Today I Learned

[pinball1970]

At the 1924 Paris Games, a Hungarian judge accused three Italian fencers of losing on purpose to teammate Oreste Puliti so he could more easily advance in the saber competition. Puliti threatened the official and was disqualified.

The irate fencer then challenged the judge to a duel with real swords. His challenge was accepted.

Thats better than my UAP post!

 

[pinball1970]

Sauce:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/...-anomalous-phenomena-independent-study-report

Source ;)

 

[DaveC426913]

TIL about Gauge Blocks that have milled faces of such high precision that they stick together by molecular attraction and surface tension.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauge_block

 

[OCR]

.
Tool Tuesday Ep. 4: Starrett-Webber Gage Blocks - YouTube
.

 

[kyphysics]

. . .net worth is overrated

 

[hmmm27]

TIL that I shouldn't eat even slightly-rancid butter, even if it means tossing out a couple bagels slathered in cream cheese.

(Actually a few days ago : still recovering... said recovery definitely not bolstered by wondering if it was the cream cheese... and subsequently preparing and eating a KD with more than half a brick tossed in)

 

[gmax137]

KD

??

 

[hmmm27]

Kraft Dinner - "mac'n'cheese" - Canadian cuisine.

 

[berkeman]

Kraft Dinner - "mac'n'cheese" - Canadian cuisine.

It's what's for dinner, eh?

 

[BWV]

Kraft Dinner - "mac'n'cheese" - Canadian cuisine.

Yes, the land where even the French have crappy food

 

[hmmm27]

Yes, the land where even the French have crappy food

Yeah : "national dish" was the word I was looking for, not "national cuisine", but there's a huge disconnect between KD & poutine (used to be Quebec specific), and stuff like "baked salmon", or "moose au jus"(kidding) in price. Sorta like the US with hot-dogs and ramen, vs whatever y'alls' "national-dish" (something with beef ? I imagine Texas goes straight to BBQ steak) is.

 

[BWV]

Yeah : "national dish" was the word I was looking for, not "national cuisine", but there's a huge disconnect between KD & poutine (used to be Quebec specific), and stuff like "baked salmon", or "moose au jus"(kidding) in price. Sorta like the US with hot-dogs and ramen, vs whatever y'alls' "national-dish" (something with beef ? I imagine Texas goes straight to BBQ steak) is.

Texas definitely is BBQ brisket, which is high art ;)

Just compare French Canadian food with what their compatriots did in Louisiana - but food in Northern climates generally sucks

 

[Janus]

Texas definitely is BBQ brisket, which is high art ;)

Just compare French Canadian food with what their compatriots did in Louisiana - but food in Northern climates generally sucks

Speaking of food from Northern climes: It has recently come to my attention that a traditionally Finnish food that I grew with seems to be gaining some in popularity here in the US. This is "bread cheese" (Juustoleipä).
For the last couple of years, you can seasonally order it from Swiss Colony, and versions of it are being sold at Trader Joe's*, QVC, and Safeway. It is basically made by adding rennet to warmed milk, then letting it sit until it forms curds. You then press out the whey(which, if you are adventurous, you can use to make whey wine). The remaining curds are put on a baking sheet as a mass ~1/2-3/4 inch thick, lightly salted, and placed under a broiler to cook. (At least this is the basic "homemade" version Mom made.)
She didn't make it often, because it took a lot of whole milk to make a relatively small amount.


* though they don't appear to sell the traditional type, just ones with an additional seasoning like garlic added.

 

[BWV]

Speaking of food from Northern climes: It has recently come to my attention that a traditionally Finnish food that I grew with seems to be gaining some in popularity here in the US. This is "bread cheese" (Juustoleipä).
For the last couple of years, you can seasonally order it from Swiss Colony, and versions of it are being sold at Trader Joe's*, QVC, and Safeway.It is basically made by adding rennet to warmed milk, then letting it sit until it forms curds. You then press out the whey(which, if you are adventurous, you can use to make whey wine). The remaining curds are put on a baking sheet as a mass ~1/2-3/4 inch thick, lightly salted, and placed under a broiler to cook. (At least this is the basic "homemade" version Mom made.)
She didn't make it often, because it took a lot of whole milk to make a relatively small amount.


* though they don't appear to sell the traditional type, just ones with an additional seasoning like garlic added.

My mother's family were 19th cent Norwegian immigrants and grew up eating lefse at holidays, which is like a potato flour tortilla with butter and sugar

 

[hmmm27]

but food in Northern climates generally sucks

At least we get to taste the stuff instead of relying on a scorched-tastebuds policy of spice.

 

[jack action]

Just compare French Canadian food with what their compatriots did in Louisiana - but food in Northern climates generally sucks

You obviously never went to a sugar shack.

But, yeah, the French Canadian culture is dying. If you came to visit, I wouldn't be able to find a restaurant that serves "typical French Canadian food" - heck, just "Canadian" food for that matter - for you to try (except the sugar shacks when in season). Restaurants are all foreign food (including American food) and it has made its way into our homes. Your best bet to find some (homemade or restaurant) might be close to the ocean where seafood is part of the local cuisine. But it's pretty much the same as whatever seafood you would find elsewhere.

I don't know anyone who eats - let alone cooks - typical sugar shack meals at home. I remember my grandmother doing some in the seventies, for fun, "like they used to do back in the days", that's it. My last "typical, homemade, holiday family dinner" probably dates back 20 years ago.

 

[BWV]

At least we get to taste the stuff instead of relying on a scorched-tastebuds policy of spice.

Otherwise known as flavor …. ;)

 

[hmmm27]

Otherwise known as flavor …. ;)

The flavour's there, already ; why muck it up with a flamethrower ?

 

[DaveC426913]

Otherwise known as flavor …. ;)

Spiciness is a sensation orthogonal to flavour.

 

[BWV]

 

[Janus]

My mother's family were 19th cent Norwegian immigrants and grew up eating lefse at holidays, which is like a potato flour tortilla with butter and sugar

I've had lefse. My wife is part Danish on her mother's side. She also introduced me to Welsh griddle cakes. In turn, I introduced her to the aforementioned cheese, along with Pulla (cardamon coffee bread) and Joulutortut ( Christmas tarts, a pastry shaped like a 4 pointed star with a prune filling.)

 

[DrGreg]

Today I learned that TWELVE+ONE is an anagram of ELEVEN+TWO.

 

[Swamp Thing]

TIL that about 40 years ago, a lady from the U.S. stole a bunch of documents and other items that had once belonged to Alan Turing, from a collection that his mother had gifted to his old school.

Alan's stuff recently ended up back in his school -- watch the video to learn how.

 

[berkeman]

This was in my Facebook feed today. I'd always assumed that they used a big pump for the snorkel, but they are much more creative than that. Great stuff!

 

[kyphysics]

https://www.census.gov/data/tables/...ational-programs/historical-est-worldpop.html
Global Human Population Size Estimates:

10,000 BC: 1 to 5 million
AD 1: 200 to 400 million (for comparison, the U.S. has 333 million in 2023)
2023: 8 billion

Total Amt. of Humans to Have Ever Lived: 110 billion

 

[kyphysics]

. . .that I'm unworthy of having passed college Calculus 1. . .I got this wrong (I chose 16). . .

 

[fresh_42]

. . .that I'm unworthy of having passed college Calculus 1. . .I got this wrong (I chose 16). . .

70% ???

What an embarrassment.

 

[Ibix]

. . .that I'm unworthy of having passed college Calculus 1. . .I got this wrong (I chose 16). . .

The question is $2+2\times 4$ and the options are 13, 14, 15, or 16? Am I reading that right? By the normal order of operations none of the possible answers is correct (10 is correct).

 

[kyphysics]

The question is $2+2\times 4$ and the options are 13, 14, 15, or 16? Am I reading that right? By the normal order of operations none of the possible answers is correct (10 is correct).

Yeah, Tweet author said none of the above is actually the right answer. I thought you were supposed to do 2 x 4 = 8 first, b/c o PEMDAS . . .multiplication before addition. And then you did 8 x the remaining 2. ...It should be 8 + 2.

Yes, I actually passed Calc 1 in college. But, I was NOT STEM (triple major in humanities/social sciences) and never used much math afterwards.

Also, this felt like an optical illusion to my eyes the way I had to rearrange things mentally and mixed up x & + for the final operation.

 

[DrGreg]

The question is $2+2\times 4$ and the options are 13, 14, 15, or 16? Am I reading that right? By the normal order of operations none of the possible answers is correct (10 is correct).

16 is the answer that many calculators give when used in "non-scientific" mode.

E.g. Windows Calculator:

 

[fresh_42]

16 is the answer that many calculators give when used in "non-scientific" mode.

E.g. Windows Calculator:

View attachment 332511 View attachment 332510

It's getting worse by the minute.

 

[DaveC426913]

There is no post so enticing of engagement as a post that contains an error.

The possible answers are deliberately wrong because that generates much more engagement.
And the only way to engage is to choose a wrong answer.
Which just elicits more engagement because the poll results insinuate that most people are dumb.

We posters are being played. It's kinda clever, in a P.T. Barnum kinda way.

 

[Ibix]

16 is the answer that many calculators give when used in "non-scientific" mode.

E.g. Windows Calculator:

View attachment 332511 View attachment 332510 View attachment 332519

And in I-Ching mode the answer is "a suffusion of yellow".

 

[nsaspook]

How japanese fake food is made.

 

[Tom.G]

Hungry ... must make snack ...

 

[Hornbein]

This was in my Facebook feed today. I'd always assumed that they used a big pump for the snorkel, but they are much more creative than that. Great stuff!

View attachment 332395

Five metric tons in thirty seconds? Incredible. It must take real skill to avoid crashing into the water.

 

[Hornbein]

70% ???

What an embarrassment.

"I am incapable of embarrassment." -- Commander Data

 

[Hornbein]

There is no post so enticing of engagement as a post that contains an error.

The possible answers are deliberately wrong because that generates much more engagement.
And the only way to engage is to choose a wrong answer.
Which just elicits more engagement because the poll results insinuate that most people are dumb.

We posters are being played. It's kinda clever, in a P.T. Barnum kinda way.

Ha. You could very well be right. Yet another motive for engulfment of society by stupidity.

 

[Hornbein]

https://physics.aps.org/articles/v10/s49

Today I learned about tractor beams. Too bad they didn't provide a link to the real article.

 

[collinsmark]

https://physics.aps.org/articles/v10/s49

Today I learned about tractor beams. Too bad they didn't provide a link to the real article.

@Hornbein, If I'm not mistaken, this is a link to the original, Physical Review Letters paper:
https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.180401

 

[Hornbein]

TIL that honeybees can be weaponized. What next, bunny rabbits?

 

[jack action]

Remember, 3 weeks ago, when I learned that Neil Armstrong went through customs after returning from the moon?

TIL even a weirder fact:

And it is true:

France issued Ramesses II a passport​

It's true that the mummy of Ramesses II was issued a passport in 1974.

Ramesses II lived to be 96 and was the third pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, according to Ancient History Encyclopedia.

When the mummy of Ramesses had to be flown to Paris for restoration, it was issued an authentic Egyptian passport that included a photo of his ancient face. His occupation was listed as "King (deceased)," National Geographic reported.

His body was entombed in the Valley of the Kings, but it was later moved by ancient Egyptian priests because of rampant looters, according to National Geographic.

Archaeologists noticed the mummy's deteriorating condition and treated it for a fungal infection in Paris.

The French military aircraft that brought Ramesses' remains from the Cairo museum was greeted by the Garde Republicaine, France's equivalent of a U.S. Marine honor guard, according to a 1976 article from The New York Times.

However, the image is an artist's creation of the passport and the pharaoh's passport is not publicly available.

 

[BWV]

Some handy Australian lingo, thanks to the US Embassy

 

[fresh_42]

Remember, 3 weeks ago, when I learned that Neil Armstrong went through customs after returning from the moon?

TIL even a weirder fact:

View attachment 332747​

And it is trueowever, the image is an artist's creation of the passport and the pharaoh's passport is not publicly available.

McCoy: The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe. [ST-IV, The Voyage Home]

 

[Hornbein]

In 2017 Congresswomen got the right to bare arms. The Senate followed suit two years later.

This week the Senate passed the SHow Our Respect To the Senate (SHORTS) act, which requires "business attire." LIke that sense of humor.

 

[Swamp Thing]

TIL that honeybees can be weaponized. What next, bunny rabbits?

This man was trained to stick his tongue out whenever he had a good idea.

Anyway, you can geek out on bee olfaction here https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214574523000159 if you want.

 

[Swamp Thing]

TIL that workers in Alfred Nobel's nitroglycerine factory had to sit on one-legged stools so that they wouldn't be able to fall asleep on the job and thus cause an accident.

 

[Haborix]

TIL that workers in Alfred Nobel's nitroglycerine factory had to sit on one-legged stools so that they wouldn't be able to fall asleep on the job and thus cause an accident.

Hmm, I wonder about the accidents from sitting on a one-legged stool...

 

[Swamp Thing]

TIL that honeybees can be weaponized. What next, bunny rabbits?

Is this a reasonably plausible roadmap to develop an explosives / drugs / gas leak detector:

Identify the receptor molecules that are involved when bees smell the target substance. Modify some bacteria so they produce those molecules. Find a way to get an electronic signal when the receptor molecules catch their target molecules.

Ref: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214574523000159

Another possibility: based on recent progress in growing artificial tissue... Can we grow bee tissue (from stem cells or whatever) of the right type, then interface with it via microelectrodes?

 

[kyphysics]

. . .you may not be getting the fish you order at a restaurant. Apparently, many restaurants think consumers are too dumb to know the difference between x-fish (more expensive) and y-fish (cheaper) and will substitute y for x.

*shakes head*

Trickery is everywhere. A family friend, I found out, cheated my parents when he & his crew built a fence for them. He charged them for cedar (which they requested, as it's a better wood), but used pine instead (substantiated by multiple knowledgeable sources). Took their money for a garage construction job also and only completed 75-80% of it and said would return to do the rest (never did and said he was too busy and told them to finish it themselves).

Cheaper substitutions. . .be wary.