TIL: Today I Learned

[Kyriakos]

It is never displayed correctly when you use the quick-reply feature. It does when you write your reply on a separate page and then come back to the thread.

See here.

Why not write one, then?

I think he likes anarchy.

 

[Cutlass]

Virginia seems to have a lot more of those than New England, which apart from its "Massachusetts" and "Connecticut" generally reads like a jumbled map of the English Midlands. It's quite interesting, the different attitudes different colonies and generations of colonists took to native place-names. There's probably a thesis in it, somewhere.

There are many names from the Old Country(ies) in New England. But there are plenty of mangled Indian names as well. That's largely true throughout the US and Canada. There isn't a great deal of original place names.

 

[Goodfella]

Virginia seems to have a lot more of those than New England, which apart from its "Massachusetts" and "Connecticut" generally reads like a jumbled map of the English Midlands. It's quite interesting, the different attitudes different colonies and generations of colonists took to native place-names. There's probably a thesis in it, somewhere.

I'm not sure how different Virginia is from New England in this regard. Most of the towns in Virginia are named after English towns too.

 

[madviking]

there are a ton of places that are [dude]stown or [dude]sburg

 

[Goodfella]

Okay, maybe not "most" but Norfolk, Richmond, Portsmouth, Winchester, Fairfax, Suffolk,... still a lot of them.

Edit: Looking at Virginia and New England on google maps and yeah, TF's right. There's a noticeable difference in English soundingness.

 

[metatron]

This may be an incredibly duh though but:
People from different parts of the UK emigrated to different parts of the colonoies.

In your example list we have 4 places from the south-east (and Thomas Fairfax from Kent), which is a) no coincidence and b) much more unlikely in New England.

 

[Phrossack]

TIL that the average knife-wielding person can cover about 7 meters in 1.5 seconds. This means that anyone with a holstered sidearm is at a serious disadvantage against a knife-wielding assailant within that distance.

 

[Ajidica]

TIL that the average knife-wielding person can cover about 7 meters in 1.5 seconds. This means that anyone with a holstered sidearm is at a serious disadvantage against a knife-wielding assailant within that distance.

Interesting.
Suddenly, the Cyberpunk 2020 ruleset seems a lot more accurate.

 

[Phrossack]

Interesting.
Suddenly, the Cyberpunk 2020 ruleset seems a lot more accurate.

On second thought, it's closer to 6 meters. But it only applies to people with holstered weapons. If their firearm is drawn and aimed, they can probably shoot the attacker at least twice. I wonder how body armor, both ballistic and stab-resistant, for either party, would change the results.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

TIL that the average knife-wielding person can cover about 7 meters in 1.5 seconds. This means that anyone with a holstered sidearm is at a serious disadvantage against a knife-wielding assailant within that distance.

This actually means that anyone with a holstered sidearm and not a brain in their head is at a serious disadvantage. If it takes you a second and a half to start moving away you deserve whatever happens to you.

 

[Takhisis]

TIL that people without brains in their heads are at a serious disadvantage.

 

[Phrossack]

This actually means that anyone with a holstered sidearm and not a brain in their head is at a serious disadvantage. If it takes you a second and a half to start moving away you deserve whatever happens to you.

It's easier said than done. Do you really think you could sprint backwards while drawing a pistol? 1.5 seconds is not much time to react, and few people can sprint backwards. It's easy to sit back and criticize people for dying in the real world, but if you actually get rushed by someone with a knife, your pistol is in your holster, and he's just 21 feet from you, you're in trouble.

 

[Antilogic]

This just means you should walk around with your gun unholstered. And pointed at people. Saves ya time.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

It's easier said than done. Do you really think you could sprint backwards while drawing a pistol? 1.5 seconds is not much time to react, and few people can sprint backwards. It's easy to sit back and criticize people for dying in the real world, but if you actually get rushed by someone with a knife, your pistol is in your holster, and he's just 21 feet from you, you're in trouble.

A second and a half is forever when the adrenaline is running. I'd react, because this guy twenty feet away with a knife didn't just spring out of the ground. If there's a guy twenty feet from me with a knife I'm already at full throttle before he rushes me.

That said, 'sprinting backwards drawing a pistol' is not my style. No gun or badge in my camp. I'm more likely to be the guy with the knife.

 

[Algeroth]

TIL that Laos is still People's democratic republic. For some reason I've though that they dropped that long time ago.

 

[Samez]

TIL there was a county of Katzenelnbogen in the HRE which translates literally to "cat elbow"

 

[Phrossack]

A second and a half is forever when the adrenaline is running. I'd react, because this guy twenty feet away with a knife didn't just spring out of the ground. If there's a guy twenty feet from me with a knife I'm already at full throttle before he rushes me.

That said, 'sprinting backwards drawing a pistol' is not my style. No gun or badge in my camp. I'm more likely to be the guy with the knife.

You want to murder policemen with a knife?

TIL there was a county of Katzenelnbogen in the HRE which translates literally to "cat elbow"

Cat's Elbow still proudly stands!

 

[classical_hero]

TIL that people without brains in their heads are at a serious disadvantage.

Are you speaking from personal experience?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

You want to murder policemen with a knife?

Rule of thumb, never bring a knife to a gunfight.

 

[Phrossack]

Rule of thumb, never bring a knife to a gunfight.

So you want to murder the police with a gun, then.