Mildly interesting

[George K]

@Mik about damn time.

What can you do with 0.5 kWh? Charge a phone? Power an aircraft carrier?

[Mik]

𝟮𝟭 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄!

1. The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps.
2. 90% of Australians live on the coast.
3. Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
4. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest ecosystem in the world. It is made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs and can be seen from space.
5. Australia has over 60 separate wine regions.
6. Fraser Island in QLD is the largest sand island in the world.
7. The Indian Pacific train has the longest straight section of train track in the world.
8. The Great Ocean Road is the world's largest war memorial.
9. 80% of Australian animals are unique to Australia.
10. Australia has the world's longest golf course measuring more than 1,350 kms long.
11. Australia is home to 21 of the world's 25 most venomous snakes.
12. It would take around 29 years to visit one new Aussie beach every day – there are 10,685 of them!
13. Australia is the 6th largest country in the world.
14. 91% of the country is covered by native vegetation.
15. 33% of Australians were born in another country.
16. Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano.
17. Australia is home to the longest fence in the world, the Dingo Fence. Originally built to keep dingos away from fertile land, the fence is now 5,614 km long.
18. The Australian dollar is considered to be the most advanced currency in the world – its waterproof, made of polymer and notoriously hard to counterfeit.
19. Australia is the only continent covered by a single country.
20. The world's oldest fossil was discovered in Australia – 3.4 billion years old.
21. Australia is home to more than 1,500 species of spiders

[George K]

#10? An 838 mile golf course?

[LuFins Dad]

@Mik said in Mildly interesting:

South Korean professor Cho Jae-Weon has developed a groundbreaking toilet that transforms human waste into energy and rewards users with digital currency.
Each person's daily 500g of feces is converted into 50 liters of methane gas, producing 0.5 kWh of energy. Users of this innovative toilet earn gool, a digital currency aptly named "shit coin."

Now that’s some mining I can do…

[Mik]

Half of all U.S. states, 25 to be exact, carry Native American names. Today we will be taking a look at the 25 states and the meanings of their names. They will be listed in alphabetical order.

1. Alabama: Named after the Alabama, or Alibamu tribe, a Muskogean-speaking tribe. Sources are split between the meanings 'clearers of the thicket' or 'herb gatherers'.
2. Alaska: Named after the Aleut word "alaxsxaq", which means "the mainland"
3. Arizona: Named after the O'odham word "alĭ ṣonak", meaning "small spring"
4. Connecticut: Named after the Mohican word "quonehtacut", meaning "place of long tidal river"
5. Hawaii: Is an original word in the Hawaiian language meaning "homeland"
6. Illinois: Named after the Illinois word "illiniwek", meaning "men"
7. Iowa: Named after the Ioway tribe, whose name means "gray snow"
8. Kansas: Named after the Kansa tribe, whose name means "south wind people"
9. Kentucky: Origins are unclear, it may have been named after the Iroquoian word "Kentake", meaning "on the meadow"
10. Massachusetts: Named after the Algonquin word "Massadchu-es-et," meaning "great-hill-small-place,”
11. Michigan: From the Chippewa word "Michigama", meaning "large lake"
12. Minnesota: Named after the Dakota Indian word “Minisota” meaning “white water.”
13. Mississippi: Named after the river which was named by the Choctaw, meaning “Great water” or “Father of Waters.”
14. Missouri: Named after the Missouri tribe whose name means "those who have dugout canoes

Sadly that's where the list ends.

[George K]

Oklahoma means "Red People" in Choctaw.

[Mik]

[LuFins Dad]

@George-K said in Mildly interesting:

Oklahoma means "Red People" in Choctaw.

Frigging racists.

[jon-nyc]

@Mik said in Mildly interesting:

6. Illinois: Named after the Illinois word "illiniwek", meaning "men"

It never needed the ‘s’ in the first place.

