Today I Learned

[jack action]

TIL

Because of the phenomenal success of the book on which this film [The Other Side of Midnight (1977)] was based, 20th Century Fox was sure the film was going to be a huge hit at the box office. At the same time there were such low expectations surrounding Star Wars (1977) that many theaters refused to book it. 20th Century Fox came up with the idea of a package deal, telling theater chains that if they wanted this movie they had to book "Star Wars" first (that practice was actually illegal, and the studio had to pay a $25,000 fine for it). This movie went on to become a box-office dud while "Star Wars" went on to become one of the most successful films of all time.

 

[mikalluna501]

Today I picked up some new information on the official Wilbur Soot. As a researcher at my institution, this is one of my assignments. The countless guises and incarnations that Wilbur Soot has had throughout the years are generally referred to as "Bursonas."

 

[BillTre]

Here a nice little table from the NY Times for distinguishing among illnesses:

In the Times, it has a bit of interactivity.

 

[berkeman]

Hmm, they omitted "loss of taste or smell", although I think that happens less with the Omicron variant of Covid compared to Delta. But still... Oops, based on Dave's skeptical emoji, I read the list again and see it now. Thanks Dave.

 

[pinball1970]

Here a nice little table from the NY Times for distinguishing among illnesses:

View attachment 319592
In the Times, it has a bit of interactivity.

That is interesting and I am sure I am not the only one who has tried to work out what they have/had last week/last month!

 

[BillTre]

 

[Borg]

That looks more like a large piece of orbital debris.

 

[Drakkith]

That looks more like a large piece of orbital debris.

It is. It is a Falcon 9 second stage:

 

[pinball1970]

That looks more like a large piece of orbital debris.

It did remind me of the way Columbia re-entered and broke up.

 

[gmax137]

It did remind me of the way Columbia re-entered and broke up.

I was living in New Orleans at the time; on the news they said we would be able to see the planned Columbia re-entry at (I recall) 7 or 8 AM. I stood out in the apartment parking lot for 20 minutes, waiting and waiting. Finally I went back inside, and of course the disaster was all over the news... So sad.

 

[pinball1970]

TIL about The Monty Hall problem.

I came across this before without knowing the name, it was featured in a film or something.
By the time I was trying to work it they had moved on.
Came across it again so searched pf and there are several threads with great explanations.
It hurt my head to get there though.
Pretty sure I have it now.

 

[mfb]

It is. It is a Falcon 9 second stage:

From March 2021.

Multiple pieces slowly moving through the sky with big trails: Orbital debris.
A single piece (or pieces too close to distinguish) moving quickly: Meteors

 

[epenguin]

As far as I know the icosahedron does not occur in nature.

The capsids (shells) of so called "spherical" viruses all have icosahedral symmetry, and some of them have an icosahedral form.

 

[DaveC426913]

TIL about The Monty Hall problem.

I came across this before without knowing the name, it was featured in a film or something.
By the time I was trying to work it they had moved on.
Came across it again so searched pf and there are several threads with great explanations.
It hurt my head to get there though.
Pretty sure I have it now.

Be sure you have the latest. There was a "scandal" a while back where one of the smartest math savants in the world weighed in and passed judgement, but it turned out she'd gotten it wrong.

Apparently, the modern answer is that you **should** switch.

 

[gmax137]

Please, please do not continue discussing Monty Hall in this thread! Do a search (example below) and post your hopes and doubts in any one of the many existing threads!

 

[mfb]

Be sure you have the latest. There was a "scandal" a while back where one of the smartest math savants in the world weighed in and passed judgement, but it turned out she'd gotten it wrong.

She got it right, but tons of readers got it wrong.

Apparently, the modern answer is that you **should** switch.

That was always the right answer, some people not understanding that doesn't change it.

 

[PeterDonis]

Be sure you have the latest. There was a "scandal" a while back where one of the smartest math savants in the world weighed in and passed judgement, but it turned out she'd gotten it wrong.

Apparently, the modern answer is that you **should** switch.

