Category Archives: SMS Blog

Polar Bears, Disneyland Cats, and Magic 8-Balls

Polar Bears, Disneyland Cats, and Magic 8-Balls

1.  Due to the fact that they spend the majority of their lives on sea ice, polar bears are classified as marine mammals, like dolphins, seals, and whales. 2.  It’s illegal to make, sell, or even have possession of confetti in Mobile, Alabama. 3.  You’d think Disneyland would be friendly to mice, what with Mickey…MORE

Hope, Kittens, and Barefoot Adventures

Hope, Kittens, and Barefoot Adventures

1.  An Army Major from England named Chris Brannigan is walking 1,200 miles from Maine to North Carolina BAREFOOT to raise awareness for a genetic condition his daughter has called Cornelia de Lange syndrome.  His charity is called Hope for Hasti.   2.  A dog in Upstate New York recently had a litter of six puppies . .…MORE

Grandparents’ Day Is Sunday: Here Are Five Websites All Grandparents Need

Grandparents’ Day Is Sunday: Here Are Five Websites All Grandparents Need

Sunday is Grandparents’ Day.  Don’t worry if you didn’t get them anything . . . fixing their computer when “The Yahoo” gets stuck in Portuguese is the greatest gift you can possibly give. Here are five helpful websites grandparents should bookmark.  So, first teach them what a bookmark is.  Then show them these sites .…MORE

Dad Jokes, Ice Cream, and Noise Complaints

Dad Jokes, Ice Cream, and Noise Complaints

1.  A lady in Wisconsin says dad jokes helped her recover from back surgery.  Her doctor told her to go on walks every day, and it was daunting at first.  But then she noticed a neighbor was posting dad jokes outside their house each morning to cheer people up.  So now she never skips, because she doesn’t…MORE

Donuts, Steve Jobs, and Wheel of Fortune

Donuts, Steve Jobs, and Wheel of Fortune

1.  This reminds me of the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”  If you click on the first link in the main text of an English Wikipedia article, and then repeat the process for subsequent articles, usually it eventually leads to the Philosophy article. This was true for 97% of all articles in Wikipedia.  (I tried it with “cheese fries” and…MORE

A Study Found You Shouldn’t Take Pills with Coffee, Juice, or Soda

A Study Found You Shouldn’t Take Pills with Coffee, Juice, or Soda

Well this would have been useful information to have for my entire life leading up to now . . .   It turns out you might have been swallowing PILLS wrong, or at least chasing them with the wrong types of drinks.   A new study found you should always take pills with water .…MORE

Shakespeare, Whales, and 2 Guys Kissing

Shakespeare, Whales, and 2 Guys Kissing

1.  You can hear a blue whale’s heartbeat from more than two miles away. 2.  In seven-card “Texas Hold ‘Em” hands, the total number of distinct seven-card hands is 133,784,560.  And interestingly, the probability of having NO pairs is LESS than the probability of a one-pair or two-pair hand. 3.  Almost three times more people…MORE

Exo-Suits, a Runaway Jeep, and “The Wiggles”

Exo-Suits, a Runaway Jeep, and “The Wiggles”

Here are a few more good news stories making the rounds . . . 1.  A former high school football player in Texas was paralyzed during a game in 2009.  But with the help of an exo-suit, he WALKED across the stage to get his college diploma last week. 2.  The driver of an RV was towing a…MORE

Nurses, Dogs, and Lake Tahoe

Nurses, Dogs, and Lake Tahoe

1.  A nurse in Las Vegas named Brooke Johns is in the news because of what she does when she’s NOT working.  She goes back in on her days off just to do her patients’ hair. 2.  A 14-year-old from California named James Savage just became the youngest person to ever swim the entire length of Lake…MORE

Presidents, Metallica, and Sloth Poop

Presidents, Metallica, and Sloth Poop

1.  The guy who sings the “South Park” theme was almost a member of Metallica.  The theme is performed by Primus, and singer Les Claypool was childhood friends with Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.  Les auditioned to replace Cliff Burton as their new bassist in 1986, but it didn’t work out. 2.  Seven U.S. presidents were born in log cabins:  Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses…MORE