› added 11 years ago

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TIL from my wife’s Star Trek calendar that the actor James Doohan (Scotty) had a missing right middle finger, which he lost in the WWII invasion of Normandy. Careful camera work meant it was rarely visible in the TV series.

Y7R6B TIL the spiders Chrysso venusta and Cyrtophora cicatrosa can rapidly change their colours, similar to ectotherms such as reptiles, frogs, cephalopods (including species of squid, octopus, cuttlefish), insects, crustaceans and fish
kyYg TIL Gregg Allman dodged fighting in Vietnam by studying a foot chart, getting drunk, drawing a target on his moccasin, and blasting a hole in his foot with a revolver. His aim was perfect.
wLgN1 TIL that delivery companies hijack phone numbers of restaurants and are hemorrhaging money. Grubhub lost $33 million on $360 million in revenue in Q1. Doordash lost $450 million off $900 million in revenue in 2019. Uber Eats has Uber's highest profits. Uber Eats spent $1.2 B to make $734 million
VBKp8 TIL the philosopher, David Hume, served as secretary to general James St Clair in a planned invasion of Canada, which is soon cancelled; then they invade France, where several comic events ensue, and the military career of Hume end ingloriously, without any significant military achievements.
a8mLZ TIL there is a thriving population of green parakeets in Rome. They originated from pets released or escaped from captivity several decades ago. Over time, the mild climate, abundance of food, and lack of predators have allowed them to establish a growing population in the city.