Things I learned lately 5 Feb

• Australians always vote on a Saturday and voting is compulsory, so there is always high voter turnout. Many polling places are located at schools, community halls and churches, and these groups often take advantage of the large number of voters by setting up fundraising stalls. The 'democracy sausage' is well recognised in Australian culture.
• Longyearbyen, on the island of Svalbard is the most northerly large town (2,000) in the world. It has more registered snowmobiles than residents.
• District steam heating was invented in Lockport, NY in 1877. In 1881 this technology was brought to the streets of Manhattan. 1700 buildings are currently part of the steam heat system.
• In Singapore, if you're elderly or disabled, you get a card that if used to tap on the crosswalk button device, gives you an extended countdown to cross the street.
• In Prague you can bring your laundry detergent bottle to the store to get refilled.
  
  
  
• In some places in Russia and Finland, they project the crosswalk lines onto the road from above because the snow obscures the lines.
• The Netherlands has a few places with swings installed that generate power to recharge your phone while you play on the swings.
• A lot of trash cans in Norway have external can and bottle empties holders so homeless people don't have to rifle through garbage to collect them.
• Midway Atoll, also known as Midway Island, has been a US National Wildlife Refuge since 1996 and has had no permanent residents in decades.
• Royal Dutch Shell PLC feels that the UK can move their planned ban on fossil fuel cars to as early as 2030. Shell is one of only a few fossil fuel companies that are aggressively transitioning their business to electricity generation and sales.
• Everyone in Singapore above the age of 21 is automatically registered as an organ donor. Opting out from organ donation results in you being put at the very bottom of the organ priority list, should you need an organ transplantation.
• In some cities you rake your leaves to the curb and a truck comes and vacuums them up.