Today I Learned

[sbrothy]

TIL that there's a really ugly Australian "episode" of Rick & Morty called "Bushworld Adventures". I've rarely seen anything so randy and offensive while still laughing out loud (alone)!

Also the "Georgia Vs Denver Fenton Allen feat. Rick & Morty" can be found on youtube (I won't link to it as the language is really bad (although the worst expletives are *beeped* out). The art sucks but it's pretty funny. Based on an authentic exchange where the judge had to subsequently recuse himself from a murder case because he got sucked into this highly unprofessional, unethical and embarrassing exchange.

 

[Hornbein]

Today I learned that Mollie was originally a pet name for Mary but has become popular on its own.

 

[symbolipoint]

Today I learned that Mollie was originally a pet name for Mary but has become popular on its own.

A check to wikipedia indicates specifically, "a diminutive for the name Mary". My senses tell me these are two completely different names. The true background information is what it is, regardless of my reaction to "Mollie" and "Mary". I also wonder why the -ie instead "Molly".

add: the article says a few other things, too.

 

[Hornbein]

A check to wikipedia indicates specifically, "a diminutive for the name Mary". My senses tell me these are two completely different names. The true background information is what it is, regardless of my reaction to "Mollie" and "Mary". I also wonder why the -ie instead "Molly".

add: the article says a few other things, too.

Mollie, a spelling variation of the name Molly, was initially an Irish nickname for the name Mary.

While less popular than the traditional spelling, Mollie is still a well-known name. It appeared in the top 1,000 girls' names in the United States from 1900 – and was most popular that year, ranking No. 139 – until falling off the list in 2016. --- https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names/details/mollie-4873

 

[pinball1970]

Today I learned that Mollie was originally a pet name for Mary but has become popular on its own.

"Whiskey in the Jar" is an old traditional Irish song, features a Molly. Most big Irish catholic families I knew growing up had a Mary and John.

 

[Ibix]

Most big Irish catholic families I knew growing up had a Mary and John.

Not Catholic, but somewhere back in my family tree there are a brother and sister called John and Mary who married a Mary and a John who were also brother and sister.

 

[jack action]

TIL about shockwave traffic jams and the fact that they moved backward at a rate of 20 km/h.

​

 

[OmCheeto]

TIL that all the planets, other than earth, were on the other side of the sun, about a week ago. [ref]

In spite of what Ai said when I asked about it:

me; 'how often is earth the only planet on one side of the sun'
Ai; 'Earth is never the only planet on one side of the Sun.'

I was curious of planetary alignments due to today's 7.8 earthquake near the Philippines.

The sun-earth-moon angle today is 90°.

 

[sbrothy]

Now when you say "all the planets" how many of them do you actually mean cause I'm told there're a lot!

 

[sbrothy]

Today I learned that Mollie was originally a pet name for Mary but has become popular on its own.

And one wonders why? You're sure it's not spelled "molly" by any chance?

 

[PeterDonis]

TIL that all the planets, other than earth, were on the other side of the sun, about a week ago.

If you use the restrictive definition of "planet" by which Pluto got demoted to, IIRC, a "dwarf planet" (and the others further out are also "dwarf planets"), yes.

 

[sbrothy]

If you use the restrictive definition of "planet" by which Pluto got demoted to, IIRC, a "dwarf planet" (and the others further out are also "dwarf planets"), yes.

Yeah, who knows if they're even there? It could be smudge on the lens!

 

[OmCheeto]

If you use the restrictive definition of "planet" by which Pluto got demoted to, IIRC, a "dwarf planet" (and the others further out are also "dwarf planets"), yes.

Yes. 3 of the 5 known dwarf planets ( Pluto, Makemake, and Haumea ) are currently on our side.
The other two ( Ceres and Eris ) are not.
[ref: scroll back to June 1, 2026]

Given how evenly angularly distributed they are, and the wide variation in orbital periods:

Ceres 4.6 years​

Eris 560 years​

I would be surprised if such an alignment that included them would happen less than every million years. But that's just a wild guess.
It's raining here, so gardening is canceled.
Perhaps I'll do a ton of research, and come up with a better guess.

 

[Hornbein]

Stockfish is the premier chess program. Today I learned that it was and is crowdsourced, with over two hundred contributors.

 

[sbrothy]

TIL, perhaps for the third or fifth time that people will ignore a crying child. So, once again I had to engage. (I don't know why it's always girls. I suspect it has to do with upbringing, social taboos and boys being more daring). Still I'm walking into a discount shop and this little girl (<10) is standing sobbing outside. I ask her whats wrong and she can't find her mother "she was just here". After having asked her how long she's been standing here without a hard answer ("a long time", but what can you expect from a child?). Naturally, I call the police and they tell me they haven't got the time!!!

OK, I say, I'm a 50 year old man so I'll take her home and we'll find a solution. How do you think that sounds?

Funny enough they find the time (who would've thought?!), so I wait by her side till a police car shows up (after 20 minutes!!), and what do I get for my empathy? A suspicous stare while they take her with them and calm her down ("You're not with that evil man anymore"). OK, admittely that's not what they said (or what do I know), but dammit it makes me effing angry!!!

 

[pinball1970]

Not Catholic, but somewhere back in my family tree there are a brother and sister called John and Mary who married a Mary and a John who were also brother and sister.

So their wives/Husbands were also sister/brothers-in-laws? if they both had kids

 

[sbrothy]

Well, according to the bible there were only Cain and Able, but still one of them (I forget who) managed to find a wife. Where did she come from?

Also the parable in the New Testament with people possed by demons where Jesus ordered the demons to jump off the cliff. The demons then begged to be sent into some pigs which then jumped off the cliff. I've never understood that one. I mean what did the pigs do to deserve that?

EDIT: I mean the rest of it makes perfect sense. It's only that particular story I have a problem with.

EDIT2: *cough*.

 

[Ibix]

So their wives/Husbands were also sister/brothers-in-laws? if they both had kids

Yes. It's not enormously rare - a man's sister hitting it off with his wife's brother isn't a crazy idea - and in itself it's fine. However, the children of the relationships would be "double cousins" and share DNA to the same extent as half-siblings. This particular instance is long enough ago and my family tree is sprawling enough that nobody needs to care, but it can cause (additional) problems where cousin marriage is common because double cousins are more closely related than normal cousins, so them having children would be even riskier than normal cousins having children.

 

[pinball1970]

Yes. It's not enormously rare - a man's sister hitting it off with his wife's brother isn't a crazy idea - and in itself it's fine. However, the children of the relationships would be "double cousins" and share DNA to the same extent as half-siblings. This particular instance is long enough ago and my family tree is sprawling enough that nobody needs to care, but it can cause (additional) problems where cousin marriage is common because double cousins are more closely related than normal cousins, so them having children would be even riskier than normal cousins having children.

I finished mid sentence there for some reason. "If they both had kids what would the relationship between the two?"

"Double cousins" was what Ai said also, I wrote it out on paper and did not know what to call it.

I think marriage between cousins is illegal in the UK, I would have to check.

 

[Ibix]

I think marriage between cousins is illegal in the UK, I would have to check.

I'm not sure about double cousins, but it's legal between first cousins. There was some argument earlier this year about making it illegal (I think there was a longitudinal study published that showed that while major health issues weren't that common, there were a lot of less obvious negative effects that were pretty common) but they decided not to change the law.