
Was there anyone among us who didn't love Pop Up Video?
Of course not. Random tidbits and factoids are like a brain's favorite snack, and putting them to music only made it better.
One Reddit user asked:
What's a totally random, obscure fact that you know?
We know Pop Up Video has been off the air for forever, but as our gift to you we're going to help you recreate that vibe for a moment. Put on your favorite playlist and enjoy these random factoids.
And can someone check on Australia? Why does everything glow in Australia? Should we be concerned?
... I'm kind of concerned. Radioactive platypi seems not good.
Just Another Manic Monday
It is more likely for anyone to have a stroke on Monday rather any other day, because of the stress that comes with the beginning of a new week.
in this link it also says that the most common weeks are around holidays too.
https://www.pulsara.com/blog/if-youre-going-to-have-a-stroke-or-stemi-heres-when-it-might-happen
My father had a heart attack on an early Monday morning. The wonderful people at the hospital told us that they get the most heart attack and stroke victims at - I think - 9 o'clock in the morning. Thankfully it was minor and he is now happy and healthy!
Woah, this is 100% accurate! My father had his stroke on the Monday after the Easter weekend, right when he wanted to get up for work.
He hasn't been to work since.
- anna-gla
Holy crap. I had what I believe was a seizure earlier this morning. It's Monday.
This scares the sh*t out of me. I live alone with my dog in a house with lots of hardwood stairs as well. Nobody to really check on me.
Terrible cell reception, you have to go to a specific spot on my property for a good call. My fear is that I'll die, and nobody will find me for weeks or months.
Lobster Face
Lobsters pee out of their faces. From right under their eyes.
also you'd be wrong to assume they do it to.. actually pee. In fact they pee into each other's face to communicate, or before a fight, or before some hot sexy time.
Before You Dig
I located utility lines for awhile. You honestly have no idea how much infrastructure is underneath you. Get your lines marked before you dig. There is a decent chance that there is a major electrical or fiber optic line running through your back yard, not just the lines to YOUR house.
when they are marked:
Red-electric
Green-sewer
Blue-water
Yellow-Gas
Orange-communication
orange with a dot on either side- fiber optic
any color in a diamond with parallel lines- duct run, lots of lines in one trench.
It's funny because my dad and I went to put a fence up and had the lines marked. Put a auger right through a communication line because they marked it like 4' off lol
- SPYK3O
Can't Vomit
Horses can't throw up.
That's why most modern rat poisons are emetic. Other creatures (cats, dogs, human children, etc.) that find and eat the poison very quickly become violently sick and vomit up most or all of the poisonous material, significantly reducing the risk that they will be harmed by it.
Rats, however, cannot be sick, and so the poison stays in them and kills them off.
- McChes
Wait, what do horses do if they eat something bad? Do they just have strong stomachs?
Lol no. They die.
Horses can be pretty ridiculous about randomly dying, especially with colic, which is basically a horrible horse tummy ache. I knew one horse that would colic if you didn't feed him his special food at the exact same time every day 3 times a day.
My Aunt's horse died from eating moldy bread because you are right, horses cant throw up.
- the_obmj
Um ... Australia? Things OK Down There?
Platypuses glow when they're exposed to UV lights.
Bioflorescent... they are steadily found more and more examples that do the same thing. I think Tasmanian Devils and Wombats were both captured recently.
It seems to only happen to those animals in captivity?
The belief is that these (primarily) nocturnal creatures are expected to be seen by daylight in zoos and as a result they absorb too much UV radiation from the sun and when in the dark they re-emit and it shows up better under UV light.
Wombats glow on their noses!
Netflix
Netflix was founded before Google
Even better: In 2000, Netflix offered itself for sale to Blockbuster for something like $50 million. Blockbuster, convinced that Netflix was a flash in the pan and that people would always want to rent disks, declined.
This was before streaming was even an idea in the mind of Reed Hastings; streaming was still a very, very new technology at the time and most people were still on dial-up modems, so it just wasn't feasible. Still, things would be certainly different today.
Default Mode
Your brain prefers to default your mood back to one that you've made comfortable for yourself. So you can literally train yourself to default back to being sad, or being happy, or being anxious etc.
Unfortunately I don't have expertise in exactly how to do that.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) would be helpful and maybe a type of therapy called Gestalt therapy? But I'm no expert on any of this stuff.
I have 2 friends who are counsellors and a sister as well. So maybe I could ask them.
A Man-child Changes History
This one potentially changed the course of history.
Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire was the ruler of Germany during WWI. Though technically a constitutional monarchy at the time Germany, and its military especially, operated more like an autocratic monarchic state. The top ranks of the German military relied on the personal patronage the kaiser for career advancement.
Thing is, he was a bit of a man-child. So instead of a jump, "how high," situation, it was more like "here's a dress, it'd be funny if you marched around."
In 1908, Field Marshal Dietrich von Hulsen-Haeseler was the top ranking German officer and was only 56 years old. He died that year of a heart attack while marching around for kaiser dressed in a tutu and a feathered hat. Presumably because of the stress and embarrassment of the situation.
Had he lived, he would've commanded the German military in WWI. Instead, they entered the war led by Generals who had risen to the rank without ever actually commanding an army in the field. They were untested jesters in war. It didn't go well.
And that is my useless fact of the day!
Spirit Carbon
Ancient Europeans believed that if they ground up the bones of their greatest warriors or sacred animals and mixed them in with the iron when forging a sword, the sword would contain their spirits, making it stronger.
Little did they know that by adding in the ground up bones they were introducing carbon to the mix and creating carbon steel, which is much stronger than simple iron.
So they were making their swords stronger by adding the sacred bones, just not in the way they thought they were.
Brain Bag
I just learned this yesterday. After an autopsy the brain is put in to the body instead of back in the skull.
It's very hard to fit the cap back on the skull with brain put back in place. The better fit without the brain makes the head look better after the autopsy for sake of the family.
All innards removed are put into a bag, in the abdominal cavity, and then the corpse is stitched up.
Umbrellas Are High Demand
I can't find any good sources for this, but based on countless stories, first-hand experience, and a Japanese friend's confirmation: "The top 3 things most commonly stolen in Japan are: umbrellas, bicycles, and underwear" 😅
I find this amusing because I've lost my wallet and phone multiple times here in Japan, but they always come back. Yet I've probably spent hundreds of dollars buying umbrellas 😅
The Water Slide
The Verrückt (meaning insane or crazy) Was one of the tallest waterslides in Schlitterbahn Kansas City At a staggering height of 168 feet!
However, On August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old son of Kansas state representative Scott Schwab, died while riding Verrückt.
He was decapitated my a piece of metal that got loose from the netting it supported.
Figs
Figs, despite being a fruit, aren't technically vegetarian/vegan due to the chance of fig wasps having been killed in the pollination process.
Fig plants have a unique pollination process in which female wasps crawl inside the fig flower to lay eggs, losing her wings and antennae in the process, and promptly dies. The baby wasps then hatch and fly to another fig plant, pollinating it and so the process repeats. The fig flower, now pollinated, grows into the fig fruit.
Now, this usually happens to the 'male' fig plant species (we typically eat the female variant) but some wasps do get confused, hence why they cant be guaranteed vegetarian.
- [Reddit]
Bird Nerd
Let me regale you with bird facts because I'm a huge bird nerd:
- It's not precisely known why sparrows and other birds take "dust baths" (they shake dust and dirt into their feathers) but it's likely because they're removing mites from their feathers.
- Speaking of dirt, birds purposefully ingest dirt because it aids with digestion.
- Pigeons are smarter than we think. "Pigeons are considered to be one of the most intelligent birds on the planet and able to undertake tasks previously thought to be the sole preserve of humans and primates. The pigeon has also been found to pass the 'mirror test' (being able to recognize its reflection in a mirror) and is one of only 6 species, and the only non-mammal, that has this ability. The pigeon can also recognize all 26 letters of the English language as well as being able to conceptualize. In scientific tests pigeons have been found to be able to differentiate between photographs and even differentiate between two different human beings in a photograph when rewarded with food for doing so."
- Eating like a bird isn't a compliment, because if you ate like a bird, you would most likely be eating the equivalent of a dozen or more large pizzas a day.
- Birds have been known to eat paint chips for calcium, especially blue jays.
- Woodpeckers attract mates by pecking. The louder they can peck, the more likely they are to attract a mate. So if you wondered why they're pecking on your chimney, that's most likely why.
Mozart
Mozart composed 626 pieces in under 34 years. That is roughly 18.5 compositions per year; each of them about 20/30 minutes long. This means that he wrote approximately 1.2 minutes PER DAY, which (as a composer myself) is incredibly difficult.
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Sometimes you only need to experience something once, to know it's a never again situation.
I always say, try everything once.
Well, now that I'm older, a caveat to that is... try it all within reason.
How many things have we all walked away from saying the one time experience will suffice?
In fact, knowing when to say no is one of life's wisest choices.
Redditor Croakied wanted to discuss the times we've all said... "once was enough!" They asked:
"What is one thing that you will NEVER do again?"
Love. Did it. A few times. Moving on.
Stay Still
"Jump off a moving train."
DenseDriver6477
"My dad used to jump on a train when he was little to go to school. He broke his nose like twice doing it. He also would not recommend."
Darphon
“vaportini”
"Smoke alcohol. Me and my friends bought something called a 'vaportini' in college where you could pour alcohol into a bulb and after low heat separated the alcohol from the liquid, you could inhale it thru the glass straw you inserted into the bulb. Basically you got drunk directly into your bloodstream/brain and it never hit your stomach."
"If you did too much, your body wouldn’t make you vomit or something, there wouldn’t be a simple self regulation/safety measure. You’d just get alcohol poisoning. Felt very dangerous, the drunk wasn’t a regular drunk feeling. We used it once and were like okay, never again. I’d be surprised if you could still buy it, although it would be incredibly easy to replicate at home."
michelangelho
It’s heartbreaking...
"Fall in love with a drug addict."
Rains_Lee
"Good call, don’t do it. The drugs will always come first. Can’t go out unless their 'ok' with how much drugs they have and money left over if any, cant make love unless they have their fix for the night and even still it never feels normal, can’t trust them after the lies to get drugs and the manipulation they put you through, and you can’t change them no matter how much you try and wish they would. It’s heartbreaking."
Cvilla411
More me time...
"Give up my life for work. F**k going the extra mile for a place that doesn't value you and pays you crap even though you go the extra mile for them. You have 1 life with only so much precious time to enjoy it and slaving away at some job is not worth it. Do what you can to reduce your workload and find better employment, or hell try to change the working conditions at your current job to improve things for everyone if you can."
Mrhappytrigers
Well Obvi...
"Donate a kidney."
ToffieMonster
"Well, you could donate the remaining one. You just won’t be around to say anything about it."
shavemejesus
This is definitely list I can relate to. No thank you on a lot of this!
I Quit
"Smoke cigarettes, it's been two years since I quit."
SuvenPan
Forget It
"Climb mount Kilimanjaro. Toughest thing I've done and it's not worth it. I'm all about tough treks and camping but to put yourself under tough conditions and suspectable to altitude sickness only to get to the top for 10 minutes for a picture. No thank you."
Monks_
"I agree, it was memorable. Once was enough for my husband and I. Thankfully we stayed at American style hotel run by the US Navy with a hot tub and bar. Alcohol was definitely needed after all that."
Whatsherface112
I'm living alone!
"Sign a lease with a stranger without hanging out with them a few times beforehand. My past roommate experiences in college were terrible. Roommates either ignored me, hosted parties til 3 AM on weeknights, made the house the hangout and drug-den for them and their buddies. Meet up once and they'll put on an act for you. If you can, try to see how they act drunk or frustrated."
"Try to hang out with their buddies too so you can see the type of people who could be coming into your future place of residence. As soon as I can afford it, I'm living alone! Now, I investigate a potential roommate's social media and hang out at least twice before signing a lease with them."
fleursdefer
Stay Away
"Take back a cheater. Know your worth my brothers and sisters."
santichrist
"Ughhhhh going back and forth on this one. My boyfriend of 5 years has cheated on me. Several times, actually but says he’s really changed and is ready to settle down and wants me to move in with him. I’m on the fence. So they never change???"
madlecroy
Sleeptime
"Take a laxative and sleeping pill at the same time."
karmaredemption
Once, twice, three times... I'm out. Bye.
