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Liberty's Edge

Ed Reppert wrote:
Theconiel wrote:

Speaking of TI, I heard this from the CEO of the company where I worked at one time.

Back when TI was trying to get into the PC market, some guy working in a TI warehouse noticed that many TI-99/4As were entering the warehouse, but few were leaving. He correctly concluded that they were selling poorly, so he short sold TI stock, and encouraged his family to do the same. Sure enough, TI gave up on the PC market and dropped the TI-99/4A. The stock dropped in value and the family made piles of money.

The SEC noticed that several people with the same last name made money by shorting the same stock at the same time. It didn't take them long to figure out that one of them worked at TI. Unfortunately for him, his family sang like canaries, and he ended up in jail for insider trading.

So guys who work in warehouses are "insiders"? Sheesh.

That was the whole point of the story. Anyone who has access to information not available to the general public is an insider, and buying or selling stock based on that information is insider trading.


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Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

So if you go to work for some publicly traded company, *any* such company, you better sell off any shares you have before you start working for them, and better not buy any shares until some time (how long?) after you stop working for them. And if part of your compensation package is shares in the company, you're stuck, as you can neither buy nor sell them so long as you might have access to inside information.

I said "might" for a reason: it's entirely possible to *not* have inside information, but how do you prove it? If you can't, you're screwed.

Or maybe I'm just too cynical.

Scarab Sages

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Queen Elizabeth II: "Wii are amused!"

Scarab Sages

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In the absence of human habitation, the Korean DMZ has become a haven for wildlife, including species that have become endangered or even near-extinct elsewhere.

Liberty's Edge

I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
Queen Elizabeth II: "Wii are amused!"

Prince Wiilliam?

Scarab Sages

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The strange, catchy tune known best in the West as the primary theme to Tetris is in fact that of "Korobeiniki" a Russian folk song about a street vendor flirting with a customer while haggling for his wares, eventually (maybe?) "sealing a deal" in a rye field, the customer finally taking only a turquoise ring as a memento.

Scarab Sages

The blackest pigment ever created, Vantablack was initially developed with military stealth hardware in mind, but the company that makes it also signed an exclusive deal with artist Anish Kapoor, making him the only artist in the world permitted to use it in his work. Needless to say, the rest of the art world is upset about this...so artist Stuart Semple has retaliated by developing the pinkest pink pigment in the world, dubbed "Pink", and permitting everyone to use it - with the specific exception of Anish Kapoor.

Scarab Sages

Simon Says (or Simple Simon Says) is a child's game for 3 or more players where 1 player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase "Simon says". Players are eliminated from the game by either following instructions that are not immediately preceded by the phrase, or by failing to follow an instruction which does include the phrase "Simon says". It is the ability to distinguish between genuine and fake commands, rather than physical ability, that usually matters in the game; in most cases, the action just needs to be attempted.

The object for the player acting as Simon is to get all the other players out as quickly as possible; the winner of the game is usually the last player who has successfully followed all of the given commands. Occasionally however, 2 or more of the last players may all be eliminated by following a command without "Simon Says", thus resulting in Simon winning the game.

The game is well embedded in popular culture, with numerous references in films, music and literature.

Scarab Sages

The most isolated human being in history was Alfred Worden, command module pilot of Apollo 15, who in lunar orbit was at a maximum distance of 2,235 miles (3,597 km) from his fellow astronauts on the surface. While on the other side of the Moon, no communication with Earth or his comrades was possible.


Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

And that's when Dahak kidnapped him. :-)


Ed Reppert wrote:
And that's when Dahak kidnapped him. :-)

He's not one of our's. Or of the lizard people.

Pretty sure he's a plant by the Grays.

Scarab Sages

Here's a tip for you: If you've stolen somebody's ID card, and you're at a restaurant where your server just happens to look the same as the face on that card...don't try to buy cocktails by showing the waitress her own ID card.

Scarab Sages

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Analog clockwork is making a comeback...in OUTER SPAAAAAAAAAACE!!!

Scarab Sages

Trees near fish-filled rivers grow 3x faster than those growing in a less prime location because bears will leave fish carcasses to decompose on the banks.

Scarab Sages

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Teddy Roosevelt, known for being a staunch advocate for equality of the sexes, but not so much that of ethnic groups, nonetheless went to bat for Minnie Cox, postmaster of Indianola, Mississipi, and first Afro-American postmistress in United States history. When she was muscled out of her post in 1902, then-President Roosevelt responded by shutting down the Indianola post office, rerouting mail bound there to a city 30 miles away, and continuing to pay Cox's salary.


Aspirin is an herbal remedy.

Aspirin's mechanism of action was not known until 1971, despite having been a common headache med for quite some time by then.

A video of a frog infected with a horrible disease shows a new potential horror of modern technology.


Did you know Earth has four poles?

There are geographical North and South, basically the poles the planet revolves around.

