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Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
useless_facts
[ tiger_tyger ]
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2:54p
phatic words and phrases
Phatic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In linguistics, a phatic expression is one whose only function is to perform a social task, as opposed to conveying information.[1] The term was coined by anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski in the early 1900s.
For example, "you're welcome" is not intended to convey the message that the hearer is welcome; it is a phatic response to being thanked, which in turn is a phatic whose function is to be polite in response to a gift.
Similarly, in the English language, the question "how are you?" is usually an automatic component of a social encounter. Although there are times when "how are you?" is asked in a sincere, concerned manner and does in fact anticipate a detailed response regarding the respondent's present state, this needs to be pragmatically inferred from context and intonation.
As an example of the former: a simple, basic exchange, shared by many that see each other every day at work, but must fulfill that social obligation each morning, or at first contact:
Speaker one: "What's up?"
Speaker two: "Hey, man, how's it going?"
And each just walks on.
Neither expects an answer to his/her question. Much like a shared nod, it's an indication that each has recognized the other's existence and has therefore performed sufficiently that particular social duty.
The utterance of a phatic expression is a kind of speech act.
In speech communication the term means "small talk" (conversation for its own sake) and has also been called "grooming talking".
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(comment on this) Friday, July 10th, 2009
useless_facts
[ lafinjack ]
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4:34p
Able Archer 83 was a ten-day NATO command post exercise starting on November 2, 1983 that spanned Western Europe...
This relatively obscure incident is considered by many historians to be the closest the world has come to nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The threat of nuclear war abruptly ended with the conclusion of the Able Archer 83 exercise on November 11.
Had nuclear war been waged that week, the last number-one song you'd have heard would have been:
- Australia and New Zealand: Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon"
- Canada: Spandau Ballet's "True"
- United Kingdom: Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl", or Karma Chameleon if nuclear war had been waged in the first four days of the exercise
- United States: Kenny Rogers' and Dolly Parton's "Islands in the Stream"
Source: 1, 2, 3, and 4, via some guy on Metafilter
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(comment on this)
useless_facts
[ glowing_dragon ]
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12:58a
Poo facts for July 4 to 10, 2009
Poo nugget for this weekend: Doo You Know? - Farting Freedom - While most modern civilizations shun those who pass flatus in public, a forward-thinking ruler, Roman emperor Claudius (10 BC - AD 54) first legalized farting thousands of years ago out of concern for his subjects' well-being. By lifting the ban on farting at banquets, he was in line with the prevailing notion that retaining flatus could be harmful to one's health.
Poo nugget for Monday, July 6: Doo You Know? - Cow-Tipping... Humans lack the enzyme necessary to digest cellulose, the main constituent in high-fiber foods. Cows also lack these necessary enzymes, but are able to digest the cellulose found in plant cell walls by utilizing enzymes produced by bacteria residing in their intestines.
Poo nugget for Tuesday, July 7: DrStool.com Q & A - What Causes Rectal Pain After A Massive Dump? - There are three possible causes of a sore rectum resulting from passage of a turd. First, the girth of the stool causes your anal sphincter to stretch. On occasion, this can result in the formation of an anal fissure, which is a small tear in the sphincter muscle. Second, you can have irritation of the perianal region caused by the ingestion (and eventual excretion) of spicy foods. Third, you can have hemorrhoidal inflammation.
Poo nugget for Wednesday, July 8: U.K. TP - Andrex, a United Kingdom subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark, sells 1.5 million rolls of toilet paper in the UK each day. That's the equivalent of 18 rolls a second! Each year, 8.25 million miles of Andrex are used in the UK. Twelve years of usage would be enough to stretch to the sun.
(This link from Sharlene is appropriate... CNN on Why Toilet Paper Belongs To America, or Its History. Also speaking of toilet paper, I'm down to about four rolls now, so I need to buy more of the stuff, what with my issues! :P)
Poo nugget for Thursday, July 9: Doo You Know? - The Power of Poo - After you flush down your poo, it ends up at a wastewater treatment facility. There, it ferments into biogas, a tremendous potential power resource. If biogas from a wastewater treatment facility was captured and used to power a fuel cell, each person's poo could produce approximately two watts of electricity per day.
Poo nugget for Friday, July 10: Doo You Know? - "Poopsocking" - With the increasing popularity of online gaming comes a new term to describe the unwavering commitment of some players who would rather poop in their sock than take a break from their computer to use the toilet.
current mood:  amused
current music: Radiohead, "The Bends"
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(comment on this)
useless_facts
[ _starofdawn ]
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12:27a
According to J.A. Rogers, there have been 5(now 6) black presidents in the U.S. When the "one drop" rule is applied(i.e., even a great great ancestor who was half black makes you black), Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding, and Dwight Eisenhower were all black.
Source: The Five Negro Presidents by J.A. Rogers.
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(8 comments | comment on this) Thursday, July 9th, 2009
useless_facts
[ richard_geefe ]
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3:11p
In the 1978 film The Wiz (a Motown version of The Wizard of Oz), Michael Jackson played the Scarecrow, a character who spent the duration of the film lamenting his perceived lack of brain.
Source: Popbitch pointed it out, but it's on Wikipedia if you want a reliable (ish) source.
current music: Geneva - Temporary Wings
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(5 comments | comment on this) Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
(9 comments | comment on this) Monday, July 6th, 2009
useless_facts
[ lafinjack ]
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3:42p
Competitive wife carrying is a sport:
The race was inspired by the legend of a local [Finnish] thug, Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen, who lived in a forest and is said to have snatched food and sometimes ladies from villages in the region.
Source: AFP
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(7 comments | comment on this) Sunday, July 5th, 2009
(comment on this) Friday, July 3rd, 2009
useless_facts
[ lafinjack ]
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9:44p
This is a chart of which eras of TV will reach which star systems at which times; each arc is five light years. (click for bigger)
Source.
This is a list of works that take place in the displayed star systems:
40 Eridani, the system containing the planet Vulcan, has not yet seen the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (and have no idea what JJ Abrams has planned for them).
Aldebaran will not learn of its own part in Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven for over forty years.
Alpha Centuri has probably already seen commercials for the Sid Meier game named after them, but they are not yet able to download it.
Altair has long since received broadcasts of the movie Forbidden Planet, which is set on Altair IV. This has probably given them a few laughs.
Arcturus, having just witnessed the Apollo 11 moon landing, has no idea that they will someday be the capital of the Sirius Sector in the Galactic Empire (before the Empire collapses and Hari Seldon's Foundation builds the second Galactic Empire).
Chi Draconis is the star around which Minbar orbits; they have over ten years to go before they start to receive Babylon 5.
Fomalhaut is the home of the god Cthugha, an addition to HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos by August Derleth. One can only hope that Cthuga hasn't noticed our broadcasts.
HD 217107 is a yellow subgiant star similar to, but older than, our own sun with two planets discovered (so far). They must be relieved to know that World War II is over.
Iota Horologii, watching Howdy Doody and waiting for Captain Kangaroo, have no idea that they are supposed to be the home of Threshold, Basis, and Installation 04 (in the videogame Halo).
Mizar will have to wait decades to hear the Steely Dan song "Sign In Stranger" which contains the lyrics: "Have you heard about the boom on Mizar Five? People got to shout to stay alive."
Pollux is the home of the Greek God Apollo is the original Star Trek episode "Who Mourns for Adonis?" That episode has already passed Pollux, so apparently Apollo wasn't paying attention.
Procyon is the sun around which orbits the planet We Made It is Larry Niven's Known Universe. Very soon, they'll be receiving Spongebob Squarepants, and remember why they left Earth.
Regulus is the site of the Earth Alliance's first extrasolar colony, but it will be well over sixty years before they receive Babylon 5 and find that out.
Sirius, home to the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, deserves the Jackson/Timberlake nipple kerfluffle they're about to be exposed to. Sirius is also the home star system to the Visitors; they've seen V already, but don't know yet that a reboot is in the works.
Tau Ceti contains a planet with a decadent city named Sogo visited by Barbarella; the planets Ogros and Zygor (from two different Doctor Who serials in the Tom Baker era) also orbit Tau Ceti.
Vega has already long since received the first transmissions from Earth, and sent back its reply (Carl Sagan's Contact).
Wolf 359 has already seen all of Star Trek: The Next Generation and knows about the battle with the Borg which will someday occur there.
Zeta Reticuli is a binary star system, and the movie Alien takes place near "Zeta II Reticuli". Having already suffered through Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, you can't fault the aliens for their hostility to humans.
Source: some guy on ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) randompictures
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(29 comments | comment on this)
useless_facts
[ glowing_dragon ]
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12:02a
Poo facts for June 27 to July 3, 2009
Poo nugget for this weekend: D.A.D.S. - You Are What You Drink - There are a lot of myths about what causes hangovers and how to treat them. The unassailable facts are that darker spirits (tequila, brandy, wine) are more likely to cause hangovers than lighter ones - rum, gin, vodka. Proven treatments for hangovers include rehydration, vitamin B-6, and possibly medicines that decrease prostaglandin production, like ibuprofen. (POO OF THE MONTH!)
Poo nugget for Monday, June 29: Doo You Know? - The Gas You Pass - The average person farts ten times per day, resulting in the release of 705cc of gas into the atmosphere. Flatulence sometimes happens accidentally during coughing or sneezing. On other occasions, it can be voluntarily produced by tensing the rectum (or "bearing down") and releasing the anal sphincter, resulting in the expulsion of a flatus.
Poo nugget for Tuesday, June 30: Ruling from the Throne - In the late 1600s, King Louis XIV of France regularly held official meetings while sitting on his beloved "throne." Known for his absolute command of power, Louis was an impartial ruler when it came to poo, unabashedly relieving himself in front of royalty and peons alike. Perhaps Louis XIV's comfort level with defecation contributed to his record-setting 72-year reign of power. After all, what opposing ruler could effectively negotiate with the king when faced with the constant threat of having to witness His Majesty's next bowel movement?
Poo nugget for Wednesday, July 1: Ring of Fire - Synonyms: Acid Poo, Hooters' Souvenir, Curry in a Hurry, Fire in the Hole, Tabasco Turd, Feeling the Burn. (POO OF THE MONTH! It features flames shooting up from the toilet in the drawing!)
Poo nugget for Thursday, July 2: Dr. Stool Says - It's Alive! - When is a poo not really a poo? The passage of a noodle-like strand may at first seem to be a particularly slender thread of stool. Closer inspection, however, will reveal that this poo imitator is in fact a parasite known as Ascaris lumbricoides. These worms, somewhat reminiscent of angel hair pasta, reside quietly for years in the small intestine and may only come to their host's attention during their dramatic exit. Rarely, these worms can cause nutritional deficiencies by competing with your GI tract for valuable nutrients. Think you have a worm? You're probably not alone; one-quarter of the world's population is infected with this roundworm.
Poo nugget for Friday, July 3: Doo You Know? - Look Ma, No Hands! - A bidet is a low sink you can sit on, common in Europe, for washing your genitalia and backside. The bidet was invented in France, probably in the seventeenth or eighteenth century. The name comes from the French word for "small horse." Bidets were originally used by cavaliers who wanted to bathe body parts in close proximity to the saddle. They remain popular throughout parts of Europe today.
current mood:  pensive
current music: Billy Idol, "White Wedding"
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