# Game: Something Useless I Just Learned



## Barbara L (Sep 8, 2008)

It has long been my goal to continue to learn, so I am constantly reading, watching informative shows, and talking to interesting people.  A lot of the things I learn are probably useless to most of the population, but still interesting to me.  So I thought, why not tell what we have learned here.  You don't have to write everything you have ever learned in your entire life in one post , but share as much as you want.

Something I just learned, from a book of Scandinavian folktales, is that the word Viking means "Foreign King."

What useless bit of information have you learned?  Maybe the rest of us can learn from you!

Barbara


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## Mama (Sep 8, 2008)

The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven.


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## getoutamykitchen (Sep 8, 2008)

Mama said:


> The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven.


 

Something I just learned this morning...
The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven.
Thanks Mama


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## AllenOK (Sep 8, 2008)

An old Indian saying:

"Every animal has enough brains in it's head to tan it's own hide."

And yes, I do understand the process of brain-tanning animal hides, although I've never done it.


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## Lynd (Sep 9, 2008)

I learnt about soap nuts... weird huh


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## The Z (Sep 9, 2008)

Reno, NV is actually west of Los Angeles, CA


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## B'sgirl (Sep 9, 2008)

Yesterday I learned that Chinese moon cakes have egg yolks baked inside of them.


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## jeninga75 (Sep 9, 2008)

I'm actually known at work for my "useless info".  The other day they were talking about football, the Ga Bulldogs and the Fl Gators so I busted out with... did you know the temperature of the egg of an alligator determines the sex?  They all usually just look at me and shake their heads lol...  Don't tell you I never prepared you for Jeopardy...


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## jpmcgrew (Sep 9, 2008)

Lynd said:


> I learnt about soap nuts... weird huh


 
 I'm still trying to figure out what a food hamper is. I'm guessing it's a basket of goodies mainly food, sweets, cheese, pasta etc.


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## LadyCook61 (Sep 9, 2008)

Did you ever wonder what the WD in WD-40 stands for?  The name was lifted right out chemist Norm Larsen's laboratory notebook.  Way back in 1953, he was trying to concoct an anti-corrosion formula, which worked on the basic principle of displacing water.  On his 40th try, Larsen finally got it right.  Hence the name WD-40.  It literally means Water Displacer, 40th try.


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## Barbara L (Sep 9, 2008)

We are staying in Quincy, Massachusetts and just learned that here it is pronounced "Quinzee" which, according to what I read, is how the first settlers pronounced it.  Which leads me to wonder if the president's name was pronounced John Quinzee Adams and I have been mispronouncing it all this time!

Barbara


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## GhettoRacingKid (Sep 10, 2008)

There is no information that is useless....

President Taft got stuck in a tub.


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## Lynd (Sep 10, 2008)

jpmcgrew said:


> I'm still trying to figure out what a food hamper is. I'm guessing it's a basket of goodies mainly food, sweets, cheese, pasta etc.



Yep, that's right. Although sometimes they can be a bit more themed, like a chocolate one


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## Barbara L (Sep 10, 2008)

GhettoRacingKid said:


> There is no information that is useless...


Oh, I agree completely!  But it made you look!    Thanks for joining in!

Barbara


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## GhettoRacingKid (Sep 10, 2008)

I know alot of "useless" information.

not that I have them memorized but I know who is calling by looking at the number at work.  now you might think that its nothing but when you have 100s of phone call coming in from all over the world from 100s of differnent people its kidna impressive. 

our 750+ Support groups, I know almost all of them


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## Barbara L (Sep 10, 2008)

Actually I'm very impressed!  It takes me forever to remember a phone number.  I still have to look up my daughter's and my best friend's numbers (and our own cell phone)!  Once a number finally does stick, I never forget it.  

Barbara


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## TanyaK (Sep 10, 2008)

That Robin and Maurice Gibb from the Bee Gees were twins - watched the DVD a couple of nights ago and googled Bee Gees out of interest - for some reason we always thought Robin wasn't even a Gibb brother.


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## Mama (Sep 10, 2008)

Here's something I learned today.  Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark.


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## luvs (Sep 10, 2008)

i learned 'bout food hampers, too!!


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## jeninga75 (Sep 10, 2008)

Mama said:


> Here's something I learned today. Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark.


 
Lol!  I guess that was pretty strong motivation to invent the lightbulb.


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## Lynd (Sep 11, 2008)

Interestingly he didn't invent the light bulb, he just made a better working one 59 years after the original. I watch too much QI


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## AllenOK (Sep 11, 2008)

As pressure goes down, so does temperature.  Also, as air pressure falls, the boiling point of water falls.

You can take a bowl of water, place it in a vacuum chamber, seal it, and pump out the air.  As the air pressure goes down, eventually, the boiling for water *at that pressure* will be reached, and "room temperature" water will begin to boil.  Shortly afterwards, the freezing point is reached, and water will actually begin to freeze while it's boiling.


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## GhettoRacingKid (Sep 11, 2008)

I knew the first part allen but not the second part.


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## GB (Sep 11, 2008)

A candle flame will extinguish itself in zero gravity after a few seconds. It can not be sustained in that environment.


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## AllenOK (Sep 11, 2008)

Out where I used to go backpacking, if you boiled water on top of one of the mountains, you could put your fingers in the "boiling" water, and just get barely scalded.

GB, put a fan blowing towards that candle in 0-G, and it'll stay lit.

After several days in a 0-G environment, the human body will "grow" in heighth.  This is because the joints aren't compressed by gravity.  After returning to Earth, astronauts return to their normal heighth after a day or two.


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## Chico Buller (Sep 12, 2008)

If you want to *bury cable* for a project, you can buy two distinct types.  There is always a cheaper, generic variety.

However, there is usually a better grade.  It is called GR-Cable.

Want to guess what "GR" stands for?


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## dave the baker (Sep 12, 2008)

We in the colonies call a food hamper a picnic basket.  Terribly colonial of us, what?


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## Mama (Sep 12, 2008)

Polar bears have black skin and their fur is clear.


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## Fisher's Mom (Sep 12, 2008)

A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make      it instantly go berserk and sting itself to death.


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## expatgirl (Sep 12, 2008)

at minus 40 degrees it's exactly the same as in Celsius and Farenheit.....(Barbs did specify useless info) but over here you really get to appreciate it........

velcro was discovered by a guy that had gone walking and snagged a cockebur on his sock........he placed it under a microscope and noticed that it was a spiral of rings and hooks......it's one of the reasons that they are so difficult to pull out.......then he spawned  one of the first ideas for velcro......


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## Lynd (Sep 12, 2008)

Fisher's Mom said:


> A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make      it instantly go berserk and sting itself to death.



Talk about a violent drunk


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## Claire (Sep 12, 2008)

My husband and I (mostly him, but me too) are known in our community to be fonts of useless information!  Lately for me it has been the events that led up to WWI because I read _Victoria's Daughters._  So I'm now re-watching a BBC series about the era.  Good Grief!  When it comes to numbers:  At my husband's last duty station (the Pentagon), in one year I had three or four home phone numbers, and he had a half a dozen work numbers.  My brain just flat out refused to take in one more number.  Now I'm lucky to remember my own phone number and have been known to spout out with a zip code from 20 years ago rather than the one where I've lived for 7 years.  But I can remember stuff like that in German (which I never really learned), you pronounce the second vowel when there are two vowels together (in other words Stein is pronounced like a long i, Stien is pronounced Steeen).  Now why, of all things would I remember that, and you'd be surprised at how often it does come up!


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## AllenOK (Sep 12, 2008)

Fisher's Mom said:


> A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make      it instantly go berserk and sting itself to death.



I'll have to remember this one the next time we find a scorpion.  We've caught one inside the house, and seen another just outside the front door.


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## expatgirl (Sep 12, 2008)

have you seen those things move?  you're better off drinking the liquor yourself to give you the courage to step on it


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## GhettoRacingKid (Sep 12, 2008)

Chico Buller said:


> If you want to *bury cable* for a project, you can buy two distinct types. There is always a cheaper, generic variety.
> 
> However, there is usually a better grade. It is called GR-Cable.
> 
> Want to guess what "GR" stands for?


 


ground Ready?


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## Chico Buller (Sep 12, 2008)

GhettoRacingKid said:


> ground Ready?


 
Not even close.

Cable is usually buried for several years and never dug up unless there's a severe problem.

To solve this issue, good cable is encased in a strong mesh-style insulator that vermin cannot bite through.

The "GR" stands for '*gopher resistant*.'


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## buckytom (Sep 12, 2008)

the part of your brain that "controls" hearing never goes to sleep. it is active 24 hours a day.
that's how you are able to wake up to an alarm clock!


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## B'sgirl (Sep 12, 2008)

Most of Utah is not actually part of the Wasatch mountains, it is part of a different one, according to one study group. Don't ask me for details, my memory is not that good.


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## deelady (Sep 12, 2008)

Lynd....LOL Good One!!

alot of interesting facts, Thanks Barbara for starting this thread. When one comes to mind I'll add one


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## deelady (Sep 12, 2008)

ok heres one.....a cow can detect odors up to 5 miles away!


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## Sparkly77 (Sep 12, 2008)

Here's one:  Kangaroos and emus were chosen as the animals for the Australian coat of arms because they can't walk backwards.

