› added 9 years ago

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TIL China is building a national database which “gamifies” being an obedient citizen. Sesame Credit analyzes your social media posts, and even your online purchases, then gives you a numerical rating similar to a credit score. This system will become mandatory in 2020.

pK9Q TIL that Russia will provide you with a free football pitch-sized tract of land in its Far East to settle upon and start your own farm or business. After 5 years, you will be given Russian citizenship.
8XP8 TIL that the first known aqueducts were built by Sennacherib, King of Assyria, for the city of Nineveh around 700BCE - 400 years before the Romans built their aqueducts.
kAEg TIL in Arizona, the Superstition Mountains is the home of the Apache Thunder God who cursed the land by killing anyone who travels the mountain trying to find his gold. Deaths began as early as the Spanish explorers in the 1500’s and up to this day. Some of the corpses were found decapitated.
MeVvA TIL of Joy Milne, the woman who can smell Parkinson's. In one test, she was given 12 t-shirts, 6 from those who have Parkinson's and 6 from those without. She identified 11 of them but was adamant that one control subject had Parkinson's. 8 months later that subject was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
9Y1xG TIL The US corn industry has mostly grown through increasing government support during the last century. In the process corn became so abundant and cheap that it enabled the existence of CAFOS, ethanol and HFCS production which in turn have profoundly affected the environment and human health.