A list of curious facts

One: Last week, 200 waiters and waitresses in Paris sashayed down its streets—carrying a tray carrying a French breakfast: a croissant, coffee and a glass of water for 2 km. This feat of restaurant service is called Course des Cafés (Cafe Race). The 110-year-old event was launched to promote the city’s service staff. Back in the good old days, women were not allowed to participate—and the balancing feat was more impressive: A tray with a bottle and three glasses… for 8 km. You can get a glimpse of it below. (The Guardian)

Two: Did you know that people are more likely to die on their birthdays? A 2012 large-scale study found we are 14% more likely to kick the bucket on our big day. That doubles to 18% when you pass the age of 60. 

The stats are especially dire for men:

Men were more likely to have a violent demise on their birthday, as their chances of suicides spiked by nearly 35% and their odds of being accident victims rose by almost 29%. Deadly falls in men rose by 44% on their birthdays, and, interestingly, the number of falls started to increase about four days before the celebration took place.

Women, OTOH, are 22% more likely to die of a stroke. The oddest bit: the risk of dying from cancer jumps by 10.8 percent on birthdays—and is higher than usual immediately following a birthday—a trend not seen for any other cause of death. The reasons for this pattern aren’t difficult to guess—birthday blues, excessive drinking etc. Also: “death postponement”—the desire to hang on until your personal milestone. (NBC News)

Three: Nope, Wi-Fi does not stand for ‘wireless fidelity’. In fact, there is no such thing as  ‘wireless fidelity’. The word is a pun on Hi-Fi—used for audio equipment and known by everyone thanks to the lovely John Cusack (‘High Fidelity’). Marketers decided it would work just as well for internet connections. Also: it was way better than its real name: IEEE 802.11. The marketing company that invented the term says: “The name had to be memorable—something universal you could find in your home, the office, a coffee shop, or on public transit.” Job done! (Gizmodo)