Today I Learned

[Medicol]

Today I learned that coincidence in life makes me believe in the unseen Gods and Goddesses more and more.
This is my spiritual life and I won't care about whatever scientists would say about their existence from now on.

 

[SteamKing]

Benefit? Like,... um,... stopping the damned dog next door from barking... ?

A lot of people don't know this, but yes. If you feed a barking dog enough chocolate, it will stop barking ... permanently.

(chocolate is poisonous to dogs.)

 

[Borg]

Today I also learned that anyone can now ask IBM's Watson questions for free.

Strangely enough, it wasn't Monique's post that led me down that path of discovery but rather a strange post by someone else that made me think that they are really a computer program that's posting on the forum.

 

[JorisL]

I learned that compile time optimization really is worth it. More than 50% improvement!

 

[Borek]

We need a parallel thread "today I forgot".

Yes, I know - it will be empty. But at some point it is what starts to dominate.

 

[PeroK]

We need a parallel thread "today I forgot".

Yes, I know - it will be empty. But at some point it is what starts to dominate.

Today I forgot to take a shower after my yoga class.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Today I learned how to properly cut a lime for use in drinks

 

[RonL]

Today I learned how to properly cut a lime for use in drinks

Today I learned, that if you know something I don't about cutting limes, you need to share what if I have been getting inebriated in an improper fashion ? I would be horrified :D

 

[Danger]

I learned that kiwi fruits taste better, but are a hell of a lot harder to get at, if you peel them first.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I learned today that a Barbara is a very tasty wine

 

[Medicol]

I learned today that a Barbara is a very tasty wine

Acidity in Barbera is very high.

 

[Psinter]

That you can find camouflaged animals at night with a camera that has flash: (that include cats)

 

[OmCheeto]

Whilst putting things in their proper places a couple of nights ago, I ran across the February 1998 edition of Scientific American.
I read that a supernova, SN 1987A, released, in the first 10 seconds, the equivalent energy to that released by all of the stars in the universe, combined.
Being the magazine was from another millennia, I thought they might have just been guessing.
But I checked today, and it appears to be true. [ref]
Also, 99% of that energy was in the form of neutrinos.

I tried to figure out how bright it would have been, had the energy been released as visible light, but "Apparent Magnitude" math looks like a word problem. I'll have to run off to the cosmology forum, and figure this out. :)

Ps. Given the age of the article, and that they said that 5 years in the future, stellar stuff was going to collide with previously sloughed off stellar stuff, and make it glow, I checked that out also. It looks like they nailed it.

 

[nitsuj]

The Minke whale native to Norway is available for commercial use.

Their "Fisheries Institute" along with some other Countries tried milking them.

A cow has 'bout 5% milk fat, and that's generous.

The minke Whale has 50% milk fat and was good for 1,600 liters in just under an hour long milking...

 

[Danger]

The minke Whale has 50% milk fat and was good for 1,600 liters in just under an hour long milking...

You'd need pretty big hands and freakishly strong wrist muscles.

 

[AnOldStudent]

I have an iml file that stores config data about what version of libraries I would use. I learned that I don't know how to make it work in synch with cached data after gradling (after which the version number downloaded changes but the config file remains, WTH) :D:D

 

[Danger]

I have an iml file that stores config data about what version of libraries I would use. I learned that I don't know how to make it work in synch with cached data after gradling (after which the version number downloaded changes but the config file remains, WTH) :D:D

I'd feel sympathetic if I had any idea of what the hell you're talking about.

 

[RonL]

I'd feel sympathetic if I had any idea of what the hell you're talking about.

Basically he can't handle his data:D

 

[Danger]

Basically he can't handle his data:D

Understood. I have the same problem with Screech.

 

[edward]

Today I learned for the second time that I should not put a 9 volt battery in the same pocket as my keys.

 

[nsaspook]

Today I learned for the second time that I should not put a 9 volt battery in the same pocket as my keys.

 

[JorisL]

[youtube vid]

Well we can close this thread now. Isn't going to get much better than this.

 

[Danger]

Today I learned for the second time that I should not put a 9 volt battery in the same pocket as my keys.

Is that the pocket with the "hole" in it?

 

[epenguin]

Today I learned why x is universally the first symbol we reach for for an unknown or a variable - when any letter or printable sign would do as well.

