what I have learned today.

[Sergeant Pluck]

That there are telescopic urinals.

And that it is possible to be crushed underneath one  Doesn’t bear thinking about.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/27/man-crushed-and-injured-while-working-on-open-air-urinal-in-london

[Jurek]

That moles build fortresses.

Also, in winter, they dig deeper, for that is where the worms are.
So fewer mole hills in winter.

[Mr Larrington]

Today I are learning that Lieutenant Pigeon – yes, them lot wot had a number one hit in 1972 with “Mouldy Old Dough” – is an anagram of “Genuine Potential”.

[robgul]

That there are telescopic urinals.

And that it is possible to be crushed underneath one  Doesn’t bear thinking about.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/27/man-crushed-and-injured-while-working-on-open-air-urinal-in-london

Speaking of urinals - have you seen the ones like a giant 3 or 4 sided traffic cone that they position over drains?    Not sure if they still do but they used to put them out in Central London on Friday and Saturday nights.

Like https://www.urinal.net/charing_cross/   (note it's marked for men!)

[Cudzoziemiec]

Urinals for women do exist too, but they're a recent invention.
https://www.bristol247.com/festivals/news-festivals/get-your-squat-on-bristol-start-up-launches-womens-urinal-at-glastonbury-2022/

[T42]

Cashmere doesn't come from Kashmir.

"Well of course not!" - MrsT

[Kim]

Urinals for women do exist too, but they're a recent invention.
https://www.bristol247.com/festivals/news-festivals/get-your-squat-on-bristol-start-up-launches-womens-urinal-at-glastonbury-2022/

I've seen their website mentioned elseweb, and was impressed by the lengths they go to to not actually show you what their product looks like.

[Snakehips]

A strange little house has recently appeared by the side of the Thames in Ham. I learned today that it is supposedly the home of Brian the otter, a puppet that will feature in a forthcoming publicity film by Thames Water intended to convince us that it is OK to take water out of the river and replace it with 'treated' sewage.
Local swimming group the Teddington Bluetits have been making their feelings known.

See https://outdoorswimmer.com/news/teddington-bluetits-disrupt-thames-water-filming/

and https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11688361/Brian-otter-Sorry-Thames-Water-compare-meerkat-fire-firm-films-advert.html

[rafletcher]

What a Shay locomotive is (or was).

[Cudzoziemiec]

On similar lines, that when Canadian railways were switching from steam to diesel in the 1950s, they tried out diesel-fired steam locomotives. More even burning and no need for a fireman.

[rafletcher]

On similar lines, that when Canadian railways were switching from steam to diesel in the 1950s, they tried out diesel-fired steam locomotives. More even burning and no need for a fireman.

No sparks either.

[citoyen]

Windscreens on Tube trains have their impact resistance tested by firing a 1kg mass at them at 233km/h.

I've just been reading a fascinating article about the process of finding a new supplier of windscreens for Tube trains after the factory that has been making them for decades closed down in 2020. What I'm not sure of is the significance of that speed.

ETA: it's not just Tube trains but all trains. BS EN 15152 applies.

[trundle]

Windscreens on Tube trains have their impact resistance tested by firing a 1kg mass at them at 233km/h.

I've just been reading a fascinating article about the process of finding a new supplier of windscreens for Tube trains after the factory that has been making them for decades closed down in 2020. What I'm not sure of is the significance of that speed.

ETA: it's not just Tube trains but all trains. BS EN 15152 applies.

That's interesting - and I can't help but speculate wildly.

Perhaps this is derived from the maximum closing speed of two opposing tube trains. i.e. something comes off one, hitting the other whilst they are both closing at max speed.

Top speed of tubes today is 60mph - which is 193kph for 120mph closing speed: But if there is a 12.5% engineering uplift, just in case, then that gets 233kph.

Complete speculation on my part - but I think there is some logic in the biggest speeds being two closing trains?

[citoyen]

Sounds plausible!

