I Had A Random Thought...

[Ucantalas]

So today snow was falling off the roof of the apartment building, because its been warm enough lately to begin melting. I stood by the window and watched it fall to the ground in big chunks.

All of a sudden, a big fat squirrel comes down out of a tree and runs up close to the building. Then I hear a little rumble, and POOF! The squirrel just got crushed by a pile of snow.

Few seconds later the squirrel dug its way back out of the snow and waddled off, climbed back up its tree. I was happy to see he survived.

[Bjorn]

How did that happen? I need an explanation!

 

I have a garden zombie statue that apparently fell over during our last snow storm, noticed him thawing out today and thought it looked awesome.

[Ben X]

This is one of those times when I really hope this turns out to be a joke article.

 

Yeah, it seems that Europe does really badly on that question as well. I was staggered too, but then I tried to remember how I learnt it, and failed. I guess if you don't get told at a young age that the Earth goes round the sun, you could potentially go through life without ever learning that fact. Maybe it's one of those things that slips through the syllabus cracks when science is getting divided up into chemistry, geography and physics...

[SecretAsianMan]

There's a scene in the BBC show Sherlock where he gets made fun of for not knowing "basic" facts, such as the Earth goes round the Sun.  His counter argument is that this knowledge is irrelevant to him because if the Sun went round the Earth, nothing in his life would change.  He compares his brain to a hard drive and says there is only so much storage space, so he prioritizes important things, namely things that can help him solve crimes.

 

But yeah, people are dumb.  I also remember seeing a similar survey once that showed people thought humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time because of The Flintstones.

[clyde]

I had a conversation with my dad about global warming. I was surprised how far we got by just discussing some basic stuff about the carbon-cycle and chemistry.

[Ben X]

Yeah, I was happy when they used (and more thoroughly utilised) that bit, as it's one of my favourite moments from the books (where he describes it as an attic iirc).

[RubixsQube]

The problem is that while we "learn" things, teachers may not actually confront our initial misconceptions, so we don't incorporate things into our own mental schema for how the universe works. 

 

This is a

where they ask Harvard grads to describe why we have the seasons. (It's important to note that this has most likely been cherry picked to only provide the silliest explanations) (before you watch it, ask yourself: why do we have the seasons? I'm an astronomer and I've had to teach this basic concept to so many undergrads over the last ten years who have fantastic made-up reasons. I'm at an ivy league school at the moment. It's sometimes frustrating, but that's how it is) 

 

We develop a picture for how things work from a young age. In order to change this picture, we have to work with it to understand that things are different from what we believe. It's pretty easy to make the assumption that the Sun goes around the Earth, and even if you're told, you'll still believe it. A good instructor will work with this assumption to help develop learning. It's important to not be a jerk to people who believe "silly" things like this. It's ignorant, but you don't fight ignorance with negativity.

[Dewar]

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people fail at reading/listening comprehnsion. I'm inclined to believe that at least some of those people weren't paying close attention or didn't read/hear the question correctly. Some of those other questions that didn't make the headline are mired in religious issues as well.

 

As for the seasons thing, I'll never forgive Mr. Wizard for teaching that backwards.

 

Edit: Incidentally, physics states that from the Earth's frame of reference, the sun does go around the earth.

[Zeusthecat]

Can someone explain the saying "That's like the pot calling the kettle black"? Does this saying simply operate under the assumption that all pots and kettles are black? I call bullshit on that because most pots I've seen are silver and I think a silver pot has every right to say that a black kettle is black.

 

Going one step further though, let's say both the pot and the kettle are indeed black. Why would it not be acceptable for one black kitchen accessory to say to another black kitchen accessory, "Hey, you're black". The way this saying is used in our everyday lives implies that something being black is a negative which I find incredibly racist. So it comes across to me like the pot is bringing up the kettle's color as a negative and hates black things despite the fact that the pot itself is black. So basically the pot is just like Hitler.

 

Someone please help me escape from this racist rabbit hole!

[Zeusthecat]

Sorry for the double post but I just randomly started wondering if weed is legal in international waters. If it is then why the hell hasn't anyone created a floating weed hotel in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?

[SecretAsianMan]

As I understand the phrase, it has nothing to do with race.  It's to point out hypocrisy.  The reason the color black is used is because they're supposed to be covered in soot from being placed in hot coal.  So the pot is mocking the kettle for being black (dirty) while it is also dirty itself.

[Zeusthecat]

As I understand the phrase, it has nothing to do with race.  It's to point out hypocrisy.  The reason the color black is used is because they're supposed to be covered in soot from being placed in hot coal.  So the pot is mocking the kettle for being black (dirty) while it is also dirty itself.

 

Damn, looks like I'm the racist one then...

[Bjorn]

Sorry for the double post but I just randomly started wondering if weed is legal in international waters. If it is then why the hell hasn't anyone created a floating weed hotel in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?

