Anyone have any random nerdy facts?

[prfesser]

Nice thing about here is the people on the roadside selling honey, apple butter, and jelly. Tennessee Rocks. Random Fact; my grandmother had two apple trees from Johnny Appleseed. Bought them in the 30's. They had the sourest green apples, but they made the best pies...

In Kentucky you'll see roadside signs for egg's, strawburries, tamato's, bacun, and lots of other unknown items. But it still surprises me that in this day and age, they'll leave produce by the road, with a box for you to deposit funds. Honesty.

 

[ljwilley]

We sell blueberries in Oregon the same way, and people are surprisingly honest about it. Some have even left extra.

 

[jqavins]

I've seen it many times, in many places. It seems surprising that so few people don't pay, but after a while it's not surprising anymore; it's encouraging.

 

[shuttleer]

The first armed spacecraft was the Soviet Almaz space station Salyut 3. It had a Rikhter 23mm aircraft cannon installed to defend against unwanted visitors. It was never used for it's purpose, but was supposedly test fired before deorbiting...

 

[Sandy H.]

In Kentucky you'll see roadside signs for egg's, strawburries, tamato's, bacun, and lots of other unknown items. But it still surprises me that in this day and age, they'll leave produce by the road, with a box for you to deposit funds. Honesty.

We sell blueberries in Oregon the same way, and people are surprisingly honest about it. Some have even left extra.

Looks like Kentucky and Oregon are on my list of 'next places to live'.

We do have a few honor box farmers around here as well, but they are getting fewer and more far between.

That is one thing I've liked about my new RV experiences - its still somewhat common. If you have a group of 50-100 people who follow the rules, the rule breakers seem to migrate away. There's got to be a life lesson in there somewhere.

 

[Art Upton]

In Kentucky you'll see roadside signs for egg's, strawburries, tamato's, bacun, and lots of other unknown items. But it still surprises me that in this day and age, they'll leave produce by the road, with a box for you to deposit funds. Honesty.

Ohh, Granny's got a Winchester with a bead on that box for anyone who trys to take it.

Most folks would not even think to steal something from country folks.

* Nerdy question, does anyone know why they call it "Having a Bead" on a Target?

 

[John Kemker]

* Nerdy question, does anyone know why they call it "Having a Bead" on a Target?

Yes.

Some "iron sights" (non-telescopic sights for guns) have a small "bead" for the front sight. You place the bead on the target and align the rear sight with the bead.

 

[Art Upton]

The first armed spacecraft was the Soviet Almaz space station Salyut 3. It had a Rikhter 23mm aircraft cannon installed to defend against unwanted visitors. It was never used for it's purpose, but was supposedly test fired before deorbiting...

And the recoil from it proved you can't really use recoil producing guns on a spacecraft.

 

[NateB]

In Kentucky you'll see roadside signs for egg's, strawburries, tamato's, bacun, and lots of other unknown items. But it still surprises me that in this day and age, they'll leave produce by the road, with a box for you to deposit funds. Honesty.

A farmer with a sweet corn cart down the road from my house still uses the honor system, but did put a camera on it. Most people were honest with the corn, but someone started stealing the cash box.

 

[K'Tesh]

Diamondhead was named by sailors for the "diamonds" found on it... They were actually shiny calcite crystals, and had very little value. The Hawaiian name for it is Lēʻahi which has two meanings in the language... "the eyebrow of the ahi fish" (which it resembles) and "lighthouse" for which it was, as beacon fires were set upon its rim to assist local fishermen to find their way home.

 

[K'Tesh]

The Big Island of Hawaiʻi (named "Hawaiʻi") is the only place on earth where all of the worlds climates are represented, save four.

The traditional pronunciation of the island changed as the islanders aged... The "W" (as in "What") in Hawaiian is often spoken as a "V" (such as you can imagine "vuh" would be pronounced) as the inhabitants would knock out a tooth as a sign of grieving when a loved one died. They were eventually unable to pronounce the "W" as they lost their front teeth.

 

[Bob in Phoenix]

It's not fundamentally harder with tubes than with ICs. What's hard is getting it small enough to be useful is a mobile item like a torpedo. Engineers during the war designed tubes the size of flashlight bulbs for various applications.

Early American space satellites used vacuum tubes. Enclosed in glass. Someone figured out it would be better NOT to put them in glass. Just leave all the heaters, plates and grids naked. The vacuum of space would be better than anything we could make on Earth.
I guess it worked OK...
Bob in Phoenix

 

[jqavins]

A farmer with a sweet corn cart down the road from my house still uses the honor system, but did put a camera on it. Most people were honest with the corn, but someone started stealing the cash box.

And did they then start steeling the cameras?

Many of the honor boxes I've seen (I'd forgotten that term) are well secured and locked.
-----------------------------------

The Big Island of Hawaiʻi (named "Hawaiʻi") is the only place on earth where all of the worlds climates are represented, save four.

