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Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:20 am
by Mickey the Luxray
The name of the titular character of the 1983 arcade game Mappy is probably derived from "mappo," a Japanese slang term for "policeman."

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:23 am
by Hlaoroo
Early typewriters had all the keys in alphabetical order but since the commonly used keys were closest together they kept sticking. Thus the qwerty keyboard was born.
Also, early typewriters had no number 1. Instead they used a lower case L.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:52 am
by Argent
When I was a kid I had a typewriter made in the '40s or '50s that had no "1" or "0", it used "l" and "O" for these symbols.

Edit to insert this quote from Wikipedia:
IBM typewriters had one feature lacking in many mechanical typewriters:The top row bore the digits 1234567890; other typewriters generally omitted the 1 and 0. The IBM design obviated substitutions taught by many typing instructors: o or O for 0; l for 1. These substitutions were easily identified when compared to an adjacent line typed with the digit keys and encouraged typists to confuse letters and numbers, even in speech.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:10 am
by lasthunter
Although six flags have flown over Texas, there have been eight changes of government: Spanish 1519-1685, French 1685-1690, Spanish 1690-1821, Mexican 1821-1836, Republic of Texas 1836-1845, United States 1845-1861, Confederate States 1861-1865, United States 1865-present

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:52 am
by Mickey the Luxray
If the statistics shown in Call of Duty (namely the amount of kills made per minute) applied to a real life war, the entire human population would be dead in four hours.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:11 pm
by Sleet
Argent wrote:When I was a kid I had a typewriter made in the '40s or '50s that had no "1" or "0", it used "l" and "O" for these symbols.
The origin of 1337 speak!

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:12 pm
by lasthunter
Dr Pepper was invented in Waco Texas in 1885. The Dublin Dr Pepper, 85 miles west of Waco, still uses pure imperial cane sugar in its product. There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:21 pm
by Radio Blue Heart
The Trans-Siberian railroad is 9,289 km long and runs from St. Peter's Burg to the Pacific. It took 26 years to complete and is the longest rail line in the world.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:26 pm
by Argent
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra has sold over 9 million concert tickets and 8 million albums.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:48 pm
by Sleet
Kinda interesting their ticket sales exceed their album sales. I guess that's what happens when you're famous for your live performances.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:23 pm
by Argent
The second longest rail line in the world is the Indian Pacific. It's the straightest rail line in the world, with one stretch continuing almost 300 miles without a bend.

The longest straightest road in the world runs alongside it, but the longest straight stretch of the Eyre highway is only 150 miles long.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:03 pm
by lasthunter
The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge is the world's longest bridge. It is a 164.8 kilometres (102.4 mi for us Americans.) long viaduct on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 11:28 am
by Radio Blue Heart
The biggest stadium in the world is the Strahov Stadium in the Czech Republic. It can hold 220,000 people.

Of all the birds on the continent of North America, only two have a sense of smell. They are both vultures.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 2:45 pm
by Mickey the Luxray
User interfaces on computers are now more touch-oriented. Bad news for those who prefer mice.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 5:45 pm
by Hlaoroo
All of your fingers contain 3 bones, however your thumb only contains 2.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 6:02 pm
by Radio Blue Heart
The fingers contain more nerve endings than any part of the human body.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 1:00 am
by Sleet
Radio Blue Heart wrote:The fingers contain more nerve endings than any part of the human body.
Not surprising considering how we use them to feel things!

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 1:05 am
by Dissension
I considered raising that point, but then thought "Nah, let the biomedical engineer do it!" It's really nice when people have a chance to put their education to use.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 5:41 am
by Hlaoroo
The explosion of Krakatoa in 1883 was the loudest sound ever heard in modern history. It was heard up to 4800km (3000M) away. The explosion was so powerful it was still being recorded on barographs FIVE DAYS LATER and is estimated to have reverbated completely around the worl 7 times! The explosion was estimated to be the equivalent of 200 megatons of TNT. To put that in perspective, that's 5600 times the combined power of the bombs that destroyed Nagasaki and Hiroshima or 40 times the combined power of all the explosives used in World War II!

