Things you've always wondered about but couldn't be bothered to find out

[Maple Leaf]

14 minutes ago, robroy1874 said:

OK  - thanks for that, but- if its true that if a body is large enough, gravity pulls everything towards the centre how come big Deirdre from Craigmillar is still kind of jagged? Eh?

 

That's a great question and a real stumper.  I'll leave it to some Craigmillar chap to provide the answer.

[hughesie27]

6 hours ago, robroy1874 said:

Planets in our solar system  - why are they all round?  Not jagged lumps. With hardly any atmosphere - how do they weather into spheres?

The ones made of gas are spherical because gas is obviously able to form any shape. The gravity pulls it in.

 

Rocky planets like Mars and Mercury are just as ragged with mountains and craters as our planet.

 

[Maple Leaf]

3 hours ago, hughesie27 said:

The ones made of gas are spherical because gas is obviously able to form any shape. The gravity pulls it in.

 

Rocky planets like Mars and Mercury are just as ragged with mountains and craters as our planet.

 

 

True, but our planet is incredibly smooth, and so are Mars and Mercury.

 

If one could reduce earth to the size of a billiard ball, it would be smoother than any billiard ball ever manufactured.  Mountains like Everest would be undetectable to the touch.  Gravity overpowers plate tectonics.

 

Thank you, Isaac Newton.

[redjambo]

2 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

True, but our planet is incredibly smooth, and so are Mars and Mercury.

 

If one could reduce earth to the size of a billiard ball, it would be smoother than any billiard ball ever manufactured.  Mountains like Everest would be undetectable to the touch.  Gravity overpowers plate tectonics.

 

Thank you, Isaac Newton.

 

Yes and no. Most of it would be smoother but the peaks (mountains) and troughs (trenches) would be quite a bit greater than those in the pool ball.

 

PDF: http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/2013/june13.pdf

 

[Maple Leaf]

6 hours ago, redjambo said:

 

Yes and no. Most of it would be smoother but the peaks (mountains) and troughs (trenches) would be quite a bit greater than those in the pool ball.

 

PDF: http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/2013/june13.pdf

 

 

Well, if you're going to present FACTS, how can we possibly have a reasonable discussion. 

 

 

[redjambo]

26 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

Well, if you're going to present FACTS, how can we possibly have a reasonable discussion. 

 

 

 

[deesidejambo]

And also the planets are not completely spherical.   Due to force created by spin they are larger round the equator than from north to south.

 

so they would be rubbish at playing snooker with anyway as they would wobble around a bit.

[RobboM]

18 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

True, but our planet is incredibly smooth, and so are Mars and Mercury.

 

If one could reduce earth to the size of a billiard ball, it would be smoother than any billiard ball ever manufactured.  Mountains like Everest would be undetectable to the touch.  Gravity overpowers plate tectonics.

 

Thank you, Isaac Newton.

Interestingly ....

"This means that, if your finger was the size of the Earth, you could feel the difference between houses from cars,"

sensitive-human-touch-new-research-suggests-fingers.htm

[Jambos_1874]

Are the any examples of bridges of the scale and (similarish) design of the Forth Road Bridge being decommissioned? How do they do it?

[redjambo]

2 minutes ago, Jambos_1874 said:

Are the any examples of bridges of the scale and (similarish) design of the Forth Road Bridge being decommissioned? How do they do it?

 

[redjambo]

13 minutes ago, RobboM said:

Interestingly ....

"This means that, if your finger was the size of the Earth, you could feel the difference between houses from cars,"

sensitive-human-touch-new-research-suggests-fingers.htm

 

Wow. That's fascinating. I had no idea touch was so sensitive.

[redjambo]

10 minutes ago, Jambos_1874 said:

Are the any examples of bridges of the scale and (similarish) design of the Forth Road Bridge being decommissioned? How do they do it?

 

This isn't nearly the same scale as the Forth Road Bridge, but the decision in this case was to remove the spans from both ends to stop people going on to the bridge and then hang nets from the bridge to stop bits from falling off onto folk. Sounds like a cheap option to me.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/jemseg-bridge-decommissioning-1.3758810

 

Others have been known to decommission bridges in as far as merely downgrading them for use only by pedestrians and cyclists.

 

It must be incredibly expensive to decommission a large bridge, especially with the environmental concerns involved, and I'd imagine that it might be more cost-effective to continually patch it up or just let it fall to bits (but protect the environs) than go to the expense of tearing it down.

 

[peter_hmfc]

What's your favourite song about a curry?

[Justin Z]

On 1/5/2018 at 16:59, Paolo said:

Football related:

 

a footballer fouls the opposition with a bookable offence.  The ref doesn’t book him immediately, as he waves play on for the advantage.  The same player then fouls again, before the ball has gone out of play, or has stopped.   Does the referee then show him two separate yellow cards, and therefore a red?

 

Two bookings and a sending off. However, referees are instructed not put the yellow card up twice, as the mechanics of that are awkward. They are to show the yellow, then the red, in succession. Any assessor would tell you to explain to the player what you're about to do, and that it would be a good idea to point to the two areas on the pitch where the player committed the two offences so that everyone else also understands, before showing the yellow, then red cards.

[FWJ]

Do cats get embarrassed?  We used to have one when I was wee and I remember if it was (for example) trying to jump up to something and missed it would slink off and not catch your eye.

[NANOJAMBO]

Why don't bees starve to death if we steal their food (honey) ? 

[redjambo]

35 minutes ago, NANOJAMBO said:

Why don't bees starve to death if we steal their food (honey) ? 

 

We don't take it all. If we don't leave them enough to last them the winter, they'll probably leave the hive. However, they can make far more honey than they actually need.

[NANOJAMBO]

3 hours ago, redjambo said:

 

We don't take it all. If we don't leave them enough to last them the winter, they'll probably leave the hive. However, they can make far more honey than they actually need.

Thank you. I was actually thinking about this every morning for the last couple of weeks now that I'm eating the stuff. 

[redjambo]

4 hours ago, NANOJAMBO said:

Thank you. I was actually thinking about this every morning for the last couple of weeks now that I'm eating the stuff. 

 

My pleasure, honey.

 

There's a huge range of honeys out there, differing largely on what flowers the bees who produced the honey fed on, but also on how much treatment the honey receives after it has been harvested. I once had a raw wild honey which was sustainably taken every second year (or so, I can't remember the exact details) from wild hives hanging in an African forest - it was dark brown and really delicious.

[Sidelight]

On ‎07‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 13:52, Maple Leaf said:

 

Well, if you're going to present FACTS, how can we possibly have a reasonable discussion. 

 

 

Yes, but who wrote the sinister 'Protocols of Zion'?

[Maple Leaf]

4 hours ago, alfajambo said:

Yes, but who wrote the sinister 'Protocols of Zion'?

 

It wisnae me!

[NANOJAMBO]

12 hours ago, redjambo said:

 

My pleasure, honey.

 

There's a huge range of honeys out there, differing largely on what flowers the bees who produced the honey fed on, but also on how much treatment the honey receives after it has been harvested. I once had a raw wild honey which was sustainably taken every second year (or so, I can't remember the exact details) from wild hives hanging in an African forest - it was dark brown and really delicious.

You made my day 

 

[Sooperstar]

How do people with fat hands eat Pringles?

[redjambo]

23 minutes ago, Sooperstar said:

How do people with fat hands eat Pringles?

 

Tip the tube upside down and pour then straight into the mouth, I would imagine. You can use your teeth and lips to take as many as you want from the upturned tube. I usually end up doing this towards the end of the tube - it's far more satisfying as a gluttonous behaviour that way.

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

Why do volcanoes become extinct. I take it the rock solidifies and blocks the flow of magma from below and at the same time the tectonic plates shift so the melting of the rock below happens at a much deeper point. I might have answered my own ? but does some other action take place?

[Maple Leaf]

1 hour ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

Why do volcanoes become extinct. I take it the rock solidifies and blocks the flow of magma from below and at the same time the tectonic plates shift so the melting of the rock below happens at a much deeper point. I might have answered my own ? but does some other action take place?

 

You've mostly answered the question yourself.

 

Another factor is the moving of a 'hot spot' in the earth's mantle.  A hot spot is a plume of molten magma rising close to the surface of the planet, creating a volcano.  The hot spot can move, and when it moves a new volcano is created and the old one dies.  A chain of extinct and active volcanoes can be created in this way, and the Hawaiian Islands is a perfect example of this phenomenon. 

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

3 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

You've mostly answered the question yourself.

 

Another factor is the moving of a 'hot spot' in the earth's mantle.  A hot spot is a plume of molten magma rising close to the surface of the planet, creating a volcano.  The hot spot can move, and when it moves a new volcano is created and the old one dies.  A chain of extinct and active volcanoes can be created in this way, and the Hawaiian Islands is a perfect example of this phenomenon. 

Very interesting how the planet is never static and what is under the surface is always changing and creating new features above ground. 

[I P Knightley]

Why do they call it a "bicycle kick"?

 

Try that sort of thing on a bicycle and you'd likely lose your teeth. 

 

Daft name.

[Stu40]

How do towels get dirty?

[A Boy Named Crow]

Do butterflies fart?

[redjambo]

On 30/01/2018 at 07:49, Stu40 said:

How do towels get dirty?

 

Dead skin, oil, microbes etc.

 

A shower may get you clean but it doesn't get you sterile.

[redjambo]

5 minutes ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

Do butterflies fart?

 

Yes, but they fart mini rainbows.

[A Boy Named Crow]

2 hours ago, redjambo said:

 

Yes, but they fart mini rainbows.

I thought it was unicorns that farted rainbows? There could be s PhD in this.

[Riddley Walker]

On 30/01/2018 at 07:49, Stu40 said:

How do towels get dirty?

 

When you realise mid bathroom-shank there's no toilet roll left.

[redjambo]

1 hour ago, Riddley Walker said:

 

When you realise mid bathroom-shank there's no toilet roll left.

 

Remember to wash your towels when they get too crispy!

[redjambo]

6 hours ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

I thought it was unicorns that farted rainbows? There could be s PhD in this.

 

Perhaps butterflies are the living descendants of unicorns in the same way that birds are the living descendants of dinosaurs.

 

You could be on to something here.

[Jambos_1874]

Who gets a vote in the players player of the year award? Is it everyone who has made a appearance for the first team in that season or just everyone who has been named in the first team squad at any point in the season, regardless of appearances? Do non-playing staff like the manager, coaches, physio get a vote (I know it's called "players player of the year" so I assume not...)?

Edited February 4, 2018 by Jambos_1874

[redjambo]

4 minutes ago, Jambos_1874 said:

Who gets a vote in the players player of the year award? Is it everyone who has made a appearance for the first team in that season or just everyone who has been named in the first team squad at any point in the season, regardless of appearances? Do non-playing staff like the manager, coaches, physio get a vote (I know it's called "players player of the year" so I assume not...)?

 

In Scotland, the award is organised by PFA Scotland (the players' union). It might be worth contacting them.

 

http://pfascotland.co.uk/about/Contact-the-Team/

 

[Jambos_1874]

3 minutes ago, redjambo said:

 

In Scotland, the award is organised by PFA Scotland (the players' union). It might be worth contacting them.

 

http://pfascotland.co.uk/about/Contact-the-Team/

 

 

Sorry, I should have clarified, I meant the club's on, not the country as a whole.

[redjambo]

1 minute ago, Jambos_1874 said:

 

Sorry, I should have clarified, I meant the club's on, not the country as a whole.

 

Oops, sorry.

 

I'd be interested to find out the answer. If no-one on here knows, the club should be able to help you. My bet is on all players who've been in the first team squad.

[iantjambo]

How do these “I understand you’ve recently been involved in a car accident” calls work?

 

Do they just keep calling until they get lucky and someone genuinely has been involved in one?

[Fitzroy Pointon]

This morning I learned that motion sickness is caused by your brain thinking you have been poisoned as your body is in motion but your eyes and ears aren't therefore the brain sends signals to your stomach to make you sick to flush out the poison.  

 

I am extremely bored today.  

[3fingersreid]

Why is it when check the air pressure on the tyres the valve is always at the bottom and nearly impossible to access ?

[peter_hmfc]

There's a music video going around where a darker-skinner guy is learning to walk again (presumable after an accident), and there's also parts in the video where he's dancing in front of a brick wall outside.

 

Anyone know the song?

[A Boy Named Crow]

Why do fridges have lights in them, but freezers do not?

[Tazio]

3 hours ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

Why do fridges have lights in them, but freezers do not?

 

Thermal shock I'd expect.

[tian447]

Did the IKEA at Straiton use to have a smaller cafe about halfway around? 

 

Seem to remember stopping for meatballs in a much smaller cafe than the main one, but that would have been a long time ago! 

[Alex]

How come I can pick up Amazon parcels from the post office depot 100 yards from my flat but have to travel 3 miles to the Gyle depot to pick up Royal Mail parcels?

[scabber]

Why is it that when you are not in a hurry and trying to waste a bit of time every set of traffic lights are green but when your late every set is red

[Sarah O]

Why do musical bands  who are going to play a gig, say in a pub, not come to said venue with their guitars pre-tuned?  Why must about 40mins of random strums which itritate the shite out of folk talking take place before the first song kicks in?

 

Also, why can lead singers, who insit on chat inbetween songs, not learn to speak clearly so the public can understand what he/she’s trying to say? 9/10 times it’s just a mash of monotone pish.