There is also magnetic North and South, where the magnets point.

There was originally a 500 kilometer (nearly 311 miles) difference between magnetic North and geographical North. However, in the time since then, the magnetic poles have moved closer to the geographical poles.

Scarab Sages

The British/Irish electrical plug is the safest in the world.


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Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

"as with Lego, the rugged, bottom-heavy design of a U.K. plug makes it an almost scientifically perfect caltrop."

I should buy a couple of dozen to spread around by the doors around here. :-)

Scarab Sages

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The first meal eaten on the moon consisted of bacon, peaches, sugar cookies, pineapple-grapefruit drink, and coffee.

Scarab Sages

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In the United States, crayfish are often referred to as crawfish or crawdads. As of 2005, Louisiana supplied 95% of the crayfish harvested in the United States. In 1987, Louisiana produced 90% of the crayfish harvested in the world, 70% of which were consumed locally. In 2007, the Louisiana crayfish harvest was about 54,800 tons, almost all of it from aquaculture. About 70%–80% of crayfish produced in Louisiana are Procambarus clarkii (red swamp crawfish), with the remaining 20%–30% being Procambarus zonangulus (white river crawfish). Despite the large-scale production in Louisiana, most frozen crayfish available in supermarkets in other states are Chinese imports.

In Louisiana, South Mississippi, and Southeast Texas, crayfish are generally served at a gathering known as a crawfish boil. The crayfish are usually boiled live in a large pot with heavy seasoning (salt, cayenne pepper, lemon, garlic, bay leaves, etc.) and other items such as potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, garlic, mushrooms, turkey necks, and sausage. There are many differing methods used to season a crawfish boil, and an equal number of opinions on which one is correct. Other popular dishes in the Cajun and Creole cuisines of Louisiana include crawfish étouffée, fried crawfish, crawfish pie, crawfish dressing, crawfish bread and crawfish beignets.

Cherokee people have a long tradition of catching crawdads by gigging. The crawdads are cleaned, then soaked, "in hot water with about one tablespoon of salt." The crawdads are lightly breaded with cornmeal before frying, and seasoned with salt and pepper


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Crawfish are really popular here in Arkansas, too. I'm not a fan, however. Don't care for the taste and it's too much work for too little reward. I prefer the other things cooked alongside them.


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Many years ago, Shells Seafood in Tampa had expanded all the way down to Fort Myers. They made fresh crawfish with linguine in a white wine cream sauce with a lot of garlic, and you could order it with blackened spices. When I used to work at the mall, I drove over at least once a week to get it. That meal, with fresh garlic-y toast and an ice cold bottle of Irish red ale, is easily the most heavenly thing I have ever eaten.


Ambrosia Slaad wrote:
Many years ago, Shells Seafood in Tampa had expanded all the way down to Fort Myers. They made fresh crawfish with linguine in a white wine cream sauce with a lot of garlic, and you could order it with blackened spices. When I used to work at the mall, I drove over at least once a week to get it. That meal, with fresh garlic-y toast and an ice cold bottle of Irish red ale, is easily the most heavenly thing I have ever eaten.

clearly, I need to cook for you.

Scarab Sages

A cancer-like clone army of mutant super-crayfish created in a German aquarium accident is now taking over the world. This is NOT a pitch for a B-movie script.


I read about that a couple of months ago. Pretty scary stuff, to be honest.

Scarab Sages

A multiphase pump is a pump that can handle the complete production from a well (oil, natural gas, water and sand, for example) without needing to separate or process the production stream near or at the wellhead. This reduces the cost associated with the surface facilities. Using multiphase pumps allows development of remote locations or previously uneconomical fields. Additionally, since the surface equipment, including separators, heater-treaters, dehydrators and pipes, is reduced, the impact on the environment is also reduced. Multiphase pumps can handle high gas volumes as well as the slugging and different flow regimes associated with multiphase production. Multiphase pumps include twin-screw pumps, piston pumps and helicoaxial pumps.

Scarab Sages

In 1871, Clement Vallandigham, a lawyer and Ohio politician defending a man accused of murder, accidentally shot himself while demonstrating how the victim might have accidentally shot himself. His client was cleared.

In 2010, the owner of owner of Segway Inc., Jimi Heselden, died after driving a Segway off a cliff.

In 2016, Indian bus driver V. Kamaraj became THE FIRST HUMAN BEING IN RECORDED HISTORY to be killed by a meteorite.


2+2=5, for sufficiently large values of 2.

Scarab Sages

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In the town of Laguna, Brazil a pod of bottlenose dolphins cooperatively fish with human fishermen. The dolphin herd fish toward the shore and signal the fishermen to cast their nets. They do this every day. Town records say that they've been doing this since 1847.

Scarab Sages

Santo Tomas, Peru hosts a Christmas Day tradition called Takanakuy, in which community members of all ages settle past disputes with fistfights, so that they can all start the new year with a clean slate.

