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criticizing the History Channel's focus on sensational topics like time travel conspiracies instead of real historical content.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.
  • #8,751
dextercioby said:
Isn't the fact that the definition of the word "word" uses words the perfect example of circularity? :biggrin:
Infinite regress says hi.
 
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  • #8,752
There sure is something nice about old books, isn't there. :oldeyes:
Sometimes I like to go to the library really late at night, pick out a really old, worn textbook with beige-tinted pages and that distinct lignin smell, and pretend I'm a student at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
 
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  • #8,753
ergospherical said:
There sure is something nice about old books, isn't there. :oldeyes:
Sometimes I like to go to the library really late at night, pick out a really old, worn textbook with beige-tinted pages and that distinct lignin smell, and pretend I'm a student at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
I have one with Galois' paper IIRC. And one with a review of an article by Kronecker. Oh dear, you don't want to be reviewed by Kronecker! Our meanest and toughest SA are nice and handsome in comparison!
 
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  • #8,754
My parents were both librarians. The house I grew up in had around 2,500 books at last count, so old books smell like home to me.
 
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  • #8,755
fresh_42 said:
I have one with Galois' paper IIRC. And one with a review of an article by Kronecker. Oh dear, you don't want to be reviewed by Kronecker! Our meanest and toughest SA are nice and handsome in comparison!
Didn't Kronecker push Cantor towards a breakdown? We may have been doing finitist Math if
Kronecker had pushed further, maybe with help of Brouwer and others.
 
  • #8,756
ergospherical said:
There sure is something nice about old books, isn't there. :oldeyes:
Sometimes I like to go to the library really late at night, pick out a really old, worn textbook with beige-tinted pages and that distinct lignin smell, and pretend I'm a student at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
How late is the library open?
 
  • #8,757
WWGD said:
How late is the library open?
The sun (or more accurately the LED lighting) never sets in the library!
 
  • #8,758
ergospherical said:
The sun (or more accurately the LED lighting) never sets in the library!
Ah, 24/7/365. Good deal. And I guess not too far from the dorms. Don't want to be biking nor driving with 10 min sleep, I guess.
 
  • #8,759
Ah, memories of undergrad... :smile:
 
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  • #8,760
berkeman said:
Ah, memories of undergrad... :smile:
Nostalgia's not what it used to be...
 
  • #8,761
WWGD said:
Ah, 24/7/365. Good deal. And I guess not too far from the dorms. Don't want to be biking nor driving with 10 min sleep, I guess.
So good deal that Cambford ( or was it Oxbridge?) has a 24/7/365 library system.
 
  • #8,762
Nothing like a bit of late night camaraderie at the lib - once you get into the silly hours, nobody wants to be the weakling who buckles and staggers home before sunrise. It's all or nothing, my friend. :oldruck:
 
  • #8,763
ergospherical said:
Nothing like a bit of late night camaraderie at the lib - once you get into the silly hours, nobody wants to be the weakling who buckles and staggers home before sunrise. It's all or nothing, my friend. :oldruck:

Reminds me of this scene from the movie "Real Genius"...



1643930383511.png
 
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  • #8,764
Wasn't Val Kilmer in it?
 
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  • #8,765
WWGD said:
Wasn't Val Kilmer in it?
Yep, that's him in the 2nd picture with his left hand on his forehead. He was perfect for the part. So unlucky what has happened to him in later life.
 
  • #8,766
berkeman said:
Yep, that's him in the 2nd picture with his left hand on his forehead. He was perfect for the part. So unlucky what has happened to him in later life.
He looks like a whole different person after the throat cancer.
 
  • #8,767
I at the McDoof drive-through counter:
"Two cheeseburgers, ..."
"I don't have cheeseburgers. Not until 10."
"But it is only 3 minutes to go!"
"Yes."

I, thinking of ...



"O.k. Then I get nothing."
(Someone else will get the deal.)
 
  • #8,768
fresh_42 said:
I at the McDoof drive-through counter:
"Two cheeseburgers, ..."
"I don't have cheeseburgers. Not until 10."
"But it is only 3 minutes to go!"
"Yes."

I, thinking of ...



"O.k. Then I get nothing."
(Someone else will get the deal.)

Towards the end, when he realizes he's being sought after by the cops:
"Wait a minute: I'm the bad guy? ..."
 
  • #8,769
So I'm having trouble with my phone's transition to 5G. So I email a few people to let them know that until further notice it would be better if they instead use email, o maybe texting ( some texts get through). Then I repeatedly get texts from them: "Please call me"

Wonder how many people pay attention.
 
  • #8,770
Lady slaps her hyperactive kid at the supermarket, then shouts at him " Relax !".

Poor kid will have a strange understanding of the term 'Relax'.
 
  • #8,771
How FedEx has gotten into the charming habit of leaving stickers without names on them. Just a sticker with an alpha numeric string.
And I feel like Michael Douglas in Falling Down, as depicted by @fresh_42 a few posts above.
 
  • #8,773
  • #8,774
WWGD said:
Is it a real ad , or a spoof?
I know what I hope the answer is. I have a nasty feeling I'm wrong, after a bit of Googling.
 
  • #8,775
Ibix said:
I know what I hope the answer is. I have a nasty feeling I'm wrong, after a bit of Googling.
Given the previous one on the subway add...But, hey, all in good fun since this is not an acdemic setting. Just curious.
 
  • #8,776
Frosty the slaw man isn't real and can't hurt you, they say.

Meanwhile, frosty the slaw man:
1644185596344.png
 
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  • #8,777
I once knew a guy who said that he won't buy anything that is advertised in a way that implies they think he as a consumer is stupid.

Meanwhile, I wonder if he ever bought anything.
 
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  • #8,778
ergospherical said:
Frosty the slaw man isn't real and can't hurt you, they say.

Meanwhile, frosty the slaw man:
View attachment 296710
Same for his sweet cousins
main-qimg-4a1baee79fcf856fd2baeb9bfa7c5e8a-lq.jpeg
 
  • #8,779
Wonder if Relational Algebra used in Sql is an actual topic in Mathematics or just a relaxed use of the term ' Algebra'.
 
  • #8,781
So fed up with uni. There should be a 2 week mandatory vacation after exam period ends. I'll gladly take it out of my way-too-long summer vacation.
 
  • #8,782
Argh! Just missed my train because the train company "improved" their app. It definitely looks prettier, but it's a lot easier to accidentally find train times for the journey in the other direction. I knew the times didn't look right...
 
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  • #8,783
Ibix said:
Argh! Just missed my train because the train company "improved" their app. It definitely looks prettier, but it's a lot easier to accidentally find train times for the journey in the other direction. I knew the times didn't look right...
Oof. How long's the wait - and can you transfer your ticket?
 
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  • #8,784
ergospherical said:
Oof. How long's the wait - and can you transfer your ticket?
Season ticket, and I have no set start time at work, so there's no major problem for me beyond concerns about how sane I looked standing on the platform muttering blackly to myself. I'm just annoyed that the "upgraded" app is less usable, IMO.

It has a "pinned journies" section that shows all trains leaving station X for station Y in the next hour and any delays or cancellations. Great. On the old app I had home to work and work to home set up. But on the new app I can't have reciprocal journies pinned. Instead, I pin one journey and there's a button to switch which direction it's displaying - which means that instead of just glancing at the first pinned journey in the morning and the second in the evening I now have to look carefully at my one pinned journey and check it's actually the journey I want.

I'll get used to it I'm sure (I only started commuting again last week), but they're kind of missing the point of pinned journies IMO. They're the ones I want to see quickly on the app without any messing around.
 
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  • #8,785
Modern Times!

It started months ago and I didn't pay much attention to it. But they increased their frequency and it is becoming annoying. I am bombarded by emails ...

Settle Your IRS Tax Debt - Free Consultancy

I didn't even know I had IRS debts.
 
  • #8,786
Ibix said:
Season ticket, and I have no set start time at work, so there's no major problem for me beyond concerns about how sane I looked standing on the platform muttering blackly to myself. I'm just annoyed that the "upgraded" app is less usable, IMO.

It has a "pinned journies" section that shows all trains leaving station X for station Y in the next hour and any delays or cancellations. Great. On the old app I had home to work and work to home set up. But on the new app I can't have reciprocal journies pinned. Instead, I pin one journey and there's a button to switch which direction it's displaying - which means that instead of just glancing at the first pinned journey in the morning and the second in the evening I now have to look carefully at my one pinned journey and check it's actually the journey I want.

I'll get used to it I'm sure (I only started commuting again last week), but they're kind of missing the point of pinned journies IMO. They're the ones I want to see quickly on the app without any messing around.
Some times companies seem to feel the need to always be changing something, I guess to make themselves feel more dynamic. Then they make changes to things that are working and make them worse.
 
  • #8,787
WWGD said:
Some places companies seem to feel the need to always be changing something, I guess to make themselves feel more dynamic. Then they make changes to things that are working and make them worse.
We even have a verb for this!
 
  • #8,788
fresh_42 said:
We even have a verb for this!
Which is?
 
  • #8,789
I feel too lazy to look up if ' Neanderthals' is an anagram of ' Netherlaands'.
 
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  • #8,790
fresh_42 said:
Settle Your IRS Tax Debt - Free Consultancy
This is a plague in Canada. They claim to be CRS and demand immediate payment. They target immigrants.
 
  • #8,791
WWGD said:
I feel too lazy to look up if ' Neanderthal' is an anagram of ' Netherlands'.
There's an app for that!
 
  • #8,792
Keith_McClary said:
There's an app for that!
Every time I ask for an app, that I need an app, they suggest I go sleep .
 
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  • #8,793
WWGD said:
Which is?
verbessern = improve
verschlimmern = make worse

Result: "verschlimmbessern" meaning: meant to be an improvement but ended up worse
 
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  • #8,794
And the action is said to be verschlimmbessernisticexpialidotious
 
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  • #8,795
WWGD said:
And the action is said to be verschlimmbessernisticexpialidotious
Nope. Just a short ending: -ung.
 
  • #8,796
fresh_42 said:
Nope. Just a short ending: -ung.
No fun.
 
  • #8,797
WWGD said:
Some times companies seem to feel the need to always be changing something, I guess to make themselves feel more dynamic. Then they make changes to things that are working and make them worse.
The new app has added functionality, so if your phone has NFC you can buy tickets on their contactless cards without going near a ticket office and their queues of COVID incubators people. So that's an improvement. Why they felt the need to muck around with the perfectly functional dashboard and replace it with a sleeker and less usable one, though, I don't know.
fresh_42 said:
Result: "verschlimmbessern" meaning: meant to be an improvement but ended up worse
I think I'm going to try to get that one adopted in English, like schadenfreude. "The app is verschlimmbessern" or "the app developers did something verschlimmbessernung" - am I doing that right?
 
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  • #8,798
Ibix said:
The new app has added functionality, so if your phone has NFC you can buy tickets on their contactless cards without going near a ticket office and their queues of COVID incubators people. So that's an improvement. Why they felt the need to muck around with the perfectly functional dashboard and replace it with a sleeker and less usable one, though, I don't know.

I think I'm going to try to get that one adopted in English, like schadenfreude. "The app is verschlimmbessern" or "the app developers did something verschlimmbessernung" - am I doing that right?
Well, we have real conjugation and declination, not just three 's' for plural and genitive, and third person, or an 'ed' for past tense.


I think I'm going to try to get that one adopted in English, like schadenfreude. "The app is verschlimmbessern t it" or "the app developers did something a Verschlimmbessernung". The 'n' is only in the indicative. Anyway, drop the 'c' and it is even pronounced correctly, so no big deal.
 
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  • #8,799
Thanks. It's a word we need, if we don't already have some funny neologism I haven't heard of.
 
  • #8,800
Ibix said:
Thanks. It's a word we need, if we don't already have some funny neologism I haven't heard of.
Exprovement?
 
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