Sunday, February 28, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: The Olympic Medal Haul

Weighing in at just over 20 oz. each of the individual medals from the Vancouver Olympic Games weighs considerably less than me, but multiply that 20 oz by 185 events, plus an additional 200 for multiple medal events and about 120 just for hockey, we are talking over 500 medals here people.  Here's the stats:

Vancouver Medal Weight 20.2 oz.
Number of Medals: 505
Weight of the total medal haul: Over 636 pounds

Conclusion: The Vancouver Winter Olympics Medal Haul Weighs more than Me.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Giant Laser


Yup, don't mess with California, we've got a freakin' giant laser here people.  The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will focus 192 laser beams on a hydrogen pellet the size of a bead, heating it to incredible temperatures in an attempt to recreate the power of the sun.  The lab is seen as an important step on the way to developing cold fusion.  And this thing is HUGE.  The core is housed in a laboratory that covers the area of 10 football fields and is 10 stories high.  The targeting chamber alone measures over 10 meters in diameter and is pictured above being lowered into place by one of the largest cranes in the world.

Targeting Chamber Stats
Diameter: 10 Meters
Weight: 264,000 lbs.

Conclusion, a Giant Laser Weighs more than Me!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

People that Weigh More than Me: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders


Let's make no mistake here.  I certainly weigh more than any one of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.  But the whole squad? 
Weight one Cheerleader: 95-105 lbs.
Number of Cheerleaders in Squad 36-38
Weight of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: 3420--3990 lbs.
Conclusion: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Weigh More than Me!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Please sir, may I have some Maoi?




The giant maoi are statues found on Easter Island. The statues are thought to be generalized depictions of various important tribal chiefs. So far 887 maoi have been located on the island. Believed to have been carved, transported, and erected between AD 1400 and 1600, 288 of the statues are located in "display areas", 397 of the statues are still in the quarries where they were made and the rest are along the way or "in transit" on the island. Here come the stats:

Height: 13 feet high

Weight: Approximately 14 tons

Conclusion: The Maoi of Easter Island weigh more than me.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: GIANT CARROT!


Okay, since I was talking about motivation (and the carrot and the stick) in my Fat Chick Sings Blog, I thought I'd research the world's largest carrot.  Unfortunately the world's largest real carrot weighs only about 8 pounds.  And while 8 pounds is REALLY big for a carrot, it decidedly weighs less than me.  However, in my research I came across this giant carrot sculpture in Ohakune, NZ.  It recently celebrated it's 20th anniversary in the town.  The carrot although controversial when installed (some of the townspeople felt it was too, um, phallic) is now beloved by the town which now hosts an annual carrot festival.  Precise weight statistics are not available, but this thing is over 30 feet tall!  So I did some research regarding the weight of resin fiberglass sculptures based on square footage and thickness and blah, blah, blah. and after detailed calculations I came up with, um LOTS!  It's just a guess, but I'm going with it.

Stats:
Height over 10 meters (30 ft.)
Weight over 1500 lbs.
Conclusion: the Ohakune Carrot weighs more than me.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Zaaaammmmboniiiii!

Zamboni Ice Resurfacer 552

Stats:

Length (Snow Tank Up): 5.03 m (198 in.)
Height (Snow Tank Up): 3.91 m (154 in.)
Overall Width: 2.13 m (84 in.)
Weight (Empty): 4423 kg (9750 lb.)
Weight (Full of Water): 5148 kg (11350 lb.)

An interesting note. At the Vancouver Olympics, when they tried to go with a resurfacer that is smaller and lighter than this Zamboni, not one, but TWO had a breakdown on the same day.

Conclusions:
1. When you want the job done right, don't pick a lightweight.
2. Empty or full, a Zamboni weighs more than me.   

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Now THAT'S a Valentine


I know that after all the chocolate and other Valentine's Day goodies I consumed, I feel a little like the heaviest object in the world.  However, if you want to talk about a heavy heart, this valentine takes the cake.  The world's largest chocolate Valentine's Day heart was constructed by Executive Pastry Chef Conrad Pfaff for Conrad Hotels in Bangkok, Thailand.  Here come the stats:

Height: Over 15 feet
Width: Over 15 feet.
Construction Time: 21 days (with 8 chefs working around the clock)
Total weight of chocolate used in creating the heart: over 2400 lbs.
Finished Weight: Over 2000 lbs.

Conclusion: The biggest chocolate Valentine's Day heart weighs more than me.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: 4 Man Bobsled Team


According to the Olympic rules, a 4 man bobsled team cannot weigh more than 630 kg (1,388.9 lbs). Add the weight of the sled and you're talking about a ton of team here.

Conclusion: Including the sled, a 4 man bobsled team weighs more than me (but they still move faster).

Friday, February 12, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Piles of Pigeon Poo


Yes ladies and gentleman.  Apparently pigeons can make some pretty big piles of poo.  In fact the above gas station awning collapsed under the sheer weight of, wait for it, bird poop.  However nobody was hurt and it DID collapse on top of a BMW and Hummer (so it wasn't ALL bad)

Apparently avian doo doo is a big deal.  Professional companies are called out to solve this, um pressing problem.

Some Interesting Stats:
Average times a pigeon poos per day: 47-51
Average weight of poo produced by a pigeon per year: 25 lbs.
Number of pigeons found congregating on an average 25' x 25' gas station awning: 60-100
Weight of pigeon poo removed in a major awning cleanup: 10 tons

Conclusions:
1.  Given the fact that I am not employed counting or weighing daily pigeon defecation I do NOT have the "worst job in the world"
2.  Pigeons poo a LOT
3.  The pigeon poo on your average gas station roof, weighs more than me.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: World's Largest Motorcycle



Zoomin down the highway, looking for adventure...
I think you'd find it with this mamma jamma.

Built by Craig Dunham for a cost of over $300,000,
the world's largest motorcycle is steered via a cage below the handlebars.

Stats:
Length: 25 Feet
Weight: 6500 lbs.

Conclusion: The World's Largest Rideable Motorcycle (as defined by GBWR) weighs more than me.

If you want to find out some more about my wild ways, don't miss my other blog:
http://www.fatchicksings.blogspot.com

Monday, February 8, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Cafesjian's Carousel


Built: in 1914 by Philadelphia Toboggan Company. (The word "toboggan" in the company name is an old term for roller-coaster, which was the company's original product.)

Size: 50 feet across at the platform and 54 feet at the upper rim.

Weight: 30 tons, all of which is supported by the center pole!

Conclusion: Cafesjian's Carousel weighs more than me.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Organisms that Weigh More than Me: Trembling in the Breeze


The largest living organism on earth is probably NOT what you thought.  I was surprised to learn that the Aspen tree forms large groups of genetically indentical trees (or stems) which all share the same underground root system and are all formed from the same original plant.

The largest known fully-connected Aspen is a grove in Utah.  Nicknamed Pando, some scientists describe it as the largest organism in the world.

Pando Statistics
Area: 106 acres
Weight: 6,600 short tons

Conclusion: Pando weighs more than me.


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: We (barely) have liftoff...


The Spruce Goose made it's first and only flight on November 2, 1947.
Height: 79 feet, 3 3/8 inches
Length: 218 fee 6 ¼ inches
Power: Eight Pratt & Whitney R-4360, 3,000 horsepower engines
Propellers: Eight, 17 feet, 2 inch diameter
Capacity:
750 troops or two Sherman tanks
Weight, Empty: 300,000 pounds
Weight, Loaded: 400,000 pounds (maximum take-off weight)



Conclusion: empty or full, the Spruce Goose weighs more than me.  


Want to hear about how I'm handling too much Howard Hughes style alone time?  Check out my latest post at The Fat Chick Sings!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Lady Liberty


The Statue of Liberty (not including its base)
Height of statue from the base to the top of the torch: over 151 ft.
Length of nose: 4 ft. 6 inches
Shoe Size based on Standard American Women's Sizes 879
Approximate fabric in Liberty's dress: 4,000 sq.yds.
Weight of copper used in statue: 100 tons
Weight of steel used in statue: 125 tons
Total weight used in statue: 225 tons

Conclusion: Not only is the Statue of Liberty a BIG girl, but she weighs more than me.

Monday, February 1, 2010

That's no...



If you're talking about a tall tale, I can't say.

If you're talking about the critter 1200-2000 lbs.

Conclusion:  At least the four legged furry variety of bull weighs more than me.