TIL: Today I Learned

Status
Not open for further replies.
TIL it's time to panic because of Moldova. Please tell me this will end up on one of those inaccurate stories articles on Cracked.

Also I learned about the concept of "database match probability".
 
I doubt they have nuclear reactors (Bulgaria has one, or had anyway), so any material (uranium in relevant form) is going to be pretty scarce in the first place.

Now if Isis somehow has the tech to build a nuclear weapon, this is not really down to homegrown supposed caliphate-rebirth groups, and it would be given by current nuclear powers. And in such a case (i seriously doubt it is true) that power is not likely to have been Russia. More likely some USA groups, or Nato at any rate.

Of course it also depends on the scope, and what one means by 'dirty bomb'. If one means just any kind of somewhat not utterly failed nuclear bomb, then maybe something can be built, but they will have not tested it anywhere so it is a very unlikely scenario to happen. Now if you fear a north-Korea type situation where Isis is backed by a nuke, well, be sure this won't happen if a superpower doesn't actively enable this..

(of course, if rumours about Israel having a nuke or a few are true, there already is a very self-righeous and violent polity that is shielded in such a manner. Personally i don't buy the whole 'Isis are self-grown islamic warriors who are winning and now have a state' tale. It is virtually certain they are being backed by actual relevant armies on the ground).
 
I'm betting it would be a radiological bomb. Somewhat similar to the chemical weapons they've already used, but causes more panic and is harder to clean up.
 
Also I learned about the concept of "database match probability".

Surprised?
Not sure what your study status is, but similar things should've been taught in the theory about proteomics or also in BLAST related topics.
(might not be directly that obvious, but if you think about it, you'll see the connection)
 
TIL when he was a teenager Hitler was a creepy stalker. Basically, he was infatuated with a blonde girl (whom he wrongly believed to be Jewish) and would stalk her and have crazy "romantic" fantasies about her. He would complain to his friend when he saw her talking with those dashing handsome army officers, he eavesdropped on her conversations, he wrote tons of poems about her.... Jesus. Also the girl had no idea he liked her that much, as she would tell reporters many many years later.

Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk
 
TIL: Male masturbation only releases about half the number of sperm that are released when having actual sexual intercourse.

I also realize that my only two contributions to this thread have to do with masturbation. I swear though that I'm not obsessed with masturbation.
 
TIL that Richard Feynman spoke like Tony Curtis. It's a bit disturbing, since I associate the accent with street thugs.
 
TIL: Male masturbation only releases about half the number of sperm that are released when having actual sexual intercourse.

I also realize that my only two contributions to this thread have to do with masturbation. I swear though that I'm not obsessed with masturbation.
I wonder if the body sorts quality before the blastoff.

TIL that Richard Feynman spoke like Tony Curtis. It's a bit disturbing, since I associate the accent with street thugs.

I had a Dutch instructor who was pround to speak the national, standardized form of Dutch. She never expected the insurgency of her own students saying how much cooler it is to have a regional accent, bucking the trend of proper etc. I felt bad because at the end she felt kinda bad.
 
I also realize that my only two contributions to this thread have to do with masturbation. I swear though that I'm not obsessed with masturbation.

We ought to toss you off this thread. :mischief:
 
The mods have yet to purge his posts because this is a kid-friendly space, but there's time, time for everything under the sun, as the Calendar quote from Civ4 says...
 
I had a Dutch instructor who was pround to speak the national, standardized form of Dutch. She never expected the insurgency of her own students saying how much cooler it is to have a regional accent, bucking the trend of proper etc. I felt bad because at the end she felt kinda bad.

It's not just that he has accent... I get the feeling like he's an actor posing as Feynman, not the real thing. It's partly because I've never hear the New York accent IRL, and maybe also because of the sound quality and the recordings being very old:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obCjODeoLVw
That voice is the typical tough guy of the 50s movies.

It looks like Feynman was from Queens and Curtis from Bronx. I wonder if they have the same accent or if it's just hard to tell the difference if you're an outsider. You'd think NY is big enough city to have an own accent for each borough. :D
 
I have only watched one video of Feynman, where he (apparently) gives an introductory lecture on what is 'science', but i can't say i liked his words. 'Real' isn't a good term to toss around, re physics (moreso than in less external/sensory observed object-based orders).

Maybe he was bored, or nervous, or whatever.
 
Never had any bioinformatics courses, sadly. A few lectures in some, but not enough.

TIL about Wikipedia's Terminal Event Management Policy.

The datastream will include a specially designed primer, or set of simple scientific principles and data that would be common to all extraterrestrial intelligences, providing a common base of reference to enable those receiving the signal to commence the mammoth task of decoding the encyclopedia. The message will be accompanied by a short video message by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, and images required for the re-creation of fundraiser banners.

:lol:

Also, today I learned about hypercanes.
 
Though I've always known that the tetris song was based on a Russian song, TIL that the folk song is based on a depressing love poem. The poem is about a peasant girl and a peddler who falls in love; he promises to marry her before leaving for business; his business is successful, and he returns to marry the girl; unfortunately on the way he is killed, and the two lovers never marry. The song itself only has the first part of the poem, when everything is happy.
 
TIL about Leucochloridium paradoxum. Ugh.
310px-Leucochloridium_paradoxum.jpg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom