Author Topic: what I have learned today. (Read 858742 times)

The French Tandem · « **Reply #4925 on:** 03 January, 2021, 12:40:09 pm »

Quote from: PeteB99 on 31 December, 2020, 02:25:22 pm

The most produced Volkswagen part is Part no 199 398 500 A

(click to show/hide)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_currywurst

... and in VW dealerships in Germany, customers are treated with free samples of said part, while in all other countries, customers just get useless junk like pens, lighters, etc.

Jurek · « **Reply #4926 on:** 03 January, 2021, 12:56:29 pm »

Quote from: The French Tandem on 03 January, 2021, 12:40:09 pm

Quote from: PeteB99 on 31 December, 2020, 02:25:22 pm
The most produced Volkswagen part is Part no 199 398 500 A

(click to show/hide)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_currywurst

... and in VW dealerships in Germany, customers are treated with free samples of said part, while in all other countries, customers just get useless junk like pens, lighters, etc.

You can buy them in the UK from The Sausage Man

ElyDave · « **Reply #4927 on:** 03 January, 2021, 01:41:59 pm »

Quote from: rafletcher on 25 December, 2020, 09:20:40 am

What Kelly take-offs are.

I was curious as I thought they'd be related to a Kelly Drive, so wondering why they'd be referenced here, but they are not at all related

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

rafletcher · « **Reply #4928 on:** 03 January, 2021, 03:54:40 pm »

Quote from: ElyDave on 03 January, 2021, 01:41:59 pm

Quote from: rafletcher on 25 December, 2020, 09:20:40 am
What Kelly take-offs are.

I was curious as I thought they'd be related to a Kelly Drive, so wondering why they'd be referenced here, but they are not at all related

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

Ah, the Kelly deck, home to the three-fingered roughneck.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4929 on:** 03 January, 2021, 06:19:01 pm »

Quote from: Jurek on 03 January, 2021, 12:56:29 pm

Quote from: The French Tandem on 03 January, 2021, 12:40:09 pm
Quote from: PeteB99 on 31 December, 2020, 02:25:22 pm
The most produced Volkswagen part is Part no 199 398 500 A

(click to show/hide)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_currywurst

... and in VW dealerships in Germany, customers are treated with free samples of said part, while in all other countries, customers just get useless junk like pens, lighters, etc.

You can buy them in the UK from The Sausage Man

How long before the Brexit bonus means they – and all their other exotic FOREIGN sossidges – are replaced with domestically-produced tubes of unicorn offal?

Kim · « **Reply #4930 on:** 03 January, 2021, 08:13:14 pm »

* Minimum 5% unicorn.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #4931 on:** 03 January, 2021, 08:15:09 pm »

Narwhal sausages now we've taken control of our fishing fleet. (May contain traces of tusk.)

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #4932 on:** 04 January, 2021, 03:26:08 pm »

There I was, looking for uses for inner tubes...
https://www.instructables.com/inner-tube-gimp-mask/

PeteB99 · « **Reply #4933 on:** 07 January, 2021, 12:24:44 pm »

Alaska is the Northern most US state. It's also the Western most US state (I knew both of those already).

It's also the Eastern most US state. (That one I wasn't aware of).

ElyDave · « **Reply #4934 on:** 07 January, 2021, 12:30:07 pm »

more so than hawaii? I'm off to check on a globe

PeteB99 · « **Reply #4935 on:** 07 January, 2021, 12:33:01 pm »

You need to check where the International date line passes through the Aleutian islands.

darkpoint · « **Reply #4936 on:** 07 January, 2021, 01:39:13 pm »

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/2020/11/we-knew-platypuses-were-incredible-now-we-know-they-glow-too

Platypuses emit UV light.

T42 · « **Reply #4937 on:** 13 January, 2021, 05:05:55 pm »

Ripe kakis have just as much tannin as unripe ones, but once the seeds appear the tannin is transformed into an insoluble form so we can't taste it.

fimm · « **Reply #4938 on:** 14 January, 2021, 04:00:38 pm »

The reason why a piggy bank is called a piggy bank:
https://twitter.com/AshmoleanMuseum/status/1349696793873940480

Quote

but these vessels were made out of clay, which was referred to as 'pygg' in the Middle Ages. The pronunciation eventually evolved to 'pig', and the shapes of the vessels followed suit.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #4939 on:** 15 January, 2021, 06:44:19 pm »

There is No limit to the benefits of exercise in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Good news for us, I guess.

mllePB · « **Reply #4940 on:** 15 January, 2021, 08:04:11 pm »

Early discovery of the all-pervasive levels of lead pollution in the mid 20th century came through a phd student trying to study a meteorite to estimate the age of the earth. His investigations were being disrupted by contamination that he struggled to remove.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clair_Cameron_Patterson

mark · « **Reply #4941 on:** 15 January, 2021, 08:27:34 pm »

The quote at the end of that Wikipedia article is excellent.

Quote

“I’m a little child,” Patterson would say. “You know the emperor’s new clothes? I can see the naked emperor, just because I’m a little child-minded person. I’m not smart. I mean, good scientists are like that. They have the minds of children, to see through all this façade.”

I remember the controversy over lead in automobile fuels. It turns out that a lot of the crime and anti-social behavior in American inner cities was caused at least in part by lead poisoning.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4942 on:** 15 January, 2021, 09:07:46 pm »

Quote from: mark on 15 January, 2021, 08:27:34 pm

The quote at the end of that Wikipedia article is excellent.

Quote
“I’m a little child,” Patterson would say. “You know the emperor’s new clothes? I can see the naked emperor, just because I’m a little child-minded person. I’m not smart. I mean, good scientists are like that. They have the minds of children, to see through all this façade.”

I remember the controversy over lead in automobile fuels. It turns out that a lot of the crime and anti-social behavior in American inner cities was caused at least in part by lead poisoning.

Take a bow, Thomas Midgley Jr.. Played a significant role in both the development of tetraethyl lead as a fuel additive and chlorofluorocarbons as a refrigerant.

ian · « **Reply #4943 on:** 15 January, 2021, 09:19:25 pm »

The hypothesis of lead and violent crime is a case study of correlation versus causation though.

But on balance, you still shouldn't eat lead.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4944 on:** 15 January, 2021, 09:25:52 pm »

It's probably not as dangerous as that white goo in the middle of golf balls, though, or indeed even as dangerous as most woo espoused by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #4945 on:** 15 January, 2021, 11:39:34 pm »

Ms Paltrow is indeed dangerous.

Paul · « **Reply #4946 on:** 15 January, 2021, 11:42:56 pm »

She certainly gets on one’s wick.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #4947 on:** 17 January, 2021, 10:16:18 pm »

That there is a word - sparko - and it means to be in a deep sleep.

My dear wife had heard the word before. I have attempted - unsuccessfully - to research its etymology but have drawn a blank. There's a suggestion that it dates from the 1960s but where and why was not explained.

hatler · « **Reply #4948 on:** 17 January, 2021, 10:16:59 pm »

Sounds WW2ish to me.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4949 on:** 18 January, 2021, 01:07:24 am »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 17 January, 2021, 10:16:18 pm

That there is a word - sparko - and it means to be in a deep sleep.

My dear wife had heard the word before. I have attempted - unsuccessfully - to research its etymology but have drawn a blank. There's a suggestion that it dates from the 1960s but where and why was not explained.

Shortened – quite possibly by the Australians – version of “sparked out” as in a dead fire, according to that The Internet, that they have now.