› added 9 months ago

29

TIL learned why Scotts and other fertilizers are so expensive nowadays.

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Q6Ve TIL that unlike James Bond, real MI6 agents don’t need a license to kill because everything they do outside the UK is already illegal. The UK spy agency makes Bond-like gadgets for operatives but, as one said after retiring, they “frequently fail to work upon arrival at our destination”.
e9xn TIL Charles Steinmetz, the Wizard of Schenectady, listened to a problem generator for two days before marking a spot and telling engineers to replace sixteen windings from a field coil. He itemized the $10,000 invoice thusly: Marking spot - $1; Knowing where to mark - $9,999.
VMabG TIL 'Bhang' is an edible cannabis product that has been used in India since 1000 BC
rNkk0 TIL the hanging boxes on power lines are called Stockbridge dampers and mitigate specific vertical movement (called Aeolian vibration) in the cables that would otherwise result in stress fatigue and potential separation. This is the same vibration that destroyed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940.
PYM9G TIL Patrick Bateman from 'American Psycho' was inspired by Tom Cruise... Christian Bale studied Cruise's mannerisms after seeing the actor give an interview, stating "he just had this very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes."