The simple things you never knew

I only found out last week that Seattle is on the west coast.

...

A4 is the standard paper size outside of the US and Canada?

Can somebody explain to me why the typical Canadian still uses feet and inches and pounds when describing a person? We supposedly use the metric system, but the typical person doesn't know their own height and weight in metric units. It's retarded.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Sassafrass

This one is pathetic. Until about 3 years ago, I thought Thursday was spelled THRUSday.

Ahaha, wow, this makes me comfortable enough to say mine. Up until about a year ago, I used to think that Wednesday was spelled Wensday. It's just one of those things that are so common you never really think about them.
Still ... for shame

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Mucknuggle

We supposedly use the metric system, but the typical person doesn't know their own height and weight in metric units. It's retarded.

The typical person I know doesn´t even know that feet and inches are used to measure lenghts and heights. Pounds are still in use in Germany, although not as an official unit - you can get into real trouble if you only print a pound value on your product. So it´s just retarded for the typical canadian person.

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I always thought it was stupid that german motorways share the same name for both directions. I never knew if I was driving in the right direction when I was not familiar with geography of that area.

Over three years after getting my drivers license I finally figured out that I just have to look at the numbers printed next to the name of the exits. When my exit has the number 40 and the numbers go 50... 49... 48 everything is fine. If it is 43... 44... 45 I´m obviously driving in the wrong direction.
I think they don´t tell you that in driving school because it´s so extremely easy to get.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by SenorKaffee

I always thought it was stupid that german motorways share the same name for both directions. I never knew if I was driving in the right direction when I was not familiar with geography of that area.

Over three years after getting my drivers license I finally figured out that I just have to look at the numbers printed next to the name of the exits. When my exit has the number 40 and the numbers go 50... 49... 48 everything is fine. If it is 43... 44... 45 I´m obviously driving in the wrong direction.
I think they don´t tell you that in driving school because it´s so extremely easy to get.

I thought that was normal? Unless I've misread it, its the same in England.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

So, something random to add here.

In lists of classic books, I always saw Don Quixote listed. It was never something I had read, or knew anything about. The other day, I heard someone talking about it, and of course they pronounced it as "key-ho-te", and it finally hit me. I never realized the name "Don Quixote" came from Spanish origin, and had been pronouncing it as "quicks-oat" in my mind. And until now, I never pieced together that the two pronunciations were the same book.

FELIPE NO

Quote:

I always thought it was stupid that german motorways share the same name for both directions. I never knew if I was driving in the right direction when I was not familiar with geography of that area.

Over three years after getting my drivers license I finally figured out that I just have to look at the numbers printed next to the name of the exits. When my exit has the number 40 and the numbers go 50... 49... 48 everything is fine. If it is 43... 44... 45 I´m obviously driving in the wrong direction.
I think they don´t tell you that in driving school because it´s so extremely easy to get.

Here in the states, the inter-state highways (and most numbered state routes), have a small sign underneath the route number indicating East/West/North/South-bound direction of travel.

Speaking of the American Interstate System, up until a few years ago, I didn't know that there was a method to the madness of interstate numbering:

Major interstate route numbers are giving one or two digit designations. Even numbered routes run east-west, and odd numbered routes run north-south. The lower the route number, the further southwest you get. So, for example, I-10 runs east west along the southern border of the U.S., and I-5 runs north-south along the west coast with I-95 running north-south along the east coast and I-90 running along the northern border.

Major interstate routes that run through dense urban centers frequently break off into beltways around the city, or spur routes into the city. Beltways are given an even numbered prefix, while spur routes are given an odd numbered prefix. For example, I-95 runs right through Wilmington, DE; Philadelphia, PA; and Trenton, NJ. Just south of Wilmington, it breaks off into two beltways: 495 and 295. I-495 just bypasses Wilmington. I-295 is much longer, and goes around the collected urban centers of Wilmington, Philadelphia, and Trenton. Up around Trenton, I-95 shoots off a spur across NJ towards Point Pleasant Beach, and its given the designation I-195.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Up until about 13 I thought Kansas City was in Kansas. A lot of people do. I'd say at least 50%. It is in Missouri though if you didn't know.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by SenorKaffee

I always thought it was stupid that german motorways share the same name for both directions. I never knew if I was driving in the right direction when I was not familiar with geography of that area.

That's how it is in Canada, unless you're turning onto a major travel rout.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

this is a fact, buttons are on the left side of a girls dress because during the whole master and slave era or so, servants were the ones who buttoned ladies' garments, meaning they used their right hand. WHile men did their own buttoning.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Haji

4. Flashing your head lights is a way people communicate while driving.

(another time with the rent guy. whenever i'd pull up to a stop sign or whatever i'd flash my headlights for the other person to go. my friend thought i was just trying to be an ass or something i dunno. i had to sit him down and explain it to him)

Similar to this, I learned pretty late that there are other reasons to flash your headlights at someone... I was surprised at the number of meanings behind flicking the high-beams.

1.) Signaling someone to go first at a stop sign
2.) Signaling someone that they've left their high-beams on, and they're bright like hell
3.) Signaling someone that they don't have their head lights on at all (they probably have the parking lights on, so with the dashboard lit, they don't realize the headlights aren't on)
4.) Informing someone that there's a cop in a speed trap ahead (This one surprised me immensily... its also saved my ass a couple times).

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Roan

this is a fact, buttons are on the left side of a girls dress because during the whole master and slave era or so, servants were the ones who buttoned ladies' garments, meaning they used their right hand. WHile men did their own buttoning.

I always wondered about this one.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by DragoonKain

Up until about 13 I thought Kansas City was in Kansas. A lot of people do. I'd say at least 50%. It is in Missouri though if you didn't know.

No, that's not correct. Kansas City sits on the border between Kansas and Missouri. There's a Kansas City, Kansas and a Kansas City, Missouri. I found this out when I was in Kansas City, Missouri driving along once and all of a sudden I was in Kansas.

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Originally Posted by TemariPC31

3.) Signaling someone that they don't have their head lights on at all (they probably have the parking lights on, so with the dashboard lit, they don't realize the headlights aren't on)

I don't practice this one because isn't there some urban legend that there's a gang initiation rite where the prospective gang member drives around at dusk without headlights and the first person who flashes his lights at him he follows and kills.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by ramoth

For the same reason America won't adopt the metric system. Stubbornness..

Actually, it's only for certain *Coughs* generation really. I really love the metric system. It's much more easier for me to think how many MLs something is or how many KGs an object weighs but when refering to humans I have to use inches, pounds. Distance/speed is depending on what we're talking about and conversion is so much easier then the other system... Plus it's more accurate.

Anther random thing, I just realized that everytime my Dad can't come up with a good enough come back to what we're discussing he says this. "It's wrong, this is America and it's wrong. We shoudln't have to promote it."

Sad thing is, he stays in the house all day so yeah.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Cellius

I don't practice this one because isn't there some urban legend that there's a gang initiation rite where the prospective gang member drives around at dusk without headlights and the first person who flashes his lights at him he follows and kills.

You mean this one?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by kinkymagic

You mean this one?

Yeah. Freaks me out.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Zio

Actually, it's only for certain *Coughs* generation really. I really love the metric system. It's much more easier for me to think how many MLs something is or how many KGs an object weighs but when refering to humans I have to use inches, pounds. Distance/speed is depending on what we're talking about and conversion is so much easier then the other system... Plus it's more accurate.

Umm...how can one system of measurements be more accurate than another? It's not like measurements suddenly less precise when you use a different system.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

For the longest time, I thought the month is spelled as Febuary.

As far as paper sizes go, I have used both letter and A4, having studied in both Philippines and Singapore. I have both sizes at home, and it's a minor annoyance at times to print on the wrong size.

One thing about the Philippine "long bondpaper" (8.5" by 13") size that I can't understand, is why the format persists instead of the US legal size (8.5" by 14") as defined in word processors and printers.

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Originally Posted by Cellius

Yeah. Freaks me out.

I was gonna check that on Snopes myself... I'd never heard of that legend. Snopes says.... not true! Yay, we can continue flashing highbeams at people without worry for our lives... unless roadrage somehow comes into play.

I was speaking idiomatically.

When I first read Faust by Goethe I really had no clue how to pronounce the author's name. I mean, from an English-speaker's perspective, saying GO-ih-tha isn't that crazy. And nobody corrected me, because nobody else in my high school was even interested in that kind of literature .
I found out how to pronounce it because a German exchange student (violist) had the last name Goethe, and she pronounced it for us. And I was shocked.

Also, the whole A4 deal...yeah...I've used it before, but I can't say I have a preference. Paper is paper, unless you're drawing on it. In which case, I like 9x11.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by RacinReaver

Umm...how can one system of measurements be more accurate than another? It's not like measurements suddenly less precise when you use a different system.

Because, in baking/cooking, metric/volume is more accurate then the American system. Many will debate it but I seem to get better products when using the metric/volume when baking/cooking then using American system.

FELIPE NO

Back in my first year I thought weight loss was dead easy; I could lose 2kg in 1 week no sweat by simply eating 1-2 small meals a day. Little did I know it was predominantly water weight and loss of lean body mass, and the fat came back quick once I re-fed myself with junk like chocolate and fish & chips (only without the fish :P). I think if I ever catch my kids doing that, I'd shoot them. I've come damn far since then

Oh yeah, and I agree with how metric>America's own. But even more perplexing is the system they use for numbering teeth. The US goes from 1,2,3 etc. from top right to top left, bottom left to right, whereas nearly everywhere else divides each quarter into sections, that is 1_ for top right, 2_ for top left etc. My point can be demostrated by FDI system = 2nd molars are 17, 27, 37, 47, whereas Americans would notate them as 2, 15, 18, 31... er okay.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Bigblah

A4 is 210mm by 297mm, which Google converts to 8.27 x 11.69 inches.

There are people who have never heard of A4?

Only the Americans and Canadians, dear. The standard in Asia is A4. Don't know about Europe but as they don't usually go by inches I'm sure their printer settings are also set in metric measurements.

Some of the simplest things I did not know until recent years:
a) common physics. Wet floor + no friction shoes = slippage. Yeah...that was a smart move. Painful one at that.
b) That adding a "the" before a particular street name or highway is a part of speech/language particular to an area you come from. It's most common for Southern Californians such as myself to give directions like, "Take the 405 North to the 101 and get off on the second exit." Where a Northern Californian, (as I'm told) would typically leave out the first couple "the"s.
c) the best way to communicate while having a mouth full of cotton gauze and still on anesthesic is NOT by using my cellphone to text msg.

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Originally Posted by SbCl3

When I was in middle school, I knew what sex was, but I thought oral sex was a fancy term to describe kissing. After all, that made sense <.<

I interpreted anal sex as annual sex. Meaning some people only did it like once a year or something...

I eventually figured out what it really was later.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Zio

Because, in baking/cooking, metric/volume is more accurate then the American system. Many will debate it but I seem to get better products when using the metric/volume when baking/cooking then using American system.

Huh, who told you that? That doesn't make any sense why one system would be more accurate than another. 1 cup will always equal 236.59 ml and vice versa... It is stupid to say that 1mm is more accurate than .03937in since they mean the exact same thing O_o, the same goes for ANY other measurement system as well. Seriously there is nothing wrong with the English measurement system.

At my work we use mostly letter sized paper and on occasion legal sized paper. I've heard of A4 before but never used it, I'm not even sure where I could buy that here if I can at all.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.