Things I Find Fascinating: 5 New Things I Learned From "Random Article"

Here I am, gettin' my knowledge on again. Well, as much knowledge as you can gain from a user-generated encyclopedia such as Wikipedia.org. Just like I've done a couple of times previously, I clicked "Random Article" on the Wikipedia site a few times just to see what I could learn. And this is what I learned.


1)  Humberto Soto, 32, is an undefeated Mexican professional boxer in the Heavyweight division and is the current WBC FECOMBOX Heavyweight Champion. Soto is 9-0 in his professional fights, 8 of those wins coming by knockouts.

Humberto Soto

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?  Soto is not a man to be trifled with. If I ever decide to fight him, I already know that he will probably win. Make that definitely win.



2)  Prelude is a 1972 album by Brazilian keyboardist Eumir Deodato. With its signature track "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (a funk-influenced arrangement of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey), Prelude would be the biggest hit Deodato ever had. The single "Also Sprach Zarathustra" won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and went to No. 2 in the pop charts in the pop charts in the U.S., No. 3 in Canada, and No. 7 in the U.K. The album was reissued in 1977 as 2001.

 Eumir Deodato

 WHAT HAVE  I LEARNED?  A new version of an old song I already liked.




3)  Fructosuria is a rare but benign inherited metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of fructokinase in the liver. Affected individuals usually display a large blood fructose concentration after the ingestion of fructose, sucrose, or sorbitol. Fructokinase is needed for the synthesis of glycogen, the body's form of stored energy, from fructose. The presence of fructose in the blood and urine may lead to an incorrect diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.

I don't get it...

 WHAT HAVE  I LEARNED?  Eating fruit messes with some people's bodies in adverse ways. Since I could be one of these people, I should probably avoid eating fruits. Especially papaya. (Yuck!) Can't be too careful...



4)  The City of Greater Geelong is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state, and southwest of Melbourne. In 2011, the City of Greater Geelong had a population of 210,000. Created in 1993, the city is an amalgamation of parts or wholes of the former municipalities of the Shire of Barrabool, Shire of Bannockburn, Shire of Bellarine, Shire of Corio, City of Geelong, City of Geelong West, City of Newton, and City of South Barwon.

The City of Greater Geelong

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?  Two things: 1) "Geelong" is the Aboriginal word for "ocean."  2) Shires ACTUALLY EXIST outside the world of The Lord Of The Rings! Who knew? (I didn't.)



5)  Jellyfish Report is a free app developed by La Web Compagnie in 2012. The app is compatible with the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPad. The app is designed so that swimmers and sailors can report jellyfish sightings in real time, in order that others are made aware of which areas are affected by jellyfish at any particular moment, and can therefore avoid these areas when choosing a beach. the application also gives users advice on how to deal with jellyfish stings should they occur. 

Apparently there's an app for everything now.

 

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?  That if I can ever afford an iPad, and I feel comfortable with taking it with me to the beach without dropping it in the water or the sand, and I can learn to swim well enough that I feel safe swimming in a pond, lake, river, or ocean, there's an app that will help keep me from getting stung by a jellyfish. And if for some reason the app doesn't work properly, I can easily find out how to deal with the sting I have received from the undetected jellyfish.