Spotty's Little Known Facts

[Dujon]

I can see it now, Monty: "Australia, the largest state of the United States of America".

[Dujon]

It is a little known fact that Australia's snowfields during winter exceed in area those of Switzerland. As might be expected, unlike Switzerland, there is virtually no permanent snow.

[Montreal Wanderer]

It is a little known fact that Australia's snowfields during winter exceed in area those of Switzerland. As might be expected, unlike Switzerland, there is virtually no permanent snow.

Mountains not high enough?

[Dujon]

You are probably correct, Monty, but I'd have to check with John Denver.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

A combination of three conditions are required for permanent snow: height (the higher the better), distance from equator (the further away the better) and continental weather (the farther from a coast the better).

The reason for Australia's lack of permanent snowfields is more likely that the mountain ranges that Australia has are situated more coastally than is desirable. If Asia was where Australia is, and the Snowy Mountains were where Mongolia is, I think they are of sufficient height and far enough south to maintain snowfields throughout the year. It is just the lack of continental weather patterns that stops them developing icefields.

[CrazyHorse]

The Titanic had just two baths for all 700 third class passengers on board.

[bobo the clown]

The Titanic had just two baths for all 700 third class passengers on board.

They got around that little difficulty though, didn't they !

[Montreal Wanderer]

The Titanic had just two baths for all 700 third class passengers on board.

One for men and one for women. Back then of course people did not take baths with the same frequency we do today. I had thought there were more third class passengers.

Edit: No, you are correct - 706 3rd class passengers on board.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

It is a little known fact that the states of matter are not black and white, there are grey areas. Take f'rinstance liquids: most people would be able to identify what was a liquid and what a solid, it's obvious is it not. Well, no.
As we can see here > http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/19 ... by_webcam/

Pitch is a super-viscous liquid.
It is a little known fact that the most super-super-viscous liquid known is silicate glass, that stuff you've got in your windows that you probably thought was solid. Your windows are liquid, not solid. Proof can be found at, for example, Haddon Hall, where some panes of glass have been in place since Elizabethan times. Scrutiny of the old glass will show that if you cut a cross section the glass would be tear-drop shaped as the liquid glass very very slowly coalesces towards the bottom. The top of the panes are getting quite thin whereas the bottom of the old panes are thick and bulbous. If a sheet of glass was lain across a funnel as in the Dublin experiment with pitch (as seen above in the link) the eventual result would be the same with a drop of glass falling. It is estimated that it would take approximately twelve thousand years for the first drop to fall.

[Gary the Enfield]

Bon Scott - erstwhile singer of rock band AC/DC is named after his country of birth............ Bonny Scotland

[Dujon]

You mean I should have named my first born (son) Fuc Oz?

[mrkint]

It would take 16 years to watch the amount of video uploaded on youtube everyday.

[Lord Kangana]

Re: glass. I thought that the reason the glass being thicker at the bottom was an urban legend? Glass is what I understood it to be a super-cooled liquid (though the end result is the same) but that it would take thousands of years for it to flow.

As far as I was aware, the reason that older glass bulges is because of poor manufacturing techniques many years ago.

I could be wrong of course.

[thebish]

Re: glass. I thought that the reason the glass being thicker at the bottom was an urban legend? Glass is what I understood it to be a super-cooled liquid (though the end result is the same) but that it would take thousands of years for it to flow.

As far as I was aware, the reason that older glass bulges is because of poor manufacturing techniques many years ago.

I could be wrong of course.

i think you are right...

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Re: glass. I thought that the reason the glass being thicker at the bottom was an urban legend? Glass is what I understood it to be a super-cooled liquid (though the end result is the same) but that it would take thousands of years for it to flow.

As far as I was aware, the reason that older glass bulges is because of poor manufacturing techniques many years ago.

I could be wrong of course.

Yes and no. Glass blowing (and indeed windows themselves) was a Roman invention, but the techniques for producing highly quality glass were poor. Glass sheets were uneven in the medieval period with bubbles and crinkles and uneven thicknesses throughout. But however, on a number of buildings that have managed to retain their 400 year old glass, the uneveness is not random but shows definite signs of flow due to gravity from top to bottom. It isn't an urban myth but observation, as I noted Haddon Hall is a very good example. As you say it would take thousands of years for droplets to form, but the bottom of 400 year old windows are much thicker than the tops, with no panes having thicker tops than bottoms as you'd expect statistically if it was all down to poor manufacturing processes. It is true though that the flow has not been tracked/photographed/scientifically observed in the wild (as it were), but can be demonstrated in the lab.

[thebish]

window panes should clearly be rotated once every five years - sorted!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

window panes should clearly be rotated once every five years - sorted!

I reckon every century should do it. But after a few millenia the interference patterns would become a bit of a nuisance (if stray footballs haven't broken them).

[Montreal Wanderer]

Re: glass. I thought that the reason the glass being thicker at the bottom was an urban legend? Glass is what I understood it to be a super-cooled liquid (though the end result is the same) but that it would take thousands of years for it to flow.

As far as I was aware, the reason that older glass bulges is because of poor manufacturing techniques many years ago.

I could be wrong of course.

Yes and no. Glass blowing (and indeed windows themselves) was a Roman invention, but the techniques for producing highly quality glass were poor. Glass sheets were uneven in the medieval period with bubbles and crinkles and uneven thicknesses throughout. But however, on a number of buildings that have managed to retain their 400 year old glass, the uneveness is not random but shows definite signs of flow due to gravity from top to bottom. It isn't an urban myth but observation, as I noted Haddon Hall is a very good example. As you say it would take thousands of years for droplets to form, but the bottom of 400 year old windows are much thicker than the tops, with no panes having thicker tops than bottoms as you'd expect statistically if it was all down to poor manufacturing processes. It is true though that the flow has not been tracked/photographed/scientifically observed in the wild (as it were), but can be demonstrated in the lab.

I believe glassblowing was invented by Phoenicians in first century BC Palestine, though this would be within the confines of Roman hegemony. Use of glass long predates the Romans but they do appear to be the first to stick it in great holes in the wall.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Re: glass. I thought that the reason the glass being thicker at the bottom was an urban legend? Glass is what I understood it to be a super-cooled liquid (though the end result is the same) but that it would take thousands of years for it to flow.

As far as I was aware, the reason that older glass bulges is because of poor manufacturing techniques many years ago.

I could be wrong of course.

Yes and no. Glass blowing (and indeed windows themselves) was a Roman invention, but the techniques for producing highly quality glass were poor. Glass sheets were uneven in the medieval period with bubbles and crinkles and uneven thicknesses throughout. But however, on a number of buildings that have managed to retain their 400 year old glass, the uneveness is not random but shows definite signs of flow due to gravity from top to bottom. It isn't an urban myth but observation, as I noted Haddon Hall is a very good example. As you say it would take thousands of years for droplets to form, but the bottom of 400 year old windows are much thicker than the tops, with no panes having thicker tops than bottoms as you'd expect statistically if it was all down to poor manufacturing processes. It is true though that the flow has not been tracked/photographed/scientifically observed in the wild (as it were), but can be demonstrated in the lab.

I believe glassblowing was invented by Phoenicians in first century BC Palestine, though this would be within the confines of Roman hegemony. Use of glass long predates the Romans but they do appear to be the first to stick it in great holes in the wall.

It was indeed in Phoenicia, which was Greek (Antigonid or Ptolemaic) then Roman. Latest archaelogy seems to show glass blowing was invented towards the end, Roman, of the period, but some evidence it could have been much earlier, but at a site that has problematical stratigraphy.
Anyway, I concur with Phoenician, and agree that glass (unblown) was used very much earlier (as demonstrated by king Tut's death mask and jewellery).

[Lost Leopard Spot]

The Black Death...it's alive and kicking. Dead squirrel found to have the plague in Californian park. Don't worry say the Rangers you'll probably not get bitten by any infected fleas.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23460709

It is a little known fact that in Japan the Black Death is known as Pest, short for pestilence which of course the Japanese cannot pronounce, rendering it instead pestirenso