Recent content by Janus

  1. Janus

    A three month long summer vacation from public school seems stupid

    So basically, you are using "I'm cold, put on a coat." reasoning.
  2. Janus

    A three month long summer vacation from public school seems stupid

    In other words, kids shouldn't be allowed to be kids. And I question whether you'd get that much of an improvement. I think it would more likely lead to burnout, especially in younger children. It would also be interesting to see what happens when a majority of working people with children...
  3. Janus

    Today I Learned

    Based on the novel by D. F. Jones, which is the first of a trilogy. The other two being "The Fall of Colossus" and "Colossus and the Crab".
  4. Janus

    Today I Learned

    With Finland, I think it's more related to their cultural past. In their national epic, the Kalevala, there is a lot of mention of words/names having power. Wizards were able to do great feats just by knowing and using the right words. Names also tended to reflect something about the person...
  5. Janus

    Today I Learned

    In addition, traditionally, children are not named at birth but a few weeks later.
  6. Janus

    Today I Learned

    Addendum: For "you" "we" "they" "he", "she", "it" you replace the "en" as follows: You(singular): et You(plural/formal): ette we : emme they: eivat he/she: ei it: ei ( properly, Hän( he/she) or se(it) precedes the ei, however in everyday speech, unless it is not clear by context, se is used...
  7. Janus

    Today I Learned

    TIL that there are at least 10 ways of saying "I can't" in Finnish: 1. En osaa - due to lack of knowledge or skill. Such as, I can't drive because I never learned how 2. En saa - due to lack of permission or not being allowed to. I can't drive because my license was revoked. 3 En ehdi - due to...
  8. Janus

    A Why do both poles of a radio pulsar emit radio waves?

    Pulsars "pulse" because their magnetic poles and rotational axis don't align. The radiation emitted from the magnetic poles is constant. We only receive it when if the rotation of the pulsar causes the beam to periodically sweep past us. It's like seeing a lighthouse produce flashes even...
  9. Janus

    I Question about a Square Light Clock

    Consider this: Instead of just that light clock, you have second standard Light clock next to it, with the mirrors spaced apart such that the back and forth trip is the same length as the square light clock path. These clocks are fixed relative to each other. Anyone at rest with respect to them...
  10. Janus

    Today I Learned

    As an aside. This use of cases and the rules that apply to them tends to make the use of compound words common in Finnish So for instance, instead of Dinner table, it is Ruokapöytä ( literally foodtable). This allows you to use one case ending on one word rather than on two or more separate...
  11. Janus

    Today I Learned

    General feature of the language. Finnish makes little use of prepositions like to, from, by, or in. And instead adds case endings to the word. Example, ssa means in, so talo = house, and talossa = in the house. Thus, you have Koira = (the) dog , Koiraa = (a) dog, koirassa =in a/the dog...
  12. Janus

    Today I Learned

    TIL a new(old) Finnish joke: An English man and a Swedish man were talking. English: A dog. Swedish: What? English: The dog. English: Two dogs. Swedish: Okay. We have: En hund, hunden, Två hundar, hundarna. German: Wait, I want to try it too! English: No, go away. Swedish: No one invited you...
  13. Janus

    Random Photos

    Sunbeams over the ocean (Oregon Coast)
  14. Janus

    Getting started in photography

    I had my own darkroom set up when I was younger. I even got ambitious and did color processing. Getting the color balance right, and having to do everything in total darkness was a challenge.
  15. Janus

    How does pulling a string start a lawnmower or a weed eater?

    Tried to make a model electric motor from instructions given in a book. Hooked it up to the 6 volt lantern battery it was supposed to run on, gave it a few test spins and nothing. Assumed it wasn't getting enough juice, so dug out an old electric cord, wired it up and plugged it in. gave it a...
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