I went to a metal band conert and it felt kinda lonley..
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I went to a metal band conert and it felt kinda lonley..
Baby with two faces born, worshiped in India
Wasn't India where the kid with the tail was born? I love how they keep producing these mutated children and then pretending like it's a divine miracle. Poor kids.
That picture looks so fake... It's like bagandscalpel's avatar.
I heard a theory about this today.Quote:
Originally Posted by XanBcoo
Population of the US (3rd most populous nation in the world): 303 Million
Population of Europe: 728 Million (as of 2005).
Population of India: 1.6 Billion
Population of the world: 6.6 billion.
That's one quarter of the world's population in a country a little less than 1/3 the size of Europe, and 1/3 of the United States (for the western hemisphere-rs like me).
With such a large slice of the world's people crammed into so small a space, it's very likely that random mutations will occur there. In fact, here's another one!
Two foot tall 15 year old
It's really more of a disproportionate representation. Do things like this happen in the United States or in Europe? Sure. But less often, because when combined, India still has a larger population.
India is just over 1 billion in population. Currently China is the most populous people in the world. India is projected to be at 1.6 billion by 2050, which is what you get when you have no birth control and a lot of bored, poor people. China at least has communist rule limiting child birth to 1 per adult (2 per couple).
India does have a four faced deity. Combine that with poor education and high religious influence, that guy's half a god to them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanbcoo
People are getting their way around that by coming to Hong Kong when their baby's due. If it's born in HK, it doesn't count, and it can have education there as well, if they wish to. There was much public debate a while ago, since these women didn't pay medical fees or something, and it was all coming out of the HK public health fund. They changed some legalities, but I don't know the details.Quote:
Originally Posted by Animeniax
The worshiping of mutated children is religiously driven. Hindu mythology is quite weird. The reason why the rural population is increasing so fast is because more kids = more farmhands.
I'd say around 90% of the Chinese population don't have the money and/or connections to do that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buffalobiian
I think all countries should have a 1 child per adult rule.
I second that, except for the Japanese. The world could use more Japanese. Oh, and hot chicks can have up to 5.
The 1 child policy is the stupidest thing ever. China has set itself up for a massive social and demographic fall. Given the preference for boys, I think there are already like 20 million more boys in China than there are girls (can't remember the source). Even if there wasn't this gender imbalance, the workforce of China will shrink forcibly, causing a higher tax burden on the future generations as less youngsters have to support more older people.
The source of that information can usually be found in geography books.
Although it is very unlikley, heard a rumor that they used to give away/abandon or even kill the baby if it turned out to be a girl.
i think so too... and it should be also not allowed to have NO children once you reach a certain age or so, this would help a lot in most european countries.. schools have less and less pupils each year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Assertn
well this would require the help of the goverment though.
because having children means MONEY for the country (i admitt that too many children have the opposite effect)
Good god, they didn't notice until she was 5?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryllharu
-
I talked to an Indian guy from Princeton the other day, and he said for the most part people in India are aware about the population problem, thus creating cultural traditions to try to keep the place more sanitary (even small things like changing shoes in the bathroom, or when going to school, showering often)
So what's your answer to gross over-population with limited resources? Already the Chinese and Indians are over-populated and moving out to other areas of the world. The Chinese and Indians have more to worry about than taking care of future generations. At least in China, rapid industrialization is causing rampant pollution and health issues. If they make it to old age, they'll worry about it then.Quote:
Originally Posted by DB_Hunter
From a moral standpoint, the other main issue with over-population beyond it taxing the planet and our social welfare systems, is that the value of a human life is reduced. If one guy in China or India dies, who cares, there's another 10,000 to take his place.
That is quite true. Though a very limiting law, China may have thought to do it out of necessity because of all the other factors. I think they're well aware of the possible massive workforce shrink DB_Hunter mentioned that could result. I originally thought they'll have the law for a say ten years, then let it slack for some, and bring it back again before finally dropping it. If they dropped it in one big go, they'll not only have a massive gap in one generation, but they may also have a huge rebound baby-booming effect.Quote:
Originally Posted by Animeniax
You can have more than one child her adult, but it'll cost you a fine that's probably not affordable for most Chinese.
