TIL Thread: Today I learned...

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Wed Apr 03, 2019 2:02 am

TIL there's a piece of animation where voice actors Paul Frees and Maurice LaMarche voiced together.

Specifically, this Froot Loops commercial:



Paul Frees voiced Toucan Sam, while Maurice LaMarche voiced the scientist. LaMarche verified it himself in the comments, a rare time a YouTube comment proved useful.

Two months after this spot was recorded Frees died, and LaMarche took over as Toucan Sam.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by ToastGhost (?) » Wed Apr 03, 2019 2:51 am

Mechanical Ape wrote:
Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:21 pm
TIL oxen and cows are the same species. An ox is just a castrated bull with a job.
I learned this in the brief MLP D&D campaign I did a while back. After learning it, I decided Jack the Ox didn't want to talk about a lot of things. :nngh:
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by W.T. Fits (?) » Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:45 pm


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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Fri Apr 05, 2019 11:19 am

TIL there was a movie called "The Wolf of Wall Street" in 1929.

The film is lost, and this is the only known surviving fragment:


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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Fri Apr 05, 2019 2:01 pm

That is some wild visual style for 1929!

Was this film made before the crash or in hindsight of it?
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Fri Apr 05, 2019 6:07 pm

The movie was released in February of 1929; the market crashed in October.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Tue Apr 09, 2019 12:38 am

I thought I knew a few things about old animation, but TIL about Super-President and Spy Shadow.



The '60s, man.

Also those commercials. :-D
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:38 am

Mechanical Ape wrote:
Tue Apr 09, 2019 12:38 am
I thought I knew a few things about old animation, but TIL about Super-President and Spy Shadow.
OH MY GOD SUPER PRESIDENT. That show is infamous among the vintage animation fandom :lol:

If you'd like, there's an entire (48-page) book about the show's history, including an interview with the show's character designer, who openly admitted the show had a stupid premise.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:45 am

Also, is it just me or does Super President's assistant, Jerry, look like Karl Rove? :-I

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Pocket (?) » Tue Apr 09, 2019 7:38 pm

TIL where the term "catfishing" comes from:
The term was coined during a 2010 documentary, Catfish, when a subject told a story about the journey of live cod from the United States to China. Apparently, to prevent the cod from becoming lazy and their flesh turning to mush, seafood suppliers add to the tanks their natural enemy, the catfish. A predator creates excitement.
I'd always assumed it was derived from "phishing" somehow.

The article I'm quoting from is interesting too, in its own way.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Fri Apr 12, 2019 5:51 pm

TIL that blue LEDs took a long time to develop, and that its breakthrough was rather important in the tech industry.

A video on the subject:


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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:08 pm

Anyone remember 1990s-era AOL, with "Welcome. You got mail?" and such?



Well, TIL that the man who said that was Elwood Edwards. He's an Uber driver in Ohio now.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Pocket (?) » Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:34 pm

I mentioned in the comments for that video that it always baffled me why blue LEDs are so bright compared to others, and someone responded that it probably has to do with needing less juice to achieve the same level of brightness and manufacturers usually being too lazy to use different sized resistors for different colors.

That would go a long way toward explaining why "white" LEDs (which typically use a combination of blue and yellow diodes wired into the same source) were tinted blue for a long time.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Madeline (?) » Sat Apr 13, 2019 1:51 am

I know this should be obvious, but talking to people to work out conflicts usually works out a lot better than letting things stew and fester.

So that’s my TIL and I’m going to keep on trying

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Pocket (?) » Sat Apr 13, 2019 5:24 pm

TIL some TVs have a feature where they can control other devices over the HDMI cable. I found this out because I just bought a used Blu-Ray player at a rummage sale for $5 that was missing its remote, and figured on picking up a replacement online or getting a universal remote. But I hooked it up to my TV anyway just to check if it could actually power on and play discs before I spent any more money. When I switched the input over to HDMI, I got a pop-up in the TV's HUD saying "device control active". And then I remembered that the TV's remote has playback buttons and realized what they're for. Sure enough, even with the player angled away from me, I can control it by pointing the remote at the TV. So nothing extra needed until I decide I'd rather get the full 1080 experience by plugging it into my monitor.

Which could be a while, because in its current condition it can play DVDs but not Blu-Rays. Not even ones that were already out when it was made, and not even after updating the firmware. That's a stumper. It seems to somehow be a hardware issue too because it makes all kinds of weird noises when it tries—noises that it doesn't make when it's playing DVDs.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:09 am

TIL that the co-creator of Marvel's "Rocket Raccoon" and "Cloak & Dagger" was in a hit-and-run accident that left him permanently disabled. The driver was never identified.

There's a GoFundMe for his medical treatments in the link above.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Sun Apr 21, 2019 11:24 am

TIL that Franklin in "Peanuts" has a last name: Armstrong, named after "Jump Start" cartonist Robb Armstrong

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:23 pm

TIL that in 1938, Mussolini banned American comics in Italy, only allowing Italian-made comics to be printed.

One exception was granted, however: Mickey Mouse. More info here.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Octavia (?) » Mon Apr 22, 2019 11:13 pm

TIL that it took us 1,385 days to go through our bulk order of 700 coffee filters. :spike101:
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Wed May 01, 2019 3:55 pm

TIL that there's a large population of feral camels in Australia. More info here.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Thu May 02, 2019 11:10 pm

TIL That Montpelier, Vermont, is the only capital city in the US that doesn't have a single McDonald's

It's also the least-populous capital in the country, with only about 7,000 people. By comparison, a small backwards town I live in has about 10,000 people.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Aramek (?) » Sat May 04, 2019 5:09 pm



:starity:
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat May 04, 2019 5:50 pm

This is the MIDI version of those "In G Minor" videos.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Sun May 05, 2019 12:00 am

When the pianos rise up, this is how they will communicate their demands.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Tue May 07, 2019 2:21 am

TIL about Flexplay, disposable DVDs that would destroy itself 2 days after it opened.

As you can imagine, this was a terrible idea and it failed :-I


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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Fri May 10, 2019 3:12 pm

Many years ago I remember Google doing a week-long series of logos with the Dilbert characters (you can see them here)

Well, I found this series of blog posts from a former brand manager of Google talking about the logo and working with Scott Adams.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Few things I learned from this:

1. They were plans for Google to team up with famous cartoonists to create their own take of the logo. They approached Gary Larson and Bill Watterson, who predictably declined. Scott Adams originally declined but he eventually agreed to do it couple years later, when they asked again.

2. Scott Adams agreed to do it pro-bono in exchange for Google-branded merchandise (at the time Google wasn't a billion dollar corporation like they are now).

3. There were numerous ideas that got rejected, including couple involving boob jokes with the two "OO"s (one of which involved Wally).

I remember a few things from when it originally ran, including how it was publicized with press-release and everything. There was also a limited-edition coffee mug available, showing the first and last logos (this was sold through CafePress, which at the time was widely used for manufactured-on-demand merchandising). According to the post, the mug was apparently rather controversial because many felt Google was selling-out by doing tie-ins with a commercial IP (BOY, if only they see how they are today :-I ). They ultimately decided to donate all profits from the mug to charity in order to lessen the criticism.

Since the mug was only available for a limited time, they are rare and hard to find, as you can imagine. You can buy one here for $20, though.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Pocket (?) » Fri May 10, 2019 9:04 pm

The idea that Bill Watterson was even reachable in 2002 is kind of weird to think about. But if anyone could find him, it's Google.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Fri May 10, 2019 10:47 pm

Pocket wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 9:04 pm
The idea that Bill Watterson was even reachable in 2002 is kind of weird to think about. But if anyone could find him, it's Google.
I think they reached out via the syndicate rather than contacting him directly. Same with Larson, who's also a recluse like Watterson.

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Vivianinatoga (?) » Sat May 11, 2019 6:50 pm

Mr. Big wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 11:10 pm
TIL That Montpelier, Vermont, is the only capital city in the US that doesn't have a single McDonald's

It's also the least-populous capital in the country, with only about 7,000 people. By comparison, a small backwards town I live in has about 10,000 people.
Vermont also has the highest number of small craft breweries per capita in the US currently.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Wed May 15, 2019 1:35 am

TIL that Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of "Avatar", was a director on "Family Guy".

Actually, it's interesting just the kind of names you find when going through the list of people who worked on the show. Former MLP head writer Rob Renzetti was also a director on the show, along with "Phineas and Ferb" co-creator Dan Povenmire (the other creator, Jeff Marsh, also worked on "King of the Hill" as a designer)

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Pocket (?) » Sun May 19, 2019 8:56 pm

TIL I can name all 22 Marvel movies despite having never seen them.

(To wit: The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Captain America, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Dr. Strange. I didn't say I could name them in order.)
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Logicgate (?) » Mon May 20, 2019 10:06 am

Aardvark, abating, abet, abdicating, abandon, abase, and abreast....

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Octavia (?) » Tue May 21, 2019 11:35 pm

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Wed May 22, 2019 12:18 am

PUT A FUCKING SADDLE ON IT

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Pocket (?) » Wed May 22, 2019 1:49 am

I've never watched He-Man, but I love the implication that anyone thought this Conan looking dude riding a giant tiger was somehow less fitting than him having a "vehicle".

Hindsight is 20/20, I guess.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Aramek (?) » Wed May 22, 2019 7:54 am

I'm so glad they uploaded that clip, because I have been telling everyone to watch The Toys That Made Us from the start, and that the He-Man ep was the best, and now I have easily accessible proof.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by W.T. Fits (?) » Wed May 22, 2019 12:02 pm

Irregular Webcomic wrote:Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of salts, mostly hydrated sodium carbonate with some sodium bicarbonate and traces of other sodium salts. It's typically found in dried up lake and river beds.

The word natron comes from Wadi El Natrun the place in Egypt where the ancient Egyptians mined the salts for use in preserving bodies for mummification. They referred to the salts as ntry. This passed into Ancient Greek as νίτρον (nitron), and thence into Latin as natrium. And this is why the chemical symbol for sodium is Na - it comes from the Latin, but ultimately derives from Ancient Egyptian. How cool is that?

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Thu May 23, 2019 1:46 am

TIL about Académie française, a literal language police where their mission is to prevent foreign words from creeping into the French language.

I first read about it in a webcomic. At first I thought the cartoonist made it up to poke fun at how French people can be snooty, but NOPE. It's a real thing :-I

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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Pocket (?) » Thu May 23, 2019 3:51 am

I wonder how they deal with newly-invented things that need to have words for them, i.e. 90% of the reason new words are coined in the first place. 'Cause I was shown the DVD cover for the Canadian version of Avengers: Infinity War recently, and "digital code" was translated as "code numérique", which—assuming "numérique" is also French for "numeric"—could mean a confusingly wide array of things. It's also doubly bullshit because French is a Romance language and "digital" is already Latin, dammit; it's not even a foreign loanword.
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Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...

Post by Perrydotto (?) » Thu May 23, 2019 10:23 am

Don't forget that French is a purposely complicated language because when it was the lingua franca for a while and every rich person would learn French to appear cultured the French purposely made the language harder to learn
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