Today I Learned

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Discussion Overview

The thread invites participants to share daily lessons or interesting facts they have learned, encompassing a wide range of topics from personal experiences to historical facts, scientific insights, and humorous observations. The scope includes casual learning, trivia, and personal anecdotes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants share personal insights, such as learning about the cleaning of hats or the time spent with medical specialists.
  • Others discuss historical techniques like "oyster veneering" and its revival, with one participant clarifying it is not a food-preparation method.
  • Mathematical observations are made regarding factorials, specifically that 23! has 23 digits, with some participants exploring the implications of this coincidence.
  • Several participants mention humorous or trivial facts, such as the number of microbes transferred in a kiss or the age of Cambridge University compared to the Aztecs.
  • Some participants express personal reflections on learning new words or concepts, such as "hyperacusis" and its effects on their music-making.
  • There are repeated claims about the impact of television on body image, with some participants sharing personal experiences related to this topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features a variety of viewpoints and personal anecdotes, with no clear consensus on any specific topic. Participants express differing opinions and experiences, particularly regarding the effects of television and the historical context of various facts shared.

Contextual Notes

Some claims made in the discussion are based on personal experiences or anecdotal evidence, and there are instances of participants correcting or refining each other's statements without reaching a definitive conclusion.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in casual learning, trivia, personal anecdotes, or exploring a variety of topics in a light-hearted manner may find this thread engaging.

  • #4,471
"Today You Learned", IMNSHO.
 
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  • #4,472
fresh_42 said:
##^*)## I couldn't hear whether they - at least - still use feet or even change heights into meters.

If that were the case, we would receive far more reports of Boeing aircraft smashing into the French countryside than we do; that's what happens if you give pilots instructions in units approximately three times the size of those used by their instruments.
 
  • #4,473
hmmm27 said:
"Today You Learned", IMNSHO.
Yes. (Whatever IMSNHO is).
 
  • #4,474
In My Not So Humble Opinion...
 
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  • #4,475
Greg Bernhardt said:
SMS messaging shorthand ("text-message-speak"), such as using "u" for "you", "please" for "please", or "wanna" for "want to" is not acceptable.
Just saying. :cool:
 
  • #4,476
fresh_42 said:
Just saying. :cool:
Ah but where deos one draw the line between acronyms and Textspeak?
 
  • #4,477
DaveC426913 said:
Ah but where deos one draw the line between acronyms and Textspeak?
In the sand, of course. Often just before a storm of next-generation users takes over
 
  • #4,478
Tom.G said:
In the sand, of course. Often just before a storm of next-generation users takes over
Internet haboob.
 
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  • #4,480
sbrothy said:
Today I learned that turtles can breathe using their butt.
A skill essential for success in the social sciences.
 
  • #4,481
I have been learning a third language!
TIL 1 that, when i forget how to say something in the language number 3, instead to immediately think how to say it on my mother language, first i pass to english, and then i pass to my first language XD.
TIL 2 Not satisfied with the fact that sometimes i joint two languages when i need to talk in another languague, now i combine three haha
 
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  • #4,482
Hornbein said:
A skill essential for success in the social sciences.
The wiki link I posted with info on hyperparasites may also be usual in that field. :)
 
  • #4,483
sbrothy said:
The wiki link I posted with info on hyperparasites may also be usual in that field. :)
Useful of course. Useful.
 
  • #4,484
TIL, The Voyager Spacecrafts operate with only 69 kilobytes of onboard memory and store data for transmission on what has got to be one of the oldest functioning 8-track systems in the universe.
from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/record-breaking-voyager- spacecraft -begin-to-power-down/

"To handle all these challenges, the Voyagers, each about the size of an old Volkswagen Beetle, needed some onboard intelligence. So NASA's engineers equipped the vehicles' computers with 69 kilobytes of memory, less than a hundred thousandth the capacity of a typical smartphone. In fact, the smartphone comparison is not quite right. “The Voyager computers have less memory than the key fob that opens your car door,” Spilker says. All the data collected by the spacecraft instruments would be stored on eight-track tape recorders and then sent back to Earth by a 23-watt transmitter—about the power level of a refrigerator light bulb. To compensate for the weak transmitter, both Voyagers carry 12-foot-wide dish antennas to send and receive signals."
 
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  • #4,485
TIL that Geordi, sorry, LeVar Burton was born in Germany. I only knew it from Seven of Nine, sorry, Jeri Ryan, Martin Lawrence, and Bruce Willis. Seems to be a good place to become an actor.
 
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  • #4,486
fresh_42 said:
TIL that Geordi, sorry, LeVar Burton was born in Germany. I only knew it from Seven of Nine, sorry, Jeri Ryan, Martin Lawrence, and Bruce Willis. Seems to be a good place to become an actor.
32 218 actors were born in Germany according to IMDb.
16 174 actors were born in Canada according to IMDb.

A ratio of 1.992 for Germany.

BUT, according to worldometers.info, there are 84 310 168 Germans and 38 400 444 Canadians, a ratio of 2.1956 For Germany.

Seems to me that Canada is a better place to become an actor. :-p:wink:
 
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  • #4,487
jack action said:
Seems to me that Canada is a better place to become an actor. :-p:wink:
Maybe, although I obviously referred to US-American actors who were born in Germany. A comparison with Canada wouldn't make much sense in this respect as the industries (US and CA) are very intertwined.
 
  • #4,488
fresh_42 said:
Maybe, although I obviously referred to US-American actors who were born in Germany. A comparison with Canada wouldn't make much sense in this respect as the industries (US and CA) are very intertwined.
And since all your examples are children of US Army personnel stationed in Germany, a comparison with Canada wouldn't make much sense in this respect as there are no US Army bases in Canada.
 
  • #4,489
jack action said:
as there are no US Army bases in Canada
...that you know of. Just sayin' :wink:
 
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  • #4,490
jack action said:
And since all your examples are children of US Army personnel stationed in Germany, a comparison with Canada wouldn't make much sense in this respect as there are no US Army bases in Canada.
These three countries are hard to compare anyway. I think Canada and Germany have comparable societies and laws, whereas Canada and the US merely share the same continent, or as my American friend puts it: Canada is the better America.
 
  • #4,491
fresh_42 said:
Canada is the better America
But a lot colder. That counts for something...
 
  • #4,492
berkeman said:
But a lot colder. That counts for something...
Now that you mention it. While I really like a cold continental climate, i.e. cold and low humidity, she grew up in NM and even finds her German home too cold for large parts of the year. However, she still says it. But she is a lady, which in return means that she is no big fan of the second.
 
  • #4,493
I wonder whether e.g. Bruce Willis could become president. He isn't born on American soil, but could he have disadvantages only because his father served his country?
 
  • #4,494
A useful mnemonic to remember the names of the Great Lakes

1655428144168.jpeg
 
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  • #4,495
BWV,
I do not understand your mnemonic. Five lakes and five L's. How does your mnemonic work?
 
  • #4,496
symbolipoint said:
BWV,
I do not understand your mnemonic. Five lakes and five L's. How does your mnemonic work?
There is a word for each lake in the mnemonic, as each lake starts with ‘L’, the mnemonic gives you five L words to help you remember that.
 
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  • #4,497
fresh_42 said:
I wonder whether e.g. Bruce Willis could become president. He isn't born on American soil, but could he have disadvantages only because his father served his country?
John McCain was born in Panama. He was a natural US citizen.
 
  • #4,498
BWV said:
There is a word for each lake in the mnemonic, as each lake starts with ‘L’, the mnemonic gives you five L words to help you remember that.
symbolipoint said:
BWV,
I do not understand your mnemonic. Five lakes and five L's. How does your mnemonic work?

BWV said:
There is a word for each lake in the mnemonic, as each lake starts with ‘L’, the mnemonic gives you five L words to help you remember that.
The words are: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Eeri, Ontario

None of the L's help me. The words do not show me their relative geographic positions. I miss seeing how the "Lisa likes licking lettice lightly" shows me what you want someone to see or use. What am I missing?
 
  • #4,499
Well, it's actually spelt "lettuce".
 
  • #4,500
symbolipoint said:
What am I missing?
That 80% of the reactions are laughs, I think...
 
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