wtf fun fact

WTF Fun Fact 13238 – Coffee Not the Second Most Traded Commodity

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Sometimes the “fun fact” is that an often-repeated piece of information is just not true. For example, you’ll see plenty of otherwise reputable sources state that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind oil. But it’s not. Not even close.

Why do we think coffee is the second most traded commodity?

Well, in short, we think coffee is the second most traded commodity (after oil) because it’s been published as fact so many times. Representatives from Starbucks even reported it to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Coffee is incredibly important, however.

The website Perfect Grind Daily looked into the truth behind trade and found that “coffee is neither the world’s second-most traded product nor the world’s second-most traded commodity.”

“According to MIT’s Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), coffee is the world’s 98th most-traded product. Green coffee comes in at 114, while roasted coffee ranks 301st. (All data appears to be from 2015.) Sure, we’re talking about products here. But there are plenty of commodities above coffee in this list: oils, metals, crops…”

They even found that “coffee isn’t even the world’s second-most traded agricultural product. That would be wheat, at position 70, after soybeans at number 54.”

The data isn’t there

Plenty of people have tried to explain and justify the claim, but the evidence just isn’t there, even if you look at future contracts.

However, it may be the case that coffee was once the second most traded product or commodity from a specific country or region (likely Latin America) at some point in the past, but it’s unclear which one and if the math works out by volume or by value.

If it is indeed true for Latin America, the data would be old anyway. You’d have to go back to the 1970s for coffee to potentially come in second place.

According to Politifact, some people have tried to set the record straight.

“Science writer Mark Pendergrast included the errant claim in his 1999 book Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World. Ten years later, he wrote a correction (and fixed the error in the second edition).”

Pendergrast isn’t the only person to admit he was wrong or try to later debunk the myth. However, it’s a fun fact to throw out there. And once you say something catchy, it has a way of taking on a life of its own.

No matter how much people try to correct themselves, the myth lives on. But now you know the truth. — WTF fun facts

Source: “Coffee Isn’t World’s 2nd-Most Traded Commodity (But It’s Important)” — Perfect Daily Grind

WTF Fun Fact 13237 – A Vibrating Pill for Constipation

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Constipation is common, but one company has come up with an uncommon solution for it – a vibrating pill for constipation. The pill is called Vibrant.

Vibrant – the vibrating pill for constipation

Don’t like the thought of taking pharmaceuticals for your constipation? No worries – there are no active ingredients in this little pill.

The vibrating pill is designed to stimulate the muscles in the digestive tract to help move stool through the intestines, promoting regular bowel movements and relieving constipation symptoms. The product is marketed by Vibrant Gastro and the information is available on their press releases and news section of their website.

According to HealthNews (cited below), the pill was announced on February 8, 2022. It was cleared by the FDA (which is different from approval, which means the pill is similar to an already-marketed device.

How does it work?

According to Vibrant’s press release:

“The idea behind the treatment is that a single vibrant pill is taken around bedtime every day. It then travels the same route as food does, through the stomach and small intestine, finally reaching the large intestine about 14 hours later. Then, it goes to work.

The pills stimulate specialized nerve cells in the gut called mechanosensory cells. These help trigger peristalsis, the undulating muscle contractions that help squeeze food through the gut.“

The vibrations run for three seconds, then stop for three seconds. Before swallowing the pill, it must be activated in a small pod. The pill is then active for two hours, then off for six hours before activating again for two hours.

The idea is that you will eventually poop them out and they will clean out and loosen stool along the way. They are not considered a cure, but a maintenance treatment that people with constipation would take regularly. Each pill gets flushed, so treatment requires a new pill each time (thankfully!).

Constipation is generally defined as having fewer than three bowel movements in a week and affects 10 to 20% of Americans.

In the clinical trial, only a small number of participants could feel the pill vibrating. 40% of those taking Vibrant reported having at least one extra bowel movement a week and felt they were able to more completely empty their bowels. Only 23% of those in the placebo group reported an extra bowel movement.

