What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

[Psinter]

I love to hike out in Nature. I also know my directions, and can usually tell time of day by the position of the sun. At night, I orient by stars, even in wooded areas. Scouting is a good way to learn such skills.

I remember this sad story.
http://www.freep.com/story/travel/2016/07/23/appalachian-trail-geraldine-largy/86992994/ I agree with Moor.

Wow, 26 days. I really mean no disrespect with this, but that is a lot of time. To last that long, it must have been a painful death .

Had it been me, I would have probably kicked the bucket in 3 days or in less than 1 week. I don't have much body fat. Which means that without food, I don't last long.

My place is small so I know that even if I get lost, I just have to walk in any direction and I will for sure find a house or a city in no time. Regardless of direction. Or a river. This place is swarming with rivers and water corpses. You walk a little and you find a river. Walk a little more and find another river. Still, poor woman.

I even called around to find potential cat stars. Paraphrasing a little, one such conversation went something like this:

Ex-Girlfriend: Hello...
Me: Hi! It's collinsmark!
Ex-Girlfriend: Hi! Wow, it's been awhile!
Me: Yeah, it's been awhile. ... Yeah. ... Uh, by the way,
Ex-Girlfriend: Yeah?
Me: Do you still have cats?
Ex-Girfriend: <?! pause> Well, one of them is gone. Probably a coyote in the canyon.
Me: Oh, I'm so sorry. That's horrible.
Ex-Girlfriend: Yeah.
Me: Yeah, sorry to hear about that.
Ex-Girlfriend. Yeah, poor thing. We miss her.
Me: Yeah. ... So how's the other one?
Ex-Girlfriend: <?! pause> Okay, I guess? <?!>
Me: Do you mind if I come over and film your cat?
Ex-Girlfriend: Film my cat?
Me: Record your cat. On video.
Ex-Girlfriend: Huh?
Me: Yeah, I'd like to record your cat on video, playing with my tablet.
Ex-Girlfriend: <silence>
Me: And then post the video of your possibly-soon-to-be-famous, beautiful cat on the Internet.
Ex-Girlfriend: <click>

 

[Borg]

Me: And then post the video of your possibly-soon-to-be-famous, beautiful cat on the Internet.
Ex-Girlfriend: <click>

Maybe she misunderstood you?

 

[DiracPool]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stratfor/2016/07/26/facing-north-koreas-nuclear-reality/#cc3720a28d51

"After announcing that it would cut communications with the United States, North Korea launched three missiles (two Scuds and a No Dong) last week."

Ok, I can handle the scuds, but please don't drop any Dongs on me, please. I submit. NO DONGS!

 

[Jonathan Scott]

In my newfound free time, I made a fish game for cats! Yeah!

And I downloaded it, even though I don't have cats. I find it nearly as hypnotic as watching a real aquarium.

 

[Sophia]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stratfor/2016/07/26/facing-north-koreas-nuclear-reality/#cc3720a28d51

"After announcing that it would cut communications with the United States, North Korea launched three missiles (two Scuds and a No Dong) last week."

Ok, I can handle the scuds, but please don't drop any Dongs on me, please. I submit. NO DONGS!

Had to google that term. Thanks for a new entry in my TIL list

 

[DiracPool]

Had to google that term. Thanks for a new entry in my TIL list

I'm glad I've enhanced your vocabulary, although I'm sure I could have found a better word to do it with. But I guess we take what we can get

 

[fresh_42]

I'm glad I've enhanced your vocabulary, although I'm sure I could have found a better word to do it with. But I guess we take what we can get

Lol, and the best part of it: it's nodong in South Korea and rodong in the north.(Wiki)

 

[Psinter]

Spoiler: House room

This is true, I can confirm. I was once in an about 3 million dollar house and there was this huge main room, almost the size of my parents house (a single room!), and it looked so empty. There were some paintings, a few sculptures, a place to sit and the rest looked like a huge empty space. The walls were huge and the ceiling looked very far. If I were to approximate I would say it was like 3 stories tall above my head.

I do not lie when I say it looked like in the picture.

 

[fresh_42]

This is true, I can confirm. I was once in an about 3 million dollar house and there was this huge main room, almost the size of my parents house (a single room!), and it looked so empty. There were some paintings, a few sculptures, a place to sit and the rest looked like a huge empty space. The walls were huge and the ceiling looked very far. If I were to approximate I would say it was like 3 stories tall above my head.

I do not lie when I say it looked like in the picture.

I know what you mean. We have that here, too. We call it church.

 

[Psinter]

I know what you mean. We have that here, too. We say church to it.

No, the churches at my place aren't that big. They don't have that much money... Well, the have, but it all goes to the leaders, not to build a nice building for the followers to go and pray and do whatever it is that followers do there.

The one I say was a house. Oddly enough it was one of the cheapest. At that access controlled place there were houses that made you literally flip. Flip like a fish out of the water with the awesomeness of the architectures. Those house architectures left you like:

And the streets of the place were in better condition than the streets under control of the government. The gardens of the houses were like super tidy. And I don't even know what we were talking about again.

Some architectures never cease to amaze me.

Ah yeah, I remember now. The house of the rich, that sometimes have these huge empty rooms.

 

[WWGD]

Sarah Silverman said something interesting tonight at the DNC. She said her shrink told her that "We don't get what we want, we get what we think we deserve."

I like that. I think it's true. These are the ugly truths of humanity that most of us want to close our eyes to but that biologically drive our motivations in life. It's the reason that people are stuck in deadbeat jobs and women (and men) continue to exist in relationships with abusive partners. I don't know if anyone remembers Tom Leykis, but he had a good line that I hold near and dear. He said that, in life, you deserve exactly what you get. I know it sounds overly harsh at first glance, but there is tremendous power in that sentiment. It means that you are in control of your destiny and blaming anyone or anything else is simply BS. I like that.

Why do then, e.g., you have babies who are molested ? Or airline flights that crash (together with the fact that the number has decreased with the advent of new technologies) : do all passengers simultaneously believed they deserve to die? Ditto for so many Jewish people with being killed+ serial torture?
; do

 

[Sophia]

Three weeks ago, I stayed here for a night http://www.zamekdobris.cz/en/

 

[Pepper Mint]

Three weeks ago, I stayed here for a night http://www.zamekdobris.cz/en/

The meeting halls look like small churches. Everything looks clean and beautiful. I don't know if many tourists visit the palace as it looks deserted though.

 

[Sophia]

The meeting halls look like small churches. Everything looks clean and beautiful. I don't know if many tourists visit the palace as it looks deserted though.

There's a guided tourist group each hour. They have to wear large slippers on their shoes so that floors are kept clean :-) and the furniture you see is in an area marked by ropes and tourists are not allowed to pass them.
This is a special chateau because it still has its original owners - landlords who live there several days a month.
In my area, all chateaus and castles were taken from aristocracy during socialism and most still remain in public/state ownership today.
4 years ago I spent a weekend in this monastery http://www.zeliv.eu/cs/menu/ubytovani-v-klastere/
One night, our group was sitting and talking in a dining room for a long time and at 3am I decided to go to sleep. It was so scary to walk alone in a monastery at such a time! :-D and of course, I couldn't find our room so it took me some time to get there.

 

[Psinter]

There's a guided tourist group each hour. They have to wear large slippers on their shoes so that floors are kept clean :-) and the furniture you see is in an area marked by ropes and tourists are not allowed to pass them.
This is a special chateau because it still has its original owners - landlords who live there several days a month.
In my area, all chateaus and castles were taken from aristocracy during socialism and most still remain in public/state ownership today.
4 years ago I spent a weekend in this monastery http://www.zeliv.eu/cs/menu/ubytovani-v-klastere/
One night, our group was sitting and talking in a dining room for a long time and at 3am I decided to go to sleep. It was so scary to walk alone in a monastery at such a time! :-D and of course, I couldn't find our room so it took me some time to get there.

