The Useless Facts Thread

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D
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Post by D »

Ok, back on the subject.

everyone remember that stupid show "boy meets world"?
Remember the teacher Mr. Feany? the main teacher (and also neighbour I believe) who always gives out good advice?

Well remember him, one time one of his nieces came to visit and the older brother had the hots for her, well that chick is that chick from felicity!

But that is not the main useless fact I want to mention.
There's more?........................

That Mr. Feany also did the voice for K.I.T.T. from KNIGHT RIDER.
Michael: "Kitt, I need you"
Kitt: "Michael look out behind you......" GHSSHHHH *Michael gets whacked from behind with a small bat*
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dial911
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Post by dial911 »

sffan wrote:
Icecap Veiwin wrote:The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
The longest word is untranssubstantiationallistically.
The longest word in the English language is actually pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcaniconiosis. It is the latin/scientific term to describe the lung disease found mostly among coal miners.
What more can I say I wouldn't be here today if the old school didn't pave the way.
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Sly Cherry Chunks
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Post by Sly Cherry Chunks »

The voice actor who provided the voice for Zippy in Rainbow also did the voices for most of the Daleks in Doctor Who.

It looks like (an oddly realistic rendition of) Jack Sparrow will be in Kingdom Hearts 2
Last edited by Sly Cherry Chunks on Mon Nov 07, 2005 2:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by captain ahar »

Stormwatch wrote:Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
and the basque are still too scared to accept it and let their guard down.
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Post by theevilfunkster »

In a fight situation, a fully grown shark can piss fire.
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Post by russ »

gynotikolobomassophile

(22 letters; one who likes to nibble on a woman's earlobe)
:lol:

To stay on topic...

~0.999 repeating = 1

It's obvious if you think about it, but idiots have been trying to argue against it in math classes and randomly on the internet forever.
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GaijinPunch
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Post by GaijinPunch »

Not too useless, but off the top of my head:

-Male seahorses give birth
-Female hyena's form a fake penis to show domination... they often try to use them.

EDIT
A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
A millisecond? Going to have to start using this at work.
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Post by JBC »

Two of the most commonly found substances on an american dollar bill besides dirt and natural oils are Cocaine and Feces.
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Post by JBC »

theevilfunkster wrote:In a fight situation, a fully grown shark can piss fire.
LMAO
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snap monkey
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Post by snap monkey »

GaijinPunch wrote:
A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
A millisecond? Going to have to start using this at work.
A 100th of a second would be a centisecond, if there is such a term. A millisecond is a 1,000th of a second.
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IlMrm
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Post by IlMrm »

Minzoku wrote:
lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon. :x
I want to see that in a spelling bee. Make those kids faint even faster.
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Post by Ramus »

?G=?G°+RT lnQ=?G°+2.303 RT log Q (some thermochemistry for ya)

and

°C=(x°F-32)÷1.8 (this is actually useful for everyone)

and

Xerxes (son of Darius), who ruled Greece from 486-465 BCE, initiated the Persian Wars

and

The Channel Islands Waterhog surfboard can be used in either a three or single fin set up and comes in sizes ranging from 7'0 to 8'11.
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Sly Cherry Chunks
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Post by Sly Cherry Chunks »

Minzoku wrote:lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon. :x
Isn't that a town in Wales?
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Accutron
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Post by Accutron »

Some interesting facts about Sacred and American Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera ssp. nucifera and ssp. lutea)...

Lotus is one of only about 3 species of plants known to be endothermic (produce its own body heat) and homeothermic (seek an ideal body temperature). It uses this heat to attract its primary pollenators, nocturnal beetles. The heat also warms the surrounding water, extending the growing season in colder climates.

Lotus seeds have a thick impermeable casing and uniquely aggressive chaperonin proteins which allow the seeds to remain viable for centuries. The oldest viable lotus plant was grown from a 1200+ year-old seed recovered from a dry lakebed in China. I have personally grown lotus from 30 year old seeds. Most plant seeds have a viability not exceeding 5-10 years maximum.

Lotus replicates itself not only by seed distribution but by spreading rhizomes. Lotus rhizomes are hollow tube-like structures which spread aggressively through pond muck. The rhizomes are used for gas exchange and food storage. An entire lake full of lotus can be a single plant, spread through rhizomes.

All parts of the lotus plant are edible, including the seeds, which can be shelled and boiled. Lotus is a staple crop and religious icon in various parts of Asia. In the US, lotus is treated as a noxious weed and water hazard, though it was traditionally an emergency food source for many different native American tribes.

Lotus can be easily distinguished from water lilies (genus Nymphaea), because its leaves are completely circular, lacking the characteristic slit seen in true lily pads. Lotus and water lilies share many similar physical traits, but genetic analysis shows them to be completely unrelated, their similarities attributed to convergence rather than a close common ancestor. Lotus has no known close relatives. Its nearest genetic relative is the sycamore tree, which bears no obvious resemblance to lotus.
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Post by Stormwatch »

Proportionally, the hedgehog has the largest penis among all mammals. Keep this in mind if you draw Sonic hentai.
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Post by Vexorg »

Sly Cherry Chunks wrote:Isn't that a town in Wales?
No, that one would be Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
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Minzoku
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Post by Minzoku »

This is from the nerdiest joke I know:

Q: Why do mathematicians get Hallowe'en and Christmas confused?
A: Because OCT 31 = DEC 25

[31 in octal/base 8 = 25 in decimal/base 10]
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Ramus
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Post by Ramus »

Minzoku wrote:This is from the nerdiest joke I know:

Q: Why do mathematicians get Hallowe'en and Christmas confused?
A: Because OCT 31 = DEC 25

[31 in octal/base 8 = 25 in decimal/base 10]
The sad thing is that I've heard and understood the joke before. Either I'm well knowledged in mathimatics or I'm the biggest nerd. I think the latter is more correct. :oops:
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Post by Minzoku »

I just think it's obscenely clever :)
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Post by JBC »

"RDRR... Get it? Like a pirate!"
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Post by Stormwatch »

Most severe civilian nuclear accidents ever:

Chernobyl, USSR (now Ukraine), 1986 - reactor explodes. 31 dead in the immediate aftermath, thousands ill and dead in the long run.

Goiânia, Brazil, 1987 - scrap scavengers take cesium capsule from abandoned hospital's radiotherapy machine. 4 people killed.

Tokai-mura, Japan, 1999 - criticality accident in uranium reprocessing facility. 2 workers killed, 1 seriously injured.

Soreq, Israel, 1990 - operator bypasses safety systems to clear a jam in conveyor, dies.

Nesvizh, Belarus, 1991 - another operator bypasses safety systems to clear a jam in conveyor, dies as well.
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Post by GaijinPunch »

Tokai-mura, Japan, 1999 - criticality accident in uranium reprocessing facility. 2 workers killed, 1 seriously injured.
Millions at least a little worried for a few hours (one of them being the author of this post).
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Post by MOSQUITO FIGHTER »

Jelly Belly jelly beans were the first jelly beans in outer space when President Reagan sent them on the 1983 flight of the space shuttle Challenger.
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Post by Stormwatch »

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Post by captain ahar »

the best one is the "Helen"
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Post by Ghegs »

Out of the 41 units mentioned there, 7 originate from Finland (counting the one used within the metric system). And with such undiluted brilliance used in naming them (The KKK system? The reindeer's piss?) it's a source of neverending amazement that the units have stayed in Finland.
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Post by Icarus »

  • There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess. (Thank God you don't have to remember all of them.)
  • Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn't digest itself.
  • A "2 by 4" is really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2.
  • A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. (Great for winning money from drunk people at parties - "betcha I can make this raisin jump up and down" ^_-)
  • It's estimated that at any one time around 0.7% of the world's population is drunk. (and 90% of them are apparently located in the North of England.)
  • The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.
  • By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.
  • Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th (which occurs one to three times a year).
  • People photocopying their arsecheeks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide.
  • Every year 4 people in the UK die putting their trousers on. (Falling over and cracking your head off something, or falling down the stairs presumably.)
  • Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles. So you can get arrested for being abducted by aliens ^_-
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Post by captain ahar »

Icarus wrote:
  • Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles. So you can get arrested for being abducted by aliens ^_-
damn, and i always thought i was generally a law-abiding citizen...
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Post by Stormwatch »

Half-Life

Early in the game, you can find two books inside Gordon Freeman's closet. They are The 37th Mandala and The Orchid Eater. Both books actually exist; they were written by Marc Laidlaw - who also happens to be the game's writer, one of the level designers, and the model for Freeman's face.

Max Payne

A similar situation: the character's face was modeled after the game's writer, Sam Lake. In the sequel, however, it was modeled after actor Timothy Gibbs (some fans were so annoyed by the change, they created a mod to restore the hero's old face). In both games, actor James McCaffrey did Payne's voice.
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Post by Specineff »

In that vein, Mortal Kombat character Noob Saibot's name was created by inverting the last name of two of the game's creators: Ed Boon and Jon Tobias.
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