Interesting Wikipedia articles?

[glazbagun]

That's the one! They did one on electromagnetism (Eels, pigeon navigation, etc), smell and other senses (birds with full 360* vision, etc). It's actually quite humbling to think that the way we see the world is really only our own limited way.

I can't remember if they did one on the Mantis shrimp, but if they didn't then they should have. Because the Mantis shrimp can see in IR, visible, UV wavelengths (they have 16 types of cone i their retiina compared to our four) and polarize better than any man made lens:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp#Eyes

And of course they pack a punch.

[rodericb]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petard

What I found most interesting was that pétard comes from the word péter which is middle french for breaking wind. Now you'll look at people named Peter in a different way - they are named after a fart.

[p1stonhead]

matchmaker said:

The area of the USA most polluted by radioactive waste..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site

Links back to this terrifying article too;

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/department...

[Fugazi]

The remarkable last moments of a ballerina who distracted and then shot dead a Nazi at Auschwitz, Franceska Mann

[h0b0]

glazbagun said:

Not a wiki, but a BBC article on why flies are so difficult to swat:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-4128...

I'm also trying to find an old BBC documentary called "supersense" which covered a lot of stuff like this with 1980s SFX to no avail. Can't find it on youtube.

Use a tea towel to swat them. It often stuns them and you can pick them up and release to safety. Very easy way of getting them out of your house.

[glazbagun]

h0b0 said:

Use a tea towel to swat them. It often stuns them and you can pick them up and release to safety. Very easy way of getting them out of your house.

I'm actually pretty good at swatting flies. Worked in a fishmongers as a teenager so got a lot of practice!

[LaurasOtherHalf]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hansen

Or as he was known at the time of his arrest The "Butcher Baker" serial killer, recently as told in the Apex Abyss Podcast.

The story is something straight out of an American Horror Movie, Robert Hansen the genial and respected businessman would occasionally go to pick up hookers, fly them out to the wilderness in his private light aircraft and then set them free in order to hunt them down.

He coughed to a certain amount as a plea bargain and led the police to many to many other graves but not all of them.

[Rostfritt]

h0b0 said:

Use a tea towel to swat them. It often stuns them and you can pick them up and release to safety. Very easy way of getting them out of your house.

I find that fly spray doesn't kill them but does stun them enough that they become slow enough to swat.

[Lance Catamaran]

glazbagun said:

h0b0 said:

Use a tea towel to swat them. It often stuns them and you can pick them up and release to safety. Very easy way of getting them out of your house.

I'm actually pretty good at swatting flies. Worked in a fishmongers as a teenager so got a lot of practice!

Why would people want to release files safely? Any that come into my house get a face full of Raid

[Funkycoldribena]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hansen

Or as he was known at the time of his arrest The "Butcher Baker" serial killer, recently as told in the Apex Abyss Podcast.

The story is something straight out of an American Horror Movie, Robert Hansen the genial and respected businessman would occasionally go to pick up hookers, fly them out to the wilderness in his private light aircraft and then set them free in order to hunt them down.

He coughed to a certain amount as a plea bargain and led the police to many to many other graves but not all of them.

It has been made into an American movie.
On Frozen Ground.

[mikef]

Rostfritt said:

h0b0 said:

Use a tea towel to swat them. It often stuns them and you can pick them up and release to safety. Very easy way of getting them out of your house.

I find that fly spray doesn't kill them but does stun them enough that they become slow enough to swat.

You just need a Foetsie

[Usget]

Probably something that people already know a load about, but, whilst I knew in the back of my mind it had occurred, the Rwandan Genocide wasn't something I've read about in detail.

It is now. Crikey Moses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_genocide

[majordad]

Yes, the Belgians have a very poor record in Africa. Quitters, as they did in WW1 and WW2 as well.

[MissChief]

Usget said:

Probably something that people already know a load about, but, whilst I knew in the back of my mind it had occurred, the Rwandan Genocide wasn't something I've read about in detail.

It is now. Crikey Moses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_genocide

When some say that there will come a point when the human race stops bickering about religion, class, race, tribe, skin colour, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity and everything else people get upset about and starts working wholly as one to expand into the Galaxy, I want to believe them. Then I read things like that and I just cannot see it at all. For centuries, if at all. Humans can be real aholes.

[louiebaby]

Off the back of the Damn Interesting Article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Lituya_Bay_mega...

and

https://www.damninteresting.com/ten-minutes-in-lit...

Surf's up, dude!

[Pebbles167]

I grew up in Corsham, Wiltshire and remember hearing about the tunnel network and underground bunker beneath the town. Ultimately it became obsolete before use, But its still fairly interesting. Plenty more info elsewhere on the web.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Government...

[louiebaby]

Pebbles167 said:

I grew up in Corsham, Wiltshire and remember hearing about the tunnel network and underground bunker beneath the town. Ultimately it became obsolete before use, But its still fairly interesting. Plenty more info elsewhere on the web.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Government...

Thanks for info. Who bought it?

Again, off the back of a Damn Interesting article, the Adrin Cycler concept sounds interesting. Mr Musk, get to work!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_cycler

Longer version, although an old (ish) article:

https://www.damninteresting.com/the-martian-expres...

[Allanv]

Pebbles167 said:

I grew up in Corsham, Wiltshire and remember hearing about the tunnel network and underground bunker beneath the town. Ultimately it became obsolete before use, But its still fairly interesting. Plenty more info elsewhere on the web.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Government...

Upon checking it is still MOD and is behind the building I will be in tomorrow Ark Data Centres.

A very old sattilite view

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Ark+Data+Centr...

It has been called many things but now it is called The Burlington Bunker

[loafer123]

When I was a lad in the 1980's, one of my schoolmates broke in there a couple of times. The place was so massive, it was mostly deserted and derelict, but apparently you would eventually find occupied space and security officers if you went close enough.

The Wiki page is, I think, inaccurate. The access in times of national emergency is by train off a branch spur in the middle of the Box tunnel. There is also a well placed "Works Access Only" on the M4 not far away.

[Pebbles167]

Glad you all liked Burlington

We used to walk down into Box caves, and supposedly, if you walked far enough, you would come to a metal door which was an extra entrance/exit. I was too scared to go in that far though!

I'm a train driver and regularly go through Box tunnel. I've not seen anywhere that would allow access? There is a smaller tunnel to the side on the eastern entrance though which is supposedly an ammunition storage road or some such?

If you walk around Corsham, there are several ventilation shafts in the fields above the bunker. Quite cool knowing what's beneath.