Long held misconceptions

Daxon

Scooter wrote: »

There was a guy a while back who wanted NYC to become it's own state.

The name of the state would be "Gotham".

I woulda voted for it.

FUCK YEAH. Best idea ever.

matt has a problem

When I was a kid, my mom told me that there were tiny little workers in my stomach that chopped up all the food I ate into even smaller pieces so I could digest it.

She told me the truth, though, when she saw me eating Cheerios one day, but I was swallowing spoonfulls of them whole instead of chewing. She asked why, I told her "so the men in my stomach could have floaty rings to swim with".

Hachface

matthasaproblem wrote: »

When I was a kid, my mom told me that there were tiny little workers in my stomach that chopped up all the food I ate into even smaller pieces so I could digest it.

They're called gut flora.

matt has a problem

Hachface wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

When I was a kid, my mom told me that there were tiny little workers in my stomach that chopped up all the food I ate into even smaller pieces so I could digest it.

They're called gut flora.

Her description was more along the lines of the construction worker from the Village People.

Hachface

matthasaproblem wrote: »

Hachface wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

When I was a kid, my mom told me that there were tiny little workers in my stomach that chopped up all the food I ate into even smaller pieces so I could digest it.

They're called gut flora.

Her description was more along the lines of the construction worker from the Village People.

I figured something like that was the case. I was just trying to be cute.

Casual Eddy

Asiina wrote: »

If you're timing. Eggs and pasta especially.

Better to start at a consistent temperature. I don't know about your house, but hot water can either be scalding or just warm depending on a variety of factors, but cold tends to be the same cold no matter what.

I've never added those things to water unless the water was already at a rolling boil

Asiina

matthasaproblem wrote: »

Hachface wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

When I was a kid, my mom told me that there were tiny little workers in my stomach that chopped up all the food I ate into even smaller pieces so I could digest it.

They're called gut flora.

Her description was more along the lines of the construction worker from the Village People.

Your mom told you that you had a gay man inside you?

MetroidZoid

matthasaproblem wrote: »

Hachface wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

When I was a kid, my mom told me that there were tiny little workers in my stomach that chopped up all the food I ate into even smaller pieces so I could digest it.

They're called gut flora.

Her description was more along the lines of the construction worker from the Village People.

Not wanting to turn this into a "things I thought of when I was a kid" thread, but I was adamant as a child in believing that traffic lights were controlled individually by a person in a small room located underneath each intersection. Obviously, the entrances were the manholes conveniently located in the middle of every one, and to avoid being hit in rush hour traffic, the traffic-light-changer would use the entrance and exit late at night / early morning.

Also, the button you hit to signal you wanted to cross must've made a ding or a bzzt to alert the changer, so in my mind trying to play a jingle (or just flat out holding down the button, depending on my mood), was either entertaining or ... something else.

cooljammer00

Scooter wrote: »

There was a guy a while back who wanted NYC to become it's own state.

The name of the state would be "Gotham".

I woulda voted for it.

That is pretty awesome. But wouldn't you rather say "I live in Gotham City" than "I live in Gotham"? I like Gotham City better, and it wouldn't be called that if it became a state.

Xaev wrote: »

I just remembered a misconception - I used to think that large bodies of water were blue because they reflected the sky.

I think I saw this in a cartoon once. I'm too lazy to research the real reason

CycloneRanger

cooljammer00 wrote: »

Scooter wrote: »

There was a guy a while back who wanted NYC to become it's own state.

The name of the state would be "Gotham".

I woulda voted for it.

That is pretty awesome. But wouldn't you rather say "I live in Gotham City" than "I live in Gotham"? I like Gotham City better, and it wouldn't be called that if it became a state.

Xaev wrote: »

I just remembered a misconception - I used to think that large bodies of water were blue because they reflected the sky.

I think I saw this in a cartoon once. I'm too lazy to research the real reason

Short answer: water is a very slightly blue chemical. The sky doesn't really enter into it.

Couscous

It is a common misconception that in large bodies, such as the oceans, the water's color is blue due to the reflections from the sky on its surface. This is not true, but was believed to be so decades ago.

Optical scattering of unabsorbed light from water molecules as well as from impurities in the water of oceans or lakes back into the atmosphere provides the opportunity to visibly observe the blue color of water from land or airplanes. The back-scattering from water molecules alone is very small and only observable in highly purified water.[2]

If the oceans owed their color to the sky, they would be a lighter shade of blue and would be colorless on cloudy days. Some constituents of sea water can influence the shade of blue of the ocean. This is why it can look greener or bluer in different areas. A swimming pool with a white painted bottom should look white, yet the water appears turquoise blue, even as it is observed in indoor pools where there’s no sky to be reflected.

Scattering from suspended particles also plays an important role in the color of lakes and oceans. A few tens of meters of water will absorb all light, so without scattering, all bodies of water would appear black. Because most lakes and oceans contain suspended living matter and mineral particles, known as colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) light from above is reflected upwards. Scattering from suspended particles would normally give a white color, as with snow, but because the light first passes through many meters of blue-colored liquid, the scattered light appears blue. In extremely pure water as is found in mountain lakes, where scattering from white colored particles is missing, the scattering from water molecules themselves also contributes a blue color.

Another phenomenon that occurs is Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere along one's line of sight: the horizon is typically 4-5 km distant and the air (being just above sea level in the case of the ocean) is at its densest. This mechanism would add a blue tinge to any distant object (not just the sea) because blue light would be scattered into one's line of sight.

The truth is complicated.

Sevorak

Asiina wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

Hachface wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

When I was a kid, my mom told me that there were tiny little workers in my stomach that chopped up all the food I ate into even smaller pieces so I could digest it.

They're called gut flora.

Her description was more along the lines of the construction worker from the Village People.

Your mom told you that you had a gay man inside you?

?

Scalfin

Couscous wrote: »

It is a common misconception that in large bodies, such as the oceans, the water's color is blue due to the reflections from the sky on its surface. This is not true, but was believed to be so decades ago.

Optical scattering of unabsorbed light from water molecules as well as from impurities in the water of oceans or lakes back into the atmosphere provides the opportunity to visibly observe the blue color of water from land or airplanes. The back-scattering from water molecules alone is very small and only observable in highly purified water.[2]

If the oceans owed their color to the sky, they would be a lighter shade of blue and would be colorless on cloudy days. Some constituents of sea water can influence the shade of blue of the ocean. This is why it can look greener or bluer in different areas. A swimming pool with a white painted bottom should look white, yet the water appears turquoise blue, even as it is observed in indoor pools where there’s no sky to be reflected.

Scattering from suspended particles also plays an important role in the color of lakes and oceans. A few tens of meters of water will absorb all light, so without scattering, all bodies of water would appear black. Because most lakes and oceans contain suspended living matter and mineral particles, known as colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) light from above is reflected upwards. Scattering from suspended particles would normally give a white color, as with snow, but because the light first passes through many meters of blue-colored liquid, the scattered light appears blue. In extremely pure water as is found in mountain lakes, where scattering from white colored particles is missing, the scattering from water molecules themselves also contributes a blue color.

Another phenomenon that occurs is Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere along one's line of sight: the horizon is typically 4-5 km distant and the air (being just above sea level in the case of the ocean) is at its densest. This mechanism would add a blue tinge to any distant object (not just the sea) because blue light would be scattered into one's line of sight.

The truth is complicated.

Then why is it that foreboding iron color when there are storm clouds?
On the guys in your stomach: they also make holes in teeth.
On manual traffic lights: Unless it's different where I am, most intersections actually have a box on one corner that a police officer can open to control the intersection manually if unusual traffic is expected. Unless it's just there to turn the lights off for the marathon.

Taya

Scalfin wrote: »

On the guys in your stomach: they also make holes in teeth.

Yeah that reminds me of one.

If you don't brush, food (or "sugar" to be specific) will be on your teeth. Germs will eat the sugar off your teeth and as they bite it will eventually cause a cavity.

So don't eat candy and brush every day!

Cervetus

tsmvengy wrote: »

Cervetus wrote: »

Asiina wrote: »

If you're timing. Eggs and pasta especially.

Better to start at a consistent temperature. I don't know about your house, but hot water can either be scalding or just warm depending on a variety of factors, but cold tends to be the same cold no matter what.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I only put eggs and pasta in the water once it's already hot enough for cooking.

For pasta, boil the water and THEN add the pasta.

For hard-boiled eggs, start the eggs in cold water, then boil it, turn off the heat, cover it and wait 15-20 min.

Hot water definitely boils faster than cold.

Actually, I haven't boiled an egg in a while, just poaching. I have a feeling that trying to poach from cold water would not work out well...

poshniallo

The atmosphere scatters blue light around.

PantsB

Speaking of accents, the real Mainer accent

Hardleft_335

As I kid I thought that deja vu actually meant something and that I was experiencing some sort of precognition.

Faynor

This isn't super embarrassing, but recently I was helping my dad look something up and came across a post on some trucker forum about an old wives tale. My voice filled with derision, I said "Did he really type that? What an idiot! Truckers are so stupid, I can't believe you're one!" and he's like, "What?" and then I found out, contrary to my belief, the phrase is not old wise tale. I had to look it up on Wikipedia just to be fully convinced. Oops!

PantsB

Hardleft_335 wrote: »

As I kid I thought that deja vu actually meant something and that I was experiencing some sort of precognition.

Its actually a phobia of mine and I had a bout a few minutes ago. I get it really strongly and I think I read/watched too much sci fi when I was a kid so that I'm worried I'm stuck in a time loop

Scalfin

PantsB wrote: »

Hardleft_335 wrote: »

As I kid I thought that deja vu actually meant something and that I was experiencing some sort of precognition.

Its actually a phobia of mine and I had a bout a few minutes ago. I get it really strongly and I think I read/watched too much sci fi when I was a kid so that I'm worried I'm stuck in a time loop

Is that why you keep posting that every year?

yalborap

Scalfin wrote: »

PantsB wrote: »

Hardleft_335 wrote: »

As I kid I thought that deja vu actually meant something and that I was experiencing some sort of precognition.

Its actually a phobia of mine and I had a bout a few minutes ago. I get it really strongly and I think I read/watched too much sci fi when I was a kid so that I'm worried I'm stuck in a time loop

Is that why you keep posting that every year?

Scalfin...He didn't repeat himself.

None of us did.

Spoiler:

joshua1

my girlfriend just throws a pillow/something at me when all of a sudden I stop, and proclaim "I dreamt this!".


She is just jealous of my mad clairvoyant skillz.

<also, wtf thread tools? is this a new thing?>

area

poshniallo wrote: »

The atmosphere scatters blue light around.

Wait, what? The sky is blue because of Rayleigh scattering being better at scattering blue than red light.

EDIT: Upon reflection, I realise that this was probably not a long held misconception of yours, but you contributing to the above conversation. So ignore me.

Argus

joshua1 wrote: »

my girlfriend just throws a pillow/something at me when all of a sudden I stop, and proclaim "I dreamt this!".


She is just jealous of my mad clairvoyant skillz.

<also, wtf thread tools? is this a new thing?>

Strange and Embarrassing moment: Thread tools have been around for at least a year.

joshua1

Actually, since they don't show up for me in Safari, my forumsing in Chrome was a shock.

MrMonroe

PantsB wrote: »

Hardleft_335 wrote: »

As I kid I thought that deja vu actually meant something and that I was experiencing some sort of precognition.

Its actually a phobia of mine and I had a bout a few minutes ago. I get it really strongly and I think I read/watched too much sci fi when I was a kid so that I'm worried I'm stuck in a time loop

I tend to think it's essentially an error. You'll get the feeling without any reason to be remembering anything in particular and keep scratching your head over it, and then later you'll see it again, trigger the same response, or never see it again, and, forgetting about it, submit to confirmation bias.

GungHo

Xaev wrote: »

I just remembered a misconception - I used to think that large bodies of water were blue because they reflected the sky.

I had an argument with my brother-in-law one time about this. He also told me in the same goddamn conversation that the sky was blue because of the reflection of the world's oceans. I stared at him and said, "Well, which is it, goddamn it? They can't very well keep making each other blue like some kind of feedback loop. Tell me, what color is the sky in Mongolia? You don't fuckin know, do you, you inbred bastard?" He gave me that same look Peter Griffin sometimes gets when he's confused.

Scalfin wrote: »

On the guys in your stomach: they also make holes in teeth.

Wait until those little yellow monsters show up and rip your toenails off. One of the freakiest commercials ever.

Inquisitor

I just remembered one:

I thought to delimit something meant to remove the limits from it.

Caramilk_ninja

PantsB wrote: »

Speaking of accents, the real Mainer accent

That is a heck of an accent. This reminds me of the fairs around here.
But man i loved chainsaw joe's facial hair, looked amazing.