From Ms. Scarlett via Ulf Zimmerman. The author is not known.
Here are some engineering equivalents of interest.
1. Ratio of an igloo’s circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi
2. 2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton
3. 1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope
4. Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement= 1 bananosecond
5. Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billigram
6. Time it takes to sail 220 yards at … Read the rest...
http://shaggy-dogs.briancombs.net/measurements-of-interest/
This came to me from Scarlett via Ulf Zimmerman (welcome back, Scarlett).
A young woman named Bernice was exceptionally fond of bright, even garish-colored clothes. In her native Haiti, women took great pride in picking only the brightest cloth for their dresses to assure they would look exciting in contrast to their otherwise drab surroundings. When she took a job as a secretary at the University in an office decorated in boring beige, throughout, she redoubled her efforts to wear … Read the rest...
http://shaggy-dogs.briancombs.net/abandon-all-hope/
When I first heard this story, it was about Beethoven, but this from Ulf Zimmerman is more elegant.
Following Chopin’s death, there was a tremendous crowd that followed his funeral train and stood by the grave. When these folks finally disappeared and no one was left but the couple of gravediggers who were going to fill up and close the grave, one of these guys said, We should open up the coffin and have a look at Chopin. That way … Read the rest...
http://shaggy-dogs.briancombs.net/musicians-undoing/