A list of curious facts
One: The latest social media conspiracy theory involves the origin story of Netflix’s instantly recognisable ‘Ta-dum’ sound. Fans claim it was directly ripped off from the ending of Season 2 of ‘House of Cards’—which is kinda persuasive, as you can see below:
OTOH, Netflix insists its signature sound was created by Academy Award-winning sound designer Lon Bender—who came up with 20-30 options—including a “goat noise.” When once the MGM lion roared, the Netflix goat bleats lol! (Metro UK)
Two: The Japanese have come up with a novel solution for the dire state of bookstores. Anyone can rent a shelf in the store to sell their books—paying anywhere between 4,850 to 9,350 yen (US$32-US$61) per month. They can be small publishers, individuals—even IT companies. Most intriguingly, the idea is inspired by social media: “Each one of these shelves is like a real version of a social media account, where you express yourself like in Instagram or Facebook.” They are also filled with books that their owners love:
“It is as if you’re hearing voices of recommendations,” [store owner Rokuroui] Yui says. Owners of regular bookstores put books on their shelves that they have to sell to stay in business, regardless of their personal tastes, he says. “But here, there is no single book that we have to sell, but just books that someone recommends with strong passion and love for them.”
We can’t wait for this trend to hit India (paging indie bookstore owners!!) South China Morning Post has more on how this model works.
Three: The big trend in beverages in the US is something called prebiotic soda. Wtf is that? Prebiotics are dietary fibres that serve as food for trillions of good bacteria in your gut. Not to be confused with probiotics—which are foods and supplements that contain good bacteria. Prebiotic sodas typically contain a plant-based fibre called inulin—which comes from agave or chicory root.
No, it doesn’t have a taste—which makes it a perfect additive to all kinds of soda—be it colas or the fruity kind. Explains why Coke has jumped into the fray with its own line called Simply Pop. Cleveland Clinic is best at explaining the benefits and drawbacks of chugging prebiotic sodas. (CNBC)
Bonus fact puzzle: The Incas recorded numbers with a method called ‘khipu’ (or quipu)—recently made famous by ‘Paddington in Peru’ (see below). They made special knots on a string—and these strings were attached together in a big bundle. This method was lost during the Spanish conquest—until a high school maths teacher in Brooklyn worked it out in 1912. The Guardian replicated the khipu he used—as excellent timepass for puzzle-lovers. You can learn how the system works over here.
