Admit your ignorance - things you've only just realised/learned

[Electric_Andy]

In Germany and the Netherlands there is/was a "Morgen" which was the amount that can be ploughed with an ox in a morning. Set to about 60% of a tagwerk (day's work) which unsurprisingly comes out at about an acre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgen

According to that article, the size of a Morgen varied widely with place. It seems that in Mecklenberg they were particularly industrious and managed well over an acre just in the morning. And in Land of Hadeln they were pretty much superhuman, managing the best part of 3 acres in the morning. So provided that they didn't take the afternoon off they'd be going at coming on for 5 acres a day. Whereas in lazy Franconia their Morgen gave them only about three quarters of an acre per day.

Of course those of us without direct experience of ox ploughing speeds are left pretty much none the wiser.

Similar to 90-mile beach in NZ. European settlers reckoned they could do 30 miles in a day and it took them 3 days. It's actually more like 55 miles because the Europeans under-estimated how much the sand slows you down when you have horses and carts

 

[Profpointy]

I saw a video on that subject. If you go onto youtube and search for "cursed units" you may find it.

I've seen that; very good isn't it

Hubble's constant (for the expansion rate of the universe) is another good one. It's normally quoted as recession velocity (km per sec) per mega parsec (distance away). Tidy it up and you get Hz as the unit (ie frequency)

 

[Profpointy]

Neil Angstrom - the smallest man on the moon.

Brilliant ! Not heard that one before

 

[Dogtrousers]

Brilliant ! Not heard that one before

Told to me by a scientist friend of mine who loves crosswords and anagrams.

I've a sneaky feeling she may have made it up herself.

 

[presta]

Anyone listen to woman's hour this morning?

I like Emma Barnett, she's quite feisty, and won't put up with being fobbed off with bullsh!t, but this morning she seemed to be advocating for a feminist line that men not publicising endometriosis as an explicitly women's health problem devalues and diminishes women's experiences of it. She clearly didn't like it at all when the expert on the programme pointed out that men can have endometriosis as well, and I was left thinking that if I've got to the age of 65 not knowing that, the feminist point of view must already be gaining enough traction as it is.

 

[richardfm]

Anyone listen to woman's hour this morning?

I like Emma Barnett, she's quite feisty, and won't put up with being fobbed off with bullsh!t, but this morning she seemed to be advocating for a feminist line that men not publicising endometriosis as an explicitly women's health problem devalues and diminishes women's experiences of it. She clearly didn't like it at all when the expert on the programme pointed out that men can have endometriosis as well, and I was left thinking that if I've got to the age of 65 not knowing that, the feminist point of view must already be gaining enough traction as it is.

After reading the definitions of endometriosis on both Wikipedia and the NHS website I am at a loss to understand how men can get it

 

[Ming the Merciless]

That the diameter of the sun is approx 865,000 miles. At approx 15 mph it’d take 21 years to cycle round, not including stops to apply sun block.

 

[Dogtrousers]

That the diameter of the sun is approx 865,000 miles. At approx 15 mph it’d take 21 years to cycle round, not including stops to apply sun block.

Although it's really hot in the Corona, the "atmosphere" is so sparse that, equipped with a super-duper heat shield the Parker Solar Probe managed to fly through the Corona and the probe itself only heated up to around 30 deg.

So get a heat shield for your bike, book the time off work, and off you go.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

So get a heat shield for your bike, book the time off work, and off you go.

This is where a velomobile comes in, just make the fairing out of heat shield materials.

 

[ColinJ]

After reading the definitions of endometriosis on both Wikipedia and the NHS website I am at a loss to understand how men can get it

Apparently, it is very rare, but it can happen - ARTICLE.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

That the diameter of the sun is approx 865,000 miles. At approx 15 mph it’d take 21 years to cycle round, not including stops to apply sun block.

might take longer - pretty sure you would get a puncture soon after starting

 

[Ming the Merciless]

That 2% of the soil on Mars is water

 

[lazybloke]

This is where a velomobile comes in, just make the fairing out of heat shield materials.

I'd need better sunglasses

 

[presta]

After reading the definitions of endometriosis on both Wikipedia and the NHS website I am at a loss to understand how men can get it

From what the expert on Woman's Hour was saying, endometriosis seems to be a condition that affects cells like the ones found in the womb (and most commonly in the womb), but not only in the womb.

There's a fuss on twitter about it ATM because people mistakenly think it's all about the transgender row, but it's not, 'natural' men get it, and Emma Barnett's wrong: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/criog/2018/2083121/

From that reference it seems that oestrogen therapy is a suspected cause, but that's not just used for sex change, it's also used to treat conditions such as hypogonadism.

 

[Drago]

Discovered today thwt Keir Starmer does not own a tie, and has to borrow one from a willing donor to wear in the Commons.