TIL Thread

[coffee_rules]

I had thought Music Directors Sonic Omi were one person. It turns out they are a duo Mama-Bhatija 

 

 

[BacktoCricaddict]

1 hour ago, coffee_rules said:

I had thought Music Directors Sonic Omi were one person. It turns out they are a duo Mama-Bhatija 

 

 

 

Wait. Isn't Mama ka nephew Bhaanja?

Chacha ka nephew Bhatija?

 

TIL (again) that I can be a freakkin pedant :-)

[coffee_rules]

40 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

 

Wait. Isn't Mama ka nephew Bhaanja?

Chacha ka nephew Bhatija?

 

TIL (again) that I can be a freakkin pedant :-)

[Mariyam]

On 9/14/2025 at 8:45 PM, BacktoCricaddict said:

 

Wait. Isn't Mama ka nephew Bhaanja?

Chacha ka nephew Bhatija?

 

TIL (again) that I can be a freakkin pedant :-)

Touché

 

Or as I learned earlier today, it’s Bengali equivalent:

Darun!

[BacktoCricaddict]

On 9/14/2025 at 11:56 AM, coffee_rules said:

You mean PURRRRRRRRRRRRR!

[Tillu]

According to the Coastline Survey of India, the three states with the longest coastlines in India are:

 

1) Gujarat

2) Tamil Nadu

3) Andhra Pradesh

 

Now if you look at the map below, AP appears to have a longer coastline than Tamil Nadu and feels counter intuitive.

 

This is due to a phenomenon called Coastline Paradox.

 

 

 

 

AP has a relatively smoother coastline and TN due to having a rugged coastline with a lot of twists and turns and bends is longer.

 

The length of a coastline depends on the size of the scale you use. The smaller the scale the longer the coastline. As you keep reducing the scale, a finite coastline approaches infinite length which is why the paradox.

 

The advantages of having a longer coastline is you have a larger access to exclusive economic zones, fishing, oil and other natural resources.

 

These coastlines are reviewed every 10 years using drones and satellite imagery.

[BacktoCricaddict]

Above post about coastlines reminded me of another related question: Why is marine travel measured in nautical miles or knots? Air-travel I (sort of) get but why marine, which occurs on the surface of the earth just like land travel does?h

[Tillu]

16 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

Above post about coastlines reminded me of another related question: Why is marine travel measured in nautical miles or knots? Air-travel I (sort of) get but why marine, which occurs on the surface of the earth just like land travel does?h

 

Because the Earth is a sphere and plane geometry doesn't work to measure the distances and speeds on high seas. What they instead use is spherical geometry through which latitudes and longitudes were designed.

 

A Nautical mile is the distance corresponding to 1 minute of latitude(1/60th of a degree).

[coffee_rules]

6 hours ago, Tillu said:

 

Because the Earth is a sphere and plane geometry doesn't work to measure the distances and speeds on high seas. What they instead use is spherical geometry through which latitudes and longitudes were designed.

 

A Nautical mile is the distance corresponding to 1 minute of latitude(1/60th of a degree).

 

 

But that doesn't explain why the distance between Kashmir to Kanyakumari on road  is in miles and not in nautical miles. 

Edited September 17, 2025 by coffee_rules

[BacktoCricaddict]

3 hours ago, Tillu said:

 

Because the Earth is a sphere and plane geometry doesn't work to measure the distances and speeds on high seas. What they instead use is spherical geometry through which latitudes and longitudes were designed.

 

A Nautical mile is the distance corresponding to 1 minute of latitude(1/60th of a degree).

So, is it just a better way to do it in knots for great distances? But like @coffee_rules asked, one does cross multiple latitudes going from Kashmir to Kanyakumari or multiple longitudes when traveling from NY to LA. 

[coffee_rules]

3 hours ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

So, is it just a better way to do it in knots for great distances? But like @coffee_rules asked, one does cross multiple latitudes going from Kashmir to Kanyakumari or multiple longitudes when traveling from NY to LA. 

Gemini explains it as:

 

Distance on land isn't measured in nautical miles because the statute mile is a practical unit for land-based travel, which accounts for varied terrain, 

 

There is no varied terrain on  Sea or Air

[Tillu]

1 hour ago, coffee_rules said:

Gemini explains it as:

 

Distance on land isn't measured in nautical miles because the statute mile is a practical unit for land-based travel, which accounts for varied terrain, 

 

There is no varied terrain on  Sea or Air

 

 

5 hours ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

So, is it just a better way to do it in knots for great distances? But like @coffee_rules asked, one does cross multiple latitudes going from Kashmir to Kanyakumari or multiple longitudes when traveling from NY to LA. 

