, they still back up their strollers into you.
The weather is nice and you are really glad that it is not raining. Just because you don't want to get wet. Even though if your girlfriend was there, she would make you go on this water ride,

and you would get wet anyways. I suppose then you wouldn't mind the rain so much.
I suppose if you were going on rides, you wouldn't want to miss the haunted house.

I didn't do it, but that was because I didn't get wet.
I don't think the two go together...being wet and doing the haunted house.
(BTW, I'm pretty sure this was the other house my parents were looking at in MN when they were buying a house here...)
If you don't like the rides then you can walk around looking for something to eat. But you are have a dilemma. You are walking through the fair, you have your camera in one hand, and it would make whatever you wanted to eat, hard to eat. No fears, the FAIR has you covered. They sell all their food, and every food imaginable on a stick. Here is what I mean:

Hot Dog on a stick. Thats normal.

Chicken Breats on a stick, Pork Chops on a stick. Creative.

What is a long dog on a stick? Weird.

Chocolate covered fruit on a stick. Yummy!

Cheese on a stick? I suppose it is good if you really like cheese.

Then things started getting a little weird...and gross...see for yourself...

Then I came across this...I remember thinking. At least it is not on a stick...

Wait....I was wrong. I didn't look up high enough.

And then I knew for sure that I had seen everything. well almost.

I wonder if someone sold the sticks for all these things at the fair. Then they could have sold sticks on a stick.
Well if rides and sticks aren't for you, then you can check out the livestock. Just keep an eye on the floor for deposited piles of doo.

Yes, it is even crowded in the birthing barn. Oh, and yes...a birthing barn. animals get pregnant too.

Every animal you would find on Old McDonald's farm was there. And it is true, there were Baa Baa's here and there.

And every animal which is not on his farm:
Alpacas...

Elk...

and buffalo.

We were in too much of a rush getting some roasted corn to actually go pet these animals, but I am sure we could have if we wanted to.
The corn was yummy, but the best part was where we were supposed to discard our cobs...
The Compost pile!

After all this, our legs were getting tired. As the day went on, more leftward and rightward lookers entered the park, and things got out of control. We were almost at the entrance and we came across the Dairy building. they don't have hecshers at the MN fair, but at least they separate their milk and meat.

We went inside to get some ice-cream and along the way, we saw this.

I guess my heksher hypothesis was wrong. So it goes. The ice-cream line will be too long. Go get ice-cream elsewhere. Oh, while you are in the dairy building, don't forget to watch the butter sculpting:

It is the next best thing next to American Idol.
Anyways, you then left the fair, wait for a bus for half an hour, barely get seats on the bus, and then you can say goodbye to all the leftward and rightward lookers. You can then walk to you car, go home, and make a website.

Is that enough to think about?

Fair Air-Fare?

As I just came back from being staff at camp, I was sitting on the plane next to two of my friends. One of my friends asked the other how much she bought her ticket for. It was 150 dollars cheaper than what my other friend bought his for.
Understanding that different people buy their tickets at different times, it seems weird that people pay different amounts for the same services.
Is there a way to make the system fair, AKA have everyone pay the same amount for their ticket?
Think about it.

Wireless in the Airports

The Setting: I was coming home for the summer. My flight was scheduled to leave at 11:35. Technical difficulties...Long story short, plane leaves at 4:35.

Other Important Information: You need to pay for the wireless.

So here I am, stuck in the airport, with no internet. Putting aside the world's smallest violin, I began thinking about my predicament.

I could pay for the internet in the airport (what is it, 5-10 dollars an hour?) but i didn't want to pay that much money. I thought, if it was only a dollar then I might pay, but I wouldn't want to take out my credit card and pay a dollar over the internet.

This is where things got pretty interesting:
What if there were vending machines for the internet. You would pay a dollar get an internet code - maybe a username and password - and then you could have internet for an hour. You wouldn't have to use your credit card, and I think the vendors would make more than they would if they had a 5-10 dollar flat rate. (Because then I could have spent 2 dollars on internet, and so could the next guy who usually doesn't... etc. )

Viable?

Original Sentences

As I was out to pizza with a friend of mine, an interesting conversation/question arose about original sentences.

The question is as follows:
Considering all the sentences in daily conversation, are there more original sentences (sentences which have never been arranged in such a way before) or sentences which have been said before.

Arguing for the side that there are more original sentences in everyday speech consider the following.
1) There are many ways could I say this sentence. There are many ways can this sentence be formed? The formation of this sentence can be done in many ways. The formation of this sentence can be done in a lot of ways. This sentence can be formed in numerous ways...
(One thought that follows: All these sentences convey the same idea. We were not discussing the probability of whether ideas were unique, but rather if the structure of the sentences were.)
2) Think of all the synonyms. It only takes one synonym for one of the words to make the sentence original.
3) Consider context. Most of the things we say are in context of a conversation, meaning the sentence could be referring to the sentence which came before it. Also, maybe the person we are talking to. We talk to kids differently than adults; Coworkers differently than bosses...etc...
4) Language. While there are many people in the world, they speak different languages. Therefore it is less likely that someone speaking the same language would say the same thing you would. Also, think dialects (soda/pop), think slang (changes over time)...
5) Personality - bias. People relate differently to different ideas and conversations.

Arguing for the opposite side
1) All the people who lived ever...throughout all time.
2) The shorter the sentence, the more likely it would have been said.
3) Commands - Habits.
4) There may only be limited ways to say certain things.