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:03 am
by Render
The surface mines in Garzweiler, Germany can be considered as the biggest holes in the world. While mining for lignite (brown coal) in the section Garzweiler I a 66 km² big hole was dug. Presently Garzweiler II with an area of 48 km² is mined.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:55 am
by GeckoZY
Los Angeles building code requires all buildings 75 feet and taller to have a helicopter landing pad. This is apparently used for fire safety.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:50 am
by Sleet
Dissension wrote:I considered raising that point, but then thought "Nah, let the biomedical engineer do it!" It's really nice when people have a chance to put their education to use.
It also makes homonculi look silly. :3

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 11:28 am
by Radio Blue Heart
Sleet wrote:
Radio Blue Heart wrote:The fingers contain more nerve endings than any part of the human body.
Not surprising considering how we use them to feel things!
It is also the reason that thumb screws and other finger-based torture devices are so effective.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 1:31 pm
by Reconstruction
Polar Bears cannot be viewed on an infrared camera.
This is due to the fact that their fur is in fact actually clear, not white. And their skin color is actually black.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 2:21 pm
by Argent
Polar bear fur is an excellent insulator, but it's not that good.

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Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 4:56 pm
by Sleet
Arctic fox fur is the warmest in the animal kingdom. :3

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 1:16 am
by Hlaoroo
...Speaking from experience, Sleet? ;)

Puffins actually grow their distinctive red beak only for the mating season and lose it again soon after.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 12:38 am
by Sleet
Well yeah I'm an arctic fox!

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:22 pm
by Radio Blue Heart
Sleet wrote:Well yeah I'm an arctic fox!
Even though Arctic Foxes have no nutritional value, they are very tasty!

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:46 pm
by McFly
Well, I dunno about food, but I bet they make great hats!

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:49 pm
by Obbl
McFly wrote:Well, I dunno about food, but I bet they make great hats!
Yeah, but the hourly rates are killer ;)

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:58 pm
by McFly
Hey, $3 an hour for an 18 hour workday is perfectly reasonable. :P

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 8:02 pm
by Radio Blue Heart
The Fennec Fox is the smallest canine in nature.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 8:08 pm
by Hlaoroo
Despite being 10911m below sea level at its deepest point the Marianas Trench is not the closest point on the seafloor to the centre of the Earth. There are in fact several spots in the arctic which are up to 13km closer than the bottom of the trench, despite being much less farther underwater! This is because the Earth is not a perfect sphere - its radius can be up to 25km less at the poles than at the equator!

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:17 pm
by Mickey the Luxray
The VSS (Virgin SpaceShip) Enterprise carries 15,000 pounds of solid rocket fuel per flight. By comparison, OV-101 (Space Shuttle) Enterprise carries around 2.5 million pounds of solid rocket fuel per flight.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:28 pm
by Hlaoroo
Mickey the Luxray wrote:The VSS (Virgin SpaceShip) Enterprise carries 15,000 pounds of solid rocket fuel per flight. By comparison, OV-101 (Space Shuttle) Enterprise carries around 2.5 million pounds of solid rocket fuel per flight.
I'd be interested to know the difference in payload capacity between those two shuttles. And also whether they were based on Star Trek or it was based on them. :P

The first ever invention to break the sound barrier was the tip of a whip. That's what makes the distinctive "crack" sound.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:12 am
by Argent
Hlaoroo wrote:Despite being 10911m below sea level at its deepest point the Marianas Trench is not the closest point on the seafloor to the centre of the Earth. There are in fact several spots in the arctic which are up to 13km closer than the bottom of the trench, despite being much less farther underwater! This is because the Earth is not a perfect sphere - its radius can be up to 25km less at the poles than at the equator!
Don't forget Lake Vostok.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:31 am
by Hlaoroo
From what I can see Lake Vostok is 500m below sea level and goes to a depth of just over 800m putting its deepest point at a total of roughly 1300m below sea level. Being at the pole I suppose it could be a contender for closest spot to the centre but I can't find any information to actually say that.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:26 am
by GeckoZY
Lake Baikal is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world's unfrozen surface fresh water. It's mostly likely the oldest lake in the world.

Re: Useless Information Thread

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:43 am
by Argent
I need to make up some "Lake Vostok Waterski Club" tee-shirts some time.