The Trivia Thread

[NiX]

To make this place a little more "educational", why don't we post some useless trivia? I'll start.

- Isaac Newton, Peter Tchaikovsky and Annie Lennox were all born on Christmas.

- The term "white chocolate" is a misnomer. Under Fedaral Standards of Identity, real chocolate must contain chocolate liquor. "White" chocolate contains no chocolate liquor.

haha. proceed

[Lord_Leperman]

You can't lick your elbows... except when you're double jointed like my classmate. )

You don't die in outerspace immediately due to decompression. It takes around a few seconds for a person to pass out, and a minute and a half for a person to die due to the lack of oxygen.

[quote]When the human body is suddenly exposed to the vacuum of space, a number of injuries begin to occur immediately. Though they are relatively minor at first, they accumulate rapidly into a life-threatening combination. The first effect is the expansion of gases within the lungs and digestive tract due to the reduction of external pressure. A victim of explosive decompression greatly increases their chances of survival simply by exhaling within the first few seconds, otherwise death is likely to occur once the lungs rupture and spill bubbles of air into the circulatory system. Such a life-saving exhalation might be due to a shout of surprise, though it would naturally go unheard where there is no air to carry it.

In the absence of atmospheric pressure water will spontaneously convert into vapor, which would cause the moisture in a victim's mouth and eyes to quickly boil away. The same effect would cause water in the muscles and soft tissues of the body to evaporate, prompting some parts of the body to swell to twice their usual size after a few moments. This bloating may result in some superficial bruising due to broken capillaries, but it would not be sufficient to break the skin.

For about ten full seconds

[Fox]

I got these in an email about a year ago.


Why did one of Bill Gates earlier ventures fail?

Bill Gates formed a company to sell a computerized traffic counting system to cities, which made $20,000 its first year. Business dropped sharply when customers learned Gates was only 14 years old.


Do geese make good parents?

A rarity in birds, geese are among the very few in which the family stays together at the end of the breeding season. Parents and the young raised during the summer establish strong family bonds and do not break up for about a year. In the fall, geese migrate in flocks that contain other family units, and each family stays together on the wintering grounds.


Are there McDonalds in the Mid-East?

McDonald's fast-food restaurants have been operating in the Middle East and Africa since 1992. The success was especially evident when 15,000 customers lined up on opening day in 1994 in Kuwait City. The line at the drive-thru window was seven miles long.


Who made the first suntan lotion?

Miami Beach pharmacist Benjamin Green invented the first suntan cream by cooking cocoa butter in a granite coffee pot on his wife's stove, and then testing the batch on his own head. His invention was introduced as Coppertone Suntan Cream in 1944.


How old are those fries?

Because the freshness of French fries deteriorates so quickly, it is reported that Burger King's policy is to toss out fries that have been sitting for seven minutes.


Is there something wrong with non-yawners?

Seeing another person yawn makes it likely that you will yawn yourself. Thinking about, even reading about yawning can set you off. People with mental disorders such as psychoses rarely yawn.


What did medieval alchemists use powdered gold for?

In medieval Europe, alchemists mixed powdered gold into drinks to "comfort sore limbs," one of the earliest references to arthritis. Man, medicine is really expensive, even back in medieval times!


How popular a name is Leo?

Thirteen popes were named Leo, including Leo the Great, who prevented the Huns from sacking Rome. Six emperors of Constantinople were also called Leo. The continuing popularity of the name probably stems for it association with the lion, long considered the king of beasts.


Which planet has the shortest day?

Jupiter is the planet with the shortest day: slightly under 10 hours. However, its years are 12 times as long as ours.

If you want to live longer and grow slower... now you have a choice. So if I am 144 Earth Years does it mean that I am 12 Jupiter Years old now.

[Grim]

Awesome thread. Pinned. Now we only need people to continue stuffing this topic with informative/useless/funny information from <a href='http://www.wikipedia.org' target='_blank'>Wikipedia</a>.

Anyway, here's one: you can fold any reasonably-sized paper in half only seven times.

[Lord_Leperman]

<!--QuoteBegin-Grimlok+Dec 3 2006, 08:37 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Grimlok @ Dec 3 2006, 08:37 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Anyway, here's one: you can fold any reasonably-sized paper in half only seven times. [/quote:a62eac6f37]

<a href='http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=594' target='_blank'>http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=594</a>

Girl was able to fold paper 12 times! ) (Inspiring article too BTW, it encourages one to challenge established norms)

[NiX]

Hahah I've got this book called "The Bathroom Reader." It's full of useless info that'd fit right in with the rest of this thread. )

[Grim]

<!--QuoteBegin-Lord_Leperman+Dec 3 2006, 08:45 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Lord_Leperman @ Dec 3 2006, 08:45 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <a href='http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=594' target='_blank'>http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=594</a>

Girl was able to fold paper 12 times! ) (Inspiring article too BTW, it encourages one to challenge established norms) [/quote:c0bca031ce]
That was pretty cool, but it was also on the point of cheating.

It still stands though: any reasonably-sized piece of paper, only seven times. Hehe.

Alright, another one: the speed of a Chinese Kung-Fu (or Wushu) martial artist's punch is usually faster than a snake's strike/bite when it's going after prey.

[NiX]

Hahah you saw that kung fu thing on National Geographic noh?

In that case, let me also add that getting hit by a Muai Thai guy's knee, or a boxer's dead-on straight punch is like being in a 35MPH car crash!

[strawhat_luffy]

that 6x9 actually DOES equal 42(if no one gets this, read the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy).

[NiX]

<!--QuoteBegin-strawhat_luffy+Dec 4 2006, 02:30 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (strawhat_luffy @ Dec 4 2006, 02:30 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> that 6x9 actually DOES equal 42(if no one gets this, read the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy). [/quote:1dc8a48b67]
Interesting. Can you expound on this please?

[strawhat_luffy]

most people multiply in base 10. 6x9 in base 10 is 54, correct? but in base 13, 4x13+2=54, so 6x9=42 in base 13. go to <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_13' target='_blank'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_13</a> for more info.

[Grim]

Lolz. Hitchhiker's is so screwed.

<!--QuoteBegin-NiX+Dec 3 2006, 10:01 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (NiX @ Dec 3 2006, 10:01 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Hahah you saw that kung fu thing on National Geographic noh?[/quote:ae9d08751f]
Yep, I did.

So here's another one from that: ninja techniques are real. :ph34r: Wala lang nga yung mga invisibility and god-speed moves. But the silence, the balance, the one-hit kills(!!!), it's all true.

On a side note, is that why your avatar is now Puzzle Fighter Ryu? It kinda reminds me of when I had this guy for an avatar:



Anyone up for some Third Strike?

[NiX]

Well... Puzzle Fighter happens to be my favorite puzzle game EVER. I used to play it hours and hours and hours on end. If my friend didn't lose my CD, I'd probably still be playing the game.

Oh and as a side note about that ninja thing, I remember before, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship was still new, a guy with a black belt in Ninjitsu went up against a grappler... the "ninja" totally got his ass handed to him 10 times over. LOL.

[Serene]

Hehe...

Ravens...

Are not smart...

They're Street Smart...

In some countires, ravens learn so fast, they can open snow mobile packs with ease...
And those are fastened with velcros...

Another trait is that they're playful...

As in...

Some people believe that ravens are just as smart as a 7 year old...

[NiX]

33 Names of Things You Never Knew Had Names

1. AGLET - The plain or ornamental covering on the end of a shoelace.
2. ARMSAYE - The armhole in clothing.
3. CHANKING - Spat-out food, such as rinds or pits.
4. COLUMELLA NASI - The bottom part of the nose between the nostrils.
5. DRAG