I am sure there are many more ideas out there for both sides of the argument, and I am curious to hear what you all can think of. Let me know. Also maybe weigh in and chose a side?
(I think there are more original sentences than non-original ones)

Let me know.

Comments

Well, a lack of comments won't stop me from writing in my blog, though it will make me wonder: what does it take to get people to leave comments on a blog?

Well besides the post having to be interesting and comment worthy, I suppose people comment only if they have something worthwhile to say. In that regards a comment is less feedback, and more of a weighing-in.

So if there are no comments....then I must have said something non-controversial

Building Rubble

Here is a hypothetical scenario for you.
Imagine that you are in a slowly, but inevitably collapsing building. That is to say, that the building is falling down slowly...and that it will fall down.
The point of it falling down slowly, is that if a part of the building fell down before another part, then it would allow for the following scenario:

You are on the ground floor of a building. The building starts to fall down slowly but inevitably. Would you have a better chance of surviving the building by just ducking and covering, jumping underneath a nearby table, or jumping into already fallen debris?

Putting aside the morbid nature of such a scenario, i was thinking it would make the most sense to jump into the already fallen rubble. My thinking is that it is made of strong material (The wall, and roof) and you would have a much better chance of surviving the heavy falling debris there, then under a table, or by yourself.

The down side would be that you will be alive underneath all the rubble of the building, and you would have to wait a while before being rescued.

but maybe I havn't thought this through all the way. What do you think?

Left Overs

There are many foods which people say taste better as leftovers. Now I don't know if it is all in the head, or if is scientific....like allowing more time for bacteria to creep in, but still if people like leftovers so much, why don't they make leftovers?
Seriously. Make a lasagna, wrap it up in tin foil, and throw it in the fridge. Wait a few days, and then heat it up. Yum! Much better!
I think they should even go so far as to start packaging leftovers marketing them. They can even make it look like its already been eaten and remove some of the pieces. Then it would be authentic.
Just wondering.

5 Second Rule

Where do you think the 5 second rule comes from?

My thought was that people project the absorption properties of fabrics (that tend to slowly sop up a mess) onto food and germs.

Thoughts?

Healthcare for non-Americans

I was watching our lame duck give the State of the Union last night, and it sparked a little wonder in me.
It was clear from the standing applause that Bush received during the State of the Union that Republicans strongly believe that health care belongs in the individuals arena. Which makes sense, since Republicans believe in limited government.
Yet, at the same time, the Republicans strongly support foreign aid. (that is not an allusion to the war). Republicans seem adamant on the fact that increased federal funding to foreign aid is the way to go.
So please explain to me why the Republicans feel that the USA should be responsible for non-American lives? (don't get me wrong, I think that as humans, we are responsible for human rights, and therefore I agree with the foreign aid policies, but also agree in health care in the US and helping relieve the poor!, but my opinions aside..) If the ideology of the republicans is limited government, then shouldn't they also believe in limited government in foreign policy? Or rather the opposite, if they support foreign aid, then all the more so, they should support Americans, and the poor, fund equal (if not more....its the governments responsibility!) aid in the US.

food for thought...

Also to consider: I talked this point with some friends, and one interesting response was that it boosts the USA's reputation when they help foreign countries. This is true...but is it not fair to also say that a functioning strong US, with a good stable economy, and a balance of opportunities will become more formidable in global perspectives?

Yuck!

In Everyone's life there are things that make you say yuck. Be it really gooey, sticky, slimy textures with yellow chunks within, or a brow and upside down cockroach, your stomach occasionally gets a good roll.

But why those things? Who was it that decided that sticking your hand down the sink drain to unblock clogs is gross? I mean, not to put down those undesirable feelings. I mean, even though they may seem irrational, don't think that I am not scared of Lizards...especially accidentally stepping on and smushing them...

I suppose smushed lizards falls into the slimy icky category, but why are these things gross to us?

An evolutionary response?
Is it related to irrational fears? (is it a fear?)
I don't have a good answer to this one.

Daily Conversation

First off, if you already haven't seen the show firefly, you should. (its off-air, but you can still find it in stores)

Having said that, in the show the characters have such great lines, and their speech is so beautifully crafted. I'm sure there are other shows out there that also have amazing lines, and I was wondering why you only hear great lines in shows and movies? Clearly the writers who came up with them were real people, yet you don't hear great lines that frequently.

If you ask me: Today's folk have: talk first, think later syndrome? Basically, we go about our days in such hurries, we communicate what we need, and then move on. As to the writers in the shows, they've thought about the words a lot (after all they are paid to do so) and therefore, create such articulate conversations, and great dialog.

So whats stopping us from thinking a little more in our days? If there is anything we've learned from the play "Our Town" it would be to take life a little slower. The slower we go, the more time we have to think.. Maybe then we could be more frequently amused by great lines.

(Not to say that its not OK to have humdrum speech, rather I would be thoroughly amused with regular quips.)

Any thoughts?
-H
More to come, if more comes a'knocking.

My Goal:

Hello!
Obviously, I just got around to creating a blog.
The endeavor? To create a place to put things out there and discuss.

So here is the back story:
When I was little, as my mom would tuck me in, I would ask her: "What should I think about?"
Ever since then, I have encountered many things to ponder.

With this blog, I was hoping to create a forum to ponder all the assortment of ideas that are out there with you. (whoever you are?...does it matter?)

OK!
With that let's get started!