View Full Version : INTERESTING FACT OF THE DAY
Tim in Belgium
07-01-07, 07:48 PM
Life Expectancy in medieval England was about 30 years old!
The Black Death (1340's)was supposed to have killed a third of the British Isles population.
The 21st Century don't seem so bad now.
At what age did you get toretire back then?
The Basket
07-01-07, 09:14 PM
Life Expectancy in medieval England was about 30 years old!
The Black Death (1340's)was supposed to have killed a third of the British Isles population.
The 21st Century don't seem so bad now.
At what age did you get toretire back then?
The Life span of a man has in fact hardly changed since roman times. Over 70 years of age and a bit more. Just that not many people made it in the 1400's.
Ever wondered why in the English language "yacht" isn't spelt "yot" ?
Its cos its not really English at all but a *******ization of the Dutch word "Jacht" which means "hunt"
Light fast sailing ships (Jachts) where originally used by the Dutch Navy for pursuing Pirates.
Oh, todays Fact Of The Day: Water can be used as a fuel, apparently. I dont know how. But it can.
Um
Not.
In theory, it's steam pressure, so why not? How efficient it would be to run the system from a battery, and charge the battery by the same system (ala a modern petrol engine) I'm not sure.
But looky here (http://www.keelynet.com/energy/waterfuel.htm)
The Life span of a man has in fact hardly changed since roman times. Over 70 years of age and a bit more. Just that not many people made it in the 1400's.
All that money on the NHS wasted then :wink:
Something I found out today...
Farms - why is the yard etc concrete as opposed to tarmac?
Because cow dung 'rots' the tarmac!! :shock:
I was not aware of that :o
in Georgia............
No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket if it is Sunday.
in Georgia............
No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket if it is Sunday.
i couldn't carry an ice cream cone in my back pocket any day of the week, wherever i am ....my jeans are too tight :wink:
Alpinestarhero
25-01-07, 08:00 PM
Here's something interesting I found on the new scientist website today; a microwave iiradiation "gun", developed by the US military...
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn11028-us-aims-to-use-heatbeam-weapon-by-2010.html
Matt
The Beach Boys, who were considered to be the "Kings of California Surfing, started a national surfing craze in the early the states in the 1960's. Four of the original members of the band knew nothing about surfing and the only one that did, drowned in 1983.
Dave The Rave
26-01-07, 10:01 AM
Oh, todays Fact Of The Day: Water can be used as a fuel, apparently. I dont know how. But it can.
Um
Not.
In theory, it's steam pressure, so why not? How efficient it would be to run the system from a battery, and charge the battery by the same system (ala a modern petrol engine) I'm not sure.
But looky here (http://www.keelynet.com/energy/waterfuel.htm)
Hmmm ... steam pressure? I would imagine IMO that it refers to the fact that water is combination of oxygen and hydrogen. Break those 2 and you have some really "explosive stuff".
rpwoodman
26-01-07, 10:12 AM
Hmmm ... steam pressure? I would imagine IMO that it refers to the fact that water is combination of oxygen and hydrogen. Break those 2 and you have some really "explosive stuff".
Adding water to burning aluminium is a great example of this. Hence the use of foam at airports.
Alpinestarhero
26-01-07, 05:05 PM
Oh, todays Fact Of The Day: Water can be used as a fuel, apparently. I dont know how. But it can.
Um
Not.
In theory, it's steam pressure, so why not? How efficient it would be to run the system from a battery, and charge the battery by the same system (ala a modern petrol engine) I'm not sure.
But looky here (http://www.keelynet.com/energy/waterfuel.htm)
Hmmm ... steam pressure? I would imagine IMO that it refers to the fact that water is combination of oxygen and hydrogen. Break those 2 and you have some really "explosive stuff".
I was refering to using water as a combustable fuel. Yea, it can be broken down into is constituent elements, but that takes as much energy as you get out of buring hydrogen on oxygen (so no net gain or loss in energy. Well, maybe loss, since tehre are entropic effects when burning stuff...)
Matt
Daughter has a LCD clock that you put water in to get it going.
philipMac
27-01-07, 07:53 AM
Daughter has a LCD clock that you put water in to get it going.
