
Not every fact in this great big mystery of a world of ours has a use. Sometimes facts just ARE. Independently from opinion or from use. They just quite literally exist.
Though as humans, we are such passionately curious creatures that we seek out new things to learn even if it doesn't actually do anything for us.
Even if it only takes up space in our brains.
"What is the stupidest fact you know?"
Here were some of the answers.
A Strangely Vital Exercise
"Penguins poop with the greatest force of any known animal as if they did it slower they would lose internal body heat."-theboorster
"Out of all the evolutionary survival traits I would have NEVER thought sh*tting faster would be one of them lol and now I know."-Artemismajor
A Drizzle By Any Other Name
"Although in Metereology the definition of drizzle is for the water droplets to be smaller than 0,5 mm the general accepted way to define at a glance wether what's falling from the sky is rain or drizzle is to observe if the droplets can splash on top of your shoe once they hit the ground"
"If they do it means that they are large enough and contain enough mass to be classified as rain, otherwise it's drizzle. Sounds silly until you try to measure the dimension of a water droplet falling from the sky every time it starts pouring to fill a weather report."-Zartas
Similar To Break A Leg, No?
"In France we say 'Merde' (literally 'sh*t' in english) to say good luck, because saying good luck is seen as a bad luck."
"It comes from the middle ages when people traveled in horse carts, when there was a lot of sh*t in front of theaters it meant the play had a lot of success."-Chrissou_A
No fact is not worth knowing.
Misnomer Of Horsepower
"While it is true that the maximum output of a horse is around 15 horsepower, when you average the output of a horse over the course of a work day it ends up being around a horsepower."
"1 Horsepower is equivalent to one horse doing 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute. (Or more simply, the amount of work done by a horse raising a 33-pound bucket of water from the bottom of a 1000-foot-deep well in 60 seconds)."-AndrewLewer69
Pink Flamingoes Are A LIE
"Shrimp is the food in question that dyes flamingos pink. They are white when they are born. If they were to eat something else that would still sustain them they would lose their pink coloring over time."
"Flamingos kept in zoos are not fed shrimp but an additive is added to their food to make sure they stay pink so people aren't confused."-sharrrper
A Parliament Of Facts
"Pennsylvania was the first state to legalize witchcraft.
Highway Gothic is the official font for road signs in America.
The world's largest paperclip is located in Saskatchewan."
"Robert Ridgeley Taylor invented the pumpable liquid hand soap dispenser.
Every 14 minutes, an American loses, breaks, or sits on a pair of sunglasses."
"Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
There are 86 lego bricks for everyone on Earth.
A group of owls is called a parliament."
"There are around 25 billion chickens in the world.
The average strawberry has 200 seeds…Take your pick."-Musical_Leaf_Juice15
Respelling The Country Over And Over
"When Sweden versus Denmark in a sporting event, the scoreboard would read SWE - DEN which spells Sweden. If you take all the remaining characters that were removed, you get DEN - MARK which spells Denmark."-InfernalOrgasm
Every single fact, even if useless, can really enrich our lives.
A Swimming Moose Is Dangerous
"Moose swim waaay faster than you'd expect. My Dad and I were in Isle Royale years ago and we saw a couple swimming across the lake when we were in our canoe."
"We paddled closer to get a better look and the Momma moose turned towards us and came after us(she had a baby with her)."
"We didn't get closer than 30 yards on our own. When she turned towards us, we paddled away and realized she was gaining, so we paddled faster. She kept gaining."
"Thank God she lost interest or was just satisfied in the result, because we were not going to get away if she wanted to get us. Crazy."-WrongStatus
Font Has Been A Front All Along
"The word Font is almost always used incorrectly. If you are picking out the style of letters you want to use what you are selecting is a 'typeface' not a font. The font is the container that holds the typeface."
"So for instance if we were doing a print job back in the movable type days and wanted to do it in Gothic you might tell your assistant 'Go get the Gothic font.'"
"What that means though is 'Go get me the drawer that contains the Gothic typeface' The word font refers to the drawer, not the contents."
"When they started making word processors on computers with multiple typeface options they retained the old printers jargon but didn't explain it."
"When you select a Gothic font in MS Word what you are selecting is a file folder which contains the Gothic typeface. Font refers to the file folder, not the contents."-sharrrper
Beautiful Colors
"If you look at red for a while, then look at a very blue blue, you can see a blue that is more blue than the bluest blue."
"This is called hyperbolic blue and it's caused by your brain adapting to the red color then overcorrecting before it can re adapt to seeing blue. This isn't useful but it's a thing."
"Also magenta and brown aren't real."-miner_sd
Isn't the world a strange, varied, interesting place? And every single fact that we can learn about it makes us more worldly.
Even if there doesn't really seem to be a use for that fact, it still becomes a pleasure to know.
People Explain What The Average American Can Do In Response To Roe V. Wade Being Overturned
The news that the Supreme Court had published a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that once protected a person's right to choose reproductive health care without excessive government restriction, was not a surprise.
That doesn't mean the development hasn't shocked and angered citizens nationwide. Activists have already taken to the streets in protest. But what can the average American do in response, especially at a time when confidence in the Supreme Court and our democratic institutions are so low?
We heard some recommendations after Redditor johnnybeefcakes asked the online community,
"What can the average American do in response to Roe v. Wade being overturned?"
"Consider: The day Iceland's women went on strike http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34602822"
seolchan29
Yup. A general strike is best led by the existing unions. If you're in one, talk to your leadership. If you're not, spread the word and follow their lead.
"A general strike..."
"Voting is pissing into the wind the way our government is structured. It's not completely ineffective, but how many women will we allow to suffer and die between now and however many voting cycles this takes?"
"A general strike that grinds this country to a halt will have abortion rights enshrined in the Constitution within two weeks, and I'll tell you why.
"Paralyze the economy, shut this country down, fill the streets and REFUSE TO BACK DOWN and this will be resolved in no time."
whattothewhonow
This is exactly it. Corporations are the gods our politicians look up to. We need to hit them where it actually hurts.
"Adding this..."
"Adding this as a top level comment as well. CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. All these posts saying "vote"? Yes, you need to vote- but your representatives need to hear from you *now and often* about what is important to you. Tell them what you want, and why you are voting. That is what "remain engaged" looks like."
me2x
This is how the gun legislation just got passed. There was a huge coordinated push of people contacting their representatives. Even Republicans were getting consituent calls at a ratio of 10:1 in favor of reasonable measures- so they felt confident in voting for a bill with the support of their voters.
"The 18-24 adult voting group votes way less than any other age group. It would make a solid difference if that wasn’t the case."
akap21
This is the first year many young people will be able to vote. It pays to keep them motivated, now and into 2024 and beyond.
"Help young women and young men obtain birth control. Pass out condoms. Be willing to buy Plan B. Educate. Educate. Educate. Don’t shame. Meet people where they are."
dualsplit
We need more secular public squares that don’t just exist on the internet.
"If you’re in Michigan (or other states where pro-choice folks are fighting to get it on the ballot), figure out where they’re collecting signatures for the petition to get it on the ballot in November, sign, and volunteer to help find more people to sign the petition." - User Deleted
And here’s a link!
"The state Democratic Party..."
"This is a little bit of a long one, but the story is important."
"In 2011 in Virginia, Republicans swept statewide elections. They had the governor, lieutenant governor, both houses of the legislature, and they had appointed the majority of justices on the state Supreme Court."
"They immediately began trying to ban abortion. House Bill 1 was a fetal personhood bill and there were about a dozen more ugly ones too. These bills were expected to sail through with no real hurdles."
"A grassroots movement sprung up, a core group of people who had met and networked during the Occupy protests began planning protest actions. They were able to attract support from people who were not your typical protest crowds, and throughout the actions a lot of suburban, older women drove into Richmond to participate."
"Over several protests about 2 dozen people were arrested (and later acquitted), protests were confronted by riot police as well as 'little green men' hiding in the bushes with assault rifles. However the protests largely remained peaceful."
"The state Democratic party and organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL were literally calling the organizers and begging them to stop antagonizing the Republicans, but the organizers remained steadfast."
