BS: Useless Trivia

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Peace
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 01:54 PM

From the movie, "WC Fields and Me." Great movie.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 02:00 PM

Ok this is trivia but it is also helpful. Dentists once instructed patients to keep their toothbrushes at least 7 feet from the comode so no airborne contaminants would get on it when flushing. Why don't they still do that? Have we evolved to the point where we have that much common sense?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 02:01 PM

Wood grows on trees.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 02:03 PM

Sttaw, you're the genius in your family huh? Just kidding!

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 02:34 PM

Brucie:
The odds of hitting the 6/49 lottery in Canada are one in
49 x 48 x 47 x 46 x 45 x 44.
Try one in 49*48*47*46*45*44/(6*5*4*3*2) i.e. 49!/((43!)*(6!))
As you do not need to predict the order in which the numbers will come out. The first number out is one of 49 and you have 6 chances at it.

Nigel

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 03:39 PM

Raymond Burr was the only North American in the US version of Godzilla.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: mack/misophist
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 03:59 PM

Julian the Apostate, the last pagan emperor of Rome, could listen to a report, read another report, and write a third and fourth (ambidextrous) simultaneously. But not very fast, Im sure. One of the US presidents could do something similar but the details escape me.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: mack/misophist
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 04:19 PM

The Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, lost his nose in a duel over long division. He wore a silver prosthetic to replace it. If any one nows what aspect of long division they fought over, please PM me with the details.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Metchosin
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 04:30 PM

jeez, Julian the Apostate too! I once observed my eldest daughter when she was younger, simultaneously practice the piano, listen to some completely different music on her walkman and read a book. I just thought she was a scatterbrain like me.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 05:27 PM

Mack, The argument with Manderup Parsbjerg was stated to be over Fermat's Next-to-Last Theorem, which speculates that 2 + 2 = 5 for very large values of 2. (although I do not get this myself, if I could somehow make $2 + $2 =$5 then I could make more money huh?) There is also speculation that it was over a simple matter of who was the better mathematician. Also when his body was exhumed in 1901 there was evidence of copper in the metal due to the green rim found on the opening of the skull where the nose had been.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: mack/misophist
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 06:55 PM

susu: You are a rogue! Brahe lived before Fermat! Besides, Fermat's Next to Last Theorem was about whether the fleas on Schroedinger's cat would be alive or dead. You're confusing it with Dilbert's Expository Lemma to the Pointy Haired Rule.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Shanghaiceltic
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 07:05 PM

Dr Guillotine the inventor of the guillotine became one of its victims in the French Revolution.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: pdq
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 07:40 PM

If all of the world's virgins were laid end-to-end,






















Bill Clinton would have something to to with it. You can count on it!

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 07:57 PM

Mack, I stand corrected! My friend was the one who told me that, and I like a goofball, took it at face value as she knows alot about that junk. SORRY! Susu

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Peace
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 08:17 PM

Nigel: Really?

Thank you. I kept wondering why--if the odds were one in 10068347520--all these people kept hitting all six numbers. Did I ever mention that I failed math all the way through school? I didn't have to mention that though, did I.

So that number then gets divided by 720. So the real odds are one in 13983816. Now, that makes sense.

Thank you again.

Bruce

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 08:23 PM

Very useful information: Your chances of winning the lottery are about the same whether you buy a ticket or not.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 08:35 PM

After spending hours working at a computer display, look at a blank piece of white paper. It usually appears to be pink in color.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: mack/misophist
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 09:51 PM

There are more deer in the US today than there were when Columbus landed.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Peace
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 10:27 PM

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the chemical name for the Tobacco Mosaic Virus.

