Interesting facts
- Thread starter Da Orky Man
- Start date
There is a protein in the human body called Sonic Hedgehog. I kid ye not. A scientist actually named it that. It is encoded by the SHH gene (hence, Sonic HedgeHog). It helps control the growth of limbs and digits among other things.
It even has an potential inhibitor called Robotnikinin.
It even has an potential inhibitor called Robotnikinin.
Thomas Midgley jr. was the guy who added TEL to gasoline (leaded petrol) which made cars run slightly better, but had terrible effects on the environment....he also developed the earliest types of CFCs which were worse again!
AND...
If you were to stretch out every strand of DNA in you body it would reach...wait for it.... for 1/10th of a lightyear! That's outside our solar system!
QI FTW!!!
AND...
If you were to stretch out every strand of DNA in you body it would reach...wait for it.... for 1/10th of a lightyear! That's outside our solar system!
QI FTW!!!
Bah! The books lied to me again!direkiller said:
Lesson learned - I am never reading a book again to get facts. Just the internet will do!
Huh. Neato. I was speaking more in terms of Britain - as of now, notes only start at £5, though we have the £2 to compensate for that. Sorta kinda.Ironside said:
Hey, come on, at least pounds and pennyweights came from something that made a vague amount of sense. Admittedly, that thing came from something that doesn't - why split a pound of sterling silver into 240 pieces anyway? Good for chain-mail, maybe? - But at least the money system came from something other then "feet" and "yards" or... whatever it was, I forget.an annoyed writer said:
But yeah, long story short:
WE CHANGED OUR STUPID MONEY, USA
NOW GO METRIC YOU TOSS-POTS
The only explanation I remember hearing about why the UK, Australia and Japan, which are all islands, have left-sided driving was something to do with how oncoming ships passed each other. No idea how true it is, though.Da Orky Man said:
Daystar is always able to get first post on new threads because he actually lives inside the Escapist servers.Daystar Clarion said:
He's also one of the few people who knows where the basement is and where they're keeping Vault101.
The two booster rockets full of fuel that NASA strap to the sides of space shuttles when they launch would be more effective if they were a few feet thicker, but they can't be built that thick because the plant that manufactures them in Utah transports the rockets to the launch site by train, and the trains have to go through a tunnel, so the booster rockets can only be as large as the tunnel, which is only slightly wider than the train tracks.VoidWanderer said:
The train tracks were built to the same specifications as the British rail system: and the standardised distance that Britain used between the two rails was 4 feet, and 8 1/2 inches.
The reason the British railroads were built that exact distance was because the British tram lines before them had been built that distance apart, so the industry was used to working at those distances.
The reason the British tramlines were built that far apart was because that was the distance between the two wagon wheels of the British horse-drawn carriages, and the same measuring tools were used to build the trams that built the carriages.
The reason the British horse-drawn carriage wheels were built that far apart was because that was the distance of the ruts worn into the older, straight roads around Britain, and the carriage wheels would bounce about, notch and break if they didn't stick to the ruts.
The older, straight roads had been designed and laid by the Romans, and the ruts belonged to their Roman chariots, which were a standardised length of 4 feet and 8 1/2 inches.
The measurement of 4 feet 8 1/2 inches was used because the Romans decided that was the average width (as you have said) of two horses standing side by side (harnessed into a chariot of course.)
So the Romans are responsible for affecting the efficiency of NASA's space shuttles.
I bet they planned it.
Horror classics Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are based on the same true story.
Badlands and Natural Born Killers were also based on the same true story (not the same one as the other two, though).
Bonnie and Clyde was the first movie to show a gun being fired and the bullet hitting its target in the same shot.
The prison from Cool Hand Luke was actually condemned during filming--the production company actually built it out in the middle of nowhere and the police found it and thought it was a shanty town.
There was a plan for a fourth Godfather movie, but the writer of the books died and the director (I can't remember their names) didn't feel right doing it without him.
Director and Movie Make-Up master Guillermo del Toro had planned on making a movie based on HP Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. The movie was cancelled when del Toro refused to budge on an R rating. Instead, we got Fast and Furious 5.
For those who remember the movie Goodfellas. The movie was based on the life of a real mobster. During the movie (and his life) he wakes up to find his wife kneeling over him with his gun pointed at his face. In an interview, the actual mobster said that, despite his career in crime, that was the scariest moment of his life.
The scene from Jurassic Park where the scientist guy and the two kids run from a stampede of dinosaurs, and the scene from Indiana Jones where Indie runs down the hill side from the tribe were filmed only a couple miles from each other (on the same ranch, I think) on the Hawaiian island of Kauai
That's all I can remember right now.
Badlands and Natural Born Killers were also based on the same true story (not the same one as the other two, though).
Bonnie and Clyde was the first movie to show a gun being fired and the bullet hitting its target in the same shot.
The prison from Cool Hand Luke was actually condemned during filming--the production company actually built it out in the middle of nowhere and the police found it and thought it was a shanty town.
There was a plan for a fourth Godfather movie, but the writer of the books died and the director (I can't remember their names) didn't feel right doing it without him.
Director and Movie Make-Up master Guillermo del Toro had planned on making a movie based on HP Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. The movie was cancelled when del Toro refused to budge on an R rating. Instead, we got Fast and Furious 5.
For those who remember the movie Goodfellas. The movie was based on the life of a real mobster. During the movie (and his life) he wakes up to find his wife kneeling over him with his gun pointed at his face. In an interview, the actual mobster said that, despite his career in crime, that was the scariest moment of his life.
The scene from Jurassic Park where the scientist guy and the two kids run from a stampede of dinosaurs, and the scene from Indiana Jones where Indie runs down the hill side from the tribe were filmed only a couple miles from each other (on the same ranch, I think) on the Hawaiian island of Kauai
That's all I can remember right now.
Random crap I learned from my classes in University.
I, uh, hope at least one of those facts were interesting to someone.
1) That Hybrid cars are not actually that fuel effienct, and the few cars that are (typically the powered "Telsa" cars) have little to no stations around to jack up, thus severely limiting their appeal, which in turn limits the desire to go that route
2) Solar Panels are not very efficient, gathering only around 40% of total rays. The technology from them hasn't really improved much since the 1970's and so far are the main reason why most companies refuse to use them. However, once we are able to gather 100% of rays their efficiency will skyrocket and thus become more accepted.
3) That phone numbers involved a long combo of suffix's and codes. For example, in the United States, say we have the number 1-555-555-5555
The 1 designates it's in the United States, or country suffix. The first three fives are the Area Code, or which county the receiver is in. The next three fives are codes for the relay station the numbers are routed to, and finally the last four digits are the actual subscribers unique code.
4) Cities choose which of the two ways to pave a highway based on their cost v their weather resistance.
Asphalt, that black, very smooth surface that people prefer riding on since it's a relaxed ride and not very bumpy. Not that expensive, but very weak to the weather.
Cement, that ugly grey that's very bumpy, and slightly more expensive, but extremely resistant to the weather. This is why you'll see asphalt in cities with a fixed climate while you'll generally see cement out in a mountain / far from a city highway.
5) If you are able to cut a surface so fine to the millionths of an inch, or 0.000001th of an inch, and place it against another surface of equal cut, they will stick together. Why? Because they are so flat that they push out the air molecules and thus create a vaccum and the surrounding air pressure pushes them together. You have to be careful with cuts so fine, as letting them be exposed to the air even for a minute will severely reduce the cut because simply having microscopic dust landing on it can really add up!
6) Certain fire extinguishers are used for different fires, that's why most are labeled either A, B, C, D or ABC.
A = Paper
B = Oil
C = Chemical
D = Magnesium
ABC fire extinguishers are very common now because they're able to get rid of most common fires without worrying if you have the right one. However, D fires are extremely dangerous as they will not stop burning and require a very special substance to counter it. Be aware that certain fire extinguishers can actually kill you, because certain fires require the oxygen to be put out to proper douse it, so some extinguishers use a special chemical spray that literally begins to destroy the oxygen in a room. We are always advised to use the extinguisher quickly and then immediately evacuate the room to prevent suffocating.
2) Solar Panels are not very efficient, gathering only around 40% of total rays. The technology from them hasn't really improved much since the 1970's and so far are the main reason why most companies refuse to use them. However, once we are able to gather 100% of rays their efficiency will skyrocket and thus become more accepted.
3) That phone numbers involved a long combo of suffix's and codes. For example, in the United States, say we have the number 1-555-555-5555
The 1 designates it's in the United States, or country suffix. The first three fives are the Area Code, or which county the receiver is in. The next three fives are codes for the relay station the numbers are routed to, and finally the last four digits are the actual subscribers unique code.
4) Cities choose which of the two ways to pave a highway based on their cost v their weather resistance.
Asphalt, that black, very smooth surface that people prefer riding on since it's a relaxed ride and not very bumpy. Not that expensive, but very weak to the weather.
Cement, that ugly grey that's very bumpy, and slightly more expensive, but extremely resistant to the weather. This is why you'll see asphalt in cities with a fixed climate while you'll generally see cement out in a mountain / far from a city highway.
5) If you are able to cut a surface so fine to the millionths of an inch, or 0.000001th of an inch, and place it against another surface of equal cut, they will stick together. Why? Because they are so flat that they push out the air molecules and thus create a vaccum and the surrounding air pressure pushes them together. You have to be careful with cuts so fine, as letting them be exposed to the air even for a minute will severely reduce the cut because simply having microscopic dust landing on it can really add up!
6) Certain fire extinguishers are used for different fires, that's why most are labeled either A, B, C, D or ABC.
A = Paper
B = Oil
C = Chemical
D = Magnesium
ABC fire extinguishers are very common now because they're able to get rid of most common fires without worrying if you have the right one. However, D fires are extremely dangerous as they will not stop burning and require a very special substance to counter it. Be aware that certain fire extinguishers can actually kill you, because certain fires require the oxygen to be put out to proper douse it, so some extinguishers use a special chemical spray that literally begins to destroy the oxygen in a room. We are always advised to use the extinguisher quickly and then immediately evacuate the room to prevent suffocating.
1) People face the doors in an elevator (or Lift for the UK) and not each other because of the awkardness of the situation due to being so closely cramped together which violates personal space and subconciously makes a person wish not to see each other and to quickly escape. Men are more likely to be in the back, while women are more likely to be in the front due to a power play. The male in the back likes having only to defend himself from the front in case of an attacker while women generally prefer the idea of being protected by those behind her. Not saying this is for all, but a general sub concious reasoning.
2) Suicide is not really a personal act, but one of society. A person has an overwhelming urge for self preservation, and suicide is seen as their only escape from society's clamps in certain situations, this is why industralized societies have an extreme amount of suicide rates while pre industral have an extremely low one. A balance between liberty and control must be established, too much of either can result in high suicide rates in a society. Too little control and people feel alienated and alone to the point they feel worthless, while too much control causes a person to believe that the only way to resolve their issues is through death, two examples are:
Too little control: Unmarried persons are more likely to commit suicide than those who are married because they do not have much to lose, hence little control, while those who are married have to worry about their spouse, children, etc, and thus feel alone.
Too much control: People living in oppressive areas, such as North Korea, feel their lives are governed too much and have extremely high suicide rates because of the lack of personal freedom. Another example is prison.
Amusingly enough, a person can be socialized into believing that suicide is good for the whole. Altruism is the believe that by sacrificing oneself the group may prosper. This is evident in both military and non military scenarios, such as the soldier who jumps on a grenade to save their comrads or the husband who commits suicide so the family may gain the much needed money from life insurance. Again, suicide, while perceived to be "selfish," is actually dependent heavily on society.
3) Punishment (e.g. prisons) are extremely ineffective, while rehabilitation (mental wards, counseling) are highly efficient for helping offenders. Prison requires a person to become resocialized and more violent to survive in the new environment and establish new "norms" such as you must maintain eye contact or risk having others take control of you. In the end, this creates a nasty cycle that either ruins a person (institutionalization) or resocializes the person with even more dangerous ideas and norms. This is why people are referred to as being "hardened" in prison.
2) Suicide is not really a personal act, but one of society. A person has an overwhelming urge for self preservation, and suicide is seen as their only escape from society's clamps in certain situations, this is why industralized societies have an extreme amount of suicide rates while pre industral have an extremely low one. A balance between liberty and control must be established, too much of either can result in high suicide rates in a society. Too little control and people feel alienated and alone to the point they feel worthless, while too much control causes a person to believe that the only way to resolve their issues is through death, two examples are:
Too little control: Unmarried persons are more likely to commit suicide than those who are married because they do not have much to lose, hence little control, while those who are married have to worry about their spouse, children, etc, and thus feel alone.
Too much control: People living in oppressive areas, such as North Korea, feel their lives are governed too much and have extremely high suicide rates because of the lack of personal freedom. Another example is prison.
Amusingly enough, a person can be socialized into believing that suicide is good for the whole. Altruism is the believe that by sacrificing oneself the group may prosper. This is evident in both military and non military scenarios, such as the soldier who jumps on a grenade to save their comrads or the husband who commits suicide so the family may gain the much needed money from life insurance. Again, suicide, while perceived to be "selfish," is actually dependent heavily on society.
3) Punishment (e.g. prisons) are extremely ineffective, while rehabilitation (mental wards, counseling) are highly efficient for helping offenders. Prison requires a person to become resocialized and more violent to survive in the new environment and establish new "norms" such as you must maintain eye contact or risk having others take control of you. In the end, this creates a nasty cycle that either ruins a person (institutionalization) or resocializes the person with even more dangerous ideas and norms. This is why people are referred to as being "hardened" in prison.
