Mildly interesting
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The hole in the roof isn't a mistake. It is the only reason the building is still standing.
When people walk into the Pantheon, they look up at the rain falling through the 9-meter opening and ask: "Did they run out of money? Why didn't they finish the roof?"
The answer is Roman genius.- Why is the hole there? (The Engineering) If the Romans had closed the dome with heavy concrete, the weight at the top would have been too crushing. The dome would have collapsed under its own stress 2,000 years ago. The Oculus (the eye) acts as a "Reverse Keystone." It actually relieves the structural tension. It lightens the load at the weakest point of the dome.
- The Secret Recipe (Why it doesn't collapse) The Romans didn't just pour one type of concrete. They were the masters of chemistry.
At the bottom (the base): They used concrete mixed with heavy Travertine rock for strength.
In the middle: They switched to lighter Tuff rock.
At the very top (near the hole): They mixed the concrete with Pumice (volcanic rock so light it floats on water).
The top of the dome is incredibly light. If they had used the heavy bottom concrete at the top, the Pantheon would be a pile of rubble today. - Why doesn't it flood? It has rained inside the Pantheon for nearly 2,000 years. So why isn't the floor a swimming pool? If you look closely at the marble floor, it isn't flat. It is slightly convex (curved in the center). This guides the rainwater toward 22 tiny, hidden drainage holes cut directly into the marble. The water flows into an ancient Roman sewer system underneath the building—a system that still works today.
- The "Sun" Dial The hole wasn't just for weight; it was for the gods. The Pantheon was a temple to "All Gods." The Oculus allowed the heavens to enter the temple. On April 21st (the birthday of Rome), the sun strikes the entrance grill perfectly at noon. It wasn't just a building; it was a functioning astronomical clock.
So no, they didn't forget the glass. They built a machine made of stone that has survived Barbarians, Popes, and gravity for 19 centuries.
@Mik said in Mildly interesting:
The hole in the roof isn't a mistake. It is the only reason the building is still standing.
When people walk into the Pantheon, they look up at the rain falling through the 9-meter opening and ask: "Did they run out of money? Why didn't they finish the roof?"
The answer is Roman genius.Very cool building. And mildly interesting is also that after 2000 years, it is still the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world.
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It is.
By odd coincidence, this is the opening sentence of his column today.
The Democratic Party’s future — if it wants one; the evidence is mixed — should be based on candidates who understand that U.S. politics, when healthy, takes place between the 40-yard lines, contesting the center of the field.
@jon-nyc said in Mildly interesting:
It is.
By odd coincidence, this is the opening sentence of his column today.
The Democratic Party’s future — if it wants one; the evidence is mixed — should be based on candidates who understand that U.S. politics, when healthy, takes place between the 40-yard lines, contesting the center of the field.
Exactly. The middle decides things, but too oftentimes, the party's seem to lean towards the outsides.
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https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/worlds-largest-doomsday-vault-seeds
Long article on "seed banks," very high security, very low temperature (even cryogenic) "vaults" storing large amount and large variety of seeds. Seeds of important food plants, rare/near-extinct plants, etc. Things to "restart" the food supply or replant the land after "doomsday."
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For the adventurous gourmet cooks here or those interested in a wholly different trip:
Every year, doctors at a hospital in the Yunnan Province of China brace themselves for an influx of people with an unusual complaint. The patients come with a strikingly odd symptom: visions of pint-sized, elf-like figures – marching under doors, crawling up walls and clinging to furniture.
The hospital treats hundreds of these cases every year. All share a common culprit: Lanmaoa asiatica, a type of mushroom that forms symbiotic relationships with pine trees in nearby forests and is a locally popular food, known for its savory, umami-packed flavor. In Yunnan, L. asiatica is sold in markets, it appears on restaurant menus and is served at home during peak mushroom season between June and August.
One must be careful to cook it thoroughly, though, otherwise the hallucinations will set in.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people
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For the adventurous gourmet cooks here or those interested in a wholly different trip:
Every year, doctors at a hospital in the Yunnan Province of China brace themselves for an influx of people with an unusual complaint. The patients come with a strikingly odd symptom: visions of pint-sized, elf-like figures – marching under doors, crawling up walls and clinging to furniture.
The hospital treats hundreds of these cases every year. All share a common culprit: Lanmaoa asiatica, a type of mushroom that forms symbiotic relationships with pine trees in nearby forests and is a locally popular food, known for its savory, umami-packed flavor. In Yunnan, L. asiatica is sold in markets, it appears on restaurant menus and is served at home during peak mushroom season between June and August.
One must be careful to cook it thoroughly, though, otherwise the hallucinations will set in.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people
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Still the saddest goodbye in space exploration. On June 10, 2018, during a massive planet-wide dust storm, Opportunity sent its final data transmission — poetically translated by engineers as “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.” Designed for just 90 days, Oppy defied odds for nearly 15 years, traveling 45 km across Mars, discovering evidence of ancient water, and sending back breathtaking panoramas. The storm blocked sunlight for months, draining its batteries forever. No more signals came. Rest easy, Oppy — you explored farther and longer than anyone dreamed, turning a golf-cart-sized robot into a legend. Your spirit lives on in every rover that follows. Thank you for showing us Mars.
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Still the saddest goodbye in space exploration. On June 10, 2018, during a massive planet-wide dust storm, Opportunity sent its final data transmission — poetically translated by engineers as “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.” Designed for just 90 days, Oppy defied odds for nearly 15 years, traveling 45 km across Mars, discovering evidence of ancient water, and sending back breathtaking panoramas. The storm blocked sunlight for months, draining its batteries forever. No more signals came. Rest easy, Oppy — you explored farther and longer than anyone dreamed, turning a golf-cart-sized robot into a legend. Your spirit lives on in every rover that follows. Thank you for showing us Mars.
@Mik said in Mildly interesting:
poetically translated by engineers as “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.”
Bah, they spoiled it with poetry.
I want to read the original message, presumably in status codes, in binary if I have to, along with the relevant decoder keys. -
Interesting framing connecting the violent immigration crackdown in the U.S. to what happened in Honduras in recent years and the push for "startup cities" by certain Trump backers.
