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Things you didn't know until very recently...

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What interesting things have you only recently learned about?

To be clear, this is about things which have been true for some time and you only recently learned about, not things that only happened recently. In particular, recent deaths of celebrities and other high-profile individuals should go in the General RIP Thread.

    Original post 
Hey guys...and gals...I was just browsing through an XKCD strip and ended up learning that Jimmy Carter was attacked by a swimming rabbit.

Courtesy link...

So, what interesting things have you guys...and gals...only recently learned about?

Edited by Twiddler on Apr 8th 2023 at 1:07:55 AM

Carciofus Is that cake frosting? from Alpha Tucanae I Since: May, 2010
Is that cake frosting?
#4076: May 17th 2011 at 8:25:05 AM

I really don't get why white people need religious or political movements to establish or enforce supremacy. We're already privileged.
And indeed, most white people have neither need nor desire for that sort of nonsense.

It's those who have not much to be proud of or happy about, except of course for their appartenance to a fabled, fictional "master race", who tend to be drawn towards supremacism.

It's quite sad for them, actually. I wonder just how far you need to fall before your skin tone becomes your main source of personal pride...

edited 17th May '11 8:26:58 AM by Carciofus

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#4077: May 17th 2011 at 1:10:41 PM

Yeah, obviously I didn't mean to imply that a majority or even really significant minority of white people would want a supremacy movement. Personally, I'm not sure if I've ever met a white supremacist IRL; sure, I've met racists, but I don't think any of them have cited skin colour as the reason that other countries suck.

There are very few non-white people in Finland (though the numbers are on the rise) so we'll probably have some racism to fight later on.

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
LuckyRevenant ALMSIVI from The Flood Since: Jan, 2001
ALMSIVI
#4078: May 18th 2011 at 12:41:01 PM

Dingoes are the apex predator of Australia.

Dogs were believed to guard the gate to the Afterlife in Zoroastrianism, and killing a dog basically equaled damnation*

, unless you raise some puppies afterward. Also, the otter's soul is made up of thousands of dog souls.

There also seems to be a running thing where a dog licking your wounds is considered beneficial in Christianity.

edited 18th May '11 12:41:21 PM by LuckyRevenant

"I can't imagine what Hell will have in store, but I know when I'm there, I won't wander anymore."
Justice4243 Writer of horse words from Portland, OR, USA Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: Brony
Writer of horse words
#4079: May 18th 2011 at 4:28:58 PM

Reminds me of the Super Wolf from the Zoroastrian Apocalypse.

From every corner of the world wolves come running to Iran. There, they melt together into a gigantic, hideously looking, demonic Super wolf. The beast is 433 paces long and stretches 415 paces across. Now that's what you call a wolf!

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.
Kinkajou I'm Only Sleeping Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Hiding
I'm Only Sleeping
#4080: May 18th 2011 at 8:38:58 PM

[up][up] Well, poor people often had many skin ailments, and since dogs were well, treated like dogs in Jewish culture Jesus made many points about that.

[up] Fenrir looks tiny compared to him now innit

edited 18th May '11 8:40:02 PM by Kinkajou

INT is knowing a tomato is a fruit. WIS is knowing it doesn't belong in a fruit salad. CHA is convincing people that it does.
StolenByFaeries Believe from a reprogrammed reality Since: Dec, 2010
Believe
#4081: May 18th 2011 at 8:52:42 PM

I knew that the Swan River had dolphins in it but I didn't know there were sharks.

Such sharks include the great white... and apparently worse.

I went sailing on that river... O_o

"You've got your transmission and your live wire, but your circuit's dead." - Media
juancarlos Faith in the self. Since: Mar, 2012
Faith in the self.
#4082: May 18th 2011 at 8:54:36 PM

That's Australia for you, darling.

"My life is my own" | If you want to contact me privately, please ask first on the forum.
LordCrayak Since: Jun, 2009
#4083: May 20th 2011 at 12:33:50 PM

There's apparently a movie called Nightmare Fuel.

edited 20th May '11 12:34:06 PM by LordCrayak

annebeeche watching down on us from by the long tidal river Since: Nov, 2010
watching down on us
#4084: May 20th 2011 at 2:02:55 PM

I used to consider the possibility that Scandinavians may have had horned helms for religious rituals only.

Guess what? Those aren't horns. (late 6th century foil found in Sweden) Those are actually the heads of two birds.

I am inclined to guess that the birds are ravens since the raven is associated with Oðinn, the god for which this ritual is performed.

Banned entirely for telling FE that he was being rude and not contributing to the discussion. I shall watch down from the goon heavens.
KitsuneInferno Jackass Detector from East Tennessee Since: Apr, 2009
Jackass Detector
#4085: May 20th 2011 at 5:34:58 PM

Dexter's Lab had a short hip-hop companion disc. A disc I am now looking for because it has Prince Paul, De La Soul and non-suck-era will.i.am.

edited 20th May '11 5:51:25 PM by KitsuneInferno

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt." - Some guy with a snazzy hat.
Idler20 Rabbit Season Since: Oct, 2010
Rabbit Season
#4086: May 22nd 2011 at 5:39:03 AM

Victoria Coren wrote a book about how she and her co-author tried to make the best hardcore porn film ever.

You're an ad hominem attack!
Legionnaire The Leading Man from Australia Since: Oct, 2010
The Leading Man
#4087: May 22nd 2011 at 6:12:16 AM

I knew that the Swan River had dolphins in it but I didn't know there were sharks.

Wait, Western Australia's Swan River?

Against all tyrants.
Tzetze DUMB from a converted church in Venice, Italy Since: Jan, 2001
DUMB
#4088: May 23rd 2011 at 3:49:00 PM

"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely." (or rather "All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.") was written originally against papal infallibility.

[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.
Wicked223 from Death Star in the forest Since: Apr, 2009
#4089: May 23rd 2011 at 3:51:54 PM

Hehe, funny.

You can't even write racist abuse in excrement on somebody's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat!
StolenByFaeries Believe from a reprogrammed reality Since: Dec, 2010
Believe
#4090: May 23rd 2011 at 6:28:13 PM

@ Legion: Yep.

"You've got your transmission and your live wire, but your circuit's dead." - Media
annebeeche watching down on us from by the long tidal river Since: Nov, 2010
watching down on us
#4091: May 23rd 2011 at 8:27:06 PM

Velociraptor was feathered and had small wings. Artist's impression

The more that we learn about these animals the more we find that there is basically no difference between birds and their closely related dinosaur ancestors like velociraptor. Both have wishbones, brooded their nests, possess hollow bones, and were covered in feathers. If animals like velociraptor were alive today our first impression would be that they were just very unusual looking birds.

This change of paradigm is actually very welcome! :D

edited 23rd May '11 8:29:44 PM by annebeeche

Banned entirely for telling FE that he was being rude and not contributing to the discussion. I shall watch down from the goon heavens.
Justice4243 Writer of horse words from Portland, OR, USA Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: Brony
Writer of horse words
#4092: May 23rd 2011 at 9:33:31 PM

“i’m a pope!!!

I’m a POOOOOOOPE!

suck my diiiiick!

I’M A POOOPE!”

edited 23rd May '11 9:34:06 PM by Justice4243

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.
Kinkajou I'm Only Sleeping Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Hiding
I'm Only Sleeping
#4093: May 25th 2011 at 7:51:39 AM

Alexander VI, while admittedly not a good guy or the best choice for succeeding St Peter, had a steeper climb - he was after all a Spaniard interfering in Italian politics. And he was successful.

INT is knowing a tomato is a fruit. WIS is knowing it doesn't belong in a fruit salad. CHA is convincing people that it does.
rjung He's just some guy, you know? from Fifth and Main (Five Year Plan) Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
He's just some guy, you know?
#4094: May 25th 2011 at 1:36:37 PM

Frank Miller helped write the ending for Transformers The Movie, and Chuck Dixon helped write the ending for The Dark Knight Returns.

MIND. BLOWN.

—R.J.

Myrmidon The Ant King from In Antartica Since: Nov, 2009
The Ant King
#4095: May 25th 2011 at 2:06:56 PM

I hate it when information that isn't common knowledge but you can look up on Wikipedia gets treated as "Things    THEY    don't tell you".

Kill all math nerds
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#4096: May 25th 2011 at 2:11:58 PM

[up]Yeah, that is annoying.

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Wicked223 from Death Star in the forest Since: Apr, 2009
#4097: May 25th 2011 at 4:42:31 PM

Examples?

You can't even write racist abuse in excrement on somebody's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat!
Myrmidon The Ant King from In Antartica Since: Nov, 2009
The Ant King
#4098: May 25th 2011 at 4:49:12 PM

The stuff the Disinfo company puts out(when it isn't outright lies and exaggeration), and one of the sites Justice linked to.

Kill all math nerds
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#4099: May 26th 2011 at 12:15:50 AM

Also, loads and loads of stuff to do with politics.

"Did you know that George Bush used to be the CEO of an oil company? You sure didn't, 'cause they never tell us these things!"

Or "Did you know that the Bank of Finland doesn't have the power to adjust the interest rate in Finland? Yeah, that's decided at the European Central Bank. Of course, they never tell you these things!"

Yeah, except that they do. They're in textbooks, you'll find newspaper articles about it in less than 5 minutes if you can use Google (and if you can't, seek help). Plus there's always Wikipedia. There really is no excuse to saying these things are "kept under wraps, I tell you!"

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Tzetze DUMB from a converted church in Venice, Italy Since: Jan, 2001
DUMB
#4100: May 26th 2011 at 9:25:19 AM

Floating point addition (or subtraction) on the computer gets less accurate the closer the numbers are, and is less accurate than multiplying or dividing them.

[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.

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