23% of the participants given Vibrant reported two or more additional bowel movements a week.

That’s progress! — WTF fun facts

Source: “Drug-Free Vibrating Pill for Constipation Now Available by Prescription” — HealthNews

WTF Fun Fact 13236 – Health Benefits of Holding Hands

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Studies have shown the health benefits of holding hands with someone you love. This can reduce stress and anxiety. That’s because the physical act of holding hands releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with feelings of love, trust, and comfort.

The other health benefits of holding hands

In addition, holding hands with someone you love can also lower blood pressure and reduce physical pain, making it an effective way to promote overall well-being and improve mental and physical health.

Holding hands can also boost self-esteem and confidence, making it a helpful tool for managing feelings of insecurity or low self-worth. It can even encourage communication, which helps to facilitate deeper connections and understanding between individuals.

Studies have also shown that holding hands can help to improve memory recall and enhance cognitive function.

Oxytocin: The “love drug”

Oxytocin is often referred to as the “love hormone” for its positive effects on physical and mental health. For example, studies have shown that the release of oxytocin can help to lower blood pressure. This, in turn, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

It can also have pain-relieving effects that can help treat a variety of painful conditions like migraines, menstrual cramps, and arthritis.

The “love hormone” is also a mood booster. Oxytocin can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in some people.

Finally, doing things that release oxytocin can help you strengthen your relationships. It helps promote feelings of love, trust, and comfort. This helps you form both personal and social bonds with those around you.

Reach out and touch…

There are many studies that demonstrate the cognitive benefits of touch. Yet it’s a sense that we don’t fully appreciate. Nevertheless, it helps us form both bonds and memories.

So, next time you’re feeling stressed or anxious, try reaching for your loved one’s hand. — WTF fun facts

Source: “Holding Hands May Reduce Stress” — WebMD

WTF Fun Fact 13235 – Pacemaker Recycling

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All kinds of people from all walks of life can develop heart disease and need a pacemaker. But not everyone can afford them. That’s why pacemaker recycling projects are popping up around the country to ensure that people of all incomes can have access to this life-saving technology. As a bonus, they also help the environment.

What’s the point of pacemaker recycling?

The main goal of pacemaker recycling is to reduce waste and conserve natural resources, as well as to provide access to medical devices for individuals who may not otherwise have access to them.

Pacemakers are small, implantable devices that are used to regulate the heartbeat of people with heart conditions. They are typically made from a combination of metal and plastic components and can be expensive to produce.

When a pacemaker is no longer needed, it can be difficult to dispose of properly. That’s because the materials used to make the device are not biodegradable and can pose environmental and health risks.

Pacemaker recycling helps to mitigate these risks by collecting used pacemakers and other medical devices. Then, they’re refurbished for reuse or broken down into their component parts for recycling. This reduces waste and conserves natural resources. It also provides access to medical devices for individuals who may not otherwise have access to them.

Do people use these recycled items?

Yes, absolutely. And they’re life-saving.

In many developing countries, access to medical devices, including pacemakers, can be limited due to high costs and a lack of infrastructure. Pacemaker recycling programs can help to address these challenges by providing refurbished medical devices to patients who need them, at a fraction of the cost of a new device.

This can improve access to medical care for individuals who may not otherwise have access to it, and can help to improve health outcomes for patients who require these medical devices.

Pacemaker recycling programs are becoming increasingly common in the US.
Recycled pacemakers are refurbished to ensure that they meet the same safety and quality standards as new devices. Then, they’re made available at a significantly lower cost than a new pacemaker.

Recycled pacemakers are subject to the same regulations and standards as new pacemakers. That means they must be thoroughly tested and evaluated before they are made available for use to make sure they’re just as safe and effective as new devices.

