INTERESTING FACT OF THE DAY

[DanDare]

The difference between Flammable and Inflammable is...........























.......... Nothing!

[lynw]

The difference between Flammable and Inflammable is...........



.......... Nothing!

Usage Note: Historically, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. However, the presence of the prefix in- has misled many people into assuming that inflammable means “not flammable” or “noncombustible.” The prefix -in in inflammable is not, however, the Latin negative prefix -in, which is related to the English -un and appears in such words as indecent and inglorious. Rather, this -in is an intensive prefix derived from the Latin preposition in. This prefix also appears in the word enflame. But many people are not aware of this derivation, and for clarity's sake it is advisable to use only flammable to give warnings.

Explains the confusion, from dictionary.com. :D

[tinpants]

The only place that the fahrenheit and centigrade scales coincide is at -40 degrees. :roll:

[philipMac]

The differance between points on the Kelvin scale and the Celcius scale are the same.
Ie,
-273.15 degrees C == 0K
-272.15 degrees C == 1K

And Fahrenheit just is retarded.

[kitten]

A one kilogram packet of sugar will have about 5 million grains of sugar.

cool that isnt it?!!! :D

The question isn't about how cool it is, but how bored someone must be to have to count them all :P

well I was quite bored :oops:
lols only kidding!

[Grinch]

Need more for this thread just watch QI every night on UK Gold...


The land speed record for towing a caravan is 139 mph.

what year did WWII end... offically?

[Quiff Wichard]

I love QI ..................


the builders building the houses cross the road from me are six weeks behind schedule..!!





fact !! :cry:

[keithd]

Need more for this thread just watch QI every night on UK Gold...


The land speed record for towing a caravan is 139 mph.

what year did WWII end... offically?

wasn't it something like 1999?

[Grinch]

Need more for this thread just watch QI every night on UK Gold...


The land speed record for towing a caravan is 139 mph.

what year did WWII end... offically?

wasn't it something like 1999?

Close.. as Germany was split up before the war ended there was no more Germany, thus when East and West where reunited and became Germany again the war was ended. Thus it was 1990.

[lynw]

Need more for this thread just watch QI every night on UK Gold...


The land speed record for towing a caravan is 139 mph.

what year did WWII end... offically?

Works only if:

a. you have access to UK Gold
b. you have a TV.

I fail on both points. And am happy to say so. :wink: :P :lol:

[Grinch]

Well there is the QI website (http://www.qi.com/)

[lynw]

Well there is the QI website (http://www.qi.com/)

cool. :D

Though who needs interesting facts or websites or tv when you can watch your pc/computer system go up and down quicker than a kid on a stannah stairlift. :roll: :P :(

Back though we'll see how long for.

1 more working day... 1 more working day... 1 more working day...

[inevitable]

Did you know, that when fishing for Mackerel, you don't even need any bait on your line... they just come along and bite the hook anyway.

[Viney]

The land speed record for towing a caravan is 139 mph.

Now that i could beat. Anyone wanna lend me thier caravan and a car fast enough?

[Quedos]

Napolean tried to poison himself but the poison was so old that it had lost its potentcy so he got hiccups instead!



I wonder if it was a monday morning?

[BabyJ]

Here's an interesting one for you...

An Albatross can cruise at 25mph while asleep!!

:D

[lynw]

Sorry got diverted for a couple of days. Covered St George, Scooby Drew covered a bit about St Andrew. So not to leave our Welsh and Irish members out Ill give some "facts" about St David and St Patrick. :D

St David was an ascetic and lived a very simple life. He refused to eat meat so its probably unsurprising his symbol became that of the Leek which was an ancient symbol for Wales.

He was also the son of a King. Whether it was of Ceredigion or a smaller part of that area is unknown.

St Patrick is the patron saint of Nigeria as well as Ireland. This is because it was evangelised primarily by Irish missionaries.

Given post glacial Ireland never had snakes, it is suggested that the story of his banishing of snakes refers to the impact of his preaching. The pagan druids used the symbol of serpents and St Patrick is credited with the conversion of the whole of Ireland thereby "banishing" these serpent symbols.

[Richie]

Napolean tried to poison himself but the poison was so old that it had lost its potentcy so he got hiccups instead!



I wonder if it was a monday morning?

I though Napolean was poisoned by this wallpaper.... some thing to do with the colouring. arsenic..


Napoleon's Wallpaper

The story of Napoleon's wallpaper really begins in 1980 when Dr David Jones, a chemist at the University of Newcastle, was making a radio programme that was broadcast on the BBC. 'I wonder if anyone listening', David Jones asked the radio audience, 'knows the colour of Napoleon's wallpaper on St Helena. Because if we knew, it might just help to clear up a scientific mystery'.
Why did David Jones want to know the colour of Napoleon's wallpaper? He wanted to know if it could have contained arsenic!

The subject of the radio programme had been vapour chemistry, and one of the stories that David Jones, himself a chemist, had told was the intriguing one of Gosio's Disease. During the 19th century there had been a number of cases of arsenic poisoning that had rather puzzled everyone. Some people just became sick, but others laid low with a lesser malady became sicker still, and died. Arsenic was found, using the Marsh Test, foul play was sometimes suspected, and relatives accused. But in many cases it just didn't seem possible that the person had been deliberately poisoned. Until in 1893 an Italian Biochemist called Gosio worked out what was happening.

Scheele's Green was a colouring pigment that had been used in fabrics and wallpapers from around 1770. It was named after the Swedish chemist Scheele who invented it. The pigment was easy to make, and was a bright green colour. But Scheele's Green was copper arsenite. And under certain circumstances it could be deadly. Gosio discovered that if wallpaper containing Scheele's Green became damp, and then became mouldy (this was in the days of animal glues) the mould could carry out a neat chemical trick to get rid of the copper arsenite. It converted it to a vapour form of arsenic. Normally a mixture of arsine, dimethyl and trimethyl arsine. This vapour was very poisonous indeed. Breathe in enough of the vapour, and you would go down with a nasty case of arsenic poisoning.

[philipMac]

Rasputin, who was the Siberian dude who they had a famously hard time killing might not have been poisoned at all.
Alledegly he was poisoned with cyanide, battered about the place, shot three times, and then posted into a hole in the ice of the Neva River, then "found" three days with evidence of him trying to "claw his way though the ice".

According to his daughter, he didnt eat sweet things, and thats where the cyanide was.

The reason they put the cyanide in with the sweet cakes is... it smells like almonds.

Someone who probably was poisoned though was Stalin. With Warfarin probably.
Stalin would invite all these govt people off to his house, and talk politics. But, what he would do is, invite you down there, and if he was about to off you, he would not invite you to the meal. You would just sit in your room, and food may be brought to you.

So, all the heads were out in his house, including a certain N Khrushchev, and Stalin retired into his room. No word for ages.

All the people started getting a little edgey, since no-one was being called for dinner. He had done this before, in a great purge, killed/lost an entire govt.

Anyway, someone, I forget who, maybe Khrushchev himself, went into his room. He saw Stalin on the floor, collapsed, ****ed himself, in a very bad state, but alive.
This is where its interesting. They closed the doors, and said he needed to rest or some rubbish. They left him in there for a good while, until the next day, and then thought about getting a doctor. But, the hilarious thing was, since Stalin HATED jews, and thought all his doctors were out to get him, he had them all banished to the Gulags.
So, the got some idiot medic, because that's all they had left, he may have been even still alive at this point, and he dispatched him in short order.

http://www.funkyfridge.com/shop/images/AB-BP-24818.jpg

[lynw]

Ritchie - I agree with you. I was always lead to believe it was in his wallpaper. :D

Phillip Mac - not everyone can smell cyanide. Approximately 40% of the population cant and its genetic apparently. Im still trying to figure out why the ability to smell it would be genetic but numerous studies indicate it is.

Cyanide can also be found naturally. In plants, cyanides are usually bound to sugar molecules in the form of cyanogenic glycosides and serve the plant as defense against herbivores. In fact the Cassava roots have to be boiled extensively before they can be eaten. Cherries, apricots, peaches, and apples all contain cyanide in the stones/seeds.

[Stingo]

Ritchie - I agree with you. I was always lead to believe it was in his wallpaper. :D

Phillip Mac - not everyone can smell cyanide. Approximately 40% of the population cant and its genetic apparently. Im still trying to figure out why the ability to smell it would be genetic but numerous studies indicate it is.

Cyanide can also be found naturally. In plants, cyanides are usually bound to sugar molecules in the form of cyanogenic glycosides and serve the plant as defense against herbivores. In fact the Cassava roots have to be boiled extensively before they can be eaten. Cherries, apricots, peaches, and apples all contain cyanide in the stones/seeds.

:shock: Lynw - is there nothing you do not know? :wink: :D

[socommk23]

heres one - did you know you were half your adult height at the age of 3!

[lynw]

:shock: Lynw - is there nothing you do not know? :wink: :D

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Chemistry stuff I do know a fair bit about - did one year of a degree before swapping to a computing one. Ive known about cyanide in apple seeds/fruit stones for a long time.

Its also the reason I know nicotine is used as an industrial strength insecticide. And why the pH scale is meaningless in relation to super acids [which can reach what are effectively -12 and -15 on the pH scale]. Not things to mess about with. :D

But I like reading and learning. People post stuff up, I go read and find more stuff out. :D

[Quedos]

Ritchie - I agree with you. I was always lead to believe it was in his wallpaper. :D ]

That is what killed him in the end but he tried others ways first. According to my history teacher he tried 3 times. :wink:

[lynw]

That is what killed him in the end but he tried others ways first. According to my history teacher he tried 3 times. :wink:

Certainly theres one recorded attempt in 1814. :)

The autopsy and subsequent examinations of a locket of hair confirm the arsenic poisoning though cause of death is believed to be stomach cancer reading wikipedia.

