Things I learned lately - 21 April

• In Nordic countries, you could do your taxes by sending a text message. The way taxes work in Nordic nations, including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway, you get a document from the government with all the relevant information already filled out. Or a text message with the prepared tax information, and if you respond 'yes,' taxes are done. This is mostly possible because of high levels of public trust. People trust one another and their government. Another reason is that wealth is much rarer among the Nordic countries; most people's taxes don't come with a list of tax breaks and loopholes.
• There's a game show in Japan where people are challenged to speak English to Siri on an iPhone and see if she can understand their pronunciation.
• The wacky gourmets at Paqui sell Carolina Reaper Madness tortilla chips. Said item comes in a small, red, coffin-shaped box with the robed figure of death on it. You get one standard-size chip per package. This chip is spiced with Carolina Reaper peppers, touted as the hottest variety on Earth.
• The CEO of advertising company Steelhouse gives employees unlimited vacation time. But when the policy was announced, few workers took advantage. Now the company pays the workers to take vacation. Rack up vacation expenses and the company pays $2000 of it, per year.
• When you're filling out forms and you get to a field with a drop down list, just keep typing the first letter of the item you want to select until it appears.
• You can use the spacebar key to page down on a web site. On every web browser. Shift + Spacebar to go back up a page. (I usually use the page down and page up keys)
• The most commonly known Egyptian Pharoah, Tutankhamun, didn't actually accomplish much as Pharoahs go, dying when he was 17. He is so well known because his tomb was among the best preserved.
• All 6 of the manned moon landings occured over a 3.5 year period.