A list of curious facts
One: Did you know that vanity car number plates are big business in Hong Kong? They sell for absurd amounts of money at government auctions—going as high as $1.4 million. Recently, the lucky plate with just the letter ‘R’ sold for a whopping $3.3 million—because the letter is associated with racing cars and a lucky number in Chinese fortune-telling. But the more fun ones can range from the obvious—like ‘PLAYBOY' or the James Bondian ‘SKYFALL’—to the absurd, as in ‘OOHLALA’, ‘EGGS’ or ‘OMEGA 5’. Or how about a Benz named GIGGLES? (South China Morning Post)
Two: This probably sounds like the plot of a B-grade Hollywood flick—or maybe the Nick Cage blockbuster? America is facing imminent invasion by a ferocious species of… ‘super pigs!’ Laugh not for these Canadian beasts can weigh up to 300 kg—and are 3 feet tall and 5 feet long. The giant beast is “incredibly intelligent, highly elusive”—and can survive severely cold temperatures by tunnelling 2 metres under the snow to create a cave. Needless to say, they are a result of stupid human project to breed wild boars with domestic pigs to produce more meat—and fun for pig hunters. Just look at the fangs, sorry, tusks on that! (The Guardian)
Three: Looking to mark that special anniversary? How about giving your bae a ‘love spoon’? The time-honoured Welsh tradition is way cooler than boring jewellery, watches or flowers—and dates back to the 17th century. Though the intricate carvings on these spoons could be a little quirky: "A lot of our spoons do incorporate carved balls in cages and we think that was probably a symbol of how many children the carver wanted to have with the suitor.” The tradition of wooden carving died out during the 20th century with the rise of industrialization—but has now made a big nostalgic comeback today. (BBC News)
