Facts to Distract

[[Buddie]]

A thread to share interesting facts (via personal knowledge and/or links).  Nothing medication-related or relating to mental health. 

[[Buddie]]

This topic is a good idea.

Here's an interesting article now about "planned obsolescence" and products that seem to wear out much more quickly than they should:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160612-heres-the-truth-about-the-planned-obsolescence-of-tech

[[Buddie]]

When last spoke to bfs granddaughter she was reading a QI book of weird facts.

Did you know Armageddon is a real place in Israel?

I’m not religious - just an interesting fact.

[[Buddie]]

I remember this from a geography class. Lake Baikal in Siberia is considered to be the deepest lake on the planet Earth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal

With a maximum depth of 1,642 m (5,387 ft),[1] Baikal is the world's deepest lake.[9] It is considered among the world's clearest[10] lakes and is considered the world's oldest lake[11] – at 25–30 million years.[12][13] It is the seventh-largest lake in the world by surface area.

You'd think that only an ocean could be this deep, but no.

[[Buddie]]

The Soviets sent several spacecraft to Venus (Venera probes), where the surface temperature can be 464 degrees Celsius (867 Fahrenheit). This is above the melting point of lead.  Some landers sent back photographs.  Needless to say, they didn't last long on the surface (the most hardy one only lasted 127 minutes).

http://mentallandscape.com/C_CatalogVenus.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera

[[Buddie]]

Strange News

https://www.npr.org/sections/strange-news/

[[Buddie]]

And here's one from the OP.  Fact in action.  A fish who creates an artistic masterpiece. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQr8xDk_UaY

[[Buddie]]

A music video made out of jelly beans. The main protagonist gets into some kind of an odd place at 1:37 minute mark and doesn't resurface back until around 2:30 minute mark.

https://youtu.be/IOu0DuxFAT0

[[Buddie]]

"View from the Window at Le Gras" - c. 1826 - Oldest Surviving Photograph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_from_the_Window_at_Le_Gras

[[Buddie]]

Vinyl records are still alive and well:

https://www.cnet.com/news/why-do-lps-sound-so-good/