Random Thoughts Part 4 - Split Thread

[DennisN]

Just three hours away from a 90-95% eclipse... will it be cloudy or clear? It looks ok now, but the sky has got some clouds , I hope for the best . I will try to take some photos (I've made my own cheap sun filter) and post on PF if it turns out alright. (I've witnessed a total eclipse in 1999, really bad weather, but interesting experience)

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Will that help censor the ignorant's mouths ?

 

[audire]

Ugh hate workplace politics... I'm ALWAYS the diplomatic one whether everyone else tends to lose their heads.. especially in the service industry where STEM graduates are desperately needed it just seems petty for people to argue/steal (it happens a lot and imo is a systemic proollblem) over 20-40 dollar tips...

Poor girl today was stiffed on a 400 dollar order... I'm getting trained/groomed for management ALREADY (ugh) by another douchebag manager FML

 

[DennisN]

Just three hours away from a 90-95% eclipse... will it be cloudy or clear? It looks ok now, but the sky has got some clouds , I hope for the best . I will try to take some photos (I've made my own cheap sun filter) and post on PF if it turns out alright. (I've witnessed a total eclipse in 1999, really bad weather, but interesting experience)

One hour left... and it is cloudy! And my tripod broke , so I had to improvise and build a crappy camera stand. My photos will NOT be of any Hubble quality, that's for sure!

EDIT: It was very cloudy but I did get a couple of shots through the clouds, not spectacular, but I have posted some of them in the eclipse thread.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

I know well I am being scientifically blessed to have been made up for what I once lost. I am thankful for that.

 

[Lisa!]

Happy new year and happy spring!:)

 

[Enigman]

Happy new year and happy spring!:)

Navroz Mubarak!
(Had to google that.)

 

[nuuskur]

Kill who ever is responsible for the weather.. they just couldn't let the sky be clear yesterday, could they?? Missed my eclipse -.-. The sky did turn dark, but I wanted to see it :s

 

[WWGD]

Happy new year and happy spring!:)

Seems like a smarter idea to start the year towards the beginning of Spring (specially in latitudes with Winter ) than in Winter. Mood-wise, to associate a beginning of the year with Spring seems much better than beginning in Winter. Besides, "analogically" there seems to be a better match between Spring , with flowers blooming, and beginnings than Winter, where natural life is suspended, and beginnings. Wonder if that was the reason Persian New Year is in March. Is it, Lisa(Lisa-1)(Lisa-2)...2.1 ?

 

[OmCheeto]

Yesterday, I decided I didn't know how to properly cover one of my boats:

as the rain had obviously messed up my plans.

But today, I came up with a new theory:

Which also answered another question: Where did they come up with the term 'Catenary'?

IMNO, you can ignore the standard etymological answer:

Catenary: History
The word catenary is derived from the Latin word catena, which means "chain". The English word catenary is usually attributed to Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in a letter to Thomas Paine on the construction of an arch for a bridge:

I have lately received from Italy a treatise on the equilibrium of arches, by the Abbé Mascheroni. It appears to be a very scientifical work. I have not yet had time to engage in it; but I find that the conclusions of his demonstrations are, that every part of the catenary is in perfect equilibrium.

pfft!

 

[Borg]

That looks like a sizable hole in your boat.

 

[OmCheeto]

That looks like a sizable hole in your boat.

It's a woody.
It don't care.

Honey badger of boats. ​

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Broken boats often bring back good memories.

 

[DennisN]

It's a woody.
It don't care.

Honey badger of boats. ​

View attachment 80757​

It's amazing how that boat blends in with the environment...

 

[Bystander]

Hesperus? Queen Anne's Revenge?

 

[WWGD]

Verizon is advertising half-fast internet, which sounds like half-assed internet. Wonder if it is intentional.

Seems no one celebrated square root 10 day on 3/16, arguably a better approximation to $\sqrt 10$ than 3.14 is to $\pi$.

BTW, the ref. to Lisa(Lisa-1)..2.1 was a reference to the factorial at the end of the name Lisa!.

 

[OmCheeto]

I've been watching my Chuuk neighbors for the last week.
They have many, as I've mentioned, tiny children.
They play.

Last week, we had a nasty windstorm, and I ended up with about a bazillion Doug Fir cones in my yard.

Now, I'm old, and can't bend over well, so the cone mess, and the Chuuk kids, being tiny, struck me as being a win-win situation:
I'd pay them a penny a piece, for the cones, and they could cash it in for candy.

I was hesitant to ask the Chuuk parents, to hire the Chuuk kids, as people might get the wrong idea.

Providence though, sent me three kids today, aged 6, 8, and 9, from my best estimation, knocking on my front door, asking for nickel cans, about an hour ago.
After I gave them my 40 cents worth of cans, I asked if they'd like to make some real money.
They looked at me, with wary eyes, as all well trained children should, and I explained the situation.

Nice things:
They collectively made $16 in about 30 minutes, didn't cheat me at all when I dumped my piggy bank out on the front porch to pay them, and trusted me.

Creepy things:
It reminded me of @edward 's comment:

...the missing Joad families

They live down the block.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

It's amazing how that boat blends in with the environment...

You see, the very old boat is submerging, only some of the last broken parts on top are afloat on water surface.

 

[nuuskur]

You see, the very old boat is submerging, only some of the last broken parts on top are afloat on water surface.

a submarine in its infancy xD

 

[Borg]

Verizon is advertising half-fast internet, which sounds like half-assed internet. Wonder if it is intentional.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence just like this one.

 

[OmCheeto]

Hesperus? Queen Anne's Revenge?

Rosi
I really should finish that thread.

 

[WWGD]

I'm sure it's just a coincidence just like this one.

Haha, that's pretty good. I just shipped my pants laughing ;).

 

[WWGD]

I am such a tough dude that I had a bad trip ...on store-bought Chai mix and almond milk. Beware.

 

[Psinter]

OmCheeto! Look at this ship, it's making a wheelie!

 

[Silicon Waffle]

OmCheeto! Look at this ship, it's making a wheelie!

Have you ever tried becoming someone he may hate or like instead of poking fun at tiny unarmed laymen like me ? I think you're a real good joker.

 

[nuuskur]

OmCheeto! Look at this ship, it's making a wheelie!

I so shouldn't laught at that, but I can't help myself...that is just hysterical :D

 

[wukunlin]

This job is literally killing me and is scaring me back to school (looking for PhD programs in the next tab)

 

[WWGD]

This job is literally killing me and is scaring me back to school (looking for PhD programs in the next tab)

I saw the next tab and didn't see you there ; ).

 

[OmCheeto]

It's amazing how that boat blends in with the environment...

Even stranger, is that is was over 9 years ago, and I've still got that hunk of wood sitting in the back yard.

But anyways, all of my friends, were noticeably upset that week.

She was one of 3 people on the beach I was with the day it happened.
I was just happy no one died.

Tsunami's are freaky, powerful things.
Even on a small, cargo vessel powered, river scale.
I think the wave was only 3 meters high, so I could really appreciate the big scale version, that occurred just 4 years ago:

 

[WWGD]

This job is literally killing me and is scaring me back to school (looking for PhD programs in the next tab)

Fortune's best 100 companies to work for just came out. I don't know if they are based where you live though, but if they are, maybe a good idea to give them a try?

 

[zoki85]

T - 1

 

[wukunlin]

Fortune's best 100 companies to work for just came out. I don't know if they are based where you live though, but if they are, maybe a good idea to give them a try?

Thanks, most of them seem to be US companies. I'm not sure how true this is but trying to get a job in US without the green card seem to be a pain (not to mention most of my job experience involves getting made drunk to near death with colleagues and second hand chain smoking)

 

[zoki85]

T

 

[nuuskur]

1+3 = green

 

[OmCheeto]

T

Are you retiring today?

 

[OmCheeto]

Are you retiring today?

Doh!

Congrats!

 

[zoki85]

Are you retiring today?

No. Just taking a break from posting on PFs. Especially on EE subforum. What's enough is enough.

Doh!
View attachment 80907
Congrats!

Thx!

 

[Enigman]

Come on, one more post to a palindrome.

 

[nuuskur]

989?

 

[Silicon Waffle]

He went home.

 

[Ibix]

Chutzpah: n

Reversing round a corner from a minor road to a major road (illegal) where the view is blocked by parked coaches (dangerous), and drawing attention to yourself by making a mess of it because you are talking on a mobile phone (illegal and dangerous)...

...outside a police station.

 

[lisab]

If I owned a garden store, I'd call it Plant Parenthood.

 

[fluidistic]

I have seen a medium sized bird (slightly smaller than a pigeon, with a yellow belly and definitely not a hummingbird) hovering a few seconds over the water before taking a drink.
However I had heard and read that hummingbirds are the only birds to be able to hover without wind help. For instance see http://www.bbc.com/news/28563737 or http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ealed-help-improve-helicopter-technology.html:

Hummingbirds are one of nature’s most energetic fliers and the only birds to hover in the air by relying on their strength alone.

and

of a hummingbird - the only bird capable of sustained hovering -

I think that they are spreading misinformation.

 

[OmCheeto]

I have seen a medium sized bird (slightly smaller than a pigeon, with a yellow belly and definitely not a hummingbird) hovering a few seconds over the water before taking a drink.
However I had heard and read that hummingbirds are the only birds to be able to hover without wind help. For instance see http://www.bbc.com/news/28563737 or http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ealed-help-improve-helicopter-technology.html: and
I think that they are spreading misinformation.

I agree. I've also seen lots of birds, other than hummingbirds, hover. .

Hovering

Hovering is used by several species of birds (and specialized in by one family). True hovering, which is generating lift through flapping alone rather than as a product of the bird's passage through the air, demands a lot of energy. This means that it is confined to smaller birds; the largest bird able to truly hover is the pied kingfisher, although larger birds can hover for short periods of time.

As I interpret sophiecentaur's saying; "Classification, is stupid".

An ornithological pedant would probably point out the word "sustained".
At which point, I would bonk them on the head, with the nearest heavy object.

 

[fluidistic]

I agree. I've also seen lots of birds, other than hummingbirds, hover. .
As I interpret sophiecentaur's saying; "Classification, is stupid".

An ornithological pedant would probably point out the word "sustained".
At which point, I would bonk them on the head, with the nearest heavy object.

Interesting. Though I am almost sure that the bird I've seen was bigger than a pied kingfisher. Ah, it may be that the definition of "true hovering" discards about 3 seconds hovering I guess.

 

[Astronuc]

What did you accomplish on Spring break?

13-year-old Ashima Shiraishi has just shattered two world records—and she did it in just 10 minutes over her spring break.
https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/13-year-old-ashima-shiraishi-is-a-rock-climbing-114605874218.html

 

[Ibix]

What did you accomplish on Spring break?

13-year-old Ashima Shiraishi has just shattered two world records—and she did it in just 10 minutes over her spring break.
https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/13-year-old-ashima-shiraishi-is-a-rock-climbing-114605874218.html

Impressive. To say the least.

Why have Yahoo put this in the Beauty section...?

 

[Silicon Waffle]

...
Why have Yahoo put this in the Beauty section...?

I read your question, think, till my head aches. She is a young strong teenager.
Maybe it's not so far as what I may think...

 

[lisab]

I have seen a medium sized bird (slightly smaller than a pigeon, with a yellow belly and definitely not a hummingbird) hovering a few seconds over the water before taking a drink.
However I had heard and read that hummingbirds are the only birds to be able to hover without wind help. For instance see http://www.bbc.com/news/28563737 or http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ealed-help-improve-helicopter-technology.html: and
I think that they are spreading misinformation.

Could you tell if the bird was a raptor?

 

[fluidistic]

Could you tell if the bird was a raptor?

Yes: it wasn't a raptor. It had a very particular behavior of hiding in trees and going down over water making a "U" shape flight every 8 minutes or so. I didn't figure out what it was doing so quickly over the water, I don't think it was drinking nor catching bugs. But then after 40 minutes of observation or so it went over the water and hovered about 3 seconds and drank while doing so.