Author Archive
Broccoli is Manmade
By Chad Upton | Editor
The word broccoli is the plural form of broccolo (Italian), which refers to “the flowering top of cabbage.” Of course, that’s because Broccoli is from the same family as cabbage. Kale, closely related to wild cabbage, was carefully bred into a variety of vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower over a period of 2000 years.
Broccoli is kind of a super vegetable since it contains a ton of lutein, arguably the most important source of vitamin A in the human diet (which is also found in kale and spinach).
So, even if you are genetically predisposed to dislike broccoli, you could try some other popular vegetables in the same family: cabbage, cauliflower, turnip, rapeseed, radish and horseradish.
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Email | Kindle
Photo: Rick Harris (cc)
Sources: Indiana Public Media, Science Daily, Wikipedia (Broccoli, Brassica, Brassicaceae, Cruciferous, Kale, Phenylthiocarbamide)
The Meaning of the PlayStation Button Symbols
By Chad Upton | Editor
We are surrounded by symbols and they’ve been around for a very long time.
In public places, where people may speak many different languages, we often see symbols instead of words. Some examples include signs for bathrooms and restaurants and even many road signs.
In the West, we have a some common symbols in writing. Check marks often mean correct or yes and an X usually means incorrect or no. In Japan, they have four symbols that are commonly used in surveys: X, Triangle, Circle and Double Circle (circle within circle). These four symbols make up a four point scale, although sometimes the double circle is omitted for a three point scale. The circle means good or satisfactory and the double circle means excellent. The X means no or bad. The triangle means average (or below average on the four point scale when the double circle is being used). These symbols are just as common as the checks and Xs in the West.
So, when Sony charged Teiyu Goto with designing the original PlayStation, he wanted the buttons to represent ideas rather than label them with arbitrary letters like everybody else. It didn’t take long for him to settle on the triangle, circle, X, square icons.
They were easy to remember because they were associated with meaning. The triangle represents a user’s viewpoint or perspective, making it a great button to launch maps or change the game perspective. The square represented a piece of paper, making it ideal for showing navigation lists and menus. The circle and the X mean yes and no, and they’re meant for navigating yes and no operations.
When asked about the impact of the design, Goto replied, “”Getting to use such simple symbols in a design is an extremely rare opportunity, and it was really a stroke of luck to me.”
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Email | Kindle
Sources: 1up, Japanese Translator
The Difference Between Whiskey and Whisky
By Chad Upton | Editor
It’s the start of another work week, so it’s a good time to talk about drinking.
Frankly, I spent a lot of time researching this subject. I found that after getting over the novelty of drinking, which seems like the primary function of post secondary education, you’ll start to appreciate the subtle flavors in finer varieties of liquor. One of the most popular liquors is whisky.
There are two correct ways to spell it: Whisky and Whiskey. Whiskey refers to whiskeys distilled in Ireland and the United States. Whisky, on the other hand, is generally used for whiskies distilled in Scotland, Wales, Canada, Japan and other countries.
Whisky is a confusing subject and not just because the two spellings have distinct means, but because there are so many varieties. The most popular types of whisky are: Scotch, Irish, Bourbon, Tennessee and Rye. There are plenty of other types and they come from every corner of the globe.
History
The name whisky is derived from a Gaelic word that means, “water of life.” Distillation of this water goes back about 4000 years, to the area that is now known as Iraq. It started as a way to purify perfumes and aromatics. It is thought to have made it to Ireland by Irish missionaries in the 6th century and from Northern Africa to other parts of Europe where it spread through monasteries, mostly for treatment of colic, palsy and smallpox.
When distillation spread to Ireland and Scotland, the islands had few grapes, so beer was made from barley and resulted in the development of whisky. In 1725, the English Malt Tax resulted in many of Scotland’s distillers to shutdown or go underground. Distillers began making their whisky at night because the darkness hid the smoke from the stills. This is where the term “moonshine” came from.
In the 1920’s in the United States, all alcohol was banned under prohibition laws. The only exemption was whisky, which could be prescribed by doctors and sold through licensed pharmacies. It was at this time when the Walgreens pharmacy grew from 40 stores to nearly 400. Much like the case of the hemp production ban that currently exists in the US, Canada supplied the medicinal Whisky when it was prohibited too.
Although there are many categories, whisky is generally made in two ways. Malt whisky is made entirely from malted barley. Grain whisky is made from malted and unmalted barley along with other grains, usually for flavor and texture. Whiskies also get their flavor from lactone, found in the oak barrels that many whiskies are aged in. The differences beyond the ingredients start to get very specific and that’s why there are thousands of whiskies in production today. Here is a breakdown of some of the most popular categories and some popular brands in each:
Scotch
Scotches are one of the most popular types of whisky. They are often distilled two or sometimes three times. International laws require that “Scotch” be distilled in Scotland and aged for at least three years and one day in oak casks. Because many whiskies are blended, the age of the youngest whisky used in the blend must be indicated as the age on the bottle. When there is no age, it’s likely the whisky is very close to the three year minimum. Whisky does not age in the bottle, so the time in the cask is critical to its maturity.
Although “single malt” whiskies are available in all categories, they are more common with Scotch and Irish whiskies. Single Malt simply means that all of the whisky is from a single distillery. They often contain whisky from multiple casks, and only “single cask” whiskies are from the same cask. Single Cask is not necessarily higher quality than Single Malt, it just indicates that the whisky has not been blended with whisky from other casks, which is commonly done to achieve the consistent flavor that you expect from a brand.
Popular examples: Chivas Regal, J&B, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Johnnie Walker.
Irish
These whiskeys are typically distilled three times. They must be produced in Ireland and aged in wooden casks for at least three years, although it’s common to age them three to four times longer. There are exceptions, but unpeated malt is one of the distinctive characteristics of Irish whiskey. It is mixed with unmalted barley to create “pure pot still” whiskey, which has a bit of a spicy taste that is unique to Irish whiskeys.
Popular examples: Bushmills, Jameson, Knappogue, Tullamore.
Bourbon
Named after Bourbon County, Kentucky, this type of American whiskey is primarily made from corn (maize). In fact, it has to be made in the United States and contain at least 51% corn. Typically, it’s about 70% corn, the rest is wheat and/or rye and malted barley. The high content of corn is the main characteristic of it’s unique flavor. It cannot be more than 160 proof, contain any coloring or flavoring and must be aged in new, charred oak barrels. If it’s aged less than four years, the age must be labeled on the bottle.
Popular examples: Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark, Evan Williams.
Tennessee
Tennesseee Whisky is almost identical to Bourbon, with the exception that it is filtered through sugar maple charcoal, which is thought to remove some unpleasant flavors and produce a clearer whisky. It was officially recognized as a distinct style of whisky in 1941, before which it was considered bourbon. Until 2009, only three counties in Tennessee were allowed to produce drinkable spirits. The law has been expanded to include another 41 counties, which should lead to more varieties of Tennessee Whiskey.
Popular examples: Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel and Pritchard’s are the only three brands.
Rye
Rye is sometimes, often incorrectly, referred to as Canadian Whisky. Although rye is a popular ingredient in Canadian Whisky, the Canadian government does not require any specific proportion of rye in Canadian Whisky. Interestingly enough, Rye whisky from the United States must contain at least 51% malted rye. Canadian blends often contain less rye than American “Rye” whiskeys but more rye than most other types of whisky. The additional rye makes these wiskies among the smoothest of all whiskies.
Popular Canadian Rye examples: Crown Royal, Canadian Club, Seagram’s, Wiser’s.
Popular American Rye examples: Jim Beam Rye, Wild Turkey Rye, Van Winkle Family, Michters.
Serving
All whiskies are popular straight up or on the rocks. It is also common to drink them with water, cola, ginger ale or other sodas and juices. Some popular whisky cocktails include: Whisky Sour, Rusty Nail (Scotch), Manhattan (Bourbon) and Old Fashioned (Bourbon).
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Email | Kindle
Sources: Suite 101, Whiskey Wise, Whisky Mag, Wikipedia (Whisky, Whisky Brands, Lactone)
Commonly Misquoted Phrases
By Chad Upton | Editor
Admittedly, I am not an English professor. There are many occasions when readers have corrected me, and I appreciate it, that’s what this site is all about — learning new things.
I’ve noticed a few common phrases that frequently get misquoted in conversations. Even if you know the correct phrase, you might not know it’s meaning or origin. If you’ve got others, share it in comments at the bottom.
Tide over
common misquotes: tie over, tied over
The word “tide” is an obsolete word for time, although it’s still with us in words like “Yuletide” (Christmas Time).
The phrase comes from sailors who had to anchor (or compromise progress) when there was no wind to fill their sails — to prevent the tide from pushing them backwards or off course. The earliest recorded use of the phrase can be found in A Sea Grammar (1627), “To Tide ouer to a place, is to goe ouer with the Tide of ebbe or flood, and stop the contrary by anchoring till the next Tide.”
Down the pike
common misquote: down the pipe
If you’re talking about something in a pipeline, whether it’s literal or metaphorical (like a sales pipeline), then “pipe” does make sense. But, if you’re talking about anything else, then it’s probably “coming down the pike.”
The etymology is pretty straight forward, in this context, “pike” simply refers to “turnpike”, which is a major roadway, usually a toll road. In other words, it just means that something is coming down the road.
Flesh Out
common misquote: flush out
Much like, “coming down the pipe“, “flush out” is a real phrase. But, “flush out” is often used when people actually mean, “flesh out.”
To “flush out”, means to expose or release something, like flushing the toilet. It comes from bird hunting, where one flushes out a flock of birds. To “flesh out” is to bring something to life, to make it real. If you take an idea and make it real, you have put flesh on a skeleton.
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Email | Kindle
Photos: skipnclick (cc), MuseumWales (cc)
Sources: The Free Dictionary (turnpike), Google (pike), UsingEnglish, phrases.org.uk, Wikipedia (Tide), Paul Brians (Washington State University)
The Swastika Was Once a Symbol of Good Luck
By Chad Upton | Editor
Today, the swastika is frequently associated with one of the most horrible and unfortunate times in human history — it was the symbol of Nazi Germany (1933-1945).
Because its recent history is awful, the swastika is nearly taboo in many cultures. But, the symbol has been around for thousands of years, most of those years as a very peaceful symbol.
The name “swastika” comes from the Sanskrit word svastika, meaning “lucky” or “well being.” It is generally used on people and things to denote good luck or wish well being. It goes by many names in many different places: hook cross, crooked cross, angled cross, sun cross, sun wheel, hakenkreuz (German), among others.
The swastika can be traced back about 11,500 years, to the Neolithic period. It’s past and present are deeply rooted primarily in Eastern religions although there are many examples of it in other religions. Long before it had any negative connotation, it was popular in religions and cultures including: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Chinese and Japanese art and many others.
Many people are unfamiliar with the swastika’s relationship to Christianity. They used it to symbolize Christ’s victory over death. Some cathedrals built during the Romanesque and Gothic eras are decorated with swastikas, including the tile floor of this Roman Catholic Church in France (Amiens Cathedral).
Matilde Moisant, the second woman to get her pilot’s license, wore a swastika pendant on her 1912 uniform for good luck. This was a common practice among early aviators and test pilots.
Although the swastika is generally associated with an awful time, its original meaning is still an important symbol in many cultures, so it’s important to understand that it was a positive symbol for most of its life.
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Email | Kindle
Sources: About, Wikipedia (Swastika, Matilde Moisant, Amiens Cathedral)
Jagermeister Does Not Contain Deer Blood
By Chad Upton | Editor
The word “Jägermeister” was first used in 1934 as the name for senior gamekeepers in the German civil service.
In English, Jägermeister translates to “hunt-master,” but most people know it better as a bitter sweet liqueur.
It was developed by Curt Mast in 1935 as an after meal digestif (to aid digestion). It’s named after the German hunt master and carries a stag on the front of the bottle because the inventor was an avid hunter. The glowing cross above the deer’s head pays homage to the patron saints of hunters, Saint Hubertus (Hubert) and Saint Eustace.
A common rumor is that Jagermeister contains deer or elk blood, although that has been debunked.
There are also rumors that it was originally used as a cough syrup. Although it might taste like it, Jägermeister was not marketed as a cough syrup, but it was introduced during the era of patent medicines and it is and has always been a digestif — a liqueur made from bitter herbs, believed to aid digestion.
Despite the fact that it was not designed to be medicine, alcohol was often used as a medicine in those times, even given to babies and young children. Frankly, that hasn’t changed all that much, the cough syrup Nyquil still contains alcohol.
Often referred to as “Jager” it is commonly mixed with RedBull to create a “Jager Bomb” (or “Jager Blaster” in some places).
