Author Topic: what I have learned today. (Read 864155 times)

Giraffe · « **Reply #6875 on:** 30 May, 2023, 05:00:07 pm »

Cheaper than going all the way to Dignitas. (Not for unwanted puppies - mustn't drop litter).

Basil · « **Reply #6876 on:** 31 May, 2023, 01:46:08 pm »

That the welsh language uses the 'accent aigu'. I've never seen it before, but Duolingo was teaching me some animal names, and up popped 'jíraff'.
I don't know if there are any more examples.

T42 · « **Reply #6877 on:** 31 May, 2023, 04:44:36 pm »

The tip of the Washington Monument is made of aluminium. When it was built, aluminium was difficult to extract and work, so this made it one of the most valuable metals of the day.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #6878 on:** 31 May, 2023, 05:01:01 pm »

For the same reason, one of the first objects made of aluminium was a cutlery set presented to Queen Victoria.

T42 · « **Reply #6879 on:** 31 May, 2023, 05:10:18 pm »

At the other end of the scale, we probably have a few old aluminium francs somewhere. They were still on the go, mixed in with the new stuff, when we came to France, and people still spoke in old francs - cinq cent balles was 5 frs and a brique was 10,000. Kinda confusing when you aren't yet fluent.

Come to think of it, some of them still had the Travail, Patrie, Famille slogan on them instead of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.

mark · « **Reply #6880 on:** 31 May, 2023, 05:20:36 pm »

I seem to remember a few denominations of Italian Lire and Austrian Schillings/Gröschen being aluminum. Am I right about this?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #6881 on:** 31 May, 2023, 05:30:17 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 31 May, 2023, 05:10:18 pm

At the other end of the scale, we probably have a few old aluminium francs somewhere. They were still on the go, mixed in with the new stuff, when we came to France, and people still spoke in old francs - cinq cent balles was 5 frs and a brique was 10,000. Kinda confusing when you aren't yet fluent.

Come to think of it, some of them still had the Travail, Patrie, Famille slogan on them instead of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.

Like this?

Quote from: mark on 31 May, 2023, 05:20:36 pm

I seem to remember a few denominations of Italian Lire and Austrian Schillings/Gröschen being aluminum. Am I right about this?

I'm sure I remember aluminium coins from Austria too. And old Polish coins were aluminium; they were replaced in the mid '90s at the rate of 1 new for 10,000 old (and about 5 new to 1 GBP), so you can imagine just how little the old ones were worth...

Basil · « **Reply #6882 on:** 31 May, 2023, 05:36:42 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 31 May, 2023, 05:10:18 pm

At the other end of the scale, we probably have a few old aluminium francs somewhere. They were still on the go, mixed in with the new stuff, when we came to France, and people still spoke in old francs - cinq cent balles was 5 frs and a brique was 10,000. Kinda confusing when you aren't yet fluent.

Come to think of it, some of them still had the Travail, Patrie, Famille slogan on them instead of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.

Paris market traders still gave you the price in Balles when I was living in Paris in the late 70s.
Caused a few 'ow bloody much?' moments until I got used to it.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #6883 on:** 31 May, 2023, 06:13:32 pm »

Found a Finnish 1 penni coin lying around at Fort Larrington at the weekend, which was 97.5% aluminium and 2.5% magnesium.

rafletcher · « **Reply #6884 on:** 31 May, 2023, 06:34:52 pm »

Some 50 years ago I would occasionally put Austrian aluminium coins on the tracks of the Manx Electric Railway at Ballajora Halt whilst waiting for the papers to be delivered.

rafletcher · « **Reply #6885 on:** 02 June, 2023, 09:53:45 am »

That there are a variety of devices sold that can be used for patterning / texturing / spiralising hot dogs.

