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

[nuuskur]

This is why I like math: when you mess up your seasoning of a piece of meat you can't just go back in time and fix it, you'll likely have wasted a good piece of meat. If you mess up your proof somewhere you just erase the dubious part and try again, at most there will be some paper or ink lost.

 

[DrGreg]

Today I received a letter addressed to "The Occupier" at my address. On the back of the envelope were instructions what to do if the addressee no longer lives at this address. A paradox.

 

[Borg]

I once got an email from someone needing parts for a time machine. I still don't know if he got what he needed.

 

[fresh_42]

I once got an email from someone needing parts for a time machine. I still don't know if he got what he needed.

I once got a phone call in the middle of the night, so I woke up. The person asked for Sgt. Brown. I still don't know whether I answered in English or German, or what at all.

 

[Klystron]

I once got a phone call in the middle of the night, so I woke up. The person asked for Sgt. Brown. I still don't know whether I answered in English or German, or what at all.

True story. While away from home on an extended assignment (TDY in government-speak), I was woken by a phone call around 0300 local time.

Caller identified himself as Sergeant Someone from Metropolitan Police Department. Sounded authentic. I must come to the station immediately to bail out my son. Sleepy denials on my part. Adamant details from the Sergeant. Correct names and phone number. Correct hair and eye color. Knew karate. No wallet or ID. My son had been arrested at Paul Anka's Jubilation night club after a drunken brawl where he tore the clothes off a hostess, flattened two bouncers and threatened the night manager with bodily harm. Charges would be dropped if I pay damages. Stop denying and come now.

After several tense minutes I convinced the dubious sergeant that despite the suspect in custody giving my son's name and knowing my name and phone number and even being adept at karate, I did not believe their suspect was my son. Aside from being too well mannered to tear the clothes off a nightclub hostess, my son had just turned ten.

Still, I woke up in the morning wondering, "Son...?".

 

[Borg]

I never knew but the FBI has a separate victims unit whose sole purpose is to help people after a tragedy.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...own-fbi-unit-focuses-helping-victims-n1038856

 

[WWGD]

Weird response, not sure I get it.
Me: Wow, I just noticed I have been fasting for the last day or so.
Others: Great Job, Perfect, Congratulations! ?
I don't know, I am not grossly overweight or anything (BMI around 26) , so no idea why they replied like that.

 

[pinball1970]

Weird response, not sure I get it.
Me: Wow, I just noticed I have been fasting for the last day or so.
Others: Great Job, Perfect, Congratulations! ?
I don't know, I am not grossly overweight or anything (BMI around 26) , so no idea why they replied like that.

Perhaps they thought you were trying to lose weight or doing some sort of detox?26 is officially overweight in terms of BMI but I do not think the numbers are great indicators of health.The figures do not take muscularity into account, for instance the healthy range is supposedly 19-24 (I am 26.4 = overweight)This means you can be 5 ft 11 and weigh 9 ½ stone which is very skinny.I’ve not been that weight since I was a skinny teenager.

 

[skyshrimp]

I'm making 1.5kg of salf beef. Americans call it corned beef.

Had to wait for the potassium nitrate to come from eBay, now I have to wait 10 days for it to cure in the fridge. The final stage is letting it simmer for 4 hours, then it's salt beef, mustard and pickle sandwiches.

 

[A M]

26 is officially overweight in terms of BMI but I do not think the numbers are great indicators of health.

The figures do not take muscularity into account, for instance the healthy range is supposedly 19-24 (I am 26.4 = overweight)

A study published by Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2005 showed that overweight people had a death rate similar to normal weight people as defined by BMI, while underweight and obese people had a higher death rate.
Yes, as you know BMI depends on mass, height, age and gender.
But there are also many parameters upon which BMI depends: e.g. Bone Density, the Amount of Muscles & Fat.
It's clear that the more density your bones, the higher mass your body gets.
So overweight people might have just denser bones.
Muscle vs Fat:
BMI is particularly inaccurate for people who are very fit or athletic, as their high muscle mass can classify them in the overweight category by BMI (muscle is much denser than fat), even though their body fat percentages frequently fall in the 10–15% category, which is below that of a more sedentary person of average build who has a normal BMI number.
So, if you're an athletic (or have a high ratio of muscle to fat) don't worry. You are healthier than what your BMI states.
(There are some useful information on Wiki)

 

[WWGD]

I'm making 1.5kg of salf beef. Americans call it corned beef.

Had to wait for the potassium nitrate to come from eBay, now I have to wait 10 days for it to cure in the fridge. The final stage is letting it simmer for 4 hours, then it's salt beef, mustard and pickle sandwiches.

Right on. I respect true , full dedication to making a quality sandwich!

 

[WWGD]

So this guy in a wheelchair gets into the bus. Some 20 minutes to help him and make sure he is safely-attached to the bus. Another 20 min or so when he wants to get out...until he stands up from the chair, pulls it out with him and exits the bus...?

 

[nuuskur]

There you go, god exists. q.e.d

 

[Klystron]

There you go, god exists. q.e.d

Occam's dull razor. "Choose the least offensive hypotheses."

Spoiler

Both posts tounge-in-cheek, of course; begging-the-question
"Can you speak while your tounge is in your cheek?"

 

[WWGD]

Weird-funny situation: walking in the sidewalk , this woman sideways to me, at the same "level", both of us walking at the same speed, kind of awkward. She speeds up to move ahead, so do I ( not on purpose). She slows down, so do I. I then just stop and let her ahead. It was daytime in a crowded place, so no further worry for her, I guess.

 

[Klystron]

Just a guess: you are a somewhat large adult male.

 

[WWGD]

Just a guess: you are a somewhat large adult male.

Yeah, around 6'11/2", 210. She seemed scared out of her mind when she ran away, even at around noon in a crowded place.

 

[Klystron]

Yeah, around 6'11/2", 210. She seemed scared out of her mind when she ran away, even at around noon in a crowded place.

Dude! Allow me to play the gruff fatherly figure though it is too hot to wear a sweater with or without elbow patches .

My old man stopped me while I walked across our living room deep in thought one cloudy day. He told me my manner and expression would terrify a hungry wolverine, or words to that effect.

"Stand straight, make light eye contact and smile, always smile. Smile, and act friendly."

That afternoon we bought sunglasses to protect my eyesight from glare but also to protect strangers from my 'baleful noon-day stare'. See, I still wear them .

On the plus side I can walk alone through even the toughest towns as blithely as Alice and her sister napping among the hedgerows.

 

[WWGD]

Dude! Allow me to play the gruff fatherly figure though it is too hot to wear a sweater with or without elbow patches .

My old man stopped me while I walked across our living room deep in thought one cloudy day. He told me my manner and expression would terrify a hungry wolverine, or words to that effect.

"Stand straight, make light eye contact and smile, always smile. Smile, and act friendly."

That afternoon we bought sunglasses to protect my eyesight from glare but also to protect strangers from my 'baleful noon-day stare'. See, I still wear them .

On the plus side I can walk alone through even the toughest towns as blithely as Alice and her sister napping among the hedgerows.

Get your point. I will stop mumbling : "Do you feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?"*And I will start my smiling exercises to undo the facial gridlock :).
*From watching way too many Clint Eastwood marathons in TBS.

 

[Klystron]

Apropos to large humans I often imagine how different online social exchanges might be with physical proximity.

In the early days of implementing sendmail on DARPA-net / NASA.net I received numerous complaints about a programmer sending insulting messages to coworkers. I sent polite messages to please be civil, quell the 'flames', but was rebuffed and insulted in turn. I was able to deduce the building and then cubicle of the offender from packet data. I rode my bicycle over to that building across the flight line, found the cubicle and braced the nascent flamer in the act.

I almost felt sorry for the Dude, he was so shocked to confront a large frowning administrator. He apologized profusely and promised to be polite on all future correspondence. Last time I did that but still I wonder how proximity might aid civility?

[Edit: made reference clear. ]

 

[pinball1970]

Apropos to @WWGD 's posts I often imagine how different social exchanges might be with physical proximity.

In the early days of implementing sendmail on DARPA-net / NASA.net I received numerous complaints about a programmer sending insulting messages to coworkers. I sent polite messages to please be civil, quell the 'flames', but was rebuffed and insulted in turn. I was able to deduce the building and then cubicle of the offender from packet data. I rode my bicycle over to Space Sciences, found the cubicle and braced the nascent flamer in the act.

I almost felt sorry for the Dude, he was so shocked to confront a large frowning administrator. He apologized profusely and promised to be polite on all future correspondence. Last time I did that but still I wonder how proximity might aid civility?

Sounds like a key board tough guy, symptomatic of social media culture. I expect better from STEM guys though.

 

[pinball1970]

What causes quantum uncertainty? My friend who's working for Apknite says that detectors are not the cause of wave collapse, because you are measuring something that isn't remaining in the same state.

That's not it I don't think.
The uncertainty principle is specific. @Dale will expand if he is about.

 

[WWGD]

Windows' Computer on wait: "Refreshing information":
OS: Windows 10 Home Edition
8GB Ram...

Not so refreshing.

 

[fresh_42]

Windows' Computer on wait: "Refreshing information":
OS: Windows 10 Home Edition
8GB Ram...

Not so refreshing.

Windows (no server editions) only work fine as long as you do not update their patches and do not install proper software, i.e. software which requires more than e.g. notepad.

I had a startup time from a couple of seconds, and then their updates came ... I'm meanwhile above two minutes, sometimes close to three.

 

[WWGD]

Windows (no server editions) only work fine as long as you do not update their patches and do not install proper software, i.e. software which requires more than e.g. notepad.

I had a startup time from a couple of seconds, and then their updates came ... I'm meanwhile above two minutes, sometimes close to three.

Not very refreshing either.

 

[fresh_42]

Not very refreshing either.

Yep. It's like a vintage car. As long as you do not use it, it will be fine.

 

[pinball1970]

A study published by Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2005 showed that overweight people had a death rate similar to normal weight people as defined by BMI, while underweight and obese people had a higher death rate.
Yes, as you know BMI depends on mass, height, age and gender.
But there are also many parameters upon which BMI depends: e.g. Bone Density, the Amount of Muscles & Fat.
It's clear that the more density your bones, the higher mass your body gets.
So overweight people might have just denser bones.
Muscle vs Fat:
BMI is particularly inaccurate for people who are very fit or athletic, as their high muscle mass can classify them in the overweight category by BMI (muscle is much denser than fat), even though their body fat percentages frequently fall in the 10–15% category, which is below that of a more sedentary person of average build who has a normal BMI number.
So, if you're an athletic (or have a high ratio of muscle to fat) don't worry. You are healthier than what your BMI states.
(There are some useful information on Wiki)

Yes that's me, thanks.

 

[pinball1970]

Yep. It's like a vintage car. As long as you do not use it, it will be fine.

Post #123 regarding uncertainty needs a technical response if you can. Edit post removed

 

[WWGD]

Me: "I appreciate it"
Cost Accountant: " I depreciate it"

 

[WWGD]

Post #123 regarding uncertainty needs a technical response if you can. Edit post removed

A bit more refreshing. "Refreshinger"?

 

[WWGD]

Met this guy I hadn't seen in a few months. His hair , during this time, went from being dark to being almost fully white. I knd of gasped, but had no idea if I should ask him about it. He acted as if it was normal, as if nothing had happened. Then again, there was this other guy I knew who would fart in front of me and say nothing, as if this was a normal thing. Maybe I should review the company I keep.

 

[fresh_42]

A bit more refreshing. "Refreshinger"?

Nope. Re-moving. Not, removing.

 

[WWGD]

Volunteers in the street: "Sir, would you like to change the world". Reply:"What, you mean in exchange for a new one?".
Volunteers:"...??!"

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

It is interesting hearing tourists identify beaches as the ones with “pretty people”, “uglier people”, “stereotypical people”, and “industrial people”.

They were from Germany

 

[WWGD]

Another weirdly-phrased question: " How do I turn 75 minutes into days?"

Wait at least 22 hrs and 45 minutes?

 

[WWGD]

It is interesting hearing tourists identify beaches as the ones with “pretty people”, “uglier people”, “stereotypical people”, and “industrial people”.

They were from Germany

Pretty sure they had a 47+ word for each of those? Unterstrandenfahrvernugengegeiserschaften? ( The "Ubercalifragilistikenexpialisheizer" is silent.)

 

[fresh_42]

Another weirdly-phrased question: " How do I turn 75 minutes into days?"

Wait at least 22 hrs and 45 minutes?

I know people who can turn far less into days if you have to listen to them.

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

Pretty sure they had a 47+ word for each of those? Unterstrandenfahrvernugengegeiserschaften? ( The "Ubercalifragilistikenexpialisheizer" is silent.)

Oh indeed it was poetic

 

[WWGD]

I know people who can turn far less into days if you have to listen to them.

Ouch! I hadn't been told that in a while ( by my students, who recorded my classes and then listened to them to put themselves to sleep.)

 

[WWGD]

I know people who can turn far less into days if you have to listen to them.

But I think the question meant was that of what fraction of a day is 75 minutes. So you divide 75 by 24*60.

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

Ouch! I hadn't been told that in a while ( by my students, who recorded my classes and then listened to them to put themselves to sleep.)

That sounds lovely, you should upload your lectures on Spotify as ASMR

 

[WWGD]

That sounds lovely, you should upload your lectures on Spotify as ASMR

That was from a while back when I taught.

 

[Klystron]

Somewhat surprised to see Combinatorics reported here in the New York Times newspaper this fine Sunday morning. Does this imply that combinatorics is now "dead", in the sense that exposure on public media is the "kiss of death" for STEM ideas?

 

[dlgoff]

Red skies in the evening with a few rain drops, ...

 

[DennisN]

A fun Tron light cycle game on a rotating 3D blob:
http://cycleblob.com/

 

[nuuskur]

Spoiler

Red skies in the evening with a few rain drops, ...
View attachment 248692

I was about to suggest stars are much closer to wherever it is you're from :D

 

[fresh_42]

I was about to suggest stars are much closer to wherever it is you're from :D

My guess is Betelgeuse. Maybe we should call him Mr. President.

 

[dlgoff]

My guess is Betelgeuse. Maybe we should call him Mr. President.

Dang. What were the chances of that?

part of the image compliments of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orion_3008_huge.jpg

 

[WWGD]

Interesting rule of thumb I heard recently: In civil service exams*, the longest answer is usually the correct one.

*Multiple choice exams.

 

[WWGD]

Seeing the anti-terrorist task force policeman drinking fruity-green Starbucks drinks doesn't make me feel particularly safer.