The Smithsonian Magazine wrote a great article about it back in 2011, actually.

In this study, scientists found that the sort of wordplay involved in sarcasm is not only a sign of intelligence (saying one thing and meaning another), but a means to practice at becoming more intelligent. Identifying sarcasm requires some pretty serious mental gymnastics that the average mind just isn’t prepared to handle.

Sarcasm detection is an essential skill if one is going to function in a modern society dripping with irony. “Our culture in particular is permeated with sarcasm,” says Katherine Rankin, a neuropsychologist at the University of California at San Francisco. “People who don’t understand sarcasm are immediately noticed. They’re not getting it. They’re not socially adept.”

Sarcasm is, essentially, a way of thinking about and verbalizing things which possess more than a simple literal meaning. For one who can understand sarcasm, it’s a puzzle-solving game: What is actually meant by the words, given the tone of voice and facial expression as well?

As we continue the practice of being sarcastic, or mental muscles bulk up. In the same way as physical exercise contributes to a greater ability to perform a task (running more makes you a better runner), exercising your sarcasm on a regular basis expands your brain’s circuitry, making for even more possibilities in your thinking.

Understanding sarcasm requires a two-part process:

Not only understanding the scenario that’s playing out in front of you, but also the aspects of it that might be missing. It’s in the play off of these missing parts that our brain makes more powerful connections.

“Sarcasm is practically the primary language” in modern society, says John Haiman, a linguist at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the author of Talk is Cheap: Sarcasm, Alienation and the Evolution of Language.

sourced –

https://www.elitedaily.com/life/culture/sarcastic-people-proven-smarter/792826
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-of-sarcasm-yeah-right-25038/

The Eli ZERO is touted to be a better alternative to conventional cars in the urban setting.

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Eli doesn’t boast of it’s range, but instead offers up the advantages of urban use. Short hops if you will. It’s top speeds are around 25-35 mph which makes it perfectly suited for city or interior urban travel.

It’s charging times aren’t off the clock either. Plug it in to 110 or 240 at night and in the morning you can run your errands with 60 miles max range per charge.

Eli also has an optional battery heating system that significantly enhances overall battery performance in the winter time and in cold climates.

Eli also comes with a compact and streamlined design along with glass doors that provides expanded viewing angles. The compact and streamlined design along with glass doors provides expanded viewing angles for maximum visibility.

Eli also comes with Heat and Cool AC.

I know it looks a little odd, but considering it’s size and related abilities, with it’s short charge times, and being promoted for pretty much only city driving, I think this is a pretty cool little rig.

If you’re interested in getting one of your own, you’ll be happy to know that Eli is bringing their pint-sized EV to the United States, and you can reserve yours today for just $200 (fully refundable). At $11,990, the Eli Zero is pretty affordable, too. Deliveries are slated for Q3 2024, so you won’t have to wait too long if you get your order in.

In Europe, they’re called quadricycles, and in the U.S. they fall under the low-speed vehicle (LSV) category.

The Eli Zero has compact dimensions of 88.6 inches in length, 54.3 inches in width and 64.4 inches in height. It rides on 165/65 R13 tires with alloy rims. The wheelbase measures 63 inches, while the track width is 45.67 inches. It has a seating capacity for two occupants and offers 5.65 cubic feet of trunk space for storage.

You can learn more about this tiny EV by visiting the Eli website here: https://www.eli.world/eli-zero

More than 50 years ago, more precisely in May of 1964, a man called Jim Templeton snapped an image that would soon become one of the most mysterious images ever photographed.

In May of 1964, Jim Templeton, his wife, and daughter spent the day at the Solway Fjord in northwest England.

Jim was a photography enthusiast, and like all new parents, his main motivation was his daughter Elizabeth, five years old at the time.

That afternoon he took three photos, and when he went to reveal them, he found that the best picture of his daughter had been ruined because someone had appeared walking behind.

The only problem was, there was no one there.

Jim was entirely sure that the three of them were alone that day. So, who or what was the mysterious figure seen behind his daughter?

The curious photograph was published in a local newspaper in Cumberland on June 12 of that same year, and the next day, it was also picked up by the Daily Mirror and Daily Express.

As expected, it soon attracted the attention of all kinds of curious people, ufologists, and paranormal investigators who were trying to solve the mystery surrounding the photograph.

Following the publication of the image in various newspapers, a number of different theories were proposed. However, none of them seemed to satisfy.

One of the strangest theories proposed had Aliens written all over it.

One theory suggested that an alien spacecraft had landed near them and that both the ship itself and the aliens were protected by some sort of cloaking device, which made them imperceptible to human eyes but not to the camera.

The Alien theory developed and quickly turned into a conspiracy theory.

Some reports suggest that soon after the image was published in newspapers, Mr. Templeton was visited by the mysterious Men in Black, who asked him to take them to the exact area where the events took place.

Templeton explained later that the two men who had visited him refused to show their identification and that “They said they worked for the government and that they were only identified by number.”

After taking the men to the site where the photographs were taken, Templeton said that when he explained he had not seen the figure at the time, the men became angry and drove away, leaving him to walk home.

In September 1964, Templeton dismissed the two men as frauds, saying: “It all looks like a leg pull to me. I’m sure the men were not security agents.”

Trying to solve the mystery, Jim took the photograph and the negative to Kodak, so they could check the original had been manipulated in any way or contained a photographic error of some sort.

However, all attempts to explain the mystery figure were in vain, and tests showed that the photograph was authentic, and had not been manipulated.

The photographic company even offered a prize of free movies for life to that person who managed to prove otherwise.

Let it be known, the prize has not been claimed, but more than fifty years after the event took place, a few people remain interested in this mystery.

In 2014, UFO author David Clarke explained that the mysterious figure standing behind Jim’s daughter was most likely Templeton’s wife, Annie, who was present at the time and was seen on other photographs that were taken that day.

“I think for some reason his wife walked into the shot, and he didn’t see her because with that particular make of camera you could only see 70% of what was in the shot through the viewfinder”, said Clarke.

Annie Templeton was wearing a pale blue dress on the day in question, which was overexposed as white in the other photos; she also had dark bobbed hair.

It has been argued that, when using photo software to darken the image and straighten the horizon, the figure increasingly appears to be a regular person viewed from behind.

Of its impact, Clarke said: “People will still be talking about it in another 50 years.”