Room 101 - Rich Hall - Part 1, Mendelevium

Rich Hall on Mendelevium.

[@NonFlyingDutchman]

500 years ago people thought differential math was just useless inapplicable science, but today it's the basis of nearly every device we have. Discoveries and inventions are worth keeping, you never know when you end up using them...

[@realcodechris]

That suit, while ridiculous, is pretty brilliant. You wouldn't see me dead in it. But fair play to Paul for putting it on

[@sexobscura]

style is like ants on the ocean

[@dahalofreeek]

I think the reason that the 101st element is named after Mendeleev is because he invented the periodic table which is a good method for predicting new elements.

[@mikelheron20]

Duh! You think?

[@katashworth41]

Rich Hall is such a dude, he's hilarious

[@dunbar9finger]

Just to the east of The Rocky Mountains are the Great Plains and the transition from flat plain to bumpy mountains can sometimes be extremely sharp without a lot of foothills. Montana spans this transition such that the west half of Montana is mountains and the east half is plains. Rich was referring to the east half.

[@Asidders]

You don't need to be "a scientist" to be knowledgable about certain things. Stephen Fry is very smart and knows a lot about a lot. Oh, and he's a comedian as well. Check out his documentaries.

[@TheVodkaHaze]

Just remember: a lot of scientific knowledge passed down by generations is used to make life-saving and innovative pieces of technology, but the scientists who originally discovered that knowledge did not intend their work to be used to make rockets or MRIs.

[@sammcg93]

Rich Hall is awesome

[@DontTouchMyCroissant]

Rich looks cute when he smiles.

[@johnmcn90]

Love Paul's evil little laugh when Rich Hall says "We didn't have a lot of money in our school, so instead of using an anaesthetic we had to put a little nail in its head." 2:35 lmfao

[@f1nger605]

I did not once assert or imply that the Apollo project was the absolute best use for that money. What I did was express skepticism of your assertion that it definitely wasn't. Basically, what I'm saying is "you can't know that." There are so many complex and subtle interconnecting threads associated with either option that, unless you can account for as many of those threads as possible, making definite assertions about which option would produce the "better" outcome is virtually impossible.

[@FSMUnicorn]

It may be an apocryphal story, but it still has a point: when asked what use his electrical devices were, Faraday was supposed to have responded "What use is a new born baby? And besides, one day, you will be able to tax it."

[@SiriusMined]

I miss Rich Hall. NNTN, SNL, and his standup. He doesn't seem to do much here in the US anymore.

[@f1nger605]

@juzt156 Exactly. Most of the scientists (and even astronauts) who actually worked on the Apollo missions didn't really care about the Moon or even beating the Russians all that much. They wanted to scale the unsaleable mountain, just to do it. And in that process, they ended up revolutionizing firefighting, sports footwear, battery technology, kidney dialysis, home insulation, water purification, food preservation, and helped lay the groundwork for the entire telecommunications industry.

[@jamesstone123]

@longbluefingers actually, mendeleev came up with the modern periodic table of elements in terms of their order (ordered by atomic number) he did NOT discover Mendelevium and he definatly didnt "Invent" it. Einstein did not discover Einsteinium. Same with Germanium, Europium and Americium - all named AFTER someone rather than invented by.

[@amn201]

Anyone else loving Paul's suit?

[@MotionMcAnixx]

Here is a comment from 2020. Hi. Rich Hall funny.

[@fredsmith-kingofthelunatic7810]

Here's one from 2021. He's bloody brilliant.

[@sexobscura]

Here is a comment from 1987. Bye. Rich Hall bye.

[@f1nger605]

Except we're not talking about 25% of the US federal budget. We're talking about the cost of the Apollo missions, which was roughly $25 billion total, accounting for less than 2% of total federal spending from 1962 to 1972. And I think I did raise a point. Unless you can account for all direct and indirect, worldwide benefits from technology developed under the Apollo program, making a "the money could have gone to better use doing X" argument is nothing but wild speculation.

[@MajikkaniHand]

@nexusparanoia Yeah. I wasn't suggesting he hold a canister of the stuff--just that he not have a whole frikkin' organic molecule there. Especially since it's an element we had to make, and therefore isn't found in nature, so it would not be a major component of organic chemistry (or inorganic, for that matter). The chemistry nerd in me is weeping. ^^

[@Jeremyramone]

i must give my vote regarding the funniest american to steven wright, hes one of the best stand ups and comedic writers of all time, also honorable mention goes to dave attell, and jeff ross as well. oh yes and larry david, thanks for sharing these videos, cheers

[@KoreaRwkz]

@101Phase Some elements do exist as molecules so it's correct to say molecular structure for some elements. If I'm not wrong, any structure that has covalent bonds are considered molecules so for example oxygen and ozone exist as diatomic and triatomic molecules respectively. The real problem with the Mendelevium model in the video is that it's an element but the model shows different types of elements in the structure as shown by the black, yellow, blue, red and white balls.

[@LordJuzzie]

@F1NGER True people said the moon landings were pointless. But a lot of things we use now came out of getting the Astronauts there

[@Phizzy]

We should give scientists buckets of money. Many buckets.

[@sweet518]

if i was Paul Merton i'd definately send that suit to room 101

[@dunbar9finger]

You can have an element be a molecule too provided you can make a molecule composed entirely of atoms of that one element and no other. A hydrogen molecule is one hydrogen atom. What doesn't make sense about when they showed Mendelevium in this bit is that they showed it with that stick-and-ball model with lots of *differently* colored balls. Since each color is an atom of a different element in that sort of model, that was clearly the structure of something composed of multiple elements.

[@FulgenceR]

Mendeleev is one who composed the periodic chart.

[@jameswebb4593]

What should have gone into room 101 was Mertons suit.

[@RedwoodStarkey]

You have a point. I apologize for my comment. Stephan Fry is pretty awesome, and there are many comedians who are very clever, and or well educated.

[@obsidian348]

dimitri mendeleve INVENTED the periodic table!

[@fearthegeeklord]

that is the EXACT same periodic table poster as the one in m' chemistry class. \m/

[@FSMUnicorn]

It probably is apocryphal. It is attributed to Ben Franklin as well.

[@sisterofslaanesh666]

its a great suit!

[@DyerMedia]

lol you can watch your dog run away for 3 days

[@seban678]

My comment was a little bit hyperbolic. I don't actually think we should force comedians to listen to scientist making jokes (surprise!). Here's the longer version: if you're a comedian, go ahead and make fun of stuff. But if you say "I hate science", you'd better have a good argument, or extremely funny jokes behind it, because to a lot of people that's pretty offensive. To me this exchange sounds similar to: "I want to put the Dalai Lama into room 101" "Why?" "Because he's gay" "Okay then!"

[@Hannah_Em]

@longbluefingers He didn't invent mendelevium itself, but he did predict the existance of several elements when he designed the modern preiodic table. A great guy, and I'm not trying to put you down, because you made a good point, but just clearing up a small detail. Good grief, I sound petty in that little speech. Ahh well.

[@Freddyphelp]

@Jenopo I'm pretty sure he knows that, he is just saying it might as well be infinite as far as we are concerned

[@f1nger605]

I'm afraid I don't know who that is, but if I'm understanding the quote correctly, you're saying that even though we cannot prove something, we can still make educated guesses about it. Of course, I agree. Just don't confuse "educated guess" with "assumption". An educated guess has education (understanding) supporting it. Even if it can't be strictly proven, it can be demonstrated and explained. That is not the same as making an assumption based on intuition or subjective impression.

[@Jackandweed]

Heh! I understood everything the lady said! Its hard to feel smart when it sounds so simple lol

[@TerraFirma556]

"Invented by a man named Mendelev so he could get his name in the periodic table" Dmitri Mendelev invented the periodic table!!! Still love ya though Rich x

[@uliuchu4318]

yeah I couldn't decide whether I should agree that he is technically correct or whether I should be angry at the proactive ignorance

[@freshlyshowered]

it was just in for the puppy joke.

[@CorvusCorone68]

Professor Brian Cox does a fair job

[@pfalky2k]

@jakamneziak you're right. the word is "jacket" ;)

[@fardaypu]

Hi. i once read Rich Hall was the inspiration for the Simpsons character, Moe the barman.But here is a Curly for good luck.

[@timofeydanshin6904]

Exactly! He invented the fucking periodic table to get his name into it :)

[@cjpage88]

2mins 20sec, funny as Mendeleev was one of the first people to invent the periodic table!!!!

[@bareakon]

@Jenopo the universe couldn't possibly be finite, as there's nothing outside of it to measure it against QED

[@KiwiTibb]

@IcEye89 I so wish I could give this a couple dozen more thumbs up

[@bluemario2612]

@longbluefingers usually "in some countries" expresion doesn't include usa :) i think this was omitted in american schools because of the cold war between the and russia....

[@85Aheadstix]

Rich hall strikes me as the kind of guy who got really bored one day and just decided to read a Science for dummies, book. anyone else?

[@orlock20]

+GamerDares wins The first time I heard of him was when he was on a comedy show where his routine was for people to send to him words and definition of those words that should be in the dictionary, but are not. Then he would have somebody gather up all those words, make a book, put his name on the book and get money from the book.

[@85Aheadstix]

orlock20 Well i knew it had something to do with a book ;)

[@orlock20]

GamerDares wins Sniglet- Any word that should be in the dictionary but should. --Rich Hall 1984 Five books were dedicated to sniglets.

[@billybobsteele]

The easiest way to weigh the Earth is just to turn some scales upside down.

[@paultje2small]

if he does not like mendelevion hes going to hate ununoctium

[@thatdrattedcat]

Paul's suit !!!

[@cowalarmclock]

plus, mendelevium doesn't have a molecular structure because it's an element, not a molecule.

[@ninkharsagTBM]

if thats true that possibly one of the best bits of useless info ive ever heard :)

[@affablegiraffable]

i came here fore the mendelevium

[@thepussygrabbingfamilyvalu557]

that is pure irony: a COMEDIAN dissing a scientist for weighing the planet because he thinks it's pointless.

[@shadowblade9876]

No, you use the equation to solve for M. That's the whole point.

[@MrPKenneally]

but Hazel, the intro music is so good...

[@MajikkaniHand]

That's not mendelevium. That's a molecule. *twitch* That being said, this is still hilarious.

[@FSMUnicorn]

What? Nowhere was the Higgs Boson mentioned. They're talking about Mendelevium. Anyway, the molymod structure they had was mostly carbon with a bit of hydrogen, oxygen and sulphur. WTF?

[@bareakon]

@longbluefingers actually, you're not alone in being pedantic. i was just about to comment that Dmitri did the whole table

[@reznor12]

@toxic2k7 Rof, he says typing on a keyboard that wouldnt have existed without knowledge of the periodic elements...

[@romeosdistress]

he's probably wearing clothes that ought to be in room 101...

[@mahound9]

@jakamneziak Who shot the couch?

[@busessuck1]

he's like moe from the simpsons

[@6stringgunner511]

Hey, Rich Hall. Did you happen to drive otr truck for 🍎 Apple lines, inc. If so. I was your driver training instructor.

[@thomasimon]

@onomatopoetically Well, I agree with you, but most scientists don't 'mess around', because they need to have a goal in mind to get the money for the research. But in that research, lots of stuff can be discovered accidentally

[@FSMUnicorn]

To use the title of one of Richard Feynman's books: "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out". Why should the knowledge of how a rainbow is formed, or the state of the universe milliseconds after the big bang, or observing the courtship dances of cranes not be as exciting and aesthetically pleasing to some people as Beethoven's Ninth, the poetry of Keats, or the art of Titian?

