this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2024
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(all the pictures in the slideshow are of tower bridge too)

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[–] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 42 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

At this point they should just rename it.

London bridge can be renamed to "Disappointing Bridge".

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

The kicker is that the original London Bridge is not even located in London. It was sold and then transported to the USA.

[–] KillerTofu@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Lake Havasu City, Arizona! Fun facts:

The bridge was bought by Robert McCulloch of McCulloch Chainsaws with his vision of a planned community in the Mojave desert.

All of the bricks were numbered, and they were dismantled and reassembled in a specific order. The bridge was built, not over an actual channel, it was built on a peninsula, and the channel was dug out afterwards.

While he was not the highest bidder on the bridge, the British government appreciated how he calculated his bid by accounting for a value of each brick in relation to the number of people living in England at the time.

The man who designed the roads in Disneyland designed the roads in Lake Havasu City. The only straight road is the highway.

The city did not want to pay for the cost of doves at the opening ceremony. They paid for pigeons that were painted white and they became an invasive species in the city.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Aren't doves actually just white pigeons anyway?

[–] makyo@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Here's the thing. You said a "dove is a pigeon."

Is it in the same family? Yes. No one's arguing that.

As someone who is a scientist who studies pigeons, I am telling you, specifically, in science, no one calls pigeons doves. If you want to be "specific" like you said, then you shouldn't either. They're not the same thing.

If you're saying "pigeon family" you're referring to the taxonomic grouping of Columbidae, which includes things from pigeons to doves to pigeons.

So your reasoning for calling a pigeons a dove is because random people "call the white ones doves?" Let's get gulls and pelicans in there, then, too.

Also, calling someone a human or an ape? It's not one or the other, that's not how taxonomy works. They're both. A dove is a dove and a member of the pigeon family. But that's not what you said. You said a dove is a pigeon, which is not true unless you're okay with calling all members of the pigeon family pigeons, which means you'd call doves, pigeons, and other birds pigeons, too. Which you said you don't.

It's okay to just admit you're wrong, you know?

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

You must be really passionate about pigeons to write seven paragraphs of condescension and a veiled insult because of one comment. Or maybe XKCD was right (again) and it's just an ornithologist thing.

[–] emorytaylor@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Oh dear, have I gotten myself... got?

[–] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago

You are far from the only one in this thread who has been gotten. You might be the only one to get that you got gotted though...

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 10 points 2 weeks ago

Click the link in the last paragraph for the original.

[–] ElongatedMuskrat@lemm.ee 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

old days of reddit and a famous poster called UNIDAN. oh the good ol days. are jackdaws not just crows?

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 3 points 2 weeks ago

Well idk they’re both corvids. I’d refer to a ‘carrion crow’ as a ‘regular crow’ - black all over, feathers onto the top of the beak, flat head, about the size of a box of Kleenex. A jackdaw is pretty distinct as far as it goes, smaller, more like the size of a mango. They’re also mainly dark grey, with a darker head. Smaller beak. Jackdaws have white or pale green eyes, crows have black eyes. Jackdaws go ‘Aah Aah Aah’, crows go ‘caw caw caw’.

[–] makyo@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

History would at least indicate that it's an ornithologist thing.

[–] dethedrus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 weeks ago

You magnificent bastard.

I wonder whatever happened to Unidan...

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

But I'm not wrong, I'm right. A dove is a pigeon.

[–] MotoAsh@lemmy.world -1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

No, a dove is not 'a' pigeon. A dove is in the pigeon family. Your cousin is NOT your brother ... because they're not your brother.

They may have been condescending (quoting a mildly modified copypasta they linked), but the explanation is very clear until the end. Do not insult knowledge with obstinance simply because you were called wrong. That is beyond pathetic and insults knowledge itself.

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 1 points 2 weeks ago

But rock doves and feral pigeons are the exact same species, Columba livia. QED.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They're basically the same thing, though

[–] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

OK ape man.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Additional fun fact: it's haunted by the ghost of Jack the Ripper.

[–] egrets@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Ah, this is obviously some strange use of the word ~~"safe"~~ "fact" that I wasn't previously aware of.

[–] KillerTofu@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's where I got all my information from and The Hoff makes a surprisingly good frontman for documentaries - if we ever need to replace David Attenborough...

[–] KillerTofu@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Well Lake Havasu was also the setting for Piranha 3D . Could be a fun crossover.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Piranhas vs Jack the Ripper? I'm in!

[–] KillerTofu@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

All narrated by David Attenborough.

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

Havasu means "air-water" in Turkish. Just thought I'd throw a random wildcard into the mix

[–] TwanHE@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

Not really the original bridge, just the one before the current one.

Triggers broom, the bridge version.

[–] undergroundoverground@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Londoner here. The easy way to remember it is, the bridge with the towers, specifically the one next to the tower of london, is called tower bridge.

The one that was the only bridge into the old, walled city of London for centuries, specifically the one right next to London bridge Station, is called London Bridge.

Being used to it, I can only imagine how confusing that must be for people.

[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago

Ha! Good one

[–] Nighed@feddit.uk 24 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You can report the images as 'not an image of this place'. There are rather a lot of them though and my thumb got tired...

Doesn't count for google maps contributions either ☹️

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe if Big Ben didn't look like that it wouldn't be confused with it so often

[–] snaprails@feddit.uk 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You might be confusing Big Ben which is a 🔔 with someone that confuses Tower Bridge with London Bridge, who is the end of a 🔔

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

No, that's obviously Big Ben in the picture. What are you talking about?

Edit: I thought Brits knew what sarcasm was. I'm disappointed.

[–] Im_old@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago

All bridges in London are London's bridge 😂

[–] AntiOutsideAktion@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)
[–] BigDaddySlim@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yup, I've been there. Wild to think they disassembled and reassembled it halfway across the world in a desert lake.

[–] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

No wonder it's falling down

[–] Lennny@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Suck our AZ, London!

[–] KillerTofu@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Lake Havasu is the body of water.

[–] AntiOutsideAktion@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Okay now zoom out on the map and look at the name of the town, you unquestionably valuable contributor to this community.

Or click the link and read the very first sentence.

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

That's just a digital map interface, and has nothing to do with actual bridges or bodies of water.

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

As a visitor just leaving the UK now after two weeks…

I didn’t get the joke! I had to look it up. I was in London and it definitely looked like it could be the bridge.

[–] radicalautonomy@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago
[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I just saw a Pointless where they had a picture of the Victoria Tower with the initials “VT” as a clue and only 10 people or something had got it.

[–] radicalautonomy@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago
[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 0 points 2 weeks ago

How are they supposed to know you wanted London Bridge and not just a bridge that happens to be in London? The search queries aren't case sensitive.