# Things you were stunned that people didn't know **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146 "2017-06-29T17:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/201 "2017-07-05T21:00:06Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > The sun is not yellow and the sky is not blue, … Obligatory [XKCD](https://www.xkcd.com/1818/) on the blue sky thing. If you start getting that picky, then you’ll be wasting too much time explaining that polar bears aren’t white, blue jays aren’t blue and on and on. Randall makes a good point on this. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/202 "2017-07-05T21:18:51Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > This reminds me of a calculus class I had once where one of the examples was about tossing something straight up, with the graph showing how the ball would rise to a certain point, slowing constantly, then reach a peak and fall back down, speeding constantly. Except you know how if you graph that as height over time, it forms something like a compressed bell curve, and the teacher couldn’t grasp that the object wouldn’t literally move over to the side if tossed straight up–that there are separate and independent vertical and horizontal elements to the object’s movement. She was mistaking the drawing of the graph with the actual trajectory of the object. I don’t remember how the subject came up, but it resulted in about 5 minutes of back and forth between me and the teacher with me trying to explain that concept, until they finally had to find and bring in a physics teacher to settle the argument–in my favor. You should have just demonstrated by throwing an object straight up. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/203 "2017-07-05T21:58:22Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > . . . on Sundays and major feasts. But on weekdays, typically just an NT reading and a gospel reading. > > For example, on Monday 3 July the appointed readings were Eph 2:19-22 (the NT reading) and Jn 20:24-29 (the gospel reading). I think that’s only because it’s the feast of St. Thomas. Same with St. James on the 25th. The other daily Masses this month are Genesis or Exodus and then the Gospel. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/204 "2017-07-05T23:03:03Z")
I may be in a run for first place here. Several weeks ago I asked a Home Depot employee where their rebar was. She didn’t know what rebar was :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/205 "2017-07-05T23:44:42Z")
> [@susan](#): > > The sun rises in the east. Yes, that’s true in other states, too. Also: other countries. Ha! I did a stupid with this shortly after I moved to the East Coast. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/206 "2017-07-06T01:50:54Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > The sun is not yellow and the sky is not blue, but I’m not likely to correct someone in either case unless the correction makes a substantial difference in the discussion or is in the context of education. 99.999987%\* of the time “yellow sun” and “blue sky” are perfectly acceptable descriptions. > > _Number courtesy of [trustats4u.com](http://trustats4u.com)_\* > \*\*Also a made up thing I’m going to guess that the oceans are not blue either. If you gathered a bottle of ocean water, it would probably be colorless, as water is. So the sky, the sun, and the oceans are not what they appear to be. Why believe anything you see? The reality is that it’s just a bunch of waves running around your brain in response to external stimuli. Colors don’t exist at all; you just think they do. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/207 "2017-07-06T02:02:32Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > I may be in a run for first place here. > > Several weeks ago I asked a Home Depot employee where their rebar was. She didn’t know what rebar was :rolleyes: Shit, literally _every single time_ I’m in Meijer and I need to find something, the “helpers” who are milling around never once have known where to find it. MY god are they fucking useless. They start wandering around saying, “I don’t know, let’s find it.” I’m an irritated grouch sometimes and I’ll say something like, “no thanks, I can guess just fine by myself.” Then I feel bad and go and apologize. 😛 I actually think Meijer, at least the one I go to, takes part in some program that hires mentally challenged people for certain low-responsibility positions. So this is probably a major influence on the shame I feel prompting me to apologize for being snarky. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/208 "2017-07-06T03:10:29Z")
> [@ioioio](#): > > Colors don’t exist at all; you just think they do. I can measure them, and my measurements correlate to independent measurements that others make. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/209 "2017-07-06T06:14:14Z")
> [@ioioio](#): > > Colors don’t exist at all; you just think they do. > [@CurtC](#): > > I can measure them, and my measurements correlate to independent measurements that others make. My intention was to mock the pedantry of this thread, which purports to expose the ignorance of the common man about common things. I am far out of my league, and I bow in awe before the masters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146.md?page=10)