Random Knowledge / Facts

SlyReaper · 2 Jan 2009 at 10:05

Addictuk said:
The longest word that can be spelt on the top line of a qwerty keyboard is "Typewriter"

Perpetuity is just as long.

platypus · 2 Jan 2009 at 10:29

Conscript said:
Did you know....there are no Dutch Elms left in Britain.

Disgusting.

That is incorrect. For starters, there is one Dutch Elm on the bank of the River Cam by a house belonging Trinity College. It's the only surviving one on the river bank.

SlyReaper said:
Perpetuity is just as long.

Or is it longer? Snigger.

Conscript · 2 Jan 2009 at 10:34

platypus said:
That is incorrect. For starters, there is one Dutch Elm on the bank of the River Cam by a house belonging Trinity College. It's the only surviving one on the river bank.

I guess you're not an Alan Partridge fan

platypus · 2 Jan 2009 at 10:41

No, afraid not

.

Mobius 1 · 2 Jan 2009 at 10:45

if a cheetah were to do the 100m sprint, it could do it in 3 seconds.

icey_haj · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:06

^ That's incredible

Knubje · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:36

-Tauren- said:
if a cheetah were to do the 100m sprint, it could do it in 3 seconds.

Is that from stationary or already at full speed measured across 100m?

Mobius 1 · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:38

Knubje said:
Is that from stationary or already at full speed measured across 100m?

im not entirely sure, i read it in a book last night. i'll have a look when i get in though.

edit: from wikipedia..

The cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching speeds between 112 and 120 km/h (70 and 75 mph)[3] in short bursts covering distances up to 460 m (1,500 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 110 km/h (68 mph) in three seconds, greater than most supercars.[4]

chrisd · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:49

-Tauren- said:
if a cheetah were to do the 100m sprint, it could do it in 3 seconds.

Sauce?

Mobius 1 · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:52

chrisd said:
Sauce?

i read it in a book, i'll get the exact details when i get home, but you'll have to wait til 6pm

Viper² · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:55

Didn't some guy race a Cheetah once and almost (or did) win?

KizZ · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:56

Viper² said:
Didn't some guy race a Cheetah once and almost (or did) win?

How is that possible when the cheetah is nearly 3 times as fast as the fasted runner on the planet?

semi-pro waster · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:59

Viper² said:
Didn't some guy race a Cheetah once and almost (or did) win?

Not heard of anyone racing a cheetah although a few men have raced horses, Jesse Owens famously used to although as he himself admitted there was a trick to it, pick a horse that shies at the sound of the gunshot and by the point is it ready to race he is almost halfway down the track so irrespective of the fact it can cover 21m/s and he can only run at ~7m/s he has to win (the figures may be off because this is from memory but that is the general theory).

Mobius 1 · 2 Jan 2009 at 12:00

i may be wrong guys, sorry. just reading up some pages through google, it appears it may be 6 seconds to do the 100m from a cold start!

chrisd · 2 Jan 2009 at 12:14

Viper² said:
Didn't some guy race a Cheetah once and almost (or did) win?

Brian Habana, the SA winger, raced one and lost despite a head start.

slambo69 · 2 Jan 2009 at 12:15

6s is still faster than man!

TheCrow · 2 Jan 2009 at 12:16

It was a guy from the newzeland rugby team that raced a Cheetah, i think his nickname is Cheetah.

Beaten SA

yermum · 2 Jan 2009 at 12:17

Just to clarify the Dutch Elm business, elm trees are attacked by the Dutch elm disease as they mature, so there are elms in this country, but sadly do not make it past about 20 years old.

Anywho, I was told by someone in the gold leaf business that 1oz of gold can be beaten out (obviously not by hand) to cover the size of a football pitch.

The Admiral Huddy thread about coffee reminded me of another fact - Starbuck is the name of a character in the book Moby Dick

Blackbadger · 2 Jan 2009 at 12:27

semi-pro waster said:
Not heard of anyone racing a cheetah although a few men have raced horses, Jesse Owens famously used to although as he himself admitted there was a trick to it, pick a horse that shies at the sound of the gunshot and by the point is it ready to race he is almost halfway down the track so irrespective of the fact it can cover 21m/s and he can only run at ~7m/s he has to win (the figures may be off because this is from memory but that is the general theory).

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb7_Z9Ic7YU

uv · 2 Jan 2009 at 12:42

yermum said:
The Admiral Huddy thread about coffee reminded me of another fact - Starbuck is the name of a character in the book Moby Dick

That's were they got the name from