Today I Learned

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Today I learned that cleaning a white hat can be done with bleach cleaner, but it’s important to rinse it before wearing it again. I also discovered that "oyster veneering," a woodworking technique from the late 1600s, is experiencing a minor revival despite its labor-intensive nature. Additionally, I learned that the factorial of 23 (23!) equals 25,852,016,738,884,976,640,000, which interestingly has 23 digits, a unique coincidence among factorials. I found out that medical specialists often spend less than 10 minutes with patients, and that watching TV can contribute to weight gain. Other insights included the fact that a kiss can transfer around 80 million microbes, and that bureaucracy can sometimes hinder employment opportunities. The discussion also touched on various trivia, such as the emotional sensitivity of barn owls and the complexities of gravitational lensing around black holes.
  • #201
Today I learned that I should have been included in the study:



I decided this, as in the last 24 hours, I discovered why my microwave fuses kept blowing.
I, sometime in the past, saw that the original fuse was rated at 1.5 amps.
I replaced it, over subsequent years, stupidly, with fuses of higher and higher amperage ratings. I used to be an electrical safety inspector, in the USN, so I should have known better.
Anyways, the original fuse was not rated at 1.5 amps, but 15 amps. I got out a magnifying glass, and read the schematic.

In conclusion: Men, at least the Ohmic types, are idiots.
 
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  • #202
OmCheeto said:
Today I learned that I should have been included in the study:



I decided this, as in the last 24 hours, I discovered why my microwave fuses kept blowing.
I, sometime in the past, saw that the original fuse was rated at 1.5 amps.
I replaced it, over subsequent years, stupidly, with fuses of higher and higher amperage ratings. I used to be an electrical safety inspector, in the USN, so I should have known better.
Anyways, the original fuse was not rated at 1.5 amps, but 15 amps. I got out a magnifying glass, and read the schematic.

In conclusion: Men, at least the Ohmic types, are idiots.

Well, you could also have died of starvation.
 
  • #203
OmCheeto said:
Today I learned that I should have been included in the study:



I decided this, as in the last 24 hours, I discovered why my microwave fuses kept blowing.
I, sometime in the past, saw that the original fuse was rated at 1.5 amps.
I replaced it, over subsequent years, stupidly, with fuses of higher and higher amperage ratings. I used to be an electrical safety inspector, in the USN, so I should have known better.
Anyways, the original fuse was not rated at 1.5 amps, but 15 amps. I got out a magnifying glass, and read the schematic.

In conclusion: Men, at least the Ohmic types, are idiots.

Welcome to the old age, weak eyed, dudes club:D
 
  • #204
DarthMatter said:
Well, you could also have died of starvation.
No. I discovered the other day, that I still knew how to work the stovetop burners. And hence, had slow, refried, life nourishing, coffee. :bow:

And I also know where worms live, so starvation is the least of my foreseeable problems.
 
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  • #205
Medicol said:
I learned that people whose last names end with either xxx-vych or xxx-vich are from Ukraine. ?:) :nb)

People whose names end in -vich, like mine, tend to be from the former Yugoslavia. The final h being an anglicisation. Novak Djokovic for example.

Ukrainian names tend to end in -chenko, -chuk or -ov.
 
  • #206
Today I learned that light actually does travel really fast. There's a high cloud cover over my house tonight in Tacoma, and somewhere in the county they are shining spot lights in the sky. Four of them, rotating around in a circle. One of those where they fan out and come back into a center point, and then out again, etc. When they fan out you can see them whip across the sky, covering maybe 40 or 50 miles in a fraction of a second, really cool. I live by McChord air force base and they have fighter jets flying over occasionally. So mentally I'm comparing those speeds and thinking, those fighter jets are damn slow. Special relativity is cool! :D
 
  • #207
I learned that PFers who work underneath are all smart and potentially (as I don't know for sure) the richest in the world :DD.
 
  • #208
Today I learned that in Australia, a "removalist" is someone who hauls your household belongings from one place to another when you relocate your residence, i.e. what I (in the US) would call a "moving company" or simply a "mover".
 
  • #209
jtbell said:
Today I learned that in Australia, a "removalist" is someone who hauls your household belongings from one place to another when you relocate your residence, i.e. what I (in the US) would call a "moving company" or simply a "mover".
Agreed! That's odd hah, they may have called it "remover", or too mover.
 
  • #210
jtbell said:
Today I learned that in Australia, a "removalist" is someone who hauls your household belongings from one place to another when you relocate your residence, i.e. what I (in the US) would call a "moving company" or simply a "mover".

That's funny, because I was watching a show today on an Irish news channel where there was a movement in the parliament to stop discriminating against "travellers." I was thinking, jeez, if I went on vacation in Ireland I was going to have to worry about this? Turns out there's a domestic classification of indigenous peoples they call travellers. Lol. I guess you learn something new every day...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers
 
  • #211
DiracPool said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers

That's interesting! My wife and I have driven through Murphy Village, South Carolina (referenced in that article) a number of times on our way to Florida. It's about 1 to 1.5 hours drive from here. I didn't know its name or significance until I looked it up on Google Maps just now.
 
  • #212
Today I leaned that I'm naive! :oldgrumpy:
 
  • #213
Lisa! said:
Today I leaned that I'm naive! :oldgrumpy:
Oh goodie, I have company :D
 
  • #214
Lisa! said:
Today I leaned that I'm naive!

You have naively leaned against something too weak to support you?
 
  • #215
Borek said:
You have naively leaned against something too weak to support you?

I tend to believe people and do my best to help them. Then it turns out that they really didn't deserve that.
 
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  • #216
Don't feel alienated, we all fail for that now and again.
 
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  • #217
Today I learned that the aluminum in a soda can is four thousandths of an inch thick. That surprised the hell out of me because a human hair is about three thousandths of an inch thick. I never suspected soda cans were so thin.
 
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  • #218
Today I learned that humming birds will not drink diet cranberry juice. I also learned that everything in the fridge will be scrambled around after my grandson has been here.
 
  • #219
Learned that Nancy Sinatra did great songs, which most were unknown to me!
 
  • #220
Today I learned I'm not actually part of this society(PF), but only a member.
 
  • #221
Shyan said:
Today I learned I'm not actually part of this society(PF), but only a member.
I spent a few years in Texas --- as an outsider --- I thought --- until I took the time to chisel my way through NOT just their personal defenses, but my own. Stick with us. There are actually one or two people behind all the posturing and bluster.
 
  • #222
Bystander said:
I spent a few years in Texas --- as an outsider --- I thought --- until I took the time to chisel my way through NOT just their personal defenses, but my own. Stick with us. There are actually one or two people behind all the posturing and bluster.
I'll stay, but I think I should again limit my focus on the scientific forums and don't pay attention to other discussions. You know, actually I thought maybe I can be more of a member than that, but now I understand its not going to work.
 
  • #223
Shyan said:
and don't pay attention to other discussions.
If only the rest of us had that much sense, things would be a lot more peaceful around here.
 
  • #224
Shyan said:
Today I learned I'm not actually part of this society(PF), but only a member.
I'm not sure why you say that, there are members here from all around the world.
I have read some of your post and can tell that not only are you very smart, but you teach very well. :)
Unless it is something more at a personal level, that I know nothing of, I for one would be disappointed if you go away. :(
 
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  • #225
Byan: Shyan needs to be tickled!
Lyan: Hey Shyan where is your spot ?
 
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  • #226
RonL said:
I'm not sure why you say that, there are members here from all around the world.
I have read some of your post and can tell that not only are you very smart, but you teach very well. :)
Unless it is something more at a personal level, that I know nothing of, I for one would be disappointed if you go away. :(
As I said in post #221, I'm not going to leave.
And thanks
Medicol said:
Byan: Shyan needs to be tickled!
Lyan: Hey Shyan where is your spot ?
Sorry, but I don't understand!
 
  • #227
OK forget it. you're not leaving anyway. :D
 
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  • #228
Today, I learned that "Routing Numbers", are unique to a bank. I had always assumed they were unique to an account.

Which is very strange, as I'd been using routing numbers for the last 15 years of my employment, and had even done international financial transactions.
The strangest thing though, is that for the last 5 years, I've been trying to pay my online bills, with one of my 3 banks, and they said I couldn't pay my bills, as I did not have a routing number. (How can a financial institution not know its own routing number?)

Anyways, the two very nice young ladies at the credit union were very polite today, when they explained this to me.
Though, they couldn't hide the thoughts in their eyes; "He's a grey hair. They ain't too bright. Talk to him like he's a 6 year old."

:-p
 
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  • #229
OmCheeto said:
Today, I learned that "Routing Numbers", are unique to a bank. I had always assumed they were unique to an account.
It is used within the US only, isn't it ? we use swift code for wire transfers accoss borders.
Anyways, the two very nice young ladies at the credit union were very polite today, when they explained this to me.
Though, they couldn't hide the thoughts in their eyes; "He's a grey hair. They ain't too bright. Talk to him like he's a 6 year old."
:-p
:DD Totally agreed! This is often met.
 
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  • #230
Today I learned there are about 9000 faucets in the Empire State Building.
 
  • #231
Today I learned how hard it is going to be to teach an older non computer person to be a computer person.
 