I would imagine the water is acting first as a solvent, and then a conductor to complete the circuit and run the watch, being driven by a normal cell.
I actually do (more or less) believe that there has been a pretty huge conspiracy to purposefully not develop any other type of engine than petrol / diesel burning ones by the major motor car manufacturers. That potentially usable electric cars were knocked on the head at birth.
But... I am a but gullible that way.
Seriously though. Something odd was / is going on. Nothing has advanced as slowly and poorly as the internal combustion engine in the US. Look at NYC taxi's (Fords), they get 11 - 12 mpg. That is staggeringly bad. That takes effort. Hummers are about as efficient.
Something is up.
nobody visited the megathread from 4.39 sunday morning untill 10 o'clock sunday night :shock:
nobody visited the megathread from 4.39 sunday morning untill 10 o'clock sunday night :shock:
O...M...G! :shock: :lol:
Alpinestarhero
30-01-07, 07:43 PM
It coincided with hell freezing over (temporarily) and the stars aligning in the sky.
Matt
BernardBikerchick
31-01-07, 11:19 AM
you only breath through one nostril at a time ever
injury_ian
31-01-07, 11:22 AM
you only breath through one nostril at a time ever
holding 2 strips of tissue below me nose (one under each nostril) i can declare that to be false. :lol:
rpwoodman
31-01-07, 12:11 PM
Do your nostrils join together at one point? I.e. are your airways like a Y shape? (if that makes sense)
rpwoodman
31-01-07, 12:14 PM
holding 2 strips of tissue below me nose (one under each nostril) i can declare that to be false. :lol:
Maybe it's true for Daniella Westbrook?
BernardBikerchick
31-01-07, 02:30 PM
you only breath through one nostril at a time ever
holding 2 strips of tissue below me nose (one under each nostril) i can declare that to be false. :lol:
nope its impossible !!
you only breath through one nostril at a time ever
holding 2 strips of tissue below me nose (one under each nostril) i can declare that to be false. :lol:
nope its impossible !!
So how come I can do it too?
Maybe you're getting confused with the fact that each nostril can only smell certain smells. This may overlap, and both nostrils may smell the same smell, but there are distinct smells for each nostril.
FACT.
Also, the nostrils are arranged in a Y fashion, just up behind the skull, and the mouth joins the pipe just below that.
rpwoodman
31-01-07, 02:56 PM
Also, the nostrils are arranged in a Y fashion, just up behind the skull, and the mouth joins the pipe just below that.
Well, if it is indeed in the shape of a Y, unless there are valves at the end of each nostril (i.e. where they join) there will be air movement up each nostril. due to lower pressure created by the other nostril sucking in air.
philipMac
31-01-07, 05:21 PM
Huh? I can breathe through both nostrils at the same time.
Have none of you ever French smoked? The smoke goes up both nostrils.
Ok. Nostril fact. Emm. There are (way) more genes in the Human genome that code for smell recognition that there are for vision.
Odd when you think about how crap our smell is, and how good our vision is.
But, making more sense when you think that acute vision is new compared with smell. Dinos etc I suppose were the first guys to get really good vision.
Alpinestarhero
01-02-07, 11:42 AM
lots of genomes, not many receptors / not many specific receptors?
Matt
philipMac
01-02-07, 02:15 PM
lots of genomes, not many receptors / not many specific receptors?
Matt
?
ehh... single genome, many genes encoding for many smell receptors.
All of which are quite specific.
(It's also possible that there are fundamentally more "atomic" parts of smells than "atomic" parts of light. Meaning you need to have a bigger receptor set to catch them and build a meaningful picture. )
BernardBikerchick
01-02-07, 05:00 PM
you only breath through one nostril at a time ever
holding 2 strips of tissue below me nose (one under each nostril) i can declare that to be false. :lol:
nope its impossible !!
So how come I can do it too?
Maybe you're getting confused with the fact that each nostril can only smell certain smells. This may overlap, and both nostrils may smell the same smell, but there are distinct smells for each nostril.
FACT.
Also, the nostrils are arranged in a Y fashion, just up behind the skull, and the mouth joins the pipe just below that.
i'll get me coat.....
So how come I can do it too?
Maybe you're getting confused with the fact that each nostril can only smell certain smells. This may overlap, and both nostrils may smell the same smell, but there are distinct smells for each nostril.
FACT.
Also, the nostrils are arranged in a Y fashion, just up behind the skull, and the mouth joins the pipe just below that.
Guess what I'll be doing when I get home? :lol:
rpwoodman
01-02-07, 05:11 PM
Are we all agreed that that was the worst interesting fact EVVA? (tho it did get a good coversation going, so no offence to BBC! :-) )
BernardBikerchick
01-02-07, 05:22 PM
Are we all agreed that that was the worst interesting fact EVVA? (tho it did get a good coversation going, so no offence to BBC! :-) )
:nomore:
ok ok i give up !!! i am el thicko !! but I do have a perfect bikini line though.
FACT of day. i don't care what anyone says, waxing HURTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you only breath through one nostril at a time ever
holding 2 strips of tissue below me nose (one under each nostril) i can declare that to be false. :lol:
nope its impossible !!
i can do it too :wink:
you will burn the same amount of calories walking a mile as you would jogging
you will burn the same amount of calories walking a mile as you would jogging
:shock: really :shock: are you sure
wyrdness
02-02-07, 10:30 AM
you will burn the same amount of calories walking a mile as you would jogging
Not true :tongue: You're body temperature rises when you run (which is why you sweat) which increases your calorie burn. More calories are burnt by body heat rather than the running itself.
you will burn the same amount of calories walking a mile as you would jogging
Not true :tongue: You're body temperature rises when you run (which is why you sweat) which increases your calorie burn. More calories are burnt by body heat rather than the running itself.
BUT i said jogging NOT running...........at 9kph as oppose to walking at 5kph
i read this in a book the other day i did not believe it either
Alpinestarhero
02-02-07, 10:36 AM
Jogging is still a slighty more exertive process? I.e. it still raises the heart rate, and requires more moving of the muscles, which in turn requires more energy (kcal or - SI units - J)...?
Matt
Alpinestarhero
02-02-07, 10:39 AM
lots of genomes, not many receptors / not many specific receptors?
Matt
?
ehh... single genome, many genes encoding for many smell receptors.
All of which are quite specific.
(It's also possible that there are fundamentally more "atomic" parts of smells than "atomic" parts of light. Meaning you need to have a bigger receptor set to catch them and build a meaningful picture. )
Yup, sorry. Thinking out loud and didn't get a chance to correct myself before posting...
Perhaps our smell doesn't need to be so great, maybe its something that started off wonderful but evolved out as we learned which foods are safe to eat and which are not etc etc? (thinking out loud again...)
Matt
philipMac
02-02-07, 03:57 PM
Perhaps our smell doesn't need to be so great, maybe its something that started off wonderful but evolved out as we learned which foods are safe to eat and which are not etc etc? (thinking out loud again...)
Matt
Yeah. Exactly. These tons of smell genes are ancestral. Probably back to when we were fish / reptiles or something.
Now, our vision rules... but there has been no enormous pressure to lose the ton of smell genes... so they are still hanging around.
I would guess.
Alpinestarhero
02-02-07, 04:17 PM
Perhaps they'll evolve back...
Matt
philipMac
02-02-07, 04:39 PM
Perhaps they'll evolve back...
Matt
Evolution can't look forward.
Alpinestarhero
02-02-07, 04:42 PM
No, but the environment can demand a change
Matt
philipMac
02-02-07, 04:57 PM
No, but the environment can demand a change
Matt
Yeah... but, I thought you were sort of implying that the genes were kept, just functioning at a low level, stored away, just in case this change occurs.
It can't do that. It is completely blind to the future.
In Montana, in 1887, the largest snowflakes on record fell to the earth. Each snowflake was fifteen inches in diameter!
