The thread of learning something new every day
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@NTA said in The thread of learning something new every day:
Stay on topic you peasants
Wow. A whole new concept. Let's try it.
Watched QI the other night and they said that many things they have said as fact, is in fact, wrong.
That fact may also be wrong of course.The concept of accepted fact changing as we learn more is fascinating in itself. Until we learn enough to disprove that too.
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@Snowy said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@NTA said in The thread of learning something new every day:
Stay on topic you peasants
Wow. A whole new concept. Let's try it.
Watched QI the other night and they said that many things they have said as fact, is in fact, wrong.
That fact may also be wrong of course.The concept of accepted fact changing as we learn more is fascinating in itself. Until we learn enough to disprove that too.
Reminds me of the one time in my life where I was wrong about something - the time when I thought I was wrong but I was actually right.
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@voodoo said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@Snowy said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@NTA said in The thread of learning something new every day:
Stay on topic you peasants
Wow. A whole new concept. Let's try it.
Watched QI the other night and they said that many things they have said as fact, is in fact, wrong.
That fact may also be wrong of course.The concept of accepted fact changing as we learn more is fascinating in itself. Until we learn enough to disprove that too.
Reminds me of the one time in my life where I was wrong about something - the time when I thought I was wrong but I was actually right.
I know you somehow...
Oh yeah, I married you.
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@Snowy said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@NTA said in The thread of learning something new every day:
Stay on topic you peasants
Wow. A whole new concept. Let's try it.
Watched QI the other night and they said that many things they have said as fact, is in fact, wrong.
That fact may also be wrong of course.The concept of accepted fact changing as we learn more is fascinating in itself. Until we learn enough to disprove that too.
I did a course called "Philosophy of Science" at Uni... and yeah, a lot of it was about the theory of science being based on a "kernel" fact/theory (always, actually, theory... the one and only knowable fact is "Cogito, ergo Sum") - which we want to assume is true... and all related "facts" (theories, evidence) form up layers around this kernel, with the outer layers being more "flexible" - in that you can remove/replace/update these as necessary to support/"prove" the inner layers.
And I've always felt a little disconcerted about how smug/certain QI can be, with the whole buzzer-thing, etc - and then presenting the "truth" - when a large number of their questions/factoids/etc are by very nature - questionable, or very open to being proven wrong later.
(I do seem to recall they have a strangely written disclaimer, in the credits, something about "all facts were true at time of broadcast"... which is taking some rather large liberties with the definitions of the words "facts" and "true") -
@Kruse said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@Snowy said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@NTA said in The thread of learning something new every day:
Stay on topic you peasants
Wow. A whole new concept. Let's try it.
Watched QI the other night and they said that many things they have said as fact, is in fact, wrong.
That fact may also be wrong of course.The concept of accepted fact changing as we learn more is fascinating in itself. Until we learn enough to disprove that too.
I did a course called "Philosophy of Science" at Uni... and yeah, a lot of it was about the theory of science being based on a "kernel" fact/theory (always, actually, theory... the one and only knowable fact is "Cogito, ergo Sum") - which we want to assume is true... and all related "facts" (theories, evidence) form up layers around this kernel, with the outer layers being more "flexible" - in that you can remove/replace/update these as necessary to support/"prove" the inner layers.
And I've always felt a little disconcerted about how smug/certain QI can be, with the whole buzzer-thing, etc - and then presenting the "truth" - when a large number of their questions/factoids/etc are by very nature - questionable, or very open to being proven wrong later.
(I do seem to recall they have a strangely written disclaimer, in the credits, something about "all facts were true at time of broadcast"... which is taking some rather large liberties with the definitions of the words "facts" and "true")Descartes. IIRC.
Hadn't seen that philosophy of science. So I learnt something today (and on topic for @nta).
I like it. I guess the basic premise may well be true but the expansion of the fact can easily evolve into fiction.As for QI - completely agree about the use of the words facts and true, but that gets us back to the philosophical discussion about what actually is.
I still like the show though.
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@Snowy said in The thread of learning something new every day:
the use of the words facts and true, but that gets us back to the philosophical discussion about what actually is.
Yep - exactly... and from memory, that was covered off in another Philosophy first-year course... "Knowledge and Reality".
Which taught one the whole thing that Descartes figured out - the one true a priori fact of "I think, therefore I am",
And that all a posteriori "knowledge", ie: figured out from observation - might be complete bullshit.They laboured for one semester to pretty much just drill in that one concept.
And I had massive drunken arguments with mates trying to explain that the whole world is possibly just an illusion, and some or all of what they think they know could be absolute bullshit.And then "The Matrix" came out... and presumably, teaching that course became a whole lot simpler. And suddenly, those mates I'd had drunken debates with, understood perfectly what I'd been trying to say - and denied ever refuting it.