  • #232
DiracPool said:
Today I learned that light actually does travel really fast. There's a high cloud cover over my house tonight in Tacoma, and somewhere in the county they are shining spot lights in the sky. Four of them, rotating around in a circle. One of those where they fan out and come back into a center point, and then out again, etc. When they fan out you can see them whip across the sky, covering maybe 40 or 50 miles in a fraction of a second, really cool. I live by McChord air force base and they have fighter jets flying over occasionally. So mentally I'm comparing those speeds and thinking, those fighter jets are damn slow. Special relativity is cool! :D
Actually, those light spots can move faster than light.
I had this confusion few years ago:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/a-thought-experiment-on-velocity-greater-than-c.332647/
 
  • #233
Today I learned I cannot study for a final in four days. Tomorrow I am going to fail.
 
  • #234
pitbull said:
Today I learned I cannot study for a final in four days. Tomorrow I am going to fail.
You never know they may just happen to ask questions you can answer.
 
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  • #235
Medicol said:
It is used within the US only, isn't it ? we use swift code for wire transfers accoss borders.
:DD Totally agreed! This is often met.
Until now I had never heard of 'routing numbers' I don't have grey hair either [ I shave it off every day ]
 
  • #237
Today I learned that I couldn't make my way back to where I started if the strange route was supposed to include 7-10 turns.
(I would want to go home from my my workplace but I choose a new road that I have to turn left and right many times; the next day I can't go to work from home on the exact road I used to go home from office :nb). It may take me 3-5 times to go on the same road until I can memorize where. I have a bad memory. :()
 
  • #238
Today I learned a lot of important things pertaining to vectors. I also learned that the symbol representing the vector differential operator is called "nabla".
 
  • #239
Today I learned, that Kaluza and Klein, are very old.

Oskar Benjamin Klein, born September 15, 1894
Theodor Franz Eduard Kaluza, born 9 November 1885​

I always thought they were youngsters, like myself.
 
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  • #240
OmCheeto said:
Today I learned, that Kaluza and Klein, are very old.

Oskar Benjamin Klein, born September 15, 1894
Theodor Franz Eduard Kaluza, born 9 November 1885​

I always thought they were youngsters, like myself.
Young at heart, always - as you are :oldsmile:.

Hmmm. Today I learned Theodor Franz Eduard Kaluza and I share a birthday...not a birthyear, though.
 
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  • #241
James Prescott Joule, born 24 December 1818, along with being a physicist, was also, a brewer.

hmmm... that might explain some things...
 
  • #242
TheDemx27 said:
Today I learned a lot of important things pertaining to vectors. I also learned that the symbol representing the vector differential operator is called "nabla".
Yup. More commonly called the "del" operator, it is represented using the nabla symbol. (It looks like an upside down, capital "delta" symbol.)

It is represented in \LaTeX using
Code: 
\nabla
so you can write cool things like
<br /> \nabla f = \frac{\partial f}{\partial x} \hat x + \frac{\partial f}{\partial y} \hat y + \frac{\partial f}{\partial z} \hat z<br />

It's also used in different, yet related ways to represent the divergence \left( \nabla \cdot \vec v \right), curl \left( \nabla \times \vec v \right) and Laplacian \left( \nabla \cdot \nabla = \nabla^2 \right).
 
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  • #243
Today I learned, or more accurately realized, that "cosmic" and "comic" are only one letter away.
 
  • #244
collinsmark said:
It's also used in different, yet related ways to represent the divergence \left( \nabla \cdot \vec v \right), curl \left( \nabla \times \vec v \right) and Laplacian \left( \nabla \cdot \nabla = \nabla^2 \right).

Today I learned what I want to learn next. :biggrin:
 
  • #245
Today I learned that sheep can dig snow holes! I was out walking in Scotland when suddenly a sheep fought its way out of a bank of snow about 20m away. Then three more followed it. As far as I could tell they had completely buried themselves. Probably to stay warm. Extraordinary!
 
  • #246
Today I learned that the University of Chicago police will approach you in the bathroom and ask for identification after you've been in a car for 4 hours and really need to use the facilities. As a bonus, I learned why my daughter will be attending graduate school in Westwood.
 
  • #247
Today I learned that if I randomly pick 100 men in the US, the probability that I can get 3 - 5 of them as gay or bisexual is about 95%-99%. Is this a normal distribution ?:nb)
I'm glad to see people prefer living the life they like to leading the one unwillingly! :)
 
  • #248
Today I learned that Laplace's http://Méchanique Céleste (1799 - 1825) was used by Sir Isaac Newton.

I learned this from p.240 of "Differential Equations for Dummies" by Steven Holzner, which surely was also used by Sir Isaac Newton.
 
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  • #249
Today I learned that crows winter with their parents then help to build the nest and raise their siblings in the spring.
 
  • #250
Yesterday I learned I was probably coming down with flu, despite my flu shot.

Today I learned I'm probably not coming down with the flu.
 
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