[Aqua Letifer]

Here, everybody:

Link to video

[Mik]

17 Facts You May Not Know About Estonia:

1. Estonia is one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world, with e-residency and e-voting systems.
2. Over 50% of Estonia is covered by forests.
3. The country has one of the highest literacy rates in the world at 99.8%.
4. Estonia has one of the world's best internet freedom rankings.
5. It was the first country to adopt online voting in 2005.
6. Estonians celebrate "Day of Restoration of Independence" on August 20.
7. Estonia has a unique singing culture and hosts the world's largest amateur choral event, Laulupidu.
8. It has over 2,000 islands, the largest being Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
9. The official language, Estonian, is one of the hardest languages to learn for English speakers.
10. Estonia has no standing army, but every male citizen is required to serve in the military.
11. The country is famous for its digital startups, including Skype.
12. Estonia has a high number of meteorite craters per square kilometer.
13. Tallinn, the capital, is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe.
14. Estonians love saunas and often combine sauna sessions with a dip in icy water.
15. The country has a rich folklore and mythology tradition, including tales of forest spirits and magical creatures.
16. Estonia is a member of the European Union, NATO, and the Eurozone.
    The country is known for its high-quality dairy products, particularly its cheese and butter.

[jon-nyc]

[Klaus]

@Mik said in Mildly interesting:

How to Make a Compass

1. Place a 90 cm stick on the ground and put a small rock where the tip of the shadow falls.
   2 Wait ten to fifteen minutes and place a second rock at the point where the tip of the shadow has also moved.
   3 .Draw a line between the two points. This is an east-west line.
2. Place the tip of your left foot on the first rock and the tip of your right foot on the second rock; now you will be facing north.

Really? I don't think that works. I don't see why it should be east-west in 3.

[Horace]

@Klaus said in Mildly interesting:

@Mik said in Mildly interesting:

How to Make a Compass

1. Place a 90 cm stick on the ground and put a small rock where the tip of the shadow falls.
   2 Wait ten to fifteen minutes and place a second rock at the point where the tip of the shadow has also moved.
   3 .Draw a line between the two points. This is an east-west line.
2. Place the tip of your left foot on the first rock and the tip of your right foot on the second rock; now you will be facing north.

Really? I don't think that works. I don't see why it should be east-west in 3.

If the sun is moving on an east-west line relative to the stick, the tip of the stick's shadow should also be moving along an east-west line. Where's the problem?

[Copper]

The shadow will move from west to east in the Northern Hemisphere.

It will be an arc with a tiny radius not a line.

[jon-nyc]

But a small movement of 10-15m will be close enough.

[Copper]

[Renauda]

[Klaus]

@Horace said in Mildly interesting:

@Klaus said in Mildly interesting:

@Mik said in Mildly interesting:

How to Make a Compass

1. Place a 90 cm stick on the ground and put a small rock where the tip of the shadow falls.
   2 Wait ten to fifteen minutes and place a second rock at the point where the tip of the shadow has also moved.
   3 .Draw a line between the two points. This is an east-west line.
2. Place the tip of your left foot on the first rock and the tip of your right foot on the second rock; now you will be facing north.

Really? I don't think that works. I don't see why it should be east-west in 3.

If the sun is moving on an east-west line relative to the stick, the tip of the stick's shadow should also be moving along an east-west line. Where's the problem?

I let ChatGPT plot a curve of the tip of the shadow for a full day. The degree of curvature depends on the time of the year and on the position of earth, but it will not be a straight line.

[Horace]

@Klaus said in Mildly interesting:

@Horace said in Mildly interesting:

@Klaus said in Mildly interesting:

@Mik said in Mildly interesting:

How to Make a Compass

1. Place a 90 cm stick on the ground and put a small rock where the tip of the shadow falls.
   2 Wait ten to fifteen minutes and place a second rock at the point where the tip of the shadow has also moved.
   3 .Draw a line between the two points. This is an east-west line.
2. Place the tip of your left foot on the first rock and the tip of your right foot on the second rock; now you will be facing north.

Really? I don't think that works. I don't see why it should be east-west in 3.

If the sun is moving on an east-west line relative to the stick, the tip of the stick's shadow should also be moving along an east-west line. Where's the problem?

I let ChatGPT plot a curve of the tip of the shadow for a full day. The degree of curvature depends on the time of the year and on the position of earth, but it will not be a straight line.

I don't think it was meant to be theoretically an exact east-west line. Close enough for practical purposes.