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

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The discussion revolves around frustrations with current documentary programming, particularly criticizing the History Channel's focus on sensational topics like time travel conspiracies instead of real historical content. Participants express disappointment over National Geographic's sale to Fox, fearing a decline in quality programming. The conversation shifts to lighter topics, including humorous anecdotes about everyday life, such as a malfunctioning kitchen fan discovered to be blocked by installation instructions. There are also discussions about the challenges of understanding various dialects in Belgium, the complexities of language, and personal experiences with weather and housing in California. Members share their thoughts on food, including a peculiar dish of zucchini pancakes served with strawberry yogurt, and delve into mathematical concepts related to sandwich cutting and the properties of numbers. The thread captures a blend of serious commentary and lighthearted banter, reflecting a diverse range of interests and perspectives among participants.
  • #7,351
ergospherical said:
At home I make scrambled eggs for my dog for breakfast as well 😋
Scrambled eggs are ok. It's the beans and sausages that I fear.
 
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  • #7,352
Why do you fear beans and sausages?
I mainly fear spiders, and mercury poisoning, and aggressive horses.
 
  • #7,353
ergospherical said:
At home I make scrambled eggs for my dog for breakfast as well 😋
Me too. And I don't even have a dog!
 
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  • #7,354
ergospherical said:
Why do you fear beans and sausages?
I mainly fear spiders, and mercury poisoning, and aggressive horses.
Nothing I would like to see on a breakfast table. And the sausages are suspiciously red.
 
  • #7,355
I suspect fresh's dog is upset about rugby. His team went to Tolouse to lose.

Right fresh? Das gas mit der dog?
 
  • #7,356
WWGD said:
I suspect fresh's dog is upset about rugby. His team went to Tolouse to lose.

Right fresh? Das gas mit der dog?
He went to Paris to meet to-lose and lost. But it was an awful match. Not a single try except that they managed to move one scrum across the line.
 
  • #7,357
fresh_42 said:
He went to Paris to meet to-lose and lost. But it was an awful match. Not a single try except that they managed to move one scrum across the line.
Strange that my first association of Scrum is with Agile, not Rugby.
 
  • #7,358
WWGD said:
Strange that my first association of Scrum is with Agile, not Rugby.
The German word is far better: Gedränge = hustle / crush as on Black Friday Sales.
 
  • #7,359
fresh_42 said:
The German word is far better: Gedränge = hustle / crush as on Black Friday Sales.
For Rugby or for PM?
 
  • #7,360
WWGD said:
For Rugby or for PM?
For Rugby.
 
  • #7,361
fresh_42 said:
For Rugby.
Ultimately never heard about the reason why your dog can't eat sausages and beans. Gas?
 
  • #7,362
WWGD said:
Ultimately never heard about the reason why your dog can't eat sausages and beans. Gas?
We like it sweet at breakfast. My dog stays away from English hotels. I only wonder why they call their breakfast continental. I have never seen such a selection of food on the continent.
 
  • #7,363
fresh_42 said:
We like it sweet at breakfast. My dog stays away from English hotels. I only wonder why they call their breakfast continental. I have never seen such a selection of food on the continent.
What is it they eat? Tomatoes with beans ob toast and eggs? Maybe @ergospherical can tell us?
 
  • #7,364
At hotels I usually get the multicoloured fruit loops cereal from the dispenser thing. ☺️
 
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  • #7,365
WWGD said:
What is it they eat? Tomatoes with beans ob toast and eggs? Maybe @ergospherical can tell us?
sumabeans.jpg
 
  • #7,366
fresh_42 said:
Thank you. I am more into bacon, egg and cheese. I wonder if Bacon was into bacon.
 
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  • #7,367
Turkish barber was Turgut to be true.
 
  • #7,368
I just checked the time and realized I've been listening to Christmas songs for over two and a half hours 🧐
 
  • #7,369
ergospherical said:
I just checked the time and realized I've been listening to Christmas songs for over two and a half hours 🧐
If it was this style ...

then it is ok.
 
  • #7,370
Nah I'm talking full on Mariah Carey level stuff, I can't even remember how I ended up on this playlist :oldconfused:🎅
 
  • #7,371
ergospherical said:
Nah I'm talking full on Mariah Carey level stuff, I can't even remember how I ended up on this playlist :oldconfused:🎅
When anything by Carey or Bieber is playing dogs around start their massive howling.
 
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  • #7,372
WWGD said:
When anything by Carey or Bieber is playing dogs around start their massive howling.
It is a shame. Bieber is (of) Celtic (origin).
 
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  • #7,373
fresh_42 said:
It is a shame. Bieber is (of) Celtic (origin).
Not hip to your quip. How is his being Celtic relevant here?
 
  • #7,374
WWGD said:
Not hip to your quip. How is his being Celtic relevant here?
One is a douchebag and the other one a warrior. it does not match.
 