However it is possible given previously high levels [large but non lethal doses applied randomly] of this in his body the arsenic wasnt the suicide attempt method but either use in a hair tonic or to treat syphillis.

wikipedias being my friend tonight :wink:

[philipMac]

Phillip Mac - not everyone can smell cyanide. Approximately 40% of the population cant and its genetic apparently. Im still trying to figure out why the ability to smell it would be genetic but numerous studies indicate it is.


Yup. I was at a seminar thing with the lad who did a lot of that research a few weeks back, and he was talking about some of that work, he got the Nobel prize for it. Richard Axel, from up the road from us in Columbia Uni. He is a nice guy. Cool science.

[Scooby Drew]

Don't pour water on Hydrochloric acid, it's makes it stronger...

[philipMac]

Don't pour water on Hydrochloric acid, it's makes it stronger...
Sorry Scooby, I dunno if you are joking, but if you werent, no, HCl will be diluted by water. More water, more dilute.
HCl is a gas, and its disolved in water to make the stuff you see in labs and things. And then you just keep steping it down till you right the right conc for your work :)

(I only mention it, because, if you ever get any on you, you just go to the sink, and wash and wash with water.)

[Scooby Drew]

Don't pour water on Hydrochloric acid, it's makes it stronger...
Sorry Scooby, I dunno if you are joking, but if you werent, no, HCl will be diluted by water. More water, more dilute.
HCl is a gas, and its disolved in water to make the stuff you see in labs and things. And then you just keep steping it down till you right the right conc for your work :)

(I only mention it, because, if you ever get any on you, you just go to the sink, and wash and wash with water.)

Maybe it is sulphuric acid then, school was long time ago...

[philipMac]

Don't pour water on Hydrochloric acid, it's makes it stronger...
Sorry Scooby, I dunno if you are joking, but if you werent, no, HCl will be diluted by water. More water, more dilute.
HCl is a gas, and its disolved in water to make the stuff you see in labs and things. And then you just keep steping it down till you right the right conc for your work :)

(I only mention it, because, if you ever get any on you, you just go to the sink, and wash and wash with water.)

Maybe it is sulphuric acid then, school was long time ago...
sorry man, all acids will be diluted in water.
HF is sort a special one, since its the only one that you cant keep in glass, since it will disolve glass.
Think of acids as the power of H+ ions. This is what the pH scale is. And its a log scale, so 5 is twice the power of 6.
So, when you throw in water ~7pH, you are just diluteing the ions, and diluting the acid.
8)

[Amanda M]

HF is horrible stuff :shock: One of the places I used to work at used to use it. It can just dissolve bone and everything. That is one thing I wouldn't want to have to work with. HCl and TFA etc are no probs, but not that stuff.

[lynw]

Don't pour water on Hydrochloric acid, it's makes it stronger...
Sorry Scooby, I dunno if you are joking, but if you werent, no, HCl will be diluted by water. More water, more dilute.
HCl is a gas, and its disolved in water to make the stuff you see in labs and things. And then you just keep steping it down till you right the right conc for your work :)

(I only mention it, because, if you ever get any on you, you just go to the sink, and wash and wash with water.)

Maybe it is sulphuric acid then, school was long time ago...

Not so much stronger, but adding water to Sulphuric acid is an exothermic reaction - it will boil and spit dangerously. You should always add the acid to water.

Hydrochloric acid does not react so strongly with water but it is still recommended to add the acid to the water.

[philipMac]

HF is horrible stuff :shock: One of the places I used to work at used to use it. It can just dissolve bone and everything. That is one thing I wouldn't want to have to work with. HCl and TFA etc are no probs, but not that stuff.

It is.
Did you ever work with fuming HCl though? Like, its so concentrated, its going back into the gas state, and into the air. And you dont want to breath that in. Jaysus. That was the one that scared the living crap out of me. And then there is all the carcinogens... and ... yeah. Dont even want to think about it, now that I am out of the wet labs.
Yuck.

[lynw]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_Acid

Indeed it isnt nice stuff, needing to be kept in Teflon bottles as it reacts with glass.

Did you also know that some O/X rings and rubber hoses produce HF when they burn? This is why car/bike fires can be so damn hazzardous.

[philipMac]

Babies are not meant to be dried off in a tumble dryer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5028826.stm

Sometimes I feel Aussies seem to have more than their fair share of tools knocking about the general population. :shock:

[lynw]

Ok one for tomorrow while Im not about:

toponymy is the study of place names and their meanings.

Most places which end in a -by [Grimsby, Derby etc] are thought to be Viking settlements as the name -by derives from the old Norse for settlement.

Ham is Old English [ie Anglo Saxon] for homestead so Rotherham, Oldham etc were more likely to be Anglo Saxon settlements.

Towns ending is castor, cestor, chester are usually built on old Roman sites.

Hurst [lamberhurst, goudhurst etc] is Old English for wooded hill.

Thorpe is Old Norse meaning secondary settlement. So Cleethorpes is more likely to have originated as a scandanavian settlement.

Ton or Tun is harder to distinguish as one is Old English the other Old Norse but both mean an enclosure and its from where places like Charlton, Tonbridge and Tunstead are derived. And its from where we derive the word town.

Aber is listed as Welsh, Pictish and Cornish meaning mouth of river. So Aberdeen is from Aber Dee and Aberystwyth is from Aber Ystwyth.

:D

[philipMac]

When I was in norway, I would hear these dublin slang words once in a while, and understood the meaning of them, but was totally baffled how Norwegians had learnt them.
These were slang words that were part of my vocab when I grew up, but I had to stop using them when I moved off into the country, cause other Irish people didnt understand them.

Then the penny dropped. :oops:

Dublin is a Viking town... and bits of the Nordic language live on...

[northwind]

37%OF 12- 74 YEAR OLDS IN THE UK DID NOT BUY ANY BOOKS AT ALL IN 2005

"If you only read one book this year, I recommend you keep your mouth shut" Simon Munnery.

[Amanda M]

Did you also know that some O/X rings and rubber hoses produce HF when they burn? This is why car/bike fires can be so damn hazzardous.

Yeah I heard about that too :shock:

PhilipMac - I was just using conc HCl this morning in fact! It's horrible :evil:

[Carsick]

Aber is listed as Welsh, Pictish and Cornish meaning mouth of river. So Aberdeen is from Aber Dee and Aberystwyth is from Aber Ystwyth.

:D
Which makes places like Abergavenny even more confusing for people. I think it started being called that because the Fenni joins with another river nearby (I think) but the actual name of the town is Y Fenni, or The Fenni.

[wyrdness]

Three related facts for you today:

Fact 1: 'Banshee' is the English phonetic spelling of the Irish Gaelic Bean Sidhe. This translates literally as 'woman fairy' (think of the Elves in 'Lord of the Rings', not little winged things)

Fact 2: If you hear a bean sidhe 'keening' (crying or wailing), or see her washing clothes at a ford, then it means that a death is imminent.

Fact 3: Most of the blokes who use 'banshee' as their username on web forums, because it sounds cool, are blissfully unaware of fact 1.

[wyrdness]

Avon is simply Welsh for river (it's spelt 'Afon' in Welsh). So the river Avon is just the river River.

[philipMac]

Avon is simply Welsh for river (it's spelt 'Afon' in Welsh). So the river Avon is just the river River.

Just to complete the set, abhainn is river in Irish. And "bh" is a soft v sound in Irish. But we thought of it first, and everyone else copied us.

(Or "as Ghaeilge", if you are speaking in Irish. Not Gaelic. Please. Gaelic is a game, not a language. People dont *speak Gaelic* :smt093)


And Scotch is a drink. Not someone from Scotland.

[Quiff Wichard]

NICKNAMES
• If Laura, Suzanne, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call
each other Laura, Suzanne, Kate and Sarah.
• If Mike, Charlie, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately
refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla, Sh*t-Head and Four-eyes.

EATING OUT
• When the bill arrives, Mike, Charlie, Dave and John will each throw
in £20, even though it's only for £32.50. None of them will have
anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
• When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY
• A man will pay £2 for a £1 item he needs.
• A woman will pay £1 for a £2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale

BATHROOMS
• A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste,
shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from M&S.
• The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337.
A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS
• A woman has the last word in any argument.
• Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

CATS
• Women love cats.
• Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.

FUTURE
• A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
• A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS
• A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
• A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE
• A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
• A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.

DRESSING UP
• A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the
bins, answer the phone, read a book, and get the post.
• A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL
• Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
• Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING
• Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about
dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favourite foods,
secretfears and hopes and dreams.
• A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
• Any married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two
people remembering the same thing.

• What a woman says: C'mon...This place is a mess. You and I need to
clean.Your trousers are on the floor and you'll have no clothes if we
don't do the laundry now.
• What a man hears: C'MON ... blah, blah, blah YOU AND I blah,blah,
blah, blah, blah ON THE FLOOR blah, blah, blah, NO CLOTHES blah, blah,
blah, blah, NOW

[Peter Henry]

Wiff..Did I take a wrong turn? I thought this was the place for interesting facts? :?

[Quiff Wichard]

oops I meant to put it just in idle banter..!???


oh dear.. :oops:

[lynw]

Which makes places like Abergavenny even more confusing for people. I think it started being called that because the Fenni joins with another river nearby (I think) but the actual name of the town is Y Fenni, or The Fenni.

Not according to wikipedia where it says the town is on a small stream called the Gavenny and the Usk river.