[@Lindelamare]

@Dudeness21 I'm sure some kid's wearing it right now, but skinny fit with clear lens glasses.

[@evilmurderproduction]

So there is a place that turns old sofas into suits?

[@fritspas]

isnt the entire table named after mendelev? or is that just in holland?

[@niallmeldrum]

An element with a molecular structure? Guess we just need these two on QI more to set things straight.

[@DaftArbiter]

I agree. Scientists make jokes all the time, it's just that the punchline often requires some prerequisite material. That's basically the issue with this bit here, lack of understanding. Scientists, largely, don't mind a bit of humor. We can take a joke, but get your info right before you make it. There are a couple formerly scientists turned comedians as well. One an engineer and another an astronomer. Fairly funny, for both layman and scientist filled audiences.

[@TheLexyboy]

my local indian restraunt neads new wallpaper

[@101Phase]

MOLECULAR structure of an ELEMENT?!

[@icantstopdoingthis]

How can an element have a molecular structure??? Surely someone in the BBC would have thought about that.

[@timothypalmer4010]

Did anyone notice that he dumped Hawkins book to. :)

[@tinysteelorchestra]

No offence to Hancock or Skinner, but Paul Merton's still my favourite Room 101 host! :)

[@AJackalMan]

@TretasYT He's...a...comedian.

[@ElizabethKall]

molecular structure of mendelevium? it's an element, it doesn't have a molecular structure, only a molecule, which is a combination of elements, can

[@lennic95]

@jakamneziak Looks like he dropped right out of the 70s

[@Asidders]

Stephen Fry. Boom.

[@classicdinner]

@jakamneziak curtains??

[@TheHappydead]

that scientist was kinda hot

[@knules2]

ottis lee crenshaw whooo

[@FSMUnicorn]

It shouldn't have ANY molymod structure. ;) I meant the comment light heartedly - I was just being pedantic because I get annoyed at the general level of scientific illiteracy shown everywhere. As Carl Sagan said, we live in a society utterly dependent on science, yet hardly anyone has even a basic understanding of it.

[@zesc_24]

@mikelheron20 I dont think Rich was being sarcastic.

[@Akendolfr]

blake 7, our version of star trek with a much bigger budget XD

[@fritspas]

If you had Neil deGrasse Tyson explain the effects of the blackhole on the human body, it would be a lot more understandable and fun.

[@efisgpr]

i thought only the first 92 were naturally occuring.

[@TulipFarella]

Looks like he fell in a bucket of paint. Its Rolf Harris on acid.

[@tremblingcolors]

accents from the Netherlands sound hilarious to me

[@wcibbt]

@jeloopa Absolutely. G. H. Hardy prided himself on the uselessness of higher mathematics. Ironically his two main examples, number theory and hyperbolic geometry are now applied in cryptography and general relativity respectively. The former protects all out of digital information and the latter may one day be applied in designing the first time machine or teleportation device. incidentally what is the usefulness of going to moon? I think the point was that it was supposed to be inspiring.

[@thomasimon]

Why does everyone say that scientist is Dutch, that's clearly not a Dutch accent

[@MrLookatmyshit]

Real life Moe Syzlak.

[@TornadoCreator]

@guitarman87 Yes, and comedy is generally funnier when it makes fucking sense. I'll take a day off, when everyone one else does a decent days thinking.

[@masteryoda394]

@archiemedes42 I was going to say the same thing then I saw your comment.

[@kaganesa]

SO confused!! Mendelivium is an element, not a compound! how can it have a molecular structure!!! also, how the hell can u get mendelivium but bombarding helium with anything! that something jsut conviniently adds 99 protons i guess.

[@jjferrit]

hah! thats the exact poster form my highschool chemistry class :D Rich seems a little drunk here, actually :P or really hocked up on sugar and attention. especially first comming on.

[@SaBoTeUr2001]

Montana is flat? Isn't it called "Montana" because of the mountains?