More things that I learned

I recently wrote about a project that my wife and I started last year. The idea was to think about what we had learned each day, record it and discuss from time to time. I shared some interesting examples of nuggets of new knowledge …

Today I would like to share another selection, having filtered out the personal or anachronistic ones:

• Dolphins don’t breath automatically; they have to do so consciously.
• Electric bikes have a fixed max speed of 15mph. Any faster and they are classed as a moped.
• Cold water can measurably reduce stress.
• The first American consulate in Great Britain was established in Queen Square in Bristol in 1792.
• The collective noun for Dolphins is a pod.
• A proctor was historically a class of lawyer. Now it is a management post at certain universities.
• Some birds [like gannets] migrate to Africa when they fledge and then return 2 summers later.
• Many MacBook problems may be solved with ALT/CMD/SHIFT/POWER.
• “Stridulation” is the sound insects like crickets make my rubbing their legs together.
• The shortest serving UK Chancellor was Iain Macleod, who died in office in 1970.

Interestingly, we have both noticed that, in these unusual times, we are less receptive to learning new things. I hope that changes in due course …