The ordanance survey map shows the gavenny river running through it, hence the aber gavenny from which it derives its name. :D

[philipMac]

The above article demonstrating one reason I mistrust wikipedia. :wink: :P :D

:lol:

[northwind]

(Or "as Ghaeilge", if you are speaking in Irish. Not Gaelic. Please. Gaelic is a game, not a language. People dont *speak Gaelic* :smt093)


Or gaelach, if you have the other version.

[philipMac]

(Or "as Ghaeilge", if you are speaking in Irish. Not Gaelic. Please. Gaelic is a game, not a language. People dont *speak Gaelic* :smt093)


Or gaelach, if you have the other version.

One of our teachers spoke that. He said it was handy enough to learn if you knew Irish.

It was the knowing Irish part was the bit that seemed problematic to us. Mad language altogether. Fair play to the Welsh for actually keeping their language. And the Finns too. They almost lost it when they were taken over by the rooskies.
Ours is a basically knackered methinks. :(

[Ed]

Pendennis Castle, in Falmouth, Cornwall, was the last Royalist garrison to hold out for the King in the English Civil War. After a siege by the New Model Army of about 3 months - in which the soldiers ate their horses and then when the meat ran out they foraged for shellfish off the beach - the Castle surrendered in August 1646, so marking the end of the first English Civil War.

[Stingo]

Eggbuckland, an area of Plymouth derives from the name of the estate 'Bocheland' which was held by deed by Lord Heche a jolly long time ago...
see here..http://www.eggbucklandhistory.co.uk/


Also, Crownhill was where the crown parked their army during the ECW prior to their attempt at laying seige to Plymouth...no doubt someone will come along with a dit about 'Freedom Fields' in a mo. :lol:

Not bored or anything.

[lynw]

Riding past fields today I wondered why the Rape plant is so called. Yes I know its an odd one, but its always struck me as an odd name for a plant.

It derives from the latin rapum which means turnip. Rape as in sexual assault derives from the latin rapere meaning to seize, meaning the plant name has no common derivation but just ended up with the same spelling.

[wyrdness]

Legendary cricketer W.G. Grace once hit a ball 36 miles after a shot landed on a passing steam train.

[Law]

Phobia is Greek for fear. Here are some lesser known phobias

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia - Fear of the number 666 :smt096
Motorphobia- Fear of automobiles
Paraskavedekatriaphobia- Fear of Friday the 13th.
Parthenophobia- Fear of virgins or young girls.
Venustraphobia - Fear of beautiful women.

[Lissa]

With pressure on to win air superiority in 1940, local 'Spitfire funds' were established to allow communities to do their bit.

Rugby Cement gave £5,000............about £200,000 equivalent today..............and the Spit was named Crowncrete after one of the company's premium brands of cement.

[Carsick]

Which makes places like Abergavenny even more confusing for people. I think it started being called that because the Fenni joins with another river nearby (I think) but the actual name of the town is Y Fenni, or The Fenni.

Not according to wikipedia where it says the town is on a small stream called the Gavenny and the Usk river.

The ordanance survey map shows the gavenny river running through it, hence the aber gavenny from which it derives its name. :D
Gavenny is the English name for it, I believe.

[philipMac]

Last Wednesday morning, northern Norway was hit with a meteorite impact comparable to the atomic bomb used on Hiroshima. (http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1346411.ece)

:shock: 'kin 'ell lad.

Norway is a lovely place. Why would God want to break it? Maybe he is testing us. Or punishing them for gay marriage. Yeah. That was probably it. Gay marriage.


We tried to warn you.

[Xerbraski]

The largest brick built warehouse in the world is in Liverpool and was used for storing tobacco.
(soon to be converted into luxury apartments)

The largest clock faces in the whole of England are those on the Liver Building in Liverpool.

[Moo]

Here's a topical one for today.
Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors. :lol:

[Moo]

Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

Yet when he gets out off the shower he wraps a towel around himself. :lol:

[lynw]

In addition to writing the James Bond novels, Ian Flemming also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. :D

[Marshall]

A Ducks Quack Doesnt Echo

[Nutkins]

My hayfever is bad today.

It's true.

[lynw]

Finnish has three of the worlds longest palindromic words:

saippuakivikauppias - a soapstone seller
saippuakuppinippukauppias - a soap cup trader
solutomaattimittaamotulos - the result from a measurement laboratory for tomatoes :shock: :P :lol: :lol:

Palindromic phrases from around the world:

nipson anomemata me monan opsin [ancient greek] meaning wash my sins, not only my face.

Btw, the PS is a transcription of one greek letter so would read ni* both ways before you get pedantic over the ps/ps not mirroring. :D

in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni [latin] meaning we enter the circle after dark and are consumed by fire

nie fragt sie: ist gefegt? sie ist gar fein [german] meaning she never asks: has the sweeping been done? she is very refined

neulo taas niin saat oluen [finnish] means knit again, so that will get a beer

did I mention I read some weird but interesting stuff??? :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Xerbraski]

If you removed all the keys from your keyboard and placed them side-by-side they'd reach all the way to the moon!

