Just the Facts

Sometimes you just want the stats. No story telling, no animation, just some interesting bits of information. That’s what Wired Magazine treats it’s readers to in the ‘Infoporn’ section every month. This month’s version feels downright dedicated to us with everything from the maximum time left for the planet to the shortest possible measure in time. Below are just a few gems so feel free to buy this months issue for more.

· The ‘Stop whining it could be worse stat’ – The minimum possible temperature is –459.67 degrees Fahrenheit. Apparently heat is a function of molecular motion, which stops at absolute zero.

· The ‘Hang on to your hat’ stat – The maximum wind speed for an earth hurricane is 210 miles per hour. There is a max on this because a storm can only acquire so much energy from the sea.

· The ‘You’re simply not in good enough shape for this’ stat – The maximum height of a mountain on earth is 21.7 miles. Since we shouldn’t let Wired do all our work for us, the highest mountain on record is Everest at only 29,035 feet.

· The ‘Just plain cool to know’ stat – the maximum height for a tree on earth is 427 feet. This is because gravity overcomes surface tension in the plant’s circulatory system.