Share Your Interesting But Not Very Useful Facts

[loafer123]

There is a shortage of Gummy Bears in the US, and it is all because of the shortage of computer chips.

How?

The gelatine in the bears comes as a byproduct from cows which are reared for their leather to cover car seats, and less cars are being made due to the chip shortage.

[eldar]

loafer123 said:

There is a shortage of Gummy Bears in the US, and it is all because of the shortage of computer chips.

How?

The gelatine in the bears comes as a byproduct from cows which are reared for their leather to cover car seats, and less cars are being made due to the chip shortage.

Are they different from cattle reared for food?

[SpeckledJim]

eldar said:

loafer123 said:

There is a shortage of Gummy Bears in the US, and it is all because of the shortage of computer chips.

How?

The gelatine in the bears comes as a byproduct from cows which are reared for their leather to cover car seats, and less cars are being made due to the chip shortage.

Are they different from cattle reared for food?

I know I just posted a fact of very debatable veracity...


... but we don't breed cows for leather. Leather is a recyclable component of a dead dairy/beef cow.

[Punctilio]

Gelatin can also be sourced from pigs, fish and chickens.

[Halmyre]

Composer62 said:

biggbn said:

A sloth can hold its breath longer than a dolphin...up to forty minutes.

That's interesting, What advantage would that give them I wonder ?

I can understand it for dolphins, not so much sloths.

I don't hear lady sloths complaining.

[loafer123]

Punctilio said:

Gelatin can also be sourced from pigs, fish and chickens.

Presumably it was a market in relative equilibrium beforehand, though.

Original source;

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2022-12-22/h...

[Soloman Dodd]

Composer62 said:

biggbn said:

A sloth can hold its breath longer than a dolphin...up to forty minutes.

That's interesting, What advantage would that give them I wonder ?

I can understand it for dolphins, not so much sloths.

It takes them that long to have a dump.

[98elise]

loafer123 said:

Punctilio said:

Gelatin can also be sourced from pigs, fish and chickens.

Presumably it was a market in relative equilibrium beforehand, though.

Original source;

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2022-12-22/h...

Regardless it would just make leather cheaper, not slow production. If it was the case then we would also have a meat shortage because there are fewer cars being made.

[Mallard126]

There is a squeeze on gelatin availability/a significant price increase but it's nothing to do with computer chips.

Demand for collagen has increased significantly over the last couple of years. it's easy to make from gelatin and commands a much higher price so producers have increasingly switched from one to the other.

[Fermit]

SpeckledJim said:

... but we don't breed cows for leather. Leather is a recyclable component of a dead dairy/beef cow.

As someone who has many years experience of restoring leather, I can state categorically that this is not the case. If you'd like me to elaborate I'm happy to.

[SpeckledJim]

Fermit said:

SpeckledJim said:

... but we don't breed cows for leather. Leather is a recyclable component of a dead dairy/beef cow.

As someone who has many years experience of restoring leather, I can state categorically that this is not the case. If you'd like me to elaborate I'm happy to.

Always happy to be corrected when caught talking bks on the internet.

Correct away!

[Halmyre]

I read somewhere that Connolly keep a herd of cows for their leather. They're kept in a field without barbed wire so they don't damage the skin.

[Fermit]

SpeckledJim said:

Fermit said:

SpeckledJim said:

... but we don't breed cows for leather. Leather is a recyclable component of a dead dairy/beef cow.

As someone who has many years experience of restoring leather, I can state categorically that this is not the case. If you'd like me to elaborate I'm happy to.

Always happy to be corrected when caught talking bks on the internet.

Correct away!

There are many types of leather. Three for example, Aniline (dyed) Suede (dyed and brushed) and Micro Pigment (very light pigment coat to give luxury with some protection) require very high standard hides. The standard, with the hides being more on show, means that damage caused throughout the cows life will spoil the aesthetic of the hide. This includes Mosquito bites (so cows need to live above 5000ft [?] above sea level where they don't live) barbed wire scratches (so they need to be enclosed by other means) and stretch marks. Leather in this respect is much like diamonds. The less imperfections the greater the value. Accordingly, for high grades of leather the cows primary existence is for its hide.

[Dr Jekyll]

The Galapagos islands are the only place where there are wild penguins north of the equator.

[Fermit]

Following the death of Prince in 2016 he left behind no descendants or wife. His only living immediate relations were his sister and 5 half siblings. In the three weeks following his death, over 700 people came forward claiming to be his half-siblings or descendants.

[Antony Moxey]

Dr Jekyll said:

The Galapagos islands are the only place where there are wild penguins north of the equator.

But they're south of the equator aren't they?

[S6PNJ]

Antony Moxey said:

Dr Jekyll said:

The Galapagos islands are the only place where there are wild penguins north of the equator.

But they're south of the equator aren't they?

Pinta Island is showing as north of the equator according to Google Maps - https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pinta+Island/@0....

Don't know if there are any penguins there though...

[glenrobbo]

The belly button is the ideal place to keep the salt when you're eating celery in bed.

It's an old navel tradition.

[Punctilio]

The UK consumes more cans of baked beans than
the rest of the world combined, 1.5 millions cans daily.

[Morningside]

Pele's hair - glass strands from lava fountains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhLwbOWOdYY