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criticizing the History Channel's focus on sensational topics like time travel conspiracies instead of real historical content.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.
  • #10,801
berkeman said:
Was there only one waiter/waitress there at the time?
No waitresses around. You order your food on a screen , pick it up when it's ready, sit and eat it.
 
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  • #10,802
Sounds like it's good to have somebody to talk to...
 
  • #10,803
Ivan Seeking said:
So they say... While this was probably true 30 years ago, I think in the US that is mostly ancient history. I struggle for recognition of my work at times too. If I don't stand up for myself, I get walked on. That has nothing to do with gender.

We had a young female engineer, 25 years old at the time, who often took over meetings with a bunch of gray-hair men. She asserted herself and people listened. She ended up being my assistant and I had the pleasure of working closely with her for two years. Everyone thought highly of her. But she didn't get recognition just because she was often right. She had to fight for it just like any man.

People try to take credit for my work too.

PS. I fell in love with my assistant but I was a good dog. :oldlaugh: She could tell and we had a wonderful personal and working relationship. I looked forward to working with her every day.
When I was younger, a lot younger we interviewed for a lab tech.

I was too busy (or not asked ) to be on the panel ,so I did not see any of the interviewees till they got a quick tour of the lab.

I only got a glimpse as I was busy but saw candidate 1. Fat bald guy 2. Pretty blond girl.

When I saw my boss I grabbed hold of her arm and said “get the blond! get the blond! get the blond!” Very professional- she saw the funny side.

Months later (she got the blond) and it turned she was quite fiery and opinionated, we went head-to-head a lot.

At lunch in the canteen, she came out with some stupid nonsense about looks, women or something implying she was stunningly beautiful.

I made a joke at her expense and everyone laughed so she looked right at me said, “Get the blond, get the blond, get the blond!”
My female boss sold me out without me knowing.

A slam dunk. I did kind of pull it back by congratulating her on winning the contest of attractiveness between her and a fat bald guy, however..

She thought on her feet
 
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  • #10,804
The first human-made object to break the sound barrier was a whip.
 
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  • #10,805
#$@ StepTracker App keeps sending me notifications: You've taken too few steps today.
 
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  • #10,806
History Channel built, then burst, my bubble. Some fun, interesting shows on food, branding, then back to: Ancient Aliens dreck.
 
  • #10,807
We live in strange times. Carrington? Overdue! Yellowstone? Overdue! The Big One? Overdue!
 
  • #10,808
They have a show on one channel here at night called Space Night where they show uncommented satellite pictures, or ISS pictures with some music, sometimes old Apollo shows, e.g. 13, and things like that. Tonight they show satellite pictures (before and after) from all over the world. The copyright marks are from the who-is-who of the sector: ESA, DLR, NASA and USGS, Google Earth.

Quite impressive, or should I say depressive? Especially the screenshots per year from 1986 until today. Glaciers, deserts, rain forests, farmland. Nice pictures, but what they show is dramatic.
 
  • #10,809
fresh_42 said:
They have a show on one channel here at night called Space Night where they show uncommented satellite pictures, or ISS pictures with some music, sometimes old Apollo shows, e.g. 13, and things like that. Tonight they show satellite pictures (before and after) from all over the world. The copyright marks are from the who-is-who of the sector: ESA, DLR, NASA and USGS, Google Earth.

Quite impressive, or should I say depressive? Especially the screenshots per year from 1986 until today. Glaciers, deserts, rain forests, farmland. Nice pictures, but what they show is dramatic.
Dramatic you mean the disappearance of those landscapes?
 
  • #10,810
WWGD said:
Dramatic you mean the disappearance of those landscapes?
Yes. The slide shows, 1986 - 2020 for instance, are very telling.
 
  • #10,811
More Math impossibility results: Changes in my Uber passenger score.
 
  • #10,812
Not likely my command line app will ever work put.
 
  • #10,813
WWGD said:
Not likely my command line app will ever work put.
Gee... wonder why? :wink:
 
  • #10,814
Sank my teeth into Baldur's Gate 3. Holy moly what a game! Packed full of content. Day 3 and I'm still only level 5 and discovering new things around the starting areas.
 
  • #10,815
Only game I really got into was ' Crusin World', much more low tech, a standard arcade game.
Kind of funny I would end up poring sweat while playing. People would often ask me, upon seeing this, whether I just came out of the rain.
 
  • #10,816
Wow,
NOT A JOKE:
A random , not so great event. I'm minding my business walking through a parking lot, and this 12-15 year old gets out of a car, starts shouting at me, threatening to beat me up. I ignore him at first, but he keeps coming at me, threatening me further. I rush towards a fast food place , while he comes in, still shouting, inviting me to fight. While inside, I ask him to throw the first punch, after which I said I'd kill him. I just want to make sure if a fight has to happen, that witnesses are available to testify of the other party starting the fight, throwing the first punch.

