many things over the years,...too many to list here, but I have wondered about some of the same things you have wondered about.

Recently, one of my co-workers has been bringing in lateral thinking puzzles for us to solve. They have been a lot of fun as we work our minds to the solutions. But it has also gotten me to think back to some of those persistent questions.

If I had never heard war veterans make these comments, I probably would have never thought about it, but why did the kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Seriously. If they were on suicide missions, then why go to the expense or bother of helmets? At one point I partly guessed the answer. Being determined to strike all the blows they could, they would have wanted to make sure they were kept safe, long enough to fulfill their missions. And that is part of the answer. But the rest is that our pre-conceived notions that they were suicide missions is not totally correct.

While they were willing to give their lives for their cause, it was hoped that many pilots would actually be able to return home safe. They were not being sent out with their death warrants already signed. If it meant their death to fulfill their mission, then they did so. But if they could come home in one piece, they were expected to. Finding that out actually made me feel better. They were "humanized" in my eyes, and actually it's the same for our culture. We have had countless men and women who have given their lives in order to protect our freedoms. But not a one of them wouldn't have rathered that they could protect our freedoms and still be able to return home. Different, but the same. As all of us are on this planet.

On another note, I wonder a lot, why things are the way they are in the retail world. Display space is valuable. Packaging is designed to get the most out of the space possible while turning the biggest profit. A couple of years ago we were finally able to get rid of the plastic frames that encased each CD. It doubled our room for CD's. (It also made our jobs much easier). While they were continually recycled, it created more man hours of work to use them, take them off for customers, box up and ship back the used ones,..... Now I am seeing the trend of smaller packaging yet, with cardboard sleeves that are just as adequate without all the bulk of jewel cases. They appear to be less fragile than the plastic cases. I can't tell you how many times I have had to send back cracked and broken CD cases.

But I have often wondered why the cases for CD's, DVD's, and VHS tapes were the size they were. I know now the logistics behind it. Originally when the music industry had vinyl albums, the display cases were designed accordingly. As CD's came into being, the retailers needed a way to still use the current fixtures. (They are anything but cheap). So the CD cases were designed to be a little less than half the width of the old albums. All retailers had to do was put in a divider in the space, and voila! Double the inventory in the old spaces.

Much the same can be said as to why DVD cases are larger than CD cases. The original VHS was a certain length. As DVD's came into use, once again retailers were faced with still needing to use the old fixtures. While DVD cases are much thinner than the old VHS tapes, the length is the same.

Pretty cool huh? LOL Well it was something I wanted to pass on in case you too have ever wondered about why things are done the way they are. Sometimes it can be hard to understand. But how nice to have the answers!

Here are some other things you may have wondered about:

Why do women’s clothes button from the left, while men’s button from the right?
Why are gas caps on the driver’s side of some cars, but the passenger side of others?
Why do taxi drivers stop working early on rainy days?
Why are whales in danger of extinction, but not chickens?
Why is milk sold in rectangular containers, while soft drinks are in round ones?
Why don’t more people wear shoes with Velcro fasteners?

Maybe you can think of things that you too have wondered about. And if you are reading this, you have internet access. Ah the wonderful internet where knowledge is only a click or search away.

The weekend is getting here. I hope each of you have a wonderful few days off. I will be working, but no matter. I am blessed to have a job, to be able to pay the bills, and for that I am grateful. Lord willing I will be back next week. Be blessed!