Fun Facts from Wired

When I was young, I was a serious lad. I used walk up to my dad and tell him fun facts. That's what he used to call them, 'fun to know and tell,' we'd say. I just got this month's Wired. Full of such treats.

There is a new Finnish icebreaker that uses the same swivel-mounted motors as used on speedboats. They break the ice on an angle, cutting a wider swatch for large tankers who want to bring the oil down from the Arctic.

Every year in Anaheim they hold a contest to see who can drum the fastest. Boo McAfee, one time drummer for Willie Nelson, came up with the idea, and developed a drumbeat counting machine he calls a 'drumometer.' Johnny Rabb broke 1000 taps per minute in 2000.

The costs of an hour in an internet cafe varies wildly around the world. Here are some of them

South Deerfield, MA $6.00
New York NY $12.80
Cairo Egypt .52
Sydney Australia $2.21
Budapest, Hungary $3.27
Paris, France $4.86

If you recorded 3000 songs using your Napster subscription, and then decided you didn't want to pay the monthly $15.00, the songs would not work any more on any Ipod or computer you have.