Try it, I did!!

Finnish has three of the worlds longest palindromic words:

saippuakivikauppias - a soapstone seller
saippuakuppinippukauppias - a soap cup trader
solutomaattimittaamotulos - the result from a measurement laboratory for tomatoes :shock: :P :lol: :lol:

Palindromic phrases from around the world:

nipson anomemata me monan opsin [ancient greek] meaning wash my sins, not only my face.

Btw, the PS is a transcription of one greek letter so would read ni* both ways before you get pedantic over the ps/ps not mirroring. :D

in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni [latin] meaning we enter the circle after dark and are consumed by fire

nie fragt sie: ist gefegt? sie ist gar fein [german] meaning she never asks: has the sweeping been done? she is very refined

neulo taas niin saat oluen [finnish] means knit again, so that will get a beer

did I mention I read some weird but interesting stuff??? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Lyns brain is way too powerful.
I could just ask her a question about anythin' and she'd know the answer.

Bet she dosn't know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow though :P

[sharriso74]

Bet she dosn't know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow though :P

African or European?

[lynw]

Bet she dosn't know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow though :P

African or European?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

At work so time is limited so will get back to you when I get home. :D

[Xerbraski]

Bet she dosn't know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow though :P

African or European?

I don't know......... Waaaaaaaghhh

[Moo]

There is a town in Newfoundland, Canada called Dildo. :lol:

[El Saxo]

There is a town in Newfoundland, Canada called Dildo. :lol:

I couldn't believe that one, so I checked on google earth, and sure enough...

:smt082 :smt043 :smt044 :smt042

[lynw]

Bet she dosn't know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow though :P

African or European?

I don't know......... Waaaaaaaghhh

The airspeed velocity of an unladen European swallow is 8.8 m/s or 20 mph. HTH. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[DanDare]

Lynw, at that speed can it correctly hold a coconut by the husk or does it require to to carry it? :lol: :lol:

[rpwoodman]

Finnish has three of the worlds longest palindromic words:

saippuakivikauppias - a soapstone seller
saippuakuppinippukauppias - a soap cup trader
solutomaattimittaamotulos - the result from a measurement laboratory for tomatoes :shock: :P :lol: :lol:

Palindromic phrases from around the world:

nipson anomemata me monan opsin [ancient greek] meaning wash my sins, not only my face.

Btw, the PS is a transcription of one greek letter so would read ni* both ways before you get pedantic over the ps/ps not mirroring. :D

in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni [latin] meaning we enter the circle after dark and are consumed by fire

nie fragt sie: ist gefegt? sie ist gar fein [german] meaning she never asks: has the sweeping been done? she is very refined

neulo taas niin saat oluen [finnish] means knit again, so that will get a beer

did I mention I read some weird but interesting stuff??? :lol: :lol: :lol:


Cleverest palindrome I'm aware of is (apparently) the epitaph of Colonel Geothals:

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!

He designed the Panama canal. No doubt Lynw will correct any inaccuracies in the above... :-)

And talking of epitaphs, Spike Milligans is "I told you I was ill".

[lynw]

Lynw, at that speed can it correctly hold a coconut by the husk or does it require to to carry it? :lol: :lol:

I think thats a moot point. The migration of Swallows doesnt cover an area coconuts are grown in. :P :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Xerbraski]

Bet she dosn't know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow though :P

African or European?

I don't know......... Waaaaaaaghhh

The airspeed velocity of an unladen European swallow is 8.8 m/s or 20 mph. HTH. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cool!!
Now I can continue my quest for the Grail!!
Hehe, that bridge keeper isn't gonna catch me out, I already know my name and favorite colour!! :thumbsup:
Hope he dosn't ask me about the African Swallow or the capital of Assyria tho.

8.8 m/s or 20mph eh?!...... I'll remember that :D :wink:
And thats a little fact in itself innit.
The airspeed velocity of an unladen EuropeanSwallow is 8.8 m/s or 20mph! Lyn said so!!!
Lynw, at that speed can it correctly hold a coconut by the husk or does it require to to carry it? :lol: :lol:

It's not a question of where they grip it, it's a simple question of weight ratios.
A five ounce bird cannot carry a 1 pound coconut! :lol: :lol:

[lynw]

Cool!!
Now I can continue my quest for the Grail!!
Hehe, that bridge keeper isn't gonna catch me out, I already know my name and favorite colour!! :thumbsup:
Hope he dosn't ask me about the African Swallow or the capital of Assyria tho.

I could post you the maths behind this, but the calculations were based on European swallows. However, I suspect the African ones dont vary in weight, wing beats that much so would probably be the same.

