You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

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ChairmanOfTheBoard
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by ChairmanOfTheBoard »

"in spades". what does that mean? it means to have a lot of something.

https://englishhelponline.me/2011/02/27 ... in-spades/
Apparently, the origin of this expression comes from the card game of Bridge. In that game, the spades are considered the highest suit. So, I suppose, if you have a lot of spades, then you’ll be more likely to win the game.
now you know.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by DMac »

Wow, all you righties' eyes will glaze over quickly here, but check this out.

"The literal meaning of "ambidextrous" is "right-handed on both sides." It refers to a person who can use both hands equally well. But the Middle English "ambidexter" meant "double-dealer," as well. ... "That's Latin for 'left-handed on both sides. '

"Ambidexter (plural ambidexters) Someone who is ambidextrous. (archaic) A lawyer who takes fees from both plaintiff and defendant. (by extension) Someone who is two-faced; a double-dealer."

You righties are a very biased lot.
You should be ashamed of yourselves.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by ChairmanOfTheBoard »

while we are on this topic- want to tackle southpaw? i mean i've seen rocky, but wanted to defer to you.

:lol:
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by DMac »

The story goes like this....true or not, unknown (as is much with leftiness).
"Southpaw apparently derives from baseball, most likely coined in Chicago in the late nineteenth century. Left handed pitchers on the mound at the old Camiskey Park would face west, so that the arc of their arm and delivery of the ball originated from the south. One source suggests that a Chicago News sportswriter invented the term, although a different source claims that it was used to describe left-handed boxers before it was applied to left handed pitchers."

This all comes from (although I had heard this before) David Wolfman, author of LEFT-HAND TURN AROUND THE WORLD, Chasing The Mystery And Meaning Of All Things Southpaw.

Can't suggest strongly enough that those with a lefty brother, sister, mother, father, girlfriend (big points here with gfriend) put this book on their Christmas gift list (or bday). The lefty receiving it will absolutely love it, ...guaranteed. Friend's daughter bought it, big reader, very bright, would not be surprised to see her become the POTUS...she's brutal (and a knockout). A lefty, of course (although she's really mix handed...plays ping pong right, writes left). Gave it to her father to read who I tell walks left handed. Everything left. I'm mixed, or just confused. She loved the book, father raved about it, and now I'm thoroughly enjoying it. So many things in there lefties already know but will find interesting to know all the other lefties are thinking/seeing the same. Righties don't really get how much of a right handed world it is and the left handed subject is Sominex to them. Should be required reading for righties, for them it would be educational, for lefties it's very entertaining.

Sorry you asked now? :lol:
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by DMac »

More vital and useful information.
Ninety percent of parrots pick things up with their left claw.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by ChairmanOfTheBoard »

not sorry, now i know.

:mrgreen:
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by Brooklyn »

ChairmanOfTheBoard wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:32 pm not sorry, now i know.

:mrgreen:

Of course, everybody knows being left handed is a sign of intelligence. ;)
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by ChairmanOfTheBoard »

brush up on your irish prefixes: http://irishclangathering.com/Guide-to- ... h%20origin.

fitz: son
mc: son
mac: son
kil: church/follower of
gil: church/follower of
o': descendant
mor: big


now you know.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by Farfromgeneva »

Same sword they knight you they gon' good night you with
Thats' only half if they like you
That ain't even the half what they might do
Don't believe me, ask Michael
See Martin, Malcolm
See Jesus, Judas; Caesar, Brutus
See success is like suicide
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by ChairmanOfTheBoard »

what is the jell-o belt?

it's an area over the western united states, that, due to a high proportion of mormons, is called the jell-o belt.

Image

but what caused this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Corridor

not really clear on why, but the fact is- mormons eat jell-o two to one compared to other americans. here's a less than sufficient answer:
The state was settled in 1847 by Brigham Young, the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the assassination of founder Joseph Smith, and as the community fled religious persecution it spread into southern Idaho, California, Wyoming, and Nevada, popularly called the "Mormon Corridor" or the "Jell-O Belt." A mix of convenience foods and Southwestern ingenuity, Mormon cuisine is built around feeding dozens of mouths from pantry stores and prudent seasoning.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by Nigel »

ChairmanOfTheBoard wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 8:34 pm what is the jell-o belt?

it's an area over the western united states, that, due to a high proportion of mormons, is called the jell-o belt.

Image

but what caused this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Corridor

not really clear on why, but the fact is- mormons eat jell-o two to one compared to other americans. here's a less than sufficient answer:
The state was settled in 1847 by Brigham Young, the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the assassination of founder Joseph Smith, and as the community fled religious persecution it spread into southern Idaho, California, Wyoming, and Nevada, popularly called the "Mormon Corridor" or the "Jell-O Belt." A mix of convenience foods and Southwestern ingenuity, Mormon cuisine is built around feeding dozens of mouths from pantry stores and prudent seasoning.
now you know.