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People Imagine How They'd React If Their Significant Other Wanted To Sleep With Other People
There is an age old question that has been getting more traction surrounding sex for partners the last decade or so.
And that is... "is just one enough?"
Were we really meant to only be with one person forever?
There are so many flavors to taste.
What if your partner wants more cookie dough with your strawberry?
Redditor Pineapple-Status wanted to hear everyone's thoughts on opening the bedroom to others. They asked:
"What would you do if your long term SO suddenly wants to have sex with other people?"
I say I'd be ok with it, but I'm remembering my last relationship and I feel like I'm not a "put my $ where my mouth is type" on this issue.
Bye
"Wish her well and spend the next 2 years getting myself back to a place where I am ready to get hurt again."
wickedblight
It's Time to Roll On...
"Personally I would leave them."
"I think they're the ones leaving you. I don't think the relationship changes at that point; I think it ends. If you have a monogamous relationship, they are telling you they want to end that. They might be suggesting starting a new, non-monogamous relationship, but that is a separate thing. The original relationship is over."
octopoddle
ethical non-monogamy...
"OP, it's no different than anything else they want: you either agree and stay together, disagree but stay together, disagree and break up, or even agree and break up. What you're talking about is called 'ethical non-monogamy.'" The seminal book to read is called The Ethical Sl*t."
"It basically boils down to be whatever you want, just don't lie about it. The tricky thing is that this is something that was not present before, but is present now. So it's a potential fork in your road. If you're against it, it's up to your SO to decide if sex with other people is more important to them than a life with you."
Tokugawa
a different story...
"I think it depends too how intently they're interested. If it's a thing they bring up because they're curious but it's not a dealbreaker for them, I'm fine with that even if I don't want to proceed. A solid relationship involves open communication, and it'd make me happy if my partner trusted us and our bond enough to voice that curiosity with me."
"If it's something their heart's absolutely set on, then it's a different story. Either way, it's kind of strange to me how these posts always assume simply asking your partner how they feel about opening the relationship means they're now wholey invested in the poly lifestyle and they'll resent you or cheat if you say no."
donkeynique
Others
"Happy that we have common interest, sad that it's different 'other people."
i_lick_icicles
Sex is always an issue. Remember when it was just fun?
Mine
"Leave her. I’m far too possessive and jealous to be able to mentally accept polyamory. If she has a desire to be with other people I’m not going to stand in her way but I’m not going to be there when she gets home either."
Thiek
Not Me...
"Break up. My parents were poly and it's just not for me. I've been honest with every relationship I've been in that I'm not interested in any type of open relationship. If they want to be with someone else that's fine but we'll be over. My husband is aware of this and on board (and has been for over twenty years!). So if he came to me with this yes I would be heartbroken but I'm not willing to budge on this and it would be the end of our relationship."
GoldDustWitchQueen
Let's Talk
"Counseling time! We're married. I'm chronically ill (stage 4 breast cancer) and have no libido. We try to make intimacy work, and obviously in that case it wouldn't be working. So. Time for a pro to sort out the marriage, and possibly a sex therapist for me."
insertcaffeine
Awkward Positions
"I’ll put myself hypothetically in this position. My partner and I only want each other. We’ve made this abundantly clear to each other. However, if she came to me with desire to open our bedroom and she wanted to sleep with people outside our marriage."
"I would simply express how I vehemently do not an open bedroom and that it would kill any desire I have to want her, be with her, love her, etc. Our couple dynamic has been working well through our ups and downs. Involving some stranger in the ONE thing I find most sacred with my partner is the best way for me to lose any interest or passion for the relationship."
RedFlaim
Farewell
"Break it off, because they definitely already have someone in mind and you telling them no won't change the fact that they were only one step away from following through with it."
Caressticles
Well it feels like a lot of people still believe in one partner, happily ever after. Good for y'all. But big props to these couples who have open and honest conversations about their wants and needs.
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Many of us sometimes fantasize about what we would do to our worst enemies, especially in the moments when they're actively making our lives worse.
While most of us would never actually do any of the things that we contemplate instead of screaming at that super annoying person at the office, we do get pretty creative with the ideas.
Redditor take_me_there_ asked:
"What WOULD you wish on your worst enemy?"
This One Would Hurt
"A conscience. Let her realize the horrific things she’s done."
- Jenny010137
"Seriously. Introspection, self awareness, and empathy are traits that would improve a lot of sh*tty people."
- el_muerte17
"Oh I wish I had thought of this one. If my enemy had a conscience, wow life would be much different."
- Shelbysouth43
No Pearly Whites For You
"I’d like all their teeth to turn really yellow and stay yellow no matter what they do."
- toothfixingfiend
"What did I ever do to you?"
- Spideredd
"I don't even know you! Give me back my enamel!"
- AngryMustache9
Everything You Own Is Orange Now
"Permanent Cheeto fingers. Just orange cheese dust getting on everything."
- cocoapuff1721
"This has to be one of the most evil things I ever heard, yet absolutely hilarious."
-Merk0411
"The Midas Touch: Snack Edition"
- MaryVenetia
Ouch, But Forever
"Stubbing and breaking their toe and right as it’s about to be done healing it happens again over and over for the rest of their pitiful time on this hell we call earth."
- No-Bee-2971
"Sisyphoot"
- Alpha_6
"More of a Toemetheus imo"
- PykeTheDrowned
Self Reflection
"For them to realize how big of an a-hole they are."
- mayhemanaged
"Same for me. The trouble is mine probably knows what a tremendous a-hole he is, and just doesn't care (it's what defines him, is his outlook more than likely), so, give mine a conscience as well, he undeniably lacks one."
- RhoadsOfRock
"a crushing moment of self realization is something that can destroy you mentally. I wish that on them."
- chancetodream
Bury Them Under A Mountain Of Minor Inconveniences
"Always being hungry two hours after eating no matter how large the meal. Slow internet. Traffic jams no matter the location. Self doubt. Allergies. Favorite shows spoiled."
"Nothing major enough to be life altering but constant, low grade inconveniences that wear on your soul every day."
- I_Love_Small_Br**sts
"Every bite of food they eat/drink they drink being slightly the wrong temperature."
"Coffee? Warm but not hot. Cola? Cool, but not cold. Muffin? Ever so slightly frozen."
"Not enough to ruin their life, but just enough to not quite have full enjoyment of anything.."
- HappiHappiHappi
They'll Never Be Able To Use Their Computer Again
"Quick scan with McAfee on their computer."
- halflife_3
"You f**king monster."
- Orion_2kTC
"The constant pop-ups from McAfee is too far."
- _Land_Rover_Series_3
That's A New Level Of Evil
"Bed bugs."
- thrawn1825
"Currently dealing with bed bugs, and I can absolutely confirm this is the kind of thing I would wish upon my worst enemy. It is miserable and painful, and I've tried everything to get rid of them at this point."
"I would easily wish this upon my worst enemy, x10."
- ArbitrarilyStagnant
"Oh hell no, you went there... Hopefully they aren't living in an apartment complex or you've cursed everyone in the building."
- expect_less
Well of course I know him. He’s me.
"$100,000. I sure could use it."
- Sparklesperson
"'It’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy'"
- FishyVonFishenHymer
"Lol I thought this was that deep sh*t like 'pray for those you resent to have all the things you want in life….' Then I realized."
- No-Chipmunk9527
Forever Constipated
"That they can never have a satisfying poop. They always feel like they have to go to the bathroom and when they do nothing comes."
- [User Deleted]
"Wow. That's evil. Always feeling the need to pee would be good (as in horrific) too."
- ipakookapi
We definitely don't recommend implementing any of these plans (not that most would actually be possible), but here's some new ideas for the next time you're stuck in a meeting with your most annoying coworker and need a little fantastical escape.
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I grew up poor, and I remember the little things that made me smile when we just happened to have enough that week.
The little things that a truly rich person would not think twice about.
Ah, the luxury of it.
What spells luxury for you?
Redditor ConAir161057 wanted to compare notes about the things in life that feel like items only money can buy. They asked:
"For people who grew up with little money, what always felt like a luxury?"
New clothes. I had so many hand me downs and thrift store clothes... new seemed like a dream.
Anxiety
"After growing up in a home where every unexpected problem was a financial emergency, my idea of wealthy became 'I just want enough money that if something breaks I don't get anxiety about how to deal with it.'"
Obiwan_ca_bl**me
Literature
"Getting to buy something from the scholastic book fair."
Rich*itch3232
"My school, at the end of it a bunch of books were 'donated' and then spread out on a table in the library. We all got to go pick one book. So even if kids didn’t get to purchase a book, in the end they had a chance to still get a book. It’s actually how I got my first Harry Potter book. Was a cool idea for any school staff or parents active in their kids’ schools."
glass_pillow
Christmas
"Getting new clothes at Christmas from relatives. I don't know if that is exactly a luxury or the kind of answer you are looking for, but we never had a lot of money when I was in middle school. I went an entire year wearing the same pants everyday. The funny thing was my parents didn't even buy them for me."
"I got them for Christmas from my Grandparents. All the kids use to give me so much sh*t for wearing the same pants everyday. I always told them that I had 5 of the same pair which made me feel good inside and kind of made them ease off even though I know they didn't believe me."
"I remember I fell on the school bus one day and the jagged floor cut a hole right in the knee cap and the panic that went over me was just insane. It was one of the worst feelings of my whole life because I knew that I didn't have any other pants to wear and that now all of the kids in my school were going to know that I only had 1 pair. Needless to say I could not wait for the last month of school to end."
themagicman_1231
I'm Away
"Summer camp, or basically any school trips that had to be paid for. At my school the kids who couldn't afford to go on trips that happened during school hours still had to come to the school, we just sat in a room and did extra work like it was detention."
Helpful_Yams
"I was lucky. If you taught at the day camp your kid could go for free. That was just day camp though not sleepaway camp. My mom found a camp teacher who had no kids of his own and he signed me up as his kid so I could get free day camp. Did that all through elementary school."
randtcouple
Big Deals
"Going out for pizza was a big deal. Those free mini pizzas for reading books were huge."
Shroom4Yoshi
Food is always an issue when you're broke.
Damage
"Being able to turn on the heat in the cold and pay a professional to fix damaged appliances, plumbing, and other issues."
Liggettef
Spoiled
"When my grandma would come pick me up and spoil me. My parents didn't have much money and were addicts so when my grandma would come get me I would come back with new clothes, video games, toys, etc. I used to think my grandma was rich but she actually just had a stable income."
nawlepen
"I was in this position when I was younger. I always thought my grandma had SO much money… but all she did was go to work everyday. Always made sure I had clothes and all my school supplies. I miss her pretty bad."
Keywork29
Water
"I am from a small island in the Pacific. While I mostly still take cold showers, I have always felt that a hot shower is the finest luxury one can experience. I had my first hot shower when I was 22 years old and I can never forget it."
FSMPIO
"This is the kind of luxury I think people take for granted, I always avoided showers in the winter as a kid since most of the time they where cold showers and the temperature here was around 12c° during those times."
PowerfullDio
Showerware
"Towels. Honestly, I was almost 10 When I realized people didn’t just put back on their dirty clothes after a shower because my family was so large (12 kids total including myself) and extremely poor. I thought towels were just for hotels or were maybe a prop on television. I went to a friends house and she asked for my help folding her towels. I remember laughing and thinking she must be rich."
"Long story short, I wasn’t sure which way to fold the towels, and begged my mom to buy them after I revealed that my friend, Simone, had them. She bought a box of used ones from a local auction and I walked around with them on my head feeling like a frigging empress after that, even though—-let’s be clear… these were second hand towels!"
shakezula1025
Or BK...
"Grew up poor and when I was a kid I used to think you were rich if you had a dishwasher and a millionaire if you had one of those refrigerators that have a button for ice. McDonalds was also a luxury, a couple times a year on our birthdays."
chinderellab*tch
Everyone should have access to all of these things. Why is life unfair?
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