Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new.

Much like human males, gorillas burp when they are happy.

Katy Perry has a cat names Kitty Purry.

factual wrote:

Katy Perry has a cat names Kitty Purry.

What about her favorite band? Katy Parody?

The phrase "balls to the wall"--referring to top speed or a maximum effort--does not refer to male anatomy and is appropriate to use with athletes of either sex.

areh wrote:

The phrase "balls to the wall"--referring to top speed or a maximum effort--does not refer to male anatomy and is appropriate to use with athletes of either sex.

What does it refer to? This is a useless post unless you provide that.

asdsdf wrote:

areh wrote:

The phrase "balls to the wall"--referring to top speed or a maximum effort--does not refer to male anatomy and is appropriate to use with athletes of either sex.

What does it refer to? This is a useless post unless you provide that.

It's a term from aviation: when you push the stick (which has a ball-shaped top) forward to the firewall, for maximum power.

areh wrote:

asdsdf wrote:

What does it refer to? This is a useless post unless you provide that.

It's a term from aviation: when you push the stick (which has a ball-shaped top) forward to the firewall, for maximum power.

Why "balls" then? Why not "ball"? Unless it's referring to multiple planes flying in formation, in which case, why isn't it "walls" instead of "wall"?

asdsdf wrote:

Why \"balls\" then? Why not \"ball\"? Unless it\'s referring to multiple planes flying in formation, in which case, why isn\'t it \"walls\" instead of \"wall\"?

back in the day every engine on a plane had it\'s own individual throttle (the handle of which was a ball). Therefore, when those planes generally with 2-4 engines went full throttle, they went balls (multiple throttles) to the wall (single plane).

The deepest place in the ocean is The Challenger Deep with a depth of at least 10,900 and possiblly as much as 11,000 meters.

Jacques Piccard & Don Walsh rode The Trieste bathyscape to the bottom in 1960 the deepest under water man has ever gone.

Mohammed wrote:

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

i never heard of this. being curious.

(base 10, 10-1 digits of '1') squared = 12345678987654321

so i tried:

(base 8, 8-1 digits of '1') squared = 1234567654321

(using:

)

cool.

hrmhrm wrote:

so i tried:

(base 8, 8-1 digits of '1') squared = 1234567654321

seriously, i'm not hijacking this thread, and obviously math class was years ago, but ...

in base 10, 8, and 6 -- but not 2 -- and probably more, if you have a number of length n, comprised of 1s in each unit position, and you square it, you get an ascending, descending product that has as its crescendo, n. (as shown in excel with oct2dec, hex2dec, etc.) / on second thought, i suppose this is obvious. ;)

still, it's a random fact about the world.

here's a few that blew my mind:

1. the San Gabriel MTns outside L.A. are actually taller in terms of relief, than the Front Range outside denver, CO.

2. If you herded every man, woman, child in the USA together, you could fit them in the outline of the state of Kansas.

3. The tallest location in lower 48 states (Mt. Whitney, CA) is adjacent to the lowest location in the lower 48: Death Valley, CA.

Turtles can't stick out their tongues

Asians can buy live worms from vending machines

Bears make their own form of custard in nature from honey and bee protein

The Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat, Earth's ninth highest peak, rises over 15000 feet above its base.

The state with the lowest highest point is Florida at 345 ft.

The state with the lowest mean elevation is Delaware, at 60 feet.

Ostriches do not put their heads in sand.

yeppers wrote:

Asians can buy live worms from vending machines

Can also do this in the US. Live minnows, and waxworms too. They don't check your ethnicity, just need singles that are not too wrinkly.

One could fit 484 Rhode Islands into Alaska and still have room for a couple of standard 400m tracks.