Today I Learned

[Enigman]

So, umm... this exists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leck_mich_im_Arsch
youtube link:

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today I learned that Harlem's famous Cotton Club was actually owned and operated by a pretty nasty white mobster who first got interested in it for it's potential as a speakeasy during prohibition:

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

 

[mfb]

Today I learned about Civil Forfeiture Laws in the US: Seriously, who invents something as ridiculous as that?

 

[Astronuc]

Today I learned some insight into working within the US Supreme Court from Justice Stephen Bryer.

 

[Hornbein]

President Suharto of Indonesia couldn't speak English.

 

[OmCheeto]

Today I learned about Civil Forfeiture Laws in the US: Seriously, who invents something as ridiculous as that?

I just learned that it was the United States Congress, in 1970. [The RICO act]
Originally intended to reduce crime by removing the profit, it appears to have evolved into exactly what it was designed to prevent.
Now the police are profiting, via legalized crime.
Fascinating.

Losing By Forfeit? [Oregon State Bar Bulletin, 2006, By Janine Robben]
...in 1988, ... Congress appropriated money to hire approximately 90 assistant attorneys general nationwide ... to start implementing federal criminal forfeiture laws. Those laws had been on the books, but largely unused, since 1970.
...
In addition, some local governments, ... have their own forfeiture statutes, which typically are used to seize and forfeit vehicles to punish and deter crimes like drunk driving and prostitution.

Interesting history behind it:

Policing for Profit [The Institute for Justice, ≥2009]
...
Kings, for instance, could seize an instrument that caused the death of another in order to finance the deceased’s funeral mass. The idea arose from a superstitious belief that objects acted independently to cause death.

While the concept of deodand gives rise to the “guilty property” legal fiction, American forfeiture law did not arise strictly from this concept but rather from the British Navigation Acts of the mid-17th century.
...

 

[OCR]

TIL...

Yep!

And Drakkith agrees......

 

[Borg]

Today I learned about Civil Forfeiture Laws in the US: Seriously, who invents something as ridiculous as that?

I read the Washington Post article when it came out. Those laws need to change.

 

[Hornbein]

I read the Washington Post article when it came out. Those laws need to change.

I've known about this since Bush I, who encouraged this as part of the "war on drugs." I remember when the cops raided a big estate in southern California looking for drugs. The owner came out with a gun and the cops shot him dead. No drugs were found.

Needless to say the war on drugs will never end. Too many people making too much money from it.

Now we have the grossly unfair situation where white people get marijuana legally and black people get life in prison for the third "offense."

Notice how all the victims in the TV show were white. If they were black, no one would care.

 

[Astronuc]

One night in Texas, a very strange thing happened: The so-called spot price of electricity in Texas fell toward zero, hit zero, and then went negative for several hours. As the Lone Star State slumbered, power producers were paying the state’s electricity system to take electricity off their hands. At one point, the negative price was $8.52 per megawatt hour.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-impossible-just-happened-in-texas-2015-9
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/rec...-ercot-prices-into-negative-territory/405606/

 

[Borek]

I just learned 2015, as well as 2013 and 2014, are sphenic numbers - and next three consecutive years sharing this particular property will be 2665, 2666 and 2667.

 

[mfb]

Negative electricity prices might be new for the US, they are quite common in Germany.

They were first introduced in 2008 on the German/Austrian Day-Ahead and 2007 in the German Intraday market.
[...]
56 hours on 15 days with negative prices were observed on the Day-Ahead market in 2012. On the Intraday market there were 41 hours on 10 days. If these markets were not coupled, negative prices would occur more often, and price peaks would be more acute.

Source
That was 2012, the share of renewable energies increased significantly in the last three years.

 

[jim hardy]

so is 42 sphenic ?

Since 42 is the meaning of the universe I always use its factors for lotto .
But so far , the universe seems unimpressed.

 

[zoobyshoe]

so is 42 sphenic ?

Since 42 is the meaning of the universe I always use its factors for lotto .
But so far , the universe seems unimpressed.

The first few sphenic numbers are: 30, 42, 66, 70, 78, 102, 105, 110, 114, 130, 138, 154, 165, ... (sequence A007304 in OEIS)

 

[jim hardy]

Today I learned about Civil Forfeiture Laws in the US: Seriously, who invents something as ridiculous as that?

How can highway robbery NOT be a crime ?