1) Everything digital is made up of 1's and 0's, or binary. Even the computer screen you are reading this post right now, at its most basic level, is 1's and 0's. This is because computers read coding in a layer, or "cake" system that multiple layers of code. Binary, the most basic, can be imagined as atoms while later on the code expands into more casual user interfaces, such as the Command level (imagine 1980's computers and text) all the way up to more modern codes such as Java. Bascially, the code is just compressing the binary into simple access. For example, telling the computer to write the letter I on the screen is pretty much just layers upon layers of hundreds of binary text to do that one command. Even basic things such as DVD's are pure 1's and 0's that the laser from the disk drive "reads" at an extreme pace, telling it where to place each pixel on the screen and when to properly use the sound. It's literally all 1's and 0's on your DVD disk. Nothing more. At all.
2) Programming is 10% writing the code, 90% trying to see where you fucked up.
2) Programming is 10% writing the code, 90% trying to see where you fucked up.
1) Sucks
I, uh, hope at least one of those facts were interesting to someone.
North Korea was caught making an invasion tunnel below the DMZ.
They claimed it was a coal tunnel that "accidentally" went to far south. To prove this, they showed that the walls of the cave were black.
Not with coal, black paint.
Did I mention that North Korea is a coal producing nation, yet did not think to put some of it in the cave?
-----
The current bishop of the Catholic Church (Francis Hong Yong-ho) has not been seen since 1949 and would be over 100 years old by now. They won't change it till North Korea declares the man dead, North Korea maintains the man does not exist.
-----
This is why photos of Kim Jung Il has him looking right, prepare to hold down your lunch ( http://s16.photobucket.com/user/Nameless_Ensign/media/Kim-lump.jpg.html )
-----
North Korea spends 25% of it's GDP on it's military. However, it's entire GDP is only around $40 billion, which is only $7 Billion above South Korea's military budget, $33 Billion (only $15 of South Korea's over trillion dollar GDP).
-----
North Korea's airforce includes biplanes.
They claimed it was a coal tunnel that "accidentally" went to far south. To prove this, they showed that the walls of the cave were black.
Not with coal, black paint.
Did I mention that North Korea is a coal producing nation, yet did not think to put some of it in the cave?
-----
The current bishop of the Catholic Church (Francis Hong Yong-ho) has not been seen since 1949 and would be over 100 years old by now. They won't change it till North Korea declares the man dead, North Korea maintains the man does not exist.
-----
This is why photos of Kim Jung Il has him looking right, prepare to hold down your lunch ( http://s16.photobucket.com/user/Nameless_Ensign/media/Kim-lump.jpg.html )
-----
North Korea spends 25% of it's GDP on it's military. However, it's entire GDP is only around $40 billion, which is only $7 Billion above South Korea's military budget, $33 Billion (only $15 of South Korea's over trillion dollar GDP).
-----
North Korea's airforce includes biplanes.
I guess this one depends on weather you believe in native american curses/blessings, but...........
In 1965, the city of Topeka, Kansas (down the highway from where I live) wanted to build a watertower and houses on a hill near the town. However, the Sax and Fox native american tribe in the area protested. They said the hill was sacred and that it was a gift from the Gods to protect the city from tornados. The city of Topekas government said that was a load of superstious nonsense. They went on with the constuction. In 1966, after construction had been completed, something happened. What happened?
Tornados happened! [http://www.google.com/search?safe=off&client=safari&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=672&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=mR6oUZuhEcH1ygGL04HgBw&q=1966+great+topeka+tornado&oq=1966+great+topeka+tornado&gs_l=img.3...7728.9455.0.11282.5.5.0.0.0.0.138.489.2j3.5.0...0.0...1c.1.15.img.syuBdEzScL4]
This F5 tornado torn straight trough downtown, just barely missed the state capital, and after adjusting for inflation is STILL one of the most destructive and costly tornados ever to hit the US. The tribes in the area didn't bother saying "told you so".
In 1965, the city of Topeka, Kansas (down the highway from where I live) wanted to build a watertower and houses on a hill near the town. However, the Sax and Fox native american tribe in the area protested. They said the hill was sacred and that it was a gift from the Gods to protect the city from tornados. The city of Topekas government said that was a load of superstious nonsense. They went on with the constuction. In 1966, after construction had been completed, something happened. What happened?
Tornados happened! [http://www.google.com/search?safe=off&client=safari&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=672&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=mR6oUZuhEcH1ygGL04HgBw&q=1966+great+topeka+tornado&oq=1966+great+topeka+tornado&gs_l=img.3...7728.9455.0.11282.5.5.0.0.0.0.138.489.2j3.5.0...0.0...1c.1.15.img.syuBdEzScL4]
This F5 tornado torn straight trough downtown, just barely missed the state capital, and after adjusting for inflation is STILL one of the most destructive and costly tornados ever to hit the US. The tribes in the area didn't bother saying "told you so".