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

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses various random thoughts and observations, touching on topics such as media programming, personal anecdotes, language use, and mathematical curiosities. The scope includes informal commentary, humor, and reflections on everyday experiences.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration with the quality of documentaries on channels like the History Channel and National Geographic, suggesting a decline in factual programming.
  • There is a humorous anecdote about discovering a polythene bag obstructing a kitchen extractor fan, leading to a discussion about the clarity of installation manuals.
  • Participants share thoughts on the nature of prime numbers, particularly regarding the status of the number 2 and its implications for mathematical proofs.
  • There are reflections on language use and the reactions to grammatical errors made by native speakers, with some participants sharing their personal responses to such situations.
  • One participant humorously suggests that if 2 were not considered prime, it would complicate the understanding of prime factors in even numbers.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple competing views, particularly regarding the status of the number 2 as a prime and the quality of media programming. No consensus is reached on these topics.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying degrees of skepticism and humor, with some comments reflecting personal experiences and subjective opinions rather than objective analysis.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in informal discussions about media, language, and mathematics may find this thread engaging.

  • #6,481
I have an asian restaurant nearby. But I never figured out what kind, i.e. where from Asia. Not japanese, that's all which was obvious. Today I found out. It took a Coronavirus and a heat wave to gain sufficient evidence.

Because of the Corona virus, they had installed an extra temporary counter further away from the cooking place. This made someone necessary to transport (and translate) the order. Thus they had a young lady who normally isn't there to do the job. And I guess she is the only one who speaks the natives' language well enough. Moreover we have currently a heat wave here: ##\approx 90\,°F##, and the young lady ran around like she would probably do at home: both, in her asian as well as in her local home: shoes and XL t-shirt. This left only one plausible option.
 
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  • #6,483
San Francisco vs Blade Runner (2049)

1599738561114.png
 
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  • #6,484
Got a new task: the 'specification' is a simple page of schematic without additional data, with many serious problems.
No changes allowed, must be done within a day or two.
My first time for GIGO
Gotta' get a beer once done. And wait for the fireworks to start.
 
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  • #6,485
I found this texbook the other day in a second hand shop, in a shelf next to a book about astrology.
I hadn't planned to get a book on quantum optics, but the price was only half a dollar (!), so I got it.
I guess it was written in the stars.

Quantum Optics.jpg


I also got a book on chemistry for half a dollar: :smile:

Chemistry.jpg
 
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  • #6,486
After wearing face masks.jpg
 
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  • #6,487
Does anybody know how the minimal distances of english words of a given length are distributed? Or what is the minimal word length where the minimal distance is at least two?
 
  • #6,488
  • #6,490
Interesting article on the FT on how while most creative people are in larger cities, they are usually born on smaller ones. The dullness of the smaller towns compel them to find and create their own entertainment to avoid ending up bored to tears. City dwellers, by comparison, have ready-made entertainment by just driving and walking around. Article by Janan Ganesh, who's written a few other interesting ones.
 
  • #6,491
I think people on PF can be broadly classified into two categories:-
1. Who don't want their brain to stop working
2. Who want their brain to start working.
 
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  • #6,492
Hemant said:
I think people on PF can be broadly classified into two categories:-
1. Who don't want their brain to stop working
2. Who want their brain to start working.

I think you missed...

3. Who are using PF as a procrastination mechanism
 
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  • #6,493
Hemant said:
I think people on PF can be broadly classified into two categories:-
1. Who don't want their brain to stop working
2. Who want their brain to start working.
etotheipi said:
I think you missed...

3. Who are using PF as a procrastination mechanism
But these aren't mutually exclusive categories.
 
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  • #6,494
DrGreg said:
But these aren't mutually exclusive categories.

Point taken, though if you're procrastinating perhaps that means you don't want your brain to do any work... or maybe you actually do, but you're actively suppressing it... that's quite philosophical, isn't it ☺
 
  • #6,495
And those of us trying to figure out what you're %#!$ talking about in the above discussion ;).
 
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  • #6,496
After reading a 500+ post thread on another site on why people who put the cereal on the bowl before the milk are idiots, with insults galore, even a few death threats, I feel greateful again for PF!
 
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  • #6,497
WWGD said:
After reading a 500+ post thread on another site on why people who put the cereal on the bowl before the milk are idiots, with insults galore, even a few death threats, I feel greateful again for PF!
I knew I'm an idiot. However, you shouldn't smoke the hard stuff if you are prone to bad trips (pun intended).
 
  • #6,498
Any rewards for 3/3 ?
 
  • #6,499
3/3=1??
 
  • #6,501
WWGD said:
After reading a 500+ post thread on another site on why people who put the cereal on the bowl before the milk are idiots, with insults galore, even a few death threats, I feel greateful again for PF!
What were you reading? The Facebook local page for Lilliput?
 
  • #6,502
Ibix said:
What were you reading? The Facebook local page for Lilliput?
I lost track of it. Let me look it up.
 
  • #6,503
Pretty cool map:
main-qimg-029088f31dfcf758ce115f7bc50f284a.png
 
  • #6,504
Ibix said:
What were you reading? The Facebook local page for Lilliput?
All I know is the name Laputa ( La puta) did not do well in Spanish-speaking countries.
 
  • #6,505
WWGD said:
Pretty cool map:
View attachment 271758
This is only the stereographic projection. The map should be clued to a sphere, as you can see on combinatorics and probability. And algebraic geometers did their best to combine abstract algebra with calculus, and algebraic topologist to do the same with topology. Mathematics is path connected but not simple connected. Mathematicians keep an eye on it, so that it won't become 0-homotope.
 
  • #6,506
A way of throwing off a conversation: " What do you think about eating disorders?"
A: " I have trouble seeing how you can eat something abstract like a disorder"But I am not hungry anyway.
 
  • #6,507
WWGD said:
" What do you think about eating disorders?"
A: "I have no trouble consuming disorders. Do you?"
 
  • #6,508
WWGD said:
What do you think about eating disorders?
Waiter, I didn't order dis, I ordered dat.
 
  • #6,509
WWGD said:
" What do you think about eating disorders?"
I suppose that's the opposite of eating orders after you've read them?
 
  • #6,510
DrGreg said:
eating orders after you've read them?
107_6343.jpg
 

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