
Experiment HN: If you end up with anything interesting, post the link - elwell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
======
CamperBob2
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._11_1/4_Dozen_P...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._11_1/4_Dozen_Packages_of_Articles_Labeled_in_Part_Mrs._Moffat%E2%80%99s_Shoo-
Fly_Powders_for_Drunkenness)

~~~
mappum
This makes me wonder what the longest Wikipedia article title is...

~~~
JacksonGariety
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_records#Art...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_records#Article_with_longest_title)

------
jeroen
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitinol_60](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitinol_60)

"NiTiNOL 60, or 60 NiTiNOL, is a Nickel Titanium alloy (nominally Ni-40wt% Ti)
discovered in the late 1950s by the U. S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory (hence the
"NOL" portion of the name NiTiNOL). Depending upon the heat treat history, 60
NiTiNOL has the ability to exhibit either superelastic properties in the
hardened state or shape memory characteristics in the softened state."

------
lubos
Wow, what are the chances?

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_News](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_News)

~~~
gs7
I'd say 1 in 4,515,321 [0]

[0]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Size_of_Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Size_of_Wikipedia)

~~~
judk
Increased by a factor because many of us clicked the Random link.

~~~
Houshalter
Or they could have cheated.

------
theboss
I learned not a whole lot happened in Spain in the year 2000.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_in_Spain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_in_Spain)

------
Matetricks
What do you think is the world's most valuable company?

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Aramco](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Aramco)

~~~
arjunnarayan
Is Saudi Aramco even a company? What defines and separates companies from
governments at that point?

~~~
robryan
It is unclear in that article where the Saudi Arabian government paid a fair
market value in 1980 for ownership of the rest of the company?

------
skeletonjelly
See also:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RandomInCategory/Good_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RandomInCategory/Good_articles)

------
dxbydt
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimony](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimony)

Reportedly we are going to run out as early as 2020, definitely before 2030.

~~~
jkdearden
That reminds me of this timeline on when we're going to exhaust certain
natural resources (which has antimony running out at 2020):

[http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120618-global-resources-
st...](http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120618-global-resources-stock-check)

A bit of a downer, but interesting to think about.

~~~
balor123
Why all the hubbub about rain forests then?? Running out of phosphorus would
be scary!

~~~
dredmorbius
Denial.

Breaking bad news gently.

"Save the rain forests" has (for most first-world residents not presently part
of #OccupyRainForest) a concerned-but-distant feel about it. It raises
consciousness without doing too much to cause mental anguish.

Spend some time thinking about how things can fail (not uncommon for tech
types, particularly on the ops side), and you start realizing there are a
large number of paths to that destination. Some more probable than others.

For complex systems in general, the problem isn't the stuff you've got lots of
-- yes, you can fit the human population into the state of Texas with a
reasonable amount of breathing space (about 1025 ft^2 -- 32 feet square) --
but what _constrains_ you -- Leibig's Law of the Minimum:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebig%27s_law_of_the_minimum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebig%27s_law_of_the_minimum)

Turns out there are a lot of things humans (and civilization) depend on which
are in fairly short order: energy, environmental sink capacity, topsoil,
phosphorus, freshwater, and a whole slew of critical industrial minerals for
starters.

And it's kind of a downer to think about it.

But ignoring problems doesn't make them go away.

How close is the tipping point? Good question.

I've been playing with some geometric grown and consumption calculations:

[http://consumptiongrowth101.com/RunningTheNumbers.pdf](http://consumptiongrowth101.com/RunningTheNumbers.pdf)

Turns out that if you take the numbers for oil consumption from BP's Annual
Review for 2013 and plug them in, oil at present reserves, rates of growth,
and consumption, runs out cold in 2048. What that _actually_ means is that the
rate of delivery is going to start getting choked much sooner, and it's peaked
as of 2005 with a bit of a bumpy plateau since. Oil fuels 95% of all
transporation, which in Richard Heinberg's eloquent turn of phrase is the
heart of commerce.

