Anyone have any random nerdy facts?

[Antares JS]

I think this thread has more or less replaced the history thread for me...

After the French Revolution and the establishment of the French Republic, a number of peasants in the west of France, incensed at the murder of King Louis XVI, Republican meddling in the Church, and at the prospect of conscription into the Republican army, revolted against the Republic, resisting conscription and battling Republican armies sent to enforce Republican laws. This was the Vendean uprising, after the region of western France known as the Vendee where the revolt was centered.

One of the Vendean leaders, Charles-Melchior Artus de Bonchamps, a veteran of the American Revolution, was mortally wounded after a battle against Republican forces, while his army had taken 5000 Republican prisoners. The Vendeans, outraged at the loss of their leader, vowed to kill all the prisoners in revenge. Bonchamps, on his deathbed, gave his final order to his officers that the prisoners should be released. As the Vendeans prepared to carry out the executions, cries of "Mercy! Mercy! Bonchamps orders it!" rang through the camp, and the prisoners were spared.

French sculptor Pierre Jean David, aka David d'Angers, crafted the mausoleum for Bonchamps, topped with a statue of him on his deathbed, giving his final order, "Grace aux prisonniers." David's father was one of the five thousand prisoners pardoned by Bonchamps. The mausoleum is in the church at Saint-Florent-le-Vieil

 

[Cape Byron]

 

[jqavins]

That was not a video. That was a movie. Those are not the same thing.

 

[Art Upton]

That was not a video. That was a movie. Those are not the same thing.

OK, It was a "Short" then

 

[Sooner Boomer]

There are two basic types of corn grown in the US; sweet corn and dent or field corn. Sweet corn is harvested when the ears are at "full milk" (full of water). The ears are harvested whole. From sweet corn, we get canned corn and corn-on-the-cob. Dent corn is harvested when there is very little moisture left in the ears. Frequently, as the ears are harvested off of the plant, the harvester (or "combine") will strip the kernels off of the ear. To eat, sweet corn, either on the cob or off, is cooked in water for a few minutes to heat it through and soften it. You can't do this with dent corn, the water won't soak in. Instead, the dried corn kernels are soaked in alkali solution overnight (either lye or potash can be used). When the kernels are rinsed, it's no longer called "corn", but is now "hominy". Dried dent corn can be ground to varying degrees of size, and used for cooking and baking. Hominy is dried, ground, and made into grits. Pop corn is also a form of dent corn, and was served in a bowl of milk in the early colonies for breakfast.

 

[Blast it Tom!]

There are two basic types of corn grown in the US; sweet corn and dent or field corn. Sweet corn is harvested when the ears are at "full milk" (full of water). The ears are harvested whole. From sweet corn, we get canned corn and corn-on-the-cob. Dent corn is harvested when there is very little moisture left in the ears. Frequently, as the ears are harvested off of the plant, the harvester (or "combine") will strip the kernels off of the ear. To eat, sweet corn, either on the cob or off, is cooked in water for a few minutes to heat it through and soften it. You can't do this with dent corn, the water won't soak in. Instead, the dried corn kernels are soaked in alkali solution overnight (either lye or potash can be used). When the kernels are rinsed, it's no longer called "corn", but is now "hominy". Dried dent corn can be ground to varying degrees of size, and used for cooking and baking. Hominy is dried, ground, and made into grits. Pop corn is also a form of dent corn, and was served in a bowl of milk in the early colonies for breakfast.

I think the field corn is also planted around the outside of the field for the deer to eat; it's not as big of a loss...

 

[Antares JS]

That was not a video. That was a movie. Those are not the same thing.

Do elaborate.

 

[jqavins]

Do elaborate.

Video refers to electronic (analog or digital) capture, recording and/or transmission, and reproduction of images. Edison's kitty boxing scene was captured and recorded on film. Movies maybe film or video. When made, this one was film. If the filmed motion picture movie has been transfered to video (which it apparently has) then as a "cat video" it dates only to the time it was transfered, and I doubt it was the first, though I cannot confirm this.

There are two basic types of corn grown in the US; sweet corn and dent or field corn. Sweet corn is harvested when the ears are at "full milk" (full of water). The ears are harvested whole. From sweet corn, we get canned corn and corn-on-the-cob. Dent corn is harvested when there is very little moisture left in the ears. Frequently, as the ears are harvested off of the plant, the harvester (or "combine") will strip the kernels off of the ear. To eat, sweet corn, either on the cob or off, is cooked in water for a few minutes to heat it through and soften it. You can't do this with dent corn, the water won't soak in. Instead, the dried corn kernels are soaked in alkali solution overnight (either lye or potash can be used). When the kernels are rinsed, it's no longer called "corn", but is now "hominy". Dried dent corn can be ground to varying degrees of size, and used for cooking and baking. Hominy is dried, ground, and made into grits. Pop corn is also a form of dent corn, and was served in a bowl of milk in the early colonies for breakfast.

