Author Topic: Somewhat Useful Facts Thread (Read 205029 times)

MLeo · « **Reply #1300 on:** July 29, 2009, 01:31:14 PM »

The Ackermann function is the fastest growing function devised by man (the order that is), somewhere between 5 and 6 it passes the number of electrons in the visible universe.

JimmyB76 · « **Reply #1301 on:** July 30, 2009, 02:14:01 AM »

male hospital patients fall out of bed twice as often as female hospital patients...

Kaempfer · « **Reply #1302 on:** July 31, 2009, 09:08:52 AM »

Wolverine first appeared in The Incredible Hulk and wasn't originally planned to be a mutant. He was originally planned to be an actual wolverine that was evolved by the High Evolutionary.

Senator · « **Reply #1303 on:** August 02, 2009, 10:43:52 AM »

The Skylon spaceplane would take off from a conventional aircraft runway, carry over 12 tonnes to orbit and then return to land on the same runway, thus being an "one stage to space", spaceship and therefore awesome. (like the X33, *sniff*).

It has apparently gotten some ESA & EADS money, but I am not holding my hopes high on it.

MLeo · « **Reply #1304 on:** August 02, 2009, 11:03:50 AM »

I wonder what the fuel efficiency of it is.
And I wonder if it's comparable to the total payload it can carry when compared to the spaceshuttle.

Trim · « **Reply #1305 on:** August 02, 2009, 04:39:01 PM »

I thought this was kind of cool.

Transparent Aluminum Created
By T'Bonz on July 27, 2009 7:34 PM
Although not assisted by Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, scientists have been able to create transparent aluminum.

As reported by Science Daily, a transparent form of aluminium was created by Oxford scientists by bombarding aluminium with the world's most powerful soft x-ray laser.

Nebula · « **Reply #1306 on:** August 02, 2009, 04:50:42 PM »

makes me wonder how thick that sheet of aluminium was...

Senator · « **Reply #1307 on:** August 02, 2009, 05:19:34 PM »

Quote from: MLeo on August 02, 2009, 11:03:50 AM

I wonder what the fuel efficiency of it is.
And I wonder if it's comparable to the total payload it can carry when compared to the spaceshuttle.

Well, in space it will be using batteries of course, and I think it runs on hydrogens (lots and lots of hydrogens) so... I think it counts as a hybrid?
You can probably get a tax cut for it somewhere on basis of greeniness!

MLeo · « **Reply #1308 on:** August 02, 2009, 05:56:03 PM »

Some people can count to 5 on one hand, and 10 on two, others can count to 25 on both hands, some can count to 30 on two hands, yet others can count to 12 one a single hand *, and to 60 on two *, some can count to 144 on two hands *.

I, however, can count on all those systems, and also count to 31 on one hand, and to 1023 on two. **

* Actually a Mayan (if memory serves) system, and is actually easier on the fingers than the system for counting to 31 or 1023.
What is common among 4 fingers, except the fifth? There are 3 sections to each finger save for the thumb, which has 2 (yes, the thumb also has 3 sections, but some may not consider it the same as with the other fingers, and it there is a reason to set aside the thumb for counting to 12 on a single hand). To count to 12 on a single hand, the Mayans used the thumb to indicate the number, as some would use the other hand to count to 5. So the tip of your index finger is 1, the base of the index finger is 3, and the base of your pinky is 12. And you simply move your thumb as you count. The Mayans actually counted to 60, by using the other hand in a simple fashion (counting 5 twelves), but if you employ the same system as the other hand, then you can suddenly count to 144 (12 * 12). I'm unsure why they didn't count to 144, possibly it hadn't occurred to them (in a similar fashion why it people didn't think of wheels even if they saw rolling things, untill they were shown a rolling cart). Or they simply liked the number 60 (for the same reasons we use it to divide hours and minutes).

In fact, if you count to 12 on both hands (as to a max of 144) they you are actually counting in a so called "base 12" system (as reference, our decimal system is "base 10"), you count "ones" on one hand, and "tens" on the other. And a bonus fact, counting to 25 actually means to use a base 5 counting system.
To count to 30 is to count in base 6 on one hand (with all 5 fingers erect as the "9" before you overflow to "ten").

** A single hint, binary.

On a personal note, I actually prefer to use the base 12 system for counting on my hands, so I can count to 144.

Senator · « **Reply #1309 on:** August 02, 2009, 07:02:33 PM »

Quote

Or they simply liked the number 60 (for the same reasons we use it to divide hours and minutes)

I think its disgusting.

Useful fact: For 2 to 3 millennia the Chinese used to have decimal time where the day was divided into 100 parts called "ke"s.

captain_obvious · « **Reply #1310 on:** August 02, 2009, 07:45:48 PM »

Any british soldier not deemed to be "teeth arms" (ie anyone not tankie, inf, air corps, artillery or marines) is only entitled to 3 pouches for their PLCE webbing.
1x Double ammo pouch (Can squeeze in 3 mags per pocket with some effort but 2 is sooo much easier)
1x Utility pouch (Takes a 58 pattern waterbottle + mug plus some other really small stuff)
1x Waterbottle pouch (pretty much the same as the above, but doesn't fix on to the belt as securely)

To go with this they get
1x Belt (what the pouches all attach to)
1x yoke (the load bearing shoulder straps. This attaches to the rear of the belt and to the 2 front most pouches. normally ammo pouches or utility pouches)

As a storeman I only get the 3 stinking pouches. All the rest I have to buy at about ?20 apiece.

Nebula · « **Reply #1311 on:** August 04, 2009, 09:39:27 AM »

land surface temp video from 2000 to 2009

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/GlobalMaps/data/mov/MOD11C1_M_LSTDA.mov

Lionus · « **Reply #1312 on:** August 04, 2009, 03:07:20 PM »

:shock: It's breathing! It's ALIVE!

JimmyB76 · « **Reply #1313 on:** August 04, 2009, 05:59:43 PM »

teflon is the slipperiest substance in the world..

Senator · « **Reply #1314 on:** August 05, 2009, 06:47:20 AM »

Thats... an interesting tombstone.

captain_obvious · « **Reply #1315 on:** August 06, 2009, 05:52:44 PM »

Quote from: Lionus on August 04, 2009, 03:07:20 PM

:shock: It's breathing! It's ALIVE!

Let's hope the world doesn't go the way of planet (Go play sid meier's alien crossfire)

Sid meier had very little to do with alpha centauri or it's expansion alien crossfire.
Brian Reynolds was the guy in overall charge of the project.

Senator · « **Reply #1316 on:** August 08, 2009, 11:19:49 AM »

It's a Helicron

Bonus: Good Air Conditioning for hot days.
Cons: You'd hate to hit a bird with that one.

Phaser · « **Reply #1317 on:** August 08, 2009, 08:26:47 PM »

"In further proof that NASA are [sic] cooler than most people manage without liquid hydrogen, they've started analyzing a meteorite - on Mars."
Link

Awesome.

Nebula · « **Reply #1318 on:** August 08, 2009, 08:44:46 PM »

that's cool...

Quote

That this happened at all is a triumph of human curiosity, coincidence, and extremely well put together space engineering: three factors we're going to need to become what we can. Here's hoping we keep up the effort in future space scheduling.

I like this little block of text.

Senator · « **Reply #1319 on:** August 08, 2009, 09:31:13 PM »

Useful fact: Google Earth now has a "Mars" option along the Sky and Moon option as well. Complete with, you know, local photographs and such.

Makes a heck of a job actually organizing NASA's information in something easily playable with and understood.
Do remember to check the colourised (elevations) terrain and the Historic maps.

News:

Author Topic: Somewhat Useful Facts Thread (Read 205029 times)