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MUNDANE MYSTERIES: The Real Reason For Black Stripes On School Buses

There’s no denying that the color combo of black & yellow make is eye-catching. I mean, just think of bees, caution tape, Stanley tools…lots more. But the black stripes on yellow school buses aren’t just for aesthetics.

Those black stripes that run along the sides & back of the school bus are actually metal “rub rails”, and they act as an extra layer of protection for the thin wall panels of the vehicle. Those rub rails would help absorb the force of a potential collision, while also preventing a car from impacting the whole side of the bus in a crash.

Rub rails are placed at very specific spots on the bus body. The lowest one is installed at same level as the buses interior floor, while the middle one is situated at the level of the bottom of the passenger seats, and the top rail sits at about the same height as either the top of the seats and/or the bottom of the window. That strategic placement would prove useful in the event of a bad crash if the school bus doors and/or windows couldn’t be reached or opened. Because of the rub rails, rescue teams would have a better idea of where to cut into the sides of the bus to be able to evacuate students, and they’d also be able to tell where the impact occurred. For instance, if it were below the bottom rail, then that would mean the impact would’ve occurred below the floor, meaning the bus’s passengers may have avoided the worst of the crash.

Now, some things such as rub rail placement, size, material, color, and other things do vary by state. For instance, here in Maryland (as well as Illinois), they have to be “glossy black.” But other states allow them to match the rest of the bus. Speaking of: the school bus’s color is called “National School Bus Glossy Yellow”, which was chosen because of its eye-catching nature, back in 1939, a group of engineers decided that that particular hue was easiest to see during morning and evening bus rounds. And the black striping provided by the rub rails only makes it even more strikingly visible.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

{Katie’s Baby Blog} Sprinkle at Work!!

My co-workers threw me a surprise sprinkle this week!!! It was a pink St. Patrick’s Day gathering 🙂

I had no clue they were planning the event and went into a meeting, while they decorated the conference room and put up pink balloons, signs, and cute baby decorations. When I got out of my meeting–I was told we had another meeting…which was the surprise!

We played a fun shower game where you guess the kids from different popular tv shows, ate ROY ROGERS…who brought all of our favorite sandwiches and sides and then got special cookies and heart shaped moon pies from Clustered Spires Bakery…YUM!

I opened beautiful cards and gifts from co-workers for baby girl!!! She is going to be so spoiled <3

 

Pictures below!

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: How Warm Is “Lukewarm”?

The term “lukewarm” is used commonly to mean “somewhere between hot & cold”. But, there are certain times that call for a more specific place on the thermometer, such as when you’re baking bread, bathing a baby, or having breakfast with Goldilocks. But, how warm is lukewarm really?

It depends, really. It was in the early 18th century that both Dutch physicist Daniel Fahrenheit & Swedish astronomer Andres Celsius each came up with their own respective temperature scales. At that time, “lukewarm” had already been in use for several centuries. And, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word derives from the Middle English word “lheuc”, which generally means “tepid”.

Basically, lukewarm wasn’t originally a scientific term (it still isn’t, either). Still, people do occasionally have a temperature range in mind when using it. Some consider lukewarm to be body temperature (98.6°F), while others characterize it to be closer to room temperature (around 70°F, give or take a few degrees). But, if you’re talking about bread or baths, lukewarm needs to be a bit warmer.

Pediatricians say that a baby’s bathwater should be right around 100°F; so, warm but not hot. Water to activate yeast for baking bread should be in that region, too, though it depends on what kind of yeast. Cake yeast (sometimes called “wet,” “fresh,” or “compressed” yeast) needs water between 90°F & 95°F, while dry yeast requires water between 110°F & 115°F. Instant yeast, on the other hand, usually needs even warmer water to activate, between 120°F & 130°F. And, it matters because, if your water’s too hot (140°F or higher) the fungi in the yeast won’t be able to grow at all & your dough won’t rise.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

Happy Hour for 2

Listen every Thursday for your chance to win a Happy Hour for 2 from Dragon Distillery!

Happy Hour includes

-2 Drinks (1 per person)

-20 Hatchet Throws (10 per person)

-20 Ninja Star Throws (10 per person)

Dragon Distillery is located at 1341 Hughes Ford Rd, Frederick MD 21701

Visit them here: DragonDistillery.com

 

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Do We Pinch Non-Green-Wearers On St. Patrick’s Day?

You probably hear it all day the day before & likely see it happen on the day, itself: if you don’t wear green on St. Patrick’s day, you get pinched by your friends & family. But, have you ever actually questioned the whole St. Patrick’s Day pinching rule? Is it an ancient cultural practice passed down through generations? Or, was it just some stupid game an older brother invented to beat up on his younger siblings?

As folklore would have it, you actually get pinched on St. Patrick’s day for not wearing green because green makes you invisible to leprechauns, and leprechauns like to pinch people. Why do leprechauns like to pinch people? Because they can, that’s why! (I couldn’t track down any primary Irish source to certify this claim, however, so take it with a grain of salt.)

Apart from the superstitious aspect, why would we need to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? Well, wearing green actually symbolizes Irish Republicanism, which was a nonsectarian movement from the late 18th century that campaigned for Ireland to become an independent republic. The reason green became so deeply entwined with St. Patrick’s Day came a little bit later, in the 19th century, when Irish immigrants started landing in America & celebrating St. Patrick’s Day by wearing the symbolic color reflecting their heritage.

So, hopefully you’ve worn your finest green t-shirt or dress this St. Patty’s day. Because, while we don’t condone pinching those who don’t wear green, everyone’s entitled to celebrate as they must. So, better to be safe than sorry!

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

I have seen the Bob Ross MTN Dew Ad


A few people have asked me if I have seen the new Bob Ross MTN Ad. I have, and I am not a fan. It isn’t because of the cluster of ethical questions around deepfakes. I can thankfully ignore all that because the Bob Ross Company signed off on the idea.

The problem is that I think they could have done a better job!!!!

This video clocking in at over 40 minutes of content includes 26 minutes of an old episode. Instead of mixing and blending in the fake Bob Ross, they go full fake once they run out of original footage. It isn’t impressive, and I have no idea why they didn’t just lean into how bad it…I need to stop. 

Here is some info on the ad:

Some of my Bob Ross nonsense:

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: The Dimple On A Jug Of Milk

It doesn’t matter if you prefer whole milk, 2%, or skim, when it comes to the plastic containers that your milk comes in all share one thing in common: they’ve got an inverted circle built into one side of the jug. If you’re a milk drinker, you’ve probably seen this circle…but do you know the ingenious reason for it?

That concave circle on the side of your jug of milk actually provides structural integrity to the jug, itself. A full gallon of milk with rigid flat sides would be fine simply sitting on a shelf in your fridge; but if it were to drop onto the floor, it would most likely rupture. That concave circle is what helps prevent that from happening. When a jug hits the ground, the circle flips outward & gives the milk a place to go when it expands on impact. By working in some literal wiggle room into the design actually makes the container more flexible & durable.

The same feature comes in handy as the milk approaches its expiration date. Milk contains microbes that will expel gases over time. As those gases accumulate, pressure within the jug builds up, and it’s that flexible dimple that stops the jug from exploding. If you want to see a more extreme example of this process, just put a jug of milk in the freezer. See, liquids expand when frozen, which is why freezing a bottle or can of soda ultimately leaves you with a shattered container & a mess in your freezer. The milk jug’s inverted circle facilitates that expansion, though, so you could stick your milk directly in the freezer without it becoming a wet bomb.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

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