Science & Technology
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What’s Vocal Fry Really All About?
Perhaps you’ve heard of vocal fry, a quality of speech often associated with the likes of Kim Kardashian or Katy Perry. American media stories detailing vocal fry sometimes warn us that it’s damaging to our vocal cords, and that women who use vocal fry are jeopardizing their job prospects. As wonderful as it is that the mass media is paying attention to phonetics, much of …
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Why Is The Word “Read” In Read Receipts So Terrifying?
Read is simple ... and what's wrong with that? -
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Why Do We Call Them Berries?
The berry family is a linguistic invention particular to Germanic languages, like English. Other languages, like Spanish and French, do not combine the wide, diverse berry family into one group, but rather have very different words for blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries . Where does the word berry come from? The word berry comes from the Old English berie, which originally meant “grape.” As the English language …
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Inertia vs. Momentum: Which Keeps You Moving?
Science is real. Science is cool. Science uses a lot of terms that we all think we know. But, do we really know what we are talking about? In the spirit of scientific community and understanding, let’s clear up one big scientific misconception that we all get wrong … Pop quiz: Is it momentum or inertia that keeps you moving? Here’s a hint: In science, …
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What’s Net Neutrality?
What is net neutrality? You may have heard the term net neutrality in the news. Net neutrality is the idea that the relationship between you and content on the internet shouldn’t be altered by internet service providers—that ISPs should provide nondiscriminatory access to internet content, without manipulating the transfer of data, and treat all web traffic equally. The government has protected this idea until recently, when the …
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Take A Ride Around The World On These Unusual Transports
One way to get to know a country is through its food. Another way is by using the country’s public transportation. Some unique modes of transportation are just for fun, like dog-sledding trips in Norway and zorbing in New Zealand (which involves rolling down a hill inside a giant inflatable ball, just saying). Other means of transportation are more practical . . . here’s a …