Also, most of the corn grown in the US is dent corn grown for animal feed.

 

[kuririn]

The longest single-word place name in the world is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a hill in New Zealand.

 

[Bravo52]

Video refers to electronic (analog or digital) capture,

Is it fair to say "Video killed the film noir"?

 

[Antares JS]

On that note, Carter is the longest-lived former president in history. If he makes it to October 1st this year, he will be the first president to live to be 100.

He made it!

https://www.npr.org/sections/the-pi...133493/photos-jimmy-carter-birthday-100-years

 

[dr wogz]

Jamie Farr, who played Cpl. Maxwell Klinger [on the long running show M*A*S*H], from Toledo OH, is actually from Toledo OH!

He raves about "Tony Packo's hot dogs" (6 episodes apparently), the restaurant actually exists, and shot to fame from mentions on the TV show MASH!

https://www.tonypackos.com/main/the-m-a-s-h-connection/

 

[Knundrm]

 

[Cape Byron]

 

[Art Upton]

Jamie Farr, who played Cpl. Maxwell Klinger [on the long running show M*A*S*H], from Toledo OH, is actually from Toledo OH!

He raves about "Tony Packo's hot dogs" (6 episodes apparently), the restaurant actually exists, and shot to fame from mentions on the TV show MASH!

https://www.tonypackos.com/main/the-m-a-s-h-connection/

Yep, there is the original restaurant and several new others in town with drive thrus.

The original has famous people who signed hot dog buns sealed in clear containers on the wall where you can see them all over.

He also has the Farr Open here in Sylvania Ohio

 

[jqavins]

Also, Klinger and Farr are both Toledo Mud Hens fans.

 

[Cape Byron]

 

[OverTheTop]

View attachment 669823

You can brick a 787 by not doing the firmware updates properly on the FMS (flight management system). Recovery is done by getting a working FMS from another aircraft and swapping it in. After the system is booted on that one, the other two can be updated.

 

[teepot]

Two weeks ago IIRC Las Vegas set a new record for consecutive days with temperatures at 100 or higher at 101 days. The week after the record was broken was forecast to be over 100 too.

 

[OverTheTop]

Short domestic flights have a bad reputation among environmentalists, but this one-minute-and-14-second hop between Westray and Papa Westray in Scotland's Orkney Islands takes things to a whole new level. Loganair flight LM711 is the world's shortest scheduled flight, running two to three times daily between the two islands, which house around 700 people combined. The small Britten Norman BN-2 Islander can cram up to eight passengers into its shoebox cabin, each paying £17 ($21) a head. The route is shorter than the runways of most major airports, and, in favourable winds, can take as little as 53 seconds.

 

[boatgeek]

Short domestic flights have a bad reputation among environmentalists, but this one-minute-and-14-second hop between Westray and Papa Westray in Scotland's Orkney Islands takes things to a whole new level. Loganair flight LM711 is the world's shortest scheduled flight, running two to three times daily between the two islands, which house around 700 people combined. The small Britten Norman BN-2 Islander can cram up to eight passengers into its shoebox cabin, each paying £17 ($21) a head. The route is shorter than the runways of most major airports, and, in favourable winds, can take as little as 53 seconds.

That beats my personal best, which is the ~15 minute flight between Ketchikan and Wrangell, Southeast Alaska. That was in a cargo/passenger 737, so it might be the shortest commercial jet route.

 

[OverTheTop]

That beats my personal best, which is the ~15 minute flight between Ketchikan and Wrangell, Southeast Alaska. That was in a cargo/passenger 737, so it might be the shortest commercial jet route.

Probably between St. Maarten and Anguilla
"St. Maarten is known for being home to one of the world's most popular airports, i.e., the Princess Juliana International Airport. People go to the beach to spot planes, which fly right overhead. The reason why it features in this list is that it operates a short flight to Anguilla, and covers a distance of 12 miles in just 10 minutes!"

 

[boatgeek]

Probably between St. Maarten and Anguilla
"St. Maarten is known for being home to one of the world's most popular airports, i.e., the Princess Juliana International Airport. People go to the beach to spot planes, which fly right overhead. The reason why it features in this list is that it operates a short flight to Anguilla, and covers a distance of 12 miles in just 10 minutes!"

Curses, foiled again!

 

[cls]

I've flown this short hop a few times. New Zealand, inter island, 30 minutes.

https://www.soundsair.com/fly-Wellington-to-Picton/

One time, Wellington runway had 50+ knots headwind. Little plane jumped in the air after rolling about 200 feet! Totally calm in Picton.

When I was really young (not yet 4), there was helicopter service from Berkeley Marina to OAK and SFO. Big Sikorski. Just a few minutes in the air. Then. DC6 to Dulles, looooong flight for a little kid. Then, DC3 through a thunderstorm over the Blue Ridge mountains, really fun bouncing around! I didn't know why the adults were all coughing and barfing.

 

[Antares JS]

Roman numerals!

I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M = 1000

Stack bigger numbers in front of smaller ones to add - XI = 10 + 1 = 11
Stack smaller numbers in front of larger ones to subtract - IX = 10 - 1 = 9

However - and this is tricky - the subtraction rule requires that you not subtract numbers starting with 5, meaning that, for example, 45 is XLV instead of VL, and 450 is CDL, not LD. You also can only use the subtraction for numbers with only one order of magnitude difference. Hence, 99 is not IC, but XCIX. I learned this after being baffled that Super Bowl 49 was XLIX and not IL.

For big numbers, a bar above the number multiplies it by 1000.

 

[4regt4]

Roman numerals!

I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M = 1000

Stack bigger numbers in front of smaller ones to add - XI = 10 + 1 = 11
Stack smaller numbers in front of larger ones to subtract - IX = 10 - 1 = 9

However - and this is tricky - the subtraction rule requires that you not subtract numbers starting with 5, meaning that, for example, 45 is XLV instead of VL, and 450 is CDL, not LD. You also can only use the subtraction for numbers with only one order of magnitude difference. Hence, 99 is not IC, but XCIX. I learned this after being baffled that Super Bowl 49 was XLIX and not IL.

For big numbers, a bar above the number multiplies it by 1000.

My son gets irritated with "archaic" technology. So he goes bananas when I use a Roman numeral calculator app on my phone for routine calculations, or the slide rule app for multiplication and division.

Hans.

 

[Antares JS]

My son gets irritated with "archaic" technology. So he goes bananas when I use a Roman numeral calculator app on my phone for routine calculations, or the slide rule app for multiplication and division.

Hans.

I actually learned how to use a slide rule from an older engineer!

 

[4regt4]

I actually learned how to use a slide rule from an older engineer!

I keep one on all of my desks and work tables. For routine calculations only needing 2 or 3 significant digits, I find it's faster than tapping the numbers on a calculator.

When I set up my launch pads, I use a plumb bob to determine launch rod tilt (if any). The weight at the end is the correct length such that 1/2 inch deviation from vertical is one degree. Someone asked how I determined that, I responded that I used the sine scale on my slide rule. I got a really puzzled look.....

Hans.

 

[Antares JS]

I keep one on all of my desks and work tables. For routine calculations only needing 2 or 3 significant digits, I find it's faster than tapping the numbers on a calculator.

When I set up my launch pads, I use a plumb bob to determine launch rod tilt (if any). The weight at the end is the correct length such that 1/2 inch deviation from vertical is one degree. Someone asked how I determined that, I responded that I used the sine scale on my slide rule. I got a really puzzled look.....

Hans.

 

[boatgeek]

I keep one on all of my desks and work tables. For routine calculations only needing 2 or 3 significant digits, I find it's faster than tapping the numbers on a calculator.

When I set up my launch pads, I use a plumb bob to determine launch rod tilt (if any). The weight at the end is the correct length such that 1/2 inch deviation from vertical is one degree. Someone asked how I determined that, I responded that I used the sine scale on my slide rule. I got a really puzzled look.....

Hans.

This gets into extremely niche nerdiness, but I suppose that's the point of this thread. When we're doing a stability test on a boat to determine the weight and center of gravity, we have to have the boat's heel within 1/2 degree of upright. We measure heel by measuring from the deck to the water (aka freeboard). Some time ago, I discovered a really handy shortcut: to stay within 1/2 degree of heel (measured in inches) can be no more than 1/10 the beam (measured in feet). So a 40-foot wide boat can have no more than 4" of difference between the freeboard readings on either side.

It works out to 0.477 degrees, which gives a little margin.