All the LLMs saying the same thing. It's a matter of precision and practicality. On the seas the ships need to cover a huge distance and curvature of the earth where precision is important. Nautical miles and knots neatly align with latitude and longitude. We can use statute miles here as well but it leads to a lot of confusion.

 

On the land statute miles and kilometres are more practical in covering everyday distances in the context of roads and infrastructure, where simple straight line distances are more relevant and we've been using these measurements long before latitude and longitude were invented.

Edited September 18, 2025 by Tillu

[BacktoCricaddict]

Inter-species sexual reproduction is not uncommon. We are all aware of mules (donkey-horse hybrid), but I just came across this interesting, shareable article about more such hybrids. In addition, it is not uncommon to see parthenogenesis (asexual pregnancy) in fish and birds: 

 

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/five-shocking-animal-hybrids-that-truly-exist-in-nature-from-narlugas-to-grolar-bears-to-coywolves

 

 

[BacktoCricaddict]

On 9/17/2025 at 8:41 PM, Tillu said:

 

 

All the LLMs saying the same thing. It's a matter of precision and practicality. On the seas the ships need to cover a huge distance and curvature of the earth where precision is important. Nautical miles and knots neatly align with latitude and longitude. We can use statute miles here as well but it leads to a lot of confusion.

 

On the land statute miles and kilometres are more practical in covering everyday distances in the context of roads and infrastructure, where simple straight line distances are more relevant and we've been using these measurements long before latitude and longitude were invented.

Next time I am on a road trip and my children complain "OMG we're still 200 miles away," I'll rebut with "yeah, but that's only 170 nautical miles" 

:-)

[Prakat]

Having a coastline with lots of bends and varied geometry leads to there being more natural harbours where sea-vessels can anchor and find safe harbours during stormy weather. This over time leads to more advances in ship-building, the development of bigger seafaring vessels and a maritime culture among the people leading to exploration over the open seas, trade with distant places and colonisation.

 

Africa is four times larger in area than Europe but Europe's coastline is almost unbelievably six times longer than Africa's whose entire coastline is smooth and surrounded by shallow waters. That's why Madagascar was colonised by people from the Malay islands from all the way across the Indian ocean and not by the people who lived closest to that island.

[Mariyam]

On 9/20/2025 at 8:58 PM, Prakat said:

Having a coastline with lots of bends and varied geometry leads to there being more natural harbours where sea-vessels can anchor and find safe harbours during stormy weather. This over time leads to more advances in ship-building, the development of bigger seafaring vessels and a maritime culture among the people leading to exploration over the open seas, trade with distant places and colonisation.

 

Africa is four times larger in area than Europe but Europe's coastline is almost unbelievably six times longer than Africa's whose entire coastline is smooth and surrounded by shallow waters. That's why Madagascar was colonised by people from the Malay islands from all the way across the Indian ocean and not by the people who lived closest to that island.

Wasn't aware of Gujarati maritime history till I came across the Khalasi song.

 

Gujaratis have been seafarers for millennia and have had trading outposts in Zanzibar, the Gulf and even mainland Africa. It ties in with your post about jagged coastline having multiple safe harbours. State with the longest coastline in India.

 

The song: Khalasi

[Prakat]

1 hour ago, Mariyam said:

Wasn't aware of Gujarati maritime history till I came across the Khalasi song.

 

Gujaratis have been seafarers for millennia and have had trading outposts in Zanzibar, the Gulf and even mainland Africa. It ties in with your post about jagged coastline having multiple safe harbours. State with the longest coastline in India.

 

The song: Khalasi

 Great song!

 

yes, Zanzibar, being an island was the lone port in Africa for centuries where traders from Arabia as well as Gujarat could conduct business. However, the lack of navigable rivers that emptied into the ocean along the coast kept even this trade down to just a few local products. Even the Nile that empties into the much more sailor-friendly mediterranean is only partly navigable till Khartoum beyond which both the White and Blue Nile rivers are punctuated by glorious rapids and waterfalls.

[Mariyam]

Sikhs are forbidden from having Halal meat

 

 

[Tillu]

5 hours ago, Mariyam said:

Sikhs are forbidden from having Halal meat

 

 

 

 

Yeah I too have learned yesterday only that Sikhs, Buddhists and some Hindus actually eat Jhatka meat.

[BacktoCricaddict]

10 hours ago, Tillu said:

 

 

Yeah I too have learned yesterday only that Sikhs, Buddhists and some Hindus actually eat Jhatka meat.

Can there be meat with none of these labels? I mean - Just meat? Non-halal. Non-jhatka. Non-label. 

Edited October 3, 2025 by BacktoCricaddict