TIL 5: Iambic pentameter

[Birdjaguar]

TIL about the invention of cat litter.

Invention of cat litter​

Before Ed Lowe's invention, people kept their cats outside, using ashes, dirt or sand as cat litter when it was necessary to keep them inside. One day in January 1947, Mrs. Draper, Edward Lowe's neighbor in Cassopolis, Michigan, asked him for some sand to use as cat litter. Her sand pile was frozen so she had been using ashes but they tracked all over her house. Lowe worked for his father's company which sold bulk shipments of sand, sawdust and clay to heavy industries for use as absorbents. His father had recently received a sample shipment of a new clay product that he didn't want to switch to so it was just stored in a garage. Instead of sand, Lowe gave her some of that clay called fuller's earth, a set of clay minerals capable of absorbing their weight in water. She found it worked far better than sand or ashes. In later years he worked on developing a litter product for chimpanzee waste with Jane Goodall, but was unable to develop a successful product.

Career​

In 1947, Lowe decided to sell the clay. He packaged it in five-pound (2.3 kg) bags and called it "Kitty Litter". He suggested that a local pet store sell it for 65 cents (or $9.15 today). The store owner refused, saying that it would not sell because sand was so much cheaper. Lowe told him to give it away free until people were willing to pay for it. Kitty Litter was a success. Lowe drove around the country selling Kitty Litter. He even cleaned boxes at cat shows so he could get a booth to demonstrate his product. He founded Edward Lowe Industries and created Tidy Cat cat box filler in 1954.

 

[Kaitzilla]

TIL the 1920's method for calculating the speed of light.

Better than the 1849 method of course.

 

[Gori the Grey]

I just start running and see how long it can keep up with me.

 

[Birdjaguar]

TIL:

Gary Cooper and Pablo Picasso were good friends. According to James Garner, who knew both of them, they always paid their bills by cheques. They did this knowing that the cheques they signed were almost never cashed as their signatures were deemed to be more valuable than any amount written on them.

 

[Birdjaguar]

TIL:

Malicious Google Calendar invites could expose private data​

by Pieter Arntz | January 21, 2026

Malicious Google Calendar invites could expose private data

Researchers showed how prompt injection hidden in a calendar invite can bypass privacy controls and turn an AI assistant into a data-leaking accomplice.

www.malwarebytes.com