Tell Me Something I Don't Know

[EricKei]

Mikkel -- It's not so much that the people do not WANT to read books (some of them do, despite that being, in effect, a capital crime) -- it's that TV has supplanted print media completely, and books are seen as archaic and useless artifacts of the past in their society.

edit: started a thread on Fratching about the book, as I can see a discussion of its merits getting easily derailed and pushing that line Please head on over that way if ya wanna join in the discussion.

[Mikkel]

It's some years ago I read Fahrenheit 451, but if it is about people not wanting to read books, why in the world should it be illegal to own them and why should firemen run around burning them?

[sms001]

The book Fahrenheit 451 ... NOT about burning books or censorship.

Saw a net pic along this line the other day - "You don't have to burn books if no one wants to read them." under a couch potato glued to his TV set.

Thanks for all the other info. Think it's time for a reread.

[EricKei]

The book Fahrenheit 451 is about the evils of television and other mass media (including addiction to it and the resultant apparent "dumbing down" of people as a result), NOT about burning books or censorship. Well, at least according to some guy called Ray Bradbury, anyway, what would he know? ~_~ According to what is possibly urban legend, he has been "corrected" by at least one classroom audience during a speech about the work (at UCLA), causing him to walk out on them.

"Fahrenheit 451 is not about the topic of censorship. Rather, it is a story of how television destroys interest in reading literature, leading to a replacement of knowledge with “factoids”: partial information devoid of context." - attr. to Ray Bradbury

Some people refer to (roughly) 450F as the auto-ignition point of book paper; others say it's more like 450C. YMMV.

The book predicted, among other things: flat-screen TV's and "media walls", surround sound, the increasing spectre of the "death" of print media, and tiny little wireless electronic devices that sit in your ear that allow for 2-way communication over long distances -- in other words, Bluetooth headsets, wireless earbuds, and similar devices. IIRC, jetpacks, too, but we haven't quite mastered those. Yet. Oh yeah, and unmanned flying drones.

[crazylegs]

A defibrillator (the device used by medics to shock you during cardiac arrest) doesn't restart your heart, it stops it.

[Crossbow]

The International Space Station is traveling so fast that if you play The Proclaimers song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" once through, the ISS will have traveled almost exactly 1000 miles.


Guess it beats walking.

[fireheart]

The book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" was inspired in part, by a hole punch.

[AnaKhouri]

Oliver Reed was in the running to be the first James Bond, but the producers decided his real-life reputation was too bad for them to be associated with him (he was known as a heavy drinker and a womanizer prone to getting into violent fights). So Sean Connery was chosen instead.

Kind of ironic since James Bond is a heavy drinker and a womanizer prone to getting into violent fights.

Sorry, he was in the running to be the second Bond and replace Connery, not the first Bond. I can't find the edit button for my last post, I'm sure I will see it as soon as I post this...

[sms001]

Only one actor has ever

I learned this yesterday, coincidentally. A FB friend had "I hate spunk." as their status, so while roaming around the various bios I ran across that fact.

I love serendipity.

[fireheart]

In a somewhat ironic twist, the TV show Thank God You're Here originated in Australia and lasted four seasons of around 10/11 episodes each, compared to the UK and US versions, which only lasted six or seven episodes each.

Why ironic? Several TV shows that have aired in the US and had Australia try to recreate their own version have not lasted as long as their US counterparts. This is so far the only instance I'm aware of where the REVERSE occurred.

(note to self: should I ever meet an alien, let him grope me)

[Aethian]

Forum runner does not allow people to see the "whited out" spoilers. It would be great if we had a spoiler tag.

[Marmalady]

When a Lancaster bomber is started up, the No 3 (or starboard inner) engine is always started first because it drives the compressor that supplies air pressure for the radiator shutters and brakes.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Only one actor has ever won an Emmy for "Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series" and "Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series" playing the same character...

START SPOILER

Ed Asner in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Lou Grant"

END SPOILER

[42_42_42]

Weight and mass are not interchangeable, identical properties, as you seem to indicate here. Just because something has less mass does not mean it has less weight. Now, that may be the case with water, but it is not always the case, as seems indicated here.

(Note that I say "seem." I have no idea what your intentions were. I was merely reacting to the way it read to me.

Oh, I know mass =/= weight, but the average lay person doesn't. The average lay person says "weight" when what they really mean "mass."

Clear as mud?

[Sunshine]

Piiiiiiiiiie. Cant think of a fact....be back later with one....After i eat some pie