- not a twit
- Posts
- Spin Cycles, Art Tricks & Bugged-Out Beans
Spin Cycles, Art Tricks & Bugged-Out Beans
Why planets pirouette, painters played smart, and jellybeans owe their shine to hardworking bugs. Trivia that’s a real treat—no tracing required!
Max Whitt
December 08, 2024
Get ready to dazzle your mind with tales of planetary spins, art hacks, and candy-coated secrets. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Why Do Planets Spin Anyway?
Ever wondered why planets spin like toddlers on a sugar rush? Blame physics. When our solar system was just a baby—a swirling cloud of gas and dust—angular momentum took the wheel. As gravity pulled the particles together, they started spinning faster, just like an ice skater pulling in their arms. Earth’s 24-hour twirl has been slowing down ever so slightly thanks to the moon's gravitational pull. In a few million years, your great-great-great-whatever-grandkids might have to endure a 25-hour day. Lucky them.
How the Masters Used a Camera Obscura
Think Vermeer painted those masterpieces freehand? Think again. Many Renaissance and Baroque artists used a tool called the camera obscura—essentially an early projector. By shining light through a pinhole onto a surface, artists could trace the scene with incredible accuracy. It’s proof that even the old masters loved a good cheat code. Next time someone questions your Photoshop skills, remind them that Vermeer had his own “Ctrl+Z” equivalent.
Jellybeans’ Shine Comes with a Buzz
That glossy coat on your favorite jellybeans? It comes courtesy of shellac, a resin secreted by the lac bug. Yes, you’ve been munching on candy that owes its shimmer to insect secretions. The good news? It’s completely safe, and without it, your jellybeans would look more like sad little pebbles. The bad news? You might never look at your Easter basket the same way again.
There you have it—spinning planets, artistic hacks, and bug-enhanced candies. Perfect for your next trivia night, or just as conversational ammo to bewilder your coworkers. Who knew physics, art, and snacks could be this interesting?
— Max Whitt
