Things one may have thought were universal... Topic is solved

[Davey944676]

That Australian socket doesn't look very happy though...

[dxtoeppe]

That Australian socket doesn't look very happy though...

Wonder if you scream every time you plug something in? Maybe it's not grounded? LOL.

[Jade.S.Exner]

Depends whether you've got a Blitzableiter and are aware of what a flash of lightning can do to you....
Not funny, sechs minus, setzen oder besser gleich nach und Hausaufgaben Physik machen....

[dxtoeppe]

Depends whether you've got a Blitzableiter and are aware of what a flash of lightning can do to you....
Not funny, sechs minus, setzen oder besser gleich nach und Hausaufgaben Physik machen....

The mask resembled the outlet, that was all. Meant to be a joke. Sorry you did not see it that way. Did not mean to offend.

[Jade.S.Exner]

Sense of humour is a funny thing....

[Corinnebelle]

Cave homes

Israel
https://www.yahoo.com/news/half-century ... 11420.html

Coober pedy

https://www.orangesmile.com/extreme/en/ ... r-pedy.htm

China sunken houses
https://www.insider.com/china-cave-dwel ... tos-2022-4

Cave homes

https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat11 ... -4468.html

Living bridges

https://golisodastore.com/blog/neque-po ... i-velit-3/

https://edtimes.in/selfie-hungry-touris ... t-bridges/

https://www.travelawaits.com/2478854/in ... t-bridges/

[Basler Biker]

Cave homes

Or more nearby, for me, in France e.g.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villages_ ... _de_France

[Basler Biker]

Living bridges

...maybe not living bridges, but bridges that make living easy. They are built from mostly reclaimed material from Western Europe, such as those thick cablecar cables which need to be renewed after so many uears of use, for safety reasons.

The life-changing bridges of Toni Rüttimann help entire villages/cities of people to get across canyons and wild rivers. This man is so devoted ! He merits a Nobel prize ...

https://www.fieldstudyoftheworld.com/li ... ruttimann/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Rüttimann

[Basler Biker]

... What other measures are there?

The full answer - with all actual, older or even forgotten measures - would fill pages

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_o ... easurement
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_u ... easurement
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_of_measurement
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_h ... easurement
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_joke

Old measures were simply "practical" quantities,
based on things one had at hand without "tools",
so often it were body parts...

• foot (NL:"voet" +- 30 cm)
• inch (NL:"duim" +- 2,5 cm)
• hand = 4 inch...
• How many "armlengths" is a piece of cloth? (1 el (elbow?) = +- 60 to 70 cm

The "mile" wasn't universal: seamile, landmile, forestmile, ...and all depending on country and area of use.

In ocean exploration

• seamile = 1/360/60 th of the estimated Earth perimeter (equatorial circumference of Earth is about 24,901 miles (40,075 km) => ... / 360 / 60 = +- 1852 m (1/360 is one degree of a full circle, 1/60 is "one minute" of a degree.)

In agriculture

• What surface can one farmer on average earnest in a day? (NL: "morgen") depending on what has to be harvested, of course...

Such measures were depending on region/country/local habits ...so the need grew to have "units" which were "universal", independent of habits, regions, people, countries, professions, ...

But, after so many decades and centuries, we're still not there...In specific "niches" the old measures are simply "tradition" and will remain forever in use. Like the one that I figured out, because I see it often used for the length to be run in horse races, is the furlong (+- 201.. meter), exactly 8 in a UK landmile (1609... meter). - And still today, on an old English "bascule" in a pharmacy I weighted some 13 stone (stone = 6,35 kg).

Addition, since I am learning Swedish ... Sweden adopted the metrical system with one exception: they kept the "mil" as a standardized distance of exactly 10 km (+- 6.2 statute/land miles) and it's used in daily language.

And wasn't there that NASA mission which failed because an internal error between computers, one counting inches and the other one metric? (at least that was the "excuse" they spread in the media ...)
https://www.simscale.com/blog/nasa-mars ... tric units!

[Basler Biker]

@Basler Biker How many different ways can you plug the cord into the swiss socket?

just one.
the three pins form a triangle, and the middle one is earth.

[Corinnebelle]

@Basler Biker How many different ways can you plug the cord into the swiss socket?

just one.
the three pins form a triangle, and the middle one is earth.

So the dot in the middle is the screw?

[Basler Biker]

@Basler Biker How many different ways can you plug the cord into the swiss socket?

just one.
the three pins form a triangle, and the middle one is earth.

So the dot in the middle is the screw?

indeed. Why do you seem to be puzzled by the Swiss one in particular?
I found it a relief to be there in Basel, plugs easy to use, compact, no fuzz with overprotecting "European guidelines",
Just very practical, ... we know how the Swiss are, don't we?