Did they have like a huge empty room?

Just kidding.

I sort of like the inside. Part of it looks like a cathedral.

The word chateau rings me something, but I can't remember where I have heard it.

 

[DiracPool]

Why do then, e.g., you have babies who are molested ? Or airline flights that crash (together with the fact that the number has decreased with the advent of new technologies) : do all passengers simultaneously believed they deserve to die? Ditto for so many Jewish people with being killed+ serial torture?
; do

Well, nobody wants to be sitting in a movie theater either watching the 25th anniversary celebration of "Back to the future" and have some masked gunman come in with a machine rifle and mow everyone down. So these accidents and terrorist attacks are outlier incidents that I don't think Sarah Silverman or Tom Leykis were considering in their sentiments. It's about personal power when dealing with ordinary day to day issues, people, circumstances, and the general irritations that come along with it. If you assign blame to other people or other entities, you are taking the power to control your destiny away from your self. And if you do that, then you've relinquished your control over the situation. That's all I think that their sentiments were trying to advance, and I'm trying to embrace it because I do think it promotes personal power..it's so easy to blame other people and circumstance for you problems, but where does that ever get you?

 

[DiracPool]

Maybe she misunderstood you?

I haven't fact checked this, but I remember a story my dad told me when I was a kid that Arnold Palmer (the golfer)'s wife came on the Johnny Carson show and Johnny asked her if there was anything she did for her husband before his matches to give him good luck. She said, yes, I reach in his bag every morning before a match and kiss his balls. To this, Johnny responded, "I bet that makes his putter stand up straight."

I don't want to fact check it because I don't want to think that my dad gave me a BS story and because I think it's funny. The extended story is that Mrs. Arnold Palmer sued him for the slander. Haha. I don't know, my dad was a semi-professional golfer back in the day so it may have been BS. He also told me that my grandfather, a WW2 hero with a purple heart in the European (France) theater, lived in a tent. I believed this for years until we visited him in Long Island NY where he actually lived on a big estate. I thought, WTF did my dad BS me on that for? When we were driving out on long Island from the airport he kept telling me to look for tents on the side of the road as if I were helping to locate his dad. What a freak. This was in the early 70's and I think my dad was so stoned half the time he didn't know up from down.

 

[WWGD]

Well, nobody wants to be sitting in a movie theater either watching the 25th anniversary celebration of "Back to the future" and have some masked gunman come in with a machine rifle and mow everyone down. So these accidents and terrorist attacks are outlier incidents that I don't think Sarah Silverman or Tom Leykis were considering in their sentiments. It's about personal power when dealing with ordinary day to day issues, people, circumstances, and the general irritations that come along with it. If you assign blame to other people or other entities, you are taking the power to control your destiny away from your self. And if you do that, then you've relinquished your control over the situation. That's all I think that their sentiments were trying to advance, and I'm trying to embrace it because I do think it promotes personal power..it's so easy to blame other people and circumstance for you problems, but where does that ever get you?

Fair enough, I just did not understand that was the point; I thought you meant it in a more general sense.

 

[jim hardy]

I haven't fact checked this, but I remember a story my dad told me when I was a kid that Arnold Palmer (the golfer)'s wife came on the Johnny Carson show and Johnny asked her if there was anything she did for her husband before his matches to give him good luck. She said, yes, I reach in his bag every morning before a match and kiss his balls. To this, Johnny responded, "I bet that makes his putter stand up straight."

I seem to remember watching that episode , i believe it was indeed Johnny Carson but Mrs Bob Hope.
Carson's quip was "I'll bet that makes his putter rise."

 

[zoobyshoe]

I haven't fact checked this, but I remember a story my dad told me when I was a kid that Arnold Palmer (the golfer)'s wife came on the Johnny Carson show and Johnny asked her if there was anything she did for her husband before his matches to give him good luck. She said, yes, I reach in his bag every morning before a match and kiss his balls. To this, Johnny responded, "I bet that makes his putter stand up straight."

I don't want to fact check it because I don't want to think that my dad gave me a BS story and because I think it's funny. The extended story is that Mrs. Arnold Palmer sued him for the slander. Haha. I don't know, my dad was a semi-professional golfer back in the day so it may have been BS. He also told me that my grandfather, a WW2 hero with a purple heart in the European (France) theater, lived in a tent. I believed this for years until we visited him in Long Island NY where he actually lived on a big estate. I thought, WTF did my dad BS me on that for? When we were driving out on long Island from the airport he kept telling me to look for tents on the side of the road as if I were helping to locate his dad. What a freak. This was in the early 70's and I think my dad was so stoned half the time he didn't know up from down.

Apparently it's an old joke that was applied to any sport that involves balls back through history to the beginning of recorded time. Versions of it appear in some Egyptian Heiroglyphs, and clay cuneiform tablets found all over ancient Babylonia appear to ascribe this good luck ritual to the wife of then legendary bacci player, Tosserammi. However, I just made most of that up. Here's the snopes scoop:
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/kissballs.asp

 

[DiracPool]

Apparently it's an old joke that was applied to any sport that involves balls back through history to the beginning of recorded time.

Haha, what a great find, see, I was scared to search for the truth, but I was half right (whatever that means ).

"The story goes that during a Tonight Show appearance, Arnold Palmer was asked by Johnny Carson if he had any good-luck rituals. The golfer replied, "Yes, my wife kisses my balls." To which Carson supposedly quipped, "I'll bet that flutters your putter."

I think that may be a good lesson for all of us, sometimes we want to hold on to traditional wisdom so hard we're willing to turn a blind eye to fact and reality. As much of a scientist I purport myself to be, my emotional longings to keep some sort of purity of my youth preserved prevented me from fact checking this memory. That's what is great about PF, you can count on your friends here to call you out and make you handle the truth!

 

[Psinter]

There is a huge spider image in that spoiler. I do not recommend opening it.

Spoiler: Nope

And of course my reaction after seeing it while randomly browsing:

Okay?

I mean no. It's not okay! Nope, nope, nope. That's not natural. No.

*abandons Planet Earth*

"Report of our expedition to a nearby planet, sir. There are weird creatures inhabiting the place. It is not considered safe."

 

[fresh_42]

My hitchhiker's guide, however, categorizes this planet as "mostly harmless".

 

[zoobyshoe]

Curent temperature at the South Pole: -63° F.

 

[Ibix]

It turns out we're out of normal vinegar, but not out of balsamic vinegar. Consequently, I am sitting here eating fish fingers with balsamic vinegar.

There is something fundamentally wrong with this.

 

[fresh_42]

It turns out we're out of normal vinegar, but not out of balsamic vinegar. Consequently, I am sitting here eating fish fingers with balsamic vinegar.

There is something fundamentally wrong with this.

I would reply: Yes, of course, the combination of vinegar and fish! But I do respect cultural differences. And beside the vinegar, I love fish and chips. Chips: Irish or English, not French or Belgian.

My grandma used to say (and I hope it won't lose all of its humor by translation cause normally it's a rhyme):
In need the sausage taste fine even without bread.

 

[Sophia]

Yeah, I can eat chips with vinegar, but only if there's relatively little of it. Just to try something exotic. But if there's too much

I wonder who invented the practice. It doesn't make sense.

 

[1oldman2]

My hitchhiker's guide, however, categorizes this planet as "mostly harmless".

That's the "oldest trick in the book", no one would fall for that anymore.

 

[DiracPool]

It turns out we're out of normal vinegar, but not out of balsamic vinegar.

I like balsamic vinegar. In the 80's my dad turned me on to the Zone diet, which I think I may have mentioned here before but I don't remember so please indulge me. There's only two things I took away from the Zone diet that I still practice today, one is that I only eat a small plate of lowfat yogurt for breakfast (which I do), and the other is that ideally, you'd want to have a salad lunch with romaine lettuce, maybe some chicken breast and, yes, first cold pressed olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So Barry Sears got me for breakfast and lunch.

Unfortunately, later on in the 90's he came out with a new wrinkle cream that totally de-legitamized his super diet in my mind, so that was a disappointment. But I still like eating lowfat yogurt for breakfast and chicken salads with balsamic vinegar for lunch.

 

[Psinter]

Has someone here tried a sub with vinegar?

I find it incredibly delectable.

Just that I have to avoid eating too much or later that night my stomach will pain.

@Sophia I love chips with vinegar! Once again I must avoid eating too much or my stomach will pain.

Everything went down like this: First I was wary of vinegar, I thought, who on Earth would eat something that looks so acidic and smells so weird? But one day I decided to try a sub with vinegar and I was like: . This is so tasty! And then I tried chips with vinegar and I loved it!

And that happened about a year ago. Before that, I had never tried vinegar.

 

[collinsmark]

Yes, subs (short for "submarine sandwiches") with a little oil and vinegar thrown on are delicious. It helps to have the right kind of vinegar though. I'd like to know specifically what kind that is; my local sandwich shop has it, but I'm not sure how to pick it out at the grocery.

In terms of "fish and chips," the traditional way to eat them is to put the vinegar or lemon on the fish, and the tarter sauce is for dipping with the chips*. Ketchup does not fit into the picture.

Americans tend to throw tradition out the window and sometimes put the tartar sauce on the fish and eat the chips (french fries) with ketchup and throw the vinegar around with no rhyme or reason. The lemon is garnish that can be used as a makeshift projectile.

*(a.k.a., "french fries." In the UK and surrounding areas [e.g., Ireland], french fries are called "chips." What Americans call potato "chips" are called potato "crisps" there.)

 

[jim hardy]

Ever tried a little vinegar on whatever you're grilling on the barbecue ?

I tried it on steak, tasted great , now i use Italian salad dressing for the spices. Mix it into hamburgers, too.

 

[Psinter]

Yes, subs (short for "submarine sandwiches") with a little oil and vinegar thrown on are delicious. It helps to have the right kind of vinegar though. I'd like to know specifically what kind that is; my local sandwich shop has it, but I'm not sure how to pick it out at the grocery.

In terms of "fish and chips," the traditional way to eat them is to put the vinegar or lemon on the fish, and the tarter sauce is for dipping with the chips*. Ketchup does not fit into the picture.

Americans tend to throw tradition out the window and sometimes put the tartar sauce on the fish and eat the chips (french fries) with ketchup and throw the vinegar around with no rhyme or reason. The lemon is garnish that can be used as a makeshift projectile.

*(a.k.a., "french fries." In the UK and surrounding areas [e.g., Ireland], french fries are called "chips." What Americans call potato "chips" are called potato "crisps" there.)

Oh, I see.

The chips I talk about that I tried with vinegar would then be "potato crisps". It is not french fries (which I just call "fries"). I have never tried french fries with vinegar though. Maybe I should give it a try when I get some.

The potato crisps I tried had already the vinegar flavor on them. After being fried they were probably submerged in vinegar and then baked just enough to dry them. I loved the taste.

I have never tried to do it myself, but I agree that it must be some specific kinds of vinegar that go great with the subs. Maybe others won't go well with them.

Ever tried a little vinegar on whatever you're grilling on the barbecue ?

I tried it on steak, tasted great , now i use Italian salad dressing for the spices. Mix it into hamburgers, too.

How curious. No, I've never tried it. Maybe some day I'll give it a hit . I rarely have grilled or BBQ food, but yeah.

 

[OCR]

...the tarter sauce is for dipping with the chips*...*(a.k.a., "french fries."

... Love tarter sauce on fries*.

*(a.k.a., "chips") ...

 

[zoobyshoe]

The strange main character in the movie, "Sling Blade," used to put mustard on his french fries.

 

[WWGD]

Yes, subs (short for "submarine sandwiches") with a little oil and vinegar thrown on are delicious. It helps to have the right kind of vinegar though. I'd like to know specifically what kind that is; my local sandwich shop has it, but I'm not sure how to pick it out at the grocery.

In terms of "fish and chips," the traditional way to eat them is to put the vinegar or lemon on the fish, and the tarter sauce is for dipping with the chips*. Ketchup does not fit into the picture.

Americans tend to throw tradition out the window and sometimes put the tartar sauce on the fish and eat the chips (french fries) with ketchup and throw the vinegar around with no rhyme or reason. The lemon is garnish that can be used as a makeshift projectile.

*(a.k.a., "french fries." In the UK and surrounding areas [e.g., Ireland], french fries are called "chips." What Americans call potato "chips" are called potato "crisps" there.)

But you should not use both sauces: do not double dip the chip.

 

[fresh_42]

I'm confused.
If these are chips or french fries
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ETTyVQrUZt8/maxresdefault.jpg
and these are crisps
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sites/womenshealthmag.com/files/images/salty-chips.jpg

What are these? I have been sold them in the UK as the chips part of fish and chips:
http://www.omegapizza.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/potato-wedges.jpg

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

What are these? I have been sold them in UK as the chips part of fish and chips:
http://www.omegapizza.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/potato-wedges.jpg

We call those steak fries or, simply, potato wedges. Usually, they're baked.

 

[1oldman2]

We call those steak fries or, simply, potato wedges. Usually, they're baked.

Oh yes, also known as jojo fries in certain restaurants.

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

Oh yes, also known as jojo fries in certain restaurants.

Never heard that one before, it sounds cute

 

[1oldman2]

The strange main character in the movie, "Sling Blade," used to put mustard on his french fries.

I remember he was big on mustard on his biscuits, however he did enjoy the "french fried taters" That was a great film.

 

[1oldman2]

Never heard that one before, it sounds cute

I think its a regional term, mostly used in conjunction with "take out chicken" as a side dish. (I'm still struggling with the concept of a cute potato so I'll refrain from commenting on that)

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

(I'm still struggling with the concept of a cute potato so I'll refrain from commenting on that)

I was thinking of the name "jojo" as being cute

But, potatoes can be cute, too

Spoiler

 

[Ibix]

What are these? I have been sold them in the UK as the chips part of fish and chips:
http://www.omegapizza.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/potato-wedges.jpg

Those are chips, unless they're potato wedges, in which case they cost 50-100% more.

 

[fresh_42]

I was thinking of the name "jojo" as being cute

But, potatoes can be cute, too

Spoiler

Is this related to the sarcastic guy who sarcasts the whole day long?

 

[zoobyshoe]

I remember he was big on mustard on his biscuits, however he did enjoy the "french fried taters" That was a great film.

Yeah, it had so many great scenes.

 

[Psinter]

Wedge fries I call them. But I pronounce it as "welsh". Because when I was a kid someone pronounced it like that and it stuck to me.

I know it is wrongly pronounced. I must restructure my pronunciation.

They are very tasty.

The strange main character in the movie, "Sling Blade," used to put mustard on his french fries.

Random thought: Mustard has a very strong taste. I'm not a big fan of it.

 

[fresh_42]

Random thought: Mustard has a very strong taste. I'm not a big fan of it.

Perhaps you should reconsider this. I once have heard of a study (I admit it's been on the radio) in which they tried to find out why the rate on some sorts of cancer wasn't higher than on average among people who regularly have BBQs and therewith ate a lot of carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Their most likely candidate to explain this lack of discrepancy has been mustard.

 

[Psinter]

I'm not sure I understand .

I don't regularly have BBQ.

 

[fresh_42]

Mustard seems to be good to lower the risk on developing some cancers. Nitrosamines can basically be found in all kinds of food that are salted and overheated, e.g. fries, crisps, steaks, and so on. you don't need a BBQ. The usual unhealthy stuff will do.