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What’s obvious to you and your hard-working colleagues might be a complete mystery to your family, friends, and strangers on the internet. The fact is, no matter how educated and curious we are, there are so many things that we still don’t know about the world that others learn while working.
Inspired by a post on Threads, working professionals spilled the tea about the facts and secrets that only people working in their career fields would know, and it is mind-boggling. We’ve collected their most intriguing insights that range from the fun and unusual to the bizarre and even scary.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Donkeys in the wild will dig for water up to five feet down. Those water holes benefit the critters around it.
That’s all I yam 1 day ago
And they're great shepherds. YT has some great videos of them in a herd of sheep shaking coyotes to near d***h. (donkeys coyotes YouTube)
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#2
Children thrive under discipline and structure.
#3
Vineyards use roses as early warning systems [against diseases]
Everyone, no matter their career, can burn out at their job. However, some occupations are at a greater risk due to the chronic stress they have to deal with. The most stressful jobs are often incredibly complex and include massive risks, important responsibilities, and far-reaching consequences. The upside is that you often get recognition and a large salary for performing well. You also have a positive impact on the world. The downside is that your physical and mental health take a toll.
According to Indeed, some of the most stressful occupations include working as a physician, nurse, anesthesiologist, surgeon, and police officer. Alongside them are firefighters, paramedics, soldiers, patrol officers, airline pilots, air traffic controllers, CEOs, lawyers, and project managers. Event coordinators, social workers, dispatchers, and compliance analysts also face a lot of daily stress.
#4
The correct way take one post-it note from the block isn't from bottom up, but from left to right. It won't be curved
#5
Nothing is “secure”. Starts with locks and safes - they’re rated based on how much time a decent attacker could break into them. Your computers and other digital devices live and die on the same principle. Eventually a dedicated attacker can find a way in. Society’s illusion of security and civilly is proof that most people are basically decent, because if no one was, property and information would never stay out.
Rali Meyer 3 hours ago
It's scary how you can by pass AppleMac screensaver PW and then open (typically) unprotected mail client. Reset banking pw that way and you are "in".
#6
Rooms where patients are given anaesthesia or similar gases need a very specific room air circulation design— otherwise there is a risk that surgeons pass out during surgery. Clean air needs to be provided to the room in a way that prevents surgeons from breathing any anaesthetic that may leak out from the mask given to the patient.
The tower of Pisa is slowly rotating itself into the ground like a screw. This is caused by soil expansion and contraction by the heat produced through the sun!
The American Psychiatric Association notes that burnout is a gradual process. Some of the earliest warning signs of burnout include increased irritability, a lack of motivation, social isolation, and chronic fatigue.
If you find that you can’t seem to get proper rest, withdraw from the people around you, and that even the smallest inconveniences lead to major frustrations, you need to start making changes.
Again, everyone can experience burnout, no matter their career. If you’re unable to forge a healthy relationship with work and stress, your job performance and the quality of your private life will suffer.
Mental Health America explains that some of the most common signs of burnout include:
- Constant exhaustion that doesn’t go away with rest
- Feelings of dread for responsibilities you once enjoyed
- Feeling detached
- A lack of motivation
- Emotional numbness
- Struggling to focus and making more mistakes
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Physical problems such as headaches, digestive issues, muscle tension, etc.
#7
Most professors do not know how to design courses or teach. We are not “trained” to develop curriculum nor deliver it. We are trained to be experts in our respective fields and to develop others. So please show your professor some mercy and love. 🙏🏽
That’s all I yam 1 day ago
I heard years ago that some universities were moving away from the 'publish or perish' model and actively seeking those that could teach well. I can count on one hand the number of professors who made a significant impact on me, and I remember their lectures the best.
#8
Bad horses usually just dislike their owners.
Claudia Cielensky 1 day ago
I feel like bad horses should be in quotations as in they aren't necessarily bad, they just don't like a particular person likely for a particular reason.
#9
Working in data for 25+ years now, what I find fascinating is that your data and mostly everything about you and what you do in the US, aside from your name and PII, is worth about $1-10/person, legitimately and legally, depending on who's buying and how much of the data. All of the top companies use the same few data providers that sell this data. If you want just name, phone/email, and professional title, it ranges up to $20. My specialty became learning how to ingest and use the vast data.
There are no easy or quick fixes for burnout. It’s a process that requires a shift in your mindset and habits. Where you can start is by focusing on setting healthy boundaries at work, giving yourself credit for your accomplishments, and prioritizing your self-care.
For example, aim for a healthier work-life balance and don’t do any work-related tasks after office hours. Take more breaks. Say ‘no’ to extra work when you realistically cannot handle it, or prioritize by setting other tasks aside.
In the meantime, focus on getting the basics right: get adequate sleep, eat nutritious food, get your body moving, spend time outdoors, and have an active social life where you prioritize your positive relationships. All of these things should help you recharge and give you more breathing room
If you find that you’re struggling with any of these things, it’s important that you either confide in someone you trust or reach out to a mental health professional for support.
#10
Music doesn’t just light up the listening and comprehension part of the human brain. 🧠 the brain actually lights up and activates in all areas speech memory, cognition, motor movement, emotion etc. this is why music is such a diverse and powerful therapeutic tool. Movement can be strengthened and illicited by music for those with Parkinson’s. Memories and emotions unlocked for those with dementia. It’s absolutely amazing- signed a music therapist
David Paterson 5 hours ago
"The brain lights up and activates in all areas". This explains why music is so addictive.
#11
You’re not getting a good designer deal at outlet stores. That is not Tommy Hilfiger mainline, they’re actually separate diffusion lines designed specifically for the budget market. They’re lower quality.
#12
We are more closely related to starfish than to earthworms. Such a useful bit of information.
What are some secrets that you’ve learned while at your job that you don’t think anyone outside of your field actually knows? What are the biggest pros and cons of your work that outsiders usually don’t see?
What’s your relationship with work stress like, and where do you think you could improve it? Tell us all about it.
#13
To help kern (evenly space) lettering - look at the word upside down. You’ll see the spaces that need adjusting rather than read the word. Ok - that’s not fun is it? But still, a nugget of design knowledge…
GenuineJen 1 day ago (edited)
This is a great tip for drawing as well. If you find yourself stuck or feel something is off with your drawing, turn it upside down. Because your brain anticipates things to look a certain way, you have the potential to miss details because you're anticipating them, not observing them. Turning your picture upside down breaks that anticipation and helps you to truly observe instead. (I hope this makes sense. It's late. I'm tired.)
#14
It is almost impossible to forget your own name, and if you do your entire memory system is so impaired that you won’t know that you forgot your name
Midoribird Aoi 1 day ago
My Mom would agree. Sixteen and a car accident, with a six month coma, left her with complete retrograde amnesia. She had to restart from scratch. She knew no one, not even her own name.
#15
When you open a ream of printer/copier for a laser printer or photocopier paper, remove the top and bottom sheet and use them as notepaper or something else. Glue and wax from the wrapper can leech onto the top and bottom sheet and will build up on the rollers over time, causing more paper jams and poor print outs. (You don't need to do this for inkjet printers because they don't run hot)
#16
You can't code a stroke based on symptoms alone, there must be diagnostic proof via CT and/or MRI that clearly shows the location of the infarct/hemorrhage. A diagnostic statement from the provider is not enough evidence to report the diagnosis of stroke or infarct. (Job: Inpatient medical coder)
#18
Your skin “feels” different to tattoo depending on if you’re hydrated, on certain medications or where you’re at in your hormonal cycle! Weirdly enough I can usually tell if my client is on their period or not because the skin behaves differently
#19
All Microsoft CD's were made in Puerto Rico from 2002 through 2015.
David Paterson 5 hours ago
I don't know if this is true. It is true that Microsoft used a company in Puerto Rico from 2004 to 2013, but I don't know what they did there.
#20
In the US, a lot of bottled water is bottled regionally at a single facility that has contracts with multiple companies. Say you’re buying bottled water in Houston. 95% of that is made at 1 facility, just placed into different shaped bottles w/ different labels for each client.
David Paterson 3 hours ago
I can tell you one not universally known thing about "natural mineral sping water". They pump up the groundwater from a bore, remove all the minerals, then put the minerals back in before selling it. This is to get rid of unwanted sulfur compounds in the water.
#21
When you approach a door, look for the hinges. If you can see them, the door swings towards you, so pull. If not, it swings away from you, so push.
#23
Your phone and smart devices are definitely listening to you. Don’t think for a second Amazon, Apple, and Google aren’t selling your data (ie conversations) to advertisers. Turn them off. That said, if you block all cookies, you’ll still get ads. Your IP address has a zip code associated. They just won’t be as relevant to you = more annoying. Pick your poison. Or use a flip phone and a VPN. Your shopping habits and what you search online is VERY valuable to marketers.
#24
The key to learning and writing music is pattern recognition. When you play, breaking down similar sections will help you learn quicker than naming notes (as you advance your learning). What makes a good song is pattern recognition too (or in some jazz intentionally breaking those patterns). Pattern recognition creates familiarity and connection.
David Paterson 3 hours ago
Pattern recognition helps enormously with sight reading, and with playing by ear. But takes quite a while to learn. Jazz patterns can be learnt, too, there are books on it.
#25
Fascia is one continuous piece of collagen and other squishy substances throughout your body, holding it together, and causing pain somewhere other than where it is damaged or non-squishy. A scar on your ankle might be causing headaches.
#27
DEI doesn't just benefit people of color, women and those in the LGBTQ+ community. It also benefits veterans, fights against ageism and supports workers with disabilities.
Daisydaisy 1 day ago
I would imagine it also benefits white heterosexual men, because all of us (including them!) benefit from having a workplace or community full of a healthy mix of humans
#28
Bank tellers can get fired for cashing or depositing your bad checks, so between that and a variety of banking regulations around fraud and money laundering, they HAVE TO ask questions when your transaction seems out of the ordinary.
Ace 3 hours ago
Rubbish. Even in backward nations like the USA where cheques are still routinely used it's not own to any individual to verify them, and has not been for many many years. And even back in the day you'd only be fired for incompetence if you were consistently failing to do your job properly.
#29
They are called vocal folds not cords/chords. 🤗
Tyranamar Seuss 1 day ago
I'm sorry, but if everyone calls them vocal "cords." That is now their name. That's how language works. Medical jargon may be different. But lay people are not wrong for using the term.
#30
Deodorants and antiperspirants make your body odor worse over time. I'm a BO scientist, I've been researching this for 15 years and lead many clinical trials. We found that these products help odor-causing bacteria (who are more resistant) take over the armpit microbiome. Lemon juice is a much better alternative, many in my community have tried it and seen their smell improve within 7-14 days
#32
If you have a baby, get accidental death insurance. Almost all the causes of infant/child death are technically ruled as accidents, think car crash, SIDS, drowning etc. Now, this is NOT to profit from tragedy, this is to keep you housed and fed while you PROPERLY grieve.
#33
Please don’t get your mouth too near the mic at an open mic night. The spit of 10-20 people is all over that thing, still nice and wet from that evening.
#34
Stop using visine. It’s bad for your ocular health and can lead to eyes being chronically red and inflamed. Preservative free artificial tears are where it’s at. Use them frequently and enthusiastically 👀 💦
That’s all I yam 1 day ago
My ophthalmologist made a big point of me using only preservative free eye drops after my cataract surgery, and recorded what I was using in all follow-up visits.
