Today I Learned (TIL)

In reply to slantvaliant :

Here's an article on it.

https://www.electronicproducts.com/Optoelectronics/LEDs/LED_101_How_do_dimmable_LEDs_work.aspx PWM is it, but it's surprising to me that you get that nice linear transition in perceived fan speed.  It'd be cool if you could attain a real life rolling shutter effect with an array of LEDs...

TIL I'm glad I didn't go after a career in academia.

Nothing against the folks that are, I just wasn't cut out for it.

TIL that driving 500+ miles in 0 degree temps is not fun.

Commercially available washer solvent freezes somewhere above this point and driving 75 to 80 mph with "diminished visibility" induces rectal puckering, to say the least.

Gonna add some rubbing alcohol or some of the really bad moonshine that I was given years ago that has been doing duty as cleaning solvent to the washer solution until it warms up a bit.

Edit: Found some purple colored washer solvent while digging through one of the cabinets in the garage today that says it's good to -35.

We'll see....

TIL that there's no way I'm going to survive nine rolls of Charmin Essentials single ply 80-grit Weapons Grade toilet paper. This stuff is literally not even good enough to wipe your ass with.

In reply to Woody :

After wiping my kids butts with wet wipes, toilet paper seems like a cruel joke. Flushable toddler wipes are the bomb, but i heard they are hell on septic and waste water plants.

"80-grit Weapons Grade toilet paper"

Quote of the year?

In reply to Woody :

Is this the paper that you have? There has been a roll of this at my cabin for 15 years, everyone is afraid to try it.

TIL why the Duke walked that way!

In reply to pilotbraden :

It doesn’t take crap from anyone 

i love the slogan 

RossD said:

In reply to Woody :

After wiping my kids butts........

Yeah, that’s one thing I don’t miss about having little ones in the house.  

TIL that there seems to be a law that if you drive a pickup in West Texas, you damn better have a big ol' brush guard on the front of it.

[i]actually I learned that a week ago but I was reminded of it today...[/i]

Datsun310Guy said:

RossD said:

In reply to Woody :

After wiping my kids butts........

Yeah, that’s one thing I don’t miss about having little ones in the house.  

Which led to a horribly tragic line from the movie "Big Daddy"

Early on, when Adam Sandler's generic character finds out he has to care for a little kid, he nonchalantly asks "Can you wipe your own ass?"

Later, the kid is being taken away from the only person left in the world who he has any connection with by child services, he cries in despair "But I can wipe my own ass!  I can wipe my own ass!!!"

It was singlularly the most tragic and off-beat funny moment I have ever experienced in cinema.

TIL that if Bryan Scotto and Ken Block say that a vehicle is sketchy to drive, it's sketchy. I also learned that Hert will break any vehicle he drives, even if it's Ken Block's wife's.

TIL that holding an 18 month old while trying to eat soup left handed is a good way to het soup stains in my work clothes.

Today I learned that it might be possible to hook an 82 maxima's transmission to an aftermarket streetrod speedometer with the cable from a 240Z

Woody said:

TIL that there's no way I'm going to survive nine rolls of Charmin Essentials single ply 80-grit Weapons Grade toilet paper. This stuff is literally not even good enough to wipe your ass with.

Find an annoying neighbors tree to paper?

RossD said:

In reply to Woody :

After wiping my kids butts with wet wipes, toilet paper seems like a cruel joke. Flushable toddler wipes are the bomb, but i heard they are hell on septic and waste water plants.

London has a problem with 'fatbergs' but that's because they're also clueless enough to pour cooking grease down the sink.  Look I know y'all are poor over there but for goodness sake use KP to clean your fry-pans.  D.C. apparently has passed a flushable wipes ban although I did see them on sale recently.  Once the law takes effect only the criminals will have flushable wipes. 

In reply to NickD :

Casually doing burnouts in your boss's old lady's truck and it catches fire. Normal Tuesday. 

TIL that the Toyota Yaris iA is actually just a mazda 2 sedan, and is available with a 6 speed manual. I think that's pretty berkeleying sweet

Today i learned that the autodim mirror, tinted windows, and readjusted mirrors STILL wont reduce the blinding light of 4 freaking lightbars lit up on the front of the brodozer thats tailgating your miata. 

"brew cats" are a thing:  https://twitter.com/PipeworksBrewin/status/948976053254541314

TIL that I enjoy telling the 'free engineering magazine subscription renew call-person' that I would like to cancel the free publication rather than letting them renew my subscription. It stops them dead in their tracks or they completely ignore that I spoke at all and continue with their script.

The best was the bit of swearing I heard under the guy's breath (in a different language of course) as he slammed the 'hang up' button.

LWIL (last week) that the anti-European sentiment in the USA post-WW1 led to a growth in interest in other historical/ancient cultures, which led to the Aztec themed interior of the Guardian Building in Detroit.  

Yeah, I know, wrong thread.

Last week I learned if you're out of taco seasoning, cooking ground meat in enchilada sauce makes for some tasty burritoes. 

TIL about the joys of filling your Diesel pickup truck at the commercial high flow pump.