ACETYLSERYLTYROSYLSERYLISOLEUCYL-
THREONYLSERYLPROLYLSERYLGLUTAMINYL-
PHENYLALANYLVALYLPHENYLALANYLLEUCYL-
SERYLSERYLVALYLTRYPTOPHYLALANYL-
ASPARTYLPROLYLISOLEUCYLGLUTAMYLLEUCYL-
LEUCYLASPARAGINYLVALYLCYSTEINYL-
THREONYLSERYLSERYLLEUCYLGLYCYL-
ASPARAGINYLGLUTAMINYLPHENYLALANYL-
GLUTAMINYLTHREONYLGLUTAMINYLGLUTAMINYL-
ALANYLARGINYLTHREONYLTHREONYL-
GLUTAMINYLVALYLGLUTAMINYLGLUTAMINYL-
PHENYLALANYLSERYLGLUTAMINYLVALYL-
TRYPTOPHYLLYSYLPROLYLPHENYLALANYL-
PROLYLGLUTAMINYLSERYLTHREONYLVALYL-
ARGINYLPHENYLALANYLPROLYLGLYCYL-
ASPARTYLVALYLTYROSYLLYSYLVALYLTYROSYL-
ARGINYLTYROSYLASPARAGINYLALANYLVALYL-
LEUCYLASPARTYLPROLYLLEUCYLISOLEUCYL-
THREONYLALANYLLEUCYLLEUCYLGLYCYL-
THREONYLPHENYLALANYLASPARTYLTHREONYL-
ARGINYLASPARAGINYLARGINYLISOLEUCYL-
ISOLEUCYLGLUTAMYLVALYLGLUTAMYL-
ASPARAGINYLGLUTAMINYLGLUTAMINYLSERYL-
PROLYLTHREONYLTHREONYLALANYLGLUTAMYL-
THREONYLLEUCYLASPARTYLALANYLTHREONYL-
ARGINYLARGINYLVALYLASPARTYLASPARTYL-
ALANYLTHREONYLVALYLALANYLISOLEUCYL-
ARGINYLSERYLALANYLASPARAGINYLISOLEUCYL-
ASPARAGINYLLEUCYLVALYLASPARAGINYL-
GLUTAMYLLEUCYLVALYLARGINYLGLYCYL-
THREONYLGLYCYLLEUCYLTYROSYLASPARAGINYL-
GLUTAMINYLASPARAGINYLTHREONYL-
PHENYLALANYLGLUTAMYLSERYLMETHIONYL-
SERYLGLYCYLLEUCYLVALYLTRYPTOPHYL-
THREONYLSERYLALANYLPROLYLALANYLSERINE

Woulda just called it Alicia if'n it had been up to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 11:14 PM

Why Alicia? Although I knew an Alicia once and she was EVIL!

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: open mike
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 11:47 PM

i thought that avocado (aquacate) was because the tree grows
where there is water and if you find a tree, you find water.
it means water search. so i heard.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: mack/misophist
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 11:58 AM

Could you pronounce that for us, please. brucie?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Micca
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 12:35 PM

You can detect if a person is a Chemist or has studied chemistry by the way in which they pronounce these two chemical terms

UNIONISED

PERIODIC ACID

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: GUEST,Sidewinder
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 04:54 PM

A famous film producer was once asked at a press conference "why do you drink so much". To which he replied "to make people like you seem interesting".

WC Fields was told by his agent that he had to play golf with a certain film director in the hope that he would get a casting call for an upcoming film. Fields refused saying "if I wanted to play with a prick I'd play with my own".

Best Wishes.

Sidewinder.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: mack/misophist
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 05:45 PM

Since WC Fields is popular, here's another. He was not only a world class juggler but also a master lock picker and insomniac. Often, the only place he could fall asleep was in the barber's chair. Thus, it was not uncommon for some hotel barber to open up in the morning and find Bill asleep in one of his chairs.

And let's not forget the fameous occasion when he deducted $100 on his taxes for a "new subterfuge." They allowed it. Being who he was, he didn't rejoice but cursed all the years when he hadn't thought to do it.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Peace
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 09:30 PM

In the movie, "WC Fields and Me", he was deducting money from his income tax (payable) by claiming two cases of gin each month. When questioned about that by the Feds, he replied, "I'm a comedian, and when I'm not drunk I'm not funny!"



toe-back-oh moe-zai-ick vie-russ.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 12:33 PM

The average human body contains enough: iron to make a three inch nail, sulfur to kill all fleas on an average dog, carbon to make 900 pencils, potassium to fire a toy cannon, fat to make 7 bars of soap, phosphorous to make 8 match heads, and water to fill a ten gallon tank.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 12:39 PM

So are you leaving your body to science when you die or perhaps one of the multiple stores.......
Best wishes.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 12:48 PM

Georgiansilver, I said 'average' body, not irregular. I would horrify med students if I left my body to science, and as far as any other organization, I do not want to end up some sick picture on the internet.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Micca
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 01:35 PM

Right the answers,
non chemists would say " youn-yon-ised
Chemists say Un-eye-on-ised
Non chemists would say " peer-e-odd-ic acid"
Chemists would say " per-eye-o-dic acid

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Auggie
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 07:02 PM

One of my many useless trivia stories

It's 1877, in Germany.
Otto von Bismark is a conservative statesman and politician, known for (among other things) his observation to the effect that "it is better that men do not know how their laws or sausages are made".

Rudolph Virchow is a famous physician and also a very liberal social reform politician who served in the opposite party to Bismark in the Reichstag (German Parliment).
Virchow wanted a law passed requiring the examination of slaughtered hogs for trichinosis parasites. Bismark opposed and, eventually becoming enraged at Virchow's legislative tactics, challenged him to a duel.

As custom dictated, Virchow had his choice of weapons. He knew Bismark to be big, strong, an accomplished swordsman and a deadly shot. But, being a sly,clever and crafty science nerd he choose to duel by eating sausages, one of which would be identified as being loaded with deadly trichinosis germs. Since Bismark would get to choose first, and given his public scorn of trichinosis, he would be forced to eat the infected one-or be ridiculed.

Bismark wisely withdrew his challenge and in 1878 a bill requiring meat inspection passed.

Now, aren't you glad I didn't get on this thread earlier?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Peace
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 07:12 PM

That is really interesting. I will pass that on to the Social Studies teacher in our school. Thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: mack/misophist
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 09:38 PM

That wasn't interesting. It was beautiful! Thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jan 05 - 07:01 PM

Ray Kroc, onetime owner of McDonald's Hamburger chain and the San Diego Padres hired Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll to play "Sam and Henry" on WGN Chicago radio in 1926. The show was later renamed Amos n Andy.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: mack/misophist
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 02:21 AM

As a teenager, Julius Caesar was constantly in trouble for speeding in his chariot.

Like the German word 'kaiser', the Thibetan word for king, 'gesar', is also derived from caesar.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 11:37 AM

And so is the Russian word czar.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 11:46 AM

Edward De Vere accidentally farted while bowing to Queen Elizabeth I. He was so embarrassed that he left England for seven years. After his return, the Queen was reported to have reassured De Vere: "My Lord, I had forgot about the fart."

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Splott Man
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 11:47 AM

"ACETYLSERYLTYROSYLSERYLISOLEUCYL-
THREONYLSERYLPROLYLSERYLGLUTAMINYL-
PHENYLALANYLVALYLPHENYLALANYLLEUCYL-
SERYLSERYLVALYLTRYPTOPHYLALA..." etc

Sorry to be pedantic Brucie, but to quote one of my bosses (as if one wasn't enough)

"all that is is a list of the building blocks that make up a
protein - they're amino acids. So, I imagine they've taken an important
protein within TMV and then named each amino acid along its length. It's
not proper nomenclature and wouldn't mean anything to us biochemists if (God
forbid) we had to read it in a paper!"

However, I enjoyed it,

Do you know it from memory?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 12:20 PM

Black is not white.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Peace
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 12:54 PM

And the German word, "Kaiser."

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: susu
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 02:35 PM

Sttaw, huh? or should I say duh. And red is not blue.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 02:39 PM

Elephants can't jump.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 02:57 PM

Greyhounds can't sit.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 03:27 PM

Grasshoppers can't play piano.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 04:12 PM

White men can't sing the blues. (Or can they?)

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 04:13 PM

Or jump

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: jeffp
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 05:30 PM

Elephants are the only animals with four knees.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 07:08 PM

4+4=20



in a base four numerical system

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 07:14 PM

"Sttaw, huh? or should I say duh. And red is not blue"

susu, then blue is not red.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Trivia
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 07:15 PM

Flamenco Ted, this is post 100