Random Thoughts 7

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Discussion Overview

This thread features a collection of random thoughts and reflections from participants, touching on various topics including nostalgia for a community member, humorous musings about language and technology, reactions to cultural events, and personal anecdotes. The scope includes informal commentary, light-hearted debates, and references to popular media.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express nostalgia for a community member named Evo, with inquiries about her well-being.
  • Humorous reflections on the limitations of AI, particularly regarding the classic tongue twister about woodchucks.
  • Discussion around the cultural impact of the sitcom "Friends," with varying opinions on its characters and humor.
  • References to the founding of Turkey and its implications for secularism, with some light-hearted commentary on food choices.
  • Comments on Neil DeGrasse Tyson's approach to teaching critical thinking, with mixed reactions to his style and audience engagement.
  • Observations about customer service experiences, highlighting a common frustration among participants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a light-hearted tone but express differing opinions on various topics, including the humor of "Friends," the effectiveness of Neil DeGrasse Tyson's videos, and cultural sensitivities regarding secularism. No consensus is reached on these matters.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions reference specific cultural events or media, which may carry different meanings or implications for different participants. The humor and sentiments expressed are subjective and may not resonate universally.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in informal discussions about popular culture, community dynamics, and light-hearted debates may find this thread engaging.

  • #1,381
DaveC426913 said:
I mean, Italians do watch plays that aren't Italian...
Sure, but advertising primarily Italy and then ignoring Verdi and choosing Bizet is strange. It isn't as if Verdi didn't write hits. The message was: enjoy, Italy, to the sound of an opera set in Spain. Maybe I should send them an email and ask whether they produce tapas.
 
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Physics news on Phys.org
  • #1,382
DaveC426913 said:
It might be a little too on-the-nose if I went into a Canadian cuisine restaurant that boasted I'd "Experience the Canadian way of living!" and all they played were "Take Off!" by Bob & Doug McKenzie and Geddy Lee and NFB's "The Log Driver's Waltz".
:oldbiggrin:
And ignoring Bryan and Shania! It's a shame.
 
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  • #1,383
fresh_42 said:
And ignoring Bryan and Shania! It's a shame.
That don't impress me much...
 
  • #1,384
WWGD said:
That don't impress me much...
But she lives really close to CERN!
 
  • #1,385
I
fresh_42 said:
But she lives really close to CERN!
Is there a tobogan/tunnel from Geneva to Canada?
 
  • #1,386
WWGD said:
I
Is there a tobogan/tunnel from Geneva to Canada?
No, but Lake Geneva seems to be a nice place to live (and it is, been there a couple of times): Tina Turner (sadly not among us anymore), Shania Twain. George Clooney has chosen an Italian Lake in the Alps, and Bryan Adams lives(d?) in southern France.

Oh dear, I just recognized that I know more gossip than I should. At least I'm a total failure when it comes to royals of any origin.
 
  • #1,387
fresh_42 said:
No, but Lake Geneva seems to be a nice place to live (and it is, been there a couple of times): Tina Turner (sadly not among us anymore), Shania Twain. George Clooney has chosen an Italian Lake in the Alps, and Bryan Adams lives(d?) in southern France.

Oh dear, I just recognized that I know more gossip than I should. At least I'm a total failure when it comes to royals of any origin.
When Italians ask for the lake, I say, Como. They say : " Lika every other lake".
 
  • #1,388
WWGD said:
"Lika every other lake".
I don't think so. Como and Geneva are definitely better than Lake Michigan. I'm cold only thinking about it.
 
  • #1,389
fresh_42 said:
I don't think so. Como and Geneva are definitely better than Lake Michigan. I'm cold only thinking about it.
No smoke rising? The Purples were exaggerating?
 
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  • #1,390
WWGD said:
The Purples were exaggerating?
No. The fire was real, 1971.

Fun fact: Before Switzerland allowed Casinos (vote in 1993, law in 2000), there was a Casino in Evian (France, since 1912) and a boat shuttle across the lake from Montreux to Evian that already had a Casino. The vote/law was meant to prevent Swiss people from taking their money abroad.

I have no idea what the building in Montreux (built 1881) served as before other than a venue.

P.S. They claim that the water is from a glacier nearby and not from the lake, but the village is on the lake's coast.
 
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  • #1,391
DaveC426913 said:
Ah, but is @DennisN a denizen of somewhere?
Absolutely. :smile:
 
  • #1,392
pinball1970 said:
Over 50? Get tested, go to your GP.

Prostate.
Colon.
Heart
Blood pressure.

Not in any particular order.
I'd prefer if he checked my heart and blood pressure before my prostate and colon, or he'd get a false reading!
 
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  • #1,393
Mayhem said:
I'd prefer if he checked my heart and blood pressure before my prostate and colon, or he'd get a false reading!
And warning me, warming up his hands before aiming for the prostate.
 
  • #1,394
Mayhem said:
I'd prefer if he checked my heart and blood pressure before my prostate and colon, or he'd get a false reading!
I forgot about lungs!
 
  • #1,395
Not sure why I have to go to a gym to experience equal amount of light and dark. ( Equinox).
 
  • #1,396
Screenshot 2025-02-24 at 11.33.53 AM.png
 
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  • #1,397
Life writes the best jokes.

We are not really friends of AI and even have rules against their use. Yet, ChatGPT and Grok list us if asked about serious science websites. Seems AI knows what it does not know, ipse se nihil scire id unum sciat.
 
  • #1,398
fresh_42 said:
Life writes the best jokes.

We are not really friends of AI and even have rules against their use. Yet, ChatGPT and Grok list us if asked about serious science websites. Seems AI knows what it does not know, ipse se nihil scire id unum sciat.
Which can also mean LLMs where trained on the data scrapped before we started explaining that the king is naked.
 
  • #1,399
I am officially giving up on my relative who has for years, had plenty of time to listen to the conspiracy channel but when presented with documented facts, is really busy and doesn't have time to read everything. I no longer "have the time" to deal with willful ignorance.
 
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  • #1,400
Not sure why when I read an article on Quantum Computing by Google, I'm flooded with new-age-type commercials. Special Crystals, finding my " Shaman Type", reincarnation, etc. Edit: I've never been to any such sites.
 
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  • #1,401
Wow, saw a video of, with, Christopher Hitchens in Bill Maher's show, overtly Edit: Literally giving the audience the finger. Old show, of course, given Hitchens died a few years back.
 
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  • #1,402
WWGD said:
Not sure why when I read an article on Quantum Computing by Google, I'm flooded with new-age-type commercials. Special Crystals, finding my " Shaman Type", reincarnation, etc. Edit: I've never been to any such sites.

It sounds like Google, with its infinite data collection and wisdom, has decided you have a weak mind.

Just consider where it's coming from, and write it off as it deserves.
:biggrin:
 
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  • #1,403
Wow, some NYC McDonalds carding people
Screenshot_20250226_103825_YouTube.jpg
 
  • #1,404
WWGD said:
Wow, saw a video of, with, Christopher Hitchens in Bill Maher's show, overtly giving the audience the finger. Old show, of course, given Hitchens died a few years back.
Still the most skillful and interesting orator and debater I have seen, a sad loss.
He would have had a lot to say these last few weeks!
 
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  • #1,405
pinball1970 said:
Still the most skillful and interesting orator and debater I have seen, a sad loss.
He would have had a lot to say these last few weeks!
He would have likely upset the extremes on both sides , which is by no means a bad thing.
 
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  • #1,406
Wonder if it's feasible to deposit a fraction of a cent in a blackmailer's Crypto account legally , without giving myself away. I would love the idea of them opening their account and seeing a deposit of .00001 cents in it.
 
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  • #1,407
RIP Gene Hackman.
 
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  • #1,408
Clubber Lang is back up and in better shape than ever.

My suspicion was correct that the cause of the knockdown was a broken AIO (all-in-one liquid) cooling pump. I replaced the AIO cooler with an air cooler. An air cooler means no pump, meaning fewer points of failure (theoretically more reliable). I ended up going with a high-end Noctua CPU cooler. Noctua coolers are not known for their flashiness, but they're arguably the best, performance wise. (Honestly the Noctua CPU cooler wasn't my first choice, but the one I originally ordered -- much more flashy -- was on back-order for seemingly forever. So I cancelled my original order and got the Noctua, which I probably should have picked in the first place.)

While I was at it, I changed the direction of a few case fans around, modifying which ports are intake and which are exhaust. I also added a new drive bay in anticipation of installing a couple more SSDs, if the need arises.

2025-03-07 Clubber-Lang.jpg


[Edit: The RGB colors are linked to various temperature sensors in the CPU and motherboard. They go from Green \rightarrow Yellow \rightarrow Red. Green means temperatures are cool, while red means things are getting pretty warm. Things will turn red and the fans will rev up (as expected) when I do a computationally intensive PixInsight process on an astrophoto, for example.]
 
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  • #1,409
When they refer to VLAN as the bad guy and mention a "Half a David"( Affidavit), they're most likely in a boiler room in Noida. I'll CC Dave Broder to send them some Confetti.
 
  • #1,410
So the corporate interests keep promoting \Pi day on 3/14 over " Square root 10" day on 3/16. Or maybe## 3.14 ##is a better aproximation to ##\pi## than ##3.16## is to ##\sqrt 10##.
 
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