A Conversation for Ask h2g2
useless facts
Baron Grim Posted Feb 21, 2010
Before it's replaced tonight, I'd just like to mention the Quote of the Week on the Front Page.
useless facts
kuzushi Posted Feb 21, 2010
Going back to Trillian's Child's post:
<>
I've ascertained that it was
North: Eagle
South: Man
East: Ox/Bull
West: Lion
useless facts
kuzushi Posted Feb 21, 2010
Argggh! That should be:
North: Eagle
South: Man
East: Lion
West: Ox/Bull
Furthermore the four points were each linked to one of the tribes of Israel:
North: Eagle, Dan
South: Man, Reuben
East: Lion, Judah
West: Ox/Bull, Ephraim
useless facts
creachy Posted Feb 21, 2010
jwf contirbuted this little fact in the 'How Good is Terry Pratchett thread in Askh2g2
They [Terry Pratchett' books] contain more 'words' (5 million) than all of Shakespeare and the Bible combined.
useless facts
Baron Grim Posted Feb 22, 2010
What we now know as "duct" tape was originally called "duck" tape. It was green, not silver. It was developed in WWII and designed to keep moisture out of ammo cases. Following the war, returning soldiers brought the tape with them and used it for household repairs. Eventually it was used to join duct work and the name and color changed. However, duct tape should NOT be used for duct work as the heat in attics and crawl spaces can cause the tape to deteriorate and if it burns or smolders it can release toxic fumes [apologies for the useful info].
(from http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/duct-tape-was-originally-named-duck-tape-and-came-in-green-not-silver/ see article for more info.)
Info not to be found in the above article.
Duck/duct tape is officially known as "gray" tape by NASA to avoid trademarks and prohibitions against commercial endorsements by government personnel issues.
useless facts
Runescribe Posted Feb 22, 2010
That sounds almost useful, Clive, so I won't mention that what many people think of as duct tape is actually gaffa.
useless facts
Runescribe Posted Feb 22, 2010
Sorry, I mean Count Zero, of course. Don't know where I got Clive from.
useless facts
Baron Grim Posted Feb 22, 2010
I apologized for the "useful info" already.
But I'm glad you mentioned that. Now I need to listen to Suspended in Gaffa again since I never knew what gaffa was.
useless facts
Runescribe Posted Feb 22, 2010
Gaffa tape is (usually) black on the outside and silver on the sticky side, with striations across the width of the tape. It tears across the width fairly easily and is much beloved by techies.
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Pink Paisley Posted Feb 22, 2010
Nobody cares that Gaffa leaves dirt attracting sticky residue on leads when it is used to tape bundles together or to stage floors.
PP
useless facts
Runescribe Posted Feb 22, 2010
Actually, we care very much that cheap, poor quality gaffa leaves floor-destroying residue.
useless facts
swl Posted Feb 22, 2010
But Gaffa isn't what it used to be. It used to be glossy black and stickier than a sticky thing. It could fix flats, tack tears in tabs, repair risers and attach actors to anything. Then, coinciding with the Major government, the shiny stuff began to be replaced by a matt, vaguely tacky Gaffa. The new stuff quite frankly couldn't stick in your throat. The shiny stuff became a prized possession, husbanded by stage managers the length and breadth of the country. Kept under lock and key, it was grudgingly doled out to ASMs in 1 inch strips which, even when used, re-used and re-used again was still stickier than the new PC Gaffa.
I have 3/4 of a roll in my shed, slowly congealing into a glutinous mass. It more closely resembles a WWII sticky bomb. In fact, I'm pretty sure I could stick a Challenger tank to the Thames Barrier if I used it like a blob of blu tac.
But the modern Gaffa - gah!
useless facts
Persephone - Creator of the best typos around! Posted Feb 22, 2010
totally useless fact:
there were exacty 100 posts between this and my previous post (as long as someone didn't postwhile i was looking at them)
useless facts
Pink Paisley Posted Feb 22, 2010
"Actually, we care very much that cheap, poor quality gaffa leaves floor-destroying residue"
See what I mean? Nobody cares that it leaves nasty sticky residue on my leads...
PP
useless facts
Baron Grim Posted Feb 22, 2010
Wait, wait, wait...
We have a translation problem. Gaffa tape is NOT duct/duck tape.
Gaffa (or as I would call it "gaffer" tape) is indeed the good stuff that does NOT leave residue but it is a matte surface. It is meant to tear easily, as mentioned. I worked as a photographers/film production assistant back in the early '90's and we lived on that stuff. If it left a residue we couldn't use it. I still have a couple of rolls in my grip kit in a closet. They're unusable now as they've aged and deteriorated. Duct/duck tape is absolutely messy stuff, cheap, glossy and not always easy to tear. It always leaves a residue.
A gaffer is the head of the lighting department on a set.
useless facts
toybox Posted Feb 22, 2010
In French, gaffer tape is called 'gaffeur', which also means 'the one who blunders' (as in Gaston Lagaffe).
useless facts
You can call me TC Posted Feb 22, 2010
You probably know this already, Toybox, but in English, a gaffe is a (blundering) mistake, too. Totally at random, I found an example of it here: http://www.english-test.net/esl/learn/english/grammar/ii115/esl-test.php
In sailing, a gaff is the bar across the top of a trapezoid sail (as opposed to a triangular sail, which, of course, doesn't need a bar across the top)
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Yelbakk Posted Feb 22, 2010
In German, "gaffen" means "to stare, gawk or gape" and has negative connotations. A "gaffer" is a "looker-on" and is almost exclusively used to describe people who, upon driving past a scene of a car accident, slow down especially to have a look at the blood and gore.
Y.
Key: Complain about this post
useless facts
- 6581: Baron Grim (Feb 21, 2010)
- 6582: toybox (Feb 21, 2010)
- 6583: kuzushi (Feb 21, 2010)
- 6584: kuzushi (Feb 21, 2010)
- 6585: creachy (Feb 21, 2010)
- 6586: Baron Grim (Feb 21, 2010)
- 6587: Baron Grim (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6588: Runescribe (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6589: Runescribe (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6590: Baron Grim (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6591: Runescribe (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6592: Pink Paisley (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6593: Runescribe (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6594: swl (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6595: Persephone - Creator of the best typos around! (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6596: Pink Paisley (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6597: Baron Grim (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6598: toybox (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6599: You can call me TC (Feb 22, 2010)
- 6600: Yelbakk (Feb 22, 2010)
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