I thought that said “how to extract an eye from a foreign body” and I was excited.
(Source: blanchedeneige, via imbrogliorosso)
Why Fingernails on Blackboards Sound So Horrible
Much time has been spent, over the past century, on working out exactly what it is about the sound of fingernails on a blackboard that’s so unpleasant. A new study pins the blame on psychology and the design of our ear canals.
» via Wired
Spell It Out: 16 Abbreviated Company Names Explained
Dozens of companies use acronyms or initials in their names, but how well do you know what the abbreviated letters mean? Let’s take a look at the etymologies behind a few abbreviated company names.
1. CVS
Sorry, drugstore fans, there aren’t three fatcat pharmacists with these initials running around out there. When the pharmacy chain was founded in Lowell, MA in 1963, it was known as “Consumer Value Stores.” Over time the name became abbreviated to simply CVS.
2. K-Mart
Longtime five-and-dime mogul Sebastian S. Kresge opened his first larger store in Garden City, Michigan, in 1962. The store was named K-Mart after him. (Kresge had earned the right to have a store named for him; he opened up his new venture at the tender age of 94.)
3. IKEA
The Swedish furniture giant and noted charity takes its name from found Ingvar Kamprad’s initials conjoined with a the first initial of the farm where Kamprad grew up, Elmtaryd, and the parish he calls home, Agunnaryd.
Check out this map of the geography of faith across history. You can see the spread of 5,000 years of religion in 90 seconds. This video’s got an easy-to-follow timeline on a subject that’s so large scale it’s often tricky for students to wrap their minds around.
(via museumsandstuff)
