1. "PFD Otter is a spokesman and advocate for water safety, who spearheads the "Kids Don't Float" program created in Homer, Alaska. The program loans Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) to children and teenagers to combat the increasing number of drowning deaths."
2. Speaking of water and drowning, on my birthday, in 1872, the boat Mary Celeste, which had been captained by Benjamin Briggs, was found abandoned in the middle of the ocean. "Dozens of theories have been proposed to explain the mystery, ranging from the mundane and plausible to the fantastic. The most plausible theories are based on the barrels of [industrial alcohol they were carrying]. Briggs had never hauled such a dangerous cargo before and did not trust it. Nine leaking barrels would have caused a buildup of vapor in the hold. Historian Conrad Byers believed that Captain Briggs ordered the hold to be opened, resulting in a violent rush of fumes and then steam. Believing the ship was about to explode, Briggs ordered everyone into the lifeboat, in his haste, failing to properly secure the lifeboat to the ship with a strong towline. The wind picked up and blew the ship away from them. The occupants of the lifeboat either drowned or drifted out to sea to die of hunger, thirst and exposure."
3. Speaking of Benjamin Briggs, the Iron Maiden song "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" was released on clear vinyl that, heretofore, I did not know existed.
4. Speaking of reincarnation and dead people:
"[T]he [Hindu Sect] Aghoris maintain that all opposites are identical and that the conventional Hindu distinctions between purity and impurity are ultimately illusory. The purpose of embracing pollution through various practices is the realization of non-duality through transcending social taboos, and seeing the illusory nature of all conventional categories.
In essence, Aghoris base their beliefs on two principles. First, that the gods are perfect. Second, that the gods are responsible for everything; every rock, tree, animal, and even every thought. Due to this, everything that exists must be perfect, and to deny the perfection of anything would be to deny the gods. For this reason, Aghoris are known to prove their faith by challenging pre-conceived notions of the grotesque, and find the beauty or perfection in such conventionally taboo notions as, for example, cannibalism."
5. Speaking of Steve-O:
"On September 26, 2005, a heavily intoxicated Steve-O appeared on Too Late with Adam Carolla.[15] He had originally planned on getting drunk, having a policeman give him a Breathalyzer test, and then pulling a cloth out from under a table of food. Unfortunately, the plan fell through at the last second as Steve-O had already consumed a large amount of alcohol. On the show Steve-O yelled obscenities, attempted to tackle Adam Carolla, broke a glass table with his foot, inadvertently cutting his leg, and was taken away by security at the end of the segment.[16][17] In the following segment Adam attempted to perform the stunt Steve-O had planned.[18][19] [20] Despite the turmoil, on October 17, 2005, Steve-O appeared again on Too Late.[21] His second appearance was no less chaotic, with Steve-O lighting a table on fire, breaking the replacement for the glass table he had broken previously, and ended with him stapling his scrotum to his thigh.[22]
[Then, on Tom Green's Show:]
Steve-O [...]spoke out about his feelings towards his clown college alma mater, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, for abusing the animals used in the circus. He took calls from viewers while repeatedly huffing medical-grade compressed nitrous oxide (commonly called "whippits"), smoking, drinking alcohol and eating hash brownies. The show ran for three times its normal length, ending with Steve-O collapsing on the floor after drinking a bottle of Italian salad dressing and vomiting violently."
6. Speaking of grossness, a device for emergency breathing during fires in high-rise buildings:
(real invention, patented)7. Speaking of schematics, this is what a 3-speed hub looks like inside:
8. Speaking of confusing images, I have no idea what this means:
9. Speaking of perplexedness, I also don't know what this is all about:
10. And finally, another fact, so you can actually have learned something if you've made it this far:
"Mezcal is a Mexican distilled spirit made from maguey plants and refers to all agave-based distilled liquors that are not tequila."
And just for shits and giggles, watch this again.