Capital of Assyria was Assur [which is where the name Assyria derives from]. As the country expanded, its capital moved to Nineveh until the empires downfall in around 627 BC.

:D

[Moo]

More people use blue toothbrushes, than red ones.

What colours yours. :lol:

[lynw]

The Swiss Army/Air Force is conscripted.

If anyone objects on moral grounds to serving, or can not for medical or psychological reasons, they can apply for civilian service [police/fire brigade/ambulance service etc] instead. But if they do, they pay 3% more tax than those who serve in the armed forces.

But a citizen HAS to serve in either one.

[Moo]

The Swiss Army/Air Force is conscripted.

If anyone objects on moral grounds to serving, or can not for medical or psychological reasons, they can apply for civilian service [police/fire brigade/ambulance service etc] instead. But if they do, they pay 3% more tax than those who serve in the armed forces.

But a citizen HAS to serve in either one.

What a broad base of knowledgew of the world we are getting from this thread.

Polar Bears trying to blend in with the ice will sometimes cover up their black nose with their paws.

[wyrdness]

What a broad base of knowledgew of the world we are getting from this thread.

Polar Bears trying to blend in with the ice will sometimes cover up their black nose with their paws.

Polar Bears are the only animals that don't show up on infra-red nightvision.

[lynw]

One more before I retire since I wont be about much tomorrow.

We've all heard how the Inuits have many words for snow, but did you know the Albanians have 27 words to describe a moustache?

The word mustaqe is usually accompanied by another giving its description. Eg
madh = bushy
holl = thin
varur = drooping
big = handlebar
kacadre = moustache with turned up ends
glemb = moustache with tapered tips
posht = moustache hanging down at the ends
fshes = long broom like moustache with bristly hairs
dirs ur = newly sprouted [of an adolescent]
rruar = shaved off moustache

To top off what seems to be a national obsession with facial hair, the Albanians also have 27 words to describe eyebrows. Eg
vertullkalem = pencil thin
vertullvrenjtur = frowning
vertullhequr = plucked
vertullrrept = knitted
vertullgajtan = long and delicately shaped
vertullor = thick
vertullperpjekur = joined together
vertullngrysur = gloomy
vethullen = arched like the crescent moon

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[lynw]

Ok, did you know never never land really exists despite it meaning a utopian dreamland?

In the 19th century The Never Never was used to describe the uninhabitable areas of Australia. In fact some areas of remote Queensland and NT are still called this today.

The term was derived from the immigrants view of being somewhere you "never never wanted to go". The term was first used in print in 1882 but imortalised to us all in 1904s publication by J M Barrie of Peter Pan.

The negative use of the term "on the never never" sprang up in the early part of the 20th century [its earliest reference in print seems to be circa 1926] to refer to loans which seemed to have a never ending number of payments.

[philipMac]

In the 19th century The Never Never was used to describe the uninhabitable areas of Australia. In fact some areas of remote Queensland and NT are still called this today.


Uninhabitable by proper politely spoken God fairing Christian white people, that is. You know, the nice people who discovered the country. And fixed it all up.

[lynw]

In the 19th century The Never Never was used to describe the uninhabitable areas of Australia. In fact some areas of remote Queensland and NT are still called this today.


Uninhabitable by proper politely spoken God fairing Christian white people, that is. You know, the nice people who discovered the country. And fixed it all up.

FFS, do I have to do a political disclaimer for everything I post? :roll:

Its an interesting fact of the day thread, not a lets derail everything into a political dig/rant thread.

You know what? I cant be arsed with this anymore.

[philipMac]

In the 19th century The Never Never was used to describe the uninhabitable areas of Australia. In fact some areas of remote Queensland and NT are still called this today.


Uninhabitable by proper politely spoken God fairing Christian white people, that is. You know, the nice people who discovered the country. And fixed it all up.

FFS, do I have to do a political disclaimer for everything I post? :roll:

Its an interesting fact of the day thread, not a lets derail everything into a political dig/rant thread.

You know what? I cant be arsed with this anymore.

Hallo. Jebus. Relax there a second Lyn. I was having a laugh. I think its funny the way that (us) white guys talk about discovering countries, making them habitable, teaching the locals about what its really all about.

What can I say. The land was inhabited. By people. For thousands of years. I'm not being political. Its just the way it is. You are happy to correct people throughout this thread.

Ghana just ran the Czechs ragged. Ha ha ha ha. Brilliant.

[lynw]

Hallo. Jebus. Relax there a second Lyn. I was having a laugh. I think its funny the way that (us) white guys talk about discovering countries, making them habitable, teaching the locals about what its really all about.

What can I say. The land was inhabited. By people. For thousands of years. I'm not being political. Its just the way it is. You are happy to correct people throughout this thread.

Ghana just ran the Czechs ragged. Ha ha ha ha. Brilliant.

*sigh*.... go back and read my original post. It was quite simply a "this was called this, this is where the term comes from post", no more, no less.

