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How do you define 'interesting'? What is interesting? After writing a surplus of articles about interesting facts and mildly interesting stuff, we can tell you that it's all about gut feeling. Humans know humans, just like we know that we will never be tired of looking at previously unseen, fluffy animals from exotic corners of the Earth.
Today's r/interesting, then, is a rather normal cousin to 'Mildly Interesting'. Not bound by a specific timeline or subject matter, this community describes itself as "a place to share something interesting." And as you'll see on today's list, it sure does that, bringing bite-size infotainment like a cooler version of 'Encyclopedia Britannica' where people vote on what's hot and what's, well, less interesting. Buckle up, pandas, because it's going to get interesting!
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#1
I Would Find This Interesting
In the early 1980s, at the dawn of the age of the personal computer, people were afraid of the darn machines. 'Computerphobia' was spreading like wildfire. And the idea that one day we'd all be chronically obsessed with computers, in as much with the internet, seemed as ridiculous as having all tomes of Encyclopedia Britannica and much more at the tip of your finger.
Today, however, we'd be pretty much lost without going online. According to one study, more than half of Americans admit to learning most of what they know thanks to the internet. When the pandemic happened and we were all collectively locked inside our homes, God knows how bad things could have gotten if not for the ability to have online classrooms.
#2
Kathey ❤ What An Effort 🙄
Roger9er 1 year ago (edited)
Yeah, it's a kind of...you know, condescending. Like a toddler who tied her shoes correctly or something. Can BP change it in something more respectful? This woman CALCULATED A TRAJECTORY OF A DAMN SPACECRAFT.
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Daniel Morgan 1 year ago
If you're interested then watch the film 'Hidden Figures' about her and her colleagues, incredible film.
Kathryn Baylis 1 year ago (edited)
BP, you reached a real low with this entry. The title looks like a 4 year old’s birthday party invitation that their parents put an eye roll emoji on to amuse the other parents. This is a woman who accomplished 100 times what the rest of us could only dream of doing. She was in high school at age 10, ffs. The average age of a 9th grader is 14 or 15, add another year for a 10th grader (back in the day, before the middle school thing, after elementary school you went to junior high for 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, so didn’t start high school until 10th grade). She would’ve graduated high school at 13 or 14, and if they let her go right to college, she would’ve had her Bachelors by18, when most people are graduating high school, and already started Grad School when other kids in her age group were nothing more than incoming freshmen. She probably had to fight hard to take the classes for her field, as they were full of men who wouldn’t like a woman, especially a genius like her, as competition. Same thing entering her field. The guys probably kept trying to turn her into their secretary. I won’t even go into all the sexual harassment she no doubt had to face. But she did it, and earned the high respect of NASA and all the astronauts and engineers there. I doubt you advanced that far in school, BP, so have some f*****g respect for Katherine G Johnson.
Stephen Smith 1 year ago
" When NASA began to use computers" this not correct, should read electronic machines as computers. Because before the machines they had rooms full of women doing the calculations, and they were called computers.
Celeste Grant 1 year ago
She has an incredible story. I'm glad she has become more widely known due to the film hidden figures.
M.Kay (He/They) 1 year ago
There is a movie about her and the other incredibly intelligent woman that worked for NASA, called Hidden Figures! It's one of my absolute FAVORITE movies!
A B C the Third 1 year ago
That might be an interesting one, thank you! :)
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Lia is a platypus 1 year ago
GO KATHERINE!! I CAN'T EVEN DO BASIC MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH, AND YOU ARE AWESOME!
Gozer LeGozerian 1 year ago
Me reading this while stuffing my face with chocolate, which is the most productive thing I've done all day
Badulesia 1 year ago
I'm both a computer nerd and a space exploration nerd. I had to watch the movie "Hidden figures" to discover this lady recently. I feel ashamed.
Old Roadie 1 year ago
Don't be ashamed... you crave knowledge and adventure, and that's a very good thing.
