Here is my fourth entry for this awesome game from 
This initiative is simple - what have I learned recently?
Over the past few days I learned:
No. 1 - Organizing books decoratively is a thing...
I don't know where the link is now, but earlier on Twitter, I saw this great picture of a person reading a book - made up of the spines of books on the bookcase. Very artistic. Clearly someone has too much time on their hands - or should be reading the books instead!
No. 2 - The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) may end up gaining a few more BDO players.
Many of the players I've featured this past week in the British Darts Organisation's World Championship are competing for the rival PDC tour cards this month. Among the players trying are the champion, Glen Durrant and the runner-up, Scott Waites.
No. 3 - Extreme beekeeping?
I found a similar video on YouTube (I think it's the same guy.) It's worth a watch.
No. 4 - C4 or Semtex - otherwise known as plastic explosives
Once again, in the course of writing, I'm having to research very weird things - such as how to blow up a disused factory (I have a shady character who has made a very bad mistake and sees the opportunity to cover up and save face - he turns some riots into an occasion to destroy the evidence.) - in fact, I was standing at the bank when I realized what had to have happened.
C4 (or Composition 4) is a variety of plastic-bonded explosive. It combines explosive chemicals with a plastic binder to make the explosive relatively stable and malleable, like clay. To my surprise, it's actually quite difficult to detonate C4 - it requires a specific detonator or a blasting cap to set it off. Hence, my character probably uses an electronic detonator to set off his explosion.
Unlike in the movies, you cannot outrun a blast of this kind - so, I'm guessing he probably took out some of the rioters in his explosion.
Plastic explosives were originally developed by our good friend Alfred Nobel (the inventor of dynamite and the founder of the Nobel Peace Prize.) Apparently, he developed the Peace Prize after his own obituary was erroneously published 8 years before he died - he was condemned for his dynamite invention, and decided to change his ways to be remembered as a better man. An original Scrooge story, I guess.
Read more at How Stuff Works.
No. 5 - My favorite Norwegian singer/fiddler/songwriter wrote the song for "How to Train Your Dragon 2"
Alexander Rybak has been a "must listen to" in my family ever since he won the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest for Norway.
I also discovered that he's got a brand new Saami-style joik - a lovely tribal style of music.
I think that's going to be it this week.
Even if you're not entering the contest (why not?) what have you learned this week?
Crossposted at Steemit, Whaleshares, WeKu
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
verified author on Goodreads
find me on Twitter
also on: Whaleshares, WeKu
