Bright Side

There's almost no design for beauty in aviation. The wing location, round windows, waist seat belts. Why are all these things exactly that way? For example, why can’t you carry liquids on board? Why couldn't you use your phone on an airplane in the past? Why do landing gear tires not burst when landing?

And this one is my favorite: Is it true that hair and stubble grow faster on an airplane? The myth originated in the first half of the twentieth century. Soldiers noticed that their stubble had grown after the flight, hence the legend appeared. But this is not proven by scientists. So, fasten your seat belts. You’ll get answers to a lot of questions about planes.

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So you’re minding your own business watching a video on YouTube when your phone shuts down without warning. Well, maybe not completely without warning, but that 5% battery life popup wasn't that long ago, was it? The good news is that there are a lot of ways you can extend your phone's battery life.

Did you know, for example, that just like you'll shiver in the cold or sweat in the heat, your phone doesn't like extreme temperatures either? Or that animated wallpapers or ones that have special effects will drain your battery for no real benefit? Or that switching on airplane mode can reduce power consumption by up to two thirds? Interested? Then try these simple tricks to prolong your phone’s battery life!

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Hey, it’s the source of those 18 tiny shampoo bottles and bars of soap in that bottom drawer of your bathroom cabinet! Yep, I’m talking about hotels and all the stuff we like to take from them, even if we don’t use it! But be careful there, sticky fingers – you’re technically only allowed to take certain things!

By the way, if you ever want to take something from a hotel room but doubt you can, simply ask if you can purchase the item or check if your hotel has an online shop where you can buy all those cute pillows and soft blankets. Because, yeah, you can’t take the bedding and towels!

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So, your teenager wants to start dating, huh? This can be a strange and awkward time for everyone. On the one hand, you’re probably thinking: Where did my baby go? While your teen is thinking: How can I date this person without Mom or Dad freaking out? Don’t worry – there are ways to navigate teen dating that’ll keep the weirdness – and worry – to a minimum. And the first thing you should do is accept this and don't panic.

Realize that this period in your teen’s life is normal. Your teen’s hormones are raging at this age, so if you strictly forbid dating, they’re probably going to do it anyway – without your knowledge, and without your rules. Dating is part of what’s going to help shape your teen into who they’ll become! They’ll learn a lot of life lessons through dating too. If you're a teen, understand and accept that your parents are going to feel protective; they might be a little hesitant to give you this type of freedom. This is just as hard for them as it is for you.

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Have you noticed, when shopping for travel tickets, you occasionally come across prices that defy logic? All the time! For instance, you can get to your destination in 1 hour by plane or take a train for 7 hours and pay way more money! How are these fares fair? And how would you fair with these fares?

And how do these passenger rail companies stay in business if air travel is faster and cheaper?! Well, trains do have their perks. The obvious benefits are catching it right in the city versus having to fight traffic all the way to the airport. You can also take as many liquids with you as you want, and there’s no stress at all if you’re afraid of flying! But the real explanations behind why train tickets cost so much have less to do with comfort and emotions and more about practicality…

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If you’ve ever been to any East Asian countries or seen them in pictures or TV shows, you probably noticed hundreds of people wearing surgical masks. They wear them in public transport, cafes, in the street, and in the office. In Japan, Korea, China, and Vietnam, medical face masks have long ago become part of everyday life. Even babies wear them all the time.

It looks like the most obvious reason would be to not catch a cold. Well, technically, it all started with that. Wearing a mask gives minimal protection from germs, though it’s the opinion of some that viruses have no difficulty getting through them. But there are other reasons.

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Flight cancellation might come as a shocker when you’re sitting in the departure lounge looking at the gorgeous bright sunny weather outside. If there’s not a raincloud or snowstorm in sight, then what gives? Oh yeah, planes can’t fly in extreme heat!

In the summer of 2017, 50 flights were canceled at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The reason: temperatures were a brain-melting 120°F! In the age of super-advanced technology, it seems weird that air travel can be interrupted by an unusually hot day. The reason is actually in the nature of flight itself!

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You probably aren’t the only one looking to pull the ol’ switcharoo. Even if just a few passengers do it, they could throw the plane off balance! And since most aircraft are incredibly sensitive to changes in their center of gravity, it can lead to dramatic consequences.

During takeoff, pilots must know the distribution of weight on the plane to make exact calculations. If these calculations are off even the slightest, there are chances that the aircraft can crash while leaving the ground. So before nestling in a more comfortable or spacious spot, ask a cabin crew member if you're allowed to do so.

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Ships come in all shapes and sizes. From motorized dinghies to yachts; from glorious looking white cruise ships to bulky container ships and tankers. But they all share one quality: their engines seem excessively powerful, yet they still can’t seem to output the speed you would’ve expected from this kind of power.

The reality is the exact opposite of the expectations: a big liner can cross the Atlantic Ocean in a week, but a cargo ship would have to spend more than two weeks to do the same thing. For a plane to go from an airport in Western Europe to New York, for example, it would take only 8 hours. So why do we even use ships if planes are so much faster?

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Half the world spends two to six hours a day on social media, and those numbers keep going up. A lot of the credit goes to Steve Jobs, the inventor of the iPhone.

But when you picture Steve, make sure it’s with his head up, addressing a crowd, looking into someone’s eyes, or exploring the world, not bent over the little screen so many of us hold in our hands. Steve Jobs was the least likely in any crowd to be gazing at social media! He didn’t use Facebook, and he didn’t use Twitter.

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