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@Snowy said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@voodoo said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@Snowy said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@NTA said in The thread of learning something new every day:
Stay on topic you peasants
Wow. A whole new concept. Let's try it.
Watched QI the other night and they said that many things they have said as fact, is in fact, wrong.
That fact may also be wrong of course.The concept of accepted fact changing as we learn more is fascinating in itself. Until we learn enough to disprove that too.
Reminds me of the one time in my life where I was wrong about something - the time when I thought I was wrong but I was actually right.
I know you somehow...
Oh yeah, I married you.
😚
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Learned today at the gym listening to podcast:
A cretin is a person suffering cretinism, which is severe disability due to congenital iodine deficiency syndrome, often as a result of lack of iodine during pregnancy.
Huge problem in inland areas in particular (there's iodine in seafood).
Podcast is about Aussie endocrinologist who has a particular passion for this, and worked extensively in Asia, and particularly China (including Tibet) in the 1980s.
Link:
The man who saved a million brains: Creswell Eastman's pioneering work with iodine deficiency disorder - ABC listen
Abolishing iodine deficiency throughout the world was this doctor's mission (R)
So if you're intending having kids make sure you use iodised salt.
Studies have shown that kids whose mothers were iodine deficient in pregnancy achieved SATs 10% lower on average. (Admittedly the tests were done in Tasmania ... )
You don't need much: apparently a teaspoon of iodine is sufficient for your entire life - just not all at once.
Not quite finished listening: Am 30 odd mins in and still have 20 odd to go, but have found it fascinating, particularly the initial factoid. (Which may or may not be a factoid but merely part of the cognito ergo summing I am experiencing.)
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@booboo this reminded me that I learned why tanks (military) are called tanks from a podcast t'other day.
Apparently during WW1 whilst the Brits were developing tanks they were concerned that the filthy Hun would learn what they were up to. So they developed a cover story that they were working on an armoured supply wagon to get food and water to the troops.
Someone decided that the design looked a lot like a water tank and that's how the name stuck.
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@booboo Been on to that one for a while re iodine - not the cretinism, didn't know the link.
Iodine levels are extremely low in NZ soils and therefore our vegetables are deficient. Other parts of the world have sufficient for normal development.
Seafood is good though, so we boost it in our diets in NZ as you say, but pregnant women may be a bit frightened of it due to listeria these days.
I might also have to "mickey" some iodine into some people's drinks though. I deal with a few cretins unfortunately.
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@dogmeat said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@booboo this reminded me that I learned why tanks (military) are called tanks from a podcast t'other day.
Apparently during WW1 whilst the Brits were developing tanks they were concerned that the filthy Hun would learn what they were up to. So they developed a cover story that they were working on an armoured supply wagon to get food and water to the troops.
Someone decided that the design looked a lot like a water tank and that's how the name stuck.
I think I knew that
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Jebus.
Who was Lisa Montgomery and why was she executed?
The first female inmate on federal death row has been executed by the US government in nearly seven decades.
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@Nevorian said in The thread of learning something new every day:
My Student Nurse daughter taught me about The Bristol Stool Chart on the weekend. I must admit I have experienced all seven levels on the chart at some stage.
Same. On the same morning after a few beers with a curry and a cheeky kebab on the walk home.
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@MajorRage A curry AND a kebab? That's quite a night.
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@JC said in The thread of learning something new every day:
Arizona entomologist Justin O Schmidt has ranked the sting of over 80 species of insect on his personal suffering, usually accidental, but occasionally induced.
My personal favourite is:
Maricopa Harvester Ant: After eight unrelenting hours of drilling into that ingrown toenail, you find the drill wedged into the toe.
The Natural History Museum has some of them:
there's a dude on youtube who does that shit. it looks... intense
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@Nevorian said in The thread of learning something new every day:
My Student Nurse daughter taught me about The Bristol Stool Chart on the weekend. I must admit I have experienced all seven levels on the chart at some stage.
I find the Bristol Scale rather limited.
Background: I only discovered it existed a little over a year ago myself, when I made a New Year's Resolution of keeping track of my shites... one of my typical half-joking resolutions, while also being a little curious about what I felt had been an irregular schedule over the last few years.
Upon doing 5 minutes research in the Google Play Store - I realised that this was NOT an original concept, and there were a plethora of "Poo Diary" type apps.
The one I settled on, had the functionality of my listing where on the Bristol Scale I was currently residing, each time I dropped the Cosby kids off at the pool. I nearly always felt there needed to be a 6.5 to accurately describe the craft-beer-dump. -
@mariner4life is that that Bravewilderness dude on IG? Lets hornets and shit bite him for fun?
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@taniwharugby said in The thread of learning something new every day:
@mariner4life is that that Bravewilderness dude on IG? Lets hornets and shit bite him for fun?
yeah i think so, some of it looks totaly fucked.