T42 · « **Reply #6886 on:** 02 June, 2023, 01:17:35 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 31 May, 2023, 05:30:17 pm

Quote from: T42 on 31 May, 2023, 05:10:18 pm
At the other end of the scale, we probably have a few old aluminium francs somewhere. They were still on the go, mixed in with the new stuff, when we came to France, and people still spoke in old francs - cinq cent balles was 5 frs and a brique was 10,000. Kinda confusing when you aren't yet fluent.

Come to think of it, some of them still had the Travail, Patrie, Famille slogan on them instead of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.
Like this?

MrsT tells me she has a piggy-bank full of old francs. Not as pretty as that one, though; they usually took on a grey patina.

cygnet · « **Reply #6887 on:** 02 June, 2023, 10:07:19 pm »

^ got me thinking that 1 yen coins are also aluminium so I checked and was right

As a result of that, what I have learned today is that they also weigh 1g, which is super pleasing design.

Rod Marton · « **Reply #6888 on:** 04 June, 2023, 10:05:35 am »

That Suella Braverman is a Buddhist.

I wonder how she reconciles being a Conservative minister with the eightfold path.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #6889 on:** 04 June, 2023, 11:53:29 am »

I suspect she’s a BINO* and about as devout as the gam-gams who loudly proclaim that “britian is a CRISTUN CUNTRY” while neither attending church nor loving their neighbour as themselves.

* Buddhist In Name Only, obv

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #6890 on:** 05 June, 2023, 01:05:18 pm »

That the capital of Alaska, Juneau, is not connected by road to the rest of North America.

The only way in or out is via plane or ferry.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #6891 on:** 05 June, 2023, 02:09:17 pm »

Moreover, Haines, Skagway and Hyder AK can only be accessed by road from the rest of the state by going through Canada. An awful lot of Canada in the case of Hyder

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #6892 on:** 07 June, 2023, 12:57:12 pm »

That the American pronunciation of the word ‘primer’ (a book or document which helps you decipher information) is pronounced rhyming with strimmer rather than climber.

I watched the film Contact.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #6893 on:** 07 June, 2023, 01:21:52 pm »

Tom Cruise was nearly cast in the lead role of Edward Scissorhands.

mark · « **Reply #6894 on:** 07 June, 2023, 03:23:46 pm »

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 07 June, 2023, 12:57:12 pm

That the American pronunciation of the word ‘primer’ (a book or document which helps you decipher information) is pronounced rhyming with strimmer rather than climber.

I watched the film Contact.

This American has always pronounced 'primer' rhyming with climber, so I guess I've been pronouncing it wrong all these years.

T42 · « **Reply #6895 on:** 07 June, 2023, 03:28:13 pm »

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 07 June, 2023, 12:57:12 pm

That the American pronunciation of the word ‘primer’ (a book or document which helps you decipher information) is pronounced rhyming with strimmer rather than climber.

I watched the film Contact.

It seems to vary: https://youtu.be/4O0S-w09fIY

ian · « **Reply #6896 on:** 07 June, 2023, 07:51:55 pm »

It does vary by no known formula that I could establish (primer being a common world in my academic circles). It's a me-cro / my-cro thing.

T42 · « **Reply #6897 on:** 08 June, 2023, 07:46:45 am »

Do dimers become dimmer too?

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #6898 on:** 08 June, 2023, 09:43:58 am »

That “Soldier” by Harland Jay Ellison was the inspirational book behind “The Terminator”.

Quote

Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, described Ellison as "the only living organism I know whose natural habitat is hot water."

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #6899 on:** 08 June, 2023, 10:44:12 am »

Quote from: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 08 June, 2023, 09:43:58 am

That “Soldier” by Harland Jay Ellison was the inspirational book behind “The Terminator”.

Quote

Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, described Ellison as "the only living organism I know whose natural habitat is hot water."

That is what Ellison claimed.

I've read that story. There is almost nothing connecting Soldier to Terminator, apart from them both featuring a soldier sent back in time.

Ellison was a dick, but wrote some truly oddball and unique stories.