How It’s Made - Trombones

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Amazing Earth Facts

What is the hottest place on Earth?
Count one wrong if you guessed Death Valley in California. True enough on many days. But El Azizia in Libya recorded a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit (57.8 Celsius) on Sept. 13, 1922 -- the hottest ever measured. In Death Valley, it got up to 134 Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913.
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Where's the coldest place on earth?
Far and away, the coldest temperature ever measured on Earth was -129 Fahrenheit (-89 Celsius) at Vostok , Antarctica, on July 21, 1983.
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What makes thunder?
If you thought, "Lightning!" then hats off to you. But I had a more illuminating answer in mind. The air around a lightning bolt is superheated to about five times the temperature of the Sun. This sudden heating causes the air to expand faster than the speed of sound, which compresses the air and forms a shock wave; we hear it as thunder.
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100 more
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Amazing cloud roll captured on camera

This amazing picture shows a rare phenomenon called a roll cloud which tend to form ahead of a cold front and can stretch for miles.
Most common when an advancing storm front causes moist air to rise, then cool to the point where it becomes a cloud known as the dew point.
When this happens along a front, a roll cloud can form, often with air actually circulating along the horizontal axis of the cloud.

It was also NASA's picture of the day a couple of days ago

How do you count your cash?

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Man, 96, holds pre-emptive wake

A 96-year-old photographer in Beaverton, Oregon said he decided to plan and hold his own wake prior to his death so he could attend the event.

Hugh Ackroyd, 96, said he held the wake for family and friends Sunday at the Beaverton home of friend Edda Sigurdar, The Oregonian reported Monday.

"Well, why not?" Ackroyd said of leading his own wake. "Why bother when (I'm) dead?"

Ackroyd, a father of two whose wife died about 12 years ago, sat in his padded wheelchair and greeted his friends as they arrived for the event. He said one of his favorite items at the wake was a wreath bearing a ribbon reading: "Eventually, Hugh, rest in peace."

"It's quite magnificent," Ackroyd said of his wake.
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Did You Know.....

From 1939 to 1942, there was a undersea post office in the Bahamas.

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Central Park located in New York has 125 drinking fountains.

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In 1907, on New Year's Eve, the original ball that was lowered in Times Square was made of wood and iron and had 100 light bulbs on it.

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Americans consume the most peanut butter in the world.

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850 peanuts are needed to make an 18 oz. jar of peanut butter.

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Carbonated water, with nothing else in it, can dissolve limestone, talc, and many other low-Moh's hardness minerals. Coincidentally, carbonated water is the main ingredient in soda.

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Annually 17 tons of gold is used to make wedding rings in the United States.

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Levan, which is located in Utah, got its name from "navel" which is levan spelt backwards.

It was named this because it is in the center of Utah

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A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

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Did You Know.....

The Capitol Building in

Washington, D.C. has 365 steps, representing every day of the year.
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A average person breathes 7 quarts of air every minute.

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Etiquette Mistakes From Around the World