"In the end, we won. Most of the bad bills were defeated, and Republicans proceeded to lose every statewide election for the next ten years. They ultimately lost both houses of the legislature as well, for the first time since the 90s. Bob Marshall, who authored HB1, was defeated by Virginia's first openly transgender legislator, Danica Roem."
"So ultimately, here is what I would say to remember. The protests are important. What's more important is the networks that form at them. When you attend, try to meet people. Have potlucks. Get to know each other. You will come to rely on each other more than you think."
"Voting is important too, but only showing up to vote every 2 or 4 years and posting angry memes in between is not going to save us. Our institutions have repeatedly failed us despite more people voting in every election. We will be the ones to save ourselves."
Diet_Coke
Yes, 1000000 percent this. Labor, abortion, everything needs to be well organized and unrelenting. None of this will be handed to you, it needs to be fought for.
"Stock up on pregnancy tests, plan B, and birth control. I've already noticed a shortage of pregnancy tests in the last week. Be an advocate and an educator for any woman you know that may need help."
whattheplfuke
Being an advocate for others is so crucial! They need our help and our kindness.
"Vote in your local elections and force abortion rights to be election issues. R v W says that abortion rights is now up to the state government, so vote accordingly and let them know how they can get your votes."
ClownfishSoup
To add to this, vote even if you live in a state that will not ban abortion. It should be clear to everyone now that we take our rights for granted because it could be taken away one day. So vote, no matter what.
Much to do in the coming days, months, and years.
The 2022 midterm elections are coming up in a few months and only time will tell whether the Supreme Court's ruling will negatively impact certain politicians at the polls.
Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!
Not long ago, I rented a vacation rental for my dad's birthday.
It was a really cool apartment downtown near restaurants, and the building even had a rooftop pool! Unfortunately for him, this is summer in Florida, which means we got slammed with a tropical storm and that rooftop pool was closed.
The arcade was open, though... and that's where the entire family proceeded to get our butts handed to us because, evidently, my father is the Galaga master.
Reddit user _Mr_Cheeks asked:
"What is an old video game that still holds up so well today?"
Honestly, had it not been pouring we may have skipped the arcade entirely. And had we not been with my father we would have picked something newer than Galaga.
But the game still slaps!
Here are the games Reddit still swears by.
Worms!
"Worms Armageddon. It looks nice enough and the fun is still there."
- the_amateon
"Our whole floor played this in the dorms 20+ years ago. We had our own network, but the lag times were so bad you could obliterate someone on your machine and then run to stand behind them in their room to get their real time reaction. One was always concerned when a crowd showed up behind you...."
- DocLof
"Many moons have passed since the worms went to war"
- thprk
"Yeah, this should be the top answer. This game is far superior to any of it's sequels, even the celebrated W.M.D"
- lurker12346
"When we got our second computer (which I still think of as the new computer) in 2000 it came with worms and my dad and I would spend hours playing it."
- cherry_armoir
A.O.E.2
"Age of empires 2"
- kr4kenz
"The devs are still working on the game and have recently released new DLC with new campaigns and civilizations."
- NativeMasshole
"Honestly, I think AOE 2 is in the top 5 games of all time."
- superfast_jellyfish_
"That's because it is."
- PadishahEmperor
"One of those timeless classics that will just never die. 20year and counting, how many games are out there with a similar track record? Maybe a few MMOs, CS and crew."
- Executioneer
Chrono Trigger
"Chrono Trigger"
- WoodcockJohnson_
"One of the greatest games ever made"
- _Mr_Cheeks
"Was literally my gateway drug into RPGs. I still judge pretty much every game’s story against the standard Chrono Trigger set. It’s also the reason I’m always expecting karmic effects down the line for early game decisions (looking at you 'old man’s lunch' at the Millenial Fair)."
- Dr_Beardface_MD
"One of the best soundtracks in gaming, fantastic spritework, pioneered multiple endings in video games, ABSOLUTELY holds up."
- MeniteTom
Best Of The Tycoons
"Rollercoaster Tycoon"
- 123Fake_St
"For anyone who has an itch to play: open rct2 has resurrected this game and added some qol improvements"
- IAlwaysL0se
"I used to hire new park workers at the first of every month, then on the last day I'd drown them because then you didn't have to pay them..."
