What is something you learned recently that you were completely unaware of?

I have learned all about the advantages and limitations of a septic tank, as well as how to keep one working properly.

It’s not hard, but it matters what you pour and flush down the drain. If you don’t care for your septic properly, it’ll cost you a lot of money!

I’ve been gobbling up info on the corruption of Liberty University. It’s some brazen thievery that has stolen money from every taxpayer, screwed over countless buyers of their dubious educational products, and betrayed students who legitimately believed in the school and its supposed “mission.” I’m stunned by how long it’s been allowed to keep going on.

I learned that although I thought I was putting the right amount of detergent in the laundry washing machine, I was putting too much and using a brand that foams a lot, and that foam can/will cause the machine to get clogged with foam and soap debris that will then eventually cause a bad smell, cause clothes not to get cleaned properly and to gain smell not from B.O. but from rotting soap scum, and eventually cause the machine to break down and suffer damage.

Also, many recent laundry machine designs have been plummeting in expected lifetime, designed to die shortly after their warranties expire, and to cost as much to repair as they would to replace.

I knew of the historic incidences of mercury poisoning and how they continue to be horrific and the what the acute effects are, but I recently found out the statistic for the amount of bioavailable mercury now in the environment is 450 TIMES the amount before industrialisation began. If anyone had any doubt the ability of humans to poison the planet, this should help them see just what destructive creatures we truly are.

@snowberry I recently learned a similar costly lesson about septic tanks. Make sure you know their location and get them pumped at least every 3 to 5 years.

In the Battle of Okinawa, women attacked the Allied forces in kamikazi attacks armed only with spears.

People are growing packing material using mycelium to replace plastic !

Mix up some sawdust or other minced organic materials and the right mycelium, pack into a mold, let sit for a week, bake (to kill the mycelium :( to stop growth) and presto!
Produces packing materials that are as light and strong as any of the commonly used plastics, but are completely compostable.
These materials are also useful as sound and heat insulation.

@dabbler Huh! I just looked that up. Interesting. Lately I have come to hate packaging. So much crap and it takes forever to decompose. I’m glad this exist.

I was very sceptic about drawing or doodling but I found it interesting and easy. We don’t have to be an artist to draw ideas in your mind. There are many YouTube tutorial to build our visual thinking skills. Slowly we will start drawing ideas from our own thoughts, that’s astonishing.

Note: Nothing is instant, it develops with practice and passion.

That Brittany Spears has a conservatorship.

Also Canada and the United States already have a pipeline between the two, and Keystone XL is just a more convenient direct way to ship energy commodities. (Oil, Natural Gas, ect)

That the daughter my brother said he had was really and truly his daughter! And that he is a grandfather by that child!!!
DNA was submitted into a network by that child, but it wasn’t until one of my sisters also submitted DNA into the same network that a match was made.

I just learned that Star Trek: TOS was remastered with improved graphics and sound. I never thought anyone would get the budget to do this.

@Caravanfan and droves of those women hurled themselves and their kids over cliffs to their doom in order to avoid the rape and debasement they’d been assured awaited them at the hands of Americans by Japanese military officials.

That the real Loki in the Norse religion once transformed into a female horse, had sex with a stallion, then gave birth to the 8-legged horse Sleipnir.
That is what I want to see in the MCU.

That Bed Bugs can go a year without eating.

@anniereborn Greattttt! Worthless bugs.