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

[fresh_42]

Compared to the common influenza it's still neglectable.

 

[WWGD]

Let's hope it stays that way.

 

[skyshrimp]

The next few weeks will determine if we'll witness an extinction level event.

Viruses are classified as non-living, yet are reprogramming themselves to attack the biggest threat of all to life on planet Earth.

The human immune system.

I think we've pissed off Mother nature and she's about to open a fresh can of nope.

 

[WWGD]

I don't see how humans are a threat to life on Earth. Many animals in captivity would not likely last long or maybe not survive in the wild. Despite all romanticized talk about " Mother Nature", life expectancy in captivity is higher than in the wild. Fewer predators, stable food supply, protection from weather extremes.

 

[jbriggs444]

The next few weeks will determine if we'll witness an extinction level event.

Viruses are classified as non-living, yet are reprogramming themselves to attack the biggest threat of all to life on planet Earth.

The human immune system.

I think we've pissed off Mother nature and she's about to open a fresh can of nope.

Humans love to anthropomorphize.

 

[WWGD]

Humans love to anthropomorphize.

Some even see the Earth as a living being, the goddess Gaia. It seems the origin ofthe name 'Earth' is not known.

 

[skyshrimp]

You're replying to an atheist jbriggs444.

 

[WWGD]

I have some 800+ bookmarked webpages. Iintend to go over the list, trim it , look at them and stop adding new ones for a while. Like I intended the last 10 times or so. Not likely to happen.

 

[fresh_42]

I don't see how humans are a threat to life on Earth. Many animals in captivity would not likely last long or maybe not survive in the wild. Despite all romanticized talk about " Mother Nature", life expectancy in captivity is higher than in the wild. Fewer predators, stable food supply, protection from weather extremes.

The doctors are helpful, too!

But this isn't a good argument, since it is an artificial situation. I do think we currently witness another mass extinction. However, this will only change the species, not "life" as a whole. Whether a specific species will survive or not is another question. I guess polar bears will merge with grizzlies and become extinct as a single species, same as some tigers or rhinos, to name the big ones. I don't think we will, since we are simply too many, but who knows. Nature doesn't depend on us.

It seems the origin ofthe name 'Earth' is not known.

"Proto-Germanic ertho"

O.k., this only shifts the problem by a couple of centuries, but earlier forms are likely to be found directly in PIE (Proto-Indo-European).

 

[fresh_42]

I have some 800+ bookmarked webpages. Iintend to go over the list, trim it , look at them and stop adding new ones for a while. Like I intended the last 10 times or so. Not likely to happen.

I turned to sort them in folders which I sorted by frequency of usage.

 

[skyshrimp]

When life gives you lemons,,

Eat apple strudel.

I won't charge you for this initial consultation.

You're welcome.

 

[BillTre]

I don't see how humans are a threat to life on Earth. Many animals in captivity would not likely last long or maybe not survive in the wild. Despite all romanticized talk about " Mother Nature", life expectancy in captivity is higher than in the wild. Fewer predators, stable food supply, protection from weather extremes.

The doctors are helpful, too!

But this isn't a good argument, since it is an artificial situation.

I think it is a good argument, but it is definitely artificial. Humans have created several different and new environments for animals, such as pets, domesticated food animals, and laboratory animals. Once established and breeding in these environments, selection will result in modifying them to be better suited to the environment in which they find themselves. Darwin actually wrote about this in his big book. A recent example I know of is a selection among large pet fish (like cichlids) for smaller size fish. Most hobby fish breeders will have limited tank space and raise a bunch of fish (from a spawning) until a handful are able to breed. Those are then selected for breeding the next generation. In a small number of generations, these results in fish that more rapidly reach breeding age. They are usually smaller since this is the easiest way to breed sooner.

I do think we currently witness another mass extinction. However, this will only change the species, not "life" as a whole.

I agree that we are having another mass extinction, but it need not be limited to just directly impacted animals. If ecosystems collapse, then lots of other species could be affected as a result.
In big mass extinctions, very large numbers of species were affected (like >90% of marine species).
This can result in more of a monoculture (like farms) ecosystem rather than the intricate, interwoven, highly diverse ecosystems of today. They still have things growing there, but there are fewer different species with fewer interactions and the amount of energy the ecosystem captures and stores is reduced as are species sizes.

 

[WWGD]

I think it is a good argument, but it is definitely artificial. Humans have created several different and new environments for animals, such as pets, domesticated food animals, and laboratory animals. Once established and breeding in these environments, selection will result in modifying them to be better suited to the environment in which they find themselves. Darwin actually wrote about this in his big book. A recent example I know of is a selection among large pet fish (like cichlids) for smaller size fish. Most hobby fish breeders will have limited tank space and raise a bunch of fish (from a spawning) until a handful are able to breed. Those are then selected for breeding the next generation. In a small number of generations, these results in fish that more rapidly reach breeding age. They are usually smaller since this is the easiest way to breed sooner.I agree that we are having another mass extinction, but it need not be limited to just directly impacted animals. If ecosystems collapse, then lots of other species could be affected as a result.
In big mass extinctions, very large numbers of species were affected (like >90% of marine species).
This can result in more of a monoculture (like farms) ecosystem rather than the intricate, interwoven, highly diverse ecosystems of today. They still have things growing there, but there are fewer different species with fewer interactions and the amount of energy the ecosystem captures and stores is reduced as are species sizes.

Ok, true, though maybe artificial, it is easier for animals to survive to a point of reproducing. Not sure this is what you meant.

 

[BillTre]

That is what I meant, as long as the animals are those that are well adapted to their new captive environment.

A mass extinction, to the extent it disrupts human maintenance of the captive environments of domesticated animals, could affect the captive species also.

 

[WWGD]

When life gives you lemons,,

Eat apple strudel.

I won't charge you for this initial consultation.

You're welcome.

You may have liked Mad magazine ( RIP)'s no-joke jokes. These were setup with the structure of jokes but with little connection between the parts nor sense:
" The town I was born in was so small...even the hooker wore a helmet!"
"My mother is so fat , every time she comes back to the beach -- they ask her for a receipt!.

 

[WWGD]

That is what I meant, as long as the animals are those that are well adapted to their new captive environment.

A mass extinction, to the extent it disrupts human maintenance of the captive environments of domesticated animals, could affect the captive species also.

Ok, good points. I would just become upset about the mention of "Mother Nature" that ignored how brutal life in the wild could be. And for those who suggested animals should be given a choice, I would reply that I agree but it's too late for that. Few bred in captivity would last long if/when released into the wild.

 

[fresh_42]

Ok, good points. I would just become upset about the mention of "Mother Nature" that ignored how brutal life in the wild could be. And for those who suggested animals should be given a choice, I would reply that I agree but it's too late for that. Few bred in captivity would last long if/when released into the wild.

And that's why I think zoos are a bad argument. Their contribution to biodiversity is restricted to sparrows, so they do not count as part of nature. And the ethic aspect depends on the species, in my opinion. A dolphin in a cube of water is torture, a snake probably doesn't care.

 

[WWGD]

And that's why I think zoos are a bad argument. Their contribution to biodiversity is restricted to sparrows, so they do not count as part of nature. And the ethic aspect depends on the species, in my opinion. A dolphin in a cube of water is torture, a snake probably doesn't care.

Agreed. But, however flawed, they help the environment by giving people direct access, however flawed/imperfect , to nature , and remind them of its value. How else would you do that other than through safaris, which are too expensive for the avg person?

 

[WWGD]

Awkward conversation:
"I'm Henry McPeter. You?"
(Made up)" I'm Peter McHenry".

 

[Ibix]

Reminds me of Jack Johnson and John Jackson, the two clone presidential candidates in Futurama. "I think it's time someone had the guts to stand up and say I STAND FOR EVERYTHING THAT GUY DOESN'T!" The disembodied head of Richard Nixon, with the headless body of Stevenson as a running mate, wins.

 

[fresh_42]

Just saw a hilarious ad from SIXT (car rental)! It showed Johnson in an SUV and asked: "Auch mal Lust den Karren in den Dreck zu fahren?" which translates literally to "Would you like to drive the cart into the dirt, too?" and as the idiom which it is "to get things in a [complete] mess". I'm excited about what is yet to come!

And P&O Ferries reduced their prices by 15% - at least to get on the island.

 

[WWGD]

When I am hungry. What they say, what I hear:

Conversant : Croissant

Brexit : Breakfast

Workshop : Pork Chop

 

[fresh_42]

At least it is closer than I thought it would be.

 

[WWGD]

At least it is closer than I thought it would be.

Thanks to my bread-first search for them.

 

[WWGD]

At least it is closer than I thought it would be.

Casually there seem to be a lot of German last names that make you hungry: mandelbrot I guess is the one I can think of now.

 

[fresh_42]

Casually there seem to be a lot of German last names that make you hungry: mandelbrot I guess is the one I can think of now.

How about Zuckerberg ? (Sugarhill)
And of course Wiener, although this wouldn't work here, only in the US. We say Wiener sausage, Wiener alone is a male citizen of Vienna.

 

[WWGD]

How about Zuckerberg ? (Sugarhill)
And of course Wiener, although this wouldn't work here, only in the US. We say Wiener sausage, Wiener alone is a male citizen of Vienna.

Berger is close-enough for me.

 

[WWGD]

You know, you go to your favorite coffee shop and you see it's closed down for good.
You ask: what happened?

And somebody replies:
It closed down.
No #$%!
I mean, what happened, why?

 

[WWGD]

Kind of a fun site; maybe it is just me: a generator of random names of different frequency:

http://random-name-generator.info/index.php?n=25&g=2&st=3

 

[Borg]

Kind of a fun site; maybe it is just me: a generator of random names of different frequency:

http://random-name-generator.info/index.php?n=25&g=2&st=3

After that, you could generate a slogan for it.
https://www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi

 

[fresh_42]

After that, you could generate a slogan for it.
https://www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi

I like that one. It generated:
Semper Mathematician!

 

[WWGD]

After that, you could generate a slogan for it.
https://www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi

Maybe we can make a site with those 2 and the Deepak/Sixpack Chopra random quote generator

..And we need to find a place for this one too:

http://beesbeesbees.com/

 

[WWGD]

In my email:

" Hi, I would like to let you know about our fast cash service plan".

Me:

" I prefer to know about your unsubscribe me for good plan instead"

Unsuscribe is given as an option but you need to enter your email address; I suspect for them to confirm it is a real, active address.

 

[fresh_42]

And I thought you would have answered:
"I prefer cash that is slow and stays with me."

 

[WWGD]

And I thought you would have answered:
"I prefer cash that is slow and stays with me."

What's wrong with a 1% * rate ?

*Hourly rate.