The Curiosity Files: Collecting Random Knowledge Since Birth
Documenting those sweet 'Aha!' moments, one random fact at a time
I've been that kid who's always asking 'Why is it like that?' and 'Why does it work this way?'
My parents love reminding me how I would never stop with the questions - during meals, while playing, pretty much during anything and everything. And you know what? 25 years later, nothing's changed! I'm still constantly asking questions and digging to the bottom of things (mostly stuff that has zero connection to my work or life) - just chasing that sweet 'Aha!' moment.
I've also been incredibly lucky to be surrounded by crazy smart and talented people who are just overflowing with knowledge. A few years ago, I realized I was learning something new almost every day just from random conversations - with coworkers, customers, strangers on the subway, people at concerts, you name it.
So I figured, why not start a blog to keep track these little nuggets of knowledge I pick up along the way? Some things I'll dive into deeper, others I'll just leave as quick notes.
Random Facts
What a Cantilever is
Movie theater popcorn costs about 1,275% more than the ingredients needed to make it, making it one of the highest markup food items you can buy. Y
Chocolate is harmful to dogs because they can't metabolize theobromine and caffeine effectively like we can. These substances build up to toxic levels in a dog's system.
The original Birkenstock Arizona sandal has been virtually unchanged in design since 1973.
When scientists first received platypus specimens in England in the late 1700s, many thought it was a hoax — they believed someone had sewn parts of different animals together as a prank! It took years for the scientific community to accept these animals were real.
Entertainment
Tom Cruise's Les Grossman character in Tropic Thunder was almost entirely his own creation — the role was originally written as a generic studio executive, but Cruise insisted on the bald cap, hairy arms, and massive hands. He also choreographed his own dance sequence for the end credits! It's now one of my favorite comedic performances of all time.
Severance on Apple TV was filmed in the same abandoned Bell Labs building in New Jersey where many of the most important technological breakthroughs of the 20th century occurred — transistors, lasers, and early cellular technology were all developed there.
Learned the words to Philadelphia Eagles Fight Song after attending my first NFL/Eagles game in February.
New York City Discoveries
Economy Candy in The Lower East Side Of New York - Stumbled across this place during an aimless weekend walk in October 2022. It's been around since 1937 and has floor-to-ceiling candy of every variety imaginable. Check out their website - it's like Willy Wonka's factory in store form!
Orchard Street History in New York (I used to live here when I moved to Manhattan) - It was a literal orchard - I always think about how crazy it is to be walking in the bustling neighborhood that probably has millions of walkers by annually and a few hundreds of years ago it was just an apple farm - so cool.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Lower East Side was America's most densely populated neighborhood — over 700 people per acre in some blocks. Possibly the most densely populated place on Earth at the time.
Top speed of NYC Subway is approx 55 mph (it definitely feels like this when going between Manhattan & Brooklyn).
The only Michelin-star Indian restaurant in Manhattan (Semma) allows walk-ins at their bar seating, and getting a reservation is close to impossible. If I'm craving a masala dosa, I just go around 5pm when they open and have always been seated.
Food & Drink Facts
The Michelin Guide was created in 1900 by the Michelin tire company as a free resource for motorists to encourage more car travel (and thus more tire wear), cleverly transforming a tire manufacturer into a culinary authority.
Chipotle has this secret menu item called a quesarito — it's basically a burrito wrapped in a quesadilla shell. It's incredible! I only get it when I'm the only one at the store and the staff seems open to it. Takes a few extra minutes to make, so definitely not one to request when there's a line.
1 serving of Portillo's chocolate cake shake contains 1490 calories and 197g of sugar. Crazy. Discovered this while visiting a friend in the suburbs of Chicago during college. No regrets, but probably good I don't live near a Portillo's.
An IPA (India Pale Ale) got its name because it was originally brewed in England with high hop content specifically to survive the long sea journey to India during British colonial times. The hot climate would otherwise spoil the beer — pretty interesting backstory.
In-N-Out has this strict policy of only developing management talent internally, never hiring external candidates directly into leadership. Everyone in management — from shift leaders to store managers and even executives — started as entry-level associates.
Wawa sells over 80 million hoagies annually — enough to stretch from Philadelphia to Miami if laid end-to-end. Every time I’m in Philly, I'm doing my part to contribute to this statistic.
Jiro Ono's restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, became the first sushi restaurant to receive 3 Michelin stars back in 2007 when he was 85 years old. Apprentices at Jiro's place typically train for 10+ years before they can prepare sushi for customers. They master each technique perfectly, including practicing hand movements for months before touching actual fish. Dedication on a whole different level.
Technology & Business
IMAX is a Canadian company. Always assumed IMAX was American until I saw a small "Made in Canada" note in the credits. Been a die-hard fan of watching movies on the big screen especially in the IMAX format (Probably seen 20+ movies in IMAX that I can recount).
The founder of Boom was a product manager at Groupon. You can just do things.
An F-35 jet costs $80 million.
Flighty App makes $6MM ARR (Source) - I've been using this app for a few years now and it's definitely improved my flying experience. It's helpful to get quick gate change notices and also provides a map to follow while I'm on quick turnaround layovers
Cool companies that caught my attention recently:
Travel & Transportation
You can actually ask for a flight seat change right up until boarding starts — I was on a NYC to SFO flight earlier this year and missed online check-in (got stuck with a middle seat last row). I'm a huge aisle person for easy bathroom access, so I asked minutes before boarding if any aisle seats were available and it worked! Made the long flight so much more comfortable.
Bugatti vehicles are entirely handcrafted at their Atelier in Molsheim, France, (Source) Only fourteen titanium screws are used to connect the drivetrain to the rear end and body. The level of craftsmanship is insane - watched a documentary about this in March and couldn't believe the attention to detail.
The Steel Vengeance roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio holds the world record for most airtime on any roller coaster - providing riders with an astonishing 27.2 seconds of airtime during its 2.5-minute ride. Rode this junior year of college and genuinely felt weightless for what seemed like forever - might be the best roller coaster in the world.
The fuel in F1 cars is surprisingly similar to regular pump gas — it's about 99% identical to commercial fuel. The main differences are in the additives, not exotic chemicals.
A pro-level triathlon bike can cost upwards of $12,000, but the crazy thing is that the wheels alone can be $3,000+ of that cost. The marginal gains at that level are wild — people paying thousands for components that might save them 30 seconds over 112 miles.