10% is a LOT coming from China. It's not that difficult anymore. It's almost free crossing with the correct ID. Furthermore, HK is getting flooded with 100 or 1000 mainland Chinese every day.(source: TV+general knowledge of everyone while I was over there) And it's not like Hong Kong ain't suffering from overpopulation either. Only thing is, bulk of it is the aging population, so current campaigns are aimed at increasing the birth rate while they deal with the housing crisis. (I think the housing crisis is now a global crisis. no?)Quote:
Originally Posted by Board of Command
I'm going to ruin this deep philosophical mood with some blatant superficiality here.
Today, I learned that glow in the dark yarn exists. I must have it! If only I wasn't so poor *cries* Imagine the awesomeness of secret messages or symbols knitted into garments that only become visible when the lights are turned out.
That is some amazing stuff, right there. I must have. I want to watch my cats play with it after dark. (Is it just me, or did that sound perverted right there?)
Only if cats is a euphemism.
Kat: That is awesome.
Today I learned, yet again, that complete thoughts are hard to keep concise. And also that the group I'm working in has a serious lack of rapport with some of our userbase, that it's going to take a long time to address.
Not to ignore the rest of your post, but this is the point. This mindset of having 'limited resources' is the problem. Yes of course, the Earth has limited resources but the unstated second part of your statement is unlimited wants and needs. Which is what the classical economic problem has been in Capitalism, and which the Capitalist economic system attemps to solve.Quote:
Originally Posted by Animeniax
For me, I would say yes there are limited resources but not unlimited needs. I would say there are 'Basic Needs' and 'Luxury Wants'. In an ideal world both should be satisfied, but priority should be given to the Basic needs for everyone, rather than focusing on providing niche luxury goods that only a small albeit rich part of humanity consumes. In this way I think the planet has enough resources to satisfy the basic needs of people. Such as food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education. In terms of resources the stuff is there. Its when everyone starts wanting an SUV to drive and having so much food that you grow fat and still throw more away and so on is when the problem begins. In this scenario, then yes, we are screwed.
But if governments focus on creating an environment where Basic needs are met first and foremost, then current populations can be supported. A lot of land for example isn't even being utilised for food production which could be. Like in Pakistan, which is the 15th largest agricultural producer in the world, yet a lot of the land there is not utilised for political reasons like feudalism. So its not that we don't have resources, just political issues to overcome. And halting populations to 1 child per family is asking for trouble, because of the reason I outlined in my earlier post.
I learned today that Phoenix12345 is brown (Pakistani or Indian, unless he means Latino which is light brown), which means 40% of the total population on the forums and 65% of the top posters on this site are brown (Pakistani or Indian).
that's actually pretty neat. for us brown people, anyway. how did you come to learn of phoenix's skin colour?
I want to learn where your statistics come from. 40% of ~6000 members..... and 65% of top posters?
He confessed to it in another thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by saman
Numbers don't lie.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buffalobiian
Also several times in the "Post Your Picture" thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by Animeniax
Today I learned that some things just never live up to your expectations. I just saw a local band that sounded amazing when I first saw them last year, but sounded awful tonight. They performed badly, the sound setup was sloppy, and chose boring songs to use in their short setlist. I feel let down.
It's not just them, many bands can have sound issues. There's this band called Chiodos <3 that are amazing live but if you look up some of their latest live vids the lead vocalist doesn't sound so good.
Anyway, today, I learned that The National Tests are gettng closer......
Today I learned that scaling a business (or even a a business model for that matter) is hard if you're not prepared for it from previous knowledge or readings. A majority of the actual businesses out there are in fact easy to identify when comparing them to other newer more radical ones. Like Steel, oil, and real estate development. But the newer ones are just crazy. Facebook for example is having a hard time getting around not just being another tech baby and trying to grow up. So they recently hired Sheryl Sandberg (she grew and scaled Googles main AdWords program to grow on its own) with only the aid of a team of 10 people or less.
Starting a business. You learn many things about yourself you didn't know you could do.
Today I learned of the existence of spray-on glue. I also learned how to quilt, and made a kick-ass table runner, using spray-on glue instead of pins to hold my layers together. Awesome.
learned that duct tape can work just as good as stitches...
I learned that I'd totally do Michael Jackson, even now.
today i learned that sapphire creeps me out a lil , you know you wouldn't be the one doin the doin, but rather be recieving the doing....
"doing" is, by definition, somewhat ... err ... reciprocal.
No wai, I'd be doin all the doin', unless he offered otherwise of course.
What happened today (or yesterday) that made you come to that realisation?Quote:
Originally Posted by Sapphire
Probably Xan's Billie Jean, which linked me to Britains Got Talent's Michael Jackson tribute dancer, which linked me to the 90's MJ strutting his stuff to a Billie Jean remix on stage.
... That ATT is BS. Cant order a free phone online because it wont let me move my number over... can't get a new number because then my mom will have to pay $180 for my line being cancelled...
and then after having 2 different people say i just need my mom to call customer service and authorize me to move my number.... now they say that even though its authorized i need it in writing from her, and it has to be notarized...
what the hell happened to customer service? wtf... needless to say i finished off my phone when i left the store by breaking it on the pavement. so now i'm phoneless.
Um, does anything ever go your way?
So basically you were completely unaware of why he was so famous in the first place?Quote:
Originally Posted by Sapphire
No. I've sporadically had that song stuck in my head for at least.. 7 years? I just never realized I'd do him for it. :p
Today (yesterday) I learned the correct way to play the song under discussion. Turns out I've had it wrong for the past year, and have been accenting the wrong notes (the first note of every 4 beats) instead of the first and fourth of the first bar.
Billie Jean's bass-line goes: ONE two three FOUR one two three four ONE two three FOUR one two three four
The song's funkiness comes from that misplaced beat. I guess since it comes "early" it subliminally effects you. Just makes you wanna dance or at least move something. It's really quite genius.
Um, this is mildly off topic, but today I woke up randomly at 4:00 am and turned on my radio alarm to see if it would be loud enough to wake me up.
And Billie Jean was playing.
omg omg omg omg omg
Yeah, that's slighly off topic-ish. But hey, edit the post with something "...I learned that Billie Jean can also do my morning" to make it on topic ^^!
What I learned today is that my girlfriend has learned to keep it down in some certain circumstances (A)...
Today i learned that if you put an egg in a small plastic container filled with water, and put it in a microwave, it will explode in 52 seconds
Doesn't sound like a really good dish: An exploded egg in water? Seriously man, you need to develop your cooking skills.
Is it like a poached egg, but full of shell and other nasty, half-cooked bits diluted in water?
Well for those who are interested in furthering this experiment, a cracked egg on a plate doesn't work neither. It mightn't explode during the cooking, but there's so much pressure in there, one poke and it'll go BANG. It's caused at least one case of eye injury.
An egg exploding? Boring, I say! Clearly none of you have ever created a plasma ball in a microwave.
Me and my cousins once tried a similar experiment with a grape. It wasn't as amazing as this particular experiment, but still cool.
oooh, nifty
Today I learned how to play Uno.
Today I learned that milimeters really do affect your entire job, carpentry standards. I took today 3 mili's on my chess veneered table. The effect was that the whole chess squares where gone when the board came out of the machine : (!
You know, I did cry alot in my head at that moment becuse I've been working with this easy to break materia, just to do some stupid, VERY stupid mili mistake.
I drank lots of soda after that </3..............
Working with materia is a delicate process.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chiodos
Consider yourself lucky that your materia didn't fuse into cool ranch
Today I learned just how much of a pain in the ass it would have been to install the aftermarket exhaust in my car and just how glad I was to take it to someone who works on cars for a living. I also learned just how true Murphy's Law is....my god damned wheel lock key broke on a wheel lock. I have to go buy 4 new lug nuts tomorrow....hooray.
Today I learned.....that Shinsen subs hentai?
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/1723/48646891wq2.jpg
I would be more suprised if Aone did it. And sad a little..
Today... or rather yesterday... I learned that Vista's built in parental controls are able to block off the Flaming Pit and half of the good threads in GD at medium-level. Which seriously sucks balls. DAMN YOU FATHER!!!! So, I probably won't be posting from his laptop until either a) I crack his new password or b) I get my computer set up again with good 'ol 32-bit XP. I say 32-bit because last time it was that damned 64-bit.
I've also learned that today my grandfather - who my family is currently living with - has a section eight house inspection scheduled for today at two. Yay.
prolly cause that series holds it own even if you removed the H scenes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buffalobiian
Yeah, probably. Maybe they're trying to do something new, or expand their activities. Since a few weeks ago, raws have been popping up claiming tag [Shinsen-raws]
Today I learned I have way too much crap... Cleaning out your room to move houses sucks...
Yeah, you never know how much stuff you've accumulated over the years until you move to a new place. At least it's a good way to get you to throw out a lot of useless things.
I'm always really sad when I pack up to move. It's weird then that I do it so often.
I've only ever moved house four times, and I wasn't old enough to remember any of them. I can imagine it though.
I recently moved. I've even got a picture of my room after we came in and took everything out. It's mindblowing; I never thought I would miss that old place.
Today I learned... that scsi is not hot-swappable.
The drives may be but the cables for damn sure aren't. I was going to try to set up this raid array we just got at work and as soon as I plugged the cable in the server blue screened... Then I rebooted and it was showing 2 failed drives. I spent about 15 minutes in the config and the Perc tools trying to find a fix and couldn't...
sucked it up and told my co-worker who then spent less then 2 minutes fixing it.
luckily it is an old server and not mission critical.
Tonight I learned that being a "Busser" at a restaurant is equivalent to being a Janitor for 7 hours, with a break at the beginning of your shift.
I'm going to go die now.
i occasionally had to bus when i worked at my last crappy job. it would get so busy that it was like i was the only person there... i'm so glad i've moved past shitty employment like that. food service is definately not for me.
Everyone should do food service at some point in their formative years, just so they can learn what they don't want to do for the rest of their lives. I worked at a Subway sandwich shop. That sucked, let me tell you what.
This is the reason I'm not going to quit, despite how crappy it is. I want to be able to say that I've done that kind of work and come out better for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Animeniax
Also it gives me a good chance to practice my Spanish, since only one of the other bussers can even understand English.
"Tres salsas para ellos" "Esa mesa está sucia, allá" "barre atrás" etc, etc.
I never wanted to work in food service, but here I am. I think I've been at a Pizza Hut long enough though. It's time for ime to find a job that grants me the experience I'll actually need. Hopefully that will happen 6 months from now.
The thought of you making my footlong turkey and cheddar makes me ill.Quote:
Originally Posted by Animeniax
Today I learned the drummer from Bad Company had $400,000 worth of jewels stolen from his house when he was on vacation. When asked if he had locked the doors, he said he couldn't remember. Oy.
Go go go! Working even in a retail pharmacy will help you out ALOT during pharmacy school dude. The only downfall is dealing with shitty customers who yell at you when their own damn insurance doesn't work. Its as if they think we have the power to change the copays on their prescriptions. -____-Quote:
Originally Posted by Buffalobiian
But yeah, working in some area of pharmacy in the real world is highly recommended Buff. I'm thinking about trying an internship at a company next year if I can get into one. And its cool to know that I'm in the same forum with another pharmacist-in-training (although I've known this for awhile so I didn't really learn anything...). :)
The thought of you eating an entire footlong sandwich for a "light snack" makes me happy I no longer work there.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Heretic Azazel
I learned again today that a busy day helps the workday pass a lot faster, though it allows me less time to post on the forums.
I don't recall saying a footlong was a light snack.
Your photo in the picture thread said so.
Btw, the drummer losing $400K sure puts your loss of $40 on your birthday into perspective doesn't it?
I learned today that its good to take a day off now and then, like I am today. I stayed up until 2AM playing GTA:IV, then slept in late until 10AM. It's now 10:30AM and I have a whole day to do nothing.
edit: and now that the day off is over: I actually spent the entire day doing almost nothing. Why do I feel like I'm wasting my life when I spend just one day loafing around?
Today I learnt just how ruthless mosquitoes can be. I went out into the bush for an hour and I must have at least a dozen or more bites. There's a cluster of 4 or 5 on the back left of my neck. But the most ridiculous one has to be the one on the middle knuckle of my right hand.
ouch, the middle knuckle one has to itch like a bitch
Actually, it itches the least since I caught the bastard in the act and killed it before it was done. The ones on my arms itch the most because I keep brushing up against things.
Today I learned that writing 6 thousand words in one sitting is not fun. I'm only sad I couldn't make it OVER NINE THOUSAND... but that's my next goal.
Today I learned more about CSS coding. Moving onto PHP soon.
Today I learned that I can hit 30mph on my stationary bike at a pretty high resistance setting, but can only sustain it for about 40 seconds before I have to drop back to about 15 and catch my breath.
My officemate and my supervisor both did 40+ mile death-tracks over the weekend on their actual bikes (riding up absurd ascents and such). The supervisor did 54 miles, which included a 1500 foot ascent over 3 miles, a 1000 foot ascent over a mile, and a 900 foot ascent over 2 miles.
I ... have no idea how they do it, and only the vaguest notion why they do it.
today i learned that all i had to do to make h264 videos run on my computer was clean it out a bit and install a new version of my codecs. my hi-res videos now run like clock work. smooth, beautiful clockwork :D
Too many people in this thread fail to differentiate between learning factual knowledge and realizing an experience. If a man trips and falls in front of you, you did NOT learn that a man has tripped. The reason why this derails the thread is because the purpose of the thread is to share your discoveries for mutual benefit. Understanding how fast you can ride your bike or that you had spyware on your computer is merely self-serving, and is therefore pointless. :mad:
A more appropriate example would be something like this:
Today I learned that rough objects create less drag than smooth ones. Hence the reason why golf balls have dimples.
Today I learned that you should always spread the thermal paste out when applying it to naked GPU dies. The "dab in the middle" method used for CPUs doesn't always work for naked GPU dies.
I think either kind of learning is beneficial for the masses. Oftentimes experience can be a greater teacher than factual knowledge. Self-actualization is also a form of learning. Sharing your own life experiences, though they may seem mundane or thread-derailing, can help others learn something about themselves, which in turn can help the poster learn something about himself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Assertn
Taking your golf ball dimples example, even though it is interesting in its seemingly illogicalness, how will that tidbit of information help me in my daily life? Whereas complich8's post had me thinking about the last time I was on an exercise bike doing 32mph at low-medium resistance, and how I will test my endurance the next time I'm on an exercise bike, since it would be shameful to lose to a pudgy sysadmin.
Your argument is in itself a contradiction. Any knowledge worth learning through experience should be, well, learned through experience. It's self-directed and has holds no context from the perspective of anyone else, and certainly holds no context within the purpose of this thread. If you want to create a "Today I experienced" thread, then go ahead.
To say that learning of other peoples' personal experiences through a textual medium derives greater benefit is laughable, although I commend your attempted ludic fallacy, using selective comparison to create some sort of value. This is also irrelevant to the thread, however, since the topic is not "Real-world skills I obtained today".
It's like the Snapple bottle caps. If you twist off a Snapple cap and the underside says "A brown-out corrupted my 10 page term paper," does that enhance your knowledge via proxy of a hypothetical experience? Is it supposed to? At least with objective facts, you can find some degree of amusement.
I didn't understand all those big words, but learning can come from many forms beyond objective facts. If you want to limit the scope of a thread, it will have limited usage and purpose and fade into obscurity.
So why not let this thread encompass all forms of learning? Even self-directed musings can hold lessons for others, but they can also be a means of self-reflection for the poster by way of considering word choice and recalling events while posting as well as receiving feedback from other posters.
If you want to limit a thread called "today I learned" to "interesting factual tidbits", then that's your choice too. But don't blame everyone else for interpreting the thread title to encompass more than just factoids.
There's no interpretation whatsoever. The opening post in this thread by KitKat specifies that this thread is for posting "something that's new to you, that you learned today," whatever that may be. I agree with Assertn that "experiencing" something isn't the same as "learning" it, but this thread is for posting what you learned, regardless of who benefits from that knowledge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Animeniax
Of course everyone would prefer people to make better posts that contain information and lessons for the benefit of others, but doing otherwise isn't derailing from the purpose of this thread at all.
Edit: Today I learned how to play the main riff of a Smith's song on the acoustic guitar. My goal is to be able to record both guitar and bass parts, then overlay them. That would be really fun.
