Aluminum Christmas Trees: Difference between revisions

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* Likewise, the presence of black cowboys in recent westerns. Many cowboys in [[The Wild West]] in the 1870s-90s were freedmen. It is their ''absence'' from the classic [[The Western|Western]] format of the '30s through early '60s that is inaccurate. This omission is hinted at in ''The Cowboy Way'' through one of the two main characters' skepticism concerning the existence of famous black rodeo performer Bill Pickett. Then again, very few characters in Westerns are actually cowboys, i.e., they don't drive cattle to market to earn their living.

* ''Almost'' example: In the Ridley Scott film ''[[Gladiator (film)|Gladiator]]'', after the producers learned that gladiators ''did'' product endorsements [[Older Than They Think|much like modern-day athletes do]], there was supposed to be a scene with gladiators endorsing products of the time. It was cut because [[Reality Is Unrealistic|the idea felt unbelievable]].

* The humongous bank vault door in ''[[Tron]]'' may look like a slightly over-the-top prop. It (along with the laser lab and computer room) is real and can be found at the [https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2009/NR-NNSA-09-03-06.html Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.] The door does weigh four tons; it serves to allow heavy equipment to access the [https://lasers.llnl.gov/newsroom/project_status/ laser lab]. The false bits: it opening by itself (it's opened by hand—the hinges are frictionless and perfectly balanced—one fit man can do it); the fancy but hackable electronic lock (it's locked by a simple manual mechanism inside—its purpose is to stop radiation from getting out, not thieves and spies from getting in); and the reaction closeup shot facing away from the door (this was shot in Disney Studios' parking lot).

* The humongous bank vault door in ''[[Tron]]'' may look like a slightly over-the-top prop. It (along with the laser lab and computer room) is real and can be found at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100527190408/https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2009/NR-NNSA-09-03-06.html Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.] The door does weigh four tons; it serves to allow heavy equipment to access the [https://lasers.llnl.gov/newsroom/project_status/ laser lab]. The false bits: it opening by itself (it's opened by hand—the hinges are frictionless and perfectly balanced—one fit man can do it); the fancy but hackable electronic lock (it's locked by a simple manual mechanism inside—its purpose is to stop radiation from getting out, not thieves and spies from getting in); and the reaction closeup shot facing away from the door (this was shot in Disney Studios' parking lot).

* The climax of ''[[The Terminator|Terminator 2]]'' involves a tanker truck full of liquid nitrogen crashing into a steel mill. That's not as ridiculous as people assume. Large volumes of liquid nitrogen are transported in tanker trucks in real life, because it's used in the manufacture of trunnion hub girders.

* Look at how many people smoke cigarettes in movies set from the 1930's on. Compare that to movies ''filmed'' in that time period. In particular, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c Fred Flintstone is seen smoking -- he even did cigarette ads.] Notable exceptions are ''[[Good Night and Good Luck]]'', where everyone chain smokes in the film, accurately depicting the 1950s and the TV series ''[[Mad Men]]'', set in the '60s. Both generally used herbal cigarettes rather than the real thing.

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** Remember the [http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Punch_gun Punch Gun], or its latest incarnation, the [http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Ballistic_Fist Ballistic Fist]? There existed a [http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/OSS_Pistol_Glove real version] of those gun-gloves, used mainly by spies as a concealed weapon. Not only that, but it functioned the same way- to fire the gun, you had to push down the plunger on the front by punching your target with it.

*** They use those in ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'' to take out {{spoiler|Hitler's guards}}.

* A surprisingly large number of people think the [http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/m3irsnip.htm M3 Carbine] in ''[[Return to Castle Wolfenstein]]'' is some crazy fictional gun. Nope, it just wasn't silenced.

* A surprisingly large number of people think the [https://web.archive.org/web/20081005050126/http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/m3irsnip.htm M3 Carbine] in ''[[Return to Castle Wolfenstein]]'' is some crazy fictional gun. Nope, it just wasn't silenced.

** Same for the [[FG 42]] Paratrooper rifle, another [[Rare Guns|rare real-life gun]].

* In ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'', one can mine for asbestos ore (a fibrous, horrendously toxic material used in fireproofing). There's a whole family of different minerals called "asbestos", you ''do'' mine for them, and some of them ''are'' chunky. It's also not inherently toxic at all—it's completely inert silicon oxide. Asbestos health hazard comes from the fact that its fibers are ''very'' easy to break, so even when it isn't disturbed it constantly gives off a stream of microscopic glass needles that tend to accumulate in lungs and irritate the hell out of them, eventually leading to inflammation and/or lung cancer.