If you or a loved one have a pacemaker, you can even make arrangements for it to be recycled after your death. Check out Project My Heart Your Heart below for an example. — WTF fun facts

Source: “Recycle your pacemakers!” — Project My Heart Your Heart

WTF Fun Fact 13233 – History of the State of the Union Address

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The U.S. presidential State of the Union address wasn’t always given as a speech to a joint session of Congress. Starting with Thomas Jefferson, presidents delivered the State of the Union as a written report to Congress. It wasn’t until Woodrow Wilson’s presidency in 1913 that the address resumed as a speech delivered in person to Congress.

The history of the State of the Union address

While the U.S. Constitution mentions the President’s duty to “from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient,” it does not specify how this duty should be fulfilled.

George Washington gave the first State of the Union address to Congress in 1790. This practice was followed by his successor, John Adams, and continued until Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801.

Jefferson believed that the Constitution’s requirement for the President to report on the state of the union was too formal. He thought it would make the President appear too much like a monarch. As a result, Jefferson chose to deliver the State of the Union address as a written report to Congress. This practice continued until 1913 when Woodrow Wilson re-established the tradition of delivering the State of the Union as a speech.

According to the U.S. House of Representatives website (cited below):

“There have been98total in-person addressesfrom 1790 to 2022…The address was formally known as the Annual Message from 1790 to 1946. Since 1947, it has officially been known as the State of the Union Address.“

How the report became an address

The State of the Union address has evolved over time and become an important event in American politics. The speech provides the President with a platform to outline their legislative agenda, discuss important policy issues, and set the tone for the coming year.

The SOTU is also an opportunity for the President to respond to current events and other pressing concerns.

The role of the SOTU in American politics

The SOTU address has also been a platform for Presidents to address controversial issues and push for legislative changes.

In his SOTU address in 2002, George W. Bush called for the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In 2010, Barack Obama called for the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

In recent years, the State of the Union address has become a partisan event. Members of Congress are often divided along party lines in their response to the President’s speech. Despite this, the SOTU remains an important event on the American political calendar. —WTF fun facts

Source: “State of the Union Address” — United States House of Representatives

WTF Fun Fact 13232 – Belief in Conspiracy Theories

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According to psychological research, conspiracy theorists tend to score higher on measures of paranoia, distrust, and cynicism. They are more likely to have a suspicious and skeptical view of the world which can make them more likely to see hidden motives and conspiracies in events and the actions of others. The belief in conspiracy theories is multifaceted.

What research helps explain some people’s belief in conspiracy theories?

There are several psychological factors that contribute to why some people believe in conspiracy theories. One is the need for a sense of control and predictability. Conspiracy theories may offer a sense of control and predictability in a complex and uncertain world. By attributing events to a hidden, powerful force, people can feel like they understand why things are happening and that they have some control over their fate.

A variety of cognitive biases, such as the tendency to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them help influence people’s beliefs and reasoning. This can lead to a reinforcement of conspiracy beliefs and resistance to accepting evidence-based explanations.

People may be more likely to believe in conspiracy theories if they have a low level of trust in mainstream institutions. These usually include the government and media. Believers may view these institutions as untrustworthy or corrupt. This forces them to turn to alternative sources of information that support their beliefs.

Conspiracy theories can provide a sense of uniqueness and identity, particularly for individuals who feel marginalized or disconnected from mainstream society. Believing in a conspiracy theory can make people feel special and part of a group with shared beliefs.

People are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories when other believers are part of their social circle. Social influence can be a powerful motivator too. Most people are often more likely to adopt beliefs and attitudes that are prevalent within their social network.

A complex context

Research on the belief in conspiracy theories suggests that there’s more to it than just a lack of critical thinking or an overactive imagination. Instead, people’s belief in conspiracy theories may be rooted in deeper psychological processes and motivations.

According to psychological research, conspiracy theorists tend to score higher on measures of paranoia, distrust, and cynicism. They are more likely to have a suspicious and skeptical view of the world. This can make them more likely to see hidden motives and conspiracies in events and the actions of others.

