random stuff

[El Pibe]

Quick set up before the linky pay off.

What's the fastest mankind has made something go?

[Loz]

I assume something inside the Large Hadron Collider or similar, since they're pretty close to the speed of light. Unless you actually do include a beam of light in a vacuum...

(Random note: I just fixed a typo in that, calling it the 'Large Hardon Collider'. Fnarr.)

[El Pibe]

Oh yeah, hadn't thought of that, bugger.

Anyway, highly entertaining tale of nuclear research and stratospheric manhole covers

http://professionalparanoid.wordpress.com/the-fastest-man-made-object-ever-a-nuclear-powered-manhole-cover-true/

[Loz]

Yours was more amusing, though.

At 45 miles per second velocity, it would only have needed to last 2 seconds at something near that speed to make it to space. I reckon it's in orbit.

[El Pibe]

I've got annoyed at myself if I've missed a flight, this chap missed two in a row and to put it mildly, got a bit batey.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/02/25/watch-chinese-officials-airport-rampage-caught-on-video/

[El Pibe]

surnames map of uk http://www.uncertaintyofidentity.com/GB_Names/Mapping.aspx

[Gingerbeer]

OMG Im Welsh!

[El Pibe]

Now you know who to support in the next six nations Jonesy!!

[Gingerbeer]

Btw I liked your Fonzie pic, but figured I shouldn't bogart a nice thread about restaurants with my musings on the Fonz. He was my boyfriend you know.... when I was 5.

[El Pibe]

To Bogart, figuratively keep for oneself, essentially to hog a spliff, from Bogey's habit of having a cigarette permanently stuck to his lower lip.

What a delightful expression :)

[El Pibe]

I have a friend who's dad is an absolute spit of Henry Winkler, the one of today, not The Fonz.

[El Pibe]

They don't make second hand car dealers like they used to

http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2013/04/warren-street-and-the-murder-of-stan-the-spiv-setty-by-brian-donald-hume-in-1949/

[Jeremy]

EP - funny how sometimes you see old b/w photos of London and think how it all looked a bit nicer 'back in the day'. Obviously not the case with post-war central London though..

[david_carnell]

That was really interesting, Piers. Thanks.

Interesting how the gla mour of the Chicago gangster translated across the channel into Walker from Dad's Army.

[El Pibe]

aagh, blown my cover!! ;-P

[El Pibe]

The cafe (now a posh barbers) was a cafe until very recently, i used to work about 5 doors away.

[El Pibe]

This is really good stuff.

what facebook tells us about us

http://blog.stephenwolfram.com/2013/04/data-science-of-the-facebook-world/

mostly that young people have fake ids and we die more as we get older, but there's some less predictable stuff in there too.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

wasted a bit of time with this..

http://www.geoguessr.com/

[El Pibe]

Bloody hell I'm rubbish at that. Nice idea though

[giggirl]

I'm genius level high-scorer. Would have been higher if the world map wasn't so vague. My geography teacher would be proud.

[El Pibe]

Now that I've realised you can move about to pick up a couple more clues I'm definitely improving

http://www.geoguessr.com?v=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%3D%3D

[Help-Ma-Boab]

I thought I was as I confidently put the pin in the West Coast of Scotland. Turns out it was Nova Scotia!

Have been less then 300km away at my best throw of the pin.

[El Pibe]

My best poor guess was me convinced I was in S Korea when it turned out to be southern brazil.

I still got about 3 points though.

[giggirl]

I'm improving now I see you can actually make the world map bigger (duh)

http://www.geoguessr.com?v=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

[El Pibe]

Excellent report on changing attitudes within and regarding the EU

http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/05/13/the-new-sick-man-of-europe-the-european-union/

It's a long'un so settle down for some bedtime reading

I really liked this gem from it though

Brits still have it in for the French and Italy has tipped over into going in the garden to eat worms.