Breaking glass

Did you know …

That if you sing in just the right way, you can actually shatter glass? It’s true!

This is because the amorphous solid structure of glass can’t stand your stupid voice or the awful songs that seem to be stuck in your head. Each little molecule of glass, at the sound of you singing, begins to vibrate in anxiety until they fall into resonance. At that point, they throw themselves apart to try to escape the sound of your voice. Unfortunately for them, breaking doesn’t change the fundamental nature of the glass, and you’re the type to keep singing even after something has tried to end its own life.

But don’t feel bad; it’s only glass!

It means, "don't call me, I'll call you."

Did you know …

That “quantum” is just a made up word? It’s true!

But wait, you might be saying, aren’t all words made up? Except for the words naturally produced by babies and animals (e.g., “bark,” “burp,” “raaa,” “huuurk,” etc.), don’t words exist pretty much because we decided they should? Well, yes, that’s true, but “quantum” is particularly made up.

The Swiss physicist Leonard Euler was the first person to use the word, and he only ever said it because he couldn’t think of a single real word when one of his mistresses asked him why he needed to leave so early in the morning. As I understand it, she had simply inquired where he was going, baby, and wouldn’t he rather stick around and get breakfast with her later? With literally no excuses at hand, Leonard uttered a random syllable, and then one more, and then ran off her balcony.

Apparently the new “word” was still in his head when he sat down to do some “chill-out math” half an hour later, and it stuck around through his ensuing publications.