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

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion revolves around the latest installment of the "Random Thoughts" thread on Physics Forums, highlighting various topics including critiques of documentary programming on the History Channel and National Geographic's recent ownership change. Participants express concerns about the quality of content in documentaries and share personal anecdotes, such as a humorous incident involving a clogged kitchen extractor fan. The conversation also touches on mathematical discussions regarding prime numbers and cultural observations about societal norms and language use.

PREREQUISITES
  • Familiarity with documentary programming and its impact on public knowledge.
  • Basic understanding of prime numbers and mathematical proofs.
  • Awareness of cultural commentary and societal norms.
  • Knowledge of language variations and their implications in communication.
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the impact of media ownership on documentary content quality.
  • Research advanced mathematical concepts related to prime numbers.
  • Investigate cultural differences in language use and societal expectations.
  • Learn about the effects of solar irradiation in different geographical locations.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for media analysts, educators in mathematics, cultural commentators, and anyone interested in the intersection of media, society, and education.

  • #4,171
fresh_42 said:
I've heard the sun will be punished with tariffs if it comes to one.
Society Against Abbreviations?
 
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  • #4,173
  • #4,174
WWGD said:
CME:=??
Common Malware Enumeration

If a big CME isn't malware I don't know what else should be one. Btw. I first had an interesting typo "maleware". Hm, pore ...
 
  • #4,175
A little bit now and a little bit 10 years later.
 
  • #4,176
Interesting side discussion the other day: Do weird people seem weird to other weird people?
 
  • #4,177
My guess:
Only if they are weird in different ways, weird in the same way would seem normal to the co-weird.

Its like mental relativity: weird is determined by the difference between the observer and the observedee.
 
  • #4,178
How about this type: Have you seen Harry Potter? No , he is a fictional character. EDIT: This is an actual answer I heard recently.
 
  • #4,179
But the original point came about a story on TV about a group of comedians including Andy Kaufman. Someone saw the comedians and thought they were all insane from their act. He said ( of all except Andy Kaufman) : They look crazy but after their act, you sit with them, have a few beers and you realize it's all an act. With Andy Kaufman, you talk with him after his act and he seems even crazier than on stage.
 
  • #4,180
Wonder if those who selected names for generations painted themselves to a corner (approx) : X (1965-1981) , Y( 1982 -2002) Z, (2002-now) . What do you use for the one after Z?
 
  • #4,181
WWGD said:
Wonder if those who selected names for generations painted themselves to a corner (approx) : X (1965-1981) , Y( 1982 -2002) Z, (2002-now) . What do you use for the one after Z?
##\aleph##?
 
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  • #4,182
Ibix said:
##\aleph##?
Careful, you're entering the dark side of us Math people.
 
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  • #4,183
WWGD said:
Careful, you're entering the dark side of us Math people.
Don't ##\beth## on it.
 
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  • #4,184
Ibix said:
Don't ##\beth## on it.
You're Punny today.( Ran out of transfinite puns)
 
  • #4,185
WWGD said:
( Ran out of transfinite puns)
Wrong. It has to be "ג a break!" (The English website had no underlying link.)
 
  • #4,186
fresh_42 said:
Wrong. It has to be ג a break!
Yes, but when do you use ג unless you are a professional set theorists. Alephs, Beths, yes, but beyond that? Too obscure ( unlike most of what I post, right?).
 
  • #4,187
WWGD said:
Yes, but when do you use ג unless you are a professional set theorists. Alephs, Beths, yes, but beyond that? Too obscure ( unlike most of what I post, right?).
Gee, what's ##\gamma##?
 
  • #4,188
fresh_42 said:
Wrong. It has to be "ג a break!" (The English website had no underlying link.)
fresh_42 said:
Gee, what's ##\gamma##?
See how there are no good cardinalities after Beth?
 
  • #4,189
I always wondered why nobody plundered the Cyrillic alphabet, at least those which are different like ж щ и л я ч ?
 
  • #4,190
fresh_42 said:
I always wondered why nobody plundered the Cyrillic alphabet, at least those which are different like ж щ и л я ч ?
Maybe because it is what English letters look like when you are seriously drunk.
 
  • #4,191
WWGD said:
Maybe because it is what English letters look like when you are seriously drunk.
Yes, sounds reasonable, but there is a misfit of about 600 years:

The world's first written mention of the drink and of the word "vodka" was in 1405 from Akta Grodzkie recorder of deeds, in the court documents from the Palatinate of Sandomierz in Poland and it went on to become a popular drink there.

Saints Cyril and Methodius (826–869, 815–885; Greek: Κύριλλος καὶ Μεθόδιος; Old Church Slavonic: Кѷриллъ и Меѳодїи[more]) were two brothers who were Byzantine Christian theologians and Christian missionaries. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received the title "Apostles to the Slavs".

Maybe Cyrillic is the reason why ... I think I'm on to something ...
 
  • #4,192
fresh_42 said:
Yes, sounds reasonable, but there is a misfit of about 600 years:

The world's first written mention of the drink and of the word "vodka" was in 1405 from Akta Grodzkie recorder of deeds, in the court documents from the Palatinate of Sandomierz in Poland and it went on to become a popular drink there.

Saints Cyril and Methodius (826–869, 815–885; Greek: Κύριλλος καὶ Μεθόδιος; Old Church Slavonic: Кѷриллъ и Меѳодїи[more]) were two brothers who were Byzantine Christian theologians and Christian missionaries. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received the title "Apostles to the Slavs".

Maybe Cyrillic is the reason why ... I think I'm on to something ...
Still, don't most other Slavs use "Western" ( can't think of a better name) alphabet ?
 
  • #4,193
WWGD said:
Still, don't most other Slavs use "Western" ( can't think of a better name) alphabet ?
We call it Latin. "Most" measured in? Number of countries: not sure, as Yugoslavia has split into so many of them; number of people: probably not; area: definitely not. But to be honest, the alphabet isn't the problem. The real problem is the high number of different (t)sh-letters.
 
  • #4,194
I wonder why the sea isn't made primarily of hydrogen fluoride as fluoride is more negative than oxygen.

really-high-guy-books-movie-350047.jpg
 

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  • #4,195
Did you know it may be possible to see in your house at night with all lights off?

Not sure if I already said it before, but I once had an accident and got dilating eye drops applied at the doctor. I could walk in the house at night with all lights off. You could totally see in the darkness. But it was weird when you looked yourself in the mirror because the eye just looked like a black hole with just a slim border. It was as if the iris had hidden. It looked like this when you looked yourself in the mirror, but of course, smaller:

5a15667c0294acc1ef523c3279e6b5f3.jpg


So yes. Humans might be able to see in their house at night with all lights off and without a flashlight.
 

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  • #4,196
WWGD said:
Ran out of transfinite puns
I don't know about transfinite puns, but I recall seeing a proof that the set of jokes has cardinality at least ##\aleph_0##. It's on the Lame Jokes thread somewhere.

You know this one: "Did you know that there are 10 types of people in the world? Those who understand binary and those who don't." Someone offered an alternative punchline: "Those who understand ternary, those who don't, and those who thought this was going to be a joke about binary", to which another poster responded that this seems to be the skeleton of an inductive proof that there are jokes of this form for all bases - thus providing a set of jokes with cardinality ##\aleph_0##.
 
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  • #4,197
I only recently found out that cats actually have a poor eyesight. I always thought they had some nigh 20/20 vision.
 
  • #4,198
My monkey was born of the year of the Dog. How do I do his chart?
 
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  • #4,199
Ibix said:
I don't know about transfinite puns, but I recall seeing a proof that the set of jokes has cardinality at least ##\aleph_0##. It's on the Lame Jokes thread somewhere.

You know this one: "Did you know that there are 10 types of people in the world? Those who understand binary and those who don't." Someone offered an alternative punchline: "Those who understand ternary, those who don't, and those who thought this was going to be a joke about binary", to which another poster responded that this seems to be the skeleton of an inductive proof that there are jokes of this form for all bases - thus providing a set of jokes with cardinality ##\aleph_0##.

I guess I got ways to go to check; I did my base-500 joke at the bus stop the other day. If people stop running away from me, I may be able to get to 1000, or maybe even higher!
 
  • #4,200
nuuskur said:
I only recently found out that cats actually have a poor eyesight. I always thought they had some nigh 20/20 vision.
They put extra eyes in the streets at night for a reason!
 
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