More TIL? May 31, 2017 8:03 PM Subscribe
The Today I Learned thread from January has been closed. Can we have another one?
TIL that deer like wilted apple leaves. My dwarf Golden Delicious apple tree fell down in the late snowstorm two weeks ago. This afternoon I saw two deer in my back yard eating the wilted leaves off the downed tree. First time I've seen deer in the yard in several years. This evening just at dusk they were back, eating apple leaves again.
(Oh, and did you know deer will eat meat sometimes? As a kid I once saw a deer munching on the body of a dead deer. It looked up at me with blood on its muzzle...)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:08 PM on May 31, 2017
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:08 PM on May 31, 2017
TIL the board game Careers and the artificial language Loglan were invented by the same person.
posted by escabeche at 8:19 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by escabeche at 8:19 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]
TIL there's a console-based file manager with
posted by cgc373 at 9:00 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
vi keybindings called ranger and it's basically the best.posted by cgc373 at 9:00 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
TIL that proem is a word and it means a preface or introduction to a book. Proem, who knew.
posted by pixlboi at 9:01 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by pixlboi at 9:01 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
TIL Bears eat grass. I knew they were omnivores but I didn't know they could digest grass.
posted by Mitheral at 9:11 PM on May 31, 2017
posted by Mitheral at 9:11 PM on May 31, 2017
TIL that Weingarten Rights guarantee union representation at interviews that may lead to discipline. I kind of knew that as a general concept, but I hadn't realized how extensive the rights were, nor that they had a name.
posted by lazuli at 9:31 PM on May 31, 2017
posted by lazuli at 9:31 PM on May 31, 2017
TIL that if you divide any integer by zero you get tacos al pastor.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:38 PM on May 31, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:38 PM on May 31, 2017 [16 favorites]
TIL that Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday song is really about Martin Luther King, because when I asked her to play 'Happy Birthday' for the amusement of the baby, my Alexa played a version of the song with references to Dr King in it. Have always loved that song and now even more!
posted by The Toad at 9:56 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by The Toad at 9:56 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL that if you divide any integer by zero you get tacos al pastor.
Link?
posted by wallabear at 10:05 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
Link?
posted by wallabear at 10:05 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
Speaking as a boomer who was neither served by inflation in the 1970s nor worked to screw the next generation, I respectfully request that my entire generation not be lumped into a single, self-serving, hateful group.
Thank you.
posted by she's not there at 11:21 PM on May 31, 2017 [16 favorites]
Thank you.
posted by she's not there at 11:21 PM on May 31, 2017 [16 favorites]
Sure! #notallboomers :)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 11:36 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 11:36 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]
The result of the first international cricket match (in 1844) was repeated a few days ago when Canada defeated the USA.
From recent observation I have learnt that:
- A 48 year old body does not have the stamina of a younger body to run across a large field and comfortably outpace a concealed herd of cows.
- Naturists who cover themselves completely in sunblock while standing in their back garden with a low fence should do well to remind themselves that the bald patch on their heads is not to be missed to avoid misery late in the day.
- Territorial badgers who dig up newly planted primroses can be deterred by having sticks of celery thrown at them while shouting Lorde lyrics.
- Leaving piles of peanuts in your back garden to attract a missing squirrel that you don't know is deceased will only attract other squirrels and the odd badger.
posted by Wordshore at 1:28 AM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]
From recent observation I have learnt that:
- A 48 year old body does not have the stamina of a younger body to run across a large field and comfortably outpace a concealed herd of cows.
- Naturists who cover themselves completely in sunblock while standing in their back garden with a low fence should do well to remind themselves that the bald patch on their heads is not to be missed to avoid misery late in the day.
- Territorial badgers who dig up newly planted primroses can be deterred by having sticks of celery thrown at them while shouting Lorde lyrics.
- Leaving piles of peanuts in your back garden to attract a missing squirrel that you don't know is deceased will only attract other squirrels and the odd badger.
posted by Wordshore at 1:28 AM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]
TIL that there are odd badgers.
posted by cooker girl at 4:39 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by cooker girl at 4:39 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]
TIL barcode scanners​ are actually reading the white parts of the barcode that the light bounces off. On the one hand this seems obvious if you stop to think about it. On the other hand, MIND. BLOWN. 💥
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:39 AM on June 1, 2017 [45 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:39 AM on June 1, 2017 [45 favorites]
Poodle has a wobbly fawn and is trying to teach it to run cause why wouldn't you want to run? I can run. See me? I'm running. I'm running all around you. Maybe you'll run if I nip your rear end. See, see it's fun to run. Run, run, fun. Fawn has lost all terror and introduces jumpety. They can run and jump.
Mom is not completely cool with this and comes out of the woods and looks at me like I am the one who must fix this. There were at least a dozen and she's the only one that came back. She's got no backup and her child is playing with a carnivore. I've a bitten plum and I underhand it at her and it rolls just within reach and I call the poodle.
Poodle is obedient and not pleased about obedience cause predawn run is fun. Mom sniffs the plum and picks it up. It was the bestest plum. Her method of sharing was to transfer liquid with her really long tongue. Her babe also thought it the best plum ever. Who knew deer can lick their eyes? They followed us. Venison is good but I am not doing this.
I think I broke nature with a poodle and a plum.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [34 favorites]
Mom is not completely cool with this and comes out of the woods and looks at me like I am the one who must fix this. There were at least a dozen and she's the only one that came back. She's got no backup and her child is playing with a carnivore. I've a bitten plum and I underhand it at her and it rolls just within reach and I call the poodle.
Poodle is obedient and not pleased about obedience cause predawn run is fun. Mom sniffs the plum and picks it up. It was the bestest plum. Her method of sharing was to transfer liquid with her really long tongue. Her babe also thought it the best plum ever. Who knew deer can lick their eyes? They followed us. Venison is good but I am not doing this.
I think I broke nature with a poodle and a plum.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [34 favorites]
This might be common knowledge, but I recently learned that during kidney transplants they don't generally take the old kidneys out. They leave them there, and you have three kidneys. Three kidneys! It's crazy!
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:44 AM on June 1, 2017 [26 favorites]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:44 AM on June 1, 2017 [26 favorites]
TIL barcode scanners​ are actually reading the white parts of the barcode that the light bounces off. On the one hand this seems obvious if you stop to think about it. On the other hand, MIND. BLOWN. 💥
I learned last week that the base color of piebald cats is black, so my white cat with black spots is in fact a black cat with white spots. (He's a #6 on the piebald chart at the bottom, while my parents' cat is a #2. I would never have guessed they were the same color type!)
posted by capricorn at 6:21 AM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]
I learned last week that the base color of piebald cats is black, so my white cat with black spots is in fact a black cat with white spots. (He's a #6 on the piebald chart at the bottom, while my parents' cat is a #2. I would never have guessed they were the same color type!)
posted by capricorn at 6:21 AM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]
Yesterday I learned NOT to try to wear my dressy theater shirt with the metallic threads through airport security.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 7:05 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 7:05 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]
Yesterday I learned a lot about Danish pop music through the decades. A dear friend is visiting from Denmark and we played old Eurovision videos late into the night and drank too much wine.
Today I will learn how long I can go without needing a nap after watching old Eurovision videos late into the night and drinking too much wine.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 7:22 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
Today I will learn how long I can go without needing a nap after watching old Eurovision videos late into the night and drinking too much wine.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 7:22 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
watching old Eurovision videos late into the night and drinking too much wine.
That's pretty much my typical evening!
posted by JanetLand at 7:27 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
That's pretty much my typical evening!
posted by JanetLand at 7:27 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
TIL it is surprisingly difficult to get lily pollen of your favorite off-white cardigan and that my cat is as afraid of spider crickets as I am.
posted by thivaia at 7:32 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by thivaia at 7:32 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
TIL that flying on autopilot at work because you're tired can cause you to become oblivious to the face that you've lost your filter and as such can end up saying off color, largely racist things despite knowing better than to even think such things anymore, much less say them aloud.
I also learned/decided that if my cat plops down to cuddle with me by curling up in the space of my waist it's a sign from the universe and I shouldn't go to work at all unless she moves on her own accord.
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:58 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
I also learned/decided that if my cat plops down to cuddle with me by curling up in the space of my waist it's a sign from the universe and I shouldn't go to work at all unless she moves on her own accord.
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:58 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
Three kidneys! It's crazy!
posted by Bulgaroktonos
And some of us are just born with three... but I didn't know about not removing one during a transplant.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 8:02 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Bulgaroktonos
And some of us are just born with three... but I didn't know about not removing one during a transplant.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 8:02 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
I've learned nothing.
posted by bondcliff at 8:10 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 8:10 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
On Memorial Day I was at a cemetery cleanup/working bee. I learned that
posted by zamboni at 8:20 AM on June 1, 2017
Working bee
isn't a phrase known in the US, and- Some 19th century grave markers/headstones can be up to 10 feet from top to bottom, with most of that buried below the surface.
posted by zamboni at 8:20 AM on June 1, 2017
Anyone know if there's a common US phrase that's equivalent to working bee?
"an old-fashioned barn raising."
Originally meant when a bunch of Amish (?) got together to literally raise (build) a barn for a member of their community but I often hear it used for when a bunch of folks volunteer to get together to perform a task.
posted by bondcliff at 8:25 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
"an old-fashioned barn raising."
Originally meant when a bunch of Amish (?) got together to literally raise (build) a barn for a member of their community but I often hear it used for when a bunch of folks volunteer to get together to perform a task.
posted by bondcliff at 8:25 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
Anyone know if there's a common US phrase that's equivalent to working bee?
"Barracks party" in the military means "cleanup of a common space that has been ignored long enough that your first sergeant noticed it". I've heard "work party" to similar ends, but usually it's just called an "X cleanup".
posted by Etrigan at 8:29 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Barracks party" in the military means "cleanup of a common space that has been ignored long enough that your first sergeant noticed it". I've heard "work party" to similar ends, but usually it's just called an "X cleanup".
posted by Etrigan at 8:29 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Looks like
posted by zamboni at 8:33 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
beeswere a common thing in the North American colonial era, but has since almost died out. Spinning bees, logging bees, etc. The last remnant of the phrase appears to be
spelling bee.
posted by zamboni at 8:33 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
Uh I've heard "working bee" and "worker bee" most of my life...live in the midwest. Maybe elsewhere in the US it is not known?
posted by agregoli at 8:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by agregoli at 8:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have heard "working bee" in Minnesota with some regularity. When I lived in Kansas it was one of those dumb Yankee things I was always saying. Quilting bees and knitting bees are very common here and I think the 'bee' is the same. I hear all of these more often in a church context than elsewhere.
I think an equivalent might be a "drive" like a "charity drive" "clean up drive" "food drive"?
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 8:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think an equivalent might be a "drive" like a "charity drive" "clean up drive" "food drive"?
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 8:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
> And then somehow that generation (the boomers, natch)
TIL that some people still consider it acceptable to express prejudice against "boomers" (aka "people older than you").
posted by languagehat at 8:43 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
TIL that some people still consider it acceptable to express prejudice against "boomers" (aka "people older than you").
posted by languagehat at 8:43 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
SPEAKING OF SPELLING BEES THE SPELLING BEE IS TONIGHT
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:07 AM on June 1, 2017
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:07 AM on June 1, 2017
Three kidneys! It's crazy!
It's more like one kidney and two paperweights.
posted by mochapickle at 9:09 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's more like one kidney and two paperweights.
posted by mochapickle at 9:09 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
I went to a reptile (and other creepy-crawlies) expo over the weekend. I learned:
-Reticulated pythons have no known size limit. As long as you keep feeding them more calories than they need, they'll just keep getting bigger.
-If a Jackson's chameleon is light green, it is happy with its circumstances. If it is dark green shading to brown, it is concerned. If it is black with vivid white markings, it is very angry at you.
-Orange baboon tarantulas, or OBTs, are popular for their bright coloring, but they are also very aggressive. This accounts for their nickname of "Orange bitey things."
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:25 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]
-Reticulated pythons have no known size limit. As long as you keep feeding them more calories than they need, they'll just keep getting bigger.
-If a Jackson's chameleon is light green, it is happy with its circumstances. If it is dark green shading to brown, it is concerned. If it is black with vivid white markings, it is very angry at you.
-Orange baboon tarantulas, or OBTs, are popular for their bright coloring, but they are also very aggressive. This accounts for their nickname of "Orange bitey things."
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:25 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]
TIL there is a clear winner for most joyous and exuberant scientists in a flume experiment video: these Dutch scientists as they generate a tsunami in their Delta Flume lab.
posted by barchan at 9:53 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by barchan at 9:53 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
Or maybe they're spectators, I don't care, I've watched it 5 times now and laughed out loud with them each time.
posted by barchan at 9:56 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by barchan at 9:56 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL some people say "working bee" instead of "worker bee."
posted by Room 641-A at 10:11 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Room 641-A at 10:11 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL some people do not consider Megaman 2 a good video-game and co-worker arguments ensued.
posted by Fizz at 10:15 AM on June 1, 2017
posted by Fizz at 10:15 AM on June 1, 2017
TIL some people say "working bee" instead of "worker bee."
TIL some people don't read the linked article.
-Reticulated pythons have no known size limit. As long as you keep feeding them more calories than they need, they'll just keep getting bigger.
Why is nobody testing this further? Why isn't there someone feeding baby hippos to pythons in order to raise Supersnakeâ„¢? I now have a new mission if I ever become super rich.
posted by bondcliff at 10:16 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
TIL some people don't read the linked article.
-Reticulated pythons have no known size limit. As long as you keep feeding them more calories than they need, they'll just keep getting bigger.
Why is nobody testing this further? Why isn't there someone feeding baby hippos to pythons in order to raise Supersnakeâ„¢? I now have a new mission if I ever become super rich.
posted by bondcliff at 10:16 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
TIL some people say "working bee" instead of "worker bee."
Wait, like, "Work[er/ing] bees are female, while drones are male"? Because "working bee" as used above is not an insect.
posted by Etrigan at 10:18 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Wait, like, "Work[er/ing] bees are female, while drones are male"? Because "working bee" as used above is not an insect.
posted by Etrigan at 10:18 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
-If a Jackson's chameleon is light green, it is happy with its circumstances. If it is dark green shading to brown, it is concerned. If it is black with vivid white markings, it is very angry at you.
And if it's taller than you, has huge claws and wants to kill everything, you're in the Fallout universe.
(I had no idea Deathclaws are chameleons)
posted by lmfsilva at 10:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
And if it's taller than you, has huge claws and wants to kill everything, you're in the Fallout universe.
(I had no idea Deathclaws are chameleons)
posted by lmfsilva at 10:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
TIL that Werner Von Braun wrote a book about colonizing Mars. The colonists would be led by a man named Elon.
posted by Splunge at 10:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Splunge at 10:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL that Werner Von Braun wrote a book about colonizing Mars. The colonists would be led by a man named Elon.
Zat's not my department.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:48 AM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]
Zat's not my department.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:48 AM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]
TIL there is a clear winner for most joyous and exuberant scientists in a flume experiment video: these Dutch scientists as they generate a tsunami in their Delta Flume lab.
I just watched a show about landslides on Netflix last night, and the scientists in that one had a flume, too. Theirs had a whole bunch of dirt at the top that got gradually saturated with water so they could watch how the soil performed, and then in the end there'd be a landslide. It was very cool.
Now I'm all like, "Why don't I have a flume?" I've clearly made bad life choices.
posted by Orlop at 11:31 AM on June 1, 2017
I just watched a show about landslides on Netflix last night, and the scientists in that one had a flume, too. Theirs had a whole bunch of dirt at the top that got gradually saturated with water so they could watch how the soil performed, and then in the end there'd be a landslide. It was very cool.
Now I'm all like, "Why don't I have a flume?" I've clearly made bad life choices.
posted by Orlop at 11:31 AM on June 1, 2017
TIL I learned what those weird window shaped holes covered over in brick are. Lot-line windows! I don't actually know all about it yet, but I'm reading about it as I type this.
posted by silverstatue at 11:36 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by silverstatue at 11:36 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
None of my fellow Yanks been to a quilting bee or a sewing bee?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:16 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:16 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
Orlop: "Now I'm all like, "Why don't I have a flume?" I've clearly made bad life choices."
