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Today I Learned


DrmDoc

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7 minutes ago, Janus said:

I came across some new info that solidifies the idea that I have at least some Sámi in my ancestry.  It was a YouTube video which broke down the DNA of a Sámi male.  It used results from the same test I took.

It identified one of the genetic groups as matching one of mine.

It returned a result of 7% Inuit, which adds weight to my suspicion of where my 2% result came from.

The icing on the cake was in another video on the Sámi, which had a photo of a Sámi girl.  I saw a strong resemblance to my sister.  I called my wife over and asked her if the photo reminded her of anyone( without giving her any other context), and she said my sister.

So while still not 100% conclusive, I'd say that the odds are pretty high.

The last Sami I spoke to bought us  youngsters  two  meals in exchange for ordering a beer at the same time.

They had strict drinking laws in Norway then (probably especially up North)  and you could only buy a drink with a meal.

That must have been reindeer season I guess (this was on the coast)and they may have been taking a rest after a long treck across country.

 

I think they suffered from the effects of  Chernobyl so I don't know if their lifestyle has continued apace since then  or if some of them have had to leave the reindeer industry/go on the dole. 

Norwegian beer was top class  but very expensive .

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3 hours ago, Janus said:

came across some new info that solidifies the idea that I have at least some Sámi in my ancestry

Me, too, as per my reply over at the dot org website today.  Paternal grandmother had some Sámi roots.  (paternal grandpa could also, but not known to him)  

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3 hours ago, TheVat said:

Me, too, as per my reply over at the dot org website today.  Paternal grandmother had some Sámi roots.  (paternal grandpa could also, but not known to him)  

Mine would most likely come through my paternal grandfather. But he was born nearly 170 years ago so it's a bit hard to verify.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
On 11/27/2023 at 5:41 AM, joigus said:

Today I learned about the Leidenfrost effect.

Some say you can notice this effect upon pouring liquid nitrogen into your cupped hand.
I've never been brave enough to try it.

1 hour ago, TheVat said:

pricey SUVs: wankpanzers. 

Would that be strictly German pricy SUVs ?

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11 hours ago, MigL said:

 

Would that be strictly German pricy SUVs ?

Possibly wankabrams didn't sound as funny.  Nor would wanksherman or wankM3.  (also, other tanks names, though they would convey the excessive mass and girth of the loathed SUVs, don't stand as a single word.  Sherman tanks, Abrams tanks, et al, all need "tank" in their common usage, but Panzers...are just Panzers.)

 

 

 

Afterthought: wanksherman, when heard, sounds a bit like a male resident of someplace called Wankshire.  Which I would imagine is a place that could only exist in a comedic novel or sketch.  

Since there is actually a town in Newfoundland named Dildo, I cannot completely rule out the possible existence of a Wankshire.

How Wankshiremen might feel about ambulato-mechanical onanists is an open question.

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11 hours ago, MigL said:

Some say you can notice this effect upon pouring liquid nitrogen into your cupped hand.
I've never been brave enough to try it.

Would that be strictly German pricy SUVs ?

 

1 hour ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

I would have guessed it had something to do with insufferable cold rather than heat...

Well the liquid nitrogen example that @MigL provided goes in that direction.

This reminds me of some quick notes on geometric optics concerning one such Lensmaker's equation, which led me to think something along the lines of 'Isn't it cute, that this equation was derived by someone called Lensmaker?' I soon realised of course, it was a typo or the author made a mistake, and it should have said 'lens maker'.

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17 minutes ago, TheVat said:

Possibly wankabrams didn't sound as funny.  Nor would wanksherman or wankM3.  (also, other tanks names, though they would convey the excessive mass and girth of the loathed SUVs, don't stand as a single word.  Sherman tanks, Abrams tanks, et al, all need "tank" in their common usage, but Panzers...are just Panzers.)

 

 

 

I guess "Wanktank" might sound too much like a collection device...

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29 minutes ago, joigus said:

 

which led me to think something along the lines of 'Isn't it cute, that this equation was derived by someone called Lensmaker?' I soon realised of course, it was a typo or the author made a mistake, and it should have said 'lens maker'.

I don't want to disclose how long I believed that the Mohs Scale, of mineralogy, was derived from "Measure of Hardness Scale."

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7 minutes ago, TheVat said:

I don't want to disclose how long I believed that the Mohs Scale, of mineralogy, was derived from "Measure of Hardness Scale."

:lol:

Some of these coincidences happen to be very useful as mnemonics.

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14 hours ago, MigL said:

Some say you can notice this effect upon pouring liquid nitrogen into your cupped hand.
I've never been brave enough to try it.

I almost lost my job once by demonstrating the leidenfrost effect with molten polymer. I used to work for Dupont and we made polyester. I often ran experiments for various engineers which meant I got to work with various parameters of the process which involved hot polymer 350c. I found that as long as the polymer wasn't degraded I could allow the polymer to pour into my hands and I could mold the thick molten polymer with my hands. The water/sweat on my hands protected me from the hot polymer sticking to my skin.  

I once showed a member of management this little trick and he lost his mind! He thought I was somehow burning myself to harm the company or something and called to have me escorted off site. The engineer I was working for had to set him down and explain physics to the guy... I kind of felt sorry for him.   

14 hours ago, MigL said:

Would that be strictly German pricy SUVs ?

Hey I drive a Jeep, I prefer off road wanker. 

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1 hour ago, StringJunky said:

But have you got the obligatory Hunter wellington boots and Barbour jacket in the boot?

I  normally  go around  wearing  wellies and a Barbour Jacket (but only drive a small Toyota Yaris )

The man at the  shop checkout did point out that it was a cool outfit.

Edited by geordief
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2 hours ago, StringJunky said:

But have you got the obligatory Hunter wellington boots and Barbour jacket in the boot?

No, I wear an outback hat and crocs. Occasionally I wear a pair of denim shorts with the hat and crocs.  

Edited by Moontanman
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  • 4 weeks later...

TIL that I was born on a continental divide.  I was born in the Mesabi range in MN, which I learned is part of the Laurentian continental divide.( a dividing line between which way water flows to the ocean.) It is one of 6 in North America:

Great, Arctic, St. Lawrence, Laurentian, Eastern, and Great Basin.

In addition, where I lived was also where the St. Lawrence divide meets up with the Laurentian divide.

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