Weird News Compilation

[fresh_42]

Just found out another strange record:
This is the track length of the world's largest miniature railroad: 15,400 m, planned est. 20,000 m,
but even this won't be the record holder. I've found TIM. His track is est. 27,000 m long!
And the winner is ... once more ... (have a look at TIM's link)

 

[jtbell]

British vegans are complaining that the new five-pound notes contain a trace of tallow:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...n-animal-fat-says-bank-england-drawing-anger/

 

[nsaspook]

http://thesmokinggun.com/buster/jailbird/oregon-jailbirds-903821

"An Oregon man arrested Monday posed for a mug shot with his pet parrot on his shoulder."

 

[fresh_42]

Oscillating language - Waves wherever I look

Researchers analysing several centuries of literature have spotted a strange trend in our language patterns: the words we use tend to fall in and out of favour in a cycle that lasts around 14 years.

Scientists ran computer scripts to track patterns stretching back to the year 1700 through the Google Ngram Viewer database, which monitors language use across more than 4.5 million digitised books. In doing so, they identified a strange oscillation across 5,630 common nouns.

http://www.sciencealert.com/the-words-we-use-change-in-mysterious-14-year-cycles

 

[Bystander]

Oscillating language - Waves wherever I lookhttp://www.sciencealert.com/the-words-we-use-change-in-mysterious-14-year-cycles

"Ligand field theory/VSEPR?" Seems to be about right.

 

[1oldman2]

This only gets "weird" at the end, I don't wonder why the general public's choices are for the most part ignored.
http://www.ibtimes.com/four-new-super-heavy-elements-have-now-been-officially-christened-2454703

Ununtrium, ununpentium, ununseptium, and ununoctium - these were the temporary names given to four new super-heavy elements by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) back in December. Now, a year later, these elements have been bestowed official names and have earned their spots in the periodic table.

Over the past five months, the teams that created the elements sent in their suggestions to the IUPAC. During this period, comments were also received from members of the general public, some of whom suggested names like octarine - the "color of magic" from Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels - and Trumpium, after the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

 

[jtbell]

comments were also received from members of the general public

The UK Science Ministry learned what those comments could lead to... a research ship named Boaty McBoatface!

 

[fresh_42]

The UK Science Ministry learned what those comments could lead to... a research ship named Boaty McBoatface!

Yep, sometimes I'd wish IRL there were mentors like here to remove public nonsense ... (lately more often). Unfortunately this didn't work out well either, which leaves us with Sir Charles Popper: "Democracy is awful, but yet the best we have."

 

[1oldman2]

what those comments could lead to

It was with the greatest of difficulty that I refrained from making a comment on "unstable elements"

 

[nsaspook]

http://www.oregonlive.com/trending/...portland_winter_storm_looks_like_a_penis.html
That winter storm is really taking shape

 

[Tsu]

Reminds me of the Throckmorton sign...

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/throckmorton-sign-1

 

[nsaspook]

 

[BillTre]

Have a Flaming Scottish Christmas?

 

[OmCheeto]

Hillsboro outdoor ice rink closed due to possibility of ice

Yes, Oregon got snow today.

And, yes, it is a big deal:

NWS Portland ‏@NWSPortland Dec 6
930pm | PDX has hit freezing for the first time since 02/02/16. The longest streak (307) of consecutive freeze free days on record #pdxtst​

 

[jtbell]

A company in London is looking to hire someone who can translate emojis:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-38287908

The role will involve explaining cross-cultural misunderstandings in the use of the mini pictures, and compiling a monthly trends report.

Agency boss Jurga Zilinskiene said emojis were a "potential growth area" as "inconsistencies" had developed in their use.

 

[nsaspook]

Cheese enthusiasts were attacked by vegan protesters

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/posh-cheese-festival-descends-chaos-9465159

 

[fresh_42]

Cheese enthusiasts were attacked by vegan protesters

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/posh-cheese-festival-descends-chaos-9465159

Do we know whether the protesters were from France?

 

[Evo]

Do we know whether the protesters were from France?

Sounds like udder chaos!

 

[fresh_42]

Sounds like udder chaos!

Probably Chudder Chaos.

 

[jtbell]

Maybe they'll go after the Gloucester Cheese Rolling contest next.

 

[fresh_42]

I'm not sure whether this would have been better posted on Science Jokes ...
http://www.sciencealert.com/new-study-calculates-how-long-humanity-could-survive-a-zombie-apocalypse

Physics students have calculated how long it would take for humans to be wiped out by an infectious zombie apocalypse, and the results are pretty depressing.

The study suggests that after just 100 days - a little over three months - less than 300 humans would be left alive on the entire planet.

And have a look on how seriously they meant it (SIR models and all the stuff):
https://physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index.php/pst/article/view/956/679
https://physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index.php/pst/article/view/965/683

I just saw it's a British url ... (cp. the previous post)

 

[BillTre]

New plumbing techniques, house of beer:

 

[jtbell]

More proof that folks here in the South don't know how to handle snow:

Snow Mountain tubing park closed due to -- snow (WSB-TV, Atlanta)

Fortunately, my town received just a light dusting of snow, maybe an inch. Then the sun came out in the afternoon and melted most of it.

 

[nsaspook]

People in Portland don't know how to handle snow:

http://www.kptv.com/clip/13021521/portland-motorist-drives-wrong-way-down-i-5-during-snowstorm

 

[fresh_42]

People in Portland don't know how to handle snow:

http://www.kptv.com/clip/13021521/portland-motorist-drives-wrong-way-down-i-5-during-snowstorm

Which snow? Kids would have trouble to gather enough for a snowman.

 

[nsaspook]

Which snow? Kids would have trouble to gather enough for a snowman.

You're right, my kids just made this instead. The Oregon snow chicken.

 

[BillTre]

I just got back from Portland.
They have some lousy snow drivers.
A major bridge was completely blocked by two spun-out cars (at a time when the snow was easy to drive on (cakey, not slippery)).

 

[fresh_42]

I knew this from the southern part of US, but Oregon should be used to snow, shouldn't it?

 

[BillTre]

Too many Hipsters?

 

[fresh_42]

Too many Hipsters?

Regret the legalization already?

 

[BillTre]

No.
Hipsters, not hippies!

 

[OmCheeto]

I knew this from the southern part of US, but Oregon should be used to snow, shouldn't it?

Not really. We haven't had any significant snow since December of 2008.
I realized this last month when I couldn't figure out why when I put my chains on, they were inside out.
I had purchased my truck in 2009 and have never had to put them on.
It turns out, the image on the instructions was printed backwards.
I fixed the image with a sharpie, as I'm sure I'll have forgotten all this, when it snows again, in the year 2025.

 

[nsaspook]

Not really. We haven't had any significant snow since December of 2008.

Most people don't realize that Oregon snow is different because it's 100% pure organic fresh from Hawaii. No added chemicals or compounds are found in the snow here unlike snow that falls in places like Detroit or Cleveland. This makes 1 inch of Oregon snow equivalent to 2 feet of fly-over country snow so this last snow storm is the local equivalent of an ice-age.

 

[OmCheeto]

You're right, my kids just made this instead. The Oregon snow chicken.

Are you going to let 'Couverittes outdo your kids?

Get them a ladder!

ps. PF legal disclaimer: This is a dangerous (aka, someone is going to die) activity, and OmCheeto does not actually encourage this.

 

[jtbell]

The Hall of Presidents and First Ladies in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania has closed, and all the wax figures will be auctioned off tomorrow.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/enterta...x-figures-to-be-auctioned-20161205-story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/us/gettysburg-presidential-memorabilia-.html

I wonder how much Millard Fillmore will go for.

However, you'll still be able to get a similar historical experience at the Presidents Hall of Fame on US 27 in Clermont, Florida. My wife and I drove past it many times on our way to visit my parents in Fort Lauderdale, but we never stopped there.