Man, that is some close-to-home, super interesting information for those of us in WNY. The referenced founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, moved to nearby Palmyra, NY (1817) and for almost 90 years there's been a pageant on a local hill (Hill Cumorah) celebrating the Book of Mormon and Smith's role in the development of the religion. The pageant is quite a big thing with about 700 volunteer cast members, runs for 7 days, and is totally free. It was to end forever in 2020 but now it's pushed out to 2021. I probably should go to 'check it off the list.'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Cumorah_Pageant

Incidentally Ben Reeves, yes that Ben Reeves, played his high school lacrosse for the Palmyra-Macedon Red Raiders, putting up 585 career points.

In addition to that, there is an actual Jell-O Museum just southwest of Rochester in a small town called LeRoy (sound la-roy). It seems Jell-O was invented there in 1897 and after a slow start, the famous dessert's sales took off in 1902. Eventually Jell-O left the LeRoy production facilities in 1964 to conquer the dessert world. The gift shop has golf balls Mr Chairman. 8-)
http://jellogallery.org/index.html
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by ChairmanOfTheBoard »

didnt know of that, thank you!
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

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i'd always wondered how spiders can build a web across great distances, over a space that they cannot climb from one side to another. here's what i found- it's wind: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithson ... 180957426/
The spider starts by pulling silk from a gland with it fourth leg. The opposite fourth leg is used to pull out multiple strands of silk from about 20 additional silk glands, creating a balloon-like structure. The spider sits patiently, knowing that eventually a warm breeze will take up the balloon, which carries away the first line of silk.

Eventually the balloon's trailing silk strand snags—and, like an angler with a fish on the line, the spider can feel the hit. It tugs to make sure the silk strand is truly attached, then it pulls out new silk and attaches the strand to whatever it is perched on and starts gathering up the snagged strand, pulling itself towards the endpoint, all the while laying out new silk behind it. That new silk is the first planar line. The spider may do this 20 times, creating a network of dry (not sticky) silk lines arcing in all directions.

The spider then has to determine which of those lines constitute seven good attachment points—they must be in a plane and “distributed usefully around the circle the web will occupy,” says Coddington. The spider cuts away the 13 lines that it won't use. “Now that you have the seven attachments you need, you no longer need to touch the ground, leaves, twigs, anything ... you are in your own, arguably solipsistic, world.”

Then the spider starts to spin its web, a relatively simple and predictable process. It begins at the outside and works its way in, attaching segment by segment with its legs, creating concentric circles and ending with a center spiral of sticky silk that traps much-needed prey—all the energy invested in making the web depletes protein stores.
now you know.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by DMac »

Wouldn't call it useless information, but something most probably don't know, but should.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by Nigel »

Every four years you can dazzle your friends while watching the Winter Olympics.

What are curling stones made of, what do they weigh and how much do they cost?

What are curling stones made of? The stones, also known as rocks, are made from granite.

Where does curling stone granite come from? Curling stone granite exclusively comes from two places: Alisa Craig, an island off Scotland, and the Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales. The majority comes from Alisa Craig where they produce two types of granite, Blue Hone and Alisa Craig Common Green. The company Kays of Scotland has the exclusive rights to the granite from Alisa Craig and Kays Curling Stones are the only ones to be used in competition by the World Curling Federation.

How much do curling stones weigh? There is no definite weight of a curling stone, rather there is a maximum and minimum, between which it must weigh. The weight range is 17.24kg-19.96kg (38lbs-44lbs), this includes the handle and bolt on the top of the stone. They also have a maximum circumference of the curling stone is 91.44cm and a minimum height of 11.43cm

How much do curling stones cost? According to CurlingStone.com a new stone will set you back around $450 (£322) whilst you can get a used one for about $295 (£211), although this will depend on quality and condition.


now you know.
If we need that extra push over the cliff, ya know what we do...eleven, exactly.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by ChairmanOfTheBoard »

good stuff, thank you! :lol:
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by a fan »

Solid work, Nigel.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by DMac »

They should cost more like $4,500 than $450, it's one heck of a process to make one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1y0KWzDWvo
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by Nigel »

Very cool video DMac. That diamond cable cutter at 1:15 is really sick!
If we need that extra push over the cliff, ya know what we do...eleven, exactly.
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Re: You've always wanted to know... useless information thread

Post by DMac »

This one truly falls under the useless information category.
Like to play with a wood burner every once in awhile. Not
so much anymore but was screwing around one day and made
this, stumbled upon it this morning..it's actually pretty cool,
IMO, of course. Doesn't make it any less a worthless POS, but
anything with a lacrosse stick in it aint all bad. :D
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