Things we don't know we know – and feeling smug

Years ago I was at a school camp on a job as a journalist and I was invited to try rifle shooting, which I had no interest in at all, but I had to be polite and give it a go. To my amazement I discovered that I could shoot very accurately over a long distance, every time. This astounded me, as I'm clumsy and uncoordinated in many things and can't even throw a dart straight. It made me wonder what else I could do that I don't know about.

We have a ‘touch’ bedside lamp in a spare room, which has become unreliable to say the least - often either you can’t turn it on or can’t turn it off.

I will investigate the tangled cord theory - there’s also a radio/alarm clock, and see if it makes a difference.

Otherwise I will have to buy a new one before any couple comes to stay again - for singles there’s a working one on the other side of the bed. One of my pet gripes when staying anywhere else is no bedside lamp - I always read in bed - or one that isn’t bright enough or otherwise not up to scratch.

Donald Rumsfeld got a bit of stick for this, one of his most famous bons mots but when you think about it, it makes sense

because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know.

Wizend just to say how much I agree with you that so many people do not have bedside lights in the spare bedrooms. Find this so annoying, I like to read and do pen and paper puzzles in bed at night. Hate it when I then have to leave that bed in order to go over to main light switch to turn off light.
In my own bedroom, I no longer have a bedside light, main ceiling light is controlled by Alexa ('Computer' my name for it).

I know this is 'off topic' but another annoyance is spare bedrooms without any sort of mirror in them,

I only have a small spare bedroom -but it has a sofa bed which pulls out to full size double bed. I have touch lamps each side, large mirror, tv, points for electric toothbrush and mobile phone recharging, extra blanket, fan and electric hair dryer. I enjoy having people come to stay for a few days (and overnights), and what to make them feel as comfortable as possible.

On our Carer's courses we always say that you don't know what you don't until someone tells you what they know.

MawBe maybe Donald Rumsfeld had heard this bit of ancient wisdom (I don't know where it comes from, sorry)

He who knows, and knows he knows, he is a sage, seek him.
He who knows, and knows not he knows, he is asleep, wake him.
He who knows not, and knows he knows not, he is a child, teach him.
He who knows not, and knows not he knows not, he is a fool, shun him.

MawBe maybe Donald Rumsfeld had heard this bit of ancient wisdom (I don't know where it comes from, sorry)

He who knows, and knows he knows, he is a sage, seek him.
He who knows, and knows not he knows, he is asleep, wake him.
He who knows not, and knows he knows not, he is a child, teach him.
He who knows not, and knows not he knows not, he is a fool, shun him.

absent....you know more than I do.I often think if an alien beamed down and asked me to explain anything that uses electricity I would be at a loss.?
I am like Catweazel ( if you remember him) who stood under
A light bulb, imploring ‘shine, tiny sun!’

I didn’t know I was good at Archery until we had a try on holiday and it was one of the activities, I also didnt know that I could shoot pretty accurately ( a slim metal clothes pole from 100feet) DH said he wasn’t impressed as I was blind as a bat without my glasses (which I had to wear) and he said it gave me the advantage over him as his glasses weren’t so strong.
I’m still trying to figure out if he’s right.

Well i found out recently my mobile charges quicker upstairs than downstairs by a good 20 minutes,strange but true.

Oopsadaisy That sounds like my DH who used to do things like buying me a watch with very big numbers because I wear glasses and can't see very well! He never seemed to understand that the glasses solved the not being able to see. He was the same with my hearing aids, always telling me I wouldn't be able to hear things.

Mr. B unplugs things but doesn’t switch the socket off. Doesn’t he realise there will be electricity leaking pit all over the place??

MawBe what you quoted from Donald Rumsfeld particularly applies to computers and mobile phones!

Touch lamps work on the principle of capacitance – the amount of charge something can soak up.

In circuits, components called capacitors store varying amounts of charge and are used to tune circuits like radio receivers or smooth out fluctuations in voltage.

When we make contact with a touch lamp, we alter its capacitance. The lamp detects this and switches on or off accordingly.

The tangled cord touching the lamp intermittently may have been the culprit.

I love that explanation Flexagon.
It makes as much sense to me as why planes stay up in the sky which is why I very rarely go anywhere on holiday which involves flying.?

Our headteacher had a phrase she used about young, enthusiastic, overconfident teachers...
" They don't know what they don't know. "

annsixty

I love that explanation Flexagon.
It makes as much sense to me as why planes stay up in the sky which is why I very rarely go anywhere on holiday which involves flying.?

Ah! Now you're talking lift, weight, thrust and drag.

Ah, it all makes sense now ??