Random facts

[Unconvinced]

"If you then took all the Harry Potter books ever printed, in every language and in hard and soft backs, and piled them up one on top of the other, then it would be the only pile of books visible from Mars."

I'm highly skeptical as to how this information was attained. How would you see a column less than a foot wide anyway from that distance?

[flarewearer]

Quoting Unconvinced from 21:41, 9th Aug 2005
"If you then took all the Harry Potter books ever printed, in every language and in hard and soft backs, and piled them up one on top of the other, then it would be the only pile of books visible from Mars."

I'm highly skeptical as to how this information was attained. How would you see a column less than a foot wide anyway from that distance?

MY

GOD

HOW

CAN

YOU

TAKE

THAT

SERIOUSLY

!!!???//!!!111oneoneone!

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[jennyo]

Quoting Boxers from 16:03, 4th Aug 2005
The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties, has 9,999 and half rooms.

How can you have half a room? Isn't that like half a hole?

[hr]

I was staring at the mirror when I had a religious experience. Which is unusual. Normally when I have a religious experience, the mirror stares at me.

[Thackary]

Nah, a room should have 4 walls. Maybe this half-room only has two?

[Prophet Tenebrae]

It's a common misconception to believe that Ethelred (978-1016) was called the Unready - because of the Viking invasions that occured during his reign - however, Unready is a corruption of his actual Anglo-Saxon nickname Unraed - which means, without counsel, this being a pun on the meaning of his real name - "Well advised".

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IMAGE:www.btinternet.com/~brother.war/white10-2.gif

[Dave the Explosive Newt]

Hitler was a vegitarian.

Quoting Steveo from 11:38, 9th Aug 2005
The Dounreay nuclear facility in North Scotland contained the world's only liquid metal cooled fast reactor. The coolant, which is made from Sodium, is converted into salt water for eventual discharde to sea.

My memory is sketchy, but wasn't this tested on a specific class or Russian nuclear submarine as well?


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Will Watson. Medical Student. Cake Lover.

[sabra_girl]

Only one person in every 2 billion will live to be 116 or older.

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"You guys are like our guinea pigs...only without the long-term cancer!" Chris Thile, Nickel Creek [to audience]

IMAGE:www.sugarhillrecords.com/ecard/assets/3990_boardSHR.jpg

[tintin]

From one of my favourite radio shows - Alex Lester...

Chimps are the only animals that can recognise themselves in a mirror.

If you stretch a standard Slinky out flat it measures 87 feet long.

Armadillos get an average of 18.5 hours of sleep per day.

Cary Grant's real name was Archibald Leach, for whom John Cleese's character in A Fish Called Wanda was named.

The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.

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http://www.livejournal.com/users/mat_salleh

[tintin]

From one of my favourite radio shows - Alex Lester...

Chimps are the only animals that can recognise themselves in a mirror.

If you stretch a standard Slinky out flat it measures 87 feet long.

Armadillos get an average of 18.5 hours of sleep per day.

Cary Grant's real name was Archibald Leach, for whom John Cleese's character in A Fish Called Wanda was named.

And apologies if this is posted a couple of times - EVERY TIME I TRY TO POST there seems to be a problem - have I offended Admin or sometihng?

The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.

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http://www.livejournal.com/users/mat_salleh

[KayBee]

Quoting tintin from 11:59, 10th Aug 2005
From one of my favourite radio shows - Alex Lester...

Chimps are the only animals that can recognise themselves in a mirror.

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http://www.livejournal.com/users/mat_salleh

We can't be certain that that is in fact true. While it appears that chimps can recognise themselves in a mirror, they may not.

Edit: Orangutans also display the same behaviour in front of a mirror so the "fact" is incorrect anyway!

[flarewearer]

Quoting Dave the Explosive Newt from 11:04, 10th Aug 2005
Hitler was a vegitarian.

Urban Myth I'm afraid... True, hitler was advised by his personal physician not to eat meat doe to a stomach complaint, but he was on occasion partial to a good bit of sausage. The Myth was put forward by the Nazi propagandists to enhance Hitler's image as part of their healthy image, to show Hitler a pure leader making a personal sacrafice for the German People.

My memory is sketchy, but wasn't this tested on a specific class or Russian nuclear submarine as well?

Well, yes and no. The solitary Mike class submarine had a sodium / lead / bismuth cooled reactor and the 6 Alfa class also had 'liquid metal' cooled reactors (still a secret), but neither of these were fast breeder type reactors. God! I need to get out more ~_~

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[Steveo]

Indeed true, you do need to get out more.

Apparently, Calder Hall nuclear power station, which consisted of 4 small Magnox type reactors of approx. 60mw each, was not the first electricity producing nuclear reactor. Rumour has it that the Soviet Union developed one first, but that may be twaddle, anyone wish to clarify?

[Raindance]

Staying up all night with insomnia means you learn all kinds of random facts. Here's one I got last night:

Before the Eiffell Tower became the tallest structure on Earth the record holder was the Great Pyramid at Giza. It held the record for over 4000 years.

And I'm out...

[hr]

They take the knowledge, they take the know-how, and they take the individuals, and they invent a better scone.

[Boxers]

Quoting jennyo from 04:06, 10th Aug 2005

Quoting Boxers from 16:03, 4th Aug 2005
The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties, has 9,999 and half rooms.

How can you have half a room? Isn't that like half a hole?

[hr]

Apparently a room is considered to be a space between 4 pillars, so i guess half a room would be between 2 pillars. The reason for there being 9,999.5 rooms is because the chinese believe that Heaven has 10,000 rooms. Therefore, to have 10,000 rooms in the Forbidden City would be deemed disrespectful to whoever the chinese god is. So 9,999.5 rooms is as near to Heaven on Earth as possible.

[flarewearer]

But a Melville "room" has 5 walls doesnt it? Does that mean it's actually 1.25 chinese rooms?

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[Rufus]

A Black Bellied Stag is so called because when it urinates it flicks it's tail to cool itself down and very delightfully spatters its stomach with its own piss.

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'Do you remember how long the days were when you were a child?'

[WashingtonIrving]

How about a random music fact, led zeppelin got their name 'cos keith moon said to jimmy page that his new band would go down like a lead zeppelin. Lead was changed to led so americans wouldn't mispronouce it. On a related note, led zeppelin's 4th album isn't called led zeppelin 4, its actually got no title. And while the album was being recorded one of the band (page, I think, cant remember off the top of my head) bought the house of occultist alisteir crowley.

[hr]

There's gotta be some way out of here, the joker said to the thief

[flarewearer]

If you lose weight, your feet get smaller; there is less weight pushing down on the bones that make up your feet and consequently they are less spread out. So girls, if you need to fit into that special pair of shoes for a fancy night out, you know what to do now ;>

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[DrAlex]

Cement can take the skin off your hands if left on

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RUSH KATO '05!

rush.kato@gmail.com

[bramble]

Quoting DrAlex from 11:24, 12th Aug 2005
Cement can take the skin off your hands if left on

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RUSH KATO '05!

rush.kato@gmail.com

Ewww thanks for that I feel quite disgusted!
Ok my fact for the day : According to research carried out by 5 US universities, the typical love cheat has a degree, lives in the city, earns lots of money and loves politics.

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Its not how long it takes, its whos taking you