› added 11 years ago

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TIL there are fake Harry Potter books written and distributed in China, masquerading as additional works of J.K. Rowling. They shamelessly rip off other authors’ work in tandem with hers, with amazing titles like “Harry Potter and the Leopard Walk-Up-To Dragon” and “Harry Potter and the Big Funnel.”

Read more nytimes.com

via reddit.com

BA9W TIL that the average attention span for humans seems to have dropped from 12 seconds in the year 2000, to 8 seconds in 2016.
awNxo TIL that the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF, or the modern Japanese Navy) uses the same rising sun naval ensign that the Imperial Japanese Navy used before and during WWII.
5YwoB TIL Greg Ham, the flautist and founding member of the band Men at Work, died of an overdose following a bout of depression sustained from losing a plagiarism lawsuit from copyright trolls. His crime: using part of the children's nursery rhyme "Kookaburra" on his solo in the song "Down Under"
JYd5B TIL that McDonalds has a Gold Card that entitles the holder to free, unlimited food. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have one, as does Charles Ramsey, who ditched his half-eaten Big Mac to help rescue three kidnapped women.
x9Lg TIL Rick Astley once interrupted a Thanksgiving parade in order to perform his very own live Rickroll