Your favorite statistics and bits of trivia

[SimonDoom]

One of my favorites is that among the approximately 1.6 million identified different species of animals in the world (all phyla), there are approximately 400,000 different beetles. So about one quarter of all known species of animals on Earth are beetles. This is why the scientist JB Haldane, when asked what one might infer about the mind of the Creator from a study of His works, replied, "An inordinate fondness for beetles."

 

[iwatchus]

I like the history of technology (back to ancient times). Most ancient inventions people think about were made over and over in lots of different places.

Two stand out as being unique. The wheel was not, but the axle was. Invented on the Asia steppes by a people with no writing, so we know relatively little about them But the axle enabled the chariot and they became briefly dominant because the chariot was such a military advantage. But also easily copied, so their advantage was short lived.

Many cultures invented writing, but alphabetic writing appears to have been invented exactly once. We even know who did it. Not their name, but their rank and years. it was a pre-literate civilization (I forget their name now and am too lazy to look it up this morning) doing a joint mining expedition with the egyptians. A clerk there noticed the egyptians sending messages back in heiroglyphs. He misunderstood how they worked, just assuming a mostly modern alphabet, which he wrote down. All alphabets either directly derive from that original one, or were exposed to the concept of his alphabet before creating their own. That one anonymous man changed the world forever.

 

[AwkwardMD]

40% of all cops love cheeseburgers! Google it!

 

[OddLove]

To get a million dollars, you just need to get a penny and double it twenty-eight times.

 

[SimonDoom]

40% of all cops love cheeseburgers! Google it!

I want to know who the hell doesn't love a cheeseburger. Other than the vegetarians, of course.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

The Anglo-Zanzibar war lasted less than an hour.
The pro-Brit sultan died. His anti-Brit nephew took over.
The Brits said "nope".
Couple of warships in the harbor shelled the palace when the new Sultan wouldn't reconsider.
New Sultan ran away.
War was over.

 

[AwkwardMD]

I want to know who the hell doesn't love a cheeseburger. Other than the vegetarians, of course.

Oh its a joke. If you start googling that Google tries to auto-complete the search to "40% of all cops have domestic abuse records".

That number comes from a less than perfect study, and the real number is closer to 10%, but given the context 10% and 40% are the same number. Way, way, way too high.

 

[SimonDoom]

Oh its a joke. If you start googling that Google tries to auto-complete the search to "40% of all cops have domestic abuse records".

That number comes from a less than perfect study, and the real number is closer to 10%, but given the context 10% and 40% are the same number. Way, way, way too high.

It's coffee cup number 2 for me, I guess.

 

[TheLobster]

34% of statistics are made up on the spot.

 

[big_cane_sugar]

34% of statistics are made up on the spot.

Abraham Lincoln said it was even higher than that.

 

[TheLobster]

Abraham Lincoln said it was even higher than that.

And for that he got shot.

Moral is: never reveal statisticians' secrets.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

And for that he got shot.

Moral is: never reveal statisticians' secrets.

He'd have been fine if he'd kept it off the internet.

 

[SimonDoom]

Abraham Lincoln said it was even higher than that.

That was on his blog, right?

 

[big_cane_sugar]

I'll try to make a positive contribution for a change.

Some bits of trivia:

- In 1524, a statue of the Virgin Mary in Riga was given a trial by water to find out if it was a witch. It floated; hence it was obviously a witch; hence they burned it. Try to live every day with that kind of mindset.

- Ozzy outlived Hulk Hogan. That's what I'm talking about with the mindset thing.

- They're still producing episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. See?

- A beverage produced in England (and at least formerly in Germany) from wheat calls itself moonshine and some people take it seriously. So that happens too.

 

[MrPixel]

I want to know who the hell doesn't love a cheeseburger. Other than the vegetarians, of course.

I don't. Way too many restaurants - not just fast food - use "American" cheese. That's not cheese, it's a contrived "cheese food," assembled in large-scale laboratories from vegetable oils. When we're talking about reasonable-quality beef in a real restaurant, usually one where the cheeseburger is > $10, the slice o' crappy imitation... whatever... ruins the experience.

Now the places where Swiss or provolone is an option, okay, let's get it on.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

Woolly mammoths were still around when the great pyramid was built.

Also most starting college/uni this year were born in 2007. That year High School Musical 2 debuted in theaters, the first iPhone was launched, and the 2008 financial crisis was just starting to rear its ugly head.

 

[iwatchus]

My first year students make me feel older every year. Wait, I guess I am older every year.

 

[StillStunned]

The oldest recorded cat name is "Nedjem", as inscribed on the tomb of an Egyptian nobleman from around 1500 BCE. It means "sweet one". Isn't it great to think that three and a half thousand years ago, people were just as gooey about their cats as they are today?

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't. Way too many restaurants - not just fast food - use "American" cheese. That's not cheese, it's a contrived "cheese food," assembled in large-scale laboratories from vegetable oils. When we're talking about reasonable-quality beef in a real restaurant, usually one where the cheeseburger is > $10, the slice o' crappy imitation... whatever... ruins the experience.

Now the places where Swiss or provolone is an option, okay, let's get it on.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I actually think a cheeseburger is the one good use for American cheese, which I agree is not really cheese and sucks for most things. But I like it on a burger.

 

[AlexBailey]

The sun moves across the sky at a rate of 1° every four minutes.

 

[AlexBailey]

Each calendar date exists somewhere on earth for 48 hours.

 

[Areala-chan]

'Dreamt' is the only word in the English language that ends in -mt.

 

[MrPixel]

I actually think a cheeseburger is the one good use for American cheese, which I agree is not really cheese and sucks for most things. But I like it on a burger.

This begs the question, "Are cheeseburgers actually kosher?" Since American cheese has no actual dairy component...

 

[Comshaw]

34% of statistics are made up on the spot.

"There are lies, damned lies and statistics." Benjamin Disraeli



Comshaw

 

[NotWise]

This begs the question, "Are cheeseburgers actually kosher?" Since American cheese has no actual dairy component...

Just checking the package of Kraft Singles in the fridge... Cheddar cheese is the first item on the ingredient list. That's followed by a long parenthesized list of things that went into whatever they're calling cheddar cheese, but milk is the first ingredient.

American cheese melts smoothly, while real cheeses tend to separate into oil and solids. That makes American cheese better for some uses.