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Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Is being struck by lightning lucky?

August 11, 2014

Sky Umbrella | UncommonGoods

It certainly does beat the odds. It’s estimated that only one out of 10,000 people will be struck by lightning in their lifetime—although this is still more likely than winning millions in the lottery, which has odds in the neighborhood of 1 in 259 million. But one man named Roy Sullivan laid claim to the unluckiest luck in the world by being struck by lightning seven times. This was partly due to the fact that he worked a ranger in Shenandoah National Park and was exposed to a lot more storms than average. But it got to the point where Sullivan began to claim that clouds were actually following him. He started carrying a bucket of water with him whenever there was a storm, which came in handy several times because the lightning had a tendency to set his hair on fire. The chances of an ordinary person being struck by lightning seven times are somewhere around 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. Lucky guy! (And he almost got even luckier: once he was helping his wife hang laundry out to dry, and she was struck by lightning instead of him!)

Sky Umbrella, $48

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Who invented brunch?

July 28, 2014

Pancake Plates

That oh-so-stylish, late-Sunday-morning institution is not some natural expression of human need that evolved over the centuries like, say, dinner. It was the brainchild of an Englishman named Guy Beringer. As described in his 1895 treatise “Brunch: A Plea,” Beringer felt that brunch would help resolve the conflict between two age-old enemies: hangovers and the English breakfast. In England at the time, a typical breakfast menu included fried bacon, fried mushrooms, fried sausages, fried potatoes, fried oatcakes, along with the occasional meat pie or black pudding, just to round things out. All of this could land pretty hard on a stomach soured by last night’s revels. The solution Beringer proposed was a hybrid meal, where you could start with lighter, lunch-time fare before gradually working your way to heartier food as your body returns to normal. And of course, some hair-of-the-dog-that-bit-you would have some medicinal value, as well. In spite of the fact that Beringer’s article may have been intended as a joke, seeing as how it was published in the satirical magazine Punch and was addressed to the needs of “Saturday-night carousers”, it didn’t take long for people to see the genius in his idea, making brunch the best thing to happen in the morning since sleeping in late.

Pancake Plates–Set of 2, $45

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Who wants to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

July 14, 2014

Brooklyn Bridge by Renee Leone | UncommonGoodsWe sincerely hope that it’s not you, because the bridge is not actually for sale, and anyone telling you otherwise is trying to part you from your money. This is a pretty well-known swindle, but the reason for its notoriety is that, back in the day, a lot of aspiring bridge-buyers had to face some serious disappointment. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, at a time when a massive influx of immigrants was moving through Ellis Island and into New York City. Not all of these were the poor, huddled refugees we often picture. Plenty of them came with cash in hand, ready to buy property, invest in business, and take their own shot at the American dream. Sadly, they were the perfect mark for any conman with a convincing pitch and a “For Sale” sign. The bridge’s immense size made it easy for swindlers to set up shop out of view of the police, and its proximity to Ellis Island offered an endless stream of potential “buyers.” As time passed, however, immigrants began coming with an increased awareness of America’s customs and practices, making them immune to this particular crime. By the 1920s, “buying the Brooklyn Bridge” had already slipped into popular vernacular as a classic, old-time hoax.

Brooklyn Bridge by Renee Leone, $145-325

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Are diamonds formed from coal?

July 7, 2014

Diamond Arrow Necklace | UncommonGoodsIn spite of what you learned watching super hero movies, even with super strength you could never transform a chunk of coal into a diamond. For one thing, coal is called a “fossil fuel” because it’s formed from the remains of plant and animal life from 300 million years ago. Geologists indicate that diamonds, on the other hand, were formed billions of years ago, long before dinosaurs ever ruled the earth. Secondly, diamonds are made from a single, pure element—carbon. Coal, again because of its fossil fuel background, is full of elemental impurities. Coal also forms at a depth rarely more than two miles beneath the surface of the earth, and pressure at that depth is not sufficient to crystalize the carbon. Diamonds form at least 87 miles beneath the earth’s crust and are carried toward the surface by rare, deep-sourced volcanic eruptions. It is true, however, that charcoal is full of carbon, but without all of the extreme conditions that form similar matter into the hardest substance on earth, purified coal turns into an entirely different form of carbon—soft, crumbly graphite.

Diamond Arrow Necklace, $175

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Why does water wrinkle your fingers?

