(no subject)
I wish I could write you a melody so plain
That would hold you, dear lady, from going insane
And ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge. --Dylan, "Tombstone Blues"
That's OK, Bob. I rather enjoy my useless and pointless knowledge.
Tonight's tidbits:
1. The largest flying bird known to have existed was Argentavis magnificens, or the Argentinian Teratorn, fossils dated to about 8 million years ago. It weighed as much as a man--160 to 200 lbs.--and had a wingspan of 25 feet. (Compare to modern condors, which run about 9-10). (And yes, it was carnivorous. Sweet dreams!)
2. The word "unit" and the name "Britannia" were both probably coined by John Dee.
(Both encountered in the course of fic research, both related to subjects I find fascinating anyway.)
3. Gacked from fyrdrakken: a fantastic BBC Newsmagazine list of 100 things we didn't know this time last year. No. 78: 1 in 18 people has a third nipple.
That would hold you, dear lady, from going insane
And ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge. --Dylan, "Tombstone Blues"
That's OK, Bob. I rather enjoy my useless and pointless knowledge.
Tonight's tidbits:
1. The largest flying bird known to have existed was Argentavis magnificens, or the Argentinian Teratorn, fossils dated to about 8 million years ago. It weighed as much as a man--160 to 200 lbs.--and had a wingspan of 25 feet. (Compare to modern condors, which run about 9-10). (And yes, it was carnivorous. Sweet dreams!)
2. The word "unit" and the name "Britannia" were both probably coined by John Dee.
(Both encountered in the course of fic research, both related to subjects I find fascinating anyway.)
3. Gacked from fyrdrakken: a fantastic BBC Newsmagazine list of 100 things we didn't know this time last year. No. 78: 1 in 18 people has a third nipple.