The Daily Grind: What weird things have you learned from an MMO?

The main reason that Ms. Lady and I knew about Steve Irwin's death wasn't because we were watching the news. It was because it was all over general chat in World of Warcraft. It seems like a strange way to learn about things, but general chat in most MMOs is kind of like that. You find out about movies, learn about strange occupations from your fellow players, and sometimes discover games you'd never have guessed existed without the help of other people.

For all that area chat channels can be a mess of bitterness and insults, sometimes you wind up learning interesting things there. And on other occasions, one little quest line or offhand mention can prompt you into a frenzy of research on references or obscure science or whatever. So what's the strangest thing you've learned because of an MMO? Was it something that you happened to notice in chat or something that inspired you to learn more?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!