Today I Learned

[Borg]

I suppose the list could go on indefinitely. E.g., a septic tank of internet vultures...

A cesspool of politicians?

 

[Frabjous]

I'd always thought it was a "parliament of owls", but it seems that particular collective is used for multiple species.

Here's few more which I found amusing:I suppose the list could go on indefinitely. E.g., a septic tank of internet vultures...

I disagree. Septic tanks have some utility.

 

[pinball1970]

I'd always thought it was a "parliament of owls", but it seems that particular collective is used for multiple species.

Here's few more which I found amusing:I suppose the list could go on indefinitely. E.g., a septic tank of internet vultures...

Some funny ones here

https://www.countrylife.co.uk/country-life/collective-nouns-for-people-and-professions-84184
I think terms for shepherds is a bit harsh
Nothing for physicists or Chemists
Mathematicians is a bit predictable , they could have been more inventive than “set” I think.

 

[etotheipi]

 

[mfb]

A collection of biologists
A (periodic) table of chemists?
An aggregate of solid state physicists

 

[jedishrfu]

A plethora of PFers.

 

[strangerep]

Some funny ones here

https://www.countrylife.co.uk/country-life/collective-nouns-for-people-and-professions-84184

I found most of those amusing, but,... er,...
"A smear of gynaecologists"...

I think terms for shepherds is a bit harsh

It could be worse: "A bestiality of shepherds"?
[Reference: ancient Dave Allen joke about a ventriloquist.]

 

[pinball1970]

I found most of those amusing, but,... er,...
"A smear of gynaecologists"... It could be worse: "A bestiality of shepherds"?
[Reference: ancient Dave Allen joke about a ventriloquist.]

Yeah the Gynaecologists seems rather unpleasant, mind you considering the area of expertise I suppose options for something less distasteful are limited.

A collection of biologists
A (periodic) table of chemists?
An aggregate of solid state physicists

One could have fun with this
A quantum (I also like entanglement) of physicists
A mole of chemists
An infinity of mathematicians – I would like @fresh_42 view on that
A byte of technologists
A megabyte of programmers
A plasma of particle physicists
A cluster of cosmologists
A manifold of geometers
Engineers?
From experience a Beer of Engineers would be a fit and it also has a ring to it.

 

[Janus]

TIL what the original Apollo mission design concept from North American Aviation looked like:
https://apollopreliminarydrawings.com/

 

[Ibix]

Today I learned that the Mission: Impossible theme is in 5/4 time, so the first two notes are a beat and a half long and the second two are a beat long and it kind of sounds like 4/4 with a speed change every second beat.

Apparently the inspiration for the rhythm was that two long beats and two short beats (dah dah dit dit) is Morse for MI.

 

[strangerep]

Engineers?
From experience a Beer of Engineers would be a fit and it also has a ring to it.

Hmm. A "Brewery of Engineers" is probably closer to the correct scale.

Or maybe a "Chunder of Engineers"?

 

[Gocalc]

Today I learned you can use vinegar in place of fabric softener. I tried it and surprisingly it works. It's the first time my towels have been soft since living in my current place which has no drier.

 

[Tom.G]

Today I learned you can use vinegar in place of fabric softener. I tried it and surprisingly it works. It's the first time my towels have been soft since living in my current place which has no drier.

Vinegar also helps remove the laundry detergent residue and perfume that never seems to be completely rinsed out.

(speculation: That might even be why it softens the fabric.)

 

[Ibix]

Today I learned that you can adjust the step speeds of stepper motors (such as those found in old floppy drives) to make different pitches of buzz. You can probably see where this is going:

(0:45 to skip the overlong intro)

 

[rsk]

Today I learned how to open a tin can without a can opener (the ring pull snapped off in my hand). All you need is a teaspoon.

 

[DaveC426913]

Today I learned how to open a tin can without a can opener (the ring pull snapped off in my hand). All you need is a teaspoon.

Or a hand grenade.

 

[epenguin]

Today I learned how to open a tin can without a can opener (the ring pull snapped off in my hand). All you need is a teaspoon.

You must tell us how sometime.

 

[rsk]

You must tell us how sometime.

It works! It works!

 

[berkeman]

TIL that some drag races are held 4-wide! I've never seen that before...

https://www.nhra.com/schedule/2021/...acing-series/ngk-ntk-nhra-four-wide-nationals

https://www.nhra.com/nhra

 

[DaveC426913]

TIL that some drag races are held 4-wide! I've never seen that before...

https://www.nhra.com/schedule/2021/...acing-series/ngk-ntk-nhra-four-wide-nationals

https://www.nhra.com/nhra

View attachment 283122

This photo is miscaptioned.
This is actually a picture of highway 400, in Toronto, on a Saturday around 11PM.

 

[Astronuc]

This man was stung seven times by murder hornets while trying to save Vancouver Island's honeybees
https://www.cbc.ca/television/this-...o-save-vancouver-island-s-honeybees-1.5971560

zoobyshoe's prescient thread on Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) from 2013.
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/the-coming-hornet-apocalypse.714207/

6th Asian giant hornet to be discovered in B.C. found in Fraser Valley
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...vered-in-b-c-found-in-fraser-valley-1.5797706

Destroyed 'murder hornet' nest near U.S.-B.C. border contained nearly 200 queens, scientists say
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...ornet-nest-washington-bc-200-queens-1.5798631

I know that one or two have been found in Washington State. "In December 2019, WSDA received and verified two reports of Asian giant hornet near Blaine (Whatcom County). These are the first-ever sighting in the United States. Canada had also discovered Asian giant hornet in two locations in British Columbia in the fall of 2019.

In 2020, both Washington and Canada have had new confirmed sightings of Asian giant hornet and in October of 2020, WSDA conducted the first-ever eradication of an Asian giant hornet nest in the United States."
https://agr.wa.gov/hornets

https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/asian-giant-hornet/

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/16/washington-state-canada-try-to-kill-asian-giant-hornets/
I knew of the October 2020 sighting, but not the early sightings.

 

[strangerep]

TIL that some drag races are held 4-wide! I've never seen that before...

Here's a photo of those 4-wide drag drivers look like in real life...

 

[Keith_McClary]

It is claimed that trees did not evolve wood so that they could better access sunlight (than shorter plants).

​

 

[pinball1970]

This man was stung seven times by murder hornets while trying to save Vancouver Island's honeybees
https://www.cbc.ca/television/this-...o-save-vancouver-island-s-honeybees-1.5971560

zoobyshoe's prescient thread on Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) from 2013.
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/the-coming-hornet-apocalypse.714207/

6th Asian giant hornet to be discovered in B.C. found in Fraser Valley
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...vered-in-b-c-found-in-fraser-valley-1.5797706

Destroyed 'murder hornet' nest near U.S.-B.C. border contained nearly 200 queens, scientists say
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...ornet-nest-washington-bc-200-queens-1.5798631

I know that one or two have been found in Washington State. "In December 2019, WSDA received and verified two reports of Asian giant hornet near Blaine (Whatcom County). These are the first-ever sighting in the United States. Canada had also discovered Asian giant hornet in two locations in British Columbia in the fall of 2019.

In 2020, both Washington and Canada have had new confirmed sightings of Asian giant hornet and in October of 2020, WSDA conducted the first-ever eradication of an Asian giant hornet nest in the United States."
https://agr.wa.gov/hornets

https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/asian-giant-hornet/

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/16/washington-state-canada-try-to-kill-asian-giant-hornets/
I knew of the October 2020 sighting, but not the early sightings.

I am terrified of bees and wasps, I am not sure I have ever seen a hornet. My worst night mare being attacked by them.

 

[Frabjous]

I am terrified of bees and wasps, I am not sure I have ever seen a hornet. My worst night mare being attacked by them.

How do you feel about cicadas?
https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/periodical-cicada-brood-x-10-will-emerge-in-15-states-in-2021/

 

[Ibix]

How do you feel about cicadas?

He'll be cicadem by de end of de year if he lives in one of those states...

 

[Ibix]

How do you feel about cicadas?
https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/periodical-cicada-brood-x-10-will-emerge-in-15-states-in-2021/

More seriously, I thought these periodic insects tended to operate on prime number of year cycles, but if I'm reading right those ones are on a ten year period.

 

[pinball1970]

How do you feel about cicadas?
https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/periodical-cicada-brood-x-10-will-emerge-in-15-states-in-2021/

I do not feel good about anything with more than 4 legs.
Is there a thing with cicadas and primes?

 

[Frabjous]

I believe it is 17 years. See this for primes in predator-prey interactions.
https://www.cicadamania.com/downloads/prime-PRL.pdf

See also
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/04/01/cicadas-come-out-2021-brood-x/

 

[Ibix]

Is there a thing with cicadas and primes?

I read on one of Dawkins' books, I think, that long period cicadas tended to have prime periods because things that ate them couldn't emerge on factors of their period and eat something else - e.g. this ten year cicada could be predated by the five-year-cicada-eating-beast that emerges every five years. But a thirteen year cicada can only be eaten (except opportunistically) by a thirteen year cycle creature.

Misleading popsci, maybe.