"I'm actually a union member today, not Jeff Bezos. Turns out violent video games aren't a precursor to our society's problems after all!"
- markmargles
"Made by a single person (Chris Sawyer) over the span of two years. Absolutely insane feat."
- Goodk4t_
Street Fighter II
"I swear Street fighter 2 still has relatively nice graphics. It came out in 1991"
- FantasticSweet5902
"It changed everything. Play any fighting game prior to Street Fighter II and it feels almost unplayable. Yie Ar Kung Fu, Karate Champ, hell Street Fighter 1 is so awful compared to it that no one remembers it."
"Street Fighter II is so well thought out and fully realized. It's hard to emphasize how amazing that game is given how ubiquitous it is now."
- Boon3hams
"Sprites tend to age much better than polygons!"
- ChunLi808
"I think most 16 and 32-bit games still hold up really well graphically. Just something about that spritework, particularly when done well, is timeless"
- Stuff2511
"I remember playing minigolf and seeing streetfighter II on an arcade across the way, it looked so cool compared to anything else at the time i had to play it."
- jeffryu
"haduken"
- SupremoZanne
Tetris
"Tetris"
- Amberskin
"True. They say playing Tetris after experiencing trauma decreases the likelihood of developing PTSD."
- overthinkingagainlol
"Tetris is my one example of a literally perfect video game."
- JoakimSpinglefarb
"This was my very first thought."
- NoodleDoodleGirl
"Ah, Tetris, the game that teaches us that success doesn’t last and mistakes pile up quickly"
- Micaiah9
"And now I have Tetris music in my head all night."
- nigelofthornton
"I still keep an OG GameBoy in my bathroom so i can play Tetris when I sh*t."
- Serenity650
"The game so addictive it has its own psychosomatic effect named after it."
"The Tetris effect: researchers had participants in a study play tetras for extended periods of time. Afterward the participants experienced weird psychosomatic effects where they could see the blocks spinning outside of the game in their thoughts and even their dreams for up to days."
- Whybotherr
Final Fantasy Tactics
"Final Fantasy Tactics. Amazing story, great music, fun battle mechanics. The only issue is the difficulty (once you understand the game or grind levels) becomes trivial... but with mods - boom bam."
- NateProject
"Yes, everytime I try to play a Japanese SRPG, I keep getting disappointed because its NOT FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, which is of course the pinnacle of the genre. Or maybe I'm just old and don't have as much fun as an old person."
- DryEyes4096
"No, FFT is absolutely the pinnacle of the genre and it's not even close. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together gets honorable mention though."
- TragicHero84
"God this game is such a masterpiece. I played War of the Lions as a kid and I loved this game. Recently I picked it back up, and this game is still great. Even better than I remembered as I really got sucked into the story and just love how vile the villains are in this game."
- Jalina2224
"My favorite game ever. The difficulty is no joke though if you don't use guides or have much patience to grind. I knew two people back in the day that gave up on the game because they got stuck on a battle but also couldn't back up and grind. Honestly the only reason I avoided this is because it almost happened to me at the Gafgarion fight, so I always maintained a save file where I could grind if necessary."
- Qurdlo
Mario 3
"Mario 3"
- Keksis_theBetrayed
"A kid brought Mario 3 into school the day it came out to show off, yes I’m that old. We were all in awe. Everybody had already seen gameplay footage from that movie the wizard, which was pretty rare at the time. I got it a short time later and it 100% lived up to all the hype. Still love playing it today on emulators."
- littlegreenb18
"I still play Mario 3. My original NES still works perfectly and is set-up in my living room. I remember the 'secrets' published in Nintendo Power magazine on how to get hidden 1-ups, an extra whistle, the coin ships, etc."
- SubAtomicSpaceCadet
"Came to say it. Now I'm gonna go play it."
- staggere
"The angry sun is one obstacle to deal with!"
- SupremoZanne
"My teen saw me playing Mario 3 and said, "What, did somebody take a modern game and make it look like the 90s?" This is why Nintendo is Japan's most profitable company - their creators have always focused on creative, engaging gameplay, and they've done it so well that 30-year-old games still feel contemporary."
- schlockabsorber
"When I was younger and still got emotional over stuff, I would always play Mario 3 when depressed or upset. It was just a soothing way to just turn off my brain for awhile."
- Ashitaka1013
Doom
"Doom"
-mike_markerson
"Most old games feel clunky. Doom 1 and 2 are still as smooth as butter."
- Matt463789
"Yes, the OG. I replayed classic Doom, as well as 2 and 3 recently. Then I replayed the original Wolfenstein."
- smoffatt34920
"this reply is way underrated. love classic doom game with its literally tens of thousands of fan-made maps."
- ritaremton
"I’m upset I had scroll down this far to see Doom."
- YuShtink
"Why is this so far down? 30 year old game, and I was playing it this morning"
- ogGarySe7en
"People complain about all the rereleases of Skyrim over the past decade. Meanwhile I've bought DOOM on Win 95, Win 98 (Collector's Edition), SNES, PlayStation, SEGA 32x, Jaguar, Xbox Live Arcade, GBA, Steam, Mobile, Switch... And I'm sure I'm still missing one or two. And I don't regret a single one, even if some of the older console ports are rough."
- LandauTST
Now for my personal little interjection here - Elder Scrolls:Oblivion.
It kind of crushes my soul to think of a 2006 game as "old school" so let's just focus on the reasons it's amazing, kay?
Oblivion gave us options on options on options. The programming was a masterpiece, so much so that even the glitches become glorious works of art.
And Sheogorath??? Perfection.
You know what the gamers of Reddit feel, and you know my vote - though my regular readers are probably tired of me ranting about Oblivion by now.
But what about you?
What classic game still gets you going?
"What makes someone bad in bed?"
WHERE TO BEGIN?!
The list is endless.
Half the time all it takes to be better is a little effort.
RedditorMidoriSpicewanted to hear about the lack of skills some people really need to acquire when it comes to sexy time. They asked:
"What makes someone bad in bed?"
I love sex. But it can be stressful. I've always found connection to be one of the best lessons.
Communications
"Assuming they already know what their partner wants/likes and doesn't communicate or take any instructions."
Melonqualia
Take it Slow
"No foreplay and not caring if your partner is enjoying it."
orangecrushhhh
"I had an ex who literally never wanted to do any kind of foreplay. He just wanted basically sex of any kind for him. He said oral on women was gross."
UntiltheEndoftheline
Will U?
"Proposing mid intercourse."
Immortal_D_Class
"Honestly? With the partner I have, I'd think it was pretty hot and romantic lmao. I'd check in after the deed to make sure he was serious but our relationship is already very serious so it wouldn't be a big deal."
Weird_Spinach
Talk to Me
"Not talking or making any noises. We don't have to dirty talk the whole time or even at all but you gotta let me know you're enjoying it at least."
idkburneridkidk
"I think there's some balance between having some small talk, silence, and dirty talk while being in bed with someone. Or maybe that's just been my experience. I don't know--I think there's some fun in trying to carry a side conversation while having sex lol."
BranTheBrokens
Experts
"Friction isn’t always a good thing."
KathAlMyPal
Yuck
"To this you can add unclipped fingernails."
Whats4dinner
"And dirty fingernails. Nah, ma'am. I’m betting this is not worth the infection. Thanks."
ADDYISSUES89
‘good at sex’
"I have a feeling most men will say 'lack of enthusiasm' and that most women will say 'being selfish about pleasure.'"
addicted_to_blistex
"I’m a woman and my first thought was lack of enthusiasm, but my own lack of enthusiasm. The only bad sex I’ve had is when I don’t genuinely want to be there. I’ve had sex with guys who weren’t ‘good at sex’ but still enjoyed it because I was really into them."
maybememaybeno
Damn Pat
"They are convinced they know more about what works for you than you know yourself. Just cause your ex-lover Pat liked technique X doesn't mean everyone does."
Less-Market9641
"Have experienced this, it sucks. He wouldn’t listen to what I enjoyed, didn’t want me to say ANYTHING even if it hurt or wasn’t working, and would just say something along the lines of 'every other woman I’ve been with liked it.' I’m thinking, all you’ve had are one-night stands, really, so they probably didn’t say anything."
"I’ve had numerous partners and love sex. Crashed and burned with this one and he really crushed my self-esteem and sexual confidence."
Proper-Beach8368
I KNOW!!
"The biggest thing is always going to be selfishness and the inability/refusal to communicate and listen to your partner. I've seriously had a guy yell 'I KNOW HOW TO DO IT!' when I was trying to tell him how I liked whatever he was doing. He then got even more upset when I said 'did you just f**king yell at me? Alright, off, I'm done.'"
drunky_crowette
Flavors
"Lack of variety. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean crazy kinks or positions from the karma sutra, but more when it's really predicable. I has an ex that had this weird routine of positions, it was exactly the same every single f**king time in exactly the same order."
thegrimrita
Sex. Let's be better at it.
Do you have similar experiences to share? Let us know in the comments below.
Love is so elusive these days isn't it?
Who knows what anyone is looking for in the relationship department anymore.
It's all too exhausting.
But people we keep trying.
RedditorProblemNice5257wanted to hear why so many people are still on the hunt for that perfect one. They asked:
"Why are you single right now?"
I'm single because I've given up. And I'm good. For now.
Peace
"I put absolutely no effort into meeting someone."
grayestorm
"Same! Also it's extremely difficult when you feel so at peace being by yourself. The fact that I have to find someone whose presence outweighs my level of comfort being alone seems impossible."
cheezkurls
Staying Put
"Hard to meet people when you are a hermit."
EchoOfShadow
"Yeah, I describe myself as a shut-in, lol. I leave my apartment to work, I leave my apartment to buy food, and occasionally I’ll bring out the trash, otherwise I just watch Hulu, play online chess, surf Reddit."
Tru-Queer
"Same. I've spent months trying to find an apartment I can afford without a roommate and finally settled on a small studio apartment for $1100 a month because I'd rather living in a tiny space and be left the hell alone than share a much nicer place even with a good friend."
ablondedude
Problems
"I have too many unsolved issues, i can't in good conscience bring someone else into them."
Zdos123
"Idk your issues but everyone's got some crap. Not sure how unique yours are but everyone's got some crap. It's good to share some of your struggles with other people. Just don't open with it haha."
dr-305
"Issues unresolved or not, (in my case) only makes it worse when you feel like you could open up to them, and they just take those to use it against yourself afterwards."
if_itsMolly
Isolated
"I hardly go out and expose myself to people. I'm uncomfortable with the notion of myself being in a relationship at this point. Also, I'm very dry in terms of personality."
Torturephile
"I spent a year entirely isolated due to covid and now I can't handle physical contact. It makes me really uncomfortable and a hug is enough to make my body shut down. I'm hopeless."
DinoHunter64
That's funny. But it feels oddly true.
Toxic
"Last relationship was so toxic, I've sworn off dating, at least for awhile. I haven't had this much free time in ages. It's nice."
"Edit: Hey, it's really great hearing from so many people with similar experiences. Like many of you, I've been taking it in stride and focusing on bettering myself, both physically and mentally. It's done wonders for my health and I feel a whole lot better. I wish y'all the very best. Stay excellent, my friends."
muchkoku
Alone Forever
"I'm 35yr old single father to a 5yr old and I work nights. It's hard to find free time to meet someone, especially in my area. If I do have free time to myself, I like staying home and ordering a pizza while drinking some beers and playing video games. I pretty much faced the fact that I will probably be alone for the rest of my life."
No_Leader_2711
taking space
"I was in an 8 year relationship (married for two) to my high school sweetheart. Exactly this same time last year, we got divorced because I found out he was cheating on me with my best friend. The best friend I had known LONGER than him and was friends with since fourth grade."
"She was living with us to try to get back on her feet. Yeah lol. So I lost my best friend and the man I had been with for 8 years within the same night. So I moved to another state, got an apartment by myself, and am now single and divorced all by 26. Not really looking unless the right person comes along."
"It’s pretty happy and peaceful now that they’re both out of my life though honestly. You realize people’s toxicity and flaws the most once you get space away from them."
yodacat24
Bad Loop
"Because my relationships end before they even begin."
_uberwench_
"This is my story right here."
xxshole
Alright. Now that we've laid out all the excuses, let's get to matching with some people.