12 Trivia Tidbits for Wednesday, May 22, 2024
If you’ve been considering drinking your own urine, this is the list for you.
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The Worst Dating App of All Time Just Dropped
Duolicious is a dating app geared toward chronically online, Reddit- and 4chan-types, billing itself as “online dating, but based and true love-pilled.” Its user base ballooned from 5,000 to 50,000 after people started dunking on it online, and scraped user data indicates there's about a 15-to-1 male-to-female ratio, which is about what you’d expect.
The Two Great Cockroach Migrations
A genetic study of cockroaches found that most cockroaches can be traced back to a species that evolved in Southeast Asia about 2,100 years ago. They accompanied travelers and traders around the world in two highly specific time periods: the first about 1,200 years ago, and then again as recently as 270 years ago.
Minnesota’s Tourism Board Capitalized on a Killer Exchange With Charles Barkley
Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was being interviewed after his team advanced to the conference finals for the first time in forever. Barkley said he hadn’t been to the state in 20 years, and Edwards quickly replied, “Bring ya ass.” BringYaAss.com now redirects to ExploreMinnesota.com.
Engineers Hacked Together a ‘Dune’ Suit
Inspired by Dune, YouTubers used commonly available materials to create a working prototype of a “Stillsuit” that can turn sweat and pee into drinkable water.
Sam Altman Owns the Record for Lowest Character Count to Biggest Self-Own Ratio
ChatGPT was caught using a Scarlett Johansson sound-alike for its new A.I. assistant, after Johansson expressly refused to provide her voice for the project. On the day it launched, Altman tweeted “her,” a reference to his favorite movie, Her, wherein Johansson voices a remarkably similar product. Basically, Altman has a huge crush on Colin Jost’s wife, he got rejected big time, and then documented his own creepy attempt to program an A.I. girlfriend to sound like her.
Babies and Fetuses Are Suing the Government
Parents in South Korea are suing the government on behalf of their children, and in one case an unborn child nicknamed “Woodpecker,” for inaction over climate change. There are currently four such lawsuits, and the first hearing occurred a few weeks ago. You have our support, Woodpecker.
The Brown Market for Human Feces
Fecal microbiota transplants, or FMTs, are legitimate medical interventions that can cure certain diseases, or ease symptoms, by introducing healthy bacteria to your gut biome. But when patients are unable to get certain diagnoses required for a prescription, they’re often forced to buy FMTs from an underground black market and hope they got the right shit.
Americans Are Using Small Change More, and We Know That Because of the TSA
A study of the amount of change left at airport security checkpoints has found that Americans left about $1 million in change at security in 2023, which is double the amount from 2012. Experts believe this is a solid indication that Americans are actually using and interacting with change more.
France’s Scratch-and-Sniff Baguette Stamp
The French post office is adding “bakery scent” microcapsules to a new stamp, to celebrate a “jewel of French culture.” In other words: scratch-and-sniff baguette stamp.
An Alabama Unionization Attempt Was Thwarted by Free Hats
An Alabama Mercedes-Benz factory narrowly voted against unionization after management hired multiple anti-union firms to get out the word that seizing the means of production is liberal hippie shit. Some of their tactics included hanging anti-union signage, and giving out anti-union hats and towels. In aggregate, workers prefered free hats over collectively bargaining for a fair wage.
The U.K. Covered Up a Massive Blood Scandal
An exhaustive six-year investigation just wrapped up, finding that 30,000 British patients were exposed to HIV and Hepatitis C during blood transfusions between 1970 and 1991, resulting in 3,000 deaths. Some of their many screwups: They imported high-risk blood from American prisons, didn’t heat-treat blood to remove the risk of HIV and then didn’t tell people when they were exposed.
Beyonce Made Paul McCartney a Billionaire
McCartney’s net worth just crossed one billion quid for the first time, off the back of his Get Back tour, and Beyonce’s cover of “Blackbird.” He’s officially the U.K.’s first billionaire musician.