July 1, 2014

Glass Water Faucet | UncommonGoodsForget water in your ears, too much swimming and you’ll emerge from the water sporting the fingertips of a wrinkled prune. Is that an unattractive side effect of showing off your cannonball or an awesome comic book-worthy evolutionary advantage? Answer: you’re a futuristic marvel! Studies have shown that the distinctive wrinkling improves your grip in water. Since the pruning also happens on our toes, evolutionary biologists suggest that it could have helped our ancestors get better footing in the rain or wet conditions. Feeling a little skeptical? Try picking up a wet marble with dry fingers and then again with wrinkled ones. Science!

Glass Water Faucet, $45

Design

Video Kitty: Celebrating the Cats of the Internet

June 18, 2014

It has been said that the Internet is the dog park for cat owners. Sure, your kitty isn’t likely to run an obstacle course or act frisky on command. But the web makes a great place for cat lovers of all kinds to swap tips and stories. And when those cute moments do happen? Catch them on video and, boom, you’ve got an instant audience bigger than that spaniel at the dog park ever had. In honor of those compulsively-watchable cats of the Internet, we’ve helped to create the Video Kitty glassware series!

Video Kitty Tumblers | UncommonGoods

Our Product Development team spent countless hours of research, combing through the endless supply of adorable online videos, in order to determine the most charismatic, most popular and most iconic types of celebrity cats.

We then worked with artist Patricia Carlin on how to capture that star quality, with its mix of undeniable cuteness and think-out-side-the-box, sit-inside-the-box attitude.

“Refuses to be Typecast”
That’s right. You can’t pigeonhole a performer of this caliber. Unless you have an actual pigeonhole for it to climb into. Or a shoebox, cereal box, milk carton, or pretty much any container of any size. It’s been proven before that, for a cat to find a place in your heart, it merely needs to find a place in your empty packaging.
Refused to be Typecast

“A Finely Nuanced Performance”
A true cat celebrity is a master of subtlety. Extreme subtlety. Verging on laziness, even. But with the kind of artistic integrity that you’ll never find displayed by their online rivals. That’s right, sloths—we’re calling you out. Because anyone can move slowly, but it takes genius to convey such a total disdain for effort.
A Finely Nuanced Performance

“Ready for a Close-up”
A-List cats maintain a very complex relationship with their fans. They’re not going to pay attention to you just because you ask. But they will occasionally allow a devotee to massage their back, or provide them with food. And those times when a cat stares deeply into your eyes and wonders what you would taste like—that’s a kind of love, isn’t it?
Ready for a Close-up

“Catapults to Stardom”
Ultimately, the cats that reach true stardom are simply different than the rest of us. And not just because we’re different species. No, they are the beautiful ones. The risk takers. The ones with the courage and dignity to carry on, even as the paparazzi revels in their supposed failures. Also, totes LOLZ when tha fuzzy kitteh falls down. ROFL!
Catapults to Stardom

So raise a glass (or a mug) to your favorite feline celebrity, whether it’s online or in your own home.

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Can cats have a people allergy?

June 16, 2014

Mr Chubbles The Fat Cat Bank | UncommonGoodsDoes your cat exhibit symptoms such as wheezing, coughing or difficulty breathing? If so, it may have feline asthma, a condition found in an estimated one out of every 200 cats. An inflammation of the lungs, it can be brought on by household dust, cigarette smoke, some types of kitty litter, and—irony of ironies—human dander. Feline asthma rates have increased as more and more cats are kept solely indoors, preventing them from finding fresh air and relief from their man-made allergies. As with people, there are inhalers available to treat aggravated cases, or sometimes even hospitalization can be called for, although its primary benefit may simply be removing the cat from the home environment. Or perhaps the best solution would be for cats to consider switching to hypoallergenic breeds of owner.

Mr Chubbles The Fat Cat Bank, $45

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Should beards be outlawed?

June 10, 2014

Wooden Whiskers Combs | UncommonGoodsIf you’re the Russian emperor, then you certainly might think so. In 1698, Peter the Great returned to Russia after a tour of Europe, ready to bring his own country into the “modern” world. In addition to governmental reforms, economic reforms and military advancement, he wanted to update the nation’s fashion sense—and clean-shaven faces were all the rage on the Continent. Peter started his campaign right away, at the formal reception welcoming him back from his European tour. After greeting his guests, he brought out a straight razor and began shaving off the men’s beards! The guests were horrified, but were in no position to deny their ruler. He made beardlessness the law, and his police were even known to shave offenders in the street. There was, not surprisingly, much resistance to such a decree, and eventually Peter compromised. Instead of repealing the law, he instituted a beard tax. Those who wished to grow their facial hair could receive permission to do so for a yearly sum, which added to Peter’s coffers while allowing his subjects to save face.

Wooden Whiskers Combs, $12