Fun Fact

[kyreb1862]

The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

 

[DaveatMoon]

It is statistically impossible to be more than 3 feet from a spider at any time.

And during the course of an average person's lifetime they will eat 3 spiders in their sleep.

 

[martx-5]

The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

This snopes article debunks that myth... The QE II holds about a million gallons of fuel, and if it only went six inches/gallon, it would run out of fuel in about 95 miles.

 

[tomshobby]

How about the current effort to build an 800+ mile per hour vehicle, the Eagle, to capture the land speed record? It is being built from the fuselage of an F-104 Starfighter. It will have three different type of wheels. The rear will handle braking, the mid pair will carry most of the weight, and the front wheel will be for steering. The mid pair will run close to 15,000rpm and the front will reach 12,000rpm. It will use a noncontacting magnetic brake design. First speed brake doors will deploy, at about 650mph a drouge chute will be ejected and when it reaches about 500mph the main chute will deploy. Finally at about 400mph the magnetic brakes will be used. In case some or all of the systems fail there is the aircraft carrier catch net which has been tested to 300mph.

The Eagle is powered by a J-79 turbojet capable of geneerating 18,200 pounds of thrust. In full after burner at top speed it consumes 2.6 gallons of fuel every second. In five miles it burns 160 gallons, or 31 gallons per mile, or about 165 feet per gallon.

The team hopes to make a land-speed record attempt on July 4, 2010.

Information found in Desktop Engineering Magazine, June 2009.

 

[Basil]

It is statistically impossible to be more than 3 feet from a spider at any time.

This one has sort of become a pet...he hangs around our front porch (and yes, its a tarantula)

Then, this guy is one I actually caught a couple years ago and kept in my study as a pet. I found him on the road while driving back from the gun range.

 

[kyreb1862]

The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

This snopes article debunks that myth... The QE II holds about a million gallons of fuel, and if it only went six inches/gallon, it would run out of fuel in about 95 miles.

OMG the internet has lied to me what next Lies from my TV!

 

[Basil]

The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

This snopes article debunks that myth... The QE II holds about a million gallons of fuel, and if it only went six inches/gallon, it would run out of fuel in about 95 miles.

OMG the internet has lied to me what next Lies from my TV!

To heck with how far the QE2 moves - I just want that eating spiders thing to be a lie! Not that I'm particularly arachnophobic, but I sure don't like the idea of eating the little suckers while I sleep!

 

[GregW]

but I sure don't like the idea of eating the little suckers while I sleep!

:lol: I don't think they're talking about eating spiders the size of the one you had in the cage. Heck, that's a full meal.

 

[DaveatMoon]

but I sure don't like the idea of eating the little suckers while I sleep!

:lol: I don't think they're talking about eating spiders the size of the one you had in the cage. Heck, that's a full meal.

That's actually the key to both spider "fun facts". Spiders reproduce in huge numbers of offspring that are the size of dust particles (in most cases). When you spread those out randomly in the atmosphere and combine it with observations in nature the two things are inescapable.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

the two things are inescapable.

So are "facts" on the internet...

 

[DaveatMoon]

There is a 98.2% chance that the breath you're holding in your lungs right now includes at least one molecule from the dying breath of Julius Caesar. (see link)

 

[Banjo]

math geeks...... jeesh... Pretty cool if you think about it though. probability calculations are facinating. Even if I don't understand them at all. they made for some intresting propultion systems in "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy"

 

[Monark192]

I read somewhere online (can't find the link) that 99.2% of all statistics are made up.

 

[Banjo]

I read somewhere online (can't find the link) that 99.2% of all statistics are made up.

Really?! I heard it was 92.3%... I bet they just made that up..... :wink: