Official Random Fact/Random Thought Thread!

[Bermy]

I think he's referring to the random fact that 'toe nail fungus' ads (said in a computer generated accent) are trending within YouTube videos at the moment.
It's annoying.

 

[Ryan]

@SeanKroll 6 of 10 toes have a bit. The doctor said the side effects of medication
weren't worth it years ago but he didn't know it was a "mutated super fungus" "that could lead to amputation" said in the same voice Bermy is referring to. Who knows, maybe I'm actually a bit rattled by those ads and covering it with humor.😉

 

[Ryan]

Random fact : You can't always get what you want but if you try sometime, you might find you get what you need.

 

[Knotorious]

Random Fact: What makes fireflies glow? Fireflies light up to attract a mate. To do this, the fireflies contain specialized cells in their abdomen that make light. The cells contain a chemical called luciferin and make an enzyme called luciferase. To make light, the luciferin combines with oxygen to form an inactive molecule called oxyluciferin.

Random Fact: Who was the first woman millionaire? Sarah Breedlove (December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919), known as Madam C. J. Walker, was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, regarded as the first female self-made millionaire in America.

 

[Knotorious]

Random Fact: Humans can detect rain better than sharks can detect blood. We humans are not famous for our olfactory prowess, yet we can reportedly detect the signature musk of geosmin (cause of the smell of rain) in concentrations as low as 100 parts per trillion. To put that in perspective, sharks' famous blood sniffing snouts can only suss out one part per million in seawater.

Source: How Rain Evolved Its Distinct Scent—and Why Animals and Humans Love It - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smell-rain-explained-180974692/#:~:text=We%20humans%20are%20not%20famous,part%20per%20million%20in%20seawater.

Random Fact: What were hamburgers called in WWI? During WW1, American hamburgers (named after the German city of Hamburg) were renamed Salisbury steak. Frankfurters, which were named after Frankfurt, Germany, were called “liberty sausages," and dachshunds became “liberty dogs."

 

[Mick!]

Random Fact: Humans can detect rain better than sharks can detect blood. We humans are not famous for our olfactory prowess, yet we can reportedly detect the signature musk of geosmin (cause of the smell of rain) in concentrations as low as 100 parts per trillion. To put that in perspective, sharks' famous blood sniffing snouts can only suss out one part per million in seawater.

Source: How Rain Evolved Its Distinct Scent—and Why Animals and Humans Love It - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smell-rain-explained-180974692/#:~:text=We%20humans%20are%20not%20famous,part%20per%20million%20in%20seawater.

Random Fact: What were hamburgers called in WWI? During WW1, American hamburgers (named after the German city of Hamburg) were renamed Salisbury steak. Frankfurters, which were named after Frankfurt, Germany, were called “liberty sausages," and dachshunds became “liberty dogs."

and German Shepherds became Alsatians.

 

[stig]

And later on, to continue the stupidity, French fries were called freedom fries.

 

[Bermy]

The is an endemic marine glow worm in Bermuda, that in the summer comes out in hoards to breed.
At precisely 57 minutes after sunset, three nights after the full moon.
Gather somewhere still and shallow, and all of a sudden you will see little winks and sparkles of green phosphorescence. They slowly increase in quantity and the masses of them can be so bright you can read a newspaper.
It's fatal attraction, the females drift near the surface, then the males shoot up from the bottom, and wham! Instant glowing green copulation.
They are tiny, males might be a few mm, and the females not much bigger.

 

[Knotorious]

Bermuda Glow Worms article...

Great addition, @Bermy !

Revealed: Why These Mysterious Worms Glow Every Month After Full Moon

Every month, a few nights after a full moon, small worms in the Atlantic Ocean rise to the surface to offer a dazzling light show. By studying their DNA, researchers from the Ameri…

www.gentside.co.uk

 

[stig]

Now that would be something.........................................glowing while copulating!

 

[Knotorious]

I glow post-copulation. It's called "afterglow!" =-D

afterglow, noun - good feelings remaining after a successful and positive sexual experience.

 

[Knotorious]

Random Fact: Which countries use chopsticks? Chopsticks originated in ancient China and later spread to Vietnam, Korea and Japan. They can also be found in some areas of Tibet and Nepal that are close to Han Chinese populations. Chopsticks are smoothed and frequently tapered, and are commonly made of bamboo, plastic, wood, or stainless steel.

Random Fact: What city has a population of 1? Buford only has one resident: 60 year-old Don Sammons has been all alone in the southern Wyoming town on Interstate 80 since his son moved out over three years ago, according to Denver's 9 News. Founded in 1866, Buford at one time hosted a population of 2,000 — mostly railroad workers.

 

[Knotorious]

Random Fact: Tuna fish can never stop moving or they will die rather quickly. This is because, in order for them to pass water through their gills, they must be in motion. Because they are constantly moving, it is difficult for scientists to study them thoroughly. It is believed that, when they go to sleep, they enter a low energy state, but they remain constantly moving.

Random Fact: Which sports were created at the YMCA? Basketball, volleyball and racquetball are all YMCA inventions. The Auburn Y's History Committee unearthed these stories about the creation of these sports. Basketball was invented at the YMCA in Springfield, Mass. in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a clergyman, educator and physician.

 

[lxskllr]

Might be common knowledge, but tears of Chios are harvested by 100% manual process in Greece, and to a lesser extent in Turkey. It's mastic from the pistacia lentiscus tree. It's a flavor(conifer like) popular in the Mediterranean region. I have Falim chewing gum that has that flavor. I also have some tears I bought a couple years ago. Spendy, but it's an interesting flavor, and it worked to pull whatever it was that was stuck in my gum and irritating my mouth.

Mastic (plant resin) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Nutball]

Gas Inside a Pepper or Pumpkin​

The gas inside a pepper or pumpkin has mostly the same composition as air, which is nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other trace gases. Depending on the ripeness of the produce, the plant hormone ethylene is present. However, the relative amounts of the gases in air change within a developing fruit. For example, researchers found the gas inside a cotton fruit was 46% nitrogen, 29% oxygen, 4% argon, and 20% carbon dioxide. In contrast, the air surrounding the plant was 73% nitrogen, 25% oxygen, 2% argon, and 0.3% carbon dioxide. So, the fruit contained enriched levels of of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The same study found that a diseased plant’s fruit contained much lower oxygen and much higher carbon dioxide.

Why Is the Composition Different From Air?​

Plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and oxygen for respiration, but these two gases play other important roles, too. If oxygen levels fall inside the fruit, it yields lower-weight seeds. Below a certain amount (15% oxygen, for peppers), embryo develop stops entirely. So, the gas within hollow fruits is enriched with oxygen to aid seed production.

In studies involving peppers, removing carbon dioxide did not affect seed weight, but it did accelerate fruit ripening, while reducing the amount of sucrose and starch in the pepper. A separate study, this time on wheat seeds, found that enriching a low-oxygen atmosphere with carbon dioxide offset the negative effect on seed development. Another study, involving rapeseed and soybean, found that plants need a higher concentration of carbon dioxide to maximize oil synthesis in seeds. Pumpkin seeds are rich in oil, so it makes sense the gas inside a ripe pumpkin contains higher percentages of both oxygen (for seed development) and carbon dioxide (for oil production in the seeds).

The composition of the gas within a pepper or pumpkin is not constant over time. It changes as the fruit develops and in response to factors that affect the plant’s health. The balance of these gases also plays a role in ethylene production, which ripens the fruit.

How Does Gas Get Inside the Fruit?​

Young fruit, just like leaves and young stems, has a single-layer coating of cells called the epidermis. Just like in leaves, the fruit epidermis has tiny openings called stomata. Guard cells on either side of a stomatal pore control whether it is open or closed. When the pore is open, the fruit exchanges gases with the outside air. Green fruit performs photosynthesis, which involves carbon dioxide, oxygen, and water.

As the fruit ripens, tissue called a periderm replaces the epidermis. The periderm also allows gas exchange, this time through areas of loosely-connected cells called lenticels. Lenticels are easily observed on an apple or pear, but also occur on peppers, pumpkins, and other hollow produce.

Both the stomata and the lenticels are small openings. So, if you submerge a pumpkin or pepper in water, all of the gases inside don’t bubble out.

 

[Knotorious]

Random Fact: When was America settled? British colonization of the Americas (including colonization by both the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland before the Acts of Union, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707) began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and reached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas.

Random Fact: Contrary to popular belief, the term jaywalking does not derive from the shape of the letter “J” (referencing the path a jaywalker might travel when crossing a road). Rather, it comes from the fact that “Jay” used to be a generic term for someone who was an idiot, dull, rube, unsophisticated, poor, or simpleton. More precisely, it was once a common term for “country bumpkins” or “hicks”, usually seen incorrectly as inherently stupid by “city” folk.

Thus, to “Jay walk” was to be stupid by crossing the street in an unsafe place or way, or some country person visiting the city who wasn’t used to the rules of the road for pedestrians in an urban environment, so would attempt to cross or walk in the streets anywhere. As it stated in the January 25, 1937 New York Times, “In many streets like Oxford Street, for instance, the jaywalker wanders complacently in the very middle of the roadway as if it was a country lane.”

