Submitted by shyyyyme t3_10goien in todayilearned
Comments
shyyyyme OP t1_j53xo0v wrote
It's news to me :(
Maybe you're older than me, but I only ever saw them as a very young child, and I always just assumed that it was some sort of crazy toxic chemicals or something because of the way it looked, and it wasn't something I have really ever thought about until now.
Second-Officer-Alex t1_j53y0mz wrote
I don't think that was a "No shit" as in of course, but more as in "I had no idea"
Virtual-Public-4750 t1_j53ya1e wrote
You know what dude, when I read your comment, I can’t help but think: that was so unnecessary. Absolutely did not need to be said. What was the thought behind that? Why even type that? How does that add to life?
So I’m sorry about the comment. I’m glad you learned something cool today. Thank you for responding in such an understanding manner.
shyyyyme OP t1_j53yh3o wrote
No harm done, and that's very kind of you to share your self reflection like that
OptimusSublime t1_j53yh3r wrote
It's obviously not shit. It's primarily wax.
DefiantStomp t1_j53ylgq wrote
iDope27 t1_j53ymh8 wrote
That’s really cool actually, tomorrow I’m going to see how many of my friends actually knew that
Obvious_Swimming3227 t1_j53yoco wrote
Not lava?
shyyyyme OP t1_j53ys4p wrote
Who wants to join my class action lawsuit for false advertisement?
Danosauris t1_j53yytt wrote
Fuckin upvote for self reflection and owning it
Virtual-Public-4750 t1_j53z1rg wrote
Hey if you want to learn new things and love animals like I do, I’d encourage you to check out India’s animal kingdom. For example, the Indian giant squirrel. Now I know a squirrel, though adorable, might not sound like much, and I assure you that a search will yield a pleasant surprise or two.
Virtual-Public-4750 t1_j53z2nq wrote
matt_1060 t1_j53zrzi wrote
woahdude12321 t1_j53ztvr wrote
Ima be honest that squirrel isn’t that big
nowhereman136 t1_j540aud wrote
This is one of those things I though was general knowledge but apparently a ton of people don't know. You never know what kinda useless knowledge you in your mind you take for granted.
__WanderLust_ t1_j540jj8 wrote
I never thought about what was in lava lamps and found your TIL interesting, so thanks for posting it.
MpVpRb t1_j541ex8 wrote
Article didn't list the secret ingredients
ElectroFlannelGore t1_j541kha wrote
Technology Connections does a great video on Låva Læmps and I think everyone should know about Technology Connections.
[deleted] t1_j541o5r wrote
Weird this whole time I thought it was tapioca.
suffaluffapussycat t1_j541wlp wrote
Lava Lamps are frustrating for me. I like to have them in my recording studio because they’re incandescent so they make nice warm light and the visual is great. But in the US, it seems the best we can get are the Lava Lite brand which are about $30 but I’ve heard that in the UK they sell real nice ones that are pricier. Does anyone know anything about the UK ones? The US ones look okay but they seem pretty flimsy. I’d just like to see how they’d compare to a nicer one.
Nitrous_party t1_j54245l wrote
Have you not seen one that's like, off? The way it solidifies at the bottom?
http://s3.amazonaws.com/photography.prod.demandstudios.com/d131a872-1432-42c2-a8e5-2336405b7ba4.jpg
Funfact: if you take the glass bit off and just have the bottom on, you an melt dvds with it. Unrelated fact I was a stupid kid and used to own a copy of high school musical 2.
[deleted] t1_j542bi3 wrote
The_Kid_27 t1_j542urr wrote
I was looking at buying a lava lamp a bit ago and at the time it seemed like the UK lamps were hands down the way to go. I was pretty surprised at the lack of options in the US to be honest.
FauxFoxPho t1_j542yqf wrote
There’s also a metal coil on the bottom (inside the glass) which I didn’t know was there for a long time
[deleted] t1_j5436xo wrote
[deleted]
suffaluffapussycat t1_j543pub wrote
So since it’s incandescent, could you just get a UK one and change the plug and get a bulb with the right wattage? I don’t think there’s much to the things other than that.
54794592520183 t1_j544ph1 wrote
Just found his channel, and watched that video a few days. It’s a great channel and have been slowly adding his content into my watch lists.
KeithBitchardz t1_j544vwp wrote
LMAO. It’s pretty though.
[deleted] t1_j544wwy wrote
Gabi_Social t1_j54a1kf wrote
It's not in mine. Mine has tiny silver cut-outs of TIE fighters and X-Wing fighters because I'm a grownup.
tjcanno t1_j54aeuy wrote
Yes you can. Getting a US voltage bulb of the same wattage is what you need.
Sometimes the bulb base is different from what you find in the US. This could be a problem.
tjcanno t1_j54am2w wrote
Even to call it wax is a bit imprecise. What you have is a water-based substance and an oil based substance. They don’t mix. As you heat up the oil based substance, it drifts up through the column of water-based liquid.
HomarusSimpson t1_j54cwz1 wrote
Very decent of you. Have an XKCD https://xkcd.com/1053/
suffaluffapussycat t1_j54h95p wrote
Ok thanks. I’ll check that out.
explicitlarynx t1_j54ievm wrote
Yeah, I mean, what else should it be?
soda-jerk t1_j54oo3v wrote
I guess so?
To be fair, I don't think the ability to assess a substance based on its displayed physical properties is particularly useless. People just need to be a bit more inquisitive.
magictugboat t1_j54xf3w wrote
The brand is called Mathmos, they don't sell to the US unfortunately. You can get them from online resellers like ebay, but they're not cheap to begin with and marked up even further. You also need a converter thing since UK has different voltage. It's a shame because they're definitely some of the best looking lamps.
vanGenne t1_j5545r7 wrote
I need A) a picture and B) the store where you got it. Thank you
Cirieno t1_j558bo1 wrote
I have a very old lava lamp (easily 20 years now) and I can't find the like of it for sale any more. About 3 ft high (5 ft including stand) and narrow.
Sadly at some point it got very shaken up and the wax blobs now contain thousands of bubbles. Still works, but not as uniformly blobby as a new one.
Edit: Looks like this (not my post):
7ofalltrades t1_j55uct1 wrote
"What is this stuff that melts at a temperature only slightly warmer than your average room temperature and doesn't mix with water? WHAT COULD IT BE??"
This is the kind of lack of critical thinking that worries me and makes for really funny internet videos.
shyyyyme OP t1_j55vgls wrote
For me it's more like, lava lamps are only the kind of thing I saw when I was like, a toddler. So I've been aware of their existence for a long time, but it's not really something I've ever thought about up until now. I definitely didn't have any real idea of properties like density changes with temperature when I was young enough that lava lamps were still around.
Novaskittles t1_j562jgx wrote
Another random wax fact that I blew my friend's mind with: candles use the wax as fuel, not the wick. The heat melts the solid wax and the wick soaks up the liquid wax and burns it.
Gabi_Social t1_j5643wu wrote
It's this one!
https://www.getdigital.co.uk/star-wars-episode-vii-galaxy-battle-light.html
The little reflections on the wall drive the cats mad so if you were looking for a good way to avoid sleeping for a number of years, get this lamp and a young cat. You'll be looking like Robert Smith out of The Cure in no time at all.
trancepx t1_j57ae51 wrote
Then what the hell is in my snowglobe???
mopsy-turtle t1_j58554o wrote
Knew this already.
shyyyyme OP t1_j585elj wrote
I didn't know this subreddit was called "Today mopsy-turtle Learned", but thanks
mopsy-turtle t1_j585ljl wrote
But I didn't learn. I knew this already
oceanduciel t1_j58io7z wrote
Cool.
Finest_Johnson t1_j58r6od wrote
These Snozzberries taste like Snozzberries.
vanGenne t1_j5efzoo wrote
What luck, we already have 2 cats, so I am already able to play "a forest"! It looks awesome dude, thanks for sharing
MrFireAlarms t1_j6m90nh wrote
No, it’s wax with a bunch of chemicals in it to change the density. Paraffin wax.
Virtual-Public-4750 t1_j53xfw4 wrote
No shit.