Best Research Discoveries

[chrispenycate]

Umm for my naughty fairy stories I was looking up gnome porn.

Perhaps not fascinating but the easily most unforgettable piece of research involved a group of men on a beach in Norway wearing nothing but gnome hats. Let's just say it was obviously not summer.

One of my cousins filmed a documentary on a nude skiing club in Bavaria, and he (and the cameraman) skied up behind a gentleman going down the slope in skiboots, socks, goggles, gloves and a furry bobble hat. He started the interview "Excuse me, sir, but don't you find it gets a little cold in these parts?"

Personally, I generate so much heat while skiing the most worrying thought is the drag lifts…

 

[AnyaKimlin]

One of my cousins filmed a documentary on a nude skiing club in Bavaria, and he (and the cameraman) skied up behind a gentleman going down the slope in skiboots, socks, goggles, gloves and a furry bobble hat. He started the interview "Excuse me, sir, but don't you find it gets a little cold in these parts?"

Personally, I generate so much heat while skiing the most worrying thought is the drag lifts…

My boys have always had issues with clothes. A few years back when it was snowing my older boy came past me wearing just a pair of wellies ''Mum, I'm going in the garden.''

I respond, ''Don't you think it might be too cold to go out in just your wellies.''

He stops and thinks for a moment before disappearing. After a few minutes he returns with a bobble hat on.

Mum seriously wishes she had her camera charged that day.

 

[Ursa major]

Gnobit the gnome...

...is presumably no longer worried by the physiological/cosmetic effects of winter....

 

[MstrTal]

As a History Major when I am in the library stacks researching a paper I often find myself sidetracked by any number of things. It is amazing how easy it is to wonder far afield when digging through compilation by decade of Time, Atlanta, New Yorker and any other century old and older publication on a myriad of subjects!

This is both a benefit and a boon to me as a writer because it gives me plenty of fodder for my work. It is also good and bad academically as I spend way to much time off track instead of doing research on my actual subject of inquiry. Its good academically because it widens my scope for later papers and tests.

 

[Mouse]

Went to the Museum of Somerset today and as I was walking round I kept seeing little snippets of info I thought it might be good to use in a story. Come home and can't remember what it was.

 

[Galacticdefender]

One of my best finds is about the Fox Sisters, who started the Spiritualism movement. Went through life being really famous and successful mediums and got a mighty following...and then one of them went and revealed that they'd made all the ghostly rappings by moving and clicking the joints in their toes and knees!

Damnit, I feel like I'm amassed loads of random facts over the years and they always go out of my head at times like this...

EDIT: Otters are the cutest things ever. They hold hands while they sleep! And look sassy while working out how cups fit together:

Ha, There is an alien species in my space opera universe looks quite otter-like. One of them is a main character in one of my stories actually Otters for the win!

 

[Lucky_Lola]

As a History Major when I am in the library stacks researching a paper I often find myself sidetracked by any number of things. It is amazing how easy it is to wonder far afield when digging through compilation by decade of Time, Atlanta, New Yorker and any other century old and older publication on a myriad of subjects!

This is both a benefit and a boon to me as a writer because it gives me plenty of fodder for my work. It is also good and bad academically as I spend way to much time off track instead of doing research on my actual subject of inquiry. Its good academically because it widens my scope for later papers and tests.

This is so me, although it was worse when I was in high school and working for the district library. I don't know what was worse - fiction or non fiction!

The big one I can think of right now that came purely from my research is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_personality. I like to subvert it a lot, but it was interesting looking at my major characters and figuring out where they might fit.

EDIT and otters are, indeed, most cute.