Sheogorath's Blog - Today I learned

Nose Pointing

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Today I learned that there are cultures in the world that don’t point at things primarily with their index finger but with their nose. While almost all places in the world use their index finger as preferred way of pointing at things, the Yupno people, as an example, point at things with their nose.

I came across this article after questioning, why the index finger is called index finger and afterwards wondering if there are any cultures that don’t use their index finger to point at things. The question at the time was: Does any culture use something else? Like the middle finger or a thumb as main way to point at things. By no means would I have expected to learn about nose pointing and lip pointing.

Face mites

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Today I learned about the existence of “face mites”. Face mites are a mite that lives only on human skin, primarily on the face. Yes, probably on yours, too.

I came across this when watching this “Daily dose of Internet” video, where they mentioned it and that you can explore them yourself, with a piece of transparent tape and a microscope.

Hair stylist vs Barber

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Today I learned that in Germany Barber (Barbier) is not a “skilled trade” (Handwerksberuf). In comparison a hair stylist (Friseur) is a “skilled trade” and requires a 3 year training and every hair salon needs at least one employee with a master craftsman certificate (Meisterbrief) that certifies their skill. This also means that “simple” barber shops are not allowed to cut head hair unless they have an official exception from the hair stylist requirements. Be aware there are barber shops that are run by professional hair stylists, they often have the label “Herrenfriseur” (hair stylist for men).

I came across this after I asked my hair stylist about the difference in training between barbers and hair stylist. I’m still shocked that cutting head hair requires intensive training but people can put a knife at someone’s throat without special qualifications. If you enjoy craftsmanship, get a good hair stylist some of them took additional training to also work as barbers.

External USB Drive for an iPhone

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Today I learned that with Apple’s switch to USB-C, it’s trivial to securely expand storage if you own a MacBook. You can format a regular USB-C drive as encrypted APFS and use it from your MacBook and your iPhone.

I came across this ability while preparing an external USB-C drive as a Christmas present. This made the present 10 times more useful. To implement it, I followed a YouTube video.

Using systemctl to control remote systems

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Today I learned that the systemctl-CLI can be used to manage remote machines using the -H parameter without any special setup. systemctl will just utilise SSH to connect to the remote machine’s systemd services.

systemctl -H remotehost.example status

I came across this while building some local scripts for system management and shared it on Mastodon already.

Why is it UTC?

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Today I learned that UTC is called UTC, because people in an international committee tried to prefer no language.

In 1970, the Coordinated Universal Time system was devised by an international advisory group of technical experts within the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The ITU felt it was best to designate a single abbreviation for use in all languages in order to minimize confusion. For example, in English the abbreviation for coordinated universal time would be CUT, while in French the abbreviation for “temps universel coordonné” would be TUC. To avoid appearing to favor any particular language, the abbreviation UTC was selected.

— NIST “Why is UTC used as the acronym for Coordinator Universal Time instead of CUT?”

I came across this after reading a toot from December 2023 that had a screenshot attached providing basically the same explanation as above. After asking for a linked source, I got a link to a wonderful book on the Ruby on Rails where the screenshot was from, but also a link to the quote above from NIST.

Teetotalism

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Today I learned about Teetotalism, a practice of personal abstinence from alcoholic drinks. Basically veganism, but about alcoholic drinks. The reasons for people practising this, are diverse and range from religious believes to simple preference.

I came across its Wikipedia page while checking another page of a celebrity, apparently part of this movement. Not knowing what the word could mean, I decided to read the page, and learn something new.

Spocking money

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Today I learned that “spocking money” is a thing in Canada. Apparently people keep drawing on $5 bills to make the former Prime Minister depicted on the bill to look like Mr. Spock from Star Trek. While not considered illegal, its frowned upon by the nation bank and might cause issues with acceptance of the bill.

I came across this on Mastodon due to a boost of a Toot by “Meanwhile in Canada”. Apparently the majority of this happened in 2015 after the death of actor Leonard Nimoy.

The iceberg shot

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Today I learned that the famous iceberg shot, that is so famous on the internet and in marketing, is a composite of 4 images with none of them taken underwater.

I came across a Toot on Mastodon which linked to a video, where one of the original creators of the image explains how it was done.

Knot Theory

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Today I learned about knot theory. Knot theory is a branch of maths that studies mathematical knots. The mathematicians that invented knot theory started to map out the space of possible knots and study their properties. The basic definition for a knot is, that it’s a closed loop in a 3 dimensional space that in uniquely tangled. Meaning you can’t untangle it without breaking the loop.

I came across this when I saw this wonderful video by Steve Mould about a puzzle which only difficulty is to get it back into the package. A wonderful idea for a puzzle, even though one might argue, you can buy almost anything for that. There is also a good summary and even a University playlist on the topic.