As @gmax137 has pointed out, this is off topic for this thread. Please start a separate thread if you want to discuss.

 

[BillTre]

TIL that:

S.O.S. = Slower, Older and Smarter

 

[PhDeezNutz]

That

$d = d_0 + v_0 t + \frac{1}{2} a t^2$

Is simply a Taylor Expansion

 

[strangerep]

Slower, older, smarter...

Alas, if we continue the sequence we get jerk, snap, crackle, pop, which are uncomfortable parallel with real life...

 

[BillTre]

 

[sbrothy]

And,... (TIL)... that Towel Day is in honour of Douglas Adams and (as a consequence) I also learned that Douglas Adams wrote/edited a number of Dr Who episodes.

I realize this is an old thread but TIL that Douglas Adams actually died from a heart attack while at his gym.
I hope the thought isn't too morbid but one could hope that he died towel in hand. :/

Of course he' not the only person this could be said for but the world is certainly a little pourer without him. Also, I'd like to hope he liked the film.

RIP.

 

[DaveC426913]

I realize this is an old thread but TIL that Douglas Adams actually died from a heart attack while at his gym.
I hope the thought isn't too morbid but one could hope that he died towel in hand. :/

Huh. I heard he died of a virulent disease contracted from an unsanitized phone handset... (baZING!)

 

[pinball1970]

I realize this is an old thread but TIL that Douglas Adams actually died from a heart attack while at his gym.
I hope the thought isn't too morbid but one could hope that he died towel in hand. :/

Of course he' not the only person this could be said for but the world is certainly a little pourer without him. Also, I'd like to hope he liked the film.

RIP.

He was unique. His books and Tom Sharpe were the bar at the time for me. Brilliant.
Douglas Adams, Rick Mayal and Andrew Marr made me re think pushing things at the gym past 40.

 

[strangerep]

the world is certainly a little pourer without [Douglas Adams].

Hmm. Was that a typo or a subtle pun that went over my head?

 

[strangerep]

Huh. I heard he died of a virulent disease contracted from an unsanitized phone handset... (baZING!)

Alas, that virulent disease morphed and became self-aware some years ago. It's now called "social media".

 

[Hornbein]

TIL that Scientific American published an article denouncing the Jedi Knights as a sexist institution.

 

[Ibix]

TIL that Scientific American published an article denouncing the Jedi Knights as a sexist institution.

I haven't seen the article or watched the video yet, but there is a notable imbalance in the Force number of male and female Jedi in the films. Off the top of my head I think Rey is the only one with a line, certainly the only one with more than ten, versus Luke, Yoda, Obi Wan, Qui-Gon, Anakin, Mace Windu, and assorted others with only one line. And the average amount of skin revealed by their clothing shows a fairly sharp divide too.

Expanded Universe material is a lot more even, particularly the pre-Disney novels.

 

[DaveC426913]

Jedi Knights as a sexist institution.

Pretty bold of them to claim they've done the research to know the sex. What's the sex of these dude/ttes:

Or do they just assume that - unless it has eyelashes and lipstick - it's gotta be male. 'cuz that's pretty sexist.

 

[pinball1970]

Pretty bold of them to claim they've done the research to know the sex. What's the sex of these dude/ttes:

View attachment 320139
View attachment 320140

Or do they just assume that - unless it has eyelashes and lipstick - it's gotta be male. 'cuz that's pretty sexist.

Top image, goatee. Safe to have a beer with, discuss Jedi issues.

Bottom image, pigtails of a sort. Discussion about Jedi issues would swiftly lead to Jedee issues. I lose, she eats my head. No sex prior to this.

 

[Ibix]

Pretty bold of them to claim they've done the research to know the sex. What's the sex of these dude/ttes:

A quick google will find referenced sources describing both Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon as male. They do mostly state "gender" rather than "sex", but since the prequels predate the fashion for gender identities I doubt that's anything other than a euphemism for sex. Both actors are male, and I can't think of a case in Star Wars where that didn't predict the character sex.

