Things I learned lately - 31 Oct

• Some cable channels in the US are artificially speeding up syndicated TV shows to fit in an extra 2-3 minutes of commercials. In some cases, they're even cutting out whole scenes to fit more ads. Little do they realize this will just motivate more people to switch to streaming services.
• Since 2010, 236 Calgary citizens have been trained in hobby beekeeping, bringing over 400 hives into the city. Even the Municipal Building has 2 hives in the rooftop garden.
• Calgary has the highest per capita number of self employed workers in Canada.
• 48% of Albertans would struggle with meeting financial obligations if their pay was delayed by one week.
• Con Edison operates the world's largest network of steam pipes, in New York City. The system started with 350 customers back in the late 1800s. At its peak in the 1920s and 1930s, the pipes had 2,500 customers across more than 100,000 commercial and residential buildings. Today, the network runs 105 miles, delivering steam to nearly 2,000 buildings throughout the city.
• The Trans Canada Highway still has more kilometres of two lane (one lane in each direction) highway between Kamloops and the Alberta border than there is through all of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba combined.
• Madrid and Oslo have, or are in the process of, banning all cars from their city centres.
• It is possible to get sick from frozen food cooked in the microwave when not waiting for the 'standing time' to elapse. That's because the standing time is part of the cooking process and allows the heat to finish killing any bacteria. Food should reach 165F (74C) to be safe enough to eat.
• The baby carrots you buy in a typical grocery store (no skin, no stems) are just cut and shaped big carrots.
• Kellogg's Corn Flakes were invented by Dr. Kellogg in hopes that they would reduce masturbation. He believed corn was one thing that could curb it.
• Kashi is owned by Kellogg's.