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

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses various random thoughts and observations, touching on topics such as media programming, personal anecdotes, language use, and mathematical curiosities. The scope includes informal commentary, humor, and reflections on everyday experiences.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration with the quality of documentaries on channels like the History Channel and National Geographic, suggesting a decline in factual programming.
  • There is a humorous anecdote about discovering a polythene bag obstructing a kitchen extractor fan, leading to a discussion about the clarity of installation manuals.
  • Participants share thoughts on the nature of prime numbers, particularly regarding the status of the number 2 and its implications for mathematical proofs.
  • There are reflections on language use and the reactions to grammatical errors made by native speakers, with some participants sharing their personal responses to such situations.
  • One participant humorously suggests that if 2 were not considered prime, it would complicate the understanding of prime factors in even numbers.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple competing views, particularly regarding the status of the number 2 as a prime and the quality of media programming. No consensus is reached on these topics.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying degrees of skepticism and humor, with some comments reflecting personal experiences and subjective opinions rather than objective analysis.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in informal discussions about media, language, and mathematics may find this thread engaging.

  • #271
fresh_42 said:
Are you looking for trouble with AI?

Edit: Has anyone ever asked, why the Canadians regularly send him to the USA and across the world?

AI?? And yes, I guess the hint to Bieber is clear.
 
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  • #272
I just checked my bank account and am very satisfied with the amount I have earned so far, not much though but I wonder if I you also agree that I should fly. :approve:
 
  • #273
Pokemon Go is becoming very popular and there are already lots of reports of accidents, robberies, and just plain stupidity. I think that I had two players even run by my house today. I was looking out the window when two guys ran up to my backyard fence while looking at their phones. When they got there, they seemed to decide that they couldn't get to something and ran off in another direction. It's going to be a strange summer. :wideeyed:
 
  • #274
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  • #276
I am not a fan of psychology or psychiatry. But what terminology should I use to describe people who I once shared with them, for example, my thoughts of how important about being able to land a job was to me and later they turned against me and threatened me that they would fire me if I disobeyed their orders ?
 
  • #277
?

 
  • #279
Is 65 to late to get a job, i have been out of the job market for 8 years and i am now looking for a job in engineering , i have a wealth of skills, electrical, pneumatics,
mechanics, but i can not get a job, what do you think is 65 to old for a job?
 
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  • #280
wolram said:
what do you think is 65 to old for a job?

Perhaps as a direct hire. "Catbert" in HR department wants somebody from whom he can extract thirty years service.
But
In my (former) industry there is a whole world of contractors who travel from site to site
https://roadtechs.com/
https://www.nukeworker.com/
http://www.industrialprojectsreport.com/RoadTechs

it's not uncommon for someone with a niche skillset to spend a decade in one place as a contractor.
Your skills sound like an I&C(instrumentation and controls) type .

old jim
 
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  • #281
A boiled watch never pots.
 
  • #282
Adventures in Beetleism:

This guy on the Beetle forum was watching a youtube on how to adjust his valves. Apparently, whoever made the video wasn't completely explicit and, instead of saying you had to point the distributor rotor toward the #1 cylinder spark plug wire, he instructed the viewer to point it toward the # 1 cylinder. And this guy did just that, and royally screwed up his valve adjustment.
 
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  • #283
zoobyshoe said:
A boiled watch never pots.

A watched Xerox machine never warms up..
 
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  • #284
jim hardy said:
A watched Xerox machine never warms up..
True...it's strange to me.
 
  • #285
jim hardy said:
A watched Xerox machine never warms up..

Pepper Mint said:
True...it's strange to me.

 
  • #286
jim hardy said:
A watched Xerox machine never warms up..
It's only a problem for those with a cold, rational gaze. Fluffy warm humanities types get almost instant response.

It does them no good, however. One generally needs an engineering degree of some kind to actually operate an office copier/printer/scanner/fax/kitchen sink.
 
  • #287
Ibix said:
One generally needs an engineering degree of some kind to actually operate an office copier/printer/scanner/fax/kitchen sink.
... and a linguistic degree of some kind to read the manual. :cool:
 
  • #288
fresh_42 said:
... and a linguistic degree of some kind to read the manual. :cool:
I've never seen an operating manual or any kind of training material for our office printers. Sure I can use them to print and copy, and I deduced some of its job management features by studying the control panel. But I have the feeling that anything with a touch screen can probably do more than that...

It's just occurred to me that I can probably download a manual for it. I've only been working here ten years... o:)
 
  • #289
It might be different nowadays. In the 80s manuals often have been translated from some asian language into english and from there into my language. The results had been somewhere between funny and totally cryptic.
 
  • #290
I was in Brunei for a few months, years ago. I gather the Sultan has got religion since then, but at the time it was quite tolerant of its large chinese minority and many westerners. Many restaurants served alcohol, and they all had a sign up saying, in Malay, that muslims were not allowed to drink alcohol. It was also written in English... almost. The English actually said "Muslims are restricted to drinking alcohol in this restaurant".

As I recall, the signs were different styles in different places, so I presume this was the official English statement that was carefully reproduced on all such signs.
 
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  • #291
A watched microwave oven distorts space-time.
 
  • #292
ebos said:
A watched microwave oven distorts space-time.
In this case you really should lower the power! The energy density is far too high if you can recognize it!
 
  • #293
ebos said:
A watched microwave oven distorts space-time.
Only during a supernova.
 
  • #294
ebos said:
A watched microwave oven distorts space-time.
Well, a watch in the microwave gets distorted.
 
  • #295
The quick wits are out in full force today...
 
  • #296
A watched wit always quips.
 
  • #297
So, yeah, I got distracted and sure enough the pot started to boil. Now I wonder how long it'll take for the stew to cook.
 
  • #298
I'm the only person I know of who burnt water (several times). Interesting things happen to the pot then ...
 
  • #300
Farmers encouraged Christians to fight more. :biggrin:
 

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