#TiL253 (382)
Sassafras.
For almost half a century I thought Sassafras was a progressive rock and roll band from #SouthWales.
Turns out it’s also a plant, native to North America,
With many uses
Making Root Beer one of them.

#TiL253 (379)
Dog Eyebrows.
Domestic dogs have evolved facial muscles to move their eyebrows.
This allows for the ‘puppy dog eyes’ that make hooomans love them more,
give em treats, and adopt them.
Wolves don’t have it,
or Siberian Huskies.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2206696-dogs-evolved-a-special-muscle-that-lets-them-make-puppy-dog-eyes/

#TiL253 (378)
Asymmetric Dominance Effect
Forgotten I knew about this.
A technique (trick) used in sales and marketing to ‘nudge’ us towards buying things we otherwise might not have.
Yes, it’s sneaky and underhand, but we fall for it.
Ever bought the *big* coffee?
Broadly called the Decoy Effect
And its also used in Business Case Options Appraisals.
More on #DecoyEffect here ⬇️
https://whatsthepont.blog/2020/10/03/how-to-spot-the-decoy-effect-in-business-case-options-appraisals/

#TiL253 (377)
This is a lovely video from the #metoffice on how they measure rainfall.
There’s more to it than stuff falling out of the sky.

https://youtu.be/JVOxLrMaWA8

#TiL253 (376)
At the risk of sounding a bit obsessed with rainfall.
I’m still a bit confused by measures of rainfall intensity
Light = <2.5mm / hour
Moderate = 2.5 to 7.6 or 10mm/hour
Heavy = >7.6 or between 10-50mm/hour
Violent = >50mm/hour
American v UK differences?
I’ll stick to Portuguese; Pots, Buckets, Pitchers and Jugs
Thanks @RakowskiBartosz

#TiL253 (375)
It’s been a day for Raining Cats and Dogs
But,
There’s no clear explanation of the origins of the phrase.
Maybe
- Norse mythology (dogs = wind) (cats = heavy rain for sailors)?
- Greek cata doxa, contrary to belief?
- old English catadupe = a waterfall
So the drowned rat I saw in the gutter earlier has nothing to do with ‘raining animals’
However… /1
https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/meteorology-climatology/item/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-its-raining-cats-and-dogs/

RT @whatsthepont@twitter.com

#TiL253 (372)
Robert Owen coined the phrase:
8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest.
Over 200 years ago at Lanark Mills.
We’ve still a fair way to go,
And in some places we are slipping backwards.
⁦@DavidSmithWales@twitter.com⁩ ⁦@CoopsWales@twitter.com⁩ https://toot.wales/@ChrisBolton/109643344816041769

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/whatsthepont/status/1611409904891215897

RT @whatsthepont@twitter.com

#TiL253 (373)
Yeah it’s been raining ‘cats & dogs’
But what about #AtmosphericRivers
Happening now in the US.
Could have further impacts on the UK
Good explanation by Helen Griffith via ⁦@CarbonBrief@twitter.com⁩ https://toot.wales/@ChrisBolton/109654161211629103

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/whatsthepont/status/1612102947449585668

#TiL253 (374)
#AtmosphericRiver
Literally a river in the sky.
Huge amounts of moisture (water) dumped on the land when the river comes ashore.
Read Helen Griffith on their impact on the UK ⬇️
- they aren’t new, a few in the atmosphere at any given time
- they can help with replenishing water resources, but
- negatives of flooding
- the impacts likely to be worse with climate change
#atmostphericrivers

https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-the-role-of-atmospheric-rivers-in-uk-winter-floods/

#TiL253 (373)
Charity Gift Aid Donations
I knew they could claim tax on cash donations
But it also works on items (clothes etc)
As I understand :
- you donate the items
- the charity sells on your behalf
- they claim the tax on the money
- it all requires paperwork (obvs).
This from @OxfamGB is helpful

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/donate-to-our-shops/tag-your-bag-how-it-works/

#TiL253 (372)
8 Hours Labour, 8 Hours Recreation, 8 Hours Rest.
The phrase coined by social reformer and #coops founder #RobertOwen
This was in 1817 at Lanark Mills
Over 200 years ago.
We’ve still got a long way to go…

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

#TiL253 (371) ⛓️ (370)
Dogma - a favourite film
But never available to screen…
The reason?
Harvey Weinstein owns the rights.
At least you can enjoy the trailer

https://youtu.be/20CRw3XdETA

https://nofilmschool.com/kevin-smiths-on-dogma-film

#TiL253 (370)
Epistemic Dogmatism.
Been trying to understand this better for a few days.
I think it’s about not being flexible, or willing to change about what you understand / know.
Dogmatic. Principles you hold that are ‘undeniably’ true
Epistemic. About the theory of knowledge. How we ‘know’ stuff.
So: I think it’s about not accepting the views (knowledge) from outside of your own (dogma).
Reading this:

https://interdisciplinarystudies.org/docs/Vol16_1998/06_Vol_16_pp_99_119_Bell.pdf

#TiL253 (369)
Bonhoeffer’s Stupidity Theory.
Stupidity is harder to deal with than evil.
You can act against evil, but stupidity (in large groups) is much more difficult.
Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and killed by the Nazis in 1945.
But this is very relevant to modern times.
A good explainer:

https://sproutsschools.com/bonhoeffers-theory-of-stupidity/

I ending up going beyond the #TiL253 target for various reasons.
Mainly because I enjoyed it.
Which is the reason I’ve resumed.
The last one was #TiL253 (368)
About Moravec’s Paradox which @docnicola prompted.
It’s about AI any why computers are good at the stuff humans find hard (calculations)
And bad at the stuff humans find easy (recognising friends).
I’d forgotten that,
So another good reason to resume #TiL253
369 will follow, today.
/3

The first ever #TiL253 was about the Goldilocks Zone.
The idea of something being ‘Just Right’
Not too hot, not too cold…
It’s where the earth exists in relation to the sun (and why it sustains life)
253 felt like a Goldilocks Number for me to aim for in my TiL experiment.
Not too high, not too low, just about achievable.
Anyway…
/2

#TiL253
Here’s something I’m resuming in 2023
Back in 2016 I gathered the things I’d learned TiL (Today I Learned)
And posted them on the bird app, using the hashtag #TiL253
The 253 was a number I was aiming for over a year.
It’s all explained in the blog post below.
For various reasons (mostly because I enjoyed it), I’m resuming the experiment.
Starting here, today.
/1.

Explanation ➡️ https://whatsthepont.blog/til253-today-i-learned-an-experiment/