[Corinnebelle]

In Israel they have dunams as a measurement of land, I wonder what other measurements Middle Eastern countries have that are different?

[LICA98]

In some countries you use a decimal comma, in others you use a period:

Six and a half = 6.5 = 6,5

You’ve just reminded me of something similar.

In Syria we use this "÷" for division and this “x” for multiplication.
But when I came to Germany I noticed that they use this “:” for division and this “•” for multiplication.

So now I’m curious about what other countries use.

I was watching a video yesterday about differences in UK and US exams and he mentioned this difference (starting at 19:45)

apparently in the USA x is used as a multiplication sign in elementary school when performing basic math and then • is used in algebra where x becomes a variable

[LICA98]

another thing is addresses:
in Finland we write the street first and then the building number whereas in the USA it's the opposite

also building numbers in Finland (and in general in Europe) are based on how many buildings there are on the street, so usually they start at 1 and go up to several hundred at most, whereas in the USA it's common to have 5 digit building numbers (apparently this is because most cities have numbered streets and the first part of the building is the number of the street perpendicular to the street the building is on, and then the last part is the building number)

apparently you can also have the same building share different numbers if it's split into different apartments, like our building has 4 different apartments and they all have different numbers (in Finland we usually just have 1 number for the building and then use letters to separate the apartments (or if it's a multi-story building we use letters for staircases and then numbers for apartments, e.g. 12 B 35))

another cool thing about the building numbering in the USA: the number of the apartment or suite usually tells you on which floor it's located, like 101 is on the first floor, 201 is 2nd floor, 1201 is 12th floor etc.

in Finland we usually have an info table at the entrance of the building that indicates which apartment is on which floor

[LICA98]

here are some more European things that I found interesting that are different in Finland:
level crossings
in Finland they do exist but they're almost all smaller roads crossing 1-track railways, I've never seen a big road cross a big railway (2+ tracks) like this

tiled sidewalks
these are common in Central Europe but very rare in Finland

in Finland they're almost always asphalt, if there are tiles it might be because there's something special about it (like sidewalk is split in half and the tiled half is for pedestrians and asphalt is for cyclists)

trash cans without a cover or with a cover that's like separately from the trash can

in Finland most trash cans on the street look like this so if you put something there you ain't getting it out

windows
it surprised me that in other countries you can just open the window in Finnish apartment buildings windows look like this so you can't open the main window (you can only open the fortochka as we call it in Russian)

also windows are 2-ply in Finland which is good for insulation but on the downside you get a bunch of (dead) insects there and you can't do anything about it

doors
in Finland they lock automatically so if you close the door it's locked by default (i.e. you don't have to lock it with a key)
I initially thought this was the norm everywhere but then after being to several countries where you actually have to lock the door with a key I thought it was the opposite that maybe it's again a unique Finnish thing that's different elsewhere but I recently was in France and there the door was the same that it just closes by itself apparently it just varies by country then
another thing I've seen people mentioning about the doors is that in Finland they always open outwards (supposedly because in case of fire it's easier to evacuate that way)
another benefit of the door opening outwards is that you have more space in your home

bathrooms
in Finland bathtubs are nonexistent and the whole bathroom floor is of one level so that you can wet the whole floor and then the water will just go down the drain

[PtolemysXX]

Thanks for sharing - very interesting...

doors
in Finland they lock automatically so if you close the door it's locked by default (...)
apparently it just varies by country then

I'd say it varies from person to person because both types are available in hardware stores. I guess Finns must have in their genes never leaving keys inside while walking out. Otherwise the first time you lock yourself out of the house you are going to replace the locks with non-lockable ones immediately...

another thing I've seen people mentioning about the doors is that in Finland they always open outwards (supposedly because in case of fire it's easier to evacuate that way)

The advantage of doors opening to the inside is that if all of the sudden there is 1.5 m of fresh snow outside you can still open the door and "shovel your way out". Otherwise you are stuck inside. I would have thought that exactly because of that doors in Finnland should open to the inside

[MoniqueMaRie]

The advantage of doors opening to the inside is that if all of the sudden there is 1.5 m of fresh snow outside you can still open the door and "shovel your way out". Otherwise you are stuck inside. I would have thought that exactly because of that doors in Finnland should open to the inside

It seems you have talked to students in Clausthal (Germany) at a time. There I once learned that some doors couldn't be opened in winter because they opened to the outside and the students were stuck inside. But nowadays winters are much warmer with less snow.

[LICA98]

Thanks for sharing - very interesting...

doors
in Finland they lock automatically so if you close the door it's locked by default (...)
apparently it just varies by country then

I'd say it varies from person to person because both types are available in hardware stores. I guess Finns must have in their genes never leaving keys inside while walking out. Otherwise the first time you lock yourself out of the house you are going to replace the locks with non-lockable ones immediately...

another thing I've seen people mentioning about the doors is that in Finland they always open outwards (supposedly because in case of fire it's easier to evacuate that way)

The advantage of doors opening to the inside is that if all of the sudden there is 1.5 m of fresh snow outside you can still open the door and "shovel your way out". Otherwise you are stuck inside. I would have thought that exactly because of that doors in Finnland should open to the inside

for me it definitely is every time I exit I double or even triple check I have the keys with me but I much rather prefer a door that closes automatically rather than having to close it every single time you leave home (just imagine the time wasted)

about the snow I never understood how that's a problem because inside an apartment building it's obviously not an issue and the doors that lead outside have a roof over them so there won't be snow at the door like I have a hard time imagining such conditions that the door will be blocked by snow, maybe it's possible with lake effect or something but we don't have anything like that here

[PtolemysXX]

It seems you have talked to students in Clausthal (Germany) at a time. There I once learned that some doors couldn't be opened in winter because they opened to the outside and the students were stuck inside. But nowadays winters are much warmer with less snow.

If I lived in a country rich in snow that would be one of my top excuses for getting late / not getting at all to work

[LICA98]

one thing that really surprised me is the lack of dishwashing brushes in some countries

when I travel I usually stay in apartments instead of hotels and one thing that's always annoyed me is that every apartment would always have a sponge instead of a brush to do the dishes last month I was in Paris for a week and after seeing another apartment with a sponge I decided to just buy a brush so I can do the dishes properly but I was really surprised when I went to a big supermarket and didn't manage to find one then I went to Romania just recently and couldn't find any there either are these really not a thing everywhere? because I remember having them in the US so surely they're not just unique to Finland

I might also make a follow up post about differences in grocery stores as there are some things worth mentioning

[Vlot Vlaams]

one thing that really surprised me is the lack of dishwashing brushes in some countries

when I travel I usually stay in apartments instead of hotels and one thing that's always annoyed me is that every apartment would always have a sponge instead of a brush to do the dishes last month I was in Paris for a week and after seeing another apartment with a sponge I decided to just buy a brush so I can do the dishes properly but I was really surprised when I went to a big supermarket and didn't manage to find one then I went to Romania just recently and couldn't find any there either are these really not a thing everywhere? because I remember having them in the US so surely they're not just unique to Finland

I might also make a follow up post about differences in grocery stores as there are some things worth mentioning

hmm... You might want to look in the “toilet / WC” section – that’s exactly the type of brush used for cleaning up “remsporen" ("residues”). It should be found next or near to "WC-eend" (toilet duck, because of the curved neck of the bottle)

[Vlot Vlaams]

this is the one we use for the "afwas"

[McGonnagle]

In Japan, laundry is usually washed in a washing machine and then air-dried. Clothes dried in the sun feel especially fresh, almost as if they have been naturally disinfected, and many people enjoy what is often described as the “scent of sunlight.” In addition, most washing machines are equipped with filters, so clothes rarely pick up dust or lint.

On the other hand, I was surprised to learn that in the United States, many washing machines do not have a dedicated lint filter. Instead, lint and dust are removed during the drying process by using a tumble dryer. Furthermore, line-drying laundry outdoors is not very common in the United States. In some areas, it is considered to spoil the appearance of the neighborhood and may affect property values, sometimes leading to disputes with neighbors.

I’m curious about how it is in your country.　

[Vlot Vlaams]

...
line-drying laundry outdoors, in some areas, it is considered to spoil the appearance of the neighborhood and may affect property values, sometimes leading to disputes with neighbors.

I’m curious about how it is in your country.　

like this. It smells wonderfull.

[McGonnagle]

LOL! Now I understand why ...

[Linda7Italian]

It's very odd - in Naples and parts of Venice for example, it is considered quite normal to see lines of washing hung neatly from one balcony to another. In apartment blocks here in UK, tut tut, it's really not the done thing though the brave have been known to pop a few undies out on a balcony that isn't overlooked.

[Davey944676]

...would always have a sponge instead of a brush to do the dishes...

I'm a potential Hannibal Lecter when it comes to anybody messing with my washing-up regime...

"He didn't rinse them, Clarice....he didn't rinse them !!

[John Little]

This is the type of toilet brush I'm used to in the uk

Screenshot_20260413-121412.png (905.49 KiB) Viewed 287 times

[Linda7Italian]

Back to Benny Hill for a moment, bawdy innocent, now binned sadly as umpteen quiz shows and celebrity travelogues are so much safer.