You never know when you might need an interesting item to start a conversation.

How about using these weird and wonderful facts to strike up some repartee:

• If you keep goldfish in a dark room, they’ll turn white.

• Owls are the only bird that can see in the colour blue.

• Australian Day was first celebrated in 1818.

• A plucked eyebrow takes 90 days to grow back.

• The average jellyfish is 95% water.

• According to zoologists, elephants love to eat liquorice.

• It takes 12 bees their entire lifetime to make a tablespoon of honey.

• According to some studies, a 30-minute nap every day reduces the risk of heart attack by 30%.

If you feel those starters are a bit quirky for you to start a conversation, then try using the FORM technique:

F = Family

O = Occupation

R = Recreation

M = Money

If you can’t start a conversation with someone using the FORM technique, you are probably talking to a brick masquerading as a human!