You Learn Something New Every Day (cont.)

[Anthony Bonner]

Nobody's perfect.

[StephanieL]

I recently bought a bag of dried fruit "for compote", imported from Kyrgyzstan.  I thought it had an odd smoky taste.  Turns out, smoked dried fruit is a thing in Eastern Europe, and it is used for compote.  Never knew about it.

Edited April 20, 2025 by StephanieL

[Wilfrid]

I have long been aware that Heidegger's Vom Wesen des Grundes was translated into English by someone called Malick. I just found out it was Terrence, the movie director, as a very young man (reading review of new book about him).

[Orik]

I learned how illicit border crossing works. I can't say it was all fun but as someone who enjoys this sort of thing I have to say the smugglers subverted the border control very elegantly using a keen understanding of security flaws (and some palm grease of course)

[small h]

Last night I was hanging out on our deck, having a glass of wine in the dark, and I heard a pretty good size something clumsily crashing around in the underbrush. It made a sound that I can best describe as the noise a crow would make if it were the size of a beagle: a loud, harsh caw. It scared the shit out of me. I know deer often make a racket as they travel, but I'd never heard a deer make a noise like that.

Apparently they do.

 

[maison rustique]

I've never heard them make sound either!! They are usually completely silent except for movement sounds.

[cinghiale]

They (males I think) are very talkative here in Italy during the rut. I was also puzzled by the noise until I, like you, found a YouTube video.

[small h]

I think this guy's a little early (or late) to the rut! I just looked it up and he's not due to start rutting 'til September or so.

[cinghiale]

On 7/21/2025 at 10:19 PM, small h said:

Last night I was hanging out on our deck, having a glass of wine in the dark, and I heard a pretty good size something clumsily crashing around in the underbrush. It made a sound that I can best describe as the noise a crow would make if it were the size of a beagle: a loud, harsh caw. It scared the shit out of me. I know deer often make a racket as they travel, but I'd never heard a deer make a noise like that.

Apparently they do.

 

You're right -it's not the rut. I heard the usual "barking" this morning, but it's way too early for the rut. This is the sound that roe deer make here: deer barking. Apparently it's a form of communication, probably like the deer in your area.

And @maison rustique I heard a Eurasian Scops-Owl right outside my door the other night. What a wonderful cry!

[StephanieL]

Chaka Khan's hit "I Feel for You" was a cover of a Prince song that appeared on his first album.

[Wilfrid]

I wondered why a local bar was playing "Popcorn," which I think of as a 1972 instrumental. Who knew Tove Lo sampled the whole thing on her 2022 single "2 Die 4"?

Well I know now. (Thank you Shazam.)

[StephanieL]

Cooks on whaling ships, in addition to wages in the form of shares of the profits (called "lays"), were also entitled to take some of the used cooking fats, called "slush", to resell when the voyage was over.  No kidding, this is where the term "slush fund" comes from.

Edited Tuesday at 02:56 AM by StephanieL

[small h]

This is the best thing I've heard today. (The bar is low.)

[Orik]

Also sperm oil is made from whale as it was found to be far more efficient than the other way!