QR CODES

QR codes were invented in Japan in the mid-90s to track components in car production.

They can hold a massive amount of data compared to standard barcodes – up to 2,500 numeric characters compared to a barcode’s 43.

SHOPPING LIST

Well its my blog, so I will do what I want! And my shopping list might be interesting to someone who has absolutely nothing else to be concerned about. And I have my car back, and the TV aerial connector is kaput! Biden is in the White House, its raining, its dark, its winter!

NICE ONE JOE!

Nice speech – now for actions. He is the first Democrat for 25 years, to have majorities in both Houses of Congress. So he should be able to get things done. And Donald can disappear into the background – I am sure he will get dairy occasionally, but his time will hopefully be spent defending himself from lawsuits.

LORD SUMPTION

Can this be shouted out loud as it is one of the underlying beliefs of the Tory Party. Some lives are less valuable than others. Lod Sumption has stated this. How these people consider themselves to be religious in any way is beyond me. And to think that he was a major figure in the Supreme Court until 2018.

To be honest I am a bit speechless – I heard something similar from the vice-president of the World Bank 20/30 years ago who justified dumping toxic waste in Nigeria on the grounds that deaths there were less valuable (in financial terms ) than deaths in America.

RANDOM CLOTHES FACTS

We all assume that the clothes we wear are the norm – or almost! So hopefully some interesting facts gleaned from the web follow.


Some people just cannot be bothered to keep up with recent trends, while others can’t get enough of the latest styles.

Whether you love it or hate it, you’ll enjoy these 100 interesting fashion facts.

  1. In the United States, each person owns an average of seven pairs of blue jeans. That’s one for every day of the week!
  2. Men have been wearing shorts for decades, but women were only allowed to wear them in public after World War II. One of the main reasons for this was because less fabric was available during the war, so shorts were more cost-effective than pants or skirts.
  3. The T-shirt is one of the most popular items of clothing in the world, and around two billion of them are sold every single year.
  4. Historically, purple clothes were only worn by magistrates, emperors and other aristocracy in Rome, Italy.
  5. The loincloth is the oldest item of clothing, but the second oldest is the skirt – an item which is still very popular today.
  6. Thousands of fashion magazines are sold every year, but the first ever fashion magazine was sold in Germany in 1586.
  7. While lots of things are increasing in price, clothing is actually decreasing. Since 1992, the price of clothes has gone down by 8.5%.
  8. In 1907, a woman was arrested on a beach in Boston for wearing a one-piece swimsuit.
  9. Bras have been through different styles over the years, but you can now purchase a bra that can also be used as a gas mask.
  10. On the subject of bras, the famous author Mark Twain (who wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) was the inventor of the bra clasp.
  11. In the Middle Ages, poorer people would wear mittens, while the richer would wore gloves to show off their wealth.
  12. You can’t go out these days without seeing a shopping center, thanks to the ancient Romans who built the very first one.
  13. An unlikely person to be associated with the fashion world, Napoleon invented the buttons for sleeves after his soldiers kept wiping their noses on their button-free clothes. Ew!
  14. Doc Martens come in all different colors and sizes now, but the first pair was created using old tires.
  15. Genoan sailors were known colloquially as “Genes” and wore cotton pants, which is where we get the word “jeans” from.
  16. The word “gymnos” means “naked” in Greek, which gives us our word “gym” or “gymnasium,” due to the fact that Ancient Greeks used to exercise naked.
  17. W. Griffith, producer of silent movies in Hollywood, thought that actresses’ eyes could look a little better. He went ahead and created the first fake eyelashes.
  18. Elizabeth I was a big fan of hats, and as a result, females who did not wear them on Sundays and public holidays were given a large fine during her reign.
  19. Up until the 17th century, men didn’t wear underwear at all.
  20. Men wore high heels to ride horses up until 1740. It was thought that the heels helped them to ride better.
  21. Baggy pants were first worn inside a Los Angeles prison, since the inmates weren’t allowed to wear belts.
  22. The Ancient Romans wore yellow clothing on their wedding days.
  23. The European women in medieval times used to wear green, which was thought to aid and/or symbolize fertility.
  24. Blue is the color of loyalty, which explains why U.S. police officers wear blue uniforms.
  25. Lipstick is one of the most common items you’ll find in a makeup store, but did you know that one of the main ingredients is fish scales?
  26. The mini skirt was named after the Mini Cooper, the favorite car of its designer, Mary Quant.
  27. The long, fluffy wigs which are commonly seen worn by judges today derived from the days of King Louis XIII. The French monarch suffered quite badly with bald patches, and wore a massive wig to appear macho and powerful.
  28. Coco Chanel was an orphan at the age of 12, but that didn’t stop her becoming one of the greatest fashion designers the world has ever seen. As well as the little black dress, she also created costume jewelry.
  29. Louis XIV of France outlawed anybody from wearing red high heels except for himself and his royal court.
  30. And as Garaeth’s son pointed out ‘what is the point of shoes/socks having left and right printed on them when your feet do not’!
  31. Left and right shoes were not produced until the early C19th.

ANOTHER SUNDAY

Chilly but not cold and as I don’t do the papers until 7.30 my first daylight start. Sunny now. Pruning the tree bit by bit as I can re-assess as I clear a bit. I think just a few more of the high rise vertical bits, then a think. n A few more bits to take from Apricot and we will see how it is in 6 weeks.

And what do with the trimmings? Stack them or dispose of them? Obviously I will stack them!

Tomato sauce is a tad sweet and vinegary, but maybe that is how it should be? I will certainly use it in pasta and bologeise.

Do I get more bulbs? Only a few are coming up from the 200 already planted. At £14 for 200 more it is worth it I guess? Just bought them! 8 different sorts, whatever. What else would be good?

Covid figures beginning to stabilise and fall a little. Hopefully we will see some big decreases over the next week. However I do not think the present restrictions will be relaxed until Easter – well of course they will as the need to make money will be upmost in the minds of the Tories. My feeling is that if we can vaccinate over 50’s and vulnerable, we would then be in a position to open pubs and restaurants, etc. on a piece meal basis – maybe on county or larger area chunks. We know the idiots will travel out of area, m but increase the fines as a deterrent. If we could achieve approx 40% vaccination I guess we could relax a bit. The 20-50 year group probably have a reasonably high immunity as many will have had it already.

I however will not radically change my present attitude, even if I feel a small prick! until the all numbers are down very low, and most people have been jabbed. Even then I suspect social distancing, etc. will be required and it will not be until next autumn when we see whether we have the beating of the virus. And remember it needs to be rolled out across the world to be totally effective.

Football – I think we are in the football transfer window? Could be interesting.

Premiership is now sort of divided into 2 or 3, but room for change still apparent, The title looks like a given for the North West. My prediction is MC, Liv.Chel.Manu. With Leic and Everton or Southampton pushing hard. Will Leeds fall away and be relegated? Will WBA revive?

Just got a yellow warning for rain for Weds.