Descartes had settled on start-of-alphabet letters for knowns and end-of-alphabet ones for unknowns. The printer was running short of z's and y's which are used in more French words than is x, and intelligently asked him whether it mattered whether he used one or the other. (He had surely never seen a text like it, for nor had anyone else). Descartes replied he could replace all the z's with x's, and here we still are.

I say I didn't know this before, but I am not so sure I know it now. It is third-hand or so. I saw it reading just now Unknown Quantity (history of algebra) by John Derbyshire which I was given for Christmas a year or two ago. But Derbyshire quotes one Art Johnson for it, what the ultimate source is and how reliable I don't know.

But at least I learned a new story.:)

 

[DennisN]

Today I relearned the fundamentals of soldering. I tried desperately to resolder a connection but it simply did not work, I could not heat up the metal, and it seemed as if the heat incredibly effectively dissipated from the metal. But then, at last, I discovered that my soldering iron was not connected to the power supply. And I felt that well-known mixed feeling of relief and stupidity. Peace, at last, and heat, at last.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Today I learned we've discovered around 1800 exoplanets!

 

[Medicol]

Today I learned we've discovered around 1800 exoplanets!

Really, it is only 1700.

 

[epenguin]

Really, it is only 1700.

That was yesterday.

 

[OmCheeto]

Today I learned the proper definition of "levitation". :)

At a sushi bar:

Taco Bell Customer; "I'd like a couple of tacos".
Sushi bar serves them a plate of octopus.
Taco Bell Customer; "This isn't what I ordered".
Sushi bar person; "Um..., actually, it is".
Taco Bell Customer; "No it isn't. Tacos have crunchy shells, and are filled with cooked meat and stuff. This looks like raw octopus. Yuck!"
Sushi bar person; "Taco Bell is 3 blocks down, on the left hand side of the road".
Taco Bell Customer; "You're stupid"!
Sushi bar person; "Did you know that in Spanish, a "taco" is a rolled up piece of paper that you shove down the barrel of an old fashioned gun to keep the gunpowder and ball from rolling out"?
Taco Bell Customer; "You're mean"!
Sushi bar person; "Did you know, that in Serbian, "taco" means "thus""?
Taco Bell Customer; "Stop making fun of me"!
Sushi bar person; "But I'm just trying to help you learn".
Taco Bell Customer; "Learn! I came here for TACOS! I hate you".
...​

 

[TheDemx27]

Today I learned that a simple majority voting method is not the most "fair". http://zesty.ca/voting/sim/

 

[Borg]

Today I learned how to extract coordinate information for images that have been tagged with them.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Really, it is only 1700.

1853 to be exact

 

[Danger]

At a sushi bar:
Taco Bell Customer; "I'd like a couple of tacos".
Sushi bar serves them a plate of octopus.
Taco Bell Customer; "This isn't what I ordered".
Sushi bar person; "Um..., actually, it is".
Taco Bell Customer; "No it isn't. Tacos have crunchy shells, and are filled with cooked meat and stuff. This looks like raw octopus. Yuck!"
Sushi bar person; "Taco Bell is 3 blocks down, on the left hand side of the road".
Taco Bell Customer; "You're stupid"!
Sushi bar person; "Did you know that in Spanish, a "taco" is a rolled up piece of paper that you shove down the barrel of an old fashioned gun to keep the gunpowder and ball from rolling out"?
Taco Bell Customer; "You're mean"!
Sushi bar person; "Did you know, that in Serbian, "taco" means "thus""?
Taco Bell Customer; "Stop making fun of me"!
Sushi bar person; "But I'm just trying to help you learn".
Taco Bell Customer; "Learn! I came here for TACOS! I hate you".
...

Reminds me of the time the Yanks came across the border (to the south of their origin; we were in Windsor, across the river from Detroit) with skis on top of the car when it was over 100° F. with about 99% humidity and asked us where the snow was. They were offended when we told them to turn around and go about 900 miles.

 

[Borek]

Last several days I spent learning how to convert a book written in OpenOffice to pdf (LaTeX), mobi (Sigil) and epub (Calibre). Ugly process. While I am not 100% ready yet, I think it is a beer time.

No, just exporting from OpenOffice is not a solution, quality that it produces is mediocre at best. I need a professionally looking product. If you are not sure about the content, at least make it look good ;)

 

[Danger]

I think it is a beer time.

I thought that you Poles were more like we Canucks; it's always a beer time.

If you are not sure about the content, at least make it look good ;)

That's why I always wear padded pants.