Jägermeister is 35% alcohol by volume (70 proof). It contains 56 herbs, roots, fruits and a variety of spices including: anise, saffron, citrus peel, licorice, ginger, ginseng, juniper berries and even poppy seeds. These ingredients are pressed and steeped in a water/alcohol mixture for a few days before being filtered. Then it gets similar treatment to fine wines — it is aged in Oak barrels to further enhance the flavor (for about a year).
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Email | Kindle
Photo: Ehsan Roudiani (cc)
Sources: The Bitter Truth, Everyday Drinkers, Snopes, Wikipedia (Jägermeister),
Google Search Tricks
By Chad Upton | Editor
Google is an amazing search engine. Most of us use it to find websites with information, but it can do so much more than show you websites with answers. There are hundreds of built in features that can give you the information directly, without having to go to another site.
Movies Times
Enter “movies” followed by your town/city/postal or zip code and you’ll see some movie times for a couple popular movies along with a link to get the full list of movie times for your area.
Track Packages
Just type in a FedEx, UPS or USPS tracking number and Google will give you a link to see the shipping details.
Track Flights
Enter the airline and flight number and search. No more clicks, the info will be right there.
Find the Best Price
Enter the model name or number of a product you’d like to buy. Then click the “shopping” link at the top and Google will show prices at online retailers. To ensure you get the lowest price, you can sort by price (including shipping). There will likely be some retailers that you’ve never heard of, so you can read retailer reviews and sort by their rating as well.
Define a Word
Lets say some fancy pants uses the word “noetic” and you don’t know what it means. You could go to your favorite dictionary site, or you could type “define:noetic” into Google search. It’ll give you a list of definitions from various sites.
Unit Conversion
Whether you need to convert cups to gallons or go between metric and imperial units, Google’s conversion engine can help.
Currency Conversion
Just type in the value and the currency to convert from and to, example: 100 Euros in Australian dollars
Time
You think you’re doing a nice thing, calling somebody far away to make sure they’re well and give them a familiar voice to talk to. Then they answer the phone as if you woke them up in the middle of the afternoon, but you forgot that’s 4am in Tokyo. You can easily avoid this by checking the local time before calling.
Weather
Should you pack shorts or pants for your weekend getaway? Get a 5 day forecast in seconds (and easily switch between F/C).
Stock Quotes
Just enter the stock symbol and search.
There are many more of these features and I’ll be sure to share more later.
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Email | Kindle
Search a Specific Site
Some websites do not have good search functions on them. Sometimes I’ll read something on a site and then I go back to find it later and the site search is horrible. Otherwise, you might use google as your homepage, so it could be easier to initiate the search from there.
For example, you may remember reading why some knives have serrated blades on BrokenSecrets.com. But, you want to read it again or send the link to someone who was interested in it. You can type in google, “serrated site:brokensecrets.com” and it will only show results from BrokenSecrets.com.
Using Google as a Time Machine
Because Google’s spiders are constantly crawling the web, storing pages of data so they can resolve accurate and timely information for your search requests. Google actually lets you view the last set of data that was captured.
This information is helpful is a website cannot be reached, but you still want information from it. It’s also useful if information has changed, moved or been removed, you can potentially look at a previous version of the information.
How to Watch Blocked Internet Videos
By Chad Upton | Editor
The internet is a great place to catch TV shows and clips that you or your PVR missed.
Unfortunately, a lot of websites only allow their video content to be viewed in their service area. It’s not because they’re mean, they may have contracts that prevent them from distributing outside their area, not to mention cost savings reasons.
That’s right, it’s expensive to stream video over the internet to thousands or hundreds of thousands of people in a reliable way. You need a lot of servers and bandwidth, both of which are expensive, especially in large quantities. If a broadcaster only services one country, they’re not likely going to spend money to reach customers outside of their service area, although they may allow it if there are no restrictions of that nature in their distribution contracts.
Secondly, they may not be allowed to broadcast outside of their broadcast area. Broadcasters buy distribution rights for the shows and other content that they air. These distribution rights are usually sold by country. That means a broadcaster who buys the rights to air a show in the US is not allowed to distribute that show over the internet to another country since they have not bought the distribution rights required to broadcast in that country. In fact, another broadcaster in that country likely has paid for the rights to broadcast that same show there.
There are also legal agreements with members of various guilds and unions that may prevent content from being distributed in certain areas or for a finite time after the original air date.
Broadcasters can identify which country you’re in when you access their website. They use various methods to determine your location, but the most popular is something called Geo-IP look up. Basically, when you navigate to their website, the network address of your computer is sent to the web server. They can look up that address in a database to see the country that address is registered to. This method is accurate most of the time and in some cases they can actually narrow down the part the city that you live in.
Although there may be legal and ethical issues with it, there are ways to circumvent some of the methods that are used, potentially allowing you to view content from outside their intended region of distribution. These methods may be illegal in your country, so verify the legality of it before doing so.
I think there is at least one ethical use for circumventing regional lockouts. For example, I was in Canada a couple weeks ago and I wanted to catch up on one of my favorite shows. I normally watch the show on network TV and all of the advertising is relevant to me. I wasn’t able to watch videos on the broadcaster’s website from Canada, so I could have used the following method to make it work:
- Install this Firefox plugin: http://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/967 (requires Firefox browser)
- In Firefox, Go to “tools” > “Add-ons” and click on the “Preferences” button for the Modify Headers add-on.
- Click on the “Headers” tab at the top.
- Then enter: “X-Forwarded-For” in the “Header name” input box (without the quotation marks).
- Enter one of the following IP addresses in the “Header Value” input box (without the quotation marks, and choose the country where the content is accessible from)
USA – 12.13.14.15
Canada – 207.245.252.27
UK – 193.35.131.194 - Select “Add” from the “Selection action” drop down.
- Enter the country name in the “Descriptive comment” input box.
- Click “Add”.
- Now select the one you just added in the list and then click the “Enable/Disable” button. You should see a green circle next to it, indicating it is enabled.
- Close the Modify Headers box, restart the Firefox browser and visit the intended website.
I should note some websites that the above method does not work for:
- cbs.com
- cwtv.com (the CW)
- hulu.com
- sho.com (showtime)
- tnt.tv
There are at least four times that many sites that DO work, although I’d rather not single them out for legal reasons. There are also a few other methods, but this is by far the easiest to setup and use. If you have IP addresses for other countries, let me know and I’ll add them.
Also, it takes a lot of people and money to make these great shows; be sure to support them by purchasing them when they come out on disc or renting them from iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, etc.
Broken Secrets
Why Most New Stuff Comes Out on Tuesday
By Chad Upton | Editor
It’s always exciting when your favorite band releases a new album. But, why do they always come out on Tuesday?
It’s because DVD, Bluray, CD and video game sales are tracked by SoundScan, a company that compiles sales data on these items. They’re like Nielson TV ratings, except for music, movie and video game sales. In fact, SoundScan is even owned by Nielson.
They measure the number of weekly sales starting on Tuesday through to the following Monday. Publishers release new items on Tuesday so the first week of sales data is seven days; that means sales from that week can be compared to sales data from following weeks in an accurate way.
New movies hit theaters on either Wednesday or Friday. Friday is popular for big movies because a lot of people want to see them on the weekend and it will make the three day ticket sales look more impressive, making the movie sound like a hit. Wednesday is popular for movies that don’t want to compete with the Friday blockbusters.
Here’s a list of popular media and the days they come out:
Movies: Wednesday and Friday (Theater), Tueday (DVD and Bluray).
Music: Tuesday.
Video Games: Tuesday.
Books: There is no standard, although Tuesday is fairly common since they are also tracked by Nielson. They are often on shelves before their official release date, unless there is a large advertising campaign that indicates a specific date.
Comic Books: Wednesday.
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Kindle
Sources: Comic Books (Yelp), Music and Movies (Artists House Music), Nielson, Movie Scoop,
Why Suit Jacket Pockets are Sewn Shut
By Chad Upton | Editor
Men’s suit jackets have their pockets sewn shut at the factory.
If the jacket does have real pockets, the question is: to use the pockets, or not to use the pockets?
There are two camps on this issue.
Some say the pockets are there to be used for movie tickets, opera programs, cigars and other sleek items. In other words, definitely open your pockets up.
On the other hand, using the pockets can stress the seems and ruin the jacket over time. The jacket can also be easier to press without open pockets. So, you’ll have to pick a side.
If you’re on team open pockets, then you can ask your tailor to open the pockets, especially when you buy the jacket. If you’re a DIY kind of person, you can use a seam ripper to, well, rip the seam. You could also use a pair of nail clippers or fine scissors to cut the threads.
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Kindle
Sources: Mens Warehouse, Ask Men
Broken Secrets 