I lose, she eats my head. No sex prior to this.

There is a short story in the Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina collection about a guy who seduces a girl without looking up her species' mating habits. Local law enforcement write it off as death by stupidity.

 

[sbrothy]

Hmm. Was that a typo or a subtle pun that went over my head?

I was just pouring on the love. ;)

 

[DaveC426913]

A quick google will find referenced sources describing both Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon as male.

Are those in-canon or out-of-canon refs? It just means the Earth source-authors are sexist.

Both actors are male

That is not canon.

To accept the characters as actors is to accept whole thing as fiction - including the concept of Jedi.

I can't think of a case in Star Wars where that didn't predict the character sex.

How would you know? Any conclusion in that regard would be tautological.

 

[Ibix]

Are those in-canon or out-of-canon refs?

The Wookiepedia entry on Plo Koon cites The Secrets of the Jedi, which is a canon publication, so as true as anything gets about fictional characters.

How would you know? Any conclusion in that regard would be tautological.

By comparing the actor's sexes to canon references to the characters' sexes. Feel free to look for a counter example - I suspect they're rarer than female Imperials.

Lack of women is a franchise-wide thing, though, not specifically a Jedi thing. There are, I think, five female speaking roles in the original trilogy (Aunt Beru, Leia, Oola, Sy Snootles, Mon Mothma), three of whom appear in single scenes, plus a handful of background characters and aliens or armoured humans that could be female. It's obvious enough that the (Lucas Arts approved) Lego Star Wars parodies have Luke deduce Leia is his sister because he has only ever met two women and one of them was his aunt.

 

[DaveC426913]

The Wookiepedia entry on Plo Koon cites The Secrets of the Jedi, which is a canon publication, so as true as anything gets about fictional characters.

Granted.

By comparing the actor's sexes to canon references to the characters' sexes. Feel free to look for a counter example - I suspect they're rarer than female Imperials.

Actor sex as nothing to do with Jedi sexism, since Jedi lives within the fiction. Consider: if the Yoda puppet happened to be operated by a female puppeteer, would you concede that Yoda, the character, counted as female? No. The character's sex is not determined by the performer's sex.

Lack of women is a franchise-wide thing, though, not specifically a Jedi thing.

I grant that the industry is sexist. But if we accept that the article upholds the fiction, then we can only refer to canon reference, not industry references.

 

[diogenesNY]

N.B. The Star Wars Holiday Special had Bea Arthur and at least one female Wookie.... oh, and Diahann Caroll.

 

[DaveC426913]

N.B. The Star Wars Holiday Special had Bea Arthur and at least one female Wookie.... oh, and Diahann Caroll.

I think you could find a number of people who would fight you in a ring with fisticuffs against the very idea that The H*liday Sp*cial That Must Not Be Named is part of Star Wars canon.

Pretty sure you'll find it on the shelf right next to H*ighl*nder II and III. Wherever that shelf might be.

 

[diogenesNY]

I make no claims of cannonocity..... Just a terrible childhood memory of something that was very in the moment at the time.

Perhaps of note, this was also about the time that 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye' was nominally cannon, until it wasn't.

---A brief autobiographical digression: The Holiday Special came out when I was in the sixth grade, and very into all things Star Wars. I was really geared up to see it, and wound up tuning in about 10-12 minutes late. I think I couldn't turn on the TV until I had finished my homework or some crap like that. I was really pissed that I missed the beginning. I watched about 25 or thirty minutes of it, with growing extreme disappointment. It just sucked, even to my sixth grade sensibilities. I am not sure what exactly happened next. I may have changed the channel, or just went into a different room and did something else, but I did not finish watching it. I was just mindblown at how crap it was.

About ten years ago, I came across a copy of it on usenet, digitized from an old VHS tape, off of some midwest TV station (sadly, the commercials had been crudely edited out. I would have like to have seen them). I forced myself to watch the whole thing just to finally have the knowledge of it from stem to stern. It was as bad as I recalled. The cartoon that introduced Boba Fett was probably its best part, notwithstanding the execrable animation. Minor diversion was trying to figure out what drugs Carrie Fisher was on during the taping. (Cocaine? other?)

