Useless facts

[EternalOptimist]

dum dee dum . bored here.

Time for a useless fact -

Spiders.
Did you know that spiders produce two types of silk, sticky and non sticky.
The spokes of the web are non sticky, the cross bars are sticky. A spider will only walk on the spokes, if it touches the sticky bits, it gets caught, just like everything else.
BUT spiders have the ability to eat their way out, and recyle the sticky silk

[rhubarb]

dum dee dum . bored here.

Time for a useless fact -

Spiders.
Did you know that spiders produce two types of silk, sticky and non sticky.
The spokes of the web are non sticky, the cross bars are sticky. A spider will only walk on the spokes, if it touches the sticky bits, it gets caught, just like everything else.
BUT spiders have the ability to eat their way out, and recyle the sticky silk

Got this fact at the weekend in a text message:

The term "Brass Monkeys" is an accepted phrase used in the English language to indicate that the ambient air temperature (or weather) is cold. This use stems from a longer phrase "It is cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey".
The origin and true meaning of this phrase is actually totally unrelated to any form of animal or its testicles. Back in time to the period of the Napoleonic War, the great gunships of this time carried many cannons on various gun decks. As an efficient method of storage and delivery of cannon balls to the cannon for firing, a "Monkey" (this term is used to define a table and/ or a rail) made of brass was used to hold the balls. In very cold temperatures the brass would contract or even break thus allowing the cannon balls to roll off the Monkey onto the gun deck. Hence the sailors would say "it is cold enough to freeze the balls off a Brass Monkey".

[xoggoth]

I never understood why Spiderman shot web from his wrist. Had it been Spiderwoman and she shot it from her bum in the correct manner I might have taken an interest.

[Spacecadet]

Got this fact at the weekend in a text message:

The term "Brass Monkeys" is an accepted phrase used in the English language to indicate that the ambient air temperature (or weather) is cold. This use stems from a longer phrase "It is cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey".
The origin and true meaning of this phrase is actually totally unrelated to any form of animal or its testicles. Back in time to the period of the Napoleonic War, the great gunships of this time carried many cannons on various gun decks. As an efficient method of storage and delivery of cannon balls to the cannon for firing, a "Monkey" (this term is used to define a table and/ or a rail) made of brass was used to hold the balls. In very cold temperatures the brass would contract or even break thus allowing the cannon balls to roll off the Monkey onto the gun deck. Hence the sailors would say "it is cold enough to freeze the balls off a Brass Monkey".

Thats made up internet nonsense

[threaded]

Thats made up internet nonsense

Quite. Piling cannon balls up in a pyramid sounds like a really dumb idea on a ship in rolling seas. So it must be false.

[Scary]

http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/brass.asp

[Diver]

Upper crust

When bread was traditionally baked, the bottom of the bread was usually blackened. the loaf was sliced horizontally, the upper crust going to the "Upper crust" and the blackened lower going to the servants.

I like burnt toast, therefore an indication my genetic station in life

[Spacecadet]

Upper crust

When bread was traditionally baked, the bottom of the bread was usually blackened. the loaf was sliced horizontally, the upper crust going to the "Upper crust" and the blackened lower going to the servants.

Do you believe everything on the internet?

http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/1500.asp

[Scary]

Do you believe everything on the internet?

http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/1500.asp

Snopes reckons this one is true.

ETA: scroll to the bit about upper crust:

Even a blind squirrel can find an acorn once in a while, and that appears to be the case here - the wag who thought up this e-mailed leg pull accidentally stumbled onto an actual origin.

"Kutt the upper crust (of a loaf of bread) for your soverayne [sovereign]" was good manners in 1460. The custom at the time was to slice the choice top portion off a loaf and present it to the highest-ranking guests at the table. Centuries later, this practice led to calling the elite who ate the upper crust "the upper crust."

The rest of the bread was not apportioned out by rank, though.

[Spacecadet]

Snopes reckons this one is true.

That will explain why the status is false