Somewhat Useful Facts Thread

[Armondikov]

What about a googleplex? Or perhaps googleplexplex, or alephzeroplex or the other big numbers mentioned in Science of Discworld?

And you're wrong. We all know the Earth was made only 6000 years ago out of nowhere, light was faster, atoms decayed quicker too and all fossils were made by a big rain storm which explains everything.

[MLeo]

What about a googleplex? Or perhaps googleplexplex, or alephzeroplex or the other big numbers mentioned in Science of Discworld?

And you're wrong. We all know the Earth was made only 6000 years ago out of nowhere, light was faster, atoms decayed quicker too and all fossils were made by a big rain storm which explains everything.

To write Googolplex (note the typo made by the Google founders), you would need more space than is avaidable. Atleast, Carl Sagan said so.

Don't know about the other (I'm afraid I haven't yet found those books), but I can imagine that googolplexplex is 10 to the googolplex.


Not as such random trivia, the (only) reason that Google looks so "simple" (the classic interface at the very least) was "designed" as such because the Google founders didn't known enough HTML to make it work. A more hopefull reason would be as an answer to the, at that time (still is I suppose), common practise to fill up all screen real estate with whatever you can find, or if all else fails, ads.

[Senator]

And now, Monster Trucks:

I always wondered why they are not more widely used, especially by the military. I mean, they are in the end very good off-roaders, and not too slow either.

Take the Hummer (or HMMWV more accurately). They are big, heavy, gas guzzling, but in the end, they can just about climb an obstacle about 0.5m vertical and as they understand, they are a bit of a favorite to blow up with IEDs.

In that one, an IED would blow up a wheel alright but the rest of it would be much further from it. Also note the detail that a lot of these have the engine "under" the car than in front of it, so that would act as further armor. Sure they are a bit of a bigger target, but most modern weapons that can hit this, can hit a Hummer as well, and shipping would be a biatch. But body and wheels could probably be shipped seperately. Plus there is the coolness factor, of driving around armored monster trucks with guns.

An other idea of Senator Tech, my weapons company, when I get around in making it.

[captain_obvious]

I'd love that like I luuuurve my bedford 14 tonners!!

but seriously a 14 tonner can fit through some suprisingly small gaps.  THAT beast would have trouble fitting into some of our vehicle parks (on bases fyi) It's hard enough parking up our current trucks!

plus the 14 tonner wheels are mabye an eighth of the size of those f**kers..and those wheels are far to heavy for 2 people to lift let alone those monstertruck wheels!!!

anyone for some monster truck madness?? (if you can remember that lol)

[JimmyB76]

good lord!  holy gas mileage, batman!  lol

[captain_obvious]

good lord!  holy gas mileage, batman!  lol

that too..

[MLeo]

For some reason, I doubt as much as a Hummer.

[Weasel]

For some reason, I doubt as much as a Hummer.

Much, much less, actually. The military HMMV's are diesel powered.

[captain_obvious]

For some reason, I doubt as much as a Hummer.

Much, much less, actually. The military HMMV's are diesel powered.

well hooray for diesel

The surname of the man who invented these engines was diesel ;)

[Senator]

Chemically speaking. Calcium is a metal.

Feel free to say that you have a metallic skeleton then.

[Senator]

Its an armed/armoured train.



Also, sneaky Russians:

[El]

Best to make sure the driver avoids tunnels and low bridges....

[Senator]

It only gets erected when it is time for action.

The long and hard missile I mean.

[Aeries]

It only gets erected when it is time for action.

The long and hard missile I mean.

Dayum, Sen! Down, boy! xD

[captain_obvious]

fred armisen has been on SNL for 6 seasons.

[Nebula]

1797 Interchangeable Parts

Eli Whitney contracts to manufacture 10,000 muskets for the U.S. Army. At the time, an entire musket would be made by a single person, without standardized measurements. Whitney divided the labor into several discrete steps and standardized parts to make them interchangeable.

[Armondikov]

According to IMDB trivia, if you took all the polygons in the Transformers movie and put them end to end, they would reach the moon and back and have enough left over to build the Great Wall of China. Please say it's not just CG nuts that get the problem with this......

[Pegasus]

Well if you think about it, taking it frame by frame, at what ever resolution it was made in, it could be plausable.

[Kirk]

You will soon be able to pretend to be captain Kirk.
http://www.geekologie.com/2008/08/get_your_own_star_trek_captain.php
(Slightly NSFW review)

[JimmyB76]

Maybe They Should Put It At A Grade School

Nearing the end of the administration, Southern Methodist University, Laura Bush's Texas alma mater, emerged as the frontrunner to house the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
Faculty and Staff at SMU promptly launched a protest and circulated a petition to reject the library:

"We count ourselves among those who would regret to see SMU enshrine attitudes and actions widely deemed as egregious: degradation of habeas corpus, outright denial of global warming, flagrant disregard for international treaties, alienation pg long-term U.S. allies, environmental redation, shameful disrespect for gay persons and their rights, a preemptive war based on false and misleading premises, and a host of other erosions of respect for the global human community and for is good Earth on which our flourishing depends."


_{148 Days Left!}