Author Topic: Your Wikipedia find of the week  (Read 111879 times)

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #600 on: 23 October, 2020, 09:33:22 pm »
Betteridge's law of headlines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines
Quote
This story is a great demonstration of my maxim that any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word "no." The reason why journalists use that style of headline is that they know the story is probably bullshit, and don’t actually have the sources and facts to back it up, but still want to run it.

Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #601 on: 24 October, 2020, 06:01:29 pm »
Found when researching questions for work zoom quiz: Félicette the first cat in space (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9licette), courtesy of the French space program

Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #602 on: 23 November, 2020, 09:02:29 pm »
D. B. Cooper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was slightly too young to remember this.  What a story, and what a mystery.

Back to the OP - the Storyville documentary about this is on BBC4 now.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #603 on: 23 November, 2020, 09:18:58 pm »
D.B. Cooper in Storyville?!!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyville,_New_Orleans He might fit but he's 40 years too late.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #604 on: 24 November, 2020, 01:37:10 am »
Great band, Storyville.  They were where Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section ended up after SRV got on the wrong helichopter.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #605 on: 01 December, 2020, 01:11:49 am »
D. B. Cooper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was slightly too young to remember this.  What a story, and what a mystery.

Back to the OP - the Storyville documentary about this is on BBC4 now.

Watched this earlier this evening.  Fascinating Stuffs, though I reckon they downplayed the notion that he died either during or immediately after the jump.  Though if he did it adds another level to the “how did some of the money fetch up at Tina Bar nine years later” question.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #606 on: 03 December, 2020, 09:56:30 am »
D. B. Cooper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was slightly too young to remember this.  What a story, and what a mystery.

Back to the OP - the Storyville documentary about this is on BBC4 now.

Watched this earlier this evening.  Fascinating Stuffs, though I reckon they downplayed the notion that he died either during or immediately after the jump.  Though if he did it adds another level to the “how did some of the money fetch up at Tina Bar nine years later” question.

Watched this last week - great documentary then read the wikipedia page.
I believe that he probably died from the parachute jump, but it's fascinating that so many believed otherwise and that he was their fiend/husband/father/uncle.

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #607 on: 04 December, 2020, 12:56:34 pm »
As I was walking the dog1 in the park this morning we chanced upon a woman (Probably late 30s) and her dog coming the other way.  Both dogs decided to have a bark-fest. As we were each admonishing our respective mutts she unexpectedly let out a tremendous fart, at which point she scuttled away.  ;D
She wasn't quick thinking enough to blame her dog.
Childishly, I'm still sniggering about it.

1 We've had to admit that this is her actual name.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #608 on: 06 December, 2020, 12:06:32 am »
As I was walking the dog1 in the park this morning we chanced upon a woman (Probably late 30s) and her dog coming the other way.  Both dogs decided to have a bark-fest. As we were each admonishing our respective mutts she unexpectedly let out a tremendous fart, at which point she scuttled away.  ;D
She wasn't quick thinking enough to blame her dog.
Childishly, I'm still sniggering about it.

1 We've had to admit that this is her actual name.

Can you give us link to the Wikipedia entry?

Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #609 on: 21 February, 2021, 10:08:21 am »

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #610 on: 21 February, 2021, 10:16:46 am »
The funniest one-line in film history, as voted in my someone or other.

Quote
In 2007, the pun "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me", spoken by Kenneth Williams, was voted the funniest one-line joke in film history.[10][11] The line was not written by Rothwell but borrowed with permission from a Take It from Here script written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carry_On_Cleo refers.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #611 on: 21 February, 2021, 01:31:02 pm »
Vol de sirop d'érable du siècle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Canadian_Maple_Syrup_Heist

Of course Quebec has a strategic maple syrup reserve.

Presumably there's also a stockpile of hot-pink hockey tape, in case the shit really hits the fan.


Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #613 on: 20 March, 2021, 10:59:52 pm »
The Chronovisor.  Seems a Roman Catholic priest, one Father Ernetti, built a device that allowed him to view and hear the past.  So basically he invented Dave.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #614 on: 20 March, 2021, 11:04:55 pm »
Sounds like Devs.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
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    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #615 on: 21 March, 2021, 12:45:05 am »
Devs, Dave… Devs was mentioned on the Wikinaccurate talk page, though similar devices have cropped up in sci-fi stories by Messrs Asimov and Clarke, and also some bloke whose name* I've already forgotten before WW2.

* though it wasn’t Dave
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #616 on: 21 March, 2021, 07:49:41 pm »
Dev is the nickname for Dave Null, everyone's imaginary colleague who deals with all that recruitment stuff, please hold and I'll put you through...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #617 on: 21 March, 2021, 08:32:02 pm »
This deserves crossposting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chairs
The ball chair is very cool in a 1960s futuristic space-age way, but their chosen bar stool is just weird.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #618 on: 28 March, 2021, 01:55:22 pm »
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #619 on: 28 March, 2021, 02:06:02 pm »
Made with

External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #620 on: 28 March, 2021, 04:03:11 pm »
Europe please rescue us - petition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groans_of_the_Britons

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
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    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #621 on: 28 March, 2021, 07:23:20 pm »
Protection from the Scots is the last thing the rest of the UK needs right now :D
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #622 on: 29 March, 2021, 04:24:47 pm »
Magnus Pyke,  who, depending upon your age was either the 1970s equivalent of a somewhat more animated Brian Cox, the director of a rest home for deranged scientists, who thought that Miss Sakamoto was beautiful, or for younger readers probably just "who?" worked as a nutrionalist at the Ministry of Food during the second world war (and beyond).

Whilst there he suggested using excess human blood supplies to make black pudding for the masses.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #623 on: 05 December, 2021, 10:05:13 am »
How do you move a dragline excavator 13 miles to its new working location?

You walk it at 0.01mph.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundew_(dragline)
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Your Wikipedia find of the week
« Reply #624 on: 05 December, 2021, 10:21:04 am »
Some of us are old enough to remember watching film* of that on Blue Peter with the one, the only, John Noakes.




*We were living not that far from Corby at the time and the local press was full of it as well.
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