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Diandra “Mss Didi” Blackthorn 1 year ago
See the move, HIDDEN FEATURES about Ms. Johnson and other human "computers" and their struggles as Black Women during segregation at NASA.
Gregg Bender 1 year ago
She's one of the most amazing people I've ever heard of. And she gets THIS?
Salty Wild Hair 1 year ago
She was exactly the person that they needed for time. I am very impressed with her story and wish I knew more about her sooner than I did. The caption of this photo is very condescending and says more about whomever wrote it than it does anyone else.
Lucylastik 1 year ago
Also, why have we never heard of this lady up until now? Women like this are consistently missing from our education.
Bill Marsano 1 year ago
'Hidden Figures" (2017) about her and 2 similarly talented GFs, won Oscars for Best Pic, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay is excellent. The book, by Margot Lee Shetterly , is even better.
Justin Rogers 1 year ago
Why not #woman even nasa consults or #woman with out of this world skillz
Sara Wilson 1 year ago
But for how many years she wasn't good enough to use the "whites" toilet?!
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
What's up with all the using ? Marks instead of !. ?=a question. != an emphatic or excited statement. Bizarre. I've been seeing it a ton.
Sandra Gleeson 1 year ago
I started high school at 10 as well, although I did not end up doing anything so auspicious as this brilliant lady.....I ended up as a demolition contractor:/
Belle Miles 1 year ago
What an EFFORT... Kathey... (sarcasm). Eyeroll. Is supposed to translate to "WOW".
"You can learn anything on the internet, so why do I so often learn things I don’t want to know?" Daniel T. Willingham, author of 'Outsmart Your Brain,' ponders in his article. It's a valid question, particularly when we consider just how much information we are constantly bombarded with.
According to the latest estimates, 328.77 million terabytes of data are pumped into the web each day. Of course, it's not clear how much of it is new information unseen on the net before. But considering that it takes around 5-6 hours (or two Avengers films) to read a single, unfiltered terabyte of data - and two more hours to stop your addicted fingers from scrolling friends' feeds on Insta - we're kind of happy there's r/interesting to filter out the most curious bits of it.
#3
A 106-Year-Old From The Philippines Is Vogue's Oldest Ever Cover Model
#4
Ain’t Stupid If It Works
#5
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar And Coach John Wooden. ‘’never Forget Who Helped You’’
#6
Just Look The Précision
In order to understand what makes this subreddit so appealing not only to us, curious pandas, but to the rest of its 250,000 daily visitors, Bored Panda reached out to the folks who run r/interesting. "One of the main challenges faced by the mods is people not being civil," u/Yell0w_Submarine, who joined the community's moderating team this March in order to help it grow, explained via message.
#7
This Sundial Shows The Time Digitally
#8
American Firefighters Extinguishing The Fire In Mexico Without Crossing The Border
#9
Green House, Made From Recycled Church Stained Glass Windows
Another problem arises from users who engage in spamming activities, like sharing links to malicious websites or repeatedly posting the same content across various communities to accumulate internet points known as 'karma.' "Making sure every comment is read can be a long task," they said.
#10
Tibetan White Yak - The Snow White Yak Is The Rarest Color Phase Of Yak In The World. In China And Tibet They Figure Their Numbers To Be Around 3% Of The Population, With The Vast Majority Of Those Residing In Tianzhu Tibet, There Almost All Of Their Yaks Are White!
#11
A Snow Leopard In Its Natural Habitat At Spiti Valley, India Appears Flawlessly Camouflaged, Effortlessly Blending Into The Surrounding Environment
#12
This Bonsai Tree Was Planted In 1625 And Has Lived Through A Lot Of History In It's 400 Years Of Existence. It Survived The Atomic Blast In Hiroshima On August 6, 1945 Even Though It Was Only Two Miles Away At That Time
As you might have guessed, occasionally there's someone who throws in a random Skittle into the bowl of M&Ms that is r/interesting posts. "We do get a lot of mildly interesting and not interesting/off-topic submissions," u/Yell0w_Submarine noted. "While it is subjective, in my opinion, the posts that are mostly approved are original, create a feeling of amazement and are just sometimes really cool. 'Mildly' interesting posts, meanwhile, can be coincidences or just do not elicit a sense of amazement."
