The random interesting facts thread

[berry120]

Why not?

- Contrary to popular belief, scientists do understand how bumblebees fly. A guy once did do the maths that said they couldn't, but that's because his maths was wrong.

- The reason the sea appears blue is because, wait for it, water is blue. Slightly. It's not because it reflects the sky, this only has an affect when the sea is *very* still (which it usually isn't.)

- There is no butter in buttermilk.

- Some lions can mate up to 50 times a day.

- In 1811, an earthquake caused the Mississippi to actually flow backwards for a while.

- Snails can sleep for up to 3 years.

 

[Tech Explorer]

A mathematician once figured that cars can't have radios because they'd be too big to fit.

 

[strollin]

Contrary to popular belief, adding more RAM to a computer does NOT automatically improve it's performance!

 

[Edsterr]

Contrary to popular belief, adding more RAM to a computer does NOT automatically improve it's performance!

What?! Are you telling me I don't need 64GB RAM??!

• Anyway, only 20% of people who speak English speak it as their primary language

• The plural for octopus is not octopi, but rather octopodes (which, even though correct, both Microsoft word does not approve of) or octopuses

• I before e is no longer a rule as there are to many exceptions to it

• There are several types of infinity

• Bats are not blind, many can see very well

 

[*= WildCat =*]

What?! Are you telling me I don't need 64GB RAM??!

......

 

[Edsterr]

......

What's that? We both have the same number of posts? Not any more we don't

• Contrary to popular belief, saunas do not get rid of your body's toxins, nor can they cure a hangover. However they do clean you

• There are only 51 letters in this word: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysiliogogogoch. Although you may be able to count 58, the word is welsh and thus both 'll' and 'ch' count as single letters

 

[Tech Explorer]

What?! Are you telling me I don't need 64GB RAM??!

• Anyway, only 20% of people who speak English speak it as their primary language

• The plural for octopus is not octopi, but rather octopodes (which, even though correct, both Microsoft word does not approve of) or octopuses

• I before e is no longer a rule as there are to many exceptions to it

• There are several types of infinity

• Bats are not blind, many can see very well

That's weird (I before e). I would have thought that rule would have also applied to either and neither.

 

[Edsterr]

Sorry, I didn't explain it correctly. The rule is 'I before e except after c' and was taught in primary schools to help with the spelling of certain words. However it was abolished in 2009, due to the many exceptions, such as caffeine, species, concierge...

 

[Tech Explorer]

You did explain it correctly. I was just playing.

 

[Tech Explorer]

There's no butter in butterfly. I understand the name is derived from flutterby.