Additionally, research has shown that conspiracy theorists tend to have a unique information-processing style, characterized by a tendency to selectively attend to and remember information that supports their beliefs, and to ignore or discount information that contradicts their beliefs. This can lead to a reinforcement of conspiracy beliefs and a resistance to accepting evidence-based explanations.

The cultural context for conspiracy theories

In a research article from Frontiers in Psychology (cited below) was conducted in three countries. Researchers assessed participants based on their levels of paranoia, conspiracy mentality, and mistrust of different institutions (e.g. government, media, science).

The results revealed that different forms of mistrust are associated with paranoid beliefs and conspiracy mentality. Paranoid beliefs associate more strongly with mistrust of government and interpersonal relationships, while conspiracy mentality associates more strongly with mistrust of media and science. — WTF fun facts

Source: “Paranoid beliefs and conspiracy mentality are associated with different forms of mistrust: A three-nation study” — Frontiers in Psychology

WTF Fun Fact 13231 – The Downsides of ChatGPT

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ChatGPT may seem like the answer students, coders, and writers have been looking for, but it’s far from perfect. In fact, the generative AI can be riddled with misinformation that’s likely to get you caught. And the downsides of ChatGPT are easy to discern since you can just ask the chatbot itself.

What is ChatGPT?

Chat GPT is a chatbot built by Open AI. Just go to chat.openai.com and see for yourself. You can ask it anything.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ll get the right answer. Sure, it may be the answer you want to hear. It may be grammatically correct. It may even seem elegantly stated. But look a little closer, and you’ll find it’s relatively simplistic and repetitive. And it can be downright incorrect and misleading.

What are the downsides of ChatGPT?

We went right to the source to find out how the AI might come up short. According to ChatGPT itself (when asked “what is one of the major drawbacks of chatgpt?”):

“One of the major drawbacks of ChatGPT is its lack of context awareness and the possibility of generating biased or incorrect responses.

Since ChatGPT is trained on a large corpus of text data from the internet, it may sometimes generate responses that reflect the biases and inaccuracies present in that data. This can lead to the generation of incorrect information or responses that perpetuate harmful stereotypes or beliefs.

Additionally, ChatGPT operates on a token-by-token basis, meaning that it doesn’t have an overall understanding of the context of a conversation. This can lead to responses that are not fully relevant or coherent, especially when the input is complex or requires a deep understanding of a particular subject.

To mitigate these issues, it is important to carefully evaluate and curate the training data used to train language models like ChatGPT, and to use appropriate post-processing techniques to ensure the quality and accuracy of the generated responses.”

We’re impressed the AI went the extra mile and suggested some more shortcomings!

The future of ChatGPT

Yes, the chatbot is a viral sensation. And it absolutely has the ability to do some good and save some time. But it also has the ability to be used to fill the Internet (and your homework assignments) will all sorts of confident-sounding information that’s factually incorrect. And the kicker is that it may someday be trained on the same incorrect websites it helped create.

Of course, there are some pretty ominous things ChatGPT can be used for. And to be fair, Open AI has been…well, open about the downsides of ChatGPT. According to Bleeping Computer (cited below), “OpenAI has been upfront about the AI’s shortcomings including its ability to ‘produce harmful instructions or biased content and continues to fine-tune ChatGPT.” — WTF fun facts

Source: “OpenAI’s new ChatGPT bot: 10 dangerous things it’s capable of” — Bleeping Computer

WTF Fun Fact 13230 – NYPL Gave Away Books

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The New York Public Library gave away books in the summer of 2022 – half a million books, to be exact.

The New York Public Library gave away half a million books

According to the NYPL website (cited below), branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, or Staten Island gave away books starting June 9, 2022. The goal was to give away 500,000 diverse books for kids and teens (from birth through 18)!

Certain locations even offered large print books as well as books in Spanish and Chinese.

As they note: “A lifelong love of reading—and your own home library—begin with choosing your first book.”

Personal libraries

Building a personal book collection can provide people with many benefits – so it’s good to start young.

Having a personal library (however small) helps with knowledge, learning, and personal growth. It can also provide relaxation, stress relief, cultural enrichment, and a sense of accomplishment.

Collecting books can be a calming activity that helps reduce stress and promote mindfulness. It can even help you to regulate your emotions, especially if you collect books that address topics that you’re struggling with or that resonate with your experiences.

A study conducted by researchers at King’s College London found that over 30 percent of adults participate in some form of collecting, including books. While psychologists can’t pinpoint exactly what makes book collecting worthwhile, many people take great pride in their book collections.

Studies do show that people who engage in hobbies are happier than those who do not. Book collecting can even be a social hobby if it involves getting out of the house and hunting for books in bookstores or attending book clubs.

Read books, live longer

A 2016 study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine actually found that reading books can reduce mortality by up to 20%. You’ll live longer if you read books.

The same was not true of reading other things – like the Internet, newspapers, or magazines!

The researchers noted that “any level of book reading gave a significantly stronger survival advantage.” This was particularly true for adults 65 and older who read books instead of watching TV.

—WTF fun facts

Source: “Summer at the Library: Free Book Giveaway!” — NYPL

WTF Fun Fact 13227 – The First Insurance Company

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The first insurance company was established in the city of Genoa, Italy in the late 14th century. It provided coverage for ship captains and merchants in case their cargo was lost at sea.

Technically, it was the first modern insurance company, since insurance goes back to roughly 2000 BC.

What do we know about the first insurance company?

The city of Genoa, Italy was a center of commerce and trade in the 15th century. That’s partly because it was a natural stop for merchants and ship captains traveling across the Mediterranean to trade goods.

With so much trade and commerce taking place, loss was inevitable – especially at sea. it was only natural that a system of risk management would develop to protect merchants and ship captains from financial loss. In fact, these types of contracts had existed for over 1000 years, but had previously been tied to loans.

While we don’t know much about the group that constituted the first insurance company Genoa in the late 14th century, it appears to have been created as a mutual aid society. In other words, members paid premiums and shared the cost of losses in case their cargo was lost at sea.

By the mid-15th century, insurance was a well-established industry in Genoa, and the city became known as a hub of insurance and risk management.

However, the insurance industry did face challenges at the start. For example, the city and its docks were at constant risk from attacks by pirates and other thieves. As a result, insurance companies had to find ways to provide coverage in the midst of many unpredictable dangers.

Of course, the insurance industry became incredibly lucrative. So much so that the government subjected it to hefty taxes.

Much of what we know about the details of Genoa’s early insurance days comes from two contracts. They were signed by seafarers in 1343 and 1347. These were the first insurance contracts not to be tied to marine loans. This made them unique by tying them to a company that solely dealt in risk management. In other words, the first insurance company.

The first insurance contracts

But insurance itself doesn’t begin in Genoa.

Insurance contracts have a long history, dating back to ancient civilizations. Over 2000 years ago, people would pool their resources to protect against financial loss. The loss could have been caused by unforeseen events such as fire, theft, or death. While it’s unlike the modern contracts offered by insurance companies today, this concept of mutual protection and risk sharing is considered to be the earliest form of insurance.

We know this took place in ancient Babylon because we still have fragments of the stones the contracts were chiseled into. They indicate that merchants would pool resources to protect against losses from shipping and trade. If a merchant’s goods were lost or damaged during transit, the other members of the pool would share the cost of the loss.

Merchants in the Roman Empire also used mutual aid insurance to protect against the loss of cargo and ships during sea voyages. Merchants would form associations to share the risk of loss.

While this may seem benevolent in terms of modern life, a person who engaged in mutual aid could rest easier knowing that it was unlikely that one event would cost them everything.

These early forms of insurance were informal. Many times, there were no formal contracts or regulations, and the terms and conditions of the insurance arrangements were often defined by custom and tradition.

—WTF fun facts

Source: “The Earliest Insurance Contract. A New Discovery” — The Journal of Risk and Insurance