Scarab Sages

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Ever wonder why your mouse cursor is tilted the way it is? It's a relic of early digital displays, in which a simple vertical arrow proved too easy to lose track of.

Scarab Sages

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American Water Works Association (AWWA) is an international non-profit, scientific and educational association founded to improve water quality and supply. Established in 1881, it has a membership (as of 2012) of around 50,000 members worldwide.

In reviewing the success of the Safe Drinking Water Act after 1974, senior EPA officials cite the vital role that AWWA played as kind of a non‐threatening meeting ground, particularly at the local level.

AWWA members include: water utilities, treatment plant operators and managers, scientists, environmentalists, manufacturers, academics, regulators, and others with an interest in water supply and public health. AWWA works through advocacy, communications, conferences, education and training, science and technology, and local action among 43 AWWA Sections throughout North America.

Scarab Sages

Guess what? Slavery's still a thing. It's technically been illegal worldwide since 1981 (when Mauritania became the final country to formally abolish it), but you know, old business models die hard....

Scarab Sages

Earth is the only known planet to experience total solar eclipses. Why? Pure cosmic coincidence: Our sun’s diameter is about 400 times larger than that of our moon, and it also just happens to be about 400 times farther away.


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Apparently, you can make a spare tire for your car out of 20 rolls of duct tape.

Liberty's Edge

I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
Earth is the only known planet to experience total solar eclipses. Why? Pure cosmic coincidence: Our sun’s diameter is about 400 times larger than that of our moon, and it also just happens to be about 400 times farther away.

I have read that Earth will have total solar eclipses only for another 20,000 years or so. The moon is moving away from Earth so eventually there will be only annular solar eclipses.

Scarab Sages

Theconiel wrote:
I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
Earth is the only known planet to experience total solar eclipses. Why? Pure cosmic coincidence: Our sun’s diameter is about 400 times larger than that of our moon, and it also just happens to be about 400 times farther away.
I have read that Earth will have total solar eclipses only for another 20,000 years or so. The moon is moving away from Earth so eventually there will be only annular solar eclipses.

Yeah, well, by then we should be able to tractor-beam that sucker back where she belongs!

Liberty's Edge

I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
Theconiel wrote:
I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
Earth is the only known planet to experience total solar eclipses. Why? Pure cosmic coincidence: Our sun’s diameter is about 400 times larger than that of our moon, and it also just happens to be about 400 times farther away.
I have read that Earth will have total solar eclipses only for another 20,000 years or so. The moon is moving away from Earth so eventually there will be only annular solar eclipses.
Yeah, well, by then we should be able to tractor-beam that sucker back where she belongs!

While we're at it, we should also speed up its rotation so we can see the other side.


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Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

It's all two-by-fours and canvas back there.


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Ilminster in Somerset, UK, used to have a Badger Society, whose members fattened up several badgers, then ate them at the annual Badger Society Feast. My Dad's comment, when he found out about this was, "Well, that's Somerset for you"


A circular definition is a definition that is circular.

Scarab Sages

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On top of everything else, the platypus genome has 5 difference X and Y chromosomes each, meaning (at least in theory, if not in apparent practice) that there are 25 potential platypus sexes.

Scarab Sages

Marshmallows (named for the mallow plant, which indeed grows in marshes) were invented by the Ancient Egyptians.

Scarab Sages

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In 1988, the Sundance Film Festival nearly gave its top award to The Brave Little Toaster - but the judges feared that the festival would lose respect if it gave that honor to a cartoon.

Scarab Sages

Allergic to penicillin? You might want to get that checked out, because of the more than 1 in 10 Americans who are reported to bear that allergy...nearly 9 in 10 of them actually don't.

Scarab Sages

TechnipFMC plc is a UK-based company that provides complete project life cycle services (conception, feasibility study, front end engineering, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, test runs, maintenance & decommissioning) for the energy industry. TechnipFMC was ranked 23rd among world's Top 225 International Design Firms in the year 2017 by Engineering News-Record. It was formed by the merger of FMC Technologies of the United States and Technip of France that was announced in 2016 and completed in 2017. TechnipFMC acts in three distinct segments: subsea, Offshore-Onshore and surface projects. These projects include offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction platforms, rigs, crude oil refinery, petrochemical plants such as Ethylene, Hydrogen, SynGas plants, Naptha, Benzene etc. plastics & rubber industry, fertiliser plant, onshore as well as floating LNG plants. It is headquartered in London, and has major operations in Houston and Paris where its predecessor companies were headquartered. It has 44,000 employees from 126 nationalities and operates in 48 countries. TechnipFMC stock is listed on the NYSE and Euronext Paris exchange, and is a component of both the US S&P 500 and the French CAC 40 major stock market indices. The French government owns 4 percent stake in the company.

Scarab Sages

The past tense of the verb 'hang', when referring to the execution/suicide method, is in fact 'hanged'.

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