The bridge was not “designed” around someone whose parents hadn’t been born yet. An MIT fraternity decided to measure how many Smoots long the pre-existing bridge was.
We discovered that about bats as a kid. We’d lay a white sheet on the ground and often at least one of the dozens of bats flittering around at night up there would land there for the grapes we were throwing around and just flop around. Some would, in fact, get going again. Most didn’t. Kids can be cruel. We didn’t realize it then, but it was cruel.
A light-nanosecond (or a nano-lightsecond) is just under 1 foot in length. For humans, that could be a convenient unit of measure for length. (“I’m 5.9 light-nanoseconds in height.”)
Particulate matter, such as smoke and ash, does block sunlight and keep the temperature down. But that is relatively brief. Greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide and methane, last much longer.
That bat limitation is pretty much how you evict bats from your house. Screen up the opening they are using to get in an out, then cut a hole in the screen and use some drain pipe extension that curves downward. They get out by climbing through the pipe and dropping out to fly away. Then they have no way to land and fly back up in. Evicted and gotta find a new home.
Uh, NO! The Harvard (Mass Ave) Bridge was NOT “designed” using the body length of Oliver Smoot as a unit of measurement. The bridge was build in the 1880’s and opened in 1890. In 1958, the bridge was measured using Smoot as a ruler as a fraternity prank. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot
Templo S.U.D. over 5 years ago
I was six when Pinatubo blew; got no recollection whatever of being THAT cold.
therese_callahan2002 over 5 years ago
Hence, Batman’s use of the Batplane and Batcopter.
NeedaChuckle Premium Member over 5 years ago
Why would you build a bridge in silly units of measure? Then again, I have heard of the antics at MIT. But we’re talking real money here.
joefearsnothing over 5 years ago
At MIT he was known as “Square Root Smoot”! :o]
Tim Harrod Premium Member over 5 years ago
The bridge was not “designed” around someone whose parents hadn’t been born yet. An MIT fraternity decided to measure how many Smoots long the pre-existing bridge was.
Huckleberry Hiroshima over 5 years ago
We discovered that about bats as a kid. We’d lay a white sheet on the ground and often at least one of the dozens of bats flittering around at night up there would land there for the grapes we were throwing around and just flop around. Some would, in fact, get going again. Most didn’t. Kids can be cruel. We didn’t realize it then, but it was cruel.
Will E. Makeit Premium Member over 5 years ago
besides the ash, what else gets belched out by burping volcano?
Gent over 5 years ago
Haw! And they say pollution causes Global Warming!
Gent over 5 years ago
So, that’s why the Bats hang upside-down!
tuslog1964 over 5 years ago
And lets not forget to post furlongs per fortnight as the speed limit on that bridge.
Jogger2 over 5 years ago
A light-nanosecond (or a nano-lightsecond) is just under 1 foot in length. For humans, that could be a convenient unit of measure for length. (“I’m 5.9 light-nanoseconds in height.”)
But, we’ve pretty much settled on the meter.
Say What Now‽ Premium Member over 5 years ago
Particulate matter, such as smoke and ash, does block sunlight and keep the temperature down. But that is relatively brief. Greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide and methane, last much longer.
Stephen Gilberg over 5 years ago
I’ve seen a bat take off from the ground (well, floor) right in front of me.
aimlesscruzr over 5 years ago
That bat limitation is pretty much how you evict bats from your house. Screen up the opening they are using to get in an out, then cut a hole in the screen and use some drain pipe extension that curves downward. They get out by climbing through the pipe and dropping out to fly away. Then they have no way to land and fly back up in. Evicted and gotta find a new home.
arthurseery over 5 years ago
Uh, NO! The Harvard (Mass Ave) Bridge was NOT “designed” using the body length of Oliver Smoot as a unit of measurement. The bridge was build in the 1880’s and opened in 1890. In 1958, the bridge was measured using Smoot as a ruler as a fraternity prank. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot