1. List your special interest(s) 2. Give 5 facts about each

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GiantHockeyFan
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21 Feb 2014, 8:30 am

So many but here's a rare one: Escalators with a focus on Atlantic Canada (the four easternmost provinces) since I grew up there as a child. It is actually extremely hard to find information but I found out:

1)I always believed the first escalators in Atlantic Canada were located in St. John's, Newfoundland but that was incorrect: it was actually in the town of Gander, Newfoundland (in the late 50s). Interesting side-note: Gander used to have the world's largest and most modern airport and it hasn't changed much in 60 years. In case you are wondering, the escalator gave up about 10 years ago and wasn't worth fixing as the airport saw such a drop in passenger traffic since the glory years as planes no longer need to refuel on trans-Atlantic flights. But I digress......

2)The province with the fewest escalators in Canada is Prince Edward Island, which has 4, all in the same building.

3)Even though the cities of Saint John and Moncton, New Brunswick are similar in size, Saint John has 13 working escalators at last count and Moncton just 1. Even the much small city of Corner Brook, Newfoundland has 2. Halifax/Dartmouth, Nova Scotia has the most of all Atlantic Canadian cities with about 60 in the Halifax area though that number is always changing.

4)The building with the most escalators is the Halifax Airport, with I believe 17 at last count and it also has two moving sidewalks, the only place in Atlantic Canada that has them. It's also the only building where escalators operate 24 hours a day (oops, getting into yet another special interest...)

5)Even though there has been a trend to remove escalators from buildings, there have been a number of new ones added including recently in Fredericton, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The newest ones are located in the Target store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia replacing ones that were only 11 years old, the shortest lifespan of any escalator in Atlantic Canada.



sonofghandi
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21 Feb 2014, 3:15 pm

I have developed an intense special interest in the human brain within the past few weeks for some reason.

1. The brain develops new neurons throughout your life at a rate proportional to the amount of mental activity in the brain.

2. The brain feels no pain. There are simply no receptors. It can sense and interpret the signals of pain from anywhere else in the living body, but your actual brain will never hurt.

3. People use 100% of their brains (although not always all at the same time). The whole 10% thing is a load of horse poo with no scientific basis.

4. Every time you remember something or have a new thought, you are create a new connection in your brain. EVERY TIME.

5. Estrogen is key to improving memory function, but is not needed to maintain current memory function.

And a bonus: the average person has around 100,000 miles of blood vessels in their brain (which uses up around 20% of the oxygen your lungs take in).


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Andras
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21 Feb 2014, 5:04 pm

Doom 1 & 2 (videogame)

1. An Archvile is capable of killing itself with it's fire attack.

2. In older versions monsters were capable of infighting and killing themselves after the player died from a barrel.

3. The final boss of Doom 1 is kill-able with 1 BFG 9000 shot and is weaker than the episode 2 boss.

4. A BFG 2704 existed in very early versions. It shoots a rapid-fire spray of green and red projectiles.

5. It is possible to do a faster strafe which requires you to strafe with the keyboard and the mouse.

(I'm pretty sure nobody knows what I'm talking about :P )


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ouroborosUK
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21 Feb 2014, 7:14 pm

Andras wrote:
(I'm pretty sure nobody knows what I'm talking about :P )


I did know about 2., I have some memories of playing Doom. Also Doom's final boss is the cyberdemon, right ? And IIRC for Doom 2 it was some kind of giant horned head.



My turn

Beer brewing
1. Beer (in the general meaning of "fermented cereal juice drink") has been brewed since at least the ancient Babylonian civilization. Babylonians had a beer goddess called Ninkasi. (It is now the the name of a French organic beer.
2. Many people think beer is made with hops, but hops is only a minor ingredient (in weight). In order to craft brew 20L of beer you need almost 30L of water and more than 5kg of malt, but only about 100g of hops !
3. Hopped beer is actually quite recent and only became prominent between the 13th and the 15th century. Before that, brewers used a mix of herbs known as gruit.
4. Light-coloured beer was only invented in the middle of the 19th century in the city of Plzen (Czech Republic) thanks to a new brewing technique called acid rest. Before that, all of the beers were quite dark.
5. You can brew your own beer at home by buying by buying some basic equipment worth about £50.


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WillMcC
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21 Feb 2014, 7:56 pm

Actually in the original Doom, the final boss (of the third episode) was the Spider Mastermind (which you could probably kill with one BFG shot if you were close enough). The Cyberdemon was the boss for the second episode, even though it is stronger. Doom 2 had the "Icon of Sin", with John Romero's head hidden behind it.


For me, one is trains (yes, it fits the stereotype, but it's been one I've had for a long time, mostly passenger trains)
- Melbourne's (Australia) commuter rail network once operated a single double-decker multiple unit, known as the "4D" (Double Decker Development Demonstration or something like that) and similar to the "Tangara" train commonly seen on Sydney's network. I actually got to ride it once (it was coupled to a Comeng set as it was notoriously unreliable) on the Belgrave line (as it was the only one with sufficient loading gauge). It was scrapped a few years back
- The Eurostar train is actually two trains coupled back-to-back. This is because the train was designed to travel between London, Paris, and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel. Regulations required that the train could "split" in the event of a fire or other emergency in the tunnel and people could evacuate in the "good" half.
- The NZR DM Class multiple unit operated on Wellington's (New Zealand) rail network between 1938 and 2012 (more than 70 years). Some were retired in the 1980s with the introduction of the EM class, but many were retained for extra capacity and the limited loading gauge on one of the lines prevented the use of the EM class on that line. The remainder were finally retired in 2012 with the introduction of the FP class. I rode one once when I was about 4 or 5.
- "Mind the Gap" (as seen in my avatar) was one of the earliest uses of digital sound recording on solid state media. Digital media was expensive at the time, so the phrase had to be short and to the point. The warning originated from the large gap between the train and platform on some London Underground stations due to the curvature of the station or the difference in trains using the station.
- The British Rail APT (Advanced Passenger Train) was a prototype high-speed train that was ahead of its time in the 1980s. It was designed with various new technologies, including "tilting" carriages to allow for higher speeds in turns. Teething problems, negative media perception, and politics resulted in its failure. Components of the project have been re-used in other trains, such as the Intercity 225 and Pendolino (which finally caught up with the APT's speeds over two decades later)


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LupaLuna
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22 Feb 2014, 4:36 am

electrical engineering

1) Did you know that to this day, we are using a battery technology that was invented over 150 years ago. I am talking about the lead-acid battery.

2) Did you know that Tesla invented the radio. The only reason Marconi got credit for it was because he discovered it's application and use as a telecommunications device.

3) Did you know that both "Alexander Graham Bell" and "Elisha Gray" invented the telephone. The only reason history remembers Bell is because he beat Grey to the patent office.

4) Did you know that DC current can be transmitted farther and more efficiently then AC current (look up HVDC systems.). OK, so if that where true. Then why did AC win in the "Battle of the currents" war between Tomas Edison and Tesla/Westinghouse? It's because of an electrical device called the Transformer. The transformer is a lot like a gear box/transmission for electricity. It allow you to step up or down voltages as needed. There's just one problem. You can't send DC through a transformer and that's why AC won the "Battle of the currents".

5) Did you know that electricity travels down a wire at the speed of light .



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22 Feb 2014, 6:21 am

My life-long SI's are Astronomy && Mathematics (esp. Algebra, Primes) but I've picked a recent one:

Common or Indian Myna Birds

Although I know the information very well, I couldn't express it as well as Wikipedia can and it saves typing so I've improvised a bit. :)

One of my Special Interests for about the last year and a half is the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), sometimes spelled Mynah, and is a member of the family Sturnidae (starlings and mynas):

1. The etymology of the scientific name is as follows:
Acridotheres: Greek akris, akrodos, a locust; theres, a hunter.
tristis: Latin tristis, sad, gloomy; Modern Latin tristis, dull-coloured).

2. native to Asia with its initial home range spanning from Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; as well as Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Myanmar, to Malaysia, Singapore, peninsular Thailand, Indo-China and China;

3. The Myna has been introduced in many other parts of the world such as Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hawaii, South Africa, and islands in the Indian Ocean (Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep archipelago and also in islands of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The range of the Common Myna is increasing to the extent that in 2000 the IUCN Species Survival Commission declared it among the World's 100 worst invasive species;

4. The Common Myna was first introduced to Australia in Victoria between 1863 and 1872 into Melbourne’s market gardens to control insects (which they didn't do - They were too busy populating the rest of the country :) )

5. In Sri Lanka they have 4 species of Myna bird:
* In the North, they have the Bank Myna;
* In the South, they have the White-Vented Myna;
* In the East, the Common Myna;
* and in the West, the Hill Myna;
Every Spring, they migrate closer to the centre of the country. It takes each species (generation after generation) 64 years to travel from the coast to the centre of Sri Lanka where they meet and have one hell of a fight. Then, they spend the next 64 years migrating back to the coast. They fight once every 128 years. People have only heard stories from their grandparents (long since deceased) about the screeching and flying feathers that happen overhead. Apparently, it's quite a disturbing sight to see if it happens in your lifetime and you get to see it.


Oh, and they make great pets and you can teach them to talk!

That's 6 - I cheated :)

Image

Ain't they cute?!

My other current Special Interest is Aspergers, but you all know about that one already :)


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Last edited by ImAnAspie on 22 Feb 2014, 6:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

ImAnAspie
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22 Feb 2014, 6:28 am

Andras wrote:
Doom 1 & 2 (videogame)

1. An Archvile is capable of killing itself with it's fire attack.

2. In older versions monsters were capable of infighting and killing themselves after the player died from a barrel.

3. The final boss of Doom 1 is kill-able with 1 BFG 9000 shot and is weaker than the episode 2 boss.

4. A BFG 2704 existed in very early versions. It shoots a rapid-fire spray of green and red projectiles.

5. It is possible to do a faster strafe which requires you to strafe with the keyboard and the mouse.

(I'm pretty sure nobody knows what I'm talking about :P )


I do! I used to LOVE Doom :)


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Your Aspie score: 151 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 60 of 200

Formally diagnosed in 2007.

Learn the simple joy of being satisfied with little, rather than always wanting more.



neobluex
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22 Feb 2014, 11:13 pm

Medicine (It's interdisciplinary)

1 - Defibrillation is used to treat fatal arrhythmias (V-Fib and pulsless V-Tach). It's an asynchronous shock, while cardioversion is a synchronized shock used to treat minor arrhythmias, with a conscious patient (like Atrial Fibrillation).
2 - Defibrillation is ineffective in asystolia.
3 - Guillain-Barre syndrome is not always presented with demyelination.
4 - CPR is effective only for a few minutes.
5 - The representation of the body in the motor cortex is much less accurate than the representation in the sensory cortex.
(More :D)
6 - In adults, the spinal cord ends at L1-L2.
7 - The anatomic wrist is not the distal radioulnar articulation.
8 - The dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area do not degenerate in Parkinson's disease.
9 - Upper part of the face has bilateral innervation.
10 - Chronic treatment with Levodopa can turn a hypokinetic patient into a hyperkinetic patient.



naturalplastic
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22 Feb 2014, 11:19 pm

ImAnAspie wrote:
My life-long SI's are Astronomy && Mathematics (esp. Algebra, Primes) but I've picked a recent one:

Common or Indian Myna Birds

Although I know the information very well, I couldn't express it as well as Wikipedia can and it saves typing so I've improvised a bit. :)

One of my Special Interests for about the last year and a half is the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), sometimes spelled Mynah, and is a member of the family Sturnidae (starlings and mynas):

1. The etymology of the scientific name is as follows:
Acridotheres: Greek akris, akrodos, a locust; theres, a hunter.
tristis: Latin tristis, sad, gloomy; Modern Latin tristis, dull-coloured).

2. native to Asia with its initial home range spanning from Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; as well as Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Myanmar, to Malaysia, Singapore, peninsular Thailand, Indo-China and China;

3. The Myna has been introduced in many other parts of the world such as Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hawaii, South Africa, and islands in the Indian Ocean (Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep archipelago and also in islands of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The range of the Common Myna is increasing to the extent that in 2000 the IUCN Species Survival Commission declared it among the World's 100 worst invasive species;

4. The Common Myna was first introduced to Australia in Victoria between 1863 and 1872 into Melbourne’s market gardens to control insects (which they didn't do - They were too busy populating the rest of the country :) )

5. In Sri Lanka they have 4 species of Myna bird:
* In the North, they have the Bank Myna;
* In the South, they have the White-Vented Myna;
* In the East, the Common Myna;
* and in the West, the Hill Myna;
Every Spring, they migrate closer to the centre of the country. It takes each species (generation after generation) 64 years to travel from the coast to the centre of Sri Lanka where they meet and have one hell of a fight. Then, they spend the next 64 years migrating back to the coast. They fight once every 128 years. People have only heard stories from their grandparents (long since deceased) about the screeching and flying feathers that happen overhead. Apparently, it's quite a disturbing sight to see if it happens in your lifetime and you get to see it.


Oh, and they make great pets and you can teach them to talk!

That's 6 - I cheated :)

Image

Ain't they cute?!

My other current Special Interest is Aspergers, but you all know about that one already :)


So, like the humans in Sri Lanka, the Myna birds there are in a civil war?

Thats interesting.

Like parrots they can learn to speak. But they do parrots one better by actually being able to mimic your voice (as I understand it) like a living cassette recorder.



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22 Feb 2014, 11:42 pm

I'm kind of curious - do you guys all just memorize facts or do you come to understand certain things? For instance, while you are learning facts about the spinal cord, do you come to understand how it works (at least to some extent)?

I'm writing a book on my special interest, but I think it takes more then just listing facts. I'd be interested to read more in depth type stuff you have learned. I have a feeling it's there because you all feel very passionate about your SIs.



ImAnAspie
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23 Feb 2014, 12:22 am

wozeree wrote:
I'm kind of curious - do you guys all just memorize facts or do you come to understand certain things? For instance, while you are learning facts about the spinal cord, do you come to understand how it works (at least to some extent)?

I'm writing a book on my special interest, but I think it takes more then just listing facts. I'd be interested to read more in depth type stuff you have learned. I have a feeling it's there because you all feel very passionate about your SIs.


Both. I find as I get older, the memory isn't as good as it used to be so I have to reread some stuff to remember it but I've found that repetition is the key for me.

Also, when I was into Sun Microsystems and TCP/IP, I knew all that stuff back to front, inside out and upside down. I was writing networking programs for Windows an UNIX in C/C++ - but then, I was practically eating, sleeping and sh***ing any bit of information I could get my hands on all day and night. I L O V E D it. Although it was just a hobby, I knew more than a lot of the people who worked in the industry knew. I even learnt about the people involved in its creation and what their lives were like. I was totally obsessed.

So, yes and no. Some is by rote. Others I know inside out. Astronomy and Mathematics I have lived basically since I was a kid. They're me!


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Your Aspie score: 151 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 60 of 200

Formally diagnosed in 2007.

Learn the simple joy of being satisfied with little, rather than always wanting more.



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24 Feb 2014, 1:21 am

I have a few here is one that peaked my interest today, Alice in Chains, the 1990's-present day Seattle grunge band.

1-In 1989 Alice's first demo recording was delayed because the studio/practice room lead guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell rented happened to be located unknown to them next to the largest marijuana grow op bust in the history of Washington state, this happing the day before recording time. The band was forced to spend a night under a bridge with their gear.

2-The Alice in Chains name is derived from Co-lead vocalist Layne Staley's pervious band Alice N' Chains, a glam metal band. Jerry liked the name, he had used the name Diamond Lie.

3-Alice has never had much good luck at the awards table, of all of the major awards shows their only win was for MTV's best movie track for Would? from the film Singles.

4-Jerry Cantrell has primarily used only two guitar models, Gibson Les Pauls and G&L Rampages. Jerry bought 2 all maple Rampages in the mid to late 1980's and still uses them on stage today. The Jerry Cantrell Rampage is the only Rampage made today and G&L stands for George Fullerton and Leo Fender likely making the Rampage one of Fender's last designs to be built before his death in 1991.

5-The 3 legged dog on the cover of their 1995 self titled release is based on a dog that used to chase and scare percussionist Sean Kinney as a child on his newspaper route.