Today I learned...

Urmas

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As a lefty, I object! :eek: :p

dexter m ‎(feminine dextra or dextera, neuter dextrum or dexterum); first/second declension

right (relative direction), right hand
skillful
fortunate, favorable
proper, fitting


cf.


sinister m ‎(feminine sinistra, neuter sinistrum); first/second declension

left
perverse, bad; or adverse, hostile
(religion) auspicious (for Romans) or inauspicious (for Greeks)


:wave:
 

nivrip

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Aghhhh........ the English language. Derived from so many others, it's no wonder that it's so odd. :D
 

Urmas

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On a similar note...

:lol:

Heiliger Strohsack! Ich wusste gar nicht, dass du Deutsch sprichst. Isch aber geil!

Herr und Frau Lücke gingen über eine Brücke. Da kam eine Mücke und stach Frau Lücke ins Genicke. Da nahm Herr Lücke seine Krücke und schlug Frau Lücke ins Genicke. Und deshalb fiel Frau Lücke mit der Mücke und der Krücke im Genicke tot um.


 

Becky

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Ah, sadly I don't speak German - but as a non-German speaker I still found the video interesting and funny :)
 

Taffycat

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Today I learned...

Kitti's hog-nosed bat, also known as the bumblebee bat, is not only the smallest bat in the world, but also the smallest mammal in existence. It has a head-body length: 29 – 33 mm, and weighs just 1.7 - 2.0g.
More here.
emoticon-acadie-bat.gif
 

Taffycat

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A tiny :p addition: The bumblebee bat is regarded as the smallest mammal by skull size, but the Etruscan shrew is the smallest known mammal by mass.
Awww... that little guy is very cute indeed. You know, it struck me at the time of reading it, (and seeing the photos) that the bumblebee bat was a bit larger than I would have anticipated. :lol:
 

nivrip

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I'm trying to think why you would want to read a closed book. :D

I suppose the book could be extremely old and fragile but other than that I would just turn the pages. :D
 

Urmas

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TIL: Pressures produced when penguins pooh—calculations on avian defaecation (.pdf)

Abstract Chinstrap and Adelie penguins generate considerable pressures to propel their faeces away from the edge of the nest. The pressures involved can be approximated if the following parameters are known: (1) distance the faecal material travels before it hits the
ground, (2) density and viscosity of the material, and (3) shape, aperture, and height above the ground of the orificium venti. With all of these parameters measured, we calculated that fully grown penguins generate pressures of around 10 kPa (77 mm Hg) to expel watery material and 60 kPa (450 mm Hg) to expel material of higher viscosity similar to that of olive oil. The forces involved, lying well above those known for humans, are high, but do not lead to an energetically wasteful turbulent flow. Whether a bird chooses the direction into which it decides to expel its faeces, and what role the
wind plays in this, remain unknown.


Screen-Shot-2012-09-27-at-5.59.53-PM1.png


Curious minds may or may not want to know how come I happened to get hit by projectile poo. Alas, the answer isn't "47". The answer is "Fig. 1 wear".
 
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:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:What a lovely piece useless information, but perhaps useful for people who study Ornithological data:lol::lol::lol::lol::nod::nod::nod:
 

floppybootstomp

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Tell that penguin to be careful, there'll have somebody's eye out carrying on like that :mad:
 

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