Things I learned lately - 6 Sep

• When you flip through an Ikea catalog, 75% of the images you see are CGI.
• Hugh Jackman almost castrated himself with the Wolverine claws while shooting a nude scene. That would have literally made him an X-Men.......
• At least half of the email circulating the internet is automatically encrypted (meaning it can't be intercepted and read by normal people) and you don't even realize it. I say 'normal' people because the NSA likely can decrypt it without much effort.
• A Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte contains no pumpkin whatsoever. It also has 28% more sugar than a can of Coke.
• TUSK, a group backed by the solar industry, convened a demonstration on the lawn of the Arizona Capitol to demand Gov. Jan Brewer repeal a new tax on homeowners leasing solar panels. Last month, the state's Department of Revenue ruled anyone leasing a panel faced levies of up to $152 starting this year. Arizona's main utility argues that solar customers are getting an unfair discount on their electricity statements. Arizona now possesses 1,875 MW of solar capacity, enough to power 262,500 homes.
• The largest IKEA store in the world, in Stockholm, is bigger than 10 football fields, or 600,000 sq ft. The largest North American store, in Montreal, is 470,000 sq ft.
• Spotify (a music streaming service) is about to surpass iTunes for more customers in Europe.
• Scrabble. Elk Lick. Cyclone. Hurricane. Tornado. Cucumber. Kale. Pie. Nitro. Hoohoo. Odd. True. Big Ugly. All place names in West Virginia.
• The US Navy has reduced its 5-year acquisition plan for the new F-35 JSF from 69 to 36 planes. So, it's not just Canada looking elsewhere.
• 60% of Apple's revenue comes from the iPhone.
• The reason the lights are dimmed during takeoff and landing is to get the passengers and crew accustomed to low light. That way, if the plane has to land, everyone will e able to see in the dark and escape the aircraft safely.