this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2025
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Mine is this little tidbit about Khaki's from https://www.heddels.com/2019/05/history-khaki-anything-drab/

"Tried and tested by all the major powers, khaki-dyed, lightweight cotton twills became the de facto uniform for any colonizing power. If you were going to ship your boys abroad to pillage and conquer someplace in the Southern Hemisphere, khaki was your go-to color."

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[–] truite@jlai.lu 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

How pineapples grow amazes me. Ofc if you're from a place where pineapples grow, it probably sounds dumb, but I learnt that late in my life. Look:

A pineapples plantation.

Focus on a single pineapple, which grows on long leaves, on a long stem, alone, with other leaves on its head.

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Those fake astroturf fields and yards people are installing are actually quite toxic. In addition to heating plastic to high temperatures and baking it under powerful UV light each summer, the plastics and rubbers used for them are usually from sources like car tires which are full of PFAS to resist fires, wear, UV, etc. Those leach into surrounding areas whenever it rains.

Well that's fucking awful, thank you!

[–] leaky_shower_thought@feddit.nl 29 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"Blue lights on train platforms in Japan have been shown to reduce the chance someone will jump in front of a speeding train. In fact, one study in the Journal of Affective Disorders found blue lighting reduced suicide attempts by 84%. It’s believed blue registers as a calming color, associated with the sky and sea, which may be soothing to people in distress, according to Psychology Today."

I guess people who keep using blue-light filter glasses at end of work will miss this.

Lol dark thought at the end

[–] Kennystillalive@feddit.org 93 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Probably a cheap one and nothing new new but: Meta used to serve you specially predatory adds: about crazy beauty standards when you changed your status in facebook from in a relationship to single. Because they knew you'd be more likely to buy these products when your confidence is at it's lowest.

Nestlé does not only have food products and water in it's portfolio they also owns 20% of L'oréal and their products.

Relevant Sidney Harris

[–] Drekaridill@feddit.is 95 points 3 days ago (3 children)

The chainsaw was first used to saw bone, not trees. This was before anesthesia.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 81 points 3 days ago (3 children)

The chainsaw was first used to saw bone, not trees

That makes it sound like it was used for amputation...

It was invented to aid with childbirth

[–] PhilipTheBucket@quokk.au 63 points 3 days ago (3 children)
[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 17 points 3 days ago (3 children)

The baby comes out much easier in two pieces.

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Whatever, king Solomon.

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[–] RobotZap10000@feddit.nl 32 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It used to be hand-cranked too.

[–] DoGeeseSeeGod@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Hadn't heard the hank crank part before. That's extra brutal

[–] RobotZap10000@feddit.nl 41 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 35 points 3 days ago (4 children)

I'm so happy that I'm living in 2025

[–] PhilipTheBucket@quokk.au 20 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

In use in Ireland until the 1980s, apparently. TIL.

"Hey while you're giving birth anyway, I'm just gonna use this hand-cranked kitchen appliance thing to saw your pelvis apart. Please try to relax."

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[–] MTK@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Not really a secret, but we don't often think about it.

Cash is fucking dirty. Here is the official Fedral Reserve estimated lifespan for each note:

Denomination Estimated Lifespan*
$1 7.2 years
$5 5.8 years
$10 5.7 years
$20 11.1 years
$50 14.9 years
$100 24.0 years

You can assume that something like a $5 bill might change hands on a weekly basis.

So if you a $5 bill that still looks nice, it might be only 2 years old, so it might have seen about 100 owners up until now. It is said that 1 out of 5 people don't wash hands after pooping.

Your $5 bill is probably filled with poop, pee, sweat, food, cum, dirt, etc.

https://sci-hub.st/10.1097/00007611-200295120-00011

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago

Cocaine. Lots of cocaine.

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Man, cash don't have owners. Only spenders.

[–] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Your $5 bill is probably filled with poop, pee, sweat, food, cum, dirt, etc.

So you're saying extra protein when I use it to shove things in my nose.

[–] dil@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago

so the blow wasn' t the problem I just needed a safer instrument

[–] rwdf@lemmy.world 65 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Chewing gum is a petroleum product.

[–] GrayBackgroundMusic@lemmy.zip 34 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)
[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 3 days ago

There are petroleum free alternatives.
https://www.forestgum.de/products/minze-9er-18er-pack

But they are very small alternatives.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 22 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Some antique toasters gracefully lifted your toast, perfectly browned, rather than popping them up like it's trying to give you a heart attack.

[–] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I too dream of the sunbeam radiant toaster.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 3 points 2 days ago

Ever since I saw Adam Savage showing one off I have craved the majesty with maybe one or two extra safety measures modded in.

[–] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I have one from the 50s/60s(?) that will gradually let two slices of toast up, but if you have only one piece of toast and you put it in the wrong slot, it will literally fly out of the toaster.

I had to move the fridge after losing several pieces of toast between it and the counter before I learned what was going on. Was very confused about missing bread and the cat was a prime suspect.

Edit: typo

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[–] PhilipTheBucket@quokk.au 61 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (8 children)

The first microwave ovens created were being used to gently re-warm frozen live hamsters, because when they tried to reheat the hamsters with conventional cooking methods, they heated unevenly and burned at the edges, which isn't good for the hamsters.

[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Anyone else randomly think of Joe Cartoon for the first time in a very long time?

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 17 points 3 days ago (14 children)

I have to assume the microwave didn't work either, because they cook far more unevenly than an oven.

[–] platypode@sh.itjust.works 28 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

It was actually rather successful! Some papers about this research are available here (first use of a microwave to thaw living rats) and here (comparison of some other warming methods), and there’s a good Tom Scott video on the experiment as well.

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[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 46 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Hugo Boss (the clothing line) started out making uniforms for the Nazi Party.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You know they are some of the most iconic uniforms of all time I'll give them that

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[–] MyDarkestTimeline01@ani.social 53 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Any warning label you have ever seen exists because enough people did the thing being warned against that a lawyer said there needed to be a sign.

[–] THB@lemmy.world 34 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

My wife recently noticed a new sign by our building's pool saying that you are not allowed in if you have diarrhea or have had diarrhea in the last 14 days. 🤔🥴

[–] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

That's a pretty standard sign in most shared pools tbf. People are gross af.

[–] MyDarkestTimeline01@ani.social 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Gross, and yes. That would be why

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[–] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 39 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Hiram Maxim (1840 - 1916) invented the modern mousetrap and the first automatic machine gun.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 42 points 3 days ago (2 children)

helluva mouse problem at the Maxim house

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 days ago

I mean... not anymore.

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[–] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

2043

-- Hiram Maxim, probably

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago (2 children)

During the War on Terror, there was a much-publicized fact that your own household furnishings were much more likely to kill you than terrorist.

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[–] Beastly.gr@piefed.social 30 points 3 days ago (12 children)

Artificial raspberry flavor is made from beaver anal glands.

[–] PhilipTheBucket@quokk.au 27 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

~~Which brings us to just one of those bizarre US things, "artificial flavor" versus "natural flavor" is totally arbitrary and random. It's based on which molecule, not what the source is, so you can have "natural flavors" that came from a massive stainless steel tank and will kill you if you touch them in pure form without the proper protective gear, or "artificial flavors" that come from squeezing beaver ass glands.~~

Edit: Every word of this post is wrong. Literally every one. I think I read a book decades ago that told me this, maybe I remembered it wrong, but anyway according to the internet of today it's different and I'm a big dummy.

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 11 points 3 days ago

That's a funny way to spell vanilla.

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