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100 Things We Didn't Know This Time Last Year
An anonymous reader wrote to mention a BBC list of 100 topical pieces of information that they've reported on over the course of 2005. While some of them are very Brit-specific ("16. The London borough of Westminster has an average of 20 pieces of chewing gum for every square metre of pavement."), there are some interesting, touching, and humorous stories in there. "20. The Queen has never been on a computer, she told Bill Gates as she awarded him an honorary knighthood. 32. 'Restaurant' is the most mis-spelled word in search engines. 65. Actor James Doohan, who played Scotty, had a hand in creating the Klingon language that was used in the movies, and which Shakespeare plays were subsequently translated into."
Uh, 65 is incorrect. I think we all remember Star Trek VI where Chancellor Gorkon mentions that Shakespeare was originally written in Klingon. I can't believe they let this one through.
It's been well known for a very long time that Jimmy Doohan helped create the Klingon language. He created the Klingon dialogue for Star Trek 1, which Marc Okrand developed into the tlhIngan'Hol we know today.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
Why didn't we know the japanese word "chokuegambo" last year?
Is it a new word? Or are they assuming that nobody here speaks japanese?
32% of all Slashdot stories are duplicates :)
19. The = sign was invented by 16th Century Welsh mathematician Robert Recorde, who was fed up with writing "is equal to" in his equations. He chose the two lines because "noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle".
16th Century? I'm pretty sure that guy posts on slashdot regularly. "oi got frist psot"
Bill Gates does not own an iPod. That's odd... Number 101: Steve Jobs does not run Windows!
This message printed on 100% post-consumer recycled electrons.
I think if #39 was true in America we wouldn't need such a controversial/ineffective/(insert your own adjective here) president to get people to vote more often.
39. Australians host barbecues at polling stations on general election days.
bah, Neatorama had this many days ago, and they had the sense to hilight No. #78, "One in 18 people has a third nipple".
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
One in 10 Europeans is allegedly conceived in an Ikea bed.
That must be a pretty sturdy bed.
32. 'Restaurant' is the most mis-spelled word in search engines.
There is a lot of money to be made if you could get the top list of mispelled words in search engines.
Interesting list, but some of the stuff is either bogus or filler. For example:
"41. Tactically, the best Monopoly properties to buy are the orange ones: Vine Street, Marlborough Street and Bow Street."
I believe they're called New York, Tennessee Avenue and St. James Place. And this is just common sense - their relationship with jail, and the fact that they're on the end of a row (More bang for buck, house/hotel wise, and a 6,8, or 9 after jail yields a hit), makes them ideal.
"43. The spiciness of sauces is measured in Scoville Units."
What does this have to do with '05? I've known that for a long time.
"61. You can bet on your own death."
That's a safe bet - but what do I get once my win has been confirmed?
Meanwhile, others are just best LEFT OUT:
"67. Giant squid eat each other - especially during sex."
"11. One in 10 Europeans is allegedly conceived in an Ikea bed."
"78. One in 18 people has a third nipple."
Thanks for the list, BBC.
http://www.TheGamerNation.com/Forums
Under what resolution?
Certainly it doesn't meet THIS year's...what does Shakespeare have to do with Civil Liberties?
Funny, but pretty much the same goes for bananas. They are considered fruits, as they really are vegetables (and africans consider them as such, according to what I heard)
You just got troll'd!
I don't think the article is trying to say "we as a species didn't know these things." Clearly Doohan knew he helped write the Klingon language for the twenty years between doing so and his death. It's not a "discovery."
"Each week the Magazine picks out snippets from the news, and compiles them into 10 Things We Didn't Know This Time Last Week. Here's an end of year almanac."
It's just a neat little piece where the writers of the Magazine get together and list the most interesting things they learned while doing their jobs as reporters.
you outdid me.
next year we're ON.
-DAVEO
lol. only 36%? Only the British could write such a thing!
Btw, some of these facts could have been known more than one year ago... the title is weird
You just got troll'd!
Actually, I believe Gates has been a major iPod fanboy for a long time ... going back, it would seem, to the days of the 5-1/4" floppy. Talk about an early adopter!
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
66. The hotter it is, the more difficult it is for aeroplanes to take off. Air passengers in Nevada, where temperatures have reached 120F, have been told they can't fly.
Funny. I was sure my flight instructor told me this the first day of flight school. I guess this explains the success of the European aerospace industry.
Haha... I just knew I'd come onto slashdot and find this. Certainly better than first post of a topic.
No Stairway? Denied!
Obviously. Had she ever used his software, she would have cut off his head.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Wait, so you're saying I have to start working on January 23rd?
I am also known as The Beefer Upper.
Well, yeah. All animals you can communicate with verbally (dogs, cats, birds, etc.) learn the words you use, no matter what the language. If a dog's been taught commands in French, he's hardly going to respond to the English equivalents until he learns those as well. This is not new or exciting.
because he seems so insightful because I have been drinking!!!
well i think it is more interessting that bill gates himself had spyware on his computer ^^
;)
afaik it was the reason for developing own anti spyware-software
huhu mr. gates do not click on every funny picture or what so ever
Russian translates YOU!
e s/36160)
Seriously though:
Does this have anything to do with the Adlai Stevenson incident?
"
"Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the U.S.S.R. has placed and is placing medium- and intermediate-range missiles and sites in Cuba?... Don't wait for the translation! Yes or no?" Zorin responded, "I am not in an American courtroom, sir, and I do not wish to answer a question put to me in the manner in which a prosecutor does-" Then Stevenson interrupted and said, "You are in the courtroom of world opinion right now, and you can answer yes or no. You have denied that they exist, and I want to know whether I have understood you correctly.... I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over, if that's your decision. And I am also prepared to present the evidence in this room."
"
(Hilarious site: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/world_languag
http://www.TheGamerNation.com/Forums
"First-born children are less creative but more stable, while last-born are more promiscuous, says US research."
So, what about only children?
Us lazy folks go boozing, meet chicks, get laid, have kids, spread our genes, win.
20. The Queen has never been on a computer, she told Bill Gates as she awarded him an honorary knighthood.
I take her word for it, no computer in Buckingham Palace.
Grandmotherly types (like the Queen) tend to say things like that. Basically, they want to make you look good. I'll bet Bill Gates felt 10 feet tall after she said that.
In this day and age of new discoveries, etc. grandmothers have lots of material. Anyone ever had their grandmother say, "Who would ever have thought of such a thing!" concerning some new technology.
Having said that, here is a link to a report that says the Queen apparently knows how to email school children, having set a record for the largest group email the Queen has ever sent.
The Queen does not really touch the computer though, she has it done...
But, did anyone see that picture of Pope John Paul II on his laptop?
They took it down after he died, but he was supposedly answering email when the picture was taken. The top of the laptop had the papal crest, if that is what it is called.
Here is a link to a statement from 1989 by John Paul II that has some sections concerning computers. What a great guy he was, we all miss him. Goodbye, 2005!
Rapidweather's Linux Screenshots.
That I'd have first post 2006 on SlashDot!
Yeah foor me!
>>"ad space available -- low rates!!!"
Number 7 is a gimme. Don't all domestic animals that respond to spoken commands recognize "languages"? Go to another nation, use your favorite "Here Boy" or "Here kitty kitty" on a foreign pet, and see how it works. You might want to use your handy translation book if you want that animal to come to you.
"#23 In America it's possible to subpoena a dog."
Hmmm....do i detect a hint of mockery of our right to subpoena whatever we wish?
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." - C.S. Lewis
On the subject of wether the PS3 or the Xbox 360 or the revolution would win the next generation war IBM was heared to say "Money money money, were in the money". (If you have been paying attention it is not Sony vs MS vs Nintendo but IBM vs IBM vs IBM. I like a three horse race where there is only 1 horse.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
1. ...
I really don't know.
"11. One in 10 Europeans is allegedly conceived in an Ikea bed." I wonder if Ikea can take claims to those children as prior art?
Of all the discoveries made the past few hundred years, this is clearly the most entertaining fact :D
Comment removed based on user account deletion
100. Musical instrument shops must pay an annual royalty to cover shoppers who perform a recognisable riff before they buy, thereby making a "public performance".
Geez, the music industry is really grabbing every penny it can eh. What about charging a fee on my iPod because I might hum along? Cops patrolling the streets for illegal whistlers?
I hope in 365 days we will have the following story "top 1000 things that happened in 2006 that nobody cared about: 1000 rampaging citizens slaughterd music execs and police cheered them on".
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Wow! I can't believe all 100 things were on a single page, not even separated by giant ads! Just shows you can make a decent news site if you really want to...
Posted by yintercept - "...science...[is] the study of the 'divine creation.' "
"20. The Queen has never been on a computer, she told Bill Gates as she awarded him an honorary knighthood."
If she had been on a computer, she would see how awful Windows really is, and would have given Bill Gates something else instead of Knighthood.
"Mr. Gates, we have used Windows, and we are not amused! The screen turned blue, before we could save our document."
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
I see on the link to the BBC's list there is a picture of poppies. I can't find anywhere in the list a reference to poppies or any thing related to them. What is up with that? Maybe i'm missing something...
-- Anonymous Coward
Comment removed based on user account deletion
"2. Mohammed is now one of the 20 most popular names for boys born in England and Wales."
Scary.
A plane flies into the World Trade Centre? Mohammed Atta. A gunman shoots up the El Al counter at Los Angeles airport? Hesham Mohamed Hedayet. A sniper starts killing petrol station customers around Washington, DC? John Allen Muhammed. A guy fatally stabs a Dutch movie director? Mohammed Bouyeri. A terrorist slaughters dozens in Bali? Noordin Mohamed. A gang-rapist in Sydney? Mohammed Skaf.
Isn't it irrelevant to have things that weren't true this time last year on the list, like that (#1) the first cell phone call was made twenty years ago. It wasn't true last year at this time, so you couldn't really "know" it, although you would be able to know that it would eventually be a twenty year time span since the first cell phone call.
And then there are things like #76, the day when most suicides occurred in the UK between 1993 and 2002 was 1 January, 2000. How could this not have been determined at this time last year? I'm pretty sure that last year was 2005, which was three years after 2002.
And I guess #99, The Japanese word "chokuegambo" describes the wish that there were more designer-brand shops on a given street, assumes that before now, nobody knew Japanese...
I put the 't' in electrical engineering.
FTA: The UK's first mobile phone call was made 20 years ago this year, when Ernie Wise rang the Vodafone head office, which was then above a curry shop in Newbury.
Was the guy on the other end named Watson by any chance?
Personally, I didn't know where my pants were.
Long story.
m-
You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
She tells Bill Gates she's never used a computer, but according to a number of internet history sources, for instance this one she was the first head of state to send email, back in 1976.
The fact that freaked me out most is that british members of parliament share communal hairbrushes. That's just so very very strange.
100. Musical instrument shops must pay an annual royalty to cover shoppers who perform a recognisable riff before they buy, thereby making a "public performance".
This is all stuff that has happened, not stuff that we didn't know.
Such as the one about some name being the most popular name or the one about this being the 20th anniversary of the first mobile phone call.
-1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.
Google does not see slashdot sigs. You are not googlebombing anything, you are just looking like a dumbass.
Not quite. (PST)
If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
100. Musical instrument shops must pay an annual royalty to cover shoppers who perform a recognisable riff before they buy, thereby making a "public performance".
Little things like this make me mad.
-- Cheers!
... that if you can get both utilities (or better yet, 3 or 4 railroads) really early in the game, you can make quite a killing, since there is no building cost other than the initial investments. Sure, you won't bankrupt anyone with just utilities or just the railroads, but they make for some solid income to help in building other monopolies.
As a result, these are the very last properties I ever mortgage if the need arises since their standalone value exceeds that of any colored properties without housing. (Boardwalk at the double rent of $100 would also be one of the last properties I would mortgage.)
I guess the distinction is slightly blurred, depending whether you're speaking to a cook, scientist or farmer.
t her/banana
Bananas are herbs and tomatoes are fruits according to this website.
http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/abouto
The two indigo properties are quite possibly the least landed on out of all properties on the entire board. They're both in pretty bad spots. Mediterranean Avenue is impossible to reach from Go (which itself is a relatively high-traffic spot, with 2 cards leading directly to it.) Baltic is not exactly in a good spot either, although it can on rare cases be reached from Go. I often find one of these two to be one of the last purchased properties merely due to (lack of) landing frequency (and lack of interest.)
Baltic & Mediterranean Avenues are only useful if you get them both very early in the game, which does not happen often at all, even with trades. I easily make more money off the utilities with their better positioning on the board (and with a card leading to them.)
As for placing tax money on Free Parking, yeah I used to do that too, but the problem is that it tends to prolong the game too much, since more income stays in the game (and away from the bank.) It is one of the few checks and balances in the game (along with the dreaded Street Repairs cards) that keeps people from getting too much money. I have since then found it more fun to play by the strict rules, and the games tend to be shorter, which is a plus. Monopoly is already a long enough game, especially if you play with stingy people who don't like to make risky deals.
"7. Baboons can tell the difference between English and French. Zoo keepers at Port Lympne wild animal park in Kent are having to learn French to communicate with the baboons which had been transferred from Paris zoo."
We all knew French and baboons share same ancestry.
"Don't let fools fool you. They are the clever ones."
If #20 is true, and the Queen has never used a computer, how does she load her iPod, and given her somewhat 'proper' speech, does she call it a wePod?
n ewsid_4104900/4104922.stm
Link at http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4100000/
Our ol' pal Billy here is American. The Queen cannot knight a non-English man, right?
"8. Devout Orthodox Jews are three times as likely to jaywalk as other people, according to an Israeli survey reported in the New Scientist. The researchers say it's possibly because religious people have less fear of death."
Or maybe it is because Jewish people tend to be wealthier and therefore fear getting a ticket less because it will have little economic impact on them.
Having a look at the Wikipedia Monopoly article, you can easily see that the London edition was the 2nd edition made, and came out the year after the Atlantic City edition. The London edition (which is also apparently the standard UK and Commonwealth edition) is the one the BBC uses so the street names are correct. Forgetting the localised editions, the 'London" edition would probably be competing with the Atlantic City version in worldwide numbers.
Ha, I can tell you now that Portsmouth has Westminster beat for chewing gum per square meter. Dropping gum should be punishable by having it picked up and stuck in your hair. Preferably your pubic hair.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
The National Security Agency has been spying on the communications of people within the United States without a warrant since 2001. Though I suppose the folks at the New York Times knew that this time last year (they just didn't feel like sharing).
> 30. There are an estimated 1,000 people ..and most of those work in Parliment.
> in the UK in a persistent vegetative state.
I liked this one:
I've still never understood why programming languages use the ugly == sign to mean "is equal to" when the universally understood = has been around for over 400 years. I still cringe when people use == in everyday writing to mean equal. Neither have I come across a single convincing explanation as to why programming language designers felt the need to redefine what = means in a language (laziness in typing, convenience or expediency are not convincing reasons IMO)
"28. The British buy the most compact discs in the world - an average of 3.2 per year, compared to 2.8 in the US and 2.1 in France." WTF? I buy that many in a month; often more.
"I'm not a cool person in real life, but I play one on the Internet". Galley
Same with Dogs. My wife had taken in a stray at one point and couldn't get it to sit by saying "Sit" so she said it in French; the dog sat.
... next year.....
Did they remove any of the gum in 2006 Or are they having a tour for who chew'ed what gum?
#28: The British buy the most compact discs in the world - an average of 3.2 per year, compared to 2.8 in the US and 2.1 in France.
I didn't realize you could buy 3.2 of a CD. How do they manage that?
#32. "Restaurant" is the most mis-spelled word in search engines.
They misspelled "mis-spelled". It's not hyphenated.
38. Nasa boss Michael Griffin has seven university degrees: a bachelor's degree, a PhD, and five masters degrees.
While this is impressive, we didn't know this last year?
45. C3PO and R2D2 do not speak to each other off-camera because the actors don't get on.
They don't get on WHAT?
54. Deep Throat is reportedly the most profitable film ever. It was made for $25,000 (£13,700) and has grossed more than $600m.
What do you expect from porn?
78. One in 18 people has a third nipple.
You mean to tell me every 18th person I pass has a third nipple? BS. You couldn't pay me to believe that crap.
92. You are 176 times more likely to be murdered than to win the National Lottery.
Yes, but #61 says you can bet on your own death! It's a win-win situation!
I had no idea the House of Lords was so large!
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
I do know that she used e-mail (probably a promotional stunt for a University) in the 1970's. So while she's probably never used one for anything of any value (I have people for that), she will atleast have pressed the Enter key on some terminal somewhere (and that terminal hass probably been bronsed, and had a nice plaque attached to it).
93. Koalas have fingerprints exactly like humans (although obviously smaller).
Finger prints were until this point thought to be unique, however a freak koala finding has rendered much ID hardware useless.
The US has an estimated 1,000 people in vegetative state for each metal concert.
Texas IS a vegetative state.
And of course.
Slightly more than 50% of the US voting population are more or less in a consistant vegetative state. "Duh huh huh ba you"
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
I like how they put Bic and biro in one sentence ...
The London borough of Westminster has an average of 20 pieces of chewing gum for every square metre of pavement.
Oh yeah, I know there are 4,000 holes in Blackburn Lankashire. John Lennon told me.
Table-ized A.I.
The shorter the index finger is compared to the ring finger, the more boisterous he will be, University of Alberta researchers said.
So if my index finger is longer than my ring finger, does that make me a wuss?
"it's not about aptitude, it's the way you're viewed" - Galinda
Now why did the media not make that a top story? Did you hear about this?
If the IRS needs to go to a court and have a hearing before issuing a levy or seizing any property, then you get notice of that hearing and can ask them where the hell they get the jurisdiction and then they have to prove jurisdiction.
They never had jurisdiction in the States, and they can't tax the people directly, it's been a big bluff all this time.
Search around the net, read and get informed, then you need to understand how much the media is under government control.
http://givemeliberty.org/
Think I'm a nut? Then you live in ignorance because it's a fact!
100. Musical instrument shops must pay an annual royalty to cover shoppers who perform a recognisable riff before they buy, thereby making a "public performance".
I dunno if that applies in the USA, but if so, well, screw paying for sheet music anymore too.
this was all known by some - the author just learned them this year.
e.g., millions of chiliheads and foodies know what scovilles are.
the article and post imply "we" as in this was all knew klnowledge to "us" the human race this year.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
"39. Australians host barbecues at polling stations on general election days." That's something people didn't know already? Wow!
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
You are the first person in 2006 to point out to another person that they are a geek. Now let's all move on.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Does the author of this article know the difference between an ipod and an mp3 player?
it's possible they don't, since many non-techies call all mp3 players 'ipods'
I find it hard to believe Gates does not own ONE type of mp3 player or another...ipod or not
Thank you Dave Raggett
How shit, indeed! (Best [worst] line EFFAR!!!)
Unplug all controller for great reset!!
Most are members of Parliament
How many beans make five, anyhow ?
here in brazil we play soccer with coconuts
>>28. The British buy the most compact discs in the world..
So how compact are the discs elsewhere?