Recommended Posts

Ok for a bit of fun and to educate ourselves a little. Heres the "Tell me something I dont know" thread, or the "Random Facts Thread". The aim is for people to take it in turns to post interesting and fun facts about the world we live in.

Please no stupid facts, such as "Your feet have 5 toes" or things like that. Also try to aviod facts about people or persons on Neowin. We want random real world factiods heres.

I shall start the ball rolling with this little fact about Bulldogs

"Bulldogs were original named and bred as a means of calming Bulls. They did this by running up to a bull and biting it on the gum/lips. This was done as in many large mammals, such as horses, cows and others. Doing so will hypnotize and calm the animal allowing for it to be checked or made compliant"

  • Like 2
Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1056368-tell-me-something-i-dont-know/
Share on other sites

Really cool idea for a thread!

Dividing 1 by 998001 gives every three digit number from 001 to 999 in order.

Dividing 1 by 9801 will give every two digit number from 01 to 99 in order.

Birth control pills (indirectly) were originally invented by the nuns in what is now Germany, because woman were having sex with their husband when the priest told them not to, from a formula that was borrowed from the locals (pagans). The mixture of herbs was pounded and then made into pill like form and given to the woman to hid the sins of sex without consent of the church.

List of common misconceptions I remember:

  • The iPhone 4/4S is good. - False. It just isn't.
  • Bats are blind. - False
  • Chameleons change colour to match their surroundings. - False
  • Humans evolved from monkeys - False. We evolved from a common ancestor.
  • Albert Einstein did not fail mathematics in school, as is commonly believed. Upon being shown a column claiming this fact, Einstein said "I never failed in mathematics... Before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus.
  • Sushi does not mean "raw fish", and not all sushi includes raw fish. The name sushi means "sour rice".
  • Swallowed chewing gum does not take seven years to digest. In fact, chewing gum is mostly indigestible, but passes through the digestive system at the same rate as other matter.
  • Bananas do not grow on trees; the "banana tree" is in fact an herbaceous flowering plant (a herb).
  • You can see the Great Wall of China from in space - False. None of the Apollo astronauts reported seeing any specific human-made object from the Moon, and even Earth-orbiting astronauts can barely see it. City lights, however, are easily visible on the night side of Earth from orbit.
  • Black holes contrary to their common image, do not necessarily suck up all the matter in the vicinity.
  • The word theory in the theory of evolution does not imply mainstream scientific doubt regarding its validity; the concepts of theory and hypothesis have specific meanings in a scientific context. While theory in colloquial usage may denote a hunch or conjecture, a scientific theory s a set of principles that explains observable phenomena in natural terms. "Scientific fact and theory are not categorically separable" and evolution is a theory in the same sense as germ theory or the theory of gravitation.
  • Evolution does not attempt to explain the origin of life.

You cannot create a folder named "con" anywhere on your computer. At Microsoft the whole Team, couldn't answer why this happened

Open Microsoft Word and type =rand (200, 99) and then press ENTER

Your my hero!

I wouldn't normally do this but it is apparently needed and coincidentally it fits with the topic at hand :p

?You?re? is always a contraction of ?you are.? If you?ve written ?you?re,? try substituting ?you are.? If it doesn?t work, the word you want is ?your.?

I wouldn't normally do this but it is apparently needed and coincidentally it fits with the topic at hand :p

?You?re? is always a contraction of ?you are.? If you?ve written ?you?re,? try substituting ?you are.? If it doesn?t work, the word you want is ?your.?

I bow before your understanding of the English language... even though that was such a stupid mistake and I'm now thoroughly embarrassed :p

In most American states, a wedding ring is exempt by law from inclusion among the assets in a bankruptcy estate. This means that a wedding ring cannot be seized by creditors, no matter how much the bankrupt person owes.

I bow before your understanding of the English language... even though that was such a stupid mistake and I'm now thoroughly embarrassed :p

A half-bow will suffice :p I'm only kidding.

  • Like 1

pick any three numbers, now repeat the same three numbers in order so you get six digits (i.e., 123 = 123123).

Divide this three times (by 7, 11 and 13 in any order you wish) and you'll always end up with your first three numbers.

Today (Feb 6) is Bob Marley's birthday, and also the anniversary of the day Falco died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic.

You cannot create a folder named "con" anywhere on your computer. At Microsoft the whole Team, couldn't answer why this happened

^holy junk this is tripping me out. You can't rename an existing folder as that, either. Weird!

A girl can't touch her belly button with both elbows, seriously girls try it, if you can then post a pic otherwise I won't believe you. What? It's legit, how dare you call me a pervert!?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • After I installed KB5095093, the volume on my ARM laptop won't go above 20%. It's stuck on the hearing protection level, which is pretty much useless if you want to listen to anything. I rolled back.
    • Amazon Prime Day slashes Samsung's newest Galaxy Watch Ultra by 45 percent by Karthik Mudaliar Samsung’s flagship Android smartwatch has received one of its steepest Prime Day cuts. Amazon has dropped the 2025 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra in Titanium Blue to $357.24, saving buyers around $292 from its $649.99 list price. That's a 45 percent discount (purchase link below). The 47mm Galaxy Watch Ultra uses a titanium casing and a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 480 x 480 and peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It includes LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, and dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS for more accurate outdoor route tracking. The 2025 model has 64GB of storage, a 590mAh battery, sapphire crystal glass, 10ATM water resistance, IP68 protection, and MIL-STD-810H durability testing. Its health and fitness tools include heart rate monitoring, sleep coaching, Energy Score, Running Coach, body composition analysis, temperature sensing, and ECG support, where available. This model is best suited to Android users who regularly run, hike, cycle, or train outdoors and want cellular access without carrying a phone. The larger battery, rugged construction, bright display, and dedicated Quick Button also make it a stronger option than Samsung’s regular Galaxy Watch models for extended workouts and demanding environments. Grab the Titanium Blue Galaxy Watch Ultra before the Prime Day price resets: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) [Sold and Shipped by Amazon] Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Google begins rolling out its post-Epic Play Store billing model next week by Karthik Mudaliar Google has confirmed that its redesigned Play Store billing and fee structure will take effect on June 30, 2026, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area. The changes will let eligible developers offer their own payment systems or send users to an external website for purchases, while separating Google’s platform service fee from the cost of using Google Play Billing. The rollout puts concrete dates and detailed rate cards behind the broader Android policy overhaul Google announced in March. That announcement followed a proposed settlement with Epic Games intended to resolve their long-running disputes over app distribution and payments, although the U.S. portion of the agreement still requires court approval. Under the new billing choice program, developers selling digital content or services can display an alternative payment option alongside Google Play Billing. They may also direct users to their own websites to complete a purchase. Developers can use Google’s standard payment-choice screen or design one that complies with the company’s user-interface rules. Choosing another payment processor does not eliminate Google’s cut altogether. The company will continue charging a service fee for transactions associated with apps distributed through Google Play, regardless of whether payment is handled by Google, an alternative provider, or a developer’s website. Google argues that this fee covers the value and infrastructure provided by Android and the Play Store. For developers earning up to $1 million annually, the service fee will generally be 10 percent. That rate also applies to auto-renewing subscriptions. When Google Play Billing is used in the U.S., U.K., or EEA, Google will add a separate 5 percent billing fee, and developers processing payments elsewhere will not pay that additional charge. This means Google’s familiar flat 30 percent commission is disappearing, but developers will not necessarily see a dramatic reduction on every transaction. An in-app purchase from an existing user processed through Google Play Billing can still reach a combined 30 percent. The biggest savings are likely to come from subscriptions, smaller developers covered by the $1 million tier, and companies able to move customers to their own payment infrastructure. Google is also offering lower rates through its Apps Experience and revamped Games Level Up programs. Apps and games that satisfy the company’s requirements can qualify for 15 percent service fees on new-install transactions and 20 percent on existing-install transactions. The criteria include performance and reliability standards, support for additional Android device categories, and selected platform features. Those program rates are scheduled to become available in the initial markets and Australia on September 30. For consumers, the immediate effect will depend on whether developers adopt alternative payments and pass any savings on through lower prices. For developers, however, June 30 begins a more flexible but considerably more complicated Play Store economy in which distribution, billing, install dates, revenue thresholds, and program participation can each affect Google’s final cut. Google is also separately developing a Registered App Stores program designed to simplify the installation of qualifying third-party stores. That initiative is expected to arrive with a major Android release later in 2026 and will launch outside the U.S. first. Google says the rest of the world will receive the changes by September 30, 2027, although billing rates for markets outside the US, UK, and EEA have not yet been announced.
    • 38% off a super insane price is still an INSANE price.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Rookie
      +ChiefOfNeo went up a rank
      Rookie
    • One Year In
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      One Year In
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      464
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      177
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      81
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!