I wonder if anybody has fought back against the practice on grounds it deprives them of their right "to be secure in their persons, houses papers, and effects" against unreasonable siezures ,
using
42 U.S. Code § 1983 - Civil action for deprivation of rights

Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress,

Sounds to me like you could claim a tort and sue in civil court provided the agency doing the seizing has violated some law(gotta have an injuria to have a tort)
and here's a handy one to cite
18 U.S. Code § 242 - Deprivation of rights under color of law

Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States,...
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both;

A jury might be incllned to give a fellow his money back. And his house. That's the only check there is on this sort of license to steal.

I'm no lawyer , just curious.
But i do believe you don't want any part of government to become self funding, that takes them out from under congressional control. Read Albert Speer's memoirs - it was Himmler's dream to get independent of Hitler by manufacturing and selling armaments using slave labor.

 

[jim hardy]

Thanks, Z , i thought so - 2, 3, 7 .

 

[OmCheeto]

TIL that "sapient" means "wise".
I looked it up, as I have recently finished watching the latest series of Dr. Who, and was curious how the TARDIS had come by its name.
I thought it was a joke name, derived from perhaps a phrase like; "...and the reTARD IS...".
Wiki didn't really explain, but did say that TARDISes possesses a degree of sapience.

Today I also learned where to direct you, should you have any further questions: Any Dr. Who fans?
I didn't really become a fan until about a month ago.

 

[Hornbein]

I learned that the government of Moldova stole a billion and a half dollars from its people. Quite a sum, since their GDP is eight billion.

 

[Astronuc]

Of approximately 39000 ocean-going cargo ships sailing each year, about 200 sink! Well, that's only 0.5%, but I would want to be on one of those in the middle of a storm.

None of the experts imagined that 'freak' waves occurred so often, i.e., they are monsters, but not freaks.



Lot's of opportunities for marine engineers.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today I learned that each and every commercial airliner is struck by lightning about once a year.

So said the Weather Channel.

 

[tfr000]

Today I learned about Civil Forfeiture Laws in the US: Seriously, who invents something as ridiculous as that?

Wow, people still don't know about that?

 

[mfb]

Wow, people still don't know about that?

How much do you know about German laws?

 

[tfr000]

How much do you know about German laws?

Ah.

 

[Czcibor]

Readers of The Guardian:
hate big oil:
http://www.theguardian.com/business...drilling-exploratory-well-oil-gas-disappoints

love big steel plants:
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/28/redcar-steel-plant-to-close-with-1700-job-losses

(Yes, reading in a row comments under both articles was highly educational for me from sociological perspective. No one dared to use the same arguments concerning global warming under article concerning steel mills)

 

[jim hardy]

Watched an interesting documentary called "Cowspiracy" (on Netflix)
he contends UN's climate report finds biggest GHG and warming contributor is agriculture to feed us, outweighs transport and electric sectors combined.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today I learned about the sound post, an extremely simple, but critical part of violins and other stringed instruments.

The position of the sound post inside a violin is critical, and moving it by very small amounts (as little as 0.5mm or 0.25mm, or less) can make a big difference in the sound quality and loudness of an instrument.

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

It is a simple dowel, but properly positioning it requires special tools and mastery.

 

[Astronuc]

A study by National Institutes of Health researchers was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. The study indicated that too many young adults are not receiving any advice or counseling on alcohol consumption.
https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/the-advice-college-kids-arent-getting-about-142355111.html

"According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol is linked with nearly 2,000 deaths each year among college students, and many more assaults and date rapes." That's 2000 too many.

 

[OmCheeto]

A study by National Institutes of Health researchers was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. The study indicated that too many young adults are not receiving any advice or counseling on alcohol consumption.
https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/the-advice-college-kids-arent-getting-about-142355111.html

"According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol is linked with nearly 2,000 deaths each year among college students, and many more assaults and date rapes." That's 2000 too many.

This reminds me of an article I read yesterday:

How Your Brain Is Wired Reveals the Real You [Scientific American, Sept 28, 2015]
...
Van Wedeen, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, says that the findings could help to prioritize future research. For instance, one of the negative traits that pulled a brain farthest down the negative axis was marijuana use in recent weeks.
...

Now they tell us. (Recreational marijuana use was legalized where I live, 3 months ago.)

But as lisab is always pointing out; "correlation does not imply causation", and this is implied in the article:

But Raichle says that it is impossible to determine from this study how different traits relate to one another and whether the weakened brain connections are the cause or effect of negative traits.

Interesting pair of studies, IMHO.

 

[tfr000]

This reminds me of an article I read yesterday:

Now they tell us. (Recreational marijuana use was legalized where I live, 3 months ago.)

But as lisab is always pointing out; "correlation does not imply causation", and this is implied in the article:
Interesting pair of studies, IMHO.

Pfft. Remember back in the 70's, when all of the studies said we should eat chemically hydrogenated oils instead of animal fats, because they were better for us?

 

[Hornbein]

In 1990 the ten biggest US banks held 10% of US banking assets. Now they hold 45%. -- Robert Reich

 

[Hornbein]

Writer HP Lovecraft wanted to become an astrophysicist, but he wasn't good enough at math.

 

[Hornbein]

Today I learned that Helen Keller was a communist activist. Who would have thought?

"In Our Own Words" by Senator Robert Torricelli includes a Keller speech exhorting the audience to "march towards the red dawn!"

 

[OmCheeto]

Knocking someone out with a handkerchief soaked in chloroform, is mostly Hollywood:

...
Use of chloroform as an incapacitating agent has become widely recognized, bordering on clichéd, due to the popularity of crime fiction authors having criminals use chloroform-soaked rags to render victims unconscious. However, it is nearly impossible to incapacitate someone using chloroform. It takes at least five minutes of inhaling an item soaked in chloroform to render a person unconscious.
...

Background:
I keep a gallon of dilute solution of water and bleach(sodium hypochlorite) in the bathroom to clean things up.
I also recently mixed myself a batch of homemade Febrezey type solution, (water, isopropyl alcohol, & cologne) for quick spritzing. (I saw the price on a 27 oz bottle was over $5, and said to hell with that.)

Anyways, I was worried about mixing the two active chemicals, and this is where I discovered that it creates chloroform, amongst other nasty sounding things: hydrochloric acid, ... chloroacetone or dichloroacetone [ref]

 

[Astronuc]

I've been reading Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts, and I'm reading about Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams. JQ Adams was an accomplished diplomat (and 6th president of the US), so I was curious about his accomplishments and his political philosophy, which led me to:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Party_System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Party_System

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_System_(economic_plan)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_improvements

Abraham Lincoln thought Internal Improvements was a function of government.

Summaries of their biographies at the White House.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/first-ladies/louisaadams
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/johnquincyadams

 

[OmCheeto]

TIL, the shattering truth, as to why you put champagne glassware on the top shelf of the dishwasher.
I always knew it was the rule, but never bothered to think about, why.

 

[DiracPool]

"Happiness is found along the way, not at the end of the road"

 

[Lisa!]

TIRT I'm addicted to watching a television drama that's about an addict!

 

[skad]

That Genghis Khan's real name was Timuchin.

 

[jackwhirl]

That the at symbol (@) let's you name drop peoples in the forums.
@jackwhirl was here.

 

[zoobyshoe]

That Genghis Khan's real name was Timuchin.

Yes, in Mongolia he's fondly remembered as Timmy Kahn.

 

[Hornbein]

Today I learned rhubarb originally came from China. The "barb" is related to "barbarian."

 

[Hornbein]

Today I learned why the Mercator projection is popular. It told a sailor what compass bearing to use. Sailing with a constant compass bearing is not the shortest route, but is generally close enough.

 

[Hatesmondays]

I learned that playing a soccer game without your glasses on is a bad idea.

 

[Hornbein]

Today I learned that bees like caffeine. About half of the varieties of nectar contain it.

 

[Hornbein]

Today I learned that in the 1930's physicist Ettore Majorana withdrew all his money from the bank, took a short trip on a ship, and disappeared. His fate was learned in 2008 after a TV show about him. A viewer had a photo of Majorana taken circa 1959 in Venezuela.

 

[Borg]

I have been teaching myself the D3 javascript language. TIL about Voronoi diagrams.

 

[TheDemx27]

I have been teaching myself the D3 javascript language. TIL about Voronoi diagrams.

Pic reminds me of this cool page I found on voting system simulations: http://zesty.ca/voting/

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today I learned (by direct measurement) that a new U.S. penny is just about .750 inches in diameter. Like .7495 close. That is potentially handy information that somehow hitherto escaped me.

However, none of the other U.S. coins has a diameter that is of any obvious use.

 

[lisab]

Today I learned (by direct measurement) that a new U.S. penny is just about .750 inches in diameter. Like .7495 close. That is potentially handy information that somehow hitherto escaped me.

However, none of the other U.S. coins has a diameter that is of any obvious use.

Heat it up a bit, you might get to 0.750.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Heat it up a bit, you might get to 0.750.

Good idea. If I need to use them to measure something I'll put them in my armpits for a while first.