Oddities and Humor

I assumed it was cotton. Not certain.

By Drew Harwell
Stomp on the gas in a new Ford Mustang or F-150 and you’ll hear a meaty, throaty rumble — the same style of roar that Americans have associated with auto power and performance for decades.

It’s a sham. The engine growl in some of America’s best-selling cars and trucks is actually a finely tuned bit of lip-syncing, boosted through special pipes or digitally faked altogether. And it’s driving car enthusiasts insane.

Fake engine noise has become one of the auto industry’s dirty little secrets, with automakers from BMW to Volkswagen turning to a sound-boosting bag of tricks. Without them, today’s more fuel-efficient engines would sound far quieter and, automakers worry, seemingly less powerful, potentially pushing buyers away.

Softer-sounding engines are actually a positive symbol of just how far engines and gas economy have progressed. But automakers say they resort to artifice because they understand a key car-buyer paradox: Drivers want all the force and fuel savings of a newer, better engine — but the classic sound of an old gas-guzzler.

“Enhanced” engine songs have become the signature of eerily quiet electrics such as the Toyota Prius. But the fakery is increasingly finding its way into beefy trucks and muscle cars, long revered for their iconic growl.

For the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost, Ford sound engineers and developers worked on an “Active Noise Control” system that amplifies the engine’s purr through the car speakers. Afterward, the automaker surveyed members of Mustang fan clubs on which processed “sound concepts” they most enjoyed.

Ford said in a statement that the vintage V-8 engine boom “has long been considered the mating call of Mustang,” but added that the newly processed pony-car sound is “athletic and youthful,” “a more refined growl” with “a low-frequency sense of powerfulness.”

Among purists, the trickery has inspired an identity crisis and cut to the heart of American auto legend. The “aural experience” of a car, they argue, is an intangible that’s just as priceless as what’s revving under the hood.

Another dirty secret exposed!,

It's been done with vacuum cleaners for years.

Is that true! The thing I hate the most about vacuuming is the noise.

I read an article some years back that told how noise makers are put on vacuum cleaners, because people won't believe silent ones are up to the job.

What's in McDonald's french fries?

Batches of potatoes, taken from a farm, are cut into fry shape at a Lamb Weston processing plant. The potatoes are cut into fries at about 70 miles per hour, according to McDonald's.

"We can dig anywhere from a thousand to 2,400 tons of potatoes per day … and the majority of these will go into McDonald's Fries," said Troy Grimes, director of Farm & Dairy Operations for Lamb Weston.

Then, 19 ingredients are added for freshness, taste and texture, according to the company, including potatoes, canola oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor, hydrolyzed wheat, hydrolyzed milk, citric acid, dimethylpolysiloxane, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate and salt.


They are partially fried onsite to get a crispy shell and then become frozen through a "freeze tunnel." This allows them to be shipped, the company says.

Frying is finished at McDonald's restaurants.

Meanwhile, the chain reported falling earnings and sales for its fourth quarter Friday, according to the AP. For the period ending Dec. 31, McDonald's earned $1.1 billion, or $1.13 per share compared with $1.4 billion, or $1.40 per share, in 2013, AP reports.

A bit of fun

http://www.ted.com/talks/charlie_todd_the_shared_experience_of_absurdity

Oldie but goodie:

The video at this link is funny as hell. Disturbing, too.
http://www.chonday.com/Videos/gardowr3

Jeez. The disturbing part is that somebody thinks that's OK.

Islamophobic Bus Ads In San Francisco Are Being Defaced With Kamala Khan
http://toybox.io9.com/islamaphobic-bus-ads-in-san-francisco-are-being-defaced-1681857271

Kamala Khan to the rescue!

They could always call for......


BHANGRA MAN!

Let's see. From surge protector, through 3 miles of wire, through a doorway where the door can cut the wire, to a lightbulb socket.

I think that's a fine example of a Rube Goldberg machine.

I hope the insurance company to the homeowner cancels the homeowner's insurance policy ASAP after seeing this video.

French court stops child from being named Nutella

I have a feeling Darwin is going to stop by and straighten that business out a little.

We have seen many amazing cases at our full-service veterinary clinic, but this situation may take the cake! Our public hospital is currently caring for a 2-3 year old cat who was found by his owner after being hit by a car. The cat appeared to be lifeless and the owner buried him. Five days later, the cat showed up in a neighbors yard, alive! He had dug himself out of the grave and slowly made his way back home, albeit weak, dehydrated and in need of medical attention.

The owner reached out to area veterinary clinics but, unable to afford their fees, brought him to the our Animal Health Center where he is being treated for a broken jaw, open facial wounds and a ruined eye, which will have to be removed. Luckily, the injuries sustained were not more serious. HSTB veterinarians expect him to recover and be able to go back home.
http://humanesocietytampa.org/miracle-cat-comes-back-from-the-grave/

A suspected burglar trapped in the window. Two heroic freshers helped police catch a suspected intruder who they found stuck in the window of a building at Nottingham Trent University.