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  • #7,375
I could be brown, I could be blue, I could be violet sky, I could be hurtful, I could be purple, I could be anything you like, got to be green, got to be mean, got to be everything more why don't you like me, why don't you like me, why don't you walk out the door

[my reaction when I've only had this new account for a week and @fresh_42 has already given me 4 infraction points 😥... is this Stockholm syndrome? 😜]
 
  • #7,376
ergospherical said:
I could be brown, I could be blue, I could be violet sky, I could be hurtful, I could be purple, I could be anything you like, got to be green, got to be mean, got to be everything more why don't you like me, why don't you like me, why don't you walk out the door

[my reaction when I've only had this new account for a week and @fresh_42 has already given me 4 infraction points 😥... is this Stockholm syndrome? 😜]
2+2. And I changed your title four(!) times before we found a compromise. I find that was cheap.
 
  • #7,377
Yeah but what sounds sexier, M-theory (😑) or Mmmmmmmmm-theory (🥳)?
 
  • #7,378
ergospherical said:
Yeah but what sounds sexier, M-theory (😑) or Mmmmmmmmm-theory (🥳)?
I haven't counted them, but I hope it was 11 'm' the first time. :cool:

Fact is, that the titles are subject to search engines, so icons, smileys, and other oddness disturb the finding process. We have had reports (in both cases) from (more than one) member who complained about 'jokes' on a title in the serious technical forums. We have such a nice word in German that seemingly has no English counterpart (at least my dictionary as well as Wikipedia has no counterpart): 'Welpenschutz'. It describes the fact that puppies enjoy special protection and must not be overly rebuked. We use it for any newbie situation, and since you are now at the old, most honourable University of ... you may have lost your puppy protection. Nevertheless, have a look at your profile.
 
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  • #7,379
What's with all the dang Medicare benefits TV commercials? :oldconfused:
 
  • #7,380
dlgoff said:
What's with all the dang Medicare benefits TV commercials? :oldconfused:
Funny, I was just talking to a neighbor about this. She said, just call the local SSA office to get started. They will make you an appointment and then help you thru the process. The commercials are for people who can't look up phone numbers, don't have a cell or a computer, can't read, etc. They get the same benefits but they need help navigating the system.
 
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  • #7,381
gmax137 said:
Funny, I was just talking to a neighbor about this. She said, just call the local SSA office to get started. They will make you an appointment and then help you thru the process. The commercials are for people who can't look up phone numbers, don't have a cell or a computer, can't read, etc. They get the same benefits but they need help navigating the system.
I don't need the dang benefits. And I don't need the commercials.

edit: changed wording a little
 
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  • #7,382
Did anyone watch the France x Switzerland game? Pretty mad stuff coming back from 3-1 with nine minutes left and then to knock out France on penalties 😂
 
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  • #7,383
I've ranted about Ebay's slow as molasses shipping before, but one thing that equally stinks is the useless USPS tracking. I was told my package got to a shipping center eight days ago. ...Great. ...Since then, however, I've seen nothing when punching in that USPS tracking number.

This has happened a lot with USPS. They suck. :smile:

As much as I dislike many aspects of Amazon, they at least have very good tracking and are infinitely faster at delivery.
 
  • #7,384
kyphysics said:
useless USPS tracking
(Expensive extra cost) Canada Post tracking tells us when it is shipped (or enters the country) and when it is delivered.
 
  • #7,385
ergospherical said:
Did anyone watch the France x Switzerland game? Pretty mad stuff coming back from 3-1 with nine minutes left and then to knock out France on penalties 😂
Is the World Cup playing in 2022. Qatar? Chinese, Indians still upset when I express surprise that countries like Costa Rica, with 5 million people can qualify, but neither China nor India can.
 
  • #7,386
Fun Summer song:
 
  • #7,387
Have you ever noticed that in all of the science fiction movies and shows where time slows down or stops for everyone and everything except the main character, it is never dark?
 
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  • #7,388
Ivan Seeking said:
Have you ever noticed that in all of the science fiction movies and shows where time slows down or stops for everyone and everything except the main character, it is never dark?
Good point. It should get dimmer and redder as it slows down. Then the main character would need a flashlight - but that would be like X-rays and go right through the slowed folks, so the main character wouldn't see much.
 
  • #7,389
Ivan Seeking said:
it is never dark?
Smart!
It avoids the riot when the audience realizes they just paid for 10 minutes of... NOTHING.
 
  • #7,390
Tom.G said:
Smart!
It avoids the riot when the audience realizes they just paid for 10 minutes of... NOTHING.
Temporal mechanics is a harsh mistress.
 
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  • #7,391
I thougt quantum mechanics were those who fixed quantum cars/machines.
 
  • #7,392
Always good as reminder against anti vaxxers
main-qimg-f1155d65f25905937a556868e11efacc.png
 
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  • #7,393
The hard part is removing the third column with all of the conspiracy theories.
 
  • #7,394
Ivan Seeking said:
Have you ever noticed that in all of the science fiction movies and shows where time slows down or stops for everyone and everything except the main character, it is never dark?
Indeed. That and the fact that the character is able to easily move around without creating sonic booms, not to mention the possibility of actually ionizing the air molecules around them. Yes, I think about that stuff every time.

Suspension of Disbelief gets me through it, though. I do enjoy a good scifi/ghost/fantasy/demon story, even if it isn't altogether realistic.
 
  • #7,395
More shrinkflation:

Last time, I noticed it seemingly at Chick-Fil-A. Now, I'm getting less entree at Panda Express, while the noodle portion seems more (saw that with several dishes I ordered). Sneaky. I suppose it's harder to notice than a price change. And the food seems "less packed" into their bowls like before - now there is more empty pockets of space.

Pizza Hut, on the other hand, did raise their prices by $1-2 on main pizzas. Toppings feel the same.

Good thing Costco gas is cheap and their money-losing $5 fresh rotisserie chickens are still available.
 
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  • #7,396
Among the business maxims Alfred E. Perlman (President of the Penn Central Transportation Company and its predecessor, the New York Central Railroad) is best remembered for is a comment which appeared in the New York Times on July 3, 1958. "After you've done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_E._Perlman

Perlman's predecessor was Robert R. Young, who in a deep depression committed suicide on Janary 25, 1958. As I recall, he shot himself in the head with a shotgun.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_R._Young
https://www.nytimes.com/1958/01/26/...-life-in-palm-beach-chairman-of-new-york.html
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/young-robert-ralph
 
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  • #7,397
kyphysics said:
More shrinkflation:

Last time, I noticed it seemingly at Chick-Fil-A. Now, I'm getting less entree at Panda Express, while the noodle portion seems more (saw that with several dishes I ordered). Sneaky. I suppose it's harder to notice than a price change. And the food seems "less packed" into their bowls like before - now there is more empty pockets of space.

Pizza Hut, on the other hand, did raise their prices by $1-2 on main pizzas. Toppings feel the same.

Good thing Costco gas is cheap and their money-losing $5 fresh rotisserie chickens are still available.
I've noticed places that offer , e.g., 50% off for lunch , say, until 3 p.m, but then give you around half the original portion or less. And charge you extra for any add-one.
Astronuc said:
Among the business maxims Alfred E. Perlman (President of the Penn Central Transportation Company and its predecessor, the New York Central Railroad) is best remembered for is a comment which appeared in the New York Times on July 3, 1958. "After you've done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_E._Perlman

Perlman's predecessor was Robert R. Young, who in a deep depression committed suicide on Janary 25, 1958. As I recall, he shot himself in the head with a shotgun.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_R._Young
https://www.nytimes.com/1958/01/26/...-life-in-palm-beach-chairman-of-new-york.html
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/young-robert-ralph
I'm thinking of jokes I would be too embarrassed to say ... Wonder if you intended to connect the two paragraphs.
 
  • #7,398
WWGD said:
I'm thinking of jokes I would be too embarrassed to say ... Wonder if you intended to connect the two paragraphs.
There is no connection between the quote by Perlman and the unfortunate end of Robert Young. Young brought Perlman to the NY Central to improve it, which Perlman did eventually, after Young's suicide.

There were strong economic forces beyond the control of Young and Perlman, and even though both were accomplished, they could not overcome their respective situations. If only Young had held on longer, but then he would have watched the catastrophe of the merger/takeover of the NY Central by the Pennsylvania Railroad into the PennCentral Corporation, and the subsequent bankruptcy.

Penn Central operated a system with 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of track in fourteen states and two Canadian provinces. It had total assets of $6.3 billion and annual revenues of nearly $2 billion. Within two years of merger, competition from trucking on the federally funded Interstate Highway System and the St. Lawrence Seaway, deindustralization in the Northeast and Rust Belt, an economic downturn, strict regulation, heavy taxation, redundant trackage, outdated work rules, the inability to end money-losing passenger services, the forced 1969 integration of the financially disabled New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad by the Interstate Commerce Commission, coupled with Penn Central's own bungled integration of the merged companies and mismanagement, resulted in the largest corporate bankruptcy in American history to that time.
For an comprehensive overview of the PC demise and bankruptcy, see -
Daughen, Joseph R. & Peter Binzen (1999). The Wreck of the Penn Central (2nd ed.). Boston: Beard Books Little, Brown. ISBN 1-893122-08-5.

https://www.nytimes.com/1970/06/22/...authority-to-reorganize-under-bankruptcy.html


(news on PennCentral bankruptcy starting at 2:05 )

At the time, the US government was considering a bailout of the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (June 21, 1970) and dealing with the fallout of the Pentagon Papers and Mi Lai massacre in Vietnam. (June 23)

June 21, 1970 - 6:41 - 8:40 on Mi Lai massacre story


June 23, 1970 - Pentagon Papers and Daniel Ellsburg (0:25 - 9:35) Ralph Nader on Lockheed Aircraft Co. in distress 21:21 - 21:46
 
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  • #7,399
I've bern following the chain of use of the bird " Turkey". It is called, of course, " Turkey" in the US; called " Hindi" in Turkish, and something like " Pago " in Hindi. Wonder if it completes a loop of translations.
 
  • #7,400
WWGD said:
I've bern following the chain of use of the bird " Turkey". It is called, of course, " Turkey" in the US; called " Hindi" in Turkish, and something like " Pago " in Hindi. Wonder if it completes a loop of translations.
They call it Truter in Bern.
 

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