I DID NOT KNOW

THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF

CADILLAC NEWS -- AUGUST 3, 2024

What I know is that what I don't know is a staggering amount. There is a strong probability that the readers of this column know way more than the writer of this column. That being the case, it's not surprising that I stumble across bits of new knowledge on a daily basis.

 

For instance, I did not know that there is an official litter box of the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings. This high tech item is the  Litter-Robot by the Auburn Hills-based Whisker company. “Based on reviews by Good housekeeping, Forbes, Time and others, Litter-Robots make daily scooping obsolete.” 

 

If you take your cat to a game there's more good news. “Whisker will be at all three Detroit stadiums. In Comerica Park, Whisker’s Litter-Robot will be featured in right-center field.” (https://www.litter-robot.com/)

 

Still in the animal kingdom, I did not know that rats are fans of heavy metal music. “A study suggests rats may have a humanlike sense of rhythm, which they express by bopping their heads to the beat.”

 

So what music genre do rats prefer? “The researchers hypothesized that rats would prefer faster jams. Lab rats synced up best with music in the 120 to 140 beats-per-minute range.” My guess is that the favorite band of those head-banging rats is obviously – wait for it – RATT. (https://interestingfacts.com/fact/rats-bop-their-heads-in-time-to-music/)

 

Thinking about rats might cause you to scrunch your face. Related to this, I did not know what part of the face features a glabella. “The glabella is the small patch of skull nestled in the middle of your two superciliary arches (also known as your eyebrow ridges).” 

 

The opposite of this open space is the unibrow. At one time this was a fashion statement. “Women in ancient Greece saw the unibrow as a beautiful feature, so much so that they’d paint soot on their glabellas to form a faux unibrow. Throughout the following centuries, fashion’s notion of the ideal eyebrow changed.” (https://interestingfacts.com/fact/the-space-between-your-eyebrows-is-called-the-glabella/)

 

How things are invented always interests me. I did not know microwave cooking was discovered by accident. “Today, ninety percent of American homes have a microwave, but before World War II, no such device existed.”

 

The revelation happened in 1946. “Percy Spencer, an engineer, was working at the aerospace and defense company Raytheon when he stepped in front of an active radar set. To his surprise, microwaves produced from the radar melted a chocolate bar in his pocket. After conducting a few more experiments using eggs and popcorn kernels, Spencer realized that microwaves could be used to cook a variety of foods.” Raytheon patented the invention and in 1947, the company released its first microwave.” (https://interestingfacts.com/fact/the-microwave-was-invented-by-accident-thanks-to-a-melted-candy-bar/)

 

Warming up cookies in a microwave is a common use. I did not know that when chocolate chip cookies were invented there was no such thing as chocolate chips. “The classic treat was popularized in the 1930s by Massachusetts chef Ruth Wakefield, who served the sweet snack as an accompaniment to ice cream at her popular restaurant, the Toll House Inn.” 

 

Her recipe was published, but there was a problem. “You couldn’t buy a bag of chocolate chips.  Instead, bakers had to chip morsels off a large block of baking chocolate.” 

 

That all changed in 1939. “Nestle got Wakefield’s permission to use her recipe to promote its chocolate, and started including the recipe in advertisements. Nestle reportedly paid Wakefield one dollar for the rights to the recipe, though it did provide her with free chocolate for life.” (https://historyfacts.com/us-history/fact/chocolate-chips-were-invented-after-chocolate-chip-cookies/)

 

Whether you're using a microwave to warm up cookies or cook something else, it's important to use microwave-safe cookware. I did not know there is a difference between PYREX (upper case letters) and pyrex (lower case). “While the Pyrex name is well-known, not all Pyrex dishes are created equal. The specific capitalization of letters used on the labels of these dishes makes a huge difference when it comes to the materials and types of dishes you are using.”

 

Here's the key thing to know. “Products with PYREX in all uppercase letters is the real-deal bakeware made with the borosilicate glass that is high-temperature safe for ovens and microwaves. Some products will also include the Pyrex brand name (with a single capital letter) followed by a registered trademark. Products with pyrex in all lowercase letters refers to a trademark kitchenware that is made with a variety of materials that isn’t borosilicate and soda-lime glass, and cannot be heated in a microwave or oven.” (https://www.thekitchn.com/pyrex-brand-differences-23671509)

 

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is to enjoy a balmy evening outdoors listening to baseball on the radio. To my way of thinking, the experience of baseball on the radio is far superior to baseball on television. Related to this, I did not know that a traditional baseball snack, Cracker Jack, is considered America's first junk food. “Some historians believe that the caramel-coated popcorn and peanut treat jump-started the American snack food industry.” Early ads cautioned: “Do not taste it. If you do, you will part with your money easy.” 

 

Here's where baseball comes into the picture. “It was a song, however, that helped cement Cracker Jack’s snack status in 1908. 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game'   mentions the snack by name that forever linked Cracker Jack with sports. By 1916, Cracker Jack was the bestselling snack worldwide.” (https://interestingfacts.com/fact/cracker-jack-americas-first-junk-food/)

 

Finally, I knew things moved fast in today's world, but I did not know how fast. A multitude of counters at https://www.thescaleoflife.com/ shows a running total of forty facets of human activity. Did you know that in a lifetime you'll travel over a trillion miles in space? No wonder you're tired at the end of a long day. 

 

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.