Nice Little Facts

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

The largest known prime number is 2 to the power 57,885,161 − 1 ... a number with 17,425,170 digits.

I got to 17.  It has two digits  .

[Heather Wade]

The largest known prime number is 2 to the power 57,885,161 − 1 ... a number with 17,425,170 digits.

Let's dial it on the phone and see what happens.  We'll work in shifts. 

[PB the Deplorable]

Orange the Fruit Was Not Named After Orange the Color.

The word Orange itself has its etymological origins in languages as varied as Sanskrit and Tamil. This eventually got passed down into Middle English as "orenge" and referred to the fruit. The earliest recorded usage in English dates back to the 13th century. It would not be used to refer to the color until the 16th century. Prior to that, the color was referred to as "geoluread" (or yellow-red) due to it falling between yellow and red on the color spectrum.

All these years we've heard that nothing rhymes with orange.  Now it sounds as if a case can be made that orange, the color, rhymes with orange, the fruit

[zeebo]

All these years we've heard that nothing rhymes with orange.  Now it sounds as if a case can be made that orange, the color, rhymes with orange, the fruit

Yeah but a new problem arises - wtf rhymes with "geoluread"?

[WhiteCrow]

While sorting my telephone/telegraph pole glass isolator collection, noticed that the wooden pegs that hold the glass insulators to the cross boards, are the same diameter, thread pitch and thread count as a standard light bulb base. Wonder if Tomas Edison used telegraph glass insulator technology to fashion the base of light bulbs?


Glass Insulators 

[b_dubb]

This used to be a thing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groom_of_the_Stool

[SredniVashtar]

I thought that was still going, although we haven't got rid of the interestingly named 'Knights of the Garter' yet, or a man called 'Black Rod' whose only job, as far as I can understand, is to have a door slammed in his face at the opening of the Houses of Parliament.

[Eddie Coyle]

   Nobody has ever listened to good music on Beats headphones.

[Eddie Coyle]

  Many moons from now his achievements will be long forgotten, however, Einstein shall remain in the lexicon.

  As a deeply sarcastic pejorative.

[basswood]

All these years we've heard that nothing rhymes with orange.  Now it sounds as if a case can be made that orange, the color, rhymes with orange, the fruit

Though it may be difficult to insert into a sonnet, there's this: "sporange" - a sac where spores are formed. And though antiquated, one might make the case that this one for silver might be more relevant: "chilver" - a ewe lamb. Google has made every dad in passing appear to be a genius (or so I keep telling my kids).

[zeebo]

You know about your terabytes.  But how about teraseconds?  Not much use for them in daily life, since they're about 31,558 years.

[MV/Liberace!]

Constantin Perskyi was a Russian scientist who is credited with coining the word "television" in a paper read at the International World Fair in Paris on August 25, 1900.

[PB the Deplorable]

The largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area by population is San Jose

San Jose 1,000,000
SF 850,000
Oakland 400,000

[MV/Liberace!]

The largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area by population is San Jose

San Jose 1,000,000
SF 850,000
Oakland 400,000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CptdTBDkK_g

[FightTheFuture]

Interestingly enough, there is an FCC mandate in place that could move to change the title of this forum -- under the right legal auspices-- to "Falkiegab"

All things considered, I feel that is entirely appropriate. Long live Falkiegab!!

[onan]

Interestingly enough, there is an FCC mandate in place that could move to change the title of this forum -- under the right legal auspices-- to "Falkiegab"

All things considered, I feel that is entirely appropriate. Long live Falkiegab!!

Imma smack you.

[FightTheFuture]

Imma smack you.

I hope you don`t charge extra for that.

[Marc.Knight]

The largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area by population is San Jose

San Jose 1,000,000
SF 850,000
Oakland 400,000

The median price paid in June, 2014 for a new or existing single-family home or condo in San Francisco is $1 million.

[FightTheFuture]

The median price paid in June, 2014 for a new or existing single-family home or condo in San Francisco is $1 million.

Does that include houseboys?

[Marc.Knight]

Does that include houseboys?

Why anyone would pay $1 million to live in that hell hole is beyond me.

[onan]

The median price paid in June, 2014 for a new or existing single-family home or condo in San Francisco is $1 million.

I will take two, please.

[Marc.Knight]

I will take two, please.

You'll have to get in line.  One of the reasons for the price jump is attributed to Chinese billionaires competing for SF property ownership, effectively driving regular folks out of the market.

[onan]

You'll have to get in line.  One of the reasons for the price jump is attributed to Chinese billionaires competing for SF property ownership, effectively driving regular folks out of the market.

So that's how they are gonna take us over.

[albrecht]

You'll have to get in line.  One of the reasons for the price jump is attributed to Chinese billionaires competing for SF property ownership, effectively driving regular folks out of the market.

I'm surprised the Russians oligarchs and Arab oil barons haven't jumped in also as they've done in London and NY. Apparently a lot of people are parking their wealth in real estate in certain cities these days....

[PB the Deplorable]

The Prime Minister of Mauritius (an island nation in the Indian Ocean) was visiting Nixon, who confused Mauritius with Mauritania (a country in West African) which had not had diplomatic relations with the US for several years.  The US has a space tracking station on Mauritius; Mauritius and the US get along well.  So imagine the Prime Minister’s surprise when Nixon suggested that “…the time had come to restore diplomatic relations”

Henry Kissinger was present at the event,  and after discussing the space tracking station and its operation with the Prime Minister, the President hurriedly wrote a note on a yellow legal pad, passing it to Kissinger:  “Why the hell do we have a space tracking system in a country with which we do not have diplomatic relations?”

[BobGrau]

You'll have to get in line.  One of the reasons for the price jump is attributed to Chinese billionaires competing for SF property ownership, effectively driving regular folks out of the market.

I often hear this said about London. Sinister conspiracy or just a consequence of a lot of money being tied to one (very large) group?

[albrecht]

I often hear this said about London. Sinister conspiracy or just a consequence of a lot of money being tied to one (very large) group?

I don't think conspiracy but some very rich people finding a place to park their money. Various arab 'royals', Chinese government officials and businessmen, and Russian oligarchs have more money than they know what to do with and certain places (London, New York, HK, etc) are seen as safe investments that, at minimum, won't lose value. Other things, like football teams, are more a ego purchase and not a good investment, often. Also, in some of this situations, the royals, businessmen, and oligarchs might face future "trouble" in their countries and buying up our real estate is a way to off-shore their wealth, a place to flee, harder to be seized if change in government or corruption exposed, etc.

[Eddie Coyle]

   December 13, 1977. The entire University of Evansville hoops team is killed in a plane crash.

   One player, an injured freshman David Furr doesn't make the trip.

   He's killed by a drunk driver two weeks later.

[Yorkshire pud]

The average human forgets 80% of what they've learned on any given day.

[aldousburbank]

The average human forgets 80% of what they've learned on any given day.

I already forgot this.