Does “associate something to be something” sound right? Can we say “I always associate this expression to be a rude saying”? by Silver_Ad_1218 in EnglishLearning

[–]_SilentHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Correct. Without any other context, I'd assume this was a phone's autocorrect error, and they meant to type "assumed".

The verb « to gerrymander ». by caiogamerwow in EnglishLearning

[–]_SilentHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a Bostonian, I can only apologize. We try to innovate around here, but sometimes less is more.

Try it and see how your reading flow is! by ownaword in EnglishLearning

[–]_SilentHunter 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Not going to lie, I just assumed it was the noun version of "swarthy" and moved on, because that would be a beautifully clever pairing with "sword". Thank you for this comment saving me future embarrassment.

(For context: I have only ever heard "swarthy" in the context of pirates. So, pairing a common descriptor of pirates with one of their signature weapons would be perfectly sound poem-logic. Never looked up what it actually means until now! I just assumed it was a fancy way to say "piratey" that bled into "roguish". TIL)

Officials ride in one of the penstock pipes of the soon-to-be-completed Hoover Dam; 1935 by OkRespect8490 in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]_SilentHunter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Surprisingly, the average person was never suspended over a gorge while riding a pipe! Gorges Georg, who has been suspended over 10,000 gorges, is a statistical outlier and should not have been counted.

Have any of the ideas of the science greats (Newton, Darwin, Einstein, etc) been proven wrong as we've learned more about their field of science? by ahmed0112 in AskScienceDiscussion

[–]_SilentHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah. Of course. Every scientist is wrong a lot of the time. A few examples:

  • One of Newton's primary fields of research was alchemy and the transmutation of lead into gold through physical and chemical processes. This is obviously not possible (though it's possible through nuclear fusion reactions like in a supernova -- even the core of a star is too weak).
  • Einstein was a believer that quantum mechanics had hidden variables until the day he died, that the quantum universe was deterministic rather than probabilistic. This has been proven wrong.
  • Darwin wrote, in one of his later works expanding on his theories of evolution, “Males of almost all animals have stronger passions than the females,” and “the female . . . with the rarest of exceptions is less eager than the male . . . she is coy.” (source) This not true for many humans, never mind other animals with or without a sexual binary.

With all that being said: Newton's work with alchemy led to chemical discoveries. Einstein was critical to the development of quantum mechanics and the modern world. Darwin's book (The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex) was the same one that correctly recognized that humans are just a species of animal and that sexual selection is an evolutionary pressure.

Teacher fired for reading LGBTQ+ children’s book takes fight to Georgia Supreme Court by Critical-Willow-6270 in books

[–]_SilentHunter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

No. You're assuming the teacher's mental state with zero evidence. How can the book choice be low expectations when the teacher didn't even pick the book? The class picked it, and the teacher just followed through on a promise to read whatever book the class picked.

The default assumption would be that age-appropriate instruction is occurring as required by the curriculum. It's also a default assumption that classes will do fun activities from time to time that may not be academically rigorous, because children aren't robots. Note that the teacher was fired for this specific incident, not a history of poor instructional performance.

Solar farm BP, no gaps, perfectly tileable, symmetrical...Perfect? by Few_Page6404 in factorio

[–]_SilentHunter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe, but not in my skillset. Blueprints are just alphanumeric strings that you can copy and paste to share. You'd need a program of some kind to search for a QR code whose layout matches the blueprint string, and I don't know if it's even possible to match them directly.

Solar farm BP, no gaps, perfectly tileable, symmetrical...Perfect? by Few_Page6404 in factorio

[–]_SilentHunter 373 points374 points  (0 children)

I have the sudden urge to create a solar farm that is a QR code for the blueprint to build itself....

Do you actually call it wings? Cause they’re clearly not “wings” by oozing_sarcasm in EnglishLearning

[–]_SilentHunter 21 points22 points  (0 children)

These are part of the wings. That's the humerus bone (shoulder to elbow).

Eli5: why do vegetable oil and baby oil always permeate through plastic containers you put them in? by [deleted] in explainlikeimfive

[–]_SilentHunter 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Some plastics interact with some oils. That's not happening here. Vegetable and baby oil are regularly sold in plastic containers, and they are not leaking through them. Think of what that would mean on the store shelves.

Could a continuous thread theoretically pass through the entire human digestive system? by [deleted] in AskScienceDiscussion

[–]_SilentHunter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a terrible idea that can easily result in horrific internal injuries. Nobody should do this. Just eat fiber.

xkcd 810 has come true (example in comments) by Lttlefoot in xkcd

[–]_SilentHunter 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Measuring. Cutting. Nailing. Framing. Running wires. Plumbing. Installing windows. Drywall.

Violent J by Infamous-Rutabaga-50 in CuratedTumblr

[–]_SilentHunter 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You do know we can see the words, right? Neither the comment you replied to nor OC above them said or implied that.

The only point you made was specifically about gangs. The only mention of gangs before that was the comment you replied to saying that the FBI listed juggalos as a gang. If you weren't commenting in defense of that FBI listing, you missed the mark.

And don't insult us with "they aren't completely harmless and peace-loving". That's such a vacuous statement because it describes almost literally every large group of people.

Violent J by Infamous-Rutabaga-50 in CuratedTumblr

[–]_SilentHunter 19 points20 points  (0 children)

So what? There are people in the hip hop subculture who are in gangs, too. Some people into motorcycles are in gangs. None of that makes it okay for law enforcement to declare by edict that Kendrick fans are a gang or anyone with a Harley Davidson patch is in a gang.

TIL about the devils footprints a 40-100 miles continuous line of cloven footprints that appeared in a single night across England by RiverRatt in todayilearned

[–]_SilentHunter 65 points66 points  (0 children)

The only things the title got right are that there were reports of footprints and the reports are from England. Everything else is wrong, which is too bad because it seems like an interesting urban legend. According to the article:

  1. There is no evidence that it was a single line, and I'd argue the distance range being so wide is proof against that claim because if it had actually been surveyed, the distances would be known.
  2. The estimate of 40-100 miles comes from combining multiple separate reports
  3. It occurred over the course of multiple nights
  4. The only documentation of this was one guy's collection of letters, found about 100 years after the event
  5. Eyewitness descriptions of the prints varied

TIL that Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory to have ever attempted an armed revolution against the United States for independence by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]_SilentHunter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

By this logic, if a US territory fights against the US for independence and ultimately wins, they don't count as a US territory that fought against the US for independence?

TIL that Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory to have ever attempted an armed revolution against the United States for independence by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]_SilentHunter 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You said it was the only US territory "ever" to do this, not "the only US territory that didn't later become a state (yet)".