I could go on about oil exploration capex (Steve Kopits), fracking well
depletion rates, and a slew of other stuff, but you probably don't want to
hear about it.

You're welcome to visit
[http://reddit.com/r/dredmorbius](http://reddit.com/r/dredmorbius) if you like
though.

------
srhngpr
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates_Feline_Federation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates_Feline_Federation)

------
aaronetz
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Hoffman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Hoffman)

------
Theodores
We have came a long way when it comes to the chemicals we spray on plants to
keep the bugs at bay.

This quite toxic mixture is said "to have burned the trees and the grass
around the trees":

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Green](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Green)

Then, to a less toxic substance, with lead and arsenic in it:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_hydrogen_arsenate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_hydrogen_arsenate)

Can you imagine having an apple sprayed with anything more deadly?

Well, we moved onto DDT...

Sadly my 'Wikipedia' history was mostly littered with things I had looked up
as a result of something posted on HN. The only other stand out entry was the
page regarding 'G G Allin' \- definitely interesting but totally not HN!!!

------
reillyse
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_and_buttock_padding](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_and_buttock_padding)

I did not know that.

~~~
baby
> It is used to increase the apparent size of the hips and buttocks to
> resemble those of a female. The padding is intended to improve the person's
> chance of passing as female by altering their apparent waist-hip ratio and
> shoulder-hip ratio.

------
zxexz
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringhals_Nuclear_Power_Plant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringhals_Nuclear_Power_Plant)

Huh, apparently this plant generates 1/5 of the power of Sweden. I wonder what
happens when such an important plant gets shut down temporarily? What would
happen to the power infrastructure of the country if this plant melted down,
is there some sort of redundancy? I know nothing about Sweden's electricity
infrastructure, but would love to read more about it. Anybody got any links or
knowledge?

I think this sort of post is perfect for HN. I hope the special:random page
becomes a weekly occurrence and promotes a lot of wonderful discussion.

~~~
shortenda
I believe that Europe has a fairly interconnected grid,
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_grid_of_Continental...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_grid_of_Continental_Europe)
Also, although the plant is 20% of the energy generated in Switzerland, it is
not necessarily 20% of the power generation capacity, and is most likely much
less than 20% of the generation capacity of Switzerland. Generation Capacity
being the amount of KW that can be generated at a time.

~~~
eCa
[http://www.swedennotswitzerland.com/](http://www.swedennotswitzerland.com/)

------
allstruck
Everything on Wikipedia is interesting to someone... what I'm interested in
the most right now is what the purpose of this "experiment" was and how it
ended up infiltrating the front page.

Instructions unclear: post the link to comments or as a new link?

------
xerophtye
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davide_Cesare](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davide_Cesare)

"Davide Cesare, also known as Dax (1977 - March 16, 2003) was an Italian anti-
fascist activist from Rozzano (Milano), who was stabbed to death by two far-
right activists in Milan, the night of March 16, 2003. Cesare was brought to
the hospital but died in the ambulance. Immediately after his death, members
of his group tried to enter the hospital but were blocked by the police. This
resulted in new riots with several people being injured, damage to police
cars, and the emergency department suspending all activities for the whole
night."

------
greenyoda
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedug](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedug)

It's a large drum suspended from a rack and played with a padded mallet, used
in gamelan music (see photo).

------
mappum
WW1 flying ace, Oxford Ph.D, author and professor of medieval history

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_MacGillvary_Brown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_MacGillvary_Brown)

~~~
arjunnarayan
Interesting that he was American but served in the RFC (predecessor to the
RAF). I didn't know that you could do that. It seems that back then
nationality was a looser concept? We didn't yet have the closed border regime
that we have now across the first world. But there had to be limits,
especially given the war. Inquiring minds want to know...

~~~
couchand
i've heard of many the european that served in another european army. maybe
it's just the u.s. that's missing out.

------
xerophtye
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Care_Limited](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Care_Limited)

No, not as interesting as the "Quantum" may lead you to think...

"Quantum Care Limited is a company based in Welwyn Garden City, England, that
runs both residential and nursing care homes (see residential care home and
nursing care home). The company's head office is 4 Silver Court, Watchmead,
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England AL7 1TS. Quantum Care runs twenty-
eight care homes, all but two in Hertfordshire."

------
steanne
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Amadeus_of_Anhalt-
Bernbu...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Amadeus_of_Anhalt-Bernburg-
Schaumburg-Hoym)

Victor Amadeus of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (Schaumburg, 21 May 1744 – 2
May 1790), was a German prince of the House of Ascania from the Anhalt-
Bernburg branch through the sub-branch of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym and
a Russian General under the service of Empress Catherine II the Great.

------
inc
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varied_carpet_beetle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varied_carpet_beetle)

Insect that can damage insect collections.

------
shill
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Censorship](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Censorship)

------
ritchiea
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhs_in_World_Wars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhs_in_World_Wars)

------
SworDsy
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptadecagon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptadecagon)

check out the animation

------
Houshalter
Very first thing I got is somewhat interesting:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avoidance_response](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avoidance_response)

Most interesting:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_in_organized_crime](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_in_organized_crime)

------
SheepSlapper
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbir_Rahman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbir_Rahman)

I got both the smallest Wikipedia page I've ever seen, and the one with worst
"words I understand" to "words that make me go 'huh?'" ratio I've come across.

------
molsongolden
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicle)

The only US company to still make gum using chicle is
[http://www.gleegum.com/](http://www.gleegum.com/), most now use a cheaper
synthetic rubber substitute.

------
mercer
I'd say this one's kind of interesting by being arguably the most boring thing
I could imagine:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacie_Orrico_discography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacie_Orrico_discography)

------
rcfox
Are we crowdsourcing boredom now?

~~~
andrewguenther
Isn't that what Reddit is for?

~~~
joezydeco
[http://www.reddit.com/r/random/](http://www.reddit.com/r/random/)

------
Navarr
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%BCnd%C3%BC,_Absheron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%BCnd%C3%BC,_Absheron)

Only interesting in how uninteresting it is. Only one true sentence on the
page.

------
MatthewWilkes
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_leaf_area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_leaf_area)

"Specific leaf area is defined as the ratio of leaf area to dry mass."

------
ggchappell
Here's a curious one:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_with_alcohol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_with_alcohol)

------
jdale27
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Blissett_%28nom_de_plume...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Blissett_%28nom_de_plume%29)

------
snrobot
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Ride_(Willie_Nile_albu...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Ride_\(Willie_Nile_album\))

------
adnanh
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roeweriella](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roeweriella)

Interesting part is me being from Bosnia & Herzegovina...

------
moron4hire
First click was very interesting:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wallis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wallis)

------
adnanh
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_of_vernal_equinox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_of_vernal_equinox)

------
d4mi3n
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hippocampus_Question](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hippocampus_Question)

------
wahnfrieden
Please re-title this post as "Eygurande-et-Gardedeuil", as per the HN
guidelines (non-editorialized titles, taken from the linked content itself).

~~~
mp4box
So you got [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eygurande-et-
Gardedeuil](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eygurande-et-Gardedeuil) as the
random link huh ?

------
mdelias
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraliparis_membranaceus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraliparis_membranaceus)

------
bilal2206
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Disney_Animation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Disney_Animation)

------
arvindravi
Treasure of Villena.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_of_Villena](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_of_Villena)

------
jjsz
[http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_warehouse](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_warehouse)

------
chrismorgan
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_recognition](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_recognition)

------
mindcrime
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_only_mode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_only_mode)

------
dang
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fatal_Eggs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fatal_Eggs)

------
growlix
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_Theatre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_Theatre)

------
sparkie
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_TK7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_TK7)

------
JetSpiegel
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random)

Wow!

------
apineda
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSD_art](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSD_art)

------
zarriak
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMUSE](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMUSE)

------
martinrd
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pern](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pern)

------
orangejuice
An app for that.

[http://studiomarch.com/endless/](http://studiomarch.com/endless/)

