nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

I bet you didnt know that

Cartouche

As people here work in various jobs / professions they might know things from work or study no one here knows yet. this is what this topic is about.

what do you know that we have never heard of?

Eg: you don't need to be great at maths to be an architect

this is obvious to me but everyone says to me "i wanted to be an architect but i was bad at math,i can barely add"

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

BailMeOut wrote: »

To grow a seedless fruits you need to stop bees getting to the flowers when growing which means the fruit crops need to be covered in huge nets if grown outside.

Not at all. Seedless fruit varieties are obtained from grafted species selected for a genetic mutation that stops the protective coating forming on the seed. If a conventional flowering fruit plant is prevented from it's flowers being pollenated then no fruit will form at all.

maccored

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

65% of the world population is lactose intolerant. With some countries coming in at near 100% rates.

Ireland has a rate of 4%, the joint least with Denmark in the world.

I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing. But it is remarkable enough nonetheless.

Source: About 2/5's down this page.

*Ireland has a range of prevalence of 0-8, with Denmark 0-9. So you can make an argument that Ireland is the least lactose intolerant country in the world.

most cats are also lactose intolerant

ohnonotgmail

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Yeah but people only drive on the left on the straight parts, from what I can tell they take the bends on the right.

but you have to take the bend on the right because of all the eejits doing the same thing.

Realt Dearg Sec

BaZmO* wrote: »

And 7 million kilometres of that are back roads in Ireland.

Yeah but people only drive on the left on the straight parts, from what I can tell they take the bends on the right.

BaZmO*

Carry wrote: »

Yeah, that was the anecdote, because Napoleon etc., but as with many an anecdote....

In fact it was the government of Robespierre that decreed right-hand traffic. Napoleon just adopted it afterwards for his campaigns.

A little fact I came across: There are around 29 million kilometers of roads in the world, only on 8 million kilometers people drive on the left side.

And 7 million kilometres of that are back roads in Ireland.

BailMeOut

To grow a seedless fruits you need to stop bees getting to the flowers when growing which means the fruit crops need to be covered in huge nets if grown outside.

Carry

Meanaspie wrote: »

I picked it up somewhere over the years that it was Napoleon himself that changed it as he was left handed and wished to pass people on the opposite of the road with his weapon hand closest to them

Yeah, that was the anecdote, because Napoleon etc., but as with many an anecdote....

In fact it was the government of Robespierre that decreed right-hand traffic. Napoleon just adopted it afterwards for his campaigns.

A little fact I came across: There are around 29 million kilometers of roads in the world, only on 8 million kilometers people drive on the left side.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

65% of the world population is lactose intolerant. With some countries coming in at near 100% rates.

Ireland has a rate of 4%, the joint least with Denmark in the world.

I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing. But it is remarkable enough nonetheless.

Source: About 2/5's down this page.

*Ireland has a range of prevalence of 0-8, with Denmark 0-9. So you can make an argument that Ireland is the least lactose intolerant country in the world.

cdeb

Meanaspie wrote: »

I picked it up somewhere over the years that it was Napoleon himself that changed it as he was left handed and wished to pass people on the opposite of the road with his weapon hand closest to them

Heard that one alright.

Also heard that the US changed just to be different from Britain, around the time they were asserting themselves as an independent entity and not a colony

Realt Dearg Sec

reap-a-rat wrote: »

Some might have learned this on the Top Gear Burma special like I did but others might not know!

In Myanmar (formerly Burma) they used to drive on the left given they were a British colony. The guy in charge decided that he wanted to switch, so they now drive on the right. Except they still have right-hand drive steering! A lot of the vehicles are very old, including busses. So even to this day, if you're in a RHS bus(most likely) and the bus is driving on the right as it is required to, thenot you are getting out of the bus onto a lane of traffic instead of a path or the side of the road. It's mental!

Apparently the infrastructure still hasn't caught up either and in many places the signage is facing the wrong way. So seems if you're tired of mundane driving then Myanmar could be a destination to make you feel alive again!

For a little while at least

Meanaspie

Carry wrote: »

Not quite. Driving (or riding or walking) on the left side goes back to the ancient world when Roman, Egyptian and Greek troops marched on the left side, since most soldiers were right-handers (drawing the sword, see above). That was the norm for centuries or even millenias.

During the French Revolution the French changed this rule (as they did with many others) to the right side, and after the Napoleonic Wars every conquered European country was forced to change to the right as well. As did the now USA (since 1792 enforced by law) that was supported by French troops during the War of Independence - probably to spite their former British overlords. Same was in all French colonies during the colonial era.

So it wasn't a question of practicality or due to American teamsters, it was enforced initially by the French who during the French Revolution decided that all old rules have to go and must be dramatically changed.
Only the UK and British (former) colonies drive on the left hand side because they were never conquered by the French.

I picked it up somewhere over the years that it was Napoleon himself that changed it as he was left handed and wished to pass people on the opposite of the road with his weapon hand closest to them

reap-a-rat

Some might have learned this on the Top Gear Burma special like I did but others might not know!

In Myanmar (formerly Burma) they used to drive on the left given they were a British colony. The guy in charge decided that he wanted to switch, so they now drive on the right. Except they still have right-hand drive steering! A lot of the vehicles are very old, including busses. So even to this day, if you're in a RHS bus(most likely) and the bus is driving on the right as it is required to, thenot you are getting out of the bus onto a lane of traffic instead of a path or the side of the road. It's mental!

Apparently the infrastructure still hasn't caught up either and in many places the signage is facing the wrong way. So seems if you're tired of mundane driving then Myanmar could be a destination to make you feel alive again!

maccored

In 1788, the Austrian army accidentally attacked itself, losing around 10,000 men

nim1bdeh38l2cw

jmayo wrote: »

Back in 2008 Seanad Leader fianna fails Donie Cassidy came up with the idea we should start driving on the right to accommodate immigrants and tourists who were mainly from right hand drive countries.

He also thought it a bright idea to enforce a 50mph/80kph speed limit on those people who hailed from right hand drive countries.

How in the name of God he thought it possible to enforce that is beyond me and probably everyone else bar him.

There was also joke doing the rounds that he thought it might be easier to move to right hand drive if we did only some counties at any one time.

I know it is not an astounding piece of scientific trivia or an example of human ingenuity, rather it is the opposite and highlights just how mentally limited some of our elected representatives are.
BTW he was once an elected TD.

Other than the speed limit, Sweden did just that in 1967

http://realscandinavia.com/this-day-in-history-swedish-traffic-switches-sides-september-3-1967/

New Home

These are from 1967, taken on the day Sweden switched from left- to right-hand drive.

8232560-WeirdPeople04-1482221869-650-9d9580f909-1482395159.jpg

8232560-WeirdPeople04-1482221869-650-9d9580f909-1482395159.jpg

the-day-sweden-changed-from-left-hand-drive-to-right-7186616.png

jmayo

Back in 2008 Seanad Leader fianna fails Donie Cassidy came up with the idea we should start driving on the right to accommodate immigrants and tourists who were mainly from right hand drive countries.

He also thought it a bright idea to enforce a 50mph/80kph speed limit on those people who hailed from right hand drive countries.

How in the name of God he thought it possible to enforce that is beyond me and probably everyone else bar him.

There was also joke doing the rounds that he thought it might be easier to move to right hand drive if we did only some counties at any one time.

I know it is not an astounding piece of scientific trivia or an example of human ingenuity, rather it is the opposite and highlights just how mentally limited some of our elected representatives are.
BTW he was once an elected TD.

Carry

gozunda wrote: »

Most countries which were British colonies still drive on the left hand side of the road including huge land masses such as India, Australia and Southern Africa as well as the Caribbean.

Europe generally drives on the right hand side apart from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus. Guyana (formerly a British colony) is the only country in South America to drive on the left.

The other two thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right including the USA, China and Russia. Canada used to drive on the left but changed to the right to make border crossings with the USA more manageable.

The reasons for these distinctions are historical. British horseback riders used to ride on the left hand side of the road, thus keeping their right arm free to offer greetings to passersby or, if needs be, draw their sword. However, in The USA teamsters used to sit on the left hand horse while driving a wagon and therefore keep their right hand free for whipping the other horses. They decided to start driving on the right so that they could see the passing wheels of other wagons and avoid collisions.

Not quite. Driving (or riding or walking) on the left side goes back to the ancient world when Roman, Egyptian and Greek troops marched on the left side, since most soldiers were right-handers (drawing the sword, see above). That was the norm for centuries or even millenias.

During the French Revolution the French changed this rule (as they did with many others) to the right side, and after the Napoleonic Wars every conquered European country was forced to change to the right as well. As did the now USA (since 1792 enforced by law) that was supported by French troops during the War of Independence - probably to spite their former British overlords. Same was in all French colonies during the colonial era.

So it wasn't a question of practicality or due to American teamsters, it was enforced initially by the French who during the French Revolution decided that all old rules have to go and must be dramatically changed.
Only the UK and British (former) colonies drive on the left hand side because they were never conquered by the French.

Tell me how

^^^^^^

Along the same lines. (I read this somewhere lately, apologies if it was on this thread, I did search to see if it was).

countries which use metric verus those that use imperial

There is a suggestion that Thomas Jefferson was actively looking in to using Metric and requested a meeting with a French representative who set out to travel to the US but his ship was blown off course and he ended up being captured by pirates and dying in captivity so the meeting never happened.

gozunda

Most countries which were British colonies still drive on the left hand side of the road including huge land masses such as India, Australia and Southern Africa as well as the Caribbean.

Europe generally drives on the right hand side apart from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus. Guyana (formerly a British colony) is the only country in South America to drive on the left.

The other two thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right including the USA, China and Russia. Canada used to drive on the left but changed to the right to make border crossings with the USA more manageable.

The reasons for these distinctions are historical. British horseback riders used to ride on the left hand side of the road, thus keeping their right arm free to offer greetings to passersby or, if needs be, draw their sword. However, in The USA teamsters used to sit on the left hand horse while driving a wagon and therefore keep their right hand free for whipping the other horses. They decided to start driving on the right so that they could see the passing wheels of other wagons and avoid collisions.

[Deleted User]

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

In prehistory a wood fire emits a lot of heat but very little light. So you have to spend hours gathering enough to illuminate the night.

The % of GPD spent on illumination has been roughly constant for the last seven centuries.

From animal fat candles to Oil For The Lamps Of China to the latest electronics what's happened is that as light has gotten cheaper we've used more of it.

https://ourworldindata.org/light

And now that it's cheap people want 26 different lights in each room :pac:

secondrowgal

Griffith Avenue in Dublin is the longest double tree-lined avenue in the Northern Hemisphere with no retail outlets. (courtesy of a Dublin taxi driver yesterday!)

mirrormatrix

RiderOnTheStorm wrote: »

Blood is thicker than water ..... wrong! Most think this means that family bonds (ie blood) are more important than non family (ie water). But the quote is "blood of battle is stronger than the waters of the womb", ie bonds between those that share adversity are more important than family bonds.

(Might have posted that one before, but it fits the theme!)

Not that Wikipedia is an infallible resource, but a quick look at this online would suggest that there evidence to support this assertion is sketchy:

"Modern commentators, including authors Albert Jack[5] and R. Richard Pustelniak,[6] claim the original meaning of the expression was that the ties between people who've made a blood covenant were stronger than ties formed by "the water of the womb". However, no known historical sources support this. "

Capt'n Midnight

retalivity wrote: »

The rich lads had beeswax candles to see in the dark without their sense of smell getting violated.

In prehistory a wood fire emits a lot of heat but very little light. So you have to spend hours gathering enough to illuminate the night.

The % of GPD spent on illumination has been roughly constant for the last seven centuries.

From animal fat candles to Oil For The Lamps Of China to the latest electronics what's happened is that as light has gotten cheaper we've used more of it.

https://ourworldindata.org/light

Tell me how

RiderOnTheStorm wrote: »

Blood is thicker than water ..... wrong! Most think this means that family bonds (ie blood) are more important than non family (ie water). But the quote is "blood of battle is stronger than the waters of the womb", ie bonds between those that share adversity are more important than family bonds.

(Might have posted that one before, but it fits the theme!)

Along the same theme. A phrase which often is used as a somewhat backhanded compliment refers to a person somewhat skilled in various ways as being a "jack of all trades", with the implication being that they are no expert as the second part of the phrase continues "and master of none".

A 3rd part to the phrase consisting of "is oftentimes better than master of one" implies a distinctly positive view on the person being referenced in this way yet my experience is largely the phrase being used as extending polite but limited praise on someone.

RiderOnTheStorm

seagull wrote:

On an evolutionary theme, most people use the phrase "Survival of the fittest" in entirely the wrong context....

And another phrase used incorrectly is "innocent until proven guilty". If you did the crime, then you did it, ie you are guilty of doing it. It doesnt matter if it can be proved or not. You did it. Its a fact that cannot be altered. But proving it is hard, and a court assumes you are innocent until guilt can be proven. The correct phrase is "assumption of innocence until proven guilty"...... semantics, eh!

Blood is thicker than water ..... wrong! Most think this means that family bonds (ie blood) are more important than non family (ie water). But the quote is "blood of battle is stronger than the waters of the womb", ie bonds between those that share adversity are more important than family bonds.

(Might have posted that one before, but it fits the theme!)

storker

New Home wrote: »

Coooooool. :cool:

(pun intended)

I think you mean "waaaaarmm".

Realt Dearg Sec

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

A good few of the old stone buildings around Dublin have a layer of stone angled at 45 degrees. Like a low skirt around it.

It's to stop people (men) urinating against them. IIRC urine isn't good for limestone.

In San Francisco they trialled a hydrophobic paint to dissuade men from piddling against walls. So if you do piss on the wall, it splashes straight back onto your pants.

I think Dublin is in dire need of this.

storker

seagull wrote: »

On an evolutionary theme, most people use the phrase "Survival of the fittest" in entirely the wrong context.

It's also used in the economic sense (and usually by the financially very-fit-indeed) to justify a dog-eat-dog attitude "because nature", conveniently ignoring the countless ways in which the human race has already flung "nature" out the window.

Capt'n Midnight

mzungu wrote: »

In the UK, dog urine was identified as the culprit for some lampposts rotting prematurely and in some cases even falling down. The base of the lampposts is weakened structurally by the chemical in dog urine that helps to speed up the corrosion process which is also helped along by rain and the passage of time.

A good few of the old stone buildings around Dublin have a layer of stone angled at 45 degrees. Like a low skirt around it.

It's to stop people (men) urinating against them. IIRC urine isn't good for limestone.

mzungu

In the UK, dog urine was identified as the culprit for some lampposts rotting prematurely and in some cases even falling down. The base of the lampposts is weakened structurally by the chemical in dog urine that helps to speed up the corrosion process which is also helped along by rain and the passage of time.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/derbyshire/2938749.stm