And another:  daytime TV shows like 'Days of our Lives' and 'The Young and the Restless' were known as soaps because once upon a time actual soap companies advertised during the programs because the housewives were watching it.  Hence the term 'tv soap star' etc (well, we say it here in Australia, not sure about the US)


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## Barbara L (Sep 13, 2008)

Sparkly77 said:


> Here's one: Kangaroos and emus were chosen as the animals for the Australian coat of arms because they can't walk backwards.
> 
> And another: daytime TV shows like 'Days of our Lives' and 'The Young and the Restless' were known as soaps because once upon a time actual soap companies advertised during the programs because the housewives were watching it. Hence the term 'tv soap star' etc (well, we say it here in Australia, not sure about the US)


Yep, it's the same here!

Barbara


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## expatgirl (Sep 13, 2008)

deelady said:


> ok heres one.....a cow can detect odors up to 5 miles away!



Well, the same fragrance is reciprocated-----we can smell them, too


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## expatgirl (Sep 13, 2008)

spiders have extra 3 eyes on top of their heads and actually are in need of pepto bismal at times when a particular meal  doesn't agree with them (they actually will stagger to the edge of their webs and do what many frat guys do after the weekend beer bust and too much partying over the loo........spiders take liquid refreshment, too, as they only suck the juices out of the hapless victim.........never saw one wearing a toga though


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## buckytom (Sep 13, 2008)

how many eyes do you need to have some considered extra?


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## coriander (Sep 13, 2008)

And I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what spider puke looks like.


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## expatgirl (Sep 13, 2008)

Well, they have their regular two, but then there are 3 more on top of their heads (called ocelli) so "5" total----appear as tiny dots


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## expatgirl (Sep 13, 2008)

coriander said:


> And I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what spider puke looks like.


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## buckytom (Sep 13, 2008)

coriander said:


> And I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what spider puke looks like.


 

x 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Lynd (Sep 15, 2008)

Sparkly77 said:


> Here's one:  Kangaroos and emus were chosen as the animals for the Australian coat of arms because they can't walk backwards.
> 
> And another:  daytime TV shows like 'Days of our Lives' and 'The Young and the Restless' were known as soaps because once upon a time actual soap companies advertised during the programs because the housewives were watching it.  Hence the term 'tv soap star' etc (well, we say it here in Australia, not sure about the US)



They're called soaps over here too, I never knew that though


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## AllenOK (Sep 15, 2008)

Many species of venomous snakes are what are known as "rear-fanged".  Their fangs are on the back of their mouth, and much like a Gila Monster, they have to really gnaw on your to envenomnate you.


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## Lynd (Sep 15, 2008)

It's a good job snakes don't have to keep quiet and bite their tounge, really


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## expatgirl (Sep 15, 2008)

Most snakes would prefer you leaving them alone and not stepping on them.......they really don't want to bite you......it's only a protective response......if you get close enough (hahaha) the venomous ones' pupils are elliptical () and the non-poisonous are round shaped like ours O....... a wildlife biologist who lived in our neighborhood and snatched a hog-nose snake out of one of my ficus trees informed us as I thought it was poisonous due to its triangular-shaped head....next time you visit your reptile house at the zoo check out the snakes' eyes.....it's true......


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## pdswife (Sep 15, 2008)

I'd like to see that... HATE those creatures!!


Fisher's Mom said:


> A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go berserk and sting itself to death.


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## babetoo (Sep 15, 2008)

how strange is that?i just learned that "handy man is never on time. never has been and never will be"


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## luvs (Sep 15, 2008)

i learned certain stuff really offends me.
& hardly anything gets my goat!!!


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## Barbara L (Sep 19, 2008)

I just learned that Bill Murray's three brothers are also actors.  I have seen them in a few things and didn't realize they were his brothers.

Barbara


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## Lynd (Sep 19, 2008)

babetoo said:


> how strange is that?i just learned that "handy man is never on time. never has been and never will be"



A hard lesson learned


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## AllenOK (Sep 19, 2008)

expatgirl said:


> Most snakes would prefer you leaving them alone and not stepping on them.......they really don't want to bite you......it's only a protective response......if you get close enough (hahaha) the venomous ones' pupils are elliptical () and the non-poisonous are round shaped like ours O....... a wildlife biologist who lived in our neighborhood and snatched a hog-nose snake out of one of my ficus trees informed us as I thought it was poisonous due to its triangular-shaped head....next time you visit your reptile house at the zoo check out the snakes' eyes.....it's true......



The Coral Snake is an exception to this, if I remember right.  That snake, while venomous, has round pupils.


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## dave the baker (Sep 19, 2008)

Leonardo daVlinci could draw with one hand and write with the other at the same time.

Dave

Looks like this thread is piddlin' out..............


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## GB (Sep 19, 2008)

Actually Dave, to take that one step further...he could also write in on language with the left while simultaneously writing in another language with the right.


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## dave the baker (Sep 19, 2008)

GB, you are correct!  It had slipped what's left of my mind.  Very astute of you.  He could also do cursive writing in mirror image (backwards) better than most could forward.  An amazing mind, and a man centuries ahead of his world.


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## GB (Sep 19, 2008)

One of the most fascinating men ever as far as I am concerned!


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