h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I think I didn't learn much new today. Well, tomorrow is another day, except for the part of it that's night.

Yesterday, I learned that I am a great grandfather for the first time.

I learned how to annoy people

A22766402

I lost just a few weeks ago.

Can't annoy me. I beat that Game years ago.

http://xkcd.com/391/

Are you sure that's the first time you've learned that, Icy.





[whistling and running at the same time are easier said than done. ]

I learned that people used to have sex as many as 300 years ago!

A Georgian sex manual. Pretty raunchy stuff. NSFW!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43044066

PP.

Don't lie with beasts?

Didn't Jesus lay on a manger?

It wasn't today, but in the last couple of days I learned that up until around 2000-2001 CBS was using "canned" bird chirp sounds during their coverage of golf tournaments to cover any awkward silences. This was discovered by some attentive bird watchers who noticed the sounds of certain bird calls of bird that aren't known to inhabit the region of the tournament (it was Louisville, Kentucky for the Masters tourney).



http://nypost.com/2001/04/08/no-more-chirp-tricks-cbs-has-birds-live-in-concert-at-masters/

I've long been of the opinion that golf is for the birds anyway.

Yes, but not in the biblical sense.

Er, hang on, er, well, I suppose he did!

PP.

Today I learned that eating a small fruit pie whilst driving results in a fruit flavoured shirt.

PP.

Could be worse you did not spill the custard

Here's one I saw on Reddit today that made me go "hmmm".


The word helicopter has two Greek root words, "helix", as in spirial, and "pteron", as in pterodactyl. So rather than the English word being a combination of "heli" + "copter", as you would expect, it's "helico" + "pter".

I also learned that many languages have no issues with syllables starting with sounds like "pt" or "ps" as English does so the "p" isn't silent in the French word "psychologie".

Those consonants are sometimes voiced in English too: A86878796

If you like your consonants, why not try the Dutch word "slechtstschrijvende" (meaning: poorest writing (like when judging the performance of a ballpoint pen)). Nine in a row, all voiced.
After trying, don't forget to wipe the spit of anyone too close and take something to ease your throat if necessary.

I can think of 6 consonants in a row in English in 'Catchphrase'.

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