I did wonder if it might be something as mundane as that being the speed the compressor could generate when the spec was first designed and has thus become the standard.

[Ham]

Windscreens on Tube trains have their impact resistance tested by firing a 1kg mass at them at 233km/h.

I've just been reading a fascinating article about the process of finding a new supplier of windscreens for Tube trains after the factory that has been making them for decades closed down in 2020. What I'm not sure of is the significance of that speed.

ETA: it's not just Tube trains but all trains. BS EN 15152 applies.

That's interesting - and I can't help but speculate wildly.

Perhaps this is derived from the maximum closing speed of two opposing tube trains. i.e. something comes off one, hitting the other whilst they are both closing at max speed.

Top speed of tubes today is 60mph - which is 193kph for 120mph closing speed: But if there is a 12.5% engineering uplift, just in case, then that gets 233kph.

Complete speculation on my part - but I think there is some logic in the biggest speeds being two closing trains?

There's the apocryphal story of a new operative failing all windscreens, which was a problem until they found out that he hadn't been defrosting the chickens first.

[Captain Nemo]

233km/h is stii a bit slow for mainline trains.

Should use a "Chicken Gun" as in aerospace for birdstrike testing of cockpit windows and engines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nAc7wab-l4

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

Legendary stories about test failures when someone "forgot" to defrost the chickens before firing

[citoyen]

I remember the frozen chicken test being covered by an episode of Mythbusters. Can't remember the outcome though.

(Way back in 2004, according to the internet.)

[hatler]

I had a day at the BAE Lymington facility where they performed the 'chicken air gun into a canopy' testing.

Sadly they weren't testing that day.

A local farmer had (still has ?) the contract to provide x number chickens every week within a specified weight range.

[The Family Cyclist]

That there are telescopic urinals.

And that it is possible to be crushed underneath one  Doesn’t bear thinking about.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/27/man-crushed-and-injured-while-working-on-open-air-urinal-in-london

Speaking of urinals - have you seen the ones like a giant 3 or 4 sided traffic cone that they position over drains?    Not sure if they still do but they used to put them out in Central London on Friday and Saturday nights.

Like https://www.urinal.net/charing_cross/   (note it's marked for men!)

Not over drains but at a festival a few years back they had hoist in ones with piss holes on four sides. Problem was it wasn't level, was on the piss and insufficient capacity so was draining out one side

[T42]

That there are telescopic urinals.

And that it is possible to be crushed underneath one  Doesn’t bear thinking about.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/27/man-crushed-and-injured-while-working-on-open-air-urinal-in-london

Speaking of urinals - have you seen the ones like a giant 3 or 4 sided traffic cone that they position over drains?    Not sure if they still do but they used to put them out in Central London on Friday and Saturday nights.

Like https://www.urinal.net/charing_cross/   (note it's marked for men!)

Not over drains but at a festival a few years back they had hoist in ones with piss holes on four sides. Problem was it wasn't level, was on the piss and insufficient capacity so was draining out one side

According to one of my old chums, at one of the Borders rugby grounds fifty years ago the cludges were built over a stream. Fun trick was to set fire to a paper boat upstream...

[Cudzoziemiec]

...that Sram used to make a hub dynamo!
https://sportandleisure.com/products/sram-i-light-d724-dynamo-front-hub-6v-2-4w-36-hole-silver

[TheLurker]

Paco Rabanne was a real person and not just some made up brand.

[rafletcher]

About the Panama Canal “mules”.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Paco Rabanne was a real person and not just some made up brand.

The one that surprised me was Hugo Boss. I'd always assumed that it was just along the lines of "boss clothes". Which now leads me to wonder where the word boss, in that sense, comes from.

[Cudzoziemiec]

...and so today, just this minute, I have learned that 'boss' comes from the Dutch baas, meaning 'master', and its use in English took off in 19th century USA as an alternative to 'master', because that word had associations with slavery. Which perhaps is ironic given the Afrikaans use of baas.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-origin-word-boss-why-its-completely-different-from-thomas/