things i don't understand

[Beardy]

Magnetism. I don't get that either. In theory, when explained to me, I do. But then my mind turns all glassy and the explanation slides off.

I have a magnetically levitated globe in my office and every time I look at it, it makes me shiver.

magnetism is basically magic and anyone who says they understand it is a liar. Oh, sure, we know how to make it, but unlike electricary which we understand down to molecular level, no one really understands magnets. Quantum fisicist will wave their hands at you as if their explanations make perfect sense, but anyone who tells you with a straight face that a cat is both alive and dead at the same time is obviously not rite in the head and so shouldn’t be trusted with sharp objects let alone an explanation of magic.

[spesh]

Anyone who's read PTerry's 'Lords And Ladies' knows that the quantum physicists have got it all wrong WRT Schrödinger's infamous thought experiment:

“In fact, the mere act of opening the box will determine the state of the cat, although in this case there were three determinate states the cat could be in: these being Alive, Dead, and Bloody Furious.”

[Wobbly John]

Yes, I understand that. It makes sense, but when you list the shapes it sounds bonkers.

[T42]

Like two blokes in a Fiat Uno?

[PeteB99]

To be honest it would be remarkable if a species of ape that recently evolved on the african savannah could understand quantum mechanics.

We've done well to get this far.

[T42]

The savannahs haven't, though.

[Pingu]

I don't understand why anyone invented Belgium. And, before you say beer and chocolate I'd like to point out that they were invented elsewhere but brought to a reasonable point of perfection out of boredom.

I thought it was invented by the British to annoy the French.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I thought it was the Spanish annoying the Dutch.

[Jurek]

I don't understand why anyone invented Belgium. And, before you say beer and chocolate I'd like to point out that they were invented elsewhere but brought to a reasonable point of perfection out of boredom.

I thought it was invented by the British to annoy the French.

If you didn't have Belgium, you wouldn't have the saxophone (Nicknack otp may have something to say about that) or Rene Magritte, or Eddy Merxxcxxcxx.

[SteveC]

I'd always wondered about why Belgium until I went there.
It's the Catholic^* portion of the Low Countries. The Protestant bit fought the Spanish (the 80 years war) and eventually got independence.
The Catholic bit remained under Hapsburg control for sometime.
I think the current monarchy was first introduced after the fall of Napoleon.

*: there were more Jesuits in what's now Belgium during the Counter-Reformation than in the whole of France. It really was seen as the front line in a religious war.

[ElyDave]

if you didn't have Belgium then you wouldn't have Heart of Darkness, or Apocalypse Now

[andytheflyer]

I don't understand why anyone invented Belgium. And, before you say beer and chocolate I'd like to point out that they were invented elsewhere but brought to a reasonable point of perfection out of boredom.

I thought it was invented by the British to annoy the French.

If you didn't have Belgium, you wouldn't have the saxophone (Nicknack otp may have something to say about that) or Rene Magritte, or Eddy Merxxcxxcxx.

Indeed, although Adolphe Sax could have been born somewhere else I suppose.

[T42]

If you didn't have Belgium you wouldn't have chips. Not the sealed kind, the Freedom Fries kind.

[Cudzoziemiec]

if you didn't have Belgium then you wouldn't have Heart of Darkness, or Apocalypse Now

Although the Congo wasn't Belgian, it was Leopold's personal backyard, and genocidal maniacs get born all over the world.

[orienteer]

After doing dirty jobs my fingernails get dirt underneath so I clean them with any convenient pointy object. What I don't understand is why, despite not doing any further dirty work, they turn black again within hours.

[fuzzy]

If we didn't have Belgium, we wouldn't have Belgian Beer!

The Horror!

[spesh]

If we didn't have Belgium, we wouldn't have Belgian Beer!

The Horror!

It would probably mean that, depending on the historical breaks, southern Dutch or northern French beer would be more interesting instead.

[pcolbeck]

After doing dirty jobs my fingernails get dirt underneath so I clean them with any convenient pointy object. What I don't understand is why, despite not doing any further dirty work, they turn black again within hours.

The only way to clean my fingernails properly is to wash my hair I have found. Or an old fashioned nail brush but that's painful !

[ian]

I quite like Belgium. Admittedly, they go to bed early, as we discovered earlier this year when trying to eat in Mechelen at 9pm.

[PaulF]

I quite like Belgium. Admittedly, they go to bed early, as we discovered earlier this year when trying to eat in Mechelen at 9pm.

Mechelen You have my sympathy

[ian]

It's not so bad, we found a nice bar in the end and drank some excellent beers into the early hours.

[PaulF]

I used to be there every month so rather exhausted its charms.

[ian]

It's the sort of place that fills an evening, provided you don't plan a late night. I learned about the minuscule size of beaver testicles from a noticeboard at the zoo, which was a big plus.

[hellymedic]

After doing dirty jobs my fingernails get dirt underneath so I clean them with any convenient pointy object. What I don't understand is why, despite not doing any further dirty work, they turn black again within hours.

The only way to clean my fingernails properly is to wash my hair I have found. Or an old fashioned nail brush but that's painful !

Washing dishes by hand is quite effective.
Muck will build up under the nails if you scratch your head, back or elsewhere...

[Kim]

Sounds like you're not biting your nails properly...