Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 3]

[FlyingMeeces]

Frimley111R said:

Why do so many Americans seem to have surnames like Misowski or Wasowsaki etc? Were there lots of Russian immigrants many years ago (well relatively 'many' for the US )?

Those are also quite Polish-sounding to me, but basically - yes! There have been lots and LOTS of emigrants to the USA from various Eastern European countries.

Apologies for the lazy wiki link but this isn't a terrible start if you're curious: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Americans

[gr1340]

When I make toast, it is just toast.

When someone else makes toast, the smell is so beautiful that I want it, even more than a virgins tears.

[SpeckledJim]

gr1340 said:

When I make toast, it is just toast.

When someone else makes toast, the smell is so beautiful that I want it, even more than a virgins tears.

Slightly disconcerting.

[FiF]

Maybe it's already been covered in the multiple volumes so far, if so apologies, missed it.

We drive on the left, but in the corridors of power, ok the corridors of the hospital and uni, everyone, or almost everyone, walks on the right. What's going on there then? Expects an answer something to do with keeping your sword hand available and free to battle varlats and highwaymen across the full width of the corridor outside the cafeteria, or something.

[gr1340]

SpeckledJim said:

Slightly disconcerting.

Yes, I wasn't sure about the apostrophe either.

[droopsnoot]

gr1340 said:

When I make toast, it is just toast.

When someone else makes toast, the smell is so beautiful that I want it, even more than a virgins tears.

Same with almost any burger van. I want the one I can smell, not the one they actually hand over.

[shirt]

RizzoTheRat said:

Ayahuasca said:

How low can you reduce tyre pressure before the tyre comes off the rim?

Thinking of an off-road situation where low pressure gives more traction.

Depends on the tyre I suspect. My father's old quad ran at something like 4 psi. The guy we did a 4x4 tour with in Iceland dropped them to about 5psi I think for the snow (they were his 38" summer tyres, he switches to 42" for the winter ). I very much doubt a standard road tyre can be run at the pressure for very long.

He'll have beadlock rims at those size and pressures. These clamp the tyre to the rim to stop it coming off. I've run 8psi on a 33x12inch tyre with no issues until I started dicking about and the tyre left the rim!

Low pressure on the road is a comfier ride than stock but gives terrible steering/braking and a load more extra road noise

[DoubleSix]

If I run a rotating water sprinkler at constant speed with constant water pressure and no wind, why don't the drops fall in the same place each and every time?

[gr1340]

DoubleSix said:

If I run a rotating water sprinkler at constant speed with constant water pressure and no wind, why don't the drops fall in the same place each and every time?

That's the chaos theory.

[handpaper]

FiF said:

Maybe it's already been covered in the multiple volumes so far, if so apologies, missed it.

We drive on the left, but in the corridors of power, ok the corridors of the hospital and uni, everyone, or almost everyone, walks on the right. What's going on there then? Expects an answer something to do with keeping your sword hand available and free to battle varlets and highwaymen across the full width of the corridor outside the cafeteria, or something.

We drive on the left because, for the martial reason above, we used to walk, ride etc. on the left.
We walk on the right on a road where people drive on the left because walking on the right gives us a better view of oncoming traffic.
We walk on the right in areas without traffic because...well because we walk on the right!

Oh, and some years ago someone asked what the purple beacons among miles of yellow ones in motorway roadworks were for. I haven't seen it answered yet.
They mark access and egress points for works vehicles.
Opulent Bob, you're slipping!

[Tango13]

My sister in law is buying my brother a technical Lego 911 GT3 for his birthday, should I buy him a Lego fire engine just in case?

[FlyingMeeces]

Tango13 said:

My sister in law is buying my brother a technical Lego 911 GT3 for his birthday, should I buy him a Lego fire engine just in case?

Do it. You can't have too much Lego.

[JustinF]

DoubleSix said:

If I run a rotating water sprinkler at constant speed with constant water pressure and no wind, why don't the drops fall in the same place each and every time?

They will if you have laminar flow, you have turbulent flow where the molecules are rebounding of each other and interior surfaces, creating random patterns.

[ChemicalChaos]

Tango13 said:

My sister in law is buying my brother a technical Lego 911 GT3 for his birthday, should I buy him a Lego fire engine just in case?

Someone I know won one of those the other day. Its bloody massive! The box alone is 1ftx1ft, I suspect the car will be about half a metre long. The instructions are about 1"thick too...plenty of bedtime reading!

[TwigtheWonderkid]

I really fancy buying myself the Lego Mercedes Arocs truck. But it's about £160 so not a cheap thing to buy on a whim.

[FlyingMeeces]

ChemicalChaos said:

Tango13 said:

My sister in law is buying my brother a technical Lego 911 GT3 for his birthday, should I buy him a Lego fire engine just in case?

Someone I know won one of those the other day. Its bloody massive! The box alone is 1ftx1ft, I suspect the car will be about half a metre long. The instructions are about 1"thick too...plenty of bedtime reading!

I now really, really want one. Just from that comment.

Lego is amazing.

[walm]

FlyingMeeces said:

ChemicalChaos said:

Tango13 said:

My sister in law is buying my brother a technical Lego 911 GT3 for his birthday, should I buy him a Lego fire engine just in case?

Someone I know won one of those the other day. Its bloody massive! The box alone is 1ftx1ft, I suspect the car will be about half a metre long. The instructions are about 1"thick too...plenty of bedtime reading!

I now really, really want one. Just from that comment.

Lego is amazing.

I've seen one built up and they don't look that great.
I was strongly tempted by the camper van though.
http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Volkswagen-T1-Camper-Va...

[gazzarose]

If you want some lego temptations have a look in the scale models subforum, once or twice a year a ph'er runs a group buy. He did one a month ago for the GT3 and some others. He's got a shop Aswell and I'm pretty sure his full price for the Merc Actros us less than 160.

[MissChief]

Is it Ok to send cans of fizzy drink via airmail to the States?

[steveo3002]

are other parts of the world geared up for racism like we are ?

does a Chinese man get dragged down the cop shop if takes a dislike to non local