There was a flume in the main dining hall where I went to college. It was a feature, not a bug.
posted by chavenet at 12:36 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
There was a flume in the main dining hall where I went to college. It was a feature, not a bug.
posted by chavenet at 12:36 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
None of my fellow Yanks been to a quilting bee or a sewing bee?
Neither do I sew or quilt,
I do not feel your Yankee guilt.
posted by Splunge at 12:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]
Neither do I sew or quilt,
I do not feel your Yankee guilt.
posted by Splunge at 12:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]
Cats are apparently scared of cucumbers. There are videos of people on YouTube nudging cucumbers towards their unsuspecting cats. When the cats notice, they leap into the air in fear -- presumably because they think they're being attacked by a snake or something.
It's supposed to be funny, but I think it's cruel to scare your pets, even if you're only doing it with vegetables.
posted by zarq at 1:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
It's supposed to be funny, but I think it's cruel to scare your pets, even if you're only doing it with vegetables.
posted by zarq at 1:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
It can cause health problems for the cat as well. It is cruel.
posted by Splunge at 2:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Splunge at 2:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL that Kate Mara and Rooney Mara are not the same person.
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
TIL that Rooney Mara is the great-granddaughter of both the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Art Rooney Sr., and the founder of the New York Giants, Tim Mara.
posted by catlet at 3:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by catlet at 3:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
That a product called crampons are not what you'd think.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 4:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 4:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]
TIL that Wo-Hop, my favorite Chinese restaurant in NYC, is still open. Paging jonmc, have you been there recently?
posted by Splunge at 4:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Splunge at 4:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL, hmm let's see... That when someone puts vague language in a contract you should always call bullshit on them, even if the vagary seems to benefit you, that cartoonists like to draw self-portraits that look like their strip characters, that even timid little dogs like to pick on even smaller timid dogs, that in the 1700s, Cincinnati was a major American publishing hub, that what Amazon Prime used to offer is nothing like what it currently offers in terms of quick shipping, that Canadian universities are being invaded by American academics that are fleeing a repressive government, that people living in Navarre don't like it when you say they live in Spain, that you should check your spam filter folder more frequently, and that Sherman Alexie's mom was not a great mom.
posted by Stanczyk at 4:57 PM on June 1, 2017
posted by Stanczyk at 4:57 PM on June 1, 2017
TIL that there's a super great naengmyun (냉면) spot right around the corner from my place, where I've somehow managed to live for four years without discovering its tasty delights.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:18 PM on June 1, 2017
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:18 PM on June 1, 2017
Today I learned that when you are applying paste wax to seal a sanded 100+-year-old floor, it's best to work with a damp, folded up bit of old t-shirt and use only a small amount of wax. If you use a dry cloth to apply, or if you use an old sock, the wax will go on too heavy and dry up too quickly, leaving huge, dull, white smudges that are nearly impossible to get up (and it takes forever). Fortunately, I eventually learned that you can get up those white smudges by waxing right over them, but then you have to buff again, etc.
I also learned that after applying wax and buffing all day with your right arm, standing in the shower to your right side feels like heaven made of hot raindrops on your shoulder. I usually face away, but sideways is just the thing today.
posted by mochapickle at 6:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
I also learned that after applying wax and buffing all day with your right arm, standing in the shower to your right side feels like heaven made of hot raindrops on your shoulder. I usually face away, but sideways is just the thing today.
posted by mochapickle at 6:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL literally everything in this steadicam thread, particularly that focus puller is a job!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:56 PM on June 1, 2017
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:56 PM on June 1, 2017
TIL that some people calculate the tip amount on the pretax bill when I have always looked at the fully taxed amount. Now I wonder about what is the base for the calculation when a restaurant says that a tip of 18% will be added to parties of 8 or more. Even in NY where the tax is 8% we are not talking about a large amount of money, but it never occurred to me. Regardless of what is appropriate, I will continue to base my 20 -25% tip on the fully taxed amount, but who knew?
posted by AugustWest at 9:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by AugustWest at 9:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
Mom sniffs the plum and picks it up. It was the bestest plum. Her method of sharing was to transfer liquid with her really long tongue. Her babe also thought it the best plum ever. Who knew deer can lick their eyes?
You've shined a new light on the whole 'can you roll your tongue?' thing for me . . . Mr. Yuck.
posted by jamjam at 11:02 PM on June 1, 2017
You've shined a new light on the whole 'can you roll your tongue?' thing for me . . . Mr. Yuck.
posted by jamjam at 11:02 PM on June 1, 2017
TIL the Tiger I tank depicted in Fury is the last surviving operational Tiger tank in the world.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 11:23 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by obiwanwasabi at 11:23 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL that Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday song is really about Martin Luther King,
TYL that James Jamerson told Stevie Wonder that he "wasn't shit" until he could play "Giant Steps" in all 12 keys
posted by thelonius at 6:37 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
TYL that James Jamerson told Stevie Wonder that he "wasn't shit" until he could play "Giant Steps" in all 12 keys
posted by thelonius at 6:37 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
The barcode scanner thing is making my morning. I am amazed.
posted by minsies at 6:53 AM on June 2, 2017
posted by minsies at 6:53 AM on June 2, 2017
jamjam I was shocked. I've mostly been living in the woods since I was 11 and have had plenty of time to observe deer and never seen anything like that. So I googled "deer tongue" and you might not want to do that. There are many cute pictures but also removal techniques and recipes.
Then there's the case of a woman who sought medical help to remove a deer tongue she had used for self-pleasuring purposes.
The woman, upon questioning, finally confessed that her husband was a hunter. He had recently brought home a deer and gutted and dressed it in their garage. She saw the tongue, admired its length, and had snuck off with it to use as a masturbatory aid. Snopes. True. And then she forgot about it? If I had a vagina I know that I would never forget.
I can't imagine. Some days it's best to learn nothing.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 8:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Then there's the case of a woman who sought medical help to remove a deer tongue she had used for self-pleasuring purposes.
The woman, upon questioning, finally confessed that her husband was a hunter. He had recently brought home a deer and gutted and dressed it in their garage. She saw the tongue, admired its length, and had snuck off with it to use as a masturbatory aid. Snopes. True. And then she forgot about it? If I had a vagina I know that I would never forget.
I can't imagine. Some days it's best to learn nothing.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 8:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
The barcode thing is also blowing my mind, but for different reasons. It's been going around in my head for the last day.
I have always thought about barcode scanners in the reverse. Sure, the scanner can only 'see' when there are reflective parts on the code, but isn't it 'reading' the gaps in those reflections which are the black parts? If you point a scanner at a fully reflective thing, it's sending a string of 1s (or TRUEs or HIGHs or however you want to say it) so I suppose that is it reading. But then there's code to tell it to do nothing with a string of 1s or 0s until there are some of each to interpret. So is it truely reading both light and dark because without one there isn't the other? When the Singularity comes will there be barcode scanner wars between the ones who see the reflections as more important vs the dark side which says only the shadows matter?
I know how the tech works, but now I'm anthropomorphizing a bar code reader. There isn't room in my brain for that. Like a barcode scanner pointed at a 100% reflective surface with no black lines it's too much input but not enough data.
Since Juicy Fruit gum was the first consumer product with a barcode in 1974, did the famous pack of Juicy Fruit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) have a barcode? Is that was tripped up Chief Bromden and got him talking - that he didn't know what this weird code was on the side of the gum?
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 8:36 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have always thought about barcode scanners in the reverse. Sure, the scanner can only 'see' when there are reflective parts on the code, but isn't it 'reading' the gaps in those reflections which are the black parts? If you point a scanner at a fully reflective thing, it's sending a string of 1s (or TRUEs or HIGHs or however you want to say it) so I suppose that is it reading. But then there's code to tell it to do nothing with a string of 1s or 0s until there are some of each to interpret. So is it truely reading both light and dark because without one there isn't the other? When the Singularity comes will there be barcode scanner wars between the ones who see the reflections as more important vs the dark side which says only the shadows matter?
I know how the tech works, but now I'm anthropomorphizing a bar code reader. There isn't room in my brain for that. Like a barcode scanner pointed at a 100% reflective surface with no black lines it's too much input but not enough data.
Since Juicy Fruit gum was the first consumer product with a barcode in 1974, did the famous pack of Juicy Fruit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) have a barcode? Is that was tripped up Chief Bromden and got him talking - that he didn't know what this weird code was on the side of the gum?
