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

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    Random Thoughts
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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.

  • #9,331
Here's a photo I just took:

storm-1.jpg
 
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  • #9,332
dlgoff said:
Thank you Sir. I will.
Sorry if I was too cavalier. Stay safe.
 
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  • #9,333
We have ' We Are' contracted to ' We're, and ' They Are' contracted to ' They're ' . But ' Who Are' , as in " Those who are here today " is not contracted to ' Who're' .
 
  • #9,334
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  • #9,336
I must say I went and checked because I thought "well, I use it, but I wonder if anyone else does...". Apparently they do.
 
  • #9,337
Ibix said:
I must say I went and checked because I thought "well, I use it, but I wonder if anyone else does...". Apparently they do.
Maybe all those in favor of ' Whores'? Or maybe we need to "escape it" into ' Who\'res' ? ;).
 
  • #9,338
I bet there are issues with this company's decision to test the effectiveness of ' Cost-brnefit '( CB) analysis. How to test it other than conducting a CB analysis on it? Calling Godel and B Russell.
 
  • #9,339
dlgoff said:
One tornado just went north of me. I almost went to my storm shelter but the siren in my area stopped sounding so I decided everything was probably okay.
I didn't even know about this tornado in Andover Kansas last night:
 
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  • #9,340
Hearing a claim that a person's name has an effect on their personality and life choices, though not clear if true and/or significant enough to be worth examining. As an example, in the US, people called Dennis are more likely ( than those with a different name) to be dentists.
 
  • #9,341
I doubt the claim that small scale problems grow linearly and not exponentially when scaled up. Burying all the cable in an island of 100,000 people with x resources does not scale to doing it in a US State with 21 million people( Florida).
 
  • #9,342
I got my second COVID-19 booster shot today. No reactions; just a little soreness of the arm.
 
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  • #9,343
WWGD said:
Sorry if I was too cavalier.
Not at all.
 
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  • #9,344
Lil Theroux got bars

 
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  • #9,345
s-Os-B07KCLQZ6IXh5_dfSz6aWI&_nc_ht=scontent-ham3-1.jpg
 
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  • #9,346
Propaganda has often been compared with marketing.
 
  • #9,347
My competition to "Python from Scratch"?

"Python from Itch"
 
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  • #9,348
Hamiltonian said:
Was out for a jog today, and saw a man literally walking backwards! he either has severe OCD or was dared to do so(although he was probably in his late 40's so that's a little improbable).
In physical therapy walking exercises include stepping backwards, sideways to the left and then to the right, and somewhat exaggerated stiff leg forward walk; the latter resembling Soviet soldiers marching.*

We generally perform these exercises indoors in series of ~20 steps between parallel bars for balance. Backward walking is most difficult by far, using muscle groups accustomed to stepping toes first. Therapists have told me that walking backward improves balance and coordination and helps accident and stroke victims improve normal unassisted walking gaits.

I have often seen fit athletes at the gym riding treadmills backwards to develop symmetrical leg muscle groups and enhance balance. Your backward jogger may have been practising a similar method.

*I joke about the 'Ministry of Silly Walks' from Monty Python, humor wasted on 20-something trainers.
 
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  • #9,349
So, how do I solve this? :oldeyes:

UnsolvableWordle.jpg
 
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  • #9,350
New on the list of " Greatest Hits":
Will Smith : Chris Rock.
Amber Heard: Johnny Depp.
 
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  • #9,351
1651777215682.png
 
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  • #9,352
  • #9,353
ergospherical said:
That is animal cruelty. Let them watch a decent film for crying out loud. Start them off with Lassie, something they can relate to.
 
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  • #9,354
BillTre said:
Propaganda has often been compared with marketing.
It is. It is finding out if a significant % of the population is ready for buying an idea then selling it to them.
 
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  • #9,355
Somehow the Billy Elliot pic reminds me of the massive stampede of rats as a result of " Riverdance". Imagine rats underground minding their business and then hearing a barrage of heels clacking infernal noise for hours.
 
  • #9,356
There's this person I run into and chat with often at the coffee shop. He started telling me at some point, " I have to go to the bathroom". So I would reply "Ok, write me a report", so he stopped doing it for a while. But he slipped again today. You don't need my permission, dude.
 
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  • #9,357
Edit:Wonder how many who say " I have another call, I'll call you back ", realize they're really saying " Other call/person is more important than yours/you". Barring emergencies, of course.
 
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  • #9,358
My wife shared the following with me regarding a job description of a genealogist.

Geneaologist - We do precision guess work based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.
 
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  • #9,359
The root of my anger issues is having to use Excel for data analysis.
 
  • #9,360
Mayhem said:
The root of my anger issues is having to use Excel for data analysis.
You don't. Export the data as csv file, analyze them, and re-import them again via csv.
 
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