He ultimately left, his mom( I didnt know she , anyone else, was in the car)coming after him. It took me like 10 minutes to get it together.

I'm together enough to understand that any police record will essentially ruin any good thing that may happen in my future.

Phew!!!
 
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  • #10,817
WWGD said:
this 12-15 year old gets out of a car, starts shouting at me, threatening to beat me up. I ignore him at first, but he keeps coming at me, threatening me further. I rush towards a fast food place , while he comes in, still shouting, inviting me to fight. While inside, I ask him to throw the first punch, after which I said I'd kill him.
I'm very glad that you are okay. You did the right thing trying to get away, and especially get away to a neutral public place with witnesses and hopefully cameras running. I don't recommend threatening to kill him as part of defending yourself, though. That won't diffuse the situation in most circumstances.

Crazies sometimes carry guns and don't give a crap about using them. So even if you are legally CCW or exposed carry, they can still beat you to the draw and get the first shot in. Not good.

A better strategy IMO (easy for me to say from my couch) is to call 911 and ask others in the place to also call 911 and take pictures and video of your assailant. That should hopefully do a better job of detering further aggression by them, and will at least get emergency services headed your way.

WWGD said:
He ultimately left, his mom( I didnt know she , anyone else, was in the car)coming after him.
That's a good time to keep taking pictures, especially of their vehicles and license plates. It soulds like this juvenille had some issues going on (maybe delerium or schizophrenia, which he is in the right age group for), and it would be best if law enforcement and mental health services could contact him and his mom.
 
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  • #10,818
Just mov
berkeman said:
I'm very glad that you are okay. You did the right thing trying to get away, and especially get away to a neutral public place with witnesses and hopefully cameras running. I don't recommend threatening to kill him as part of defending yourself, though. That won't diffuse the situation in most circumstances.

Crazies sometimes carry guns and don't give a crap about using them. So even if you are legally CCW or exposed carry, they can still beat you to the draw and get the first shot in. Not good.

A better strategy IMO (ease for me to say from my couch) is to call 911 and ask others in the place to also call 911 and take pictures and video of your assailant. That should hopefully do a better job of detering further aggression by them, and will at least get emergency services headed your way.That's a good time to keep taking pictures, especially of their vehicles and license plates. It soulds like this juvenille had some issues going on (maybe delerium or schizophrenia, which he is in the right age group for), and it would be best if law enforcement and mental health services could contact him and his mom.
Yes, it was my reptilian brain in fight-flight mode.

Fortunately, a minimally-rational " angel", reminded me that if I have a criminal record, I'll have a steep climb in getting back to normalcy, let alone thriving.
 
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  • #10,819
WWGD said:
Yes, it was my reptilian brain in fight-flight mode.
That's never happened to me. Nope. Never. :wink:
 
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  • #10,820
WWGD said:
Just mov

Yes, it was my reptilian brain in fight-flight mode.

Fortunately, a minimally-rational " angel", reminded me that if I have a criminal record, I'll have a steep climb in getting back to normalcy, let alone thriving.

My preferred strategy for such situations is language. I can talk in a language that those people can barely follow. And the more aggressive they get, the more elaborated is my language. The plan is to pull the battle on my ground, not theirs. Maybe German is especially suited for such a strategy. We can build really complicated long sentences with really rarely-used words. And it is so much more satisfying than simply saying "Shut up, idiot". I like the desperation in their eyes when they try to follow my words.
 
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  • #10,821
fresh_42 said:
My preferred strategy for such situations is language. I can talk in a language that those people can barely follow. And the more aggressive they get, the more elaborated is my language. The plan is to pull the battle on my ground, not theirs. Maybe German is especially suited for such a strategy. We can build really complicated long sentences with really rarely-used words. And it is so much more satisfying than simply saying "Shut up, idiot". I like the desperation in their eyes when they try to follow my words.
Agreed. I was in tunnel-vision mode. Rest of the world faded away.
 
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  • #10,822
WWGD said:
Agreed. I was in tunnel-vision mode. Rest of the world faded away.
I know what you mean. F63.
 
  • #10,823
fresh_42 said:
I know what you mean. F63.
F63. Chess through RT?
 
  • #10,824
WWGD said:
F63. Chess through RT?
No. ICD-10 code for impulse control disorder. In case you need an excuse. :cool:
 
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  • #10,825
How about they tell me they're closing in 15 minutes _ before_ I order my drink/food? Not _after_ I've sat down with it.
 
  • #10,826
WWGD said:
How about they tell me they're closing in 15 minutes _ before_ I order my drink/food? Not after I've sat down with it.
This is similar to annoying me by telling me to wait at the MacDonald's Drive-Through when I order a Fish-Mac. Can't they say this beforehand? I mean, if I wanted to wait, I would have gone for real food somewhere else!
 
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  • #10,827
Though unless the place has takeout, that means the last 15-20 minutes of the shift are dead. Or maybe used to close down.
 
  • #10,828
WWGD said:
Though unless the place has takeout, that means the last 15-20 minutes of the shift are dead. Or maybe used to close down.
Hawaii shift: "Get out but leave your money!"
 
  • #10,829
Important Public Service Announcement (PSA):

When you need to break into your vehicle to save your baby from the heat (after you mistakenly locked them in the vehicle), it's best to break a side window instead of trying to break the front windshield. The windshield is highly reinforced, so what takes dozens of blows to break the windshield, takes only one to break the side window. FYI, dad. :oldeyes:

1691784502610.png

https://nypost.com/2023/07/24/texas-father-smashes-windshield-to-save-baby-from-hot-car/
 
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  • #10,830
Would be great if a digital version of ( analog) phones existed. What do you do if your phone breaks down or get lost away from home?
 
  • #10,831
berkeman said:
Important Public Service Announcement (PSA):

When you need to break into your vehicle to save your baby from the heat (after you mistakenly locked them in the vehicle), it's best to break a side window instead of trying to break the front windshield. The windshield is highly reinforced, so what takes dozens of blows to break the windshield, takes only one to break the side window. FYI, dad. :oldeyes:

View attachment 330407
https://nypost.com/2023/07/24/texas-father-smashes-windshield-to-save-baby-from-hot-car/
Using what, a crowbar?
 
  • #10,832
WWGD said:
Would be great if a digital version of ( analog) phones existed. What do you do if your phone breaks down or get lost away from home?
Do you mean like this?

RotaryCell1.jpg
 
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  • #10,833
WWGD said:
Using what, a crowbar?
You can use a center punch, but it is dangerous as your hand can go through the window and cut yourself. (The idea is to be very close to the corner so your hand is stopped by the window frame):



There are special tools for this, using a spring-loaded punch, such that you don't need to push on the window:



Of course, you can count on thieves to find a better homemade tool, using a spark plug:



And then there are the pros, only using their fingers!:

 
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  • #10,834
jack action said:
Do you mean like this?

Somehow reminds me of this ...rotary emergency phone where I worked.
 
  • #10,835
Is there a subforum for Math Songs? We could include " Smooth Operator", which, btw, was renamed from " C^oo Map between Topological Vector Spaces"
 
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  • #10,836
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  • #10,837
Mixed up on how to access the meta data of the original pic sent to me :date taken, file name, dimensions, info about camera, etc. Once downloaded , which I need to do to access the metadata, I only get the date when I downloaded it, not when it was taken. Maybe @Wrichik Basu can suggest something?
 
  • #10,838
WWGD said:
Mixed up on how to access the meta data of the original pic sent to me :date taken, file name, dimensions, info about camera, etc. Once downloaded , which I need to do to access the metadata, I only get the date when I downloaded it, not when it was taken. Maybe @Wrichik Basu can suggest something?
Is this on PC or mobile? Which OS?
 
  • #10,839
Wrichik Basu said:
Is this on PC or mobile? Which OS?
Sorry, on Android mobile.
 
  • #10,840
Futility: right now I'm measuring DC voltages with an 500MHz oscilloscope.

Do
Not
Ask.
 
  • #10,841
"Gumperson's Law: Murphy was incredibly optimistic."
 
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  • #10,842
Oftened wondered regarding the phrase " To thine own self be true". Why not just " Be true". Not sure if it implies it's OK to not be true to others.
 
  • #10,843
WWGD said:
Sorry, on Android mobile.
The metadata can definitely be viewed, but if your default file manager or image viewer does not show the data, unfortunately you cannot do anything besides look for some other app. I have a photo editor app installed that displays the entire exif data of images. Not sure if it is available in your country, but here is the link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iudesk.android.photo.editor
 
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  • #10,844
Wrichik Basu said:
The metadata can definitely be viewed, but if your default file manager or image viewer does not show the data, unfortunately you cannot do anything besides look for some other app. I have a photo editor app installed that displays the entire exif data of images. Not sure if it is available in your country, but here is the link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iudesk.android.photo.editor
Excellent, thank you.
 
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  • #10,845
Apparently an SB degree is not a BS degree given to dyslexic students.
 
  • #10,846
My favorite Arab-sounding name: Redeem.
 
  • #10,847
If a much younger, attractive lady colleague, invites herself on a gentleman's evening out at work (she overheard) greet the idea with immediate enthusiasm.

If she works in a different office just say no, it's fine.
 
  • #10,848
Screenshot 2023-08-17 at 12.28.16 PM.png
 
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  • #10,849
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  • #10,850
pinball1970 said:
If a much younger, attractive lady colleague, invites herself on a gentleman's evening out at work (she overheard) greet the idea with immediate enthusiasm.

If she works in a different office just say no, it's fine.
Or pass the bill to her.
 
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