› added 11 years ago

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TIL Griffith created the WikiScanner in August 2007, which cross-references IP addresses, company IP address ownership, and content edits. WikiScanner located violators of Wikipedia rules, such as the Vatican, Wal-Mart, FBI, CIA, Church of Scientology, Exxon, Microsoft, Apple, and the UN.

4XKVa TIL Illegal home distilling of pálinka became popular in the 18th century when peasant breweries were shut down. The practice was fuelled by the desire to make use of fruit that had fallen from the tree and could not be eaten, coupled with the knowledge that making it at home was much less expensive
ANg4l TIL that in Singapore, one would require a permit to own a car known as the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), often costing as much as the vehicle itself, if not more. Introduced in 1990, its implementation is largely due to regulate the growth of cars in the country.
Oo7aa TIL that to fight a communist insurgency in the Philippines, a CIA operative would drain the blood from captured enemy soldiers through two holes in their neck and leave the corpse to be found to spread rumors of vampire (aswang) attacks.
kOXg TIL that the same man who invented tetris also invented bejeweled, and that in Russia, bejeweled is highly revered.
Wk5O4 TIL that people who have lost nerve function in their hands have either slight or no wrinkling when they are immersed in water (AKA bathing). I also learned that the outer layer of our skin is made up of dead keratin cells.