 

Technically it's probably possible, but logistically you would have some challenges.  The ship would have to be registered out of a country where weed was legal.  A US ship couldn't get away with it.  You would have to get rid of all the weed prior to docking in a place where it was illegal.  You'd have the cost of getting the weed from a country where it was legal to the vessel. 

 

This is one of the reasons that a lot of cruise ships also have casinos in them.  The casinos have to be shut down when in port in most countries, but can open once they are far enough off-shore. 

[SecretAsianMan]

Reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer takes Mr. Burns' yacht out to international waters where anything is legal.

[Zeusthecat]

Technically it's probably possible, but logistically you would have some challenges.  The ship would have to be registered out of a country where weed was legal.  A US ship couldn't get away with it.  You would have to get rid of all the weed prior to docking in a place where it was illegal.  You'd have the cost of getting the weed from a country where it was legal to the vessel. 

 

This is one of the reasons that a lot of cruise ships also have casinos in them.  The casinos have to be shut down when in port in most countries, but can open once they are far enough off-shore. 

 

Ah, but what if you register a ship in the US, load it up with a bunch ship building materials and marijuana saplings (assuming you have a medical marijuana card), then go into international waters, build two new ships, and keep the original ship docked to one of the new ships for returning to land. Then one of your new ships is used as a weed farm and the other ship is used as your weed hotel. That would totally work right?

[Bjorn]

Ah, but what if you register a ship in the US, load it up with a bunch ship building materials and marijuana saplings (assuming you have a medical marijuana card), then go into international waters, build two new ships, and keep the original ship docked to one of the new ships for returning to land. Then one of your new ships is used as a weed farm and the other ship is used as your weed hotel. That would totally work right?

 

Go for it, you'll be a billionaire!

[Dewar]

Can someone explain the saying "That's like the pot calling the kettle black"? Does this saying simply operate under the assumption that all pots and kettles are black? I call bullshit on that because most pots I've seen are silver and I think a silver pot has every right to say that a black kettle is black.

 

Going one step further though, let's say both the pot and the kettle are indeed black. Why would it not be acceptable for one black kitchen accessory to say to another black kitchen accessory, "Hey, you're black". The way this saying is used in our everyday lives implies that something being black is a negative which I find incredibly racist. So it comes across to me like the pot is bringing up the kettle's color as a negative and hates black things despite the fact that the pot itself is black. So basically the pot is just like Hitler.

 

Someone please help me escape from this racist rabbit hole!

 

I believe the saying goes back quite a while to when pots and kettles were made of cast iron. I don't think that the phrase itself implies that black is bad or good. You could as easily say "That's like the frog calling the tree green" and, while a strange saying, I don't think it looses its meaning. Sometimes black is just black.

 

Edit: Whoops, I missed that there was another page. Oh well, I'll just leave this here I guess.

[Dewar]

Ah, but what if you register a ship in the US, load it up with a bunch ship building materials and marijuana saplings (assuming you have a medical marijuana card), then go into international waters, build two new ships, and keep the original ship docked to one of the new ships for returning to land. Then one of your new ships is used as a weed farm and the other ship is used as your weed hotel. That would totally work right?

 

If you're going that far, you might as well go all the way.

 

http://www.sealandgov.org/

[Zeusthecat]

"That's like the frog calling the tree green"

 

Just to beat this dead horse a little more (and let's save the discussion around that saying for another time), I just don't see a problem with a frog calling a tree green. Just because he is green it is somehow inappropriate for him to to point out the fact that other things are green? The only way the saying works is if the frog is only calling the tree green in a derogatory way and is being a hypocrite in doing so.

 

This is about the dumbest debate I've ever had and it is awesome.

[SecretAsianMan]

I think the idea is that it has to be insulting in some way.  In the case of the pot and kettle, the insult is that they're dirty or tarnished.  I'm pretty sure the phrase originated when black was a color and not a race.

[Chris]

The only way the saying works is if the frog is only calling the tree green in a derogatory way and is being a hypocrite in doing so.

Yeah but that WOULD clearly be the implication, if used in a similar context to the pot/kettle comment.

[Merus]

There's a similar saying in Mexico where the kettle is explicitly described as sooty.

[Zeusthecat]

Yeah but that WOULD clearly be the implication, if used in a similar context to the pot/kettle comment.

 

I agree. There is really no other way the frog's comment could be taken if that is the context that his comment is given in which is exactly my point. And interestingly, thanks to the information that SecretAsianMan brought to light, the nature of the frog's comment turns out to be far more insidious than the nature of the pot's comment. The pot is just a hypocrite but the frog is a racist and a hypocrite.

[ihavefivehat]

I wonder if it's possible for animals to act weird on purpose? For example, can a chimpanzee conceive of going up to it's friend and making bizarre noises just to see what reaction he/she will give? Maybe that's a uniquely human trait...

[SecretAsianMan]

I hate the perception those mahjong tile matching games give because it's not what real mahjong actually is or how it is played.