Politely placing the napkin on your lap and keeping your elbows off the table may be the etiquette essentials here in the good ol' USA but when it comes to hanging with friends and colleagues around the world, etiquette often takes on new meanings. Foxy talked to some international friends and did some digging on Kwintessential.com to find these important tips to keep in mind before you socialize or break bread with pals from across the ponds.
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Coffee Break We may gulp lattes all day long, regardless of what time it is here, but in many European countries cappuccinos and other coffee drinks made with milk are enjoyed during the morning hours only. Espresso is what's consumed in the afternoons and evenings. So, don't be surprised when you get a funny look from the waiter after ordering your double latte with extra cream after that pesto pasta lunch.
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No Ketchup Please Many French chefs are appalled if guests add condiments like ketchup and mustard to their culinary masterpieces before taking the first bite. They think it masks the true taste of the food -- so get used to your "pommes frites" without that dousing of ketchup.
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Oops, All Gone Here in the States, it seems we've been taught to always clear our plates. In China on the other hand, if you gobble up every last morsel it could be insulting to the host as it means that he/she hasn't provided enough food. Keep things on the up and up and leave a few bites left. We're guessing it's probably best not to ask for a doggie bag, either!
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Heads Up In Thailand, no matter how adorable someone's child is, resist the urge to give them a friendly pat on the noggin. It's taboo to touch the head, which is a revered body part.
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No Sharing No matter how mouthwatering your palak paneer is, offering someone a taste from your plate is a big no-no in India, since it's considered unclean. Enjoy your dinner and rave about it all you want, but keep it to yourself.
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A Few Pointers In India, if you want to call someone over, never use your finger to point or wag -- it's seen as condescending and insulting. Instead, hold your hand out, palm down, and scoop with your fingers. You'll get much better results!
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Better Than Butter While dining out in Spain, get used to the idea of bread without butter. Ask for it at a restaurant and you'll most likely be told they don't have any. The preferred practice is to dip bread in olive oil -- and if you ask us, it's much yummier anyway!
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A - O - K Never give anyone in Brazil the "OK" hand signal (using your thumb and pointer finger to make an O)... it's an obscene gesture that's likely to get you labeled both ignorant and extremely offensive!
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Meat 'n' Milk In Israel, unless you know otherwise, assume that a household keeps kosher. That means mixing meat and dairy is not allowed. So no milk in your coffee after a belly-busting beef dinner (and no cheese on that burger, either!).
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Sticky Splinters We're all familiar with the wooden chopsticks you get at Asian restaurants. They come stuck together, and you snap them apart which usually leaves a few stray splinters on the end. If this happens in Japan, holding the chopsticks between your palms and loudly clattering them together is a big insult to the waiter or sushi chef because it indicates that his utensils are cheap. Instead, rub one chopstick against the other gently.
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Throw In The Towel In a Japanese restaurant, if you're given a hot rolled towel, use it only to wipe your hands. It's generally considered rude to wipe your face with (although at more informal restaurants, people may occasionally be seen doing it).
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Service With A Smile Here in the US, many of us are used to serving ourselves and digging in family style at meals. But in China it's common for the host to place food on the guest's plates, so resist the urge to scoop up another helping of rice -- practice sitting back and relaxing, and enjoy letting the host put you on a pedestal.
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Sole Purpose Think twice before sitting too casually in Egypt, or even stretching out your gams. Showing the soles of your feet or shoes is considered to be terribly rude -- yes, even if you're sporting Jimmy Choos!
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Lip Service No matter how parched your lips may be, when traveling in Zimbabwe, never lick your lips while looking at someone of the opposite sex. While it may seem innocent enough to you, they consider it an obscene gesture.
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Baby Steps Have a friend in Russia who's expecting a baby? Go ahead and browse all you want, but don't give them anything until after the little one arrives. It's considered bad luck to do so sooner.
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Scientists 'cause' Beijing snow

Chinese meteorologists say they brought about Beijing's earliest snowfall in a decade, after seeding rain clouds with silver iodide to ease a drought.
The Weather Modification Office sprayed clouds with 186 doses of the chemical to bring rain for the wheat crop, the Beijing Evening News said.
But the arrival of a cold front caused heavy snow to fall, disrupting road, rail and air travel.
Cloud seeding is often used in China in an attempt to bring on rain.
The country's north is prone to droughts, while the south is often flooded.
In Anhui province, which has been having a drought since September, there was 4cm (1.5in) of rainfall at the weekend.
Much of the country's farming still relies on rainfall as many of its communities have a poor irrigation system.

HOW CLOUD SEEDING WORKS

1. Silver iodide is fired into cloud using flares on planes or from the ground
2. Water droplets then attach to these particles
3. They fall as snow if surface temperatures are below or near freezing, or as raindrops at warmer temperatures
4. Heat released as the droplets freeze boosts updrafts, which pull more moist air into the cloud. Despite the use of the cloud seeding technique, many scientists remain skeptical of its effectiveness

In February, snow fell after the authorities seeded clouds over Beijing in an attempt to alleviate the dry conditions.
However, many scientists - particularly in the UK - remain highly sceptical of the effectiveness of cloud seeding.
Even if it is theoretically possible, one of the problems for proponents has been to demonstrate that a rainfall or snowfall was caused by the seeding or simply occurred spontaneously.
In addition to cloud seeding, the government is building a huge network of tunnels and waterways that will funnel water from the south to the north, but the project is still five years from completion.

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Did You Know.....

Lightning can give enough electricity to a light bulb to last 100 years.

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Benjamin Franklin was the first Head of the United States Post Office.

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The fragrance of flowers comes from the essences of oil they produce.

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Venice

Click to Enlarge

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'Laverne & Shirley' Then/Now

Schlemiel, Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated! 'Laverne & Shirley' was a comedy about two mismatched roommates (a female "Odd Couple" basically) that ran on ABC from 1976-1983. It starred (left to right) Phil Foster (Fran DeFazio), Penny Marshall (Laverne DeFazio), Michael McKean (Lenny Kosnowski), Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney), David Lander (Andrew "Squiggy" Squigman ), Eddie Mekka (Carmine "The Big Ragu" Ragusa), and Betty Garret (Edna Babish).

Then: Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall got her big break in 1970, landing the role of Secretary Myrna Turner on "The Odd Couple." She also had a recurring role on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" around the same time. Penny had been working on several miscellaneous writing projects with Cindy Williams when the two were cast as guest stars on "Happy Days" (Penny's brother Garry Marshall created the hit series). The audience fell in love with the duo, and from there a spin-off was born.
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Now: Penny Marshall
Penny, 65, became interested in directing while still on the show and directed two episodes. After the series, she became one of the biggest directors in Hollywood, helming several blockbusters, including "Big," "Awakenings" and "A League of Their Own." She currently has several films in the works.

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Then: Cindy Williams

Cindy Williams starred in several films, including "American Graffiti" where she played Ron Howard’s high-school sweetheart, before being cast as the fun-loving Shirley Feeney. She left the show in 1982 after becoming pregnant with husband Bill Hudson's child. (Bill had previously been married to Goldie Hawn and is Kate Hudson's father).
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Now: Cindy Williams
After leaving the show, Cindy, now 61, guest starred on several TV shows and made a few movies. She also helped produce the "Father of the Bride" films with husband Bill (the two divorced in 2000). She currently lives in LA with her family and is slated to appear in the film "Timberwolf," currently in pre-production.

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The Cast of 'Laverne and Shirley'

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World’s Biggest Pair Of Jeans

Peruvian seamstresses hoping to snag a Guinness World Record for sewing the largest pair of blue jeans.
Workers laid the pair on the ground and put big balloons inside the legs to show off the size of the jeans, which are 141 feet (43 m) tall and 98 feet (30 m) wide.
They are hoping to break the current record. The current record is held by the city of Medellin in Columbia. That pair was 114 feet tall and 82 feet wide.
They have pockets, red buttons and a brown belt.
After the event, the pants will be cut to make backpacks for area school children.

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National Geographic Rio Antirio Greek

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Don’t Cook Tonight, Call Chicken Delight

Don’t Cook Tonight, Call Chicken Delight Chicken Delight was once a huge fast food chicken chain, similar to Colonel Sanders' Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Chicken Delight (Official Website) was once a huge chain in the U.S. and Canada during the 1950s and 1960s. The company began in Illinois in 1952 and soon grew to more than 1,000 units throughout the United States and became the biggest fast-food company of its kind in North America. Chicken Delight released dance single "The Chicken Delight Twist" in 1962.

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The life of POWs during WWII.

Some interesting ways in which they concealed maps and
currencies for their escape attempts.
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A Roomba’s Movement

By shutting off all the lights in a room for 30 minutes and taking a long exposure of the path the Roomba took while cleaning up.

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Magnet + Copper Tube = Eddy Current

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Eddy Current Tubes -- Drop the Magnets down the tube. An eddy current is set up in a conductor in response to a changing magnetic field. Lenz's law predicts that the current moves in such a way as to create a magnetic field opposing the change; to do this in a conductor, electrons swirl in a plane perpendicular to the changing magnetic field.

Because the magnetic fields of the eddy currents oppose the magnetic field of the falling magnet; there is attraction between the two fields. Energy is converted into heat. This principle is used in damping the oscillation of the lever arm of mechanical balances.

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Man and his cat

26th October 1956: Henry Behrens, the smallest man in the world dances with his pet cat in the doorway of his Worthing home. Measuring only 30 inches high, Mr Behrens has made a living by traveling the world with Burton Lester's midget troupe.

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Music Juke Box

Just click on a year and listen to your favorite songs.

1940’s JuKeBoX
1955 JuKeBoX
1956 JuKeBoX
1957 JuKeBoX
1958 JuKeBoX
1959 JuKeBoX
1960 JuKeBoX
1961 JuKeBoX
1962 JuKeBoX
1963 JuKeBoX
1964 JuKeBoX
1965 JuKeBoX
1966 JuKeBoX
1967 JuKeBoX
1968 JuKeBoX
1969 JuKeBoX
1970 JuKeBoX
1971 JuKeBoX
1972 JuKeBoX
1973 JuKeBoX
1974 JuKeBoX
1975 JuKeBoX
1976 JuKeBoX
1977 JuKeBoX
1978 JuKeBoX
1979 JuKeBoX
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