Stuff you didn't know and probably don't care about

[stargazr]

https://www.science.org/content/article/how-do-wombats-poop-cubes-scientists-get-bottom-mystery

 

[sdifox]

now we know where the expression "shitting bricks" came from

 

[mikeymikec]

https://imgur.com/a/CXkpDjB

 

[mikeymikec]

Something I just wondered and web searched for:

Why the Toilet is Sometimes Called a “John”

Today I found out why the toilet is sometimes called a “John”. The term is thought to derive from Sir John Harrington or, at the least, to have been popularized due to Harrington. (There are a few references of the toilet being called “Cousin John”, as well as many references to it being called...

www.todayifoundout.com

It begets more questions though. If the origin of the expression is the UK, then (as a Brit) why have I only heard Americans use it?

 

[William Gaatjes]

The Insane Biology of: Deep Sea Anglerfish

Discovered : Anglerfish do not have an adaptive immune system with T cells and B cells and males literaly fuse with females.

 

[Charmonium]

now we know where the expression "shitting bricks" came from

I'm assuming that was just a bit of fecal humor.

But if you've ever been well and truly constipated - to the point of considering leaving this earthly realm . . . well, I think you probably have a pretty good idea of what one other alternative might be.

I'm pretty sure that at some point in my youth that I had actually forged some diamonds. I did want to know but there are limits to my curiosity.

 

[KMFJD]

Ken Shirriff (@righto.com)

We obtained a mysterious box of 1960s electronics. I reverse-engineered it, and with much effort, we got it running. It turns out to be a test unit for testing NASA's Up-Data Link, a system from the Apollo moon landing to control the spacecraft from the ground. Let's take a look inside... 1/n

bsky.app

now that's a cool find

 

[William Gaatjes]

Could be named the sabretooth frog or bag lady frog.
It is called the hairy frog (huge sideburns)
And its claws pierce its skin on the fingers and the frog gets little claws.

'Horror frog' breaks own bones to produce claws

Male Hairy Frogs grow threads of vascularised skin during mating season - More images below The sharp bony claws look like small barbs The claw breaks away from a small piece of bone (see arrow) at the tip of the frog's toe "Amphibian horror" isn't a movie genre, but on this evidence perhaps it...

www.newscientist.com

 

[nakedfrog]

That's pretty metal.

 

[NuclearNed]

It is possible to be "allergic" to cold water. My wife works at a summer camp for kids. The story she told me, as was told to her yesterday: her camp recently had a kid who admittedly told everyone she was allergic to cold water... but when all the other kids went swimming, she wanted to swim anyway... so she did. When she got out of the water, she was covered up in hives.

My first reaction was that this story couldn't possibly be true. My reasoning: allergic reactions are usually the onset of inflammation due to some external stimulus, and exposure to cold is an effective strategy to control inflammation. So I threw the BS challenge flag.

Turns out cold water "allergies" is a real thing - although technically it isn't a true allergy. Who knew?

Cold Urticaria: What It Is, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Cold urticaria causes an allergic reaction to cold temperatures. Exposure to cold air, water, food or drink may trigger a rash or more serious symptoms.

my.clevelandclinic.org

 

[mikeymikec]

horses (click link for more horsey info):

https://imgur.com/a/oTIRfUE

 

[thestrangebrew1]

It is possible to be "allergic" to cold water. My wife works at a summer camp for kids. The story she told me, as was told to her yesterday: her camp recently had a kid who admittedly told everyone she was allergic to cold water... but when all the other kids went swimming, she wanted to swim anyway... so she did. When she got out of the water, she was covered up in hives.

My first reaction was that this story couldn't possibly be true. My reasoning: allergic reactions are usually the onset of inflammation due to some external stimulus, and exposure to cold is an effective strategy to control inflammation. So I threw the BS challenge flag.

Turns out cold water "allergies" is a real thing - although technically it isn't a true allergy. Who knew?

Cold Urticaria: What It Is, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Cold urticaria causes an allergic reaction to cold temperatures. Exposure to cold air, water, food or drink may trigger a rash or more serious symptoms.

my.clevelandclinic.org

I have a nephew who developed an "allergic reaction" to water about 2 years ago. He's almost 18 now so IDK how it happened, but pretty similar to this, but not temp related. He would break out in hives and get itchy after showers and wouldn't go swimming for awhile. I think he takes a pill now because he's been in our pool a few times this summer already (and doesn't stink so presumably continues to shower!)