#13
British Coins Make A Shield When Put Together
#14
Flathead Lake, The Clearest Water On Earth
#15
A Melanistic & Albino Alligator
It appears, then, that nature is a shared interest among members of r/interesting and Bored Panda readers. "Nature is one of the most popular types of content posted on this sub," they said. While it's been found that spending at least 120 minutes, or 2 hours, a week in nature is associated with good health and well-being, dedicating a similar amount of time to immersing ourselves in the captivating world of wildlife on our screens can't be all that detrimental, right?
#16
Bloody Australian Dawn
that weirdo in ur closet 1 year ago (edited)
red sky in the morning sailor's/shepard's warning (and btw i just put sailor coz i thought it was the correct one - i learnt both)
#17
110-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Very Well Preserved Discovered Accidentally By Miners In Canada
#18
There’s A Very Tiny Muscle In The Forearms That Contracts Only When Lifting The Pinky Finger. Michelangelo’s Moses Sculpture Is Lifting The Pinky, Therefore That Muscle Is Contracted. Incredible Attention To Detail
But what exactly drives us to seek information which may not be necessary or actively sought after? There's no one simple explanation, Daniel Willingham, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of 'Outsmart Your Brain,' explained to Bored Panda.
"Curiosity is a desire to gain more information," he said. "We expect ourselves to be curious about things that are either a topic that's interesting or have some utility for us in the long term." Apparently, neither of that is 100% true. Instead, Willingham argues that "curiosity seems to be to have a very short time scale it cares about."
#19
The Duck Is The Mother Of Fishes
#20
The Third Grade Teacher Teaches Science In A Full Body Suit!
Jessica Cifelli 1 year ago
You know there's probably some Karen parent that would complain though
#21
Bic Using The Same Pen Design Since 1955
Let's say, for example, that you're an ardent stamp collector and stumble upon a conversation where someone claims to possess intriguing insights about the World War II postage stamps that graced France. Your initial reaction? Nonchalance. Why? "You would not feel any curiosity exactly because you feel like you already know pretty much everything, even though it's of great interest to you," Willingham argued.
Now, let's flip the script. Imagine a scenario where someone, unaware of your stamp-collecting prowess, suggests sharing the very knowledge you hold dear. They entice you with the prospect of uncovering a treasure trove of information, as you stand on the precipice of ignorance. Curious, right?
Well, not quite, it turns out. "You wouldn't feel any curiosity [in the subject] because the information wouldn't feel meaningful to you," he explained. "In order for information to feel meaningful, you have to have something to connect it to."
#22
An Afghan Citizen Offering A Cup Of Tea To An U.S. Soldier On The Duty
#23
Found A House That Looks Like The One From "Up" In Vancouver, Canada
#24
112 Year-Old Vaccine Cards. And It Didn't Cause Society To Crumble As You Can See
According to Willingham, one of the most important ingredients for the sake of our curiosity is being surrounded by new juicy information that we're not particularly interested in already. It's this very notion that subreddits like r/interesting thrive upon, constantly offering users a stream of captivating tidbits. However, this is why traditional educational institutions often struggle to evoke a sense of curiosity in students.
"It's so difficult for teachers to make children feel curious about school content because some of them already know it. A lot of them don't know anything at all about it, so they can't connect with anything." Unlike the boundless realm of the internet, where we have the freedom to indulge our curiosity by delving deep into topics that pique our interest, the educational system presents a different reality.
In school, we are bound to follow a structured curriculum that encompasses a wide range of subjects. We don't have the luxury of cherry-picking only the areas that intrigue us. Instead, we must navigate the entire breadth of the curriculum.
#25
The Camera Caught The Light Reflecting Off The Water Droplets Of The Steam At The Right Angle To Make Magical Corn
#26
A Female Falcon Was Equipped With A Satellite Tracking System In South Africa Before Migrating To Finland. Image Shows Tracker Data. In Just 42 Days, She Flew Over 10.000 Km, At An Incredible Average Of 230 Km Per Day And Nearly In A Straight Line
#27
Thousands Of Years Ago, The Inuit And Yupik People Of Alaska And Northern Canada Carved Narrow Slits Into Ivory, Antler, And Wood To Create The World's First Snow Goggles. This Diminished Exposure To Direct And Reflected Ultraviolet Rays—thereby Reducing Eye Strain And Preventing Snow Blindness
With the advent of Google and the ability to access an infinite pool of information at our fingertips, the landscape of curiosity has undergone a profound transformation. "The expectation [nowadays] is that we should feel curious sort of all the time," Willingham said, noting that this perpetual state of curiosity can be both exhilarating and draining.
Recent statistics show that 1-in-5 Americans admit to feeling overloaded by information - a phenomenon that runs counter to the very essence of curiosity. "There should always be something that we're eager to learn about or at least enjoy. And if we're not, we don't see why we should be bored, right?"
#28
The Lens Flare In This Photo Looks Like Eric Cartman
#29
Friend Rehabilitated An Injured Chicken And Adopted It As A Pet. Chicken Got To Attend Friend's Wedding
#30
Topography Of USA - Pretty Cool
mysterious(all pronouns) 1 year ago
It's crazy seeing how tall the western U.S. is. I've been to the tallest natural point in Wisconsin, Tim's Hill, and it doesn't even compare to being in the mountains.
#31
A Shoe Worn By Allied Spies During World War II Has An Inverted Heel To Mislead The Germans When They Track Their Trail And Direct Them In A Completely Wrong Direction
#32
A 7000-6000 Year Old Burial Of A Young Woman (Aged Around 20 When She Died) And Her Newborn Baby From Vedbaek, Denmark. By Her Head Were 200 Red Deer Teeth, And The Child Is Cradled In The Wing Of A Swan With A Flint Knife At Its Hip. It’s Thought The Pair Died Together In Childbirth
#33
This Table
#34
President Obama Sitting For The Very First Ever 3D Presidential Portrait
#35
Sloth Elephant Tunnel.these Tunnels Were Dug By A Giant Ground Sloth That Lived 10.000 Years Ago In Brazil
#36
First Lamb Grown In An Artificial Womb
#37
Taking Art To A New Level
#38
Meteora, Greece
#39
“Gee’s Golden Langur” Currently Very Endangered. Expressions Are So Human
#40
Weighing Over 400 Pounds, This Is The Heart Of A Blue Whale, The Largest Animal That Has Ever Lived
#41
Penguin Feathers
#42
Alexander The Great 330 Bc, Facial Reconstruction From His Marble Bust
Premislaus de Colo 1 year ago
Wow, they reconstructed heterochromy from a marble bust... Impressive, lol
#43
What The Pyramid Of Khafre Looked Like 4,500 Years Ago Compared To Today. The Pyramids Of Giza Were Originally Covered With Highly Polished White Limestones, With The Capstones At The Peak Being Covered In Gold
#44
Alpine Refuge From World War I Located At 2760 Meters, Monte Cristallo, Italy
#45
In The 1940s, Men Dressed In Short Shorts And Cowboy Boots Served Up Women At A Drive Through Across The Street From Love Field In Dallas, Tx
#46
Most People Just See The Man With A Giant Head On His Knee, And Cannot See The Baby
#47
"I See You Have Made 3 Spelling Mistakes". Last Words Of The Marquis De Favras After Reading His Death Sentence Before Being Hanged (1790)
#48
Garter Snakes Coming Out Of Hibernation And Into A Tens Of Thousands Strong Mating Ball In Southern Manitoba, Canada
#49
Disney Tried To Be Creative With Marketing Back In The Day
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