If you’re ever needing to choose a number and you want a little help to make sure that you’re doing it absolutely randomly, here’s the page for you: the Random Number Generator.

It’s simple—you enter the range of numbers you want to choose between (say, between 1 and 45) and the computer gives you the number.

This is the electronic equivalent of drawing a number from a hat (and a lot less work).

Posted by Amy as Math, General at 9:42 AM EDT

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Here’s a helpful site: time and date.com.

It has many features; here are a few of them:

• a calendar specific to the country you input; this works for the current year, past years, and future years. It comes complete with statutory holidays
• day and night map
• international dialing codes
• sunrise and sunset
• moonrise and moonset
• time zone converter

There are fun things there too. I learned that on Saturday, 30 December 30 2017 at 8:00:00 AM it will be 500,000 hours since I was born (give or take a few hours).

On a more practical note, you can get a clock for your blog or website.

Posted by Amy as General at 1:28 AM EST

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Here’s an interesting website: Things Other People Accomplished When They Were Your Age.

The premise is simple; enter an age, click a button, and you get a list of what other people accomplished when they were that age.

Here are some of the things that people my age have accomplished:

• Benjamin Franklin conducted experiments with a kite and discovered that lightning is an electrical discharge.
• A Scottish surgeon, James Baird, discovered hypnosis.
• Golfer Jack Nicklaus became the oldest man ever to win the Masters.
• Alfred Eisenstaedt made his most famous photo, of a sailor sweeping up a girl in a kiss during a V-J day celebration in Times Square.

I don’t know whether to be inspired, demoralised, or entertained.

Via Plep.

Posted by Amy as General at 5:18 AM EST

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If, like me, you tend to automatically remember random bits of information, check out the International High IQ Society’s Trivia Challenge 2006.

Here are a few questions (multiple choice answers are listed):

• what is the main ingredient in glass?
• what bird is traditionally seen as the symbol of peace?
• who sang “Happy Birthday” to John F. Kennedy?

I had a respectable score, but not outstanding.

One caution—the “next” button is just above the “cancel” button, and I inadvertantly kicked myself out of the process three times before I got smart.

Posted by Amy as General at 1:21 AM EST

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And now, to brighten your day, here is a list of Interesting Facts.

Some of my favourites:

• Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.
• February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
• Isaac Asimov is the only author to have a book in every Dewey-decimal category.

I did not know any of this.

Via The Presurfer.

Posted by Amy as General at 1:07 AM EST

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