What obvious adult discoveries made you feel a bit of a plonker?

[Airconfan]

What’s something you learnt as an adult that made you think that’s completely obvious and yet I have never considered that….i feel like a bit of a plonker?

Mine was when taking tablets, the more you drink with it the better it will dissolve. I think alot of tablets are testing with the assumption people will drink 250ml alongside it.

I struggle to believe that you believe that. It's just not physically possible. I think you're having a laugh.

whaaaaaaat!!! 😂😂😂

I've got some good news for you! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_island

I only learned that floating islands were a thing a couple of weeks ago when there was a news item about one in Canada that had appeared and then disappeared again.

We've got one in the Bay Area! https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240916

I was an adult when I found out that it takes around 6 hours to fly from California to Hawaii, I thought it was a lot closer. Apparently this is a common misconception in the US because of how maps display Hawaii and Alaska. Lots of Americans also don't realise that there is no US border with Alaska.

How did you then open the cans? Did they not need tin openers? Struggling to picture this.. did they have to cool down first?

I didn't know toasters had little drawers you were meant to take out and clean.

To be fair my post was a little light on detail. The tunnel is constructed then lowered into a shallow trench in sections. It is normally covered over but only with a few metres of material - just google "immersed tube tunnel" for lots of examples of tunnels you probably know. ...and many interesting videos if that sort of thing interests you... Norway is, however, considering constructing "submerged floating tunnels" which are exactly what the phrase describes.

As far as pressure is concerned, I think even the channel tunnel is designed to withstand at least 10 bars to deal with, amongst other issue, geological problems. And coincidentally the max pressure at the bottom of the channel is also roughly 10 bars.

I only realised last week that vitamins is short for vital minerals.

Also, in Harry Potter Diagon Alley is the word diagonally split into two words.

not quite - vital amines

Thank you for this, I never understood that quote, now I know, so I have learned something new today, though I don't feel a plonker about it!

Yes being not physically possible but still happening is the definition of a miracle. It's God showing He is there by doing something that is supernatural.
The red sea didn't part by itself. If you believe there is a God who created everything, then parting the red sea isn't that difficult an idea to understand or believe.

Here’s another channel tunnel enigma: what happened to the earth that was dug out while excavating it?

It was used to build a small piece of land nearby, called Samphire Hoe, used as a nature reserve.

I know an adult who had heard of the game of pin the tail on the donkey, and thought it sounded absurdly easy. Nobody had told her that you had to be blindfolded so you couldn’t see a thing!

I was the same as you!!

It’s been known for adults to look for “grimmauld place” in a London A-Z, not noticing “grim old place”.

Normal cucumber, its surprisingly nice...
. Comes up in a few gousto recipes

The earth dug out when drilling the Tunnel was used to create Samphire Hoe nature reserve

They used their pocket knives i think.....dont quote me.....but I also have a vague memory of them having their own version of today's ring pull......think like the key style on corned beef, spam.

It's a UV light super charging glow in the dark items - aka making them glow really brightly. The lamp upside down bit presumably means the poster was using a lamp with a regular lightbulb to do that before.

This is true- my Dad didn't drink with medication for an amoebic infection, the medication therefore caused him to have what looked like a heart attack- they assume tablets are taken with water, and test on that basis, if you take them dry the side effects are not necessarily recorded or recognised.

Just remembered another one. Me and ex round a friend's and her dh enjoying a few wines. Etc. Can't remember how the conversation came about but their then 14yr DS mentioned platypus in whatever context.

All 4 of us adults were laughing and saying they've been extinct for years..... he argued and was getting quite irate so of course out came the phones.

Outdone by a 14yr old but all 4 adults were adamant platypus' were dinosaur era.

And Knockturn Alley=nocturnally.

Ok, hold the phone, I'm.... stunned.

I always thought it was just supposed to be not funny.

That'll teach me. I've been reading through all this thinking yeah yeah, I knew all of these... I fell really stupid now.

You were right originally, it’s not dark, it’s just supposed to not be funny.

Oh, ok. Thank god, I was giving myself a really hard time about that.

There was never a police Nessy in the kids TV show Family Ness, named Elliot Ness. I have a very clear memory of this happening, but as far as I can find out, it never did. No idea why my mind made this up for me.

I remember this too!!!!!