› added 7 years ago

150

TIL famed sci-fi author Isaac Asimov refused the invitation to renowned A.I. pioneer Marvin Minsky’s lab at MIT in the 1960s because he was “Writing about really intelligent robots of the future and was sure that if he came and saw the clumsy ones that we were making it would spoil his imagination.”

Read more youtube.com

via ift.tt

WJe8 TIL the city of Rome banned goldfish bowls in 2005, stating them to be “cruel”.
X0kMD TIL It has been observed since the Roman times that alcohol consumption by pregnant women has harmful effects on their child. Also, alcohol was used until the 1980s to prevent preterm labor, and was sometimes administered intravenously.
459X TIL that despite being used to make balloons float and our voices squak, helium is a rare element (on Earth) which is only getting rarer due to the fact it floats out of our atmosphere. This is problematic, as it has useful scientific applications, and is currently essential in MRI technology.
OGgj4 TIL The 1967 adaptation of Ulysses was considered so vulgar in New Zealand, theaters would play it to gender segregated audiences. The offensive parts were only 1 F-word and a character describing oral sex.
P1n1G TIL the Ridgeback Club of Great Britain mandated the killing of all healthy ridgeless puppies. Following the outrage triggered by BBC's "Pedigree Dogs Exposed", they backtracked to "no healthy puppy will be culled"