In Montana, in 1887, the largest snowflakes on record fell to the earth. Each snowflake was fifteen inches in diameter!
was that mostly snow or flake ?
rpwoodman
08-02-07, 04:10 PM
In Montana, in 1887, the largest snowflakes on record fell to the earth. Each snowflake was fifteen inches in diameter!
was that mostly snow or flake ?
I don't think Cadburys existed then, so it must have been mainly snow.
Bluewolf
12-02-07, 10:43 AM
.
inevitable
13-02-07, 03:07 PM
It takes 18 Minutes from the moment of stepping onto the tube and off again, to get from Bond Street Station to Canary Wharf Station on the Jubilee Line.
(This is assuming that there is a good service of course).
An SV650S K6 with two extra teeth on the rear sprocket, with the clutch out & zero throttle, will roll at 6mph quite happily.
FACT.
Also, if you sit on the said bike, no hands on the bars, you can quite happily U-turn on an 'average' width road.
FACT.
(yes, I was playing this morning, had time to kill before work :-P )
Alpinestarhero
16-02-07, 08:38 AM
Im scared of doing U-turns baph, the steering lock is always closer than I think :(
Matt
Nutkins
19-02-07, 04:18 PM
My girlfriend is spending all my money.
FACT!
A plane on a treadmill would be able to take off.
FACT.
http://youtube.com/?v=IZGdUAiMcPs
(sorry, had to :D)
A plane on a treadmill would be able to take off.
FACT.
http://youtube.com/?v=IZGdUAiMcPs
(sorry, had to :D)
But not a real plane, with real bearings, on a real treadmill, this only works for hypothetical objects...
Bluepete
20-02-07, 02:59 PM
Baph, I have just had to make an appointment at the doctors, I think I ruptured something I laughed so hard! Top one!
Nutkins
23-02-07, 10:38 AM
I've just watched a woman "park" her BMW X5 in our empty ... empty car park. After moving the said vehicle, backwards and forwards half a dozen times, she has now got out leaving it accommodating two parking bays.
Inconsiderate cow! FACT!
scorpion
28-02-07, 10:46 PM
Mary had a little lamb
She stuck it on a pylon
10,000 volts went up it's ****
And turned it's fleece to nylon
FACT
FACT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact)
scorpion
28-02-07, 11:01 PM
Oh alright then you win boo hoo sorry :smt088
Jelster
28-02-07, 11:05 PM
I've just watched a woman "park" her BMW X5 in our empty ... empty car park. After moving the said vehicle, backwards and forwards half a dozen times, she has now got out leaving it accommodating two parking bays.
Inconsiderate cow! FACT!
People with nice cars use 2 parking spaces, because others are inconsiderate ! FACT!
People with nice cars use 2 parking spaces, because others are inconsiderate ! FACT!
Ahh that explains Bimmer drivers parking in disabled spots too! Thanks!
My dog sleeps 23 and half hours a day (where is the half on this blo*dy keyboard!)
My dog sleeps 23 and half hours a day (where is the half on this blo*dy keyboard!)
Hold the left ALT key, and whilst it's pressed down, type 0189 on the number pad. Then let go of all the keys. Heypreso, ½.
FACT!
Filipe M.
02-03-07, 04:13 PM
My dog sleeps 23 and half hours a day (where is the half on this blo*dy keyboard!)
Here, have mine: 0.5.
:lol:
½ WOW
!!
½
½
€ whoops
½
Fantastic ! cheers :cheers:
½ WOW
!!
½
½
€ whoops
½
Fantastic ! cheers :cheers:
how u do that?:confused:
how u do that?:confused:
I think Baph explained it further up
½
¾
¼
¿?¿?¿?¿?
sorry, i only read ½ the posts;)
scorpion
28-03-07, 09:42 PM
½ a pint is not as nice as a pint in the summer:cool:
Don't do things by ½'s:D
Treacle
29-03-07, 09:09 PM
Have just got some of Arcade Fire off of itunes. Its alright. ☻
Fact!
rictus01
01-04-07, 04:23 AM
Tesco Chanel island gold top (old style milk bottle shape plastic bottle), it's gorgeous.
Cheers Mark.
Hold the left ALT key, and whilst it's pressed down, type 0189 on the number pad. Then let go of all the keys. Heypreso, ½.
FACT!
But I'm on the laptop, that doesn't have a number pad. What do I do now :?: :sad:
Oooh watched 300 so Im in a Ancient Greek frame of mind atm :D
In ancient Athens, before democracy political factions could force people into exile. Following on the formation of democracy, this became a measured sentence decided on by the people by a vote.
A citizen would etch the name of the politician to be exiled onto a shard of pottery. The politician who obtained the most votes had ten days to leave Athens and was obliged to be exiled for ten years.
The shards of pottery used for voting were called ostraka. And this is how we derive the term ostracised to mean to exclude by general consent from society, friendship etc.
Power of nature thoughts for today.
The Niagara falls consists of 3 waterfalls: The Horseshoe falls, American falls and Bridal Veil falls.
While not particularly high, its the width of the falls which means the volume of water flowing over them is immense. The Horseshoe falls is 170 ft or 52 m high but 2600 ft or 792m wide. The American falls is only 70 ft or 21 m high but 1060 ft or 323 m wide.
The volume of water peaks at 202,000 cubic feet/second. Thats 12,120,000 cubic feet/min. :D Or if youre a metric fan, thats 5720 m3/s or 343,000 m3/ minute.
The volume is halved overnight and in low tourist season. This is done by using a weir upstream where the water is diverted to a hydroelectric plant meaning the falls see the rate drop to 50,000 ft3/s or 1416 m3/s.
90% of the water that flows goes over the Horseshoe falls with the remaining 10% going over the other two falls.
God, I'm bored. I might as well be listening to Genesis.
God, I'm bored. I might as well be listening to Genesis.
Could be worse. You could be bored and an insomniac :???: :(
joelowden
08-04-07, 03:58 AM
Could be worse ... could be bored and at work....
Water Volumes:- Water Jets on me boat ..20m3 per second each.(4 off) .
cats have 32 muscles in each ear
injury_ian
11-04-07, 08:22 AM
All polar bears are left handed, fact, tho i could be wrong :D
and yet they'd never kill a penguin with their left paw...
injury_ian
11-04-07, 11:38 AM
and yet they'd never kill a penguin with their left paw...
Only 10,000 miles apart :smt105 I bet it could if it really tried!
All polar bears are left handed, fact, tho i could be wrong :D
and yet they'd never kill a penguin with their left paw...
Only 10,000 miles apart :smt105 I bet it could if it really tried!
thankyou guys, that series of posts has made me giggle :smt044
Istanbul is the only city in the world to sit on two continents extending into the Thracian side in Europe and the Anatolian side in Asia. :)
Alpinestarhero
14-04-07, 10:13 AM
Ok, so we're all aware of runing out of oil and coal.
But helium, another important and non-renewable resource, is also running out.
Implications? No more MRI machines in hospitals (the superconducting magnets need liquid helium to work), the electronics industry who use helium when making pure silicon chips would need to find another resource (shouldnt be too hard, just use argon?!), no more NMR instruments in chemistry departments (same reason as the MRI instruments), no more helium filled balloons (back to hydrogen then :smt084 ) and a whole host of other applications requiring overhaul to adapt to using something other than helium...
...although, this wont happen for a while. Yet.
Matt
Moffatt666
23-04-07, 02:33 PM
A Vauxhall Agila accellerates from 0-60 in only 3.5 minutes!
My old chemistry teacher invented Britvic 55!
I like using exclamation marks!
BernardBikerchick
02-05-07, 10:40 PM
there are a quadrillion ants in the world, thats 1 000 000 000 000 000........... i know this because over half are in my kitchen now:eek: :mad: :eek: :mad: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Alpinestarhero
03-05-07, 12:40 PM
there are a quadrillion ants in the world, thats 1 000 000 000 000 000........... i know this because over half are in my kitchen now:eek: :mad: :eek: :mad: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
you have 5 x 10^14 ants in your kitchen?!?! whats the average size of an ant (volume) i wonder?
My interesting fact: the meniscus (surface layer):study: of pure water is acidic; where as the main body is pH = 7 (neutral), the meniscus has been found to have a pH = 4.8
Something nobody wanted to know
Matt
My interesting fact: the meniscus (surface layer):study: of pure water is acidic; where as the main body is pH = 7 (neutral), the meniscus has been found to have a pH = 4.8
how? why?
interesting though
My interesting fact: the meniscus (surface layer):study: of pure water is acidic; where as the main body is pH = 7 (neutral), the meniscus has been found to have a pH = 4.8
Something nobody wanted to know
Matt
how? why?
interesting though
Yes explain please.
Related note. Wikipedia.
Hot water has a lower pH than cold water but this does not mean it is more acidic.
Hot water has a lower pH than cold water but this does not mean it is more acidic.
:confused:
northwind
03-05-07, 01:23 PM
Implications? No more MRI machines in hospitals (the superconducting magnets need liquid helium to work), the electronics industry who use helium when making pure silicon chips would need to find another resource (shouldnt be too hard, just use argon?!), no more NMR instruments in chemistry departments (same reason as the MRI instruments), no more helium filled balloons (back to hydrogen then :smt084 ) and a whole host of other applications requiring overhaul to adapt to using something other than helium...
'salright, we can just mine it out of Jupiter.
northwind
03-05-07, 01:26 PM
ollowing on from teh Britvic 55 inventor, my Grandad, James Govan, was one of the bakers who invented the jaffa orangey bit- he developed the stabiliser/preserver process that made it possible to mass produce and store the jaffa cake.
Alpinestarhero
05-05-07, 03:20 PM
Hot water has a lower pH than cold water but this does not mean it is more acidic.
I dontthink this is correct
A lower pH indicates a higher concentration of hydrogen ions! pH = -log[H+], where the log is to base 10.
Wikipedia, not being peer-reveiwed, has all sorts of errors...
Ok, about the meniscous thing; apprently its to do with a concentration of hydronium (H30+) ions, which as a sort of surfactant; due to the positive charge, it cant interact with more than 3 other hydronium ions / water molecules. it aranges itself to have one bit at the surface (in contact with the air) and the other part directed at the main water body. I guess, in a way, the same way a phosphilipid aranges itself so the anionic (phosphate part) is in the water, and the lipid (carbon chain) part is in the air / organic material.
That was a poor explanation, i think!
I just wonder how they measured it.
Matt
Alpinestarhero
05-05-07, 03:20 PM
'salright, we can just mine it out of Jupiter.
Actually, the plan is to mine the moon :shock:
Matt
northwind
05-05-07, 03:48 PM
Is it not ice out of the moons, gases out of the gas giants? Using a really big Dyson.
Alpinestarhero
05-05-07, 03:59 PM
Is it not ice out of the moons, gases out of the gas giants? Using a really big Dyson.
LOL the dysons workings will become clogged up!
I think jupiter has more hydrogen than helium. The moon is constantly collecting helium from the particles beltched out by the sun
Plus the moon is a tad nearer :cool:
Matt
northwind
05-05-07, 04:15 PM
Ah, our moon. Wasn't paying attention.
I'm trying to come up with an uber-geeky Dyson sphere joke here, but it's not going to fly I think.
Alpinestarhero
05-05-07, 04:18 PM
Ah, our moon. Wasn't paying attention.
I'm trying to come up with an uber-geeky Dyson sphere joke here, but it's not going to fly I think.
GO for it, before Hovis does :D
Matt
Filipe M.
06-05-07, 10:15 AM
Ok, about the meniscous thing; apprently its to do with a concentration of hydronium (H30+) ions, which as a sort of surfactant; due to the positive charge, it cant interact with more than 3 other hydronium ions / water molecules. it aranges itself to have one bit at the surface (in contact with the air) and the other part directed at the main water body. I guess, in a way, the same way a phosphilipid aranges itself so the anionic (phosphate part) is in the water, and the lipid (carbon chain) part is in the air / organic material.
GEEK! :D
Alpinestarhero
06-05-07, 06:05 PM
GEEK! :D
Unashamadly :D :D :D :D
Chemistry is damn cool :cool:
Matt
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