I do love the random. Making this thread completely factual would make it somewhat boring and restrictive. Any others of you go back to the first post in the thread as a result of this discussion and burst out laughing at basey's diagram in the second post?Quote:
Originally Posted by KitKat
This summer I'm learning a lot about how to interact with people who have mental disabilities and visual impairments. I came into my cabin yesterday to find a guy lying on the floor in the middle of the hall, wearing a helmet, in his pyjamas. It does take some getting used to.
Well for those of us who joined late and never back-tracked to read the first post in the thread, it's perfectly rational to see a thread called "today I learned..." and think it encompasses more than factual information. I saw it as a thread about reflecting on a day's events or about something you discovered about the world or yourself today. Seems I interpreted the thread starter's intent exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by XanBcoo
I guess you could also say the discovery channel is boring and restrictive, but it must have some redeeming qualities, if it survived the test of time.Quote:
Originally Posted by KitKat
If you just write about random things that happen to you today, then the topic becomes about as interesting as a stranger's livejournal (not very interesting). Random died with lolcats.
I actually think shows like Monster Garage were not appropriate for the Discovery Channel, but it was one of their most popular shows. If Discovery Channel had stayed solely with their factual programming, they'd have gone out of business. I remember the days when they'd show the same nature show over and over because of a lack of programming diversity. That's not to say I want them to stray as far as MTV has from its origins, but expanding the term "discovery" has helped it stay fresh and popular.
I learned today that I hate it when mommies and daddies fight :( .
Yeah, and I bet nobody would be interested in a series of videos depicting nature and natural phenomena in high definition released by a station such as the BBC, amirite?
Yeah but by the 5th airing in a week, people would change the channel.
But thanks for that. I learned today what I will be sending by Dad for a late Father's Day present: Planet Earth: the Complete BBC Series (not the blu-ray version)
Dude, if there's ever a reason to get anything HD, it's for the planet earth series.
Then I'd have to get him an HDTV for late Father's Day too, which I don't think he'd fully appreciate. I'll think about it.
Today I learned that a red panda is also known as a firefox. wiki
Thanks NMQuote:
Originally Posted by NM
I read a few days back on how Kojima likes to use the different versions of the name John for characters in Metal Gear, and even Jack is a diminutive form of John. It was all quite amusing to me.
Ironically I learnt today that my name is the irish version of John. :eek:
Today I learned that my roommate for this coming year will be a freshman. Wouldn't be so bad if he didn't move in days before me which means I will get none of the furniture I want/need.
Damn freshman...
This week I learned that if you encounter a bear in the woods, you should put your hands over your head to make you look as big as possible, and speak slowly and calmly. Unfortunately, I only learned this after my bear encounter.
I was hiking through the woods with my dad, and we spotted a bear in the distance, walking through the trees. The trail we were following was going in the direction of the bear, but it looked to be walking off the other way. We decided that we'd walk quietly down the trail, and hope to sneak past it. Afterwards we learned this was not the greatest decision because surprising a bear can provoke an attack (the best course of action would have been to back up a bit, start talking loudly, and then continue on the trail which would have alerted the bear to the presence of humans so it could make itself scarce). So, we crept along the trail for a bit, and rounded a corner, and suddenly the bear was right there in front of us in the middle of the trail. As we came around the corner, my dad stepped on a branch, and the bear saw us. It bellowed in annoyance and galloped off into the woods. I had a moment of panic where I thought he was charging us, but luckily he decided to go crashing and thundering away through the underbrush. Scary, but awesome. I've never been that close to a bear in the wild before. He was only a few metres away from us.
Trite but true, remember that when getting away from a bear, you don't have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the other person with you :D
Why is it that we realize something is a bad idea, but we do it anyway and just hope for the best? Like driving yourself home after drinking because you don't want to leave your car overnight, or driving through a flooded street even though you're asking for hydro-lock or flooding the transmission? It's a weakness of the human existence I suppose. I'm glad you and your father (and the bear) survived the experience.
You should have taken a photo (just the bear, not necessarily you and your dad posing with it). This might have been the only time you will ever meet a bear in the wilds.