Nothing but a bit of this and bit of that

Hello,

Today's Blog is a little of this and a little of that.

As usual, these stories came from reading.

Enjoy. 

Meera

Nothing but a bit of this and bit of that

One day the eight-year-old twins, Suchi-Soori, and their twelve-year-old sister, Sapna wanted to hear a story at bedtime. 

Their sixteen-year-old brother Sagar scratched his head, "A story for such old-old, really old kids like you?"

One of them said, "But we don't want a scary one, Bhaiya."

Sagar said, "Well, I don't remember any fairy tales."

They all stared at one another.

"Okay, I got it. It's not a fiction, not a made-up story but a factual, true story."

Sagar began, "Do you ever wondered about things in the Universe? How was the world made? How many stars are there in the Universe? Will we ever read another person's mind flawlessly? How about wondering about little things?"

The twins shook their heads. 

Sapna said, "Keep it simple Bhaiya, don't riddle us."

Sagar continued, "I am just asking rhetorically, don't answer. So, why is popsicle called a popsicle and not a momsicle? Well, An eleven-year-old boy named, Frank Epperson invented popsicle accidently when he left his Kool Aid-like drink on his porch during a freezing night. The next day he found it to be delicious. He wished to patent it twenty years later to Epsicle (Epp's icicle). His children called him Pop and not Epp, so they named it Popsicle. That's the name they patented-that means they have a license to use the name."

Sapna said, "That's nice Bhaiya, tell us one more."

"Okay, one more story. The bulletproof vest was not invented on a battlefield, but it was invented by a pizza delivery guy, who happened to be a marine. When three armed men shot him in a dark alley, they missed him but the incident inspired him to come up with a vest made of Kevlar."

Sapna asked, "What is Kevlar?" 

"What is Kevlar? It is a strong, nylon like fabric that is woven in spider-web-pattern, and then interlocked to give extra strength and durability. It is resistant to heat, has no melting point!"

"Oh, that's so good, one more story, okay, Bhaiya?"

"Yep. The last one. Now, have you wondered why Facebook kept the same color scheme, since the time it was called, thefacebook.com? It seems its first user, its founder Mark Zuckerberg is color-blind. That means he can't see red-green at all, and finds it easier to see blue hues."

Sapna said, "Bhaiya, thanks for all these stories. The twins are already out and I am also going to sleep. Good night."

"Good night." Sagar went back to his books.


The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah