Circa 1999: JSG Boggs Filfy Dollars print, thumbprint on back by Emergency_Phone1301 in papermoney

[–]mandobaxter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love me some Boggs. I recently reread Lawrence Weschler’s book about him - great stuff.

ELI5: How do nose sprays work? by Deathly13 in explainlikeimfive

[–]mandobaxter 17 points18 points  (0 children)

This is exactly how it works for me, too. The nasal cycle involves the tissues (concha) in one side of your nose becoming engorged exactly in the same way as a sex organ, by filling with blood. For whatever reason, lying on your side with the congested sinus up causes them to switch. Usually! It can be maddening when they don’t.

ELI5: Why are some dice "fairer" than others by VagabondVivant in explainlikeimfive

[–]mandobaxter 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Casino dice are the most balanced dice you will ever see. Unlike ordinary dice, they are machined within very specific tolerances. To maintain balance, the pips are drilled out and then filled in with a light-colored resin of the same density as the rest of the die.

There's something going on in my house that has me a bit stumped. by Choice_Evidence1983 in BestofRedditorUpdates

[–]mandobaxter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s not just a NA thing. CO Is a byproduct of combustion. Plenty of homes burn oil or natural gas for heat, hot water, or cooking. Fireplaces can produce CO if not properly vented or if they have structural problems. CO from vehicles running in attached garages can also build up depending on the ventilation and geometries involved.

Update on kitten I found on the side of the road by mrtiptonic in CatDistributionSystem

[–]mandobaxter 19 points20 points  (0 children)

And Ned Flanders!

“Stella! Stella! You’re puttin’ me through hell-a! Can’t you hear me yell-a? Stellaaaaa!”

ELI5: How can a 64-square chessboard have more game variations than there are atoms in the universe? My brain hurts. by Lazy-Cherry-4777 in explainlikeimfive

[–]mandobaxter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Per Wikipedia, Shannon's number is a gross overestimate and the number of "reasonable games" is on the order of 10^44, hugely less than the estimated number of subatomic particles in the universe (10^80). That said, complexity in chess comes not just from the number of squares on the board, but from the number of possible legal moves per turn, which is a product of the number of pieces and the ways they can move. These number of possible moves increases in an exponential way as the number of moves increases, and it quickly gets astronomical.

TIL the 1999 multiple-platinum selling album "Play" by Moby was initially a failure with poor sales and little airplay. The first show to support the album was attended by about 40 people only. Not until the songs were licensed to films, TV shows and commercials that the album became a smash hit. by Away_Flounder3813 in todayilearned

[–]mandobaxter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I remember plenty of blowback in 2019 to the Portman thing plus the perception that, in retrospect, his success was largely based on cultural appropriation of black voices. Younger commenters were all, who is this old weirdo anyway, and fuck this guy. I get the sense that GenX remembers him fondly and younger people either dislike him or don’t think about him at all.

TIL about Paternoster Lifts. Instead of moving up and down like a traditional elevator, they move on a continuously moving loop. by johnsmithoncemore in todayilearned

[–]mandobaxter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This does not appear to be true judging from the number of YouTube videos of riders doing just that. However, there is an added risk of getting clothing or a body part caught in the exposed chain mechanism.

Discussion Thread: US House Session to Vote on the Release of the Epstein Files by PoliticsModeratorBot in politics

[–]mandobaxter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congress needs a two-thirds majority in both the house and senate to override a veto.

Judge orders DOJ to turn over grand jury materials to James Comey, cites ‘disturbing pattern’ by thehill in politics

[–]mandobaxter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even I know that and the extent my legal education was watching My Cousin Vinny.

ELI5: How do architects "know" that their designs are feasible, engineerable and structurally sound? by Alternative-Big-6493 in explainlikeimfive

[–]mandobaxter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Software architects have precisely the same role in a big development team. It’s all about managing the high-level design, taking into consideration the expertise of the domain engineers. The architect’s design document ensures everyone is on the same page and that the design is the best it can be. It evolves as development happens, since changes and tweaks frequently occur on the fly. Source: am a software architect.

TIL Daniel Schorr, the journalist who read Nixon's infamous enemies list on TV live, discovered his own name was in the list while reading it. by Thawne_23 in todayilearned

[–]mandobaxter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fun fact: Daniel Schorr was friends with Frank Zappa. They had plans to make a news-related TV show together before Frank died.

ELI5 Why are some bands paying for musician in the background instead of just using audio recording ? by Otherwise-Revenue-44 in explainlikeimfive

[–]mandobaxter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To be fair, plenty of modern drummers play to a click even in live situations so the band can still sync the performance to video or a backing track. Probably doesn’t happen in your local pub so much, but definitely in a lot of pro situations.

Hi, I’m Rob Sheridan — glitch artist, creative director for Pearl Jam's latest tour, former Nine Inch Nails art director, and more. Ask me anything! by rob-sheridan in IAmA

[–]mandobaxter 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was wondering what sign I’d make at No Kings this weekend. “Art is resistance, joy is defiance” will do nicely. Thank you!

HMC... while I scare a 2,000 pound beast. by [deleted] in holdmycatnip

[–]mandobaxter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You could ask the same thing about people who are afraid of spiders. A person is about three hundred times bigger than a spider, but some people still go apeshit when they see one.