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 8:36 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I still remember from very early childhood, hearing people in our church talk about how these barcodes were everywhere now, and how they were just like the mark of the Beast in Revelations.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:35 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:35 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL that wearing a baseball hat that says EVERYTHING SUCKS is a great way to keep most people away when you want a quiet dog walk alone.
That's amazing. When I wear my "You Read My Shirt -- That's enough social interaction for one day." it causes people to walk up and talk to me.
posted by Karmakaze at 9:35 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
That's amazing. When I wear my "You Read My Shirt -- That's enough social interaction for one day." it causes people to walk up and talk to me.
posted by Karmakaze at 9:35 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
TIL that Clorox was otiginally called the Electro-Alkaline Company.
posted by thelonius at 11:47 AM on June 2, 2017
posted by thelonius at 11:47 AM on June 2, 2017
TIL that the Mark of the Beast transmits information through the white spaces between the black bars!
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:10 PM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:10 PM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
YIL that the Salem Witch Trials actually took place in Danvers, then called Salem Village. I've lived in Rhode Island all my life. I've been to Salem (Town) bunches of times. I have a degree in history! But I never knew.
posted by Ruki at 1:32 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Ruki at 1:32 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
The crimpy part of bobby pins goes against the scalp.
Yes!
posted by janepanic at 2:57 PM on June 2, 2017
Yes!
posted by janepanic at 2:57 PM on June 2, 2017
Yesterday I learned that you don't want to throw blue lacrosse balls because they blend in with sky and you can't see them before they hit you in the mouth, hard.
Today I want to learn why they would even sell blue lacrosse balls.
posted by lstanley at 3:06 PM on June 2, 2017 [15 favorites]
Today I want to learn why they would even sell blue lacrosse balls.
posted by lstanley at 3:06 PM on June 2, 2017 [15 favorites]
Recently I realized that Peter Daou the political pundit/apparatchik is the same Peter Daou who was a musician, producer, and member of The Daou with his wife Vanessa back in the '90s. I don't why I never made that connection before now.
posted by octobersurprise at 3:52 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by octobersurprise at 3:52 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Not learned today, but my "Leave Me Alone, I'm Only Talking to my Cat Today" is unfortunately disappointing in keeping people from talking to me. It does seem to amuse delivery drivers.
posted by lazuli at 8:12 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lazuli at 8:12 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm about to order one of these for myself and one for my spouse: No more spoons, only knives left.
posted by Lexica at 8:31 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Lexica at 8:31 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]
TIL about the greatest deal ever made. In exchange for free housing, Gustav Vigeland donated all the pieces of art he made after the deal to the city. I love this for it's win-win nature. Vigeland would probably have made art no matter what & now got a house or of it and the city of Oslo got a major treasure with the Vigeland Installation.
posted by CMcG at 10:47 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by CMcG at 10:47 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
TIL that Paul Simon was married to Carrie Fisher. (from Wikipedia).
posted by lungtaworld at 12:53 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by lungtaworld at 12:53 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
Maine is the closest U.S. state to Africa.
posted by theora55 at 1:08 PM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 1:08 PM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
TIL that a group of sandpipers is called a fling. We went walking by the water today and got hectored by a bunch of willets and went to go look them up when we got home and learned that.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 4:18 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 4:18 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
Today I learned the answer to one of my old unanswered AskMe questions.
The "raccoon in my pants" dance was in an episode of Empty Nest titled "Tears of a Clown". Episode 15 of season 1. Paul Sand played Poko the Clown.
Found it on a site with nearly-unformatted transcripts of tv shows, which result didn't come up last time I searched.
So I guess today I also learned that perseverance really does pay off sometimes.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 3:55 AM on June 4, 2017
The "raccoon in my pants" dance was in an episode of Empty Nest titled "Tears of a Clown". Episode 15 of season 1. Paul Sand played Poko the Clown.
Found it on a site with nearly-unformatted transcripts of tv shows, which result didn't come up last time I searched.
