Be honest. Without counting, how many letters are there in the English alphabet? I can truthfully say that I have never, ever, ever used that little piece of knowledge. Not even once.
[OP]
Contributor
Be honest. Without counting, how many letters are there in the English alphabet? I can truthfully say that I have never, ever, ever used that little piece of knowledge. Not even once.
Member
That one I have used--if you have done much with data structures and the like, that one is hardwired.
I've never figured out a meaningful reason to know that yak's milk is pink, however.
Member
26, dont ask me why I remember that one.... like you said, 99.99999% of the time that's useless knowledge.Originally Posted by John Coloccia
Member
Two of my kids are seniors in college getting a minor in math. They spend HOURS on a single problem. In REAL life, you just punch a button on a calculator and get the answer. I predict in a few years they will have no idea how to do the problem, but they will know how to punch the calculator button just fine.
Oh yeah, 26 letters. Did not even have to think about it.
You've obviously never played with cryptography. Now, square roots? . . . nope, have never come to a full stop due to forgetting how to determine a square root ;-) I also was reminded that West Virginia was a state the other day. Of course, everything on the other side of Arizona and Nevada is "back east" to me.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
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Sometimes the point is not what you learn, but the skills you develop while learning it.
Contributor
Now I know why people from Calif are so sad, only two states are farther west than Calif. Alaska and Hawaii
Contributor
But if you ever visit Ferndale, CA you will know where the westernmost bar in the lower 48 states happens to be.Now I know why people from Calif are so sad, only two states are farther west than Calif. Alaska and Hawaii
A bit of trivia, Ferndale, CA is the setting for most of the movie The Majestic.
Another bit of trivia, Reno, NV is further west than Los Angles, CA.
Finally, the ultimate useless piece of information:
In a major league baseball game the first batter was walked. The starting pitcher argued with the umpire and was ejected from the game. The relieving pitcher came in to the game and picked off the runner on first. He then retired the next 26 batters. By today's rules this is not a perfect game.
Can you name the starting pitcher?
Funny thing is that most people with absolutely no knowledge of baseball guess this one and get the right answer.
Why we remember useless information is one of those eternal questions.
Knowing things like even though H is the eighth letter of the alphabet and there are 8 notes in a musical scale yet H isn't in the musical scale are other bits of memory that won't get us any more on a paycheck.
jtk
Last edited by Jim Koepke; 01-23-2012 at 7:07 PM.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Now for the real irony...
If we were forced to learn something, never used it, and have now forgotten it, how do we know we ever knew it or were required to know it?
Well, I guess we all had to learn state capitals and presidents at one time.
I try to reacquaint myself with those things occasionally.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
which is farther west Reno or west Texas,if Reno are farther west than Los Angles are Reno on the west coast ?
[OP]
Contributor
You could assign one per letter, apparently.
Contributor
Never could learn those, but I do know the 26 letters thing. I can even sing them.
Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night
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Well, maybe in my younger days, when I got pulled over, it may have come in handy.........
Contributor
I work with a guy that still remembers the capitals to I guess all the states and all the other countries. Says he just remembers it from grade school. He's about a 25 year old EE.
PHM
Member
Well, maybe in my younger days, when I got pulled over, it may have come in handy.........
Maybe if you learned them backwards.....
What kind of test is that anyway? I can't say them backwards as it is, never learned them that way.
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