Fallacy!

Now i learned some interesting things while researching for this blog. And one thing I realized is that a lot of the things we believe are FALSE! That is why i have decided to have a new segment called 'Fallacy.' Where I will debunk popular notions and refine them with truth or at least verisimilitude, you decide. So, without further ado five FünFacts that debunk popular notions:

#5
Now, we've all learned probability in high school in which we always assume the probability of getting a heads or tails is actually 50/50.
FALLACY!
The actual odds of determining the chances of heads or tails are not 50/50 if a human is flipping it. By the laws of mechanics, the chances of the face that is upwards is 51 and the other is 49. So next time you toss a coin, you know what to call.

#4
Ever noticed how babies are drawn to their mothers from the moment of their birth, like they know exactly who they are.
FALLACY!
Babies don't recognize or care for their mother, or for that matter anyone, for at least 3 months until they are used to their smell. And sometimes not even then if the mother is picky about what cologne to wear.

NB: I thought of Photoshopping a baby in some kind of joke, but look at that!
Coochie coochie coo!


#3
We all know that the Church of England does not necessarily conform to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and it is believed that that's the way it has always been since the theory was first published.
FALLACY!
Charles Darwin's theory when released did not actually worry the Church of England. They said the ideas in the bible were metaphorical and encouraged people to believe in the idea of linear evolution.

#2
Mars, not the God, but the planet, is often called the red planet because we believe that is it's color.
FALLACY!
Mars is actually dusty brown even though it is called the red planet. It appears red because of the dust in the atmosphere.

#1
This is interesting. I love rhyming and people always tell me, "Give me rhyme for orange, you can't can you? That is because there is no word that rhymes with orange" *say in annoying person tone and insert the word, 'dude', randomly*
FALLACY!
Words rhyming with orange: Blorenge (a place in Wales) and Gorringe (a last name that is probably a derivative of the German name Göring)

I will ask a question after every fallacy segment for which i will provide the answer to in the next fallacy segment(which could be weeks away, so i don't know why I'm doing this). If you think you know the answer, let me know in the comments. The first person to give me a right answer will have the satisfaction of being smarter than the others and will win a $2 amazon gift card!(it's not much, but to be fair, you are only answering a question.) So lets see some answers.

Fallacy question:
According to the bible, how many sheep did Noah take on his ark?



Images used:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/9226292.stm
http://reallycutestuff.com/babies/super-cute-suprised-baby-boy/170
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1392338/?forcedownload=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sylvia_plath.jpg
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/programmissions/science/

Quote for the week:
"Never believe in anything until it has been officially denied."
- Otto Von Bismarck

Bingo!

I had a free day this past week which i decided to spend indulging in simple pastimes such as board games and sports(I slept through the day). It was quite a liberating day that helped rid me of worries(Sleeping does that). When the day was done, I reveled in carefree moments past and thought of the varied sports, games, and pastimes that humans have created to keep themselves occupied(Its called dreaming). So without further ado, here are five fun facts about the worlds games, sports and varied pastimes:

#5
Lets Begin at one of the earlier civilizations. We all know about Gladiators and about how ruthless, ferocious and blood thirsty they were. But in all likelihood, Roman Gladiators were Vegetarian. A study of Gladiators skeletons and chemical compositions revealed that they were almost certainly vegetarian. Also, the notion of them being sexy with well sculpted bodies is also possibly untrue. On the contrary, they were quite large.

#4
Since 2012 should have been the end of the world, it would be no fun to not mention the civilization that played one of the longest pranks ever: The Mayans. The Mayans had Great Games every year in which the prize for the winning team captain was death. They killed the captain and burned his heart. It wasn't until about 700 AD that one of the kings thought it would be more logical to kill the captain of the losing team.

#3
Now most of you might think that monopoly was and is the most the most popular board game and most of you would be right after the 80's. But up until about 1973 the most popular game was the Ouija board. The game lost its popularity as a game because of the horror film, The Exorcist. In fact, the Ouija board was not originally used to have a seance with those passed on but to contact a side of yourself that controls itself.

#2
I came across a most fascinating sport that originated in the Netherlands in 2003. Its called Chess Boxing. Quite literally, participants requires strong chess skills along with the athletic ability to box. One can win either with a knockout or a checkmate!


#1
Now I love gambling and card games and the best way to win against a casino is card counting but getting caught can get you banned for life. So, technically, blackjack is the most lucrative game, if you know card counting. But I came across a group of people who won £1.3 million in the Ritz Casino in the UK in the game of roulette. They had a camera which sent a stream of the spinning pearl to a computer that analyzed the speed of the pearl and gave an approximate number on which it would stop. They were allowed  to keep their winnings since they did not tamper with the roulette machine in any way.
I wonder when the app for that will be out.

Images used from:
http://www.howtokillanihilist.com/category/mayans/
http://itsaconspiracy.wikia.com/wiki/File:Mayans.gif
http://www.13moon.com/prophecy%20page.htm
http://www.krishnanfineart.com/2011/02/day-50-chessboxing.html
Info Source:
QI

Quote of the week:
"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. And, And then it's just, uh, fun you can't see."
-James Hetfield 

Sissylympics!

The Olympics were obviously a highlight of the last year. The Quadrennial meet showcase some of the most brilliant athletes from around the world and is not only a display of grit and perseverance but also of mutual camaraderie amongst people of every race, creed, nationality, ethnicity and whatever else we choose to distinguish ourselves by. But alas, this bravura display of testosterone filled machismo and progesterone fueled prowess was not always so full of pumping excitement. So without further ado, Five FünFacts about the Olympics former glory:

#5

We all know that the Olympics originated in Greece and were held in the honor of Zeus. But what was originally considered a gymnasium was not simply a place for people to work out but literally meant a place for people to be naked; Gymnos meaning naked, in Greek. Another popular act was gymnologising which was the act of debating naked.

#4

Baron de Coubertin was the father of the modern olympic movement. He was also a winner of a gold medal, but his victory is far more flattering. He entered and won a gold medal in poetry.

#3

Now, you might be wondering that poetry is an absurd category to win an olympic medal in, however, The olympic used to be much broader and contained various categories like sculpture, music, painting, literature, etc. Until 1948 there was a medal for Town Planning. They stopped it because categories involving artists meant that the people who were artist would continue to be so all their life but athletes can be so only during their peak.

#2

The oldest ever medal winner was a 78 year old named John Cockley from england who one for Engraving and Etching.

#1

Olympic gold medals aren't actually made of gold. There are almost 93% silver with only a bit of gold, usually 6 grams.The last actual gold medal was made in 1912. If each medal was made of 18 karat gold it would cost around $4,500 each and $2.3 million for all the medals.

Images used:

http://www.redstate.com/2012/10/18/obama-wins-debate-and-it-shows-in-the-polls/

http://www.artbible.info/art/large/338.html

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parthenon.at.Nashville.Tenenssee.01.jpg

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ggb2005018148/

http://www.gcrunner.org/gcrgoldmedal.html

http://webneel.com/webneel/blog/20-photographs-olympic-athletes-crying-crying-games-london-2012

Quote of the week:

"The Olympics. Not a sport but several peculiar sports, each of which only commands your attention every four years, like a dental appointment." - Dan Jenkins