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

[WWGD]

Met this guy in his 70s. He's healthy mentally and physically. He inherited some money and now he's considering doing a PhD in either Physics or Greek Studies. He ask my advice after finding out I had a degree. No clue what to tell him.

 

[Borg]

Tell him to go for it.

 

[WWGD]

Tell him to go for it.

I did. Interestingly, he appreciated me listening to him and gave me...a bottle of Mayo, one of Mustard and an A.1 Steak Sauce. I told him " Ah, I guess you just came from shopping?". He replied: " No, why?" ?

 

[WWGD]

I did. Interestingly, he appreciated me listening to him and gave me...a bottle of Mayo, one of Mustard and an A.1 Steak Sauce. I told him " Ah, I guess you just came from shopping?". He replied: " No, why?" ?

I don't mean to imply he's insane or something, I just found it a bit unusual.

 

[Borg]

I don't mean to imply he's insane or something, I just found it a bit unusual.

I would lead with that next time.

 

[fresh_42]

I would lead with that next time.

Next time? He should bring steak and salad. In case you didn't get the hint, @WWGD .

 

[WWGD]

Next time? He should bring steak and salad.

So many times someone brings a t-shirt that reads something like " I love Chocolate"
and I fail to bring mine that reads
" So do I".

 

[malawi_glenn]

Oh, dear! I'm getting old. I have forgotten Hungary. It has ö and ü plus similar accents like French which count as extra letters: three versions of ö and three versions of ü. And of course, Turkish has lots of ü, and ö, too.

Ö is used a lot in swedish. Same with Å and Ä.
∅ empyt set, is norwegian Ö.
Swedish set theory be like Ö$\cup$Ö $=$ Ö

 

[fresh_42]

Ö is used a lot in swedish. Same with Å and Ä.
∅ empyt set, is norwegian Ö.
Swedish set theory be like Ö$\cup$Ö $=$ Ö

Geschmortes Brot says it all.

 

[Ibix]

∅ empyt set, is norwegian Ö.

A Møøse once bit my sister...

 

[malawi_glenn]

A Møøse once bit my sister...

Älg

Pretty scary creatures, "king of the forest" we call them here

 

[fresh_42]

A Møøse once bit my sister...

This isn't funny. We just learned that it is pronounced with an ö, and this is a word that would require a serious warning for profanity.

 

[Ibix]

This isn't funny. We just learned that it is pronounced with an ö, and this is a word that would require a serious warning for profanity.

It's a reference to the closing credits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which go off on an absurdist tangent about moose. My knowledge of German profanity is quite limited - if I've hit on something rude by accident feel free to delete.

 

[fresh_42]

It's a reference to the closing credits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which go off on an absurdist tangent about moose. My German profanity is quite limited - if I've hit on something rude by accident feel free to delete.

Nonsense. I was joking. But it is a very nasty word for a female body part.

I once was handed a shot by Hungarian-speaking relatives of my then-girlfriend in Romania. I speak neither language. So I didn't understand the "cheers" and thought I was asked to say the German word for it. I did. It turned out that it meant "idiot" in Romanian. So instead of lifting my glass with a loud "cheers" I accidentally lifted it with a loud "idiot".

 

[malawi_glenn]

Nonsense. I was joking. But it is a very nasty word for a female body part.

I once was handed a shot by Hungarian-speaking relatives of my then-girlfriend in Romania. I speak neither language. So I didn't understand the "cheers" and thought I was asked to say the German word for it. I did. It turned out that it meant "idiot" in Romanian. So instead of lifting my glass with a loud "cheers" I accidentally lifted it with a loud "idiot".

First time I was in poland, I thought everybody was so nice they kept saying "tack" all the time, which means "thanks" in swedish. But it actually meant "yes" in polish...

 

[Orodruin]

Ö is used a lot in swedish. Same with Å and Ä.
∅ empyt set, is norwegian Ö.
Swedish set theory be like Ö$\cup$Ö $=$ Ö

Fun fact. Common Swedish student expression in class is also Öööööööööö.

 

[malawi_glenn]

Fun fact. Common Swedish student expression in class is also Öööööööööö.

My students only says "Ååååååå" during my classes ;)

 

[Orodruin]

My students only says "Ååååååå" during my classes ;)

That much pain?

 

[malawi_glenn]

That much pain?

No pain no gain

 

[malawi_glenn]

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

Pain is temporary, glory is eternal

 

[fresh_42]

Languages are funny. I observed that there is a big difference between Europeans and Americans. We are so used to changing the language every few hundred kilometers, dialects often within dozens of kilometers or even less, that it is completely normal to meet people who speak something entirely ununderstandable. I even have this experience when I go to the grocery store. Americans usually simply expect English.

 

[Ibix]

I once was handed a shot by Hungarian-speaking relatives of my then-girlfriend in Romania. I speak neither language. So I didn't understand the "cheers" and thought I was asked to say the German word for it. I did. It turned out that it meant "idiot" in Romanian. So instead of lifting my glass with a loud "cheers" I accidentally lifted it with a loud "idiot".

I once was explaining in Spanish to a guest that we had goat's milk in the fridge. Unfortunately, I mixed up the word for goat with another word (almost the same except for the ending) which means either "dude" or a mild insult depending on where you're from - either way, you don't get milk from 'em. That was nearly twenty years ago, and I still occasionally get reminded of it...

 

[malawi_glenn]

I once was explaining in Spanish to a guest that we had goat's milk in the fridge. Unfortunately, I mixed up the word for goat with another word (almost the same except for the ending) which means either "dude" or a mild insult depending on where you're from - either way, you don't get milk from 'em. That was nearly twenty years ago, and I still occasionally get reminded of it...

Reminds me of that scene in "Kingpin" with Woody Harrelson

 

[Ibix]

Languages are funny. I observed that there is a big difference between Europeans and Americans. We are so used to changing the language every few hundred kilometers, dialects often within dozens of kilometers or even less, that it is completely normal to meet people who speak something entirely ununderstandable. I even have this experience when I go to the grocery store. Americans usually simply expect English.

It's interesting how much you can understand if you know bits and pieces of various languages. I know a few words in German and French, a bit more in Russian, and I'm pretty fluent in Spanish. A lot of European languages have at least something in common with one of those, and with a bit of patience and educated guesswork you can read quite a lot of simple stuff.

I found the Netherlands very frustrating, though. Every time I see Dutch written I feel like I ought to be able to understand it a lot better than I can...

 

[berkeman]

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

That's my mantra on MTB uphills...

https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-progression/9-ways-to-climb-better-on-your-mountain-bike/

 

[WWGD]

Internet down in Scotland today. No access to LAN for the McLachlan Clan.

 

[strangerep]

But [Moose] is a very nasty word for a female body part.

TIL! (Even Google didn't really help me.)

But I must have led a very sheltered life. I've never met a female who looked like... that.

 

[strangerep]

Pain is temporary, glory is eternal

Pain is temporary, but lengthy. Death is eternal. (There's a reason he/she/it is called the "Angel" of Death.)

 

[WWGD]

TIL! (Even Google didn't really help me.)

But I must have led a very sheltered life. I've never met a female who looked like... that.

To find moose, you need to shower, dress up and go out. Neither PF nor Google will help you!

 

[Orodruin]

I once was explaining in Spanish to a guest that we had goat's milk in the fridge. Unfortunately, I mixed up the word for goat with another word (almost the same except for the ending) which means either "dude" or a mild insult depending on where you're from - either way, you don't get milk from 'em. That was nearly twenty years ago, and I still occasionally get reminded of it...

Leche de cabron?

 

[Ibix]

Leche de cabron?

Yes. Cabra would have been correct.

 

[pinball1970]

I don't mean to imply he's insane or something, I just found it a bit unusual.

Not if you happen to be in his kitchen at the time.

 

[Astronuc]

TikToker’s theft recovery iPhone hack sparks debate​

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...ecovery-iphone-hack-sparks-debate/ar-AA10pIfY

A TikToker's viral theft-recovery iPhone hack sparked debate in the comments about whether knowing the location of a stolen device is helpful if there's no way to retrieve it.

The creator, Katrina Audrey (@katrinaforeal), shared her own iPhone theft story and walked users through a step-by-step process of how to find your iPhone's location, even if the device has been turned off. Her video has received over 11.5 million views.

"You need to do this iPhone hack in case your phone gets stolen because mine did last night, and I actually got it back," Katrina says. She adds that she learned the hack from @reviewingtech on Instagram.

 

[WWGD]

Not if you happen to be in his kitchen at the time.

He ultimately explained he had received them from a food pantry and did not want them. But, yes, it's kind of bizarre.

 

[WWGD]

Two more for my list of triple syllable phrases:
The Waikiki kiss
The Lolo Lovers ( Lolo is weed in Hawaian)

Happy Birthday, Singapore, Independence from Malaysia in Aug 9, 1965. Isn't @atyy Singaporean?

 

[WWGD]

Why is the routing table metric for my 127.0.0.1 loopback equal to 331??

After reading the article on Routing tables, I still have no idea on how to route a table!

 

[berkeman]

I still have no idea on how to route a table!

 

[fresh_42]

Can it be that Samuel Clemens's sayings are better than his books? Not that the latter are bad.

 

[Bystander]

Can it be that Samuel Clemens's sayings are better than his books? Not that the latter are bad.

How so?

 

[fresh_42]

How so?

Pick any:
https://www.azquotes.com/author/14883-Mark_Twain

But the impetus for my remark was:

An open mind leaves the chance for someone to drop a worthwhile thought in it.

 

[WWGD]

Are those Az quotes verified to be authentic?

 

[fresh_42]

Are those Az quotes verified to be authentic?

I'm not sure, but many have a reference.

 

[fresh_42]

Our internet knot achieved a new record yesterday: 12Tbit/s.

... I wonder whether this explains that I was several times randomly off-line.

 

[WWGD]

I received my full on hair cut a few days back, the number 0. Several acquaintances apparently didnt recognize me. So maybe the whole Clark Kent/ Superman thing is believable after all.

 

[WWGD]

My friend wants to quit smoking. I suggested he go to De Vice Manager and just delete smoking.

 

[fresh_42]

Google's algorithms are the best. I mean, you know, sometimes you have a song in mind, or better, a certain line of the lyrics, but you neither know the band nor the exact title. What shall I say: first hit on YouTube after typing "yo". Eerie.

 

[WWGD]

Google's algorithms are the best. I mean, you know, sometimes you have a song in mind, or better, a certain line of the lyrics, but you neither know the band nor the exact title. What shall I say: first hit on YouTube after typing "yo". Eerie.

?
Or maybe it's a \Whoosh for me?

 

[collinsmark]

Gwaah!

My telescope's declination runaway problem is back again.

The optical encoders arrived, but they're the wrong bore size (the size of the shaft they fit on). I didn't realize they had multiple versions, and I was just going by the photo they had for it. But the same photo is used for multiple versions. That's a week* lost and a hundred bucks down the drain.

Doing some more digging, I need exactly the US Digital part, "E4T-256-091-S-D-D-2" (to be a drop-in replacement for my existing encoders, which are now obsolete). And unfortunately, Digi-Key, or any other online supplier, doesn't carry that exact part as far as I can find.

So I guess I need to call US Digital in the morning and hope they can ship me a couple directly.

*(I was able to coax a little out of the telescope in the mean time. Sometimes the existing encoder works. Sometimes.)

 

[dlgoff]

I think I'm going to scream if I get one more telephone call from Spectrum TV.

 

[collinsmark]

Spoke with US Digital today, and they're sending a new set of encoders (they were in-stock!). 'Should probably arrive next week.

If I have more to add, I might do it in a new thread. It's starting to look like I have enough content on this telescope encoder replacement topic for its own thread.