 

[stargazr]

Kärcher, a German company founded in 1935 by Alfred Kärcher, began as a heating technology firm before specializing in high-pressure cleaning equipment. Renowned for innovation, Kärcher’s pressure washers gained global recognition for their efficiency. In 2024, Kärcher Japan collaborated with Saga Prefecture to create a massive Godzilla image on the Iwaya Kawauchi Dam, celebrating the dam’s 50th anniversary and Godzilla’s 70th birthday.
The “Godzilla in Saga Dam Art Project” used Kärcher’s high-pressure washers to craft a 40-meter-tall, 180-meter-wide reverse graffiti of Godzilla. By selectively cleaning dirt from the dam’s concrete, the artwork emerged, blending engineering and pop culture. This temporary piece, completed in November 2024, drew global attention before fading as dirt reaccumulated.

 

[Charmonium]

In a breakthrough for antimatter research, the BASE collaboration at CERN has kept an antiproton—the antimatter counterpart of a proton—oscillating smoothly between two different quantum states for almost a minute while trapped. The achievement, reported in a paper published today in the journal Nature, marks the first demonstration of an antimatter quantum bit, or qubit, and paves the way for substantially improved comparisons between the behavior of matter and antimatter.

 

[IronWing]

Princess Di’s coat of arms prominently features three sea shells.

 

[William Gaatjes]

The life of Donna Summer :

‘I was decadent, I was stupid, I was a fool’: the dark days of Donna Summer

In public she oozed glamour, but in private the disco star battled depression, self-loathing and suicidal thoughts. Her daughter speaks about the film she made to understand Summer’s silent struggle

www.theguardian.com

 

[lxskllr]

Deer antler salt is an archaic form of baking powder...

Hartshorn - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I was looking up knäckebröd, and trying to decide if I really want to spend the money to not get everything I want, or hope some shows up locally, and I can save the massive shipping cost. In any case, there's zero chance this particular version will show locally. It has juniper berry and blueberry in it, and I noticed the ingredients, which I didn't notice last time...

Härjedalsbröd - Organic Skogsknäcke with blueberries and junipers 225 g

Skogsknäcke is a thin and crispy crispbread with a unique flavour combination of blueberries and juniper berries. A natural and healthy crispbread with the taste of the Swedish forest. It's a tribute to the Swedish forest and its rich pantry, resulting from Swedish culinary craftsmanship at its...

knackebrodonline.com

 

[mikeymikec]

polo, horse cloning and double-cross:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1950972610793087407

 

[William Gaatjes]

Veritasium : How does an electron microscope work ?

 

[nakedfrog]

That reminds me of one of my favorite GIFs.
(record player stylus playing a record via an electron microscope)

 

[lxskllr]

Old tech impresses me more than new tech. I have an easier time grasping a laser measuring divots than a needle rumbling through some grooves and making something that sounds like music; in stereo!

 

[jmagg]

The magic is in the groove111

 

[KMFJD]

Map of Reddit

This website shows a map of reddit. Each dot is a subreddit. Two dots within the same cluster are usually close to each other if multiple users frequently leave comments on both subreddits

anvaka.github.io

a map of reddit and how the subreddits overlap

 

[Kaido]

Old tech impresses me more than new tech. I have an easier time grasping a laser measuring divots than a needle rumbling through some grooves and making something that sounds like music; in stereo!

Great read on Mechanical Calculators:

The Uncalculated History of Mechanical Calculators.

My recent meet with the Pope jogged my memory about the existence of such forgotten gadgets as the arithmometer. The device being used may still be remembered by some in my generation…

eugene.kaspersky.com

When my ADHD hits, I can barely assemble a sandwich lol. Mad props to people who created crazy stuff like with without CAD, 3D printers, the highway shipping system, etc.!

 

[Charmonium]

That reminds me of one of my favorite GIFs.
(record player stylus playing a record via an electron microscope)

View attachment 128749

OK, now I'm curious.

I'm going to assume that each side is one track. That seems pretty safe.

so when we had monaural records, was the difference the sensitivity of the pickup cartridge? The sensitivity of the pickup electronics or general leakiness of old tube amps?

Something else?

edit - maybe the accuracy of the vinyl engravers? Isn't that how the first recordings were produced?

edit2 - Come on folks, I'm gonna guess we got some Edison-era folks or at least some psychics that can "patch them thru."