TIL: Today I Learned

[Takhisis]

TIL that diamond is from the greek term 'adamas', meaning (i suppose) non-tamable (due to how hard it is).
Wasn't conscious of that, since while the term adamantion exists as an adjective, we use the slight corruption 'diamanti' for the noun, where the root isn't as visible.

Probably via Italian and re-loaned back into Greek during the Venetokratia. The same as σάπφειρος → zaffiro → ζαφίρι.

 

[Michkov]

TIL that diamond is from the greek term 'adamas', meaning (i suppose) non-tamable (due to how hard it is).
Wasn't conscious of that, since while the term adamantion exists as an adjective, we use the slight corruption 'diamanti' for the noun, where the root isn't as visible.

So Adamantium of X-Men fame isn't some nonsense word after all.

 

[Takhisis]

Just because X-Men is complete nonsense doesn't mean that the words don't come from anywhere. Making nonsense requires some talent.

 

[Arakhor]

Professor Tolkien already got in on the game decades ago with Nenya, the Ring of Adamant.

 

[sophie]

TIL Jaromir Jagr is still playing for the NHL (!!!!!!)

 

[Lexicus]

TIL there needs to be a total moratorium on fraternities until significant reforms can be drawn up to prevent deaths and serious injury associated with fraternity activities.

 

[Takhisis]

You should just face your gun cult(ure), your alcohol cult(ure) and your rape cult(ure).

 

[Zkribbler]

The largest university in the world is Indra Gandhi, with over 4,000,000 students.

 

[Kyriakos]

The largest university in the world is Indra Gandhi, with over 4,000,000 students.

Wow.

Though that is nothing, when your country has a population of over 1,1 billion people. Iirc the local university has something like 150K or more students, and the one in Machester has over 250K?

 

[Kyriakos]

It seems that next week the greek pm will be in the US, for talks with the potus.
/twilight zone

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Today I learn that, in Half-Life 1, some of the music files are named prospero01.mp3 to prospero05.mp3. This is interesting because Prospero was one of Valve's early game designs that ultimately never happened.

Also, because the original CD of the retail version complies with Red Book audio standards, the game soundtrack can be played n a regular CD player. There's a funny side effect to this. The game pulls the audio from the disc, and for whatever reason the Steam version of Half-Life never removed this code. So you can put any audio CD in your computer's drive and it'll play the music from it in-game. This also works for Quake.

 

[Arakhor]

I noticed that feature with the original Tomb Raider.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

Also, because the original CD of the retail version complies with Red Book audio standards, the game soundtrack can be played n a regular CD player. There's a funny side effect to this. The game pulls the audio from the disc, and for whatever reason the Steam version of Half-Life never removed this code. So you can put any audio CD in your computer's drive and it'll play the music from it in-game. This also works for Quake.

I found that out by accident. One time I was playing Half-Life I had left a CD in the disc drive and forgot to take it out. When I reached a certain point in the game, the music started playing and I thought it sounded familiar, then when the singing came up I knew that it was playing the CD.

Many older games that were on CD had their music stored on the CD as normal CD tracks, with track 1 being the game data itself.

 

[Zkribbler]

I always knew of the White and Blue Niles merging at Khartoum in the Sudan. TIL: that, at that point, the flow of the While Nile, although constant, has been stripped of all nutrients. The nutrient-rich floods which created Egypt's civilization come from the Blue Nile. Monsoons from the Indian Ocean are trapped by Ethiopia's towering volcanic mountains. Forty seven rivers flow into Lake Tana, one flows out--the Blue Nile. The water flowing over the Blue Nile Falls can swell as much as fifty times normal.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I found that out by accident. One time I was playing Half-Life I had left a CD in the disc drive and forgot to take it out. When I reached a certain point in the game, the music started playing and I thought it sounded familiar, then when the singing came up I knew that it was playing the CD.

Many older games that were on CD had their music stored on the CD as normal CD tracks, with track 1 being the game data itself.

I learned it the exact same way. I forgot to take a disc out of the drive. "Wait, why is it playing that song--ohhhhh."

 

[Traitorfish]

TIL the flag of Jamaica is the only national flag not to include the colours red, white or blue.

Previously it was Jamaica and Libya, but, well, y'know.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

TIL the flag of Jamaica is the only national flag not to include the colours red, white or blue.

Previously it was Jamaica and Libya, but, well, y'know.

I think you'll like this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Nepal

 

[Lohrenswald]

TIL the flag of Jamaica is the only national flag not to include the colours red, white or blue.

Previously it was Jamaica and Libya, but, well, y'know.

actually Mauritannia added red to their flag only just a coulpe of months ago

 

[Traitorfish]

actually Mauritannia added red to their flag only just a coulpe of months ago

Well darn.

 

[Kyriakos]

TIL of the existence of Freestyle Bane!

"I'm Bane - yes - that's my name - when you hear the name Bane i guarantee you the pain
I'm coming after you, Bruce Wayne, i am stronger, smarter, and clinically insane"

"I'm Bane- yes -that's my name, Bruce Wayne and Batman are totally the same"

"I laugh when you ask why I wear the mask, I'll explain...it's because I'm Bane."