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

[Psinter]

This is when you learn by practice, not by reading theory or listening to others:

Spoiler

Video

The Simpsons give the impression of covering every space from society. In my language that has a name, but the best translation I could find in English was: "Brute forcing." Once, in a class of advanced programming a student asked the professor: "Can we brute force the exam?" The professor asked: "What do you mean by 'brute force the exam'?" The student replied: "When you don't know how to do something, but you keep messing around with the data until you get the correct answer." The professor laughed and replied: "I could give you some points if the final answer is right, but to get full points you need to use the methods that were discussed."

Other exams of other courses were so abstract that the professors allowed brute forcing. They only cared about the final answer. After all, the professors themselves brute forced the exercises from the book because they were too abstract. In the end they verified the correctness of the answers.

 

[jim hardy]

@Sophia and @Psinter

Thank you, @jim hardy. I don't know why but the link in your post takes me to the Hillary song :-)

oh my goodness it does for me too how on Earth did that happen? That goes to a link i posted in "Funny Pictures" thread but it's got a different URL.

I'll fix it in that post up above

very strange, that one

Edit by mod: link not allowed goes the right place now, i checked it in both posts.

that's what showed as a link but it went to that political satire video site instead ,
i don't know what to say except "I'm Sorry" .. Lesson learned - after posting a link always check that it goes where it did before you posted it.

As you see in corrected post above it goes the right place now. Even though the identical text string directed us to the wrong place before.

I may have to append my signature with 'never trust a computer with anything trivial, either."

old jim

 

[Psinter]

oh my goodness it does for me too how on Earth did that happen? That goes to a link i posted in "Funny Pictures" thread but it's got a different URL.

No trouble . That happens. If you are on a Windows operating system and using an external mouse, that can happen. One clicks somewhere, but the click is not processed or it is processed late. So by the time it is processed, the mouse is already at another position on the screen. Also, sometimes Ctrl+C fails too because it gives the impression that the selected text is on focus when in reality it is not for some reasons that include the above and the window losing and re-gaining default focus elsewhere.

I have observed the same behavior in some Linux flavors too. Since URL bars of web browsers don't have a blinking cursor when there is a selection on them, it is hard to know whether they have focus or not.

I may have to append my signature with 'never trust a computer with anything trivial, either."

Hihi.

 

[Evo]

Also a banned sockpuppet's post's were deleted, I may have to come back and delete the responses to their posts, so be aware if your posts disappear, that is why. Sorry to be a downer, but this isn't chat, it's random thoughts. Which means lengthy discussions aren't allowed. Sorry, keep it short please.

 

[Psinter]

Also a banned sockpuppet's post's were deleted, I may have to come back and delete the responses to their posts, so be aware if your posts disappear, that is why. Sorry to be a downer, but this isn't chat, it's random thoughts. Which means lengthy discussions aren't allowed. Sorry, keep it short please.

I understand. You are right.

 

[Evo]

I understand. You are right.

I mean some discussion is fine, just keep it under a couple of pages.

 

[fresh_42]

You don't.

The temperature field of the atmosphere is everywhere too. Doesn't mean you can use it as a radio either.

Sorry, @Vanadium 50, couldn't resist.

 

[jim hardy]

curious, i did eport post #

I have observed the same behavior in some Linux flavors too. Since URL bars of web browsers don't have a blinking cursor when there is a selection on them, it is hard to know whether they have focus or not.

This was strange. I copy and pasted the URL, it printed in blue in my post so i didn't check it. But it directed to a different site than it named .
So i strike-throughed it and posted the correct one. It appeared in blue, same identical text as before so i checked . It went to the right place.
But the first one, immediately above in my post with same identical characters , went to the wrong place.
So i looked at them with BB code editor instead of text editor, they were still identical characters. Yet clicking them sent users to two different places.

I confess ignorance -
i have no clue how a program can arrive at two different destinations by following two identical text strings. Same two destinations for three different users, so it's not a timing glitch..
I guess that's why they call it "software."

old jim

 

[Sophia]

That's OK, @jim hardy , no need to apologize! In fact, I find the song HILLARYous and listened to it twice and it still played in my head afterwards :p
@Psinter, you are a true IT expert!

 

[Borg]

Almost got rear-ended by a drunk on the way to the gym at 4am this morning. I was stopped at a light and could see that he wasn't going to stop in time so I pulled forward and to the right. He must have realized at the last moment what was going on because he swerved into the left lane at the last second - barely missing the back of my car. If I hadn't pulled forward, he would have definitely hit me. I let him go ahead after the light turned green and the whole right side of his car was damaged from hitting something. Lucky for him, I don't have a cell or I would have called 911.

 

[Evo]

Almost got rear-ended by a drunk on the way to the gym at 4am this morning. I was stopped at a light and could see that he wasn't going to stop in time so I pulled forward and to the right. He must have realized at the last moment what was going on because he swerved into the left lane at the last second - barely missing the back of my car. If I hadn't pulled forward, he would have definitely hit me. I let him go ahead after the light turned green and the whole right side of his car was damaged from hitting something. Lucky for him, I don't have a cell or I would have called 911.

I had a similar occurance, I saw a car coming up from behind me and was going too fast to be able to stop, luckily the right lane next to me was empty and I had left enough room between me and the car in front of me so that I was able to pull into the right lane and pull forward honking my horn to alert the car in front of me, but it was too late, the car coming from behind was already hitting them.

 

[RonL]

I had a similar occurance, I saw a car coming up from behind me and was going too fast to be able to stop, luckily the right lane next to me was empty and I had left enough room between me and the car in front of me so that I was able to pull into the right lane and pull forward honking my horn to alert the car in front of me, but it was too late, the car coming from behind was already hitting them.

Are you proud of your smart quick thinking or do you feel guilty that you transferred your fate onto someone else ?

 

[Evo]

Are you proud of your smart quick thinking or do you feel guilty that you transferred your fate onto someone else ?

If I hadn't moved, my car would have been slammed into the car in front of me, so it was going to get hit no matter what, and I had a baby in the back seat. Can't feel good about it, It was an automatic reaction, but I can't feel wrong about it.

 

[RonL]

If I hadn't moved, my car would have been slammed into the car in front of me, so it was going to get hit no matter what, and I had a baby in the back seat. Can't feel good about it, It was an automatic reaction, but I can't feel wrong about it.

The reason for my post, is I have been in the same situation and on both sides of the aftermaths, in two different events and no accidents, but only by thousandths of a second in timing

 

[Evo]

The reason for my post, is I have been in the same situation and on both sides of the aftermaths, in two different events and no accidents, but only by thousandths of a second in timing

The car in front wasn't hit hard, I think my horn and sudden moving caused the driver behind to slam on his brakes and the extra distance my moving gave also reduced the impact, so I think what I did avoided what could have been a serious accident. Or at least that's what I like to think. The result was just a fender bender for the two cars instead of one car crushed between two others. I was in a small Honda Civic between two gargantuan cars.

 

[Evo]

OMG, a skunk just sprayed outside my bedroom window and my windows are open because it's cool outside. I just finished vomiting. I was planning on being asleep.

 

[Bystander]

OMG, a skunk just sprayed outside my bedroom window ...

Gratuitously?

 

[Evo]

Gratuitously?

Most certainly.

 

[Bystander]

W/o provocation, spraying is an indication of ill-health.

 

[Evo]

W/o provocation, spraying is an indication of ill-health.

It might have run into a racoon or opossum. They all run around here at night.

 

[Sophia]

OMG, a skunk just sprayed outside my bedroom window and my windows are open because it's cool outside. I just finished vomiting. I was planning on being asleep.

Ewww!
Well, you chose to live in a quiet, eco-friendly area! This is what it looks like, so be grateful

If I were you, I'd take a selfie of me doing yoga (womitimg in downward facing dog) with the skunk behind me. There's too many boring sunset /sunrise on the beach yoga selfies on instagram. You could start a new trend.
It would be called "Living in harmony with Nature: The true story".

 

[zoobyshoe]

I eat a bag of microwave popcorn almost every day.

 

[fresh_42]

Just zipped TV channels. One had a baking competition. Someone tried to figure out $900 : 8$.
Comment from the off: " ... while she's struggling with the trouble of higher mathematics ... "

As long as there are people around, telling others that $900 : 8$ is higher mathematics, how in hell will we ever improve as a species?

 

[Psinter]

Linux, linux, linux. I'm trying my best to make myself feel comfortable with you, but you are making things harder than they should.

Spoiler

I suppose there is no option then. I'll have to implement my own Data Structures. I mean, a warning is not really the end of the world, but I don't know if I should think that I received the warning because of something important or for no particular reason. There's no info on replacement or on when it was deprecated. Probably a bug. It's a good thing that I learned well on data structures . Otherwise I'd be lost.

 

[fresh_42]

Once you've seen a compilation (plus links and bind) command line on Linux, there will be nothing left that may surprise you.

 

[Sophia]

Just zipped TV channels. One had a baking competition. Someone tried to figure out $900 : 8$.
Comment from the off: " ... while she's struggling with the trouble of higher mathematics ... "

As long as there are people around, telling others that $900 : 8$ is higher mathematics, how in hell will we ever improve as a species?

Well, for many people, anything involving numbers larger than 100 is higher mathematics

Linux, linux, linux. I'm trying my best to make myself feel comfortable with you, but you are making things harder than they should.

Linux can be frustrating because sometimes it makes simple things so difficult. I guess it's not a problem of linux itself, but we are so used to solving things in MS way that it's hard to think differently. But the good news is that once you get it, it will work reliably. Reading news this morning and I had to laugh. We have a new political party! You know, we need it desperately because there are only 100 registered parties and only 24 of them competed in the elections. So you see, there's a need for this one called NAJ (=BEST) because they want law and order, double pensions, higher minimal wages and investigation of old political scandals. No one else has promised this before.

 

[Ibix]

We have a new political party! You know, we need it desperately because there are only 100 registered parties and only 24 of them competed in the elections. So you see, there's a need for this one called NAJ (=BEST) because they want law and order, double pensions, higher minimal wages and investigation of old political scandals. No one else has promised this before.

Fascinating, isn't it. I think I'm going to start a party that stands for traditional values in our society - street violence, fraud, and the right of the rich and powerful to use the poor and vulnerable in any way they see fit. None of the other parties stand for that so I feel there's an untapped pool of voters there. And if all the opposition parties' rhetoric is correct it's an expanding pool...

 

[Sophia]

Fascinating, isn't it. I think I'm going to start a party that stands for traditional values in our society - street violence, fraud, and the right of the rich and powerful to use the poor and vulnerable in any way they see fit. None of the other parties stand for that so I feel there's an untapped pool of voters there. And if all the opposition parties' rhetoric is correct it's an expanding pool...

Yes! you can definitely try. I suppose many would vote for you, both asocials and normal frustrated people out of rebellion. And you'd have your 15 minutes of fame, speaking on TV and becoming a celebrity. Sure, Mr. lbix, you don't have to pay fine for driving too fast!

 

[Ibix]

I just went out to get a sandwich. On the way there I passed an older guy in heavy boots, biker's leather trousers and a denim jacket, somewhat incongruously standing at a bus stop. On my way back I approached him from behind. Big skull and crossbones painted on the back of the jacket and REAPER written below it. Across his shoulders, in one of those complicated gothic fonts, it said "Angles from Hell".

I triple checked that because it's such a classic typo, and that is definitely what it said. Some band of bad-boy geometers maybe? They get into fights and stab each other with compasses? Or maybe it's a fishing in-joke?

I wanted to ask him, but I didn't want to be the one to bring it to his attention if it was just a spelling mistake...

 

[jim hardy]

start a party that stands for traditional values in our society - street violence, fraud, and the right of the rich and powerful to use the poor and vulnerable in any way they see fit. None of the other parties stand for that

Great thought there - worthy of Jon Stewart !

Got 1984 ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

 

[Sophia]

Great thought there - worthy of Jon Stewart !

Got 1984 ?

View attachment 107700https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

Guys, I've got news for you!
There's yet another new party announced this week! It's called TOSKA which means Traditions, Professionality, Service, Communication and Ambitions.
Reporters immediately started making fun of it by finding a similarity with the opera Tosca where the main protagonist is executed and his lover commits suicide. When they asked him if this could be a forecast for the life of his party, he replied that similarity is coincidental and the name came to him in a dream D

Maybe I should have posted this into lame Jokes thread.

So my dear lbix and Jim, if you want to experiment with political parties, come here, each one of you can have his own party in no time.

Now I'm wondering... why haven't I founded one yet?

 

[fresh_42]

Now I'm wondering... why haven't I founded one yet?

I've experienced that scientists aren't even a bit better when it comes to politics: same childish and non-logic behaviour than the rest of the pack.

 

[fresh_42]

"Angles from Hell"

Not so far fetched. Have you ever tried to construct a heptadecagon by compass and straightedge?
I once tried when in school. The last edge has been several mm from where it ought to end.
Or received a letter from a trisectionist?

This man knew what he wrote about!

 

[Evo]

I couldn't resist!

OBAMA SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING LOSER OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO LEAVE COUNTRY

In an Oval Office ceremony on Wednesday morning, President Barack Obama signed an executive order requiring the loser of the 2016 Presidential election to leave the country forever.

“This will help the healing begin,” the President said.

The executive order calls for the loser of the November 8th election to depart the country on the morning of November 9th and never return.

“Whoever that turns out to be,” the President said.

Obama acknowledged that the executive order marked a departure from American electoral tradition, but added, “A lot of good will come of this.”

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/boro...ser-of-presidential-election-to-leave-country

 

[fresh_42]

I couldn't resist!
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/boro...ser-of-presidential-election-to-leave-country

You mean what works for this Canadian singer, who must not be named, may work for either of them, too?
As long as you keep them outside of Europe, o.k. We have far too many own idiots, propagandists and liars, although we yet managed to keep it above the Banana Republic level. However, someone in Bosnia also recently started to blab about rigged elections ... but at least he waited until afterwards.

They always arrive in waves, if you analyze history.

 

[Astronuc]

Mom Packs Extra Lunch for Son's Needy Classmate After He Was Seen Eating Only a Fruit Cup
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mom-packs-extra-lunch-sons-152854236.html

A student asked his mom to pack him an extra snack in his school lunch. She asked why, and he explained that it was for a classmate.

Dylan had asked on behalf of a classmate he noticed during his first week of school who was sitting alone and eating only a fruit cup during lunch.

Josette Duran didn’t question the student's situation and she kindly sent Dylan to school with a duplicate lunch for three months straight.

After learning the student’s mother recently lost her job, the 37-year-old mother would do a weekly shopping routine to provide lunches for both Dylan and his classmate.

At about the same time Josette met with the student’s mother, her volleyball team had raised about $400 to cover the cost of the extra lunches.

Although the kindhearted coach appreciated the gesture, she would not take the money, instead donating it to the school’s PTA to benefit students who are in need of food.

 

[fresh_42]

What is really annoying with these documentations, which are here on PF usually referred to as pop-science, is the fact that I haven't heard a single time a speaker, who pronounced "Kuiper belt" correctly. Meanwhile I counted three different pronunciations - all wrong. O.k. it probably has been translated from English, but I KNOW that our tongue has absolutely no problem with the correct pronunciation. (I don't care that he became an American. As he didn't change his name, I expect the correct version.)

 

[Sophia]

I expect the correct version.)

And that is...?

 

[fresh_42]

And that is...?

Wiki says [ˈkœypər]
The page I found doesn't contain Kuiper but many words with "ui" (I think huis is the first.)
http://www.heardutchhere.net/DutchPronunciation.html

 

[jim hardy]

I couldn't resist!
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/boro...ser-of-presidential-election-to-leave-country

Well !
Reports are circulating that Qatar has cleared out a palace and Clinton Foundation moved a billion dollars there.
Southern hospitality ?

 

[fresh_42]

Sometimes I like to imagine how PF might look like to people who's profession it is to search the internet for suspect content.
I mean, what does "gluon saturation", "interconnected by a universal joint" or "compensation doping" mean to them? And these are only some currently unanswered threads. And if this thought is funny here, on how many websites occur similar "cryptic" phrases? I mean, e.g. if people were talking about Egyptian archaeology in Farsi? This must be a scientific field of research on its own right. Data mining 4.0. I can't help, but I find this interesting.

 

[Sophia]

Sometimes I like to imagine how PF might look like to people who's profession it is to search the internet for suspect content.
I mean, what does "gluon saturation", "interconnected by a universal joint" or "compensation doping" mean to them? And these are only some currently unanswered threads. And if this thought is funny here, on how many websites occur similar "cryptic" phrases? I mean, e.g. if people were talking about Egyptian archaeology in Farsi? This must be a scientific field of research on its own right. Data mining 4.0. I can't help, but I find this interesting.

It sounds like Klingons discussing their new project about creating a new life form in a parallel universe.

 

[Psinter]

There is one creamy chocolate bar that is very tasty. But it is too expensive for the amount . I could eat it in 1 minute. Each bar is sold at stores at almost $2 USD. And if you buy them wholesale from whole-sellers, each is sold at almost $1 USD. I haven't eaten one in ages. I just remember that they are very tasty.

 

[Sophia]

There is one creamy chocolate bar that is very tasty. But it is too expensive for the amount . I could eat it in 1 minute. Each bar is sold at stores at almost $2 USD. And if you buy them wholesale from whole-sellers, each is sold at almost $1 USD. I haven't eaten one in ages. I just remember that they are very tasty.

Yes, some brands of sweets are expensive.
When I was little it was special to get Kinder surprise because it used to cost maybe 4-5x more then other sweets Most popular wafer used to be 5Sk, Kinder around 20-25Sk. At that time, you could have bought 1kg of bread and 1l of milk for that price and something would still remain. I remember that well because my mum used to send me to the shop with 20 Sk note from time to time.

 

[Psinter]

Yes, some brands of sweets are expensive.
When I was little it was special to get Kinder surprise because it used to cost maybe 4-5x more then other sweets Most popular wafer used to be 5Sk, Kinder around 20-25Sk. At that time, you could have bought 1kg of bread and 1l of milk for that price and something would still remain. I remember that well because my mum used to send me to the shop with 20 Sk note from time to time.

That's very true. Kinder appears to be expensive in every space and time . I was reading about chocolates and learned a new word today: confectionery.

Confectionery. My favorite part of stores .

 

[fresh_42]

You know the TV program is boring, if you catch yourself watching a cooking show only to see how it looks when it comes out of the oven again ... and the entire show is in Dutch.

 

[Astronuc]

Public health announcement - On Sept. 11, Michael Funk was cleaning crab pots at his bayside condominium; four days later he was dead, the victim of a Vibrio vulnificus infection in his bloodstream.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...lesh-eating-bacteria-death-maryland/92514874/

Those who contract the more severe vibrosis from the Vibrio vulnificus bacterium number fewer than 200, according to CDC reports since 2007, when the agency started to require nationwide reporting.
. . . .
A cut or tear in the skin can become infected and skin rapidly breaks down, becoming ulcerated. If the infection invades the bloodstream, the survival rate is about 50%, according to the Florida Department of Health, where 168 Vibrio cases were diagnosed in 2014. Thirty-two were the vulnificus strain, and seven of those victims died.
. . . .
Most infections occur in the warmer months between May and October. Avoid cloudy or murky, warm water, don't swim in areas where it has rained within 48 hours and always cook seafood, including crab and fish thoroughly.

The ocean's saltiness keeps the bacteria at bay. But bays and lagoons where rivers and oceans meet lessen the salinity of the water and allow the bacteria to thrive.

So any cuts in brackish water or backwaters on the coast should be treated immediately. Folks with severe lacerations or deep wounds should see a doctor, especially if one notices inflammation, or if one feels ill.

 

[Sophia]

That's very true. Kinder appears to be expensive in every space and time . I was reading about chocolates and learned a new word today: confectionery.

Confectionery. My favorite part of stores .

BTW what's your favourite type of chocolate? This question is for everyone.
I like milk and dark. Don't like those with nuts because the nuts "disturb" me and I can't enjoy the taste of chocolate.
Those with fruit filling and x varieties of aromas tend to be too sweet and artificial for my taste.

 

[jim hardy]

Public health announcement - On Sept. 11, Michael Funk was cleaning crab pots at his bayside condominium; four days later he was dead, the victim of a Vibrio vulnificus infection in his bloodstream.

wow i guess that's why the old-timers around Miami said "don't eat shellfish in the hot months" .

 

[jim hardy]

BTW what's your favourite type of chocolate? This question is for everyone.

i used to know of a sweets shop with white fudge that melts in the mouth... it was in downtown Montreal so my memory might be affected by exuberance of that happy time.