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https://mortgageofr.com/12-facts-about-farts-you-probably-dont-know/


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On 8/23/2025 10:29 PM, Jeanne Douglas wrote:

https://mortgageofr.com/12-facts-about-farts-you-probably-dont-know/

While on the topic of farts, let's go back a few centuries to when Ben Franklin was in his prime. He was, at the time, a member of the British equivalent to our National Academy of Science. Each year that Academy
had a competition for the best article written and submitted on a
specified topic. The specified topic was selected from nominations
submitted by Academy members.

Franklin submitted a suggestion one year: He started with the
observation that what one ate influenced the aroma of one's flatulence. Therefore, he proposed research and, of course, a submitted paper on developments of diets (reduced to tablet size so as to be portable) that
would generate odors that were downright pleasant. He then speculated
about social affairs were the attendees would work the room, not only
with witty dialogue, but with gifts of good fragrances and even trading tablets with fellow party goers!

As best I know, he actually submitted such a proposal and it was
hilarious. I had to good fortune to see a copy in the mid 1960s.
Unfortunately I never had a copy or I would share it with you all now.
--
Jeff Barnett

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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On 24/08/2025 06:08, Jeff Barnett wrote:

On 8/23/2025 10:29 PM, Jeanne Douglas wrote:

https://mortgageofr.com/12-facts-about-farts-you-probably-dont-know/

While on the topic of farts, let's go back a few centuries to
when Ben Franklin was in his prime. He was, at the time, a member
of the British equivalent to our National Academy of Science.
Each year that Academy had a competition for the best article
written and submitted on a specified topic. The specified topic
was selected from nominations submitted by Academy members.

Franklin submitted a suggestion one year: He started with the
observation that what one ate influenced the aroma of one's
flatulence. Therefore, he proposed research

There is something rather comforting about the notion of an icon
such as Benjamin Franklin cooking up the 18th century's moral
equivalent of RFC1149.
--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within

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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On 24/08/2025 07:08, Jeff Barnett wrote:

Franklin submitted a suggestion one year: He started with the
observation that what one ate influenced the aroma of one's flatulence.

Well done Mr. Franklin.
[Any vegetarian could have told you that. ]
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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On 24/08/25 15:41, Richard Heathfield wrote:

On 24/08/2025 06:08, Jeff Barnett wrote:

On 8/23/2025 10:29 PM, Jeanne Douglas wrote:

https://mortgageofr.com/12-facts-about-farts-you-probably-dont-know/

While on the topic of farts, let's go back a few centuries to when Ben
Franklin was in his prime. He was, at the time, a member of the
British equivalent to our National Academy of Science. Each year
that Academy had a competition for the best article written and
submitted on a specified topic. The specified topic was selected
from nominations submitted by Academy members.

Franklin submitted a suggestion one year: He started with the
observation that what one ate influenced the aroma of one's
flatulence. Therefore, he proposed research

There is something rather comforting about the notion of an icon such
as Benjamin Franklin cooking up the 18th century's moral equivalent
of RFC1149.

One of my favourites in this genre is "The Complexity of Songs" by
Donald Knuth, and published in the Communications of the ACM. It can be
found on-line.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/358027.358042

In mathematics it has been known for almost a century that every natural
number is interesting. The proof is simple: if some natural numbers are
not interesting, then there must be a smallest number that is not
interesting. This property makes it interesting.

I once tried to extend this to a proof that everything is interesting. Unfortunately this was never published, and my notes on it are lost, but
the first few steps are obvious. It's easy to show that every rational
number is interesting, and from there you can move on to convergent
sequences of rational numbers. That takes care of the reals. Now, every
point in space-time can be described using four real numbers.

I've forgotten the next step, though. And the question of whether
imaginary things, e.g. gods, are interesting remains as an open question.
--
Peter Moylan peter@pmoylan.org http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW
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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

Jeff Barnett asserted that:

On 8/23/2025 10:29 PM, Jeanne Douglas wrote:

https://mortgageofr.com/12-facts-about-farts-you-probably-dont-know/

While on the topic of farts, let's go back a few centuries to when Ben Franklin was in his prime. He was, at the time, a member of the British equivalent to our National Academy of Science. Each year that Academy had a competition for the best article written and submitted on a specified topic. The specified topic was selected from nominations submitted by Academy members.

Franklin submitted a suggestion one year: He started with the observation that what one ate influenced the aroma of one's flatulence. Therefore, he proposed research and, of course, a submitted paper on developments of diets (reduced to tablet size so as to be portable) that would generate odors that were downright pleasant. He then speculated about social affairs were the attendees would work the room, not only with witty dialogue, but with gifts of good fragrances and even trading tablets with fellow party goers!

As best I know, he actually submitted such a proposal and it was hilarious. I
had to good fortune to see a copy in the mid 1960s. Unfortunately I never had
a copy or I would share it with you all now.

Mark Twain had a practice piece he wrote while developing _The Prince
and the Pauper_, and which Dudley Moore read for a recording.
Flatulence was part of the story, something you could Raleigh around.

/dps "flow-up to Ay Ewe Ee"
--
There's nothing inherently wrong with Big Data. What matters, as it
does for Arnold Lund in California or Richard Rothman in Baltimore, are
the questions -- old and new, good and bad -- this newest tool lets us
ask. (R. Lerhman, CSMonitor.com)
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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:29:11 -0400, Jeanne Douglas
<deshavari@gmail.com> wrote:

https://mortgageofr.com/12-facts-about-farts-you-probably-dont-know/

Weird article.

What on earth is PHWKDQH? According to the article, it's a highly
flammable gas found in farts, but why would it have such an
unpronouncable name?

(Follow-ups set)
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On 25/08/2025 03:29, Steve Hayes wrote:

On Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:29:11 -0400, Jeanne Douglas
<deshavari@gmail.com> wrote:

https://mortgageofr.com/12-facts-about-farts-you-probably-dont-know/

Weird article.

What on earth is PHWKDQH? According to the article, it's a highly
flammable gas found in farts, but why would it have such an
unpronouncable name?

Subtract 3 from each letter, and you get METHANE, so it's ROT-3
or ROT-23 depending which way you go.

Why, I hear you ask?

Entirely different question, and of course je n'ai pas le foggiest.
--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within

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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

Den 25.08.2025 kl. 04.29 skrev Steve Hayes:

What on earth is PHWKDQH?

It is not to be found in the pages as I see them. "Methane" is written directly.
--
Bertel, Kolt, Danmark

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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On Mon, 25 Aug 2025 07:50:15 +0200, Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> wrote:

Den 25.08.2025 kl. 04.29 skrev Steve Hayes:

What on earth is PHWKDQH?

It is not to be found in the pages as I see them. "Methane" is written >directly.

Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice said.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

Jeanne Douglas wrote:

https://mortgageofr.com/12-facts-about-farts-you-probably-dont-know/

they have air cleaners on the space station right?

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