Interesting Facts / Urban Myths

Discussion in 'Taylor's Tittle-Tattle - General Banter' started by hornmeister, Feb 11, 2021.

  1. hornmeister

    hornmeister Tired

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  2. hornmeister

    hornmeister Tired

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  3. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

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    Wimbledon tennis balls are kept at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

    The temperature of tennis balls affects how the ball bounces. At warmer temperatures, the gas molecules inside the ball expand making the ball bounce higher. A tennis ball at lower temperatures causes the molecules to shrink and the ball bounces lower. To make sure the best tennis balls are used, Wimbledon goes through over 50,000 tennis balls.
     
  4. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

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    Beer mats/coasters were originally placed on top of the glass, rather than under it. Their purpose was to keep dust and insects out of the liquid.
     
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  5. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

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    The saxophone solo on Baker Street was played by Bob Holness
     
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  6. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

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    The intro music to Blockbusters was played by Gerry Rafferty
     
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  7. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

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    And they're all not very good.
    Slazenger have been trading off The Championships link for decades now,whilst making a very average ball.
     
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  8. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

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    99% of gargoyles look like Bob Todd.
    My Mum's friend Jane was married to Bob Todd.
     
  9. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

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    Aren't they Slazenger owned by Sports Direct? The majority of their golf, cricket and hockey stuff is cheap crap (OK to for a child to learn with) - I know their high-end hockey sticks are very average.
     
  10. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

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    There are 9 million bicycles in Beijing.

    That's a fact. It's a thing we can't deny.
     
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  11. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

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    We only put milk in our tea (and the custom of adding before the tea) because the masses (the poor) could only afford cheap earthenware drinking vessels that cracked when fluids at 80 oC were added to them - a dash of milk in the cup prevented this.
     
  12. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

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    Also cf Karrimor and Donnay.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2021
  13. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

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    The literal meaning of 'Luton' is 'Toilet Town'.
     
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  14. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

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    Germans pronounce their w's like v's and the Swedish pronounce their v's like w's.
     
  15. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

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    I've heard this before but someone talked over him saying it was to do with flavour.
     
  16. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

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    I’ve never fact checked it but apparently the lighter was invented before the match?
     
  17. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

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    A lot of 'brands' were bought up by the big retailers and just continue to exist as labels on their crap goods.

    Having said that I just bought some Gelert walking boots for 25 quid and they seem OK.
     
  18. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

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    It's a shame with Karrimor - I've still got two 'old school' (bought in the late 80's early 90's so life time guarantee) Karrimor rucksacks: a Hot Ice (bought for climbing/scrambling and inter-railing) and a Jaguar (trekking). Both suffered failures in the proofing and were re-proofed by Karrimor and a strap broke away on the Jaguar (again replaced by Karrimor).

    Also had a pair of old-style SF boots (bough late 80's again lifetime guarantee): stitching came away on the heel (fixed gratis) and a couple of years later a sole cracked (boots re-soled and heeled by Karrimor). No quibbles.

    Always came back with some freebies (wallets, pouches, Karabiners etc)

    I've no quibbles at all about their 'old ' standard of goods or their customer service but their QA dept...

    I'm assuming you won't be wearing the £25 boots on your next attempted ascent of K2 via the tricky southern route. I've got a couple of Gelert waterproof and breathable soft shell jackets. For fishing, hockey and golf at £35 for the pair they're superb pieces of kit.

    Always tickles me to the see the 'after' faces of UK tourists visiting the Worlds Largest/Greatest Sports Shop Lilliewhites the look of crushing disappointment when they find out it's 'just' another SportsDirect.
     
  19. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

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    Hot water freezes quicker than cold water.
     
  20. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

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    They are for the Chess valley and similar wildernesses. Will do fine for the over popular paths that are now churned up by boomers and dog walkers.
     
  21. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

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    ** fixed **
     
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  22. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

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    Incidently Lidl have got their vile Currywurst 'in' at moment. Squaddies rave about them.
     
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  23. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

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    Please explain in more detail for the mouthbreathers.
     
  24. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

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    Read it and weep: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect

    This was an ongoing debate in the back pages of New Scientist ("The Last Word") for years (4?). The explanation was highlighted by using an old used cleanish glass ('dirty') and identical one that had been cleaned ultrasonically and washed with hydrofluoric acid to remove any surface imperfection in the glass('clean'). Warm water (45 oC) from extremely corroded (furred up) pipes (or a dilute solution of CaSO4 + MgSO4) was added to the dirty glass and ultra-high purity water (obtained through ultra high pressure osmosis and followed by ultra filtration through an ion exclusion membrane) at 5 oC was placed in the 'clean' glass. Both the glasses were placed a freezer at -7 oC and hey presto! the hot water in the 'dirty' glass froze first.

    Liquid water is a very odd substance. It has its maximum density at 4 oC (as a liquid) and expands upon freezing to a solid. Liquid water requires nucleation centres to form ice crystals around when it freezes quickly. These nucleation centres can be dissolved salts in the water, small particles of suspended matter (such as dirt, limescale, grease, detergent or even bacteria) or microscopic scratches or asperities on the vessel containing the water surface. Hence to 'dirty' glass had an excess of nucleation centres to form an excess amount of ice crystals at a far higher rate than water in the 'clean' glass and because more ice crystals mean faster freezing. This is the dominant method for the Mpemba effect.

    You know you were told to never eat snow - well this is the scientific reason - nucleation centres. In the atmosphere these are bacteria, fungal spores, pollen grains, various micro-flora and fauna each helping form the ice crystals which make up the snowflake. Each ingested when you eat the snow giving you at best an upset tummy.

    Incidently the 'dirty' and 'clean' glasses were used to explain where the bubbles in champagne (or beer) come from. In a 'dirty' glass: loads and a "clean glass" none. The dissolved gas could nucleate and form bubbles 'easier' on a surface with lots of asperities/defects that one were they had been removed.
     
  25. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

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    So water in Luton freezes very quickly...
     
  26. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach

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    Wonder where Penny Dreadful found it's inspiration.
     
  27. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

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    Google mpemba effect
     
  28. Since63

    Since63 Squad Player

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    Snow is very dangerous stuff. As Nanook well knew, the yellow variety can cause temporary blindness in fur trappers.
     
  29. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

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    That show was a massive let down. Watched it all the way through, to a conclusion only surpassed by GOT in anticlimactic incompetence.
     

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