 

[Hornbein]

I found Sabine Hossenfelder's discussion of special relativity enlightening.

 

[BillTre]

TIL about a 9-year old girl who found a cool fossil in a CNN article.

Molly Sampson, a fourth grader from Prince Frederick, Maryland, made the astonishing find on Calvert Beach.

Molly told CNN that she has spent years combing Maryland’s beaches for shark teeth, inspired by her father’s love of fossils.

“They’re just cool because they’re really old,” she said.

Molly’s mother Alicia Sampson added that her daughter has long harbored a love of exploring the outdoors. “She loves treasure hunting,” she explained.

Maryland’s Calvert Cliffs State Park is known as a hotspot for fossil finding, Alicia Sampson added.

For Christmas, Molly asked her parents for cold-water waders so that she could hunt for shark teeth and other fossils in the Chesapeake Bay. Equipped with her new gear, she set out at 9:30 a.m. to search for the remnants of ancient predators.

“I saw something big, and it looked like a shark tooth,” she said. “We were about knee deep in the water.”
She explained that she tried to grab the tooth with a sifting tool, but it was too big. She was “amazed” when she realized just how large the tooth was. “I was so excited and surprised.”

Paleontology curator Stephen Godfrey told CNN that Molly's discovery was a "once-in-a-lifetime kind of find."
Alicia Sampson

The Sampsons took their exciting find to the Calvert Marine Museum, where paleontology curator Stephen Godfrey confirmed their suspicions: It was indeed the tooth of a megalodon, the massive sharks that lived more than 23 million years ago.

Godfrey told CNN that there are usually only five or six megalodon teeth comparable in size to Molly’s find discovered along Calvert Cliffs each year.

“There are people that can spend a lifetime and not find a tooth the size Molly found,” he said.
“This is like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of find.”

I think this story is great. Its cool that she wanted to get waders so she could fossil hunt and then immediately found one.

 

[kyphysics]

Some pretty amazing things Chat GPT can do for coders.

One scary part is how this might be potentially used for nefarious purposes. . .that aspect of A.I. is troubling, b/c of how powerful it can be.

 

[Borg]

Some pretty amazing things Chat GPT can do for coders.

One scary part is how this might be potentially used for nefarious purposes. . .that aspect of A.I. is troubling, b/c of how powerful it can be.

I've been following the ChatGPT thread and the answers that everyone has been getting but this finally convinced me to sign up for an account. His list of time saving examples were good examples of how it's far superior to a simple StackOverflow search.

I laughed when someone wrote in his twitter feed that they wouldn't hire him for using ChatGPT answers and he replied that he wouldn't work for them.

 

[BWV]

 

[berkeman]

TIL that Red Bull really is red!

 

[levadny]

Hi there!

Structured binding in C++17

structured binding in C++
// before 17
std::map<int, double> tmp;
for(const auto& i : tmp){
  i.first;
  i.second:
}
// structured binding in C++ 17
for(const auto& [key, value] : tmp) {
  key;
  value;
}

 

[Hornbein]

TIL what happens when you pass half of a portal through the other half.

 

[DaveC426913]

TIL what happens when you pass half of a portal through the other half.

Dang it! I really gotta publish my works before others do! I've got a sketch of this in my sketchbook - right down to the elliptical shape.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

TIL that Red Bull really is red!

View attachment 320436

What color were you expecting?

 

[berkeman]

What color were you expecting?

Yeah, in retrospect I guess I should have anticipated it. But I just had in mind the high caffeine content, so in my mind it was going to be black like coffee or cola. Duh!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yeah, in retrospect I guess I should have anticipated it. But I just had in mind the high caffeine content, so in my mind it was going to be black like coffee or cola. Duh!

Truth is, I had exactly the same reaction. I expected it to look like a cola. "Oh, it's red! Duh!"