Like I said, I dont see the necessity to have to put a full bloody disclaimer in on everything I state. However, since you require it and I cant be arsed, then no more from me.

[philipMac]

I am fully aware of the issues - I have lived in Canberra for 18 months and you dont live in the Capital of Australia without picking up the history and relevant issues.

I am just fed up of making a simple this was called this, this is where this term comes from to get something that goes into the politics of it all as a reply.


Dude. Where are you getting all this angry stuff from? Its not politics. You said Uninhabitable. I said that there were people living there. Its not a massive bone of contention.
If you are going to be so ****ed off if someone corrects you once in a blue moon, then fine, relax with the posting up of facts. Christ.

Alright. The Magic Roundabout was a French program. The lads that made it had nice sensible scripts, that made actual stories. Your man that mad Postman Pat and Paddington Bear did the stop animation.

Anyway.

The Beeb got Eric Thompson, Emma Thompson's old man, to do the narrations in English. Eric though decided that he wasnt having any of the French story rubbish, so he got the translation, and just chucked it. And then made up the commentry as he went along. He didnt know how, or when it would end sometimes. He just had some nice chats about their adventures. And there ever vigilant searches for "Sugar". :lol:

Class.

[lynw]

Dude. Where are you getting all this angry stuff from? Its not politics. You said Uninhabitable. I said that there were people living there. Its not a massive bone of contention.

No you didnt say there were people there. Rather than say quite straightforwardly that the land was habitable by the indigenous population you stated it using religious and racial terms [God fearing Christian White people].

So why when you could have phrased it in terms other than that, ie to the point, shouldnt I interpret it as you raising those issues which are political?

And the answer to the anger - sorry thats one downside to the depression that Im still struggling with. For that I apologise.

[tricky]

Apperantly the Dutch word for the at symbol (@) literally translated into English means
"Little monkey's testicle"

:D :D :D

[DanDare]

The Nazi symbol used by their party during the second world war in in fact an ancient symbol used by the Hindu's thousands of years ago.

http://history1900s.about.com/cs/swastika/a/swastikahistory.htm

[Messie]

Can I ask you knowledgeable people FOR an interesting fact of the day?

Do our native adders (of the sort found here in East Anglia) make any kind of noise, such as hissing? I just heard something and was wondering whether it could be an adder. Looked on a few snake sites and they don't mention any sounds.

Ta muchly

[Carsick]

They do hiss like most snakes. I've never heard it loud, but the last time I saw an adder (I was standing on it at the time) I seem to remember it hissing.

[philipMac]

The Nazi symbol used by their party during the second world war in in fact an ancient symbol used by the Hindu's thousands of years ago.

http://history1900s.about.com/cs/swastika/a/swastikahistory.htm
yeah. you will see it all over if you look.

Em, also the norse sun god or soemthing use it, buts its sort of roundy.
I think.
I should probably check that. But, me coffee is getting cold.


Oh yeah. Here's my fact．A sizable contingent of the Ghanaian fans are seriously hot. Properly, properly hot.

[wyrdness]

Oh yeah. Here's my fact．A sizable contingent of the Ghanaian fans are seriously hot. Properly, properly hot.

Well, Ghana is a hot country, so you'd expect that.

[philipMac]

Oh yeah. Here's my fact．A sizable contingent of the Ghanaian fans are seriously hot. Properly, properly hot.

Well, Ghana is a hot country, so you'd expect that.

What about my philosophy? MY philosophy??
You got to be your, you got to be your own dog, you know?
You know what I'm talking about.
You' re supposed to say yeah like a James Brown thing.
YEAH!

[Anonymous]

I really don't know whether I believe this, but here goes:

More crimes in Scotland than any other part of the world

The world health organization announced recently that the rate of crime in Scotland is more than other developed countries of the world. Studies conducted by the WHO show that the Scottish are 3 times more in danger of being murdered than the English and the residents of Wales. According to WHO, the rate of murder in Scotland is 2.33 in every 1000 people, this is while this percentage is only 0.07 % in England and Wales. The crime rates in other European countries are, Spain 1.02%, Italy 0.96%, France 0.85% and Germany 0.65%. Violence in these countries is much less than the other 21 European countries. According to a UN report, more than 2 thousand people are attacked each week in Scotland and this country is among the most violent developed regions in the world. The research also concludes that the Scots are 3 times more at risk than Americans of being the subject of violence. This is while Scottish police and political forces do not verify these statistics.

http://www.irib.ir/worldservice/englishRADIO/default.htm

[tricky]

We've all heard how the Inuits have many words for snow, but did you know the Albanians have 27 words to describe a moustache?


This just came up as a question on University Challenge !

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Baph]

Every drop of seawater contains approximately 1 billion gold atoms.

Don't know about you lot, but you'll find me down the beach :D

[Jabba]

99% of gargoyles look like Bob Todd :thumbsup: