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."

Comments

Hmmph.

[Ruff_ilb]

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.

Bananas too

[4D6963]

"12. Until the 1940s rhubarb was considered a vegetable. It became a fruit when US customs officials, baffled by the foreign food, decided it should be classified according to the way it was eaten."

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)

Queen's Computer

[rapidweather]

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!