Trivia Thread!

Olorgando · Jan 6, 2024

Ellessor said:
I remember the first time I saw a photo of just a hawk with talons extended, I was blown away by how powerful it looked.

OK, and now imagine those talons being just under 5 inches (over 12 centimeters) long ... 🥶

Ent · Jan 11, 2024

A Gremlin.
Interesting history and definition.
Seems to come from 1923 and the RAF, a term invented to originally apply to the mechanical (and later other) problems occurring with their aircraft.
The first printed use is probably in a poem in the journal Aeroplane in 1929.

Yes, the definition of a Gremlin is a little hard to pin down, as Oxford, Cambridgen Webster and others all differ slightly.
By and large more modern usage has it as a "small imaginary creature (sprite, gnome, imp), blamed for something not working properly."

Given our own @Server Room Gremlin, it does explain a lot. (Or, provide a convenient target to blame for any problems we may have.)

Olorgando · Jan 11, 2024

Ent said:
A Gremlin.

Somewhat dusty memory seemed to link British warplanes and the term, but the actual aviation reference was closer to Middle-earth:
The de Havilland "Goblin" was an early British jet engine, which powered (among others) the de Havilland "Vampire" jet fighter, the RAF's second jet fighter.

The was a car called Gremlin, manufactured by the now defunct American Motors Corporation in the 1970's. AMC (what remains of it is the Jeep line of serious offroaders) meant it to be a subcompact competitor to the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto, as well as the successful imports Volkswagen Beetle and Toyota Corolla. It was an even bigger joke than its domestic competitors. US car manufacturers gave up trying to build cars they just didn't have talent for, and turned to license-building subcompacts from Japanese manufacturers. This is odd at least for General Motors and Ford, who both had European subsidiaries that very much did have the talent for building such cars ...

Erestor Arcamen · Jan 11, 2024

Hmm maybe @Ent and I are Finnish? 🤷‍♂️

Finland is the world’s coffee capital.

Though Finland does not produce any beans of its own, its citizens drink a lot of the brown stuff. The average Finn drinks about 4 cups of coffee each day—the most of any country in the world.

Ent · Jan 11, 2024

Olorgando said:
the actual aviation reference

Yeah, I was looking at the origination of the word 'gremlin' itself. Found myself a bit surprised it was such a 'young' word, with no etymology (yet found) prior to its beginning in 1923.

I remember well the car called the Gremlin - sadly it was not 'imaginary'.

Ent · Jan 11, 2024

Erestor Arcamen said:
Hmm maybe @Ent and I are Finnish? 🤷‍♂️

Finland is the world’s coffee capital.

Though Finland does not produce any beans of its own, its citizens drink a lot of the brown stuff. The average Finn drinks about 4 cups of coffee each day—the most of any country in the world.

Cool. I'm moving..! They have trees too, I think.

Ent · Jan 11, 2024

Ent said:
They have trees too, I think.

"Finland is Europe's most heavily-forested country. Forests as defined by the FAO cover 23 million hectares or 74.2% of the land area."

On my way..!! Coffee and trees. Nothin' better.

Erestor Arcamen · Jan 11, 2024

Ent said:
"Finland is Europe's most heavily-forested country. Forests as defined by the FAO cover 23 million hectares or 74.2% of the land area."

On my way..!! Coffee and trees. Nothin' better.

Take me with you! Though I thought this would be about being able to just sleep all day, 0/10 recommended

There’s a national ‘sleepy head day’

In Finland, ‘National Sleepy Head Day' or ‘Unikeonpäivä' is a fun and lighthearted tradition celebrated on 27th July each year.

The day is marked by playful pranks, where family members might wake up the last sleeping person in the household by throwing water on them or, in some cases, even tossing them into a lake or the sea. It's all done in good fun, and many communities and families have their own ways of marking the day.

The roots of the tradition are believed to be associated with religious stories, specifically the tale of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, who, as the legend goes, retreated into a cave and slept there for centuries as a way to escape religious persecution.

Ent · Jan 11, 2024

Erestor Arcamen said:
in some cases, even tossing them into a lake or the sea. It's all done in good fun, and many

OK I confess... you caught me. As I read across this, I read 'it's all done in good fun and many drownings....."
I had to back up and reread.

Vorondil · Jan 11, 2024

Erestor Arcamen said:
There’s a national ‘sleepy head day’

In Finland, ‘National Sleepy Head Day' or ‘Unikeonpäivä' is a fun and lighthearted tradition celebrated on 27th July each year.

The day is marked by playful pranks, where family members might wake up the last sleeping person in the household by throwing water on them or, in some cases, even tossing them into a lake or the sea. It's all done in good fun, and many communities and families have their own ways of marking the day.

The roots of the tradition are believed to be associated with religious stories, specifically the tale of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, who, as the legend goes, retreated into a cave and slept there for centuries as a way to escape religious persecution.

Not many people know that (read this with you-know-who's voice)

Deimos · Jan 11, 2024

Olorgando said:
Among the flightless birds, yes. They're big, the largest (females) easily reaching 6 feet and 150 pounds.
They are three-toed, with claws on each toe. The claw on the middle to is basically a 5-inch dagger you don't want to be kicked with, something the cassowaries are likely to do in confrontations.

Obviously there were velociraptors somewhere in the line on the mother's side.

Olorgando · Jan 11, 2024

Deimos said:
Obviously there were velociraptors somewhere in the line on the mother's side.

Relatively close cousins, probably.
Scientific consensus now seems to be that the dinosaurs went extinct - except for the birds. Some raptors seem to have had feathers, for keeping warm - and possibly bragging during mating season. And in some places in the early post-dinosaur period, big flightless birds were apex predators..

Firiel23 · Jan 11, 2024

Ent said:
Good. That would be the action, I believe, of an 'anti-hero'.... we have a thread discussing such things here recently, I think the "gollum" one.
I'm not 'exterminist' or even 'extremist' here... just recognizing the many facts at hand, the likelihood of any significant change, and the inevitable results. All these things are clearly spoken to in an unmentionable source.

Exactly. We should herald and support the proper actions, actively expose and work against the improper ones, and do all we can to educate others regarding the situation at hand. In spite of the end, our responsibility along the way remains the same.

Right..!

awww, you guys made me tear up. I needed to see this wholesomeness rn!

Deimos · Jan 12, 2024

Little know fact about Red Squirrels....

Firiel23 · Jan 12, 2024

Olorgando said:
"Shaun the Sheep" by the same outfit, Aardman Animations.

my kids love this one. hilarious for adults as well!

Vorondil · Jan 21, 2024

Using rough estimates, one pound in 1800 would be the equivalent of £80 today.

Deimos · Jan 21, 2024

@Aethelwulf because you like to hunt (but not only Aethelwulf... any hunters out there)
Bit of info on squirrel hunting...

Deimos · Jan 21, 2024

Soon after the Wright Brothers historic flight at Kitty Hawk (1903)...
The Smithsonian's first attempt at adding an aviation section

Deimos · Jan 23, 2024

Squint-eyed Southerner · Jan 23, 2024

Some would impose severe punishment for those groaners -- but as they're not (as yet) prohibited by the Rules, go ahead and

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