The questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread VIII

[Flying Pig]

A few very small, low-profile operations get wiped out, but it is very rare. During the great war one battalion recorded :'On the night of the _____th, the battalion caesed to exist'

 

[Shekwan]

Sounds like bull.

What do you mean?

Yeah, exaggerate where necessary but flat out lying is unwise.

You should read anything you cite. You might get a question on it.

If absolutely pressed for time I might not read the whole thing, but certainly read at the very least the parts that deal with the topic on which I am citing them.

This. I'll often just skim something if I'm in a hurry, but I definitely read the sections I'm actually citing.

Just checking what the common practice is. I ask because I've just found out a number of people in my class have been doing that sort of thing (ie. fudgingg in extra stuff).

I usually base my papers around about half my bibliography, then skim read the other half to get the jist of what the author is saying. Its really just to make the bibliography more impressive though and find extra stuff that agrees with what the main academic work I'm basing the paper on.

 

[GinandTonic]

Dont just find stuff that agrees with you - if you are really lucky you can find the mythical "real life strawman" quote, where some total muppet makes exactly the point you are spending 3,000 words refuting.

 

[Glassfan]

Has there ever been a recorded instance of a military unit being completely obliterated in combat (i.e. every single member killed in action)?

On a number of occasions, units surrenduring have been massacred - Fort Pillow(US Civil War), Alamo Defenders, Spartans etc.

A number of Japanese units were wiped-out on islands in the Pacific in WW II.

I also seem to recall a famous photograph from WW I; a French Battalion was so heavily shell by German artillery, that the trenches had been filled-in with soil and only the rifle bayonets were sticking up out of the ground were the dead troops were burried.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Napoleon went into Russia with a massive army and came up with only 25% of it as I recall. So I'm sure entire units were wiped out.

He went in with over half a million men and came out with about 25,000

1812 campaign

 

[Slim_Shady]

How and when did 13 become a "unlucky" number?

 

[Love]

I've heard that the origin was when the knights templars got slain on friday the thirteenth. But i don't know it's the first one.

 

[GoodGame]

I've heard that the origin was when the knights templars got slain on friday the thirteenth. But i don't know it's the first one.

Apparently it may even go back to the Code of Hammurabi.

http://phobias.about.com/od/phobiaslist/a/triskaidekaphob.htm

 

[Lord Baal]

How and when did 13 become a "unlucky" number?

When Roman Polanski got caught with a 13 year old.

What exactly is meant by "solar winds." I know they're not actual winds, and I'm sure I've read it before, but it currently escapes me what they actually are.

 

[Huayna Capac357]

Does anyone know what the whispered-ish words are in the Foo Fighters song "Everlong"?

 

[Cutlass]

Does anyone know what the whispered-ish words are in the Foo Fighters song "Everlong"?

Most song lyrics are online at one place or another these days. http://www.elyrics.net/read/f/foo-fighters-lyrics/everlong-lyrics.html

Everlong lyrics

hello
I've waited here for you
everlong
tonight I throw myself into
and out of the red
out of her head she sang

come down
and waste away with me
down with me
slow how
you wanted it to be
I'm over my head
out of her head she sang

and I wonder
when I sing along with you
if everything could ever feel this real forever
if anything could ever be this good again
the only thing I'll ever ask of you
you've got to promise not to stop when I say when
she sang

breathe out so I can breathe you in
hold you in
and now I know you've always been
out of your head
out of my head I sang

and I wonder
when I sing along with you
if everything could ever feel this real forever
if anything could ever be this good again
the only thing I'll ever ask of you
you've got to promise not to stop when I say when
she sang

and I wonder
if everything could ever feel this real forever
if anything could ever be this good again
the only thing I'll ever ask of you
you've got to promise not to stop when I say when

 

[Huayna Capac357]

In the background at one point, there are very very quiet lyrics not included in that thing.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

What exactly is meant by "solar winds." I know they're not actual winds, and I'm sure I've read it before, but it currently escapes me what they actually are.

Constant stream of charged particles from the sun. The Earth is shielded by its magnetic fields. The point where the solar wind's influence becomes limited is called the heliopause.

 

[Cutlass]

I don't recall. But if you search there are a dozen other lyrics sites. One of them might have caught it.

 

[Lord Baal]

Constant stream of charged particles from the sun. The Earth is shielded by its magnetic fields. The point where the solar wind's influence becomes limited is called the heliopause.

Thanks.

 

[Cutlass]

What's a good history book for a 16 year old boy who has a strong interest in history, but is an inconsistent student?

 

[Dachs]

What's a good history book for a 16 year old boy who has a strong interest in history, but is an inconsistent student?

What kind of history? What sort of books does he enjoy reading (if any)?

 

[Cutlass]

He's read a lot of WWII stuff. But he's widening out a bit now. The last book I got him was "1491". Before that, "Japan's War". He's likes some books by the losers in their own words. I think he liked Guderian quite a bit.

 

[sophie]

When I was that age I read Collapse, by Jared Diamond, though I don't know if you'd consider that a History.

I also read Froissart's Chronicles around that time, and I very much liked that one. Another good idea that I used to do was just go to the history section of the library, and just pick out what caught my fancy.

Another really good one to try is to check out Cartoon History of the Universe by Larry Gonick. It's an incredible and factual comic book account of world history. He just released the last issue of that series (coming full circle from modern theories behind the creation of the universe all the way to the Iraq War today) in September, meaning he can read them in quick succession now rather than getting to Muhammed and having to wait a year for the other two issues (like me).

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I was watching a video and thought I saw something odd.. So I took a screenshot and adjusted the brightness and stuff to see...

Spoiler :

WHY IS THERE A CLOUD OF SMOKE AROUND TOM'S HEAD??????