So I guess today I also learned that perseverance really does pay off sometimes.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 3:55 AM on June 4, 2017
TIL there is an unincorporated community in Missouri's bootheel called Braggadocio.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:18 AM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:18 AM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
Random life lesson, not a TIL but something I feel like I should share: Dial soap is magical for removing certain little person messes from clothes (yes, baby poop). Best is soap + water + old toothbrush, but soap + water + rubbing cloth against itself also works in a pinch.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:38 AM on June 4, 2017
posted by filthy light thief at 9:38 AM on June 4, 2017
TIL from digaman on the great documentary on the Dead, Long Strange Trip, that deaf people used to attend Dead concerts with balloons, not to for the Nitrous, but to feel the music. Also, totally worth waiting until episode 5 to see Senator Al Frankin opine about the best version of Althea. This is a great documentary even if you don't like the Dead, which I don't.
posted by Stanczyk at 5:44 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Stanczyk at 5:44 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
TIL that the cemetery where Jefferson is buried is still actively in use.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:37 PM on June 4, 2017
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:37 PM on June 4, 2017
Is that a zombie thing? Because that would be so cool.
Zombie Jefferson: Brains!
Trump: Ahhhhhhh!
Zombie Jefferson: You okay, need brains.
posted by Splunge at 7:44 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
Zombie Jefferson: Brains!
Trump: Ahhhhhhh!
Zombie Jefferson: You okay, need brains.
posted by Splunge at 7:44 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
TIL the difference between "gap review" and "red team review" even though they mostly boil down to "look people, we're running out of time will you just please get me the stuff we need to finish this project."
posted by emjaybee at 7:15 AM on June 5, 2017
posted by emjaybee at 7:15 AM on June 5, 2017
Apple leaf update: The deer haven't been back. Apparently there is a peak tastiness level two weeks after the tree goes down.
posted by Bruce H. at 7:44 AM on June 6, 2017
posted by Bruce H. at 7:44 AM on June 6, 2017
I have deer eating my rose bushes. Any suggestions for repellent?
posted by Splunge at 4:17 PM on June 7, 2017
posted by Splunge at 4:17 PM on June 7, 2017
TIL that "thick" has been redefined while I wasn't looking. I bought a pound of bacon that was labeled "thick cut". The label was a lie.
posted by Bruce H. at 8:33 PM on June 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Bruce H. at 8:33 PM on June 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Dial soap is magical for removing certain little person messes from clothes
My great-grandmother's homemade lye soap actually came out quite a bit like Dial bar soap. And I've never seen the laundry stain that it couldn't completely take out. My mother still has a small, closely hoarded sliver left from her share of the cakes Great-Grandma had on hand when she died. So, if you ever can't get Dial, head for your nearest backwoods granny.
I have deer eating my rose bushes. Any suggestions for repellent?
IIRC, one of the teachers I used to work with who ran a school garden swore by hanging bars of deodorant soap in the fences and shrubs around the garden.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:28 PM on June 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
My great-grandmother's homemade lye soap actually came out quite a bit like Dial bar soap. And I've never seen the laundry stain that it couldn't completely take out. My mother still has a small, closely hoarded sliver left from her share of the cakes Great-Grandma had on hand when she died. So, if you ever can't get Dial, head for your nearest backwoods granny.
I have deer eating my rose bushes. Any suggestions for repellent?
IIRC, one of the teachers I used to work with who ran a school garden swore by hanging bars of deodorant soap in the fences and shrubs around the garden.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:28 PM on June 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have deer eating my rose bushes. Any suggestions for repellent?
It depends on how acclimated the deer have become to human scent. An old rural trick was to go to the nearest barber/salon and ask for a bag of the hair sweepings and then put them around the plants, because then the plants smell like lots of humans/predators hang out there. If you're a carnivore, you can also try peeing on the ground around the plants. (At home, we keep the fur we groom off of our cats and drop it on the garden, though we're dealing with smaller critters.)
posted by Karmakaze at 6:02 AM on June 30, 2017
It depends on how acclimated the deer have become to human scent. An old rural trick was to go to the nearest barber/salon and ask for a bag of the hair sweepings and then put them around the plants, because then the plants smell like lots of humans/predators hang out there. If you're a carnivore, you can also try peeing on the ground around the plants. (At home, we keep the fur we groom off of our cats and drop it on the garden, though we're dealing with smaller critters.)
posted by Karmakaze at 6:02 AM on June 30, 2017
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posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:04 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]