#35
Bariatric patients patients who are like 400, 500, 600, 700 pounds if we don’t have a MRI to scan them then we call the aquarium to take the patient to the same MRI scanner that they use for whales and orcas 😭😂😅
#36
In Antarctica, you can design and build piled foundations in the ground, by drilling a deep hole, putting the pile in, then mixing the dirt that came out of the hole with water, and freeze the pile in place by pouring it back down the hole. These piles are robust enough to support a building
#37
80% of world trade is on an open account basis. It is taken on trust that if one party sends to goods the other party will pay.
Rali Meyer 3 hours ago
really? What happened to letter of credit against bill of lading and all that Incoterms and rules of delivey?
#38
Let’s say a baptized Catholic - even one who hasn’t seen the inside of a church in years - marries someone at a courthouse, or in front of a JOP or at the Elvis chapel in Vegas, and later gets divorced, and they want a Church wedding for try #2. All they’d need is to do is complete a Lack of Valid Form Investigation, with *official* copies of their Baptism Certificate, Marriage abstract and Divorce decree. Takes three weeks.
#39
An infant’s linear growth doesn’t really start to take off until they start weight bearing (pulling to stand and cruising ) … If they are delayed in weight bearing then you notice that their length isn’t where it should be on the growth chart
David Paterson 4 hours ago
Beware confusing cause and effect here. Delays in linear-growth and weight-bearing are both symptoms of a wide range of significant genetic problems.
#40
The sound engineers for everyone’s favorite music artists from the last 20 years use pitch correction on vocals (auto tune or similar brand) the way a chef at a restaurant uses salt and butter. Even a lot of the rootsy sounding stuff. Once you get used to hearing it you can’t unhear it and it’s eeeeeverywhere. And I’m ok with it, because here’s another less known fact: you still have to be a great singer to sing with pitch correction. It cannot make up for being a bad singer. That’s false.
#41
Stocks and bonds are typically presented as the “go-to” investments for building wealth, but in reality there’s so much more: REITS, ETF’s, CD’s, UIT’s, Annuities and Life Insurance. Also, BLACK PEOPLE need to look into setting up trusts and holding accounts to protect their assets. I don’t see a lot of with trusts.
BrunoVI 1 day ago
Trusts reveal where the American medical system truly is broken. The government will pay for your nursing home ONLY IF you have no assets. So to leave an inheritance, you have to put that inheritance into a trust FIVE YEARS BEFORE YOU NEED A NURSING HOME. Now, what if you put your estate into a trust, but then need some of it after all? You're totally f****d. If the trust pays you any money at all, you break the trust and you have to pay for your own nursing home until your trust is completely spent, and your heirs get absolutely nothing.
#42
Paper straws make your drink go flat, as does citrus
#43
adding lemon juice to pico that’s too salty helps neutralize it
#44
Fast flowing water has lower pressure than static (non-flowing) water, therefore a pressure washer should be called a high velocity washer.
Allen Beloe 1 day ago
Total Pressure (remains the same) = Velocity pressure + Static Pressure (that's how venturis work when there is movement, and also your shower curtain comes in when the shower water moves some of the air vertically)
#45
jdoranstratton 1d Cannabis in CA is far less regulated then tobacco when it comes to what pesticides. A lot of commercial cannabis growing facilities that are 100% legal spray their plants while they’re in flower to keep bugs and mold off the plants, but many of the oils& chemicals in the sprays used are not meant to be eaten let alone smoked. Most if not all of the chemicals have never been tested for smokable products especially not the good herb. unfortunately the only way to know for sure is to grow your own
BrunoVI 1 day ago
Teachers in Northern Virginia are going all-out encouraging kids to smoke pot by claiming in classrooms that it's far, far safer than tobacco. B******t. It will k**l you AND make you stupid AND lower your ability to control any violent tendencies you might have. M*******a has little nicotine, but nicotine is just one way of getting you a******d. Getting you high is another.
#46
we can take a frozen section during surgical procedures that can give us a diagnosis within 20 minutes of removal. it’s nice because a lot of the time these patients are awake and anxious. they can have their diagnosis during their procedure and it doesn’t have to be a long drawn out thing.
#47
The hardest time for someone with dementia is later afternoons and even worse during the winter with daylight savings time.
#48
White space is used to cut down on eye strain. (Former UX professional).
That’s all I yam 1 day ago
Adding generous white space to learning material is also recommended for people with ADHD, especially if it's used to separate ideas. (ADHD Friendly Publishing Standards, ATG Publishing)
#49
You can take 3 random points anywhere on the planet and they will share a common radius point.
#50
If you know the color code for telephony cables, you can terminate up to 3600 pairs of copper wires (more common), with the largest cable recorded being 4200 pairs. Blue, orange, green, brown, slate White, red, black, yellow, violet
That’s all I yam 1 day ago
As far as I can tell, this tidbit states that telephone technicians with color coding information can track up to 3600 to 4200 pairs of cables to ensure they are connected right. To me, this is about as useful as information about complex brain surgery.
#51
I'm a school/passenger bus driver. Driving a bus is MUCH more mentally taxing than driving a car. Also, buses do not have a parking gear. Instead, you put it in neutral and manually pull the parking brake. And finally, most buses have air brakes, meaning the brakes only work if you have enough air pressure. Any punctures in the break system means you're doomed. Well, actually that's exactly why the parking brake is separate.
Con O Cuinn 1 day ago
That's not how air brakes work. The air pressure is required to keep the brakes held open. If there's a big eak, the brakes lock on. That's why they hiss during braking, air being released as the brakes are applied.
#53
A pair of shoes that cost $100 in the store, cost $5 when procuring... Old ladies are the largest customer group that buys bacon.
#54
Growing pains don’t exist! Of course when a kid is growing this can cause some muscle/ bone aching but it only comes and goes, but if it’s sustained pain it’s something else, usually hypermobility related! So for if your kid is having pain that’s sustained enough to get into a specialist, it’s not growing pains!
Tyranamar Seuss 1 day ago
Muscle/ bone aching that comes and goes is literally what "growing pains" are.
#55
I worked in a government treasury. If you have millions of dollars, you can buy a CD for a single day and make a few hundred or thousands of dollars depending on the CD amount. Single day CD’s for the rich, but not for us.
BrunoVI 1 day ago
Single-day CDs don't exist. My best guess is that this person is referring to Cash Management Bills. But a 3.65% overnight rate is an annualized rate, meaning it actually pays less than 0.01% overnight. That's higher than most CD rates, still.. But if I were going to make the case that it's easier to invest if you're rich, the obvious example would be being able to invest in a blue-chip stock or real-estate holding directly rather than through a mutual fund or REIT. And of course, being able to make diverse real-estate investments rather than just a home.
#56
When you watch a livestream on a streaming service like Netflix, the feed getting cut out is never the service's fault, it's usually ground crew affected by something like weather or the company that the service is sourcing the feed from
#57
If you were trapped in a burning building, and our fire system deployed, you’d be unharmed by the chemicals and none of the unburned assets would be damaged. It’s magic 🪄
GenuineJen 1 day ago
Can someone explain please? Not sure if that is sarcasm or if I'm just naive and am missing something.
#58
If you are going to cook something to its correct internal temperature you do NOT need to wear gloves to handle it. Ie; cheese on pizza
#59
having no health insurance is cheaper than health insurance if you are healthy due to self pay discount
Elladine DesIsles 1 day ago
Which is completely irrelevant wherever there is a reasonable and ethical health care system. Not to mentioned the fact that, in the absence of such a system, having no health insurance can go from cheaper to absolutely devastating with a single twist of fate.
#60
Chlorine was invented as a chemical warfare agent. Now we are mandated to use it to disinfect our drinking water.
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David Paterson 4 hours ago
Mostly new, rather than the usual that everyone has already seen a hundred times. Good.
David Paterson 4 hours ago
Mostly new, rather than the usual that everyone has already seen a hundred times. Good.
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