What did you learn today?

[Mugwump]

... That when there is no footy on, I visit VPT.

Secondly, i learned about an amazing thing called the Khanacademy, where some philanthopic whiz-person has put 4500 educational videos on the web for free, so everyone everywhere can have a world-class education. In case this sounds like some kind of scam or an ad, it is assuredly not - google it. It's a human-nature faith restorer. I spent the day reminding myself about how mitochondrial DNA works.

^ 100% !
The Khanacademy is a fabulous. Free, presented in numerous languages and the quality of the videos/info is excellent. A proper use of the Internet indeed. Super resource for students. I know that many schools have been onto it for a number of years now and use it with their students.
Khan is an American who saw the possibility of the Internet in this way. He's a genius.

Yes, a Nobel Peace Prize in the making, surely. And the sheer quantity of knowledge and ingenuity of the teaching, by one man, is awe-inspiring.

[stui magpie]

I learned a few things in the last 2 days.

Rat poison is used in NZ to bait possums.
Possums like bait intended for rats ( I put two rat traps on the back deck )but their necks are stronger
Possums don't bounce but they can take a fall. When I have one hiding in the ventilation pipe for the rangehood over my BBQ, and crack the sads, rip the ventilation pipe off and throw it over the roof (possum and all) said possum was stunned for a while but moved on to somewhere else.
I need to wait 28 days to take possession of a firearm the first time I buy one and register it. Future ones I can take possession of same day.
Old muscles can still get stuff done, just need to train them up more slowly and be patient.
An empty room can look smaller than a furnished room the same size. Total optical illusion but quite freaky.
some foods taste different when you smoke to how they taste when you don't. Quite different.
I might have a look at this Khan academy. There's also another similar thing I can't remember the name of.

[Tannin]

^ So stop eating cigarettes.

[Tannin]

Alternatively, you could give Breadcrawl a ring and see in he wants to swap you. If I remember correctly, the going rate is three possums to the goat.

Mind you, if your chief objection is having your roses eaten, goats might not be your thing either.

[stui magpie]

I learned something I found quite interesting today. We all know the old cowboy and indian routines about the native Americans in North America. Accepted that they were tribes who lived in tents, moved around to follow the game and stuff, all the wisdom we got from the cowboy movies.

No one told me that in the middle of North America the natives had built a city that in 1250 AD was bigger than London was at the same time, and disappeared less than 100 years later, well before European settlement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia

http://cahokiamounds.org/

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/198

[David]

Wow, I had no idea about that either. Are we talking a city city, or something vaguely resembling a city? Skimmed through the Wikipedia article and I wasn't quite sure. Where are some artists' impressions when you need them?

[think positive]

Bugger another place in the US I want to visit. I'm gunna need 6 months!

[stui magpie]

It was a city. Mind you, the only building materials were dirt and wood (and water) so the buildings were a little less long lasting than those places that used stone.

Anyway, today I learned that when you mix science (mainly physics) with a slightly warped sense of humour and the outrageous, stir with dodgy questions, you get quite a good read.

https://what-if.xkcd.com/

[3.14159]

last week I learned how to use a lathe.
I have an old hand cranked National flour mill but it was missing the back plate.
These things are rare and finding a replacement is problematic to say the least.
I went to the men's shed last week to see if anyone knew where I could get a cast made and found that solution is best described as very expensive.
Then i saw the lathe and the clockwork started...
I went home and got the mill and a nice piece of box wood, rounded it off put it in the lathe (with assistance) and cut the piece in about 20 mins.
The bloke helping me was a retired teacher, another bloke happy to show me the finer points of welding is engineering professor (retired) and another bloke is interested in the mechanical tools and sharpeners, as am I.
I'd seen most of these blokes around town but never more than nodded to any of them.
So what did I learn?
How to use a lathe and next week a welder and there's a huge recourse of knowledge and experience in these people that is truly just going to waste.
Men's sheds are not a waste of Government money.

[stui magpie]

last week I learned how to use a lathe.
I have an old hand cranked National flour mill but it was missing the back plate.
These things are rare and finding a replacement is problematic to say the least.
I went to the men's shed last week to see if anyone knew where I could get a cast made and found that solution is best described as very expensive.
Then i saw the lathe and the clockwork started...
I went home and got the mill and a nice piece of box wood, rounded it off put it in the lathe (with assistance) and cut the piece in about 20 mins.
The bloke helping me was a retired teacher, another bloke happy to show me the finer points of welding is engineering professor (retired) and another bloke is interested in the mechanical tools and sharpeners, as am I.
I'd seen most of these blokes around town but never more than nodded to any of them.
So what did I learn?
How to use a lathe and next week a welder and there's a huge recourse of knowledge and experience in these people that is truly just going to waste.
Men's sheds are not a waste of Government money.

I don't care who is funding them, it's money well spent.

[Skids]

Wombats poo is cube shaped One of my daughters sprooked that this arvo... I'm goin'' nahh, what, have they got square arseoles



They do!!!

[stui magpie]

So someone who's shitting bricks is a wombat?

[David]

Wombats poo is cube shaped One of my daughters sprooked that this arvo... I'm goin'' nahh, what, have they got square arseoles



They do!!!

I noticed that too! So weird. There must be some explanation.

[stui magpie]

I learned how to have fun with the periodic table.

fluorine uranium carbon potassium yttrium oxygen uranium bismuth technetium helium sulfur

[KenH]

[quote="stui magpie"]I learned how to have fun with the periodic table.

fluorine uranium carbon potassium yttrium oxygen uranium bismuth technetium helium sulfur




eff u 2!