Below is a 1937 poster from the Work Progress Administration.



Source: Origin of the Term Jaywalking - http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/07/origin-of-the-term-jaywalking/

Random Fact: The fine for jaywalking in Boston, MA is still only $3 (dating back from around the 1930's, when that was big money), which is why we all cross every street like a dull rube, idiot, or nincompoop because police won't enforce it. It isn't worth it. It's actually a great system. You can get around faster when you don't need to stop at pedestrian lights. At one point, I turned jaywalking into an art form and never disturbed traffic. A lot of running haha

 

[Mick!]

Random Fact: When was America settled? British colonization of the Americas (including colonization by both the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland before the Acts of Union, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707) began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and reached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas.

Random Fact: Contrary to popular belief, the term jaywalking does not derive from the shape of the letter “J” (referencing the path a jaywalker might travel when crossing a road). Rather, it comes from the fact that “Jay” used to be a generic term for someone who was an idiot, dull, rube, unsophisticated, poor, or simpleton. More precisely, it was once a common term for “country bumpkins” or “hicks”, usually seen incorrectly as inherently stupid by “city” folk.

Thus, to “Jay walk” was to be stupid by crossing the street in an unsafe place or way, or some country person visiting the city who wasn’t used to the rules of the road for pedestrians in an urban environment, so would attempt to cross or walk in the streets anywhere. As it stated in the January 25, 1937 New York Times, “In many streets like Oxford Street, for instance, the jaywalker wanders complacently in the very middle of the roadway as if it was a country lane.”

Below is a 1937 poster from the Work Progress Administration.

View attachment 131349

Source: Origin of the Term Jaywalking - http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/07/origin-of-the-term-jaywalking/

Random Fact: The fine for jaywalking in Boston, MA is still only $3 (dating back from around the 1930's, when that was big money), which is why we all cross every street like a dull rube, idiot, or nincompoop because police won't enforce it. It isn't worth it. It's actually a great system. You can get around faster when you don't need to stop at pedestrian lights. At one point, I turned jaywalking into an art form and never disturbed traffic. A lot of running haha

I read that article, I was not convinced about the origin of the word Jay-walking. There’s a bit of a leap/assumption in logic.
No big deal, just always thought it was because Jays (the bird) parade about, bold as brass where perhaps they shouldn’t be.
Probably wrong though.
It’s a purely American English term though, so there is that.
edit.
Just done some googling and I was dead right! (In that I was wrong) the origins of the word are as you posted.
I prefer mine though!

 

[Ryan]

“J” (referencing the path a jaywalker might travel when crossing a road). Say what? I never would have thought that in a million years.

 

[Knotorious]

They didn't hesitate to call you a moron back then when you rightly deserved to be called one. I wish our society weren't so "politically correct," walking on eggshells about every issue, using all the proper terminology lest they fail to get the vote next election.

Back 100 years ago it was like: You crossing like an idiot? You're a Jay! An idiot! Stop being an idiot! Nobody likes idiots! You f*cking dull rube! Go kick rocks and shovel shit against the tide and pay this fine while you're at it.

Aaaaah, the good ol' days. I'm nostalgic for a time before my own.

My lawyers want me to point out the the people from the country got a bad rap with this whole jaywalking thing.

 

[lxskllr]

I always felt that crossing at crosswalks was less safe than crossing mid street. At a crosswalk, you have four directions that have to be accounted for, with people concentrating more on the cars on busy roads. Mid street, you only have two directions to watch, and it's either clear or it isn't. No surprise cars squealing tires and looking somewhere that isn't at me.

 

[Knotorious]

I always felt that crossing at crosswalks was less safe than crossing mid street. At a crosswalk, you have four directions that have to be accounted for, with people concentrating more on the cars on busy roads. Mid street, you only have two directions to watch, and it's either clear or it isn't. No surprise cars squealing tires and looking somewhere that isn't at me.

Not only that, but at an intersection, you have a pile up of cars waiting for you to cross versus crossing in the middle of one street, where you can time it to be in between the traffic and ultimately not affect traffic whatsoever.

 

[Treeaddict]

Just read this and while I did’t verify, I believe it true and very interesting. It makes you think.

 

[Treeaddict]

Makes you wonder how much of that CO2 emissions come from soda production? Coke sells billions of cans a year. Pepsi probably as much.
Random thought.

I do often think about that. Why shouldn’t we ban soda and beer. No more fermentation!!!

 

[flushcut]

Beer has to be the exception.

 

[Treeaddict]

While on the CO2 topic, I’ve heard that that plants grow well when you talk to them due to the high amounts of carbon dioxide exhaled onto them.