The traditional pronunciation of the island changed as the islanders aged... The "W" (as in "What") in Hawaiian is often spoken as a "V" (such as you can imagine "vuh" would be pronounced) as the inhabitants would knock out a tooth as a sign of grieving when a loved one died. They were eventually unable to pronounce the "W" as they lost their front teeth.

You know the old joke:

Tourist to local: "Is it Hah-wah-ee, or Hah-vah-ee?"​

Local: "It's Hah-vah-ee."​

Tourist: "Thank you."​

Local "You're velcome."​

 

[John Kemker]

The Big Island of Hawaiʻi (named "Hawaiʻi") is the only place on earth where all of the worlds climates are represented, save four.

The traditional pronunciation of the island changed as the islanders aged... The "W" (as in "What") in Hawaiian is often spoken as a "V" (such as you can imagine "vuh" would be pronounced) as the inhabitants would knock out a tooth as a sign of grieving when a loved one died. They were eventually unable to pronounce the "W" as they lost their front teeth.

Hmmm...I learned a long time ago that Texas had all the climates except tundra.

I wonder which is right?

 

[les]

The SR-71 was 92% titanium, much of which came from the Soviet Union

 

[Art Upton]

Hmmm...I learned a long time ago that Texas had all the climates except tundra.

I wonder which is right?

Well, Tundras are made there

 

[dr wogz]

The SR-71 was 92% titanium, much of which came from the Soviet Union

and apparently a lot of little companies were created in order to import it.. so that they were none the wiser..

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Hmmm...I learned a long time ago that Texas had all the climates except tundra.

Y'all ain't been in the panhandle in winter...

 

[4regt4]

and apparently a lot of little companies were created in order to import it.. so that they were none the wiser..

There was a company here in Oregon that specialized in all kinds of exotic metals. Just after the fall of the USSR, they acquired part (all?) of a decommissioned Soviet submarine. They were slowly piecing it out, melting it down. A friend was doing business with them and brought back some reject titanium golf club heads that they were casting for one of the major club manufacturers.

Hans.

 

[Cape Byron]

The 103°F (57.2°C) rise is the greatest change in temperature ever officially measured on earth within a 24-hour period.

103 Fahrenheit is 39.4 C.

 

[OzHybrid]

103 Fahrenheit is 39.4 C.

View attachment 651669

-40C=-40F

 

[SolarYellow]

There was a company here in Oregon that specialized in all kinds of exotic metals. Just after the fall of the USSR, they acquired part (all?) of a decommissioned Soviet submarine. They were slowly piecing it out, melting it down. A friend was doing business with them and brought back some reject titanium golf club heads that they were casting for one of the major club manufacturers.

Hans.

One of my engineering buddies once related a story about the Soviets making a sub out of Ti structure. He said that apparently, when it went down to depths, the crystal structure of the material generated very non-stealthy pinging noises due to "twinning." So the experiment was ended. If that's not all BS, maybe that's the one.

-40C=-40F

We can all agree that that is darned cold.

 

[K'Tesh]

103 Fahrenheit is 39.4 C.

View attachment 651669

I blame the source I was quoting... https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/extreme-short-duration-temperature-changes-us

 

[Art Upton]

I blame the source I was quoting... https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/extreme-short-duration-temperature-changes-us

Proof we can't trust Weathermen , especially underground

 

[Azamiryou]

103 Fahrenheit is 39.4 C.

View attachment 651669

There's a difference between degrees as an absolute temperature (this temperature is the same as that temperature) and degrees as a temperature difference.

If you're talking about a temperature difference, you don't use the "-32” part of the formula. It's just °F × 5/9.

Example:
0°C = 32°F (water freezes)
100°C = 212°F (water boils)
So in °C, water boils at 100° hotter than it freezes. In °F, it boils at 180° hotter than it freezes. So 100°C difference = 180°F difference

 

[jqavins]

103 Fahrenheit is 39.4 C.

View attachment 651669

Nope. We're not talking here about a single temperature reading (T) but rather a change ΔT. ΔT_(celcius) = 0.555...*ΔT_fahrenheit with no offset.

(EDIT: I should have read to the end of the thread before replying. @Azamiryou gets it.)

So, @K'Tesh was right.

 

[Antares JS]

Fahrenheit has an absolute temperature scale, much like Celsius has Kelvin. It's called Rankine. (prounounced RANK-een). Add 460 to your temperature in °F and you'll have °R.

0°R = -460°F = 0 K = -273.15°C

492°R = 32°F = 273.15 K = 0°C

Also, I was taught that "degrees Kelvin" is the wrong syntax. It's just "Kelvins."

 

[dr wogz]

I knew a guy who's first name was Kelvin..

I've known many 'Kevins', but he was the first (and only) 'Kelvin'

 

[K'Tesh]

Watermelons are actually berries (so are cucumbers, cantaloupes, squash and pumpkins). Whereas strawberries and raspberries are not.

The fruit flesh of wild watermelons is watery, but typically hard-textured, pale-colored and bland or bitter

 

[jqavins]

Watermelons are actually berries (so are cucumbers, cantaloupes, squash and pumpkins).

And eggplants.