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

[strangerep]

Am I the only one who's watching football on Sundays? Why don't we have a football thread? I want to type "The Bucs were bad, but the Saints were worse." somewhere.

Heh, on Sundays I'm still doing theoretical physics while occasionally glancing out onto my peaceful golf course vista. (Sundays are one of the few days when I'm guaranteed freedom from the noise of large fairway maintenance machines.)

I had a neighbour who would watch Sunday football. The only thing louder than his TV was his voice as he roared abuse at the players and/or referee. Thankfully he moved out some years ago.

 

[pinball1970]

Am I the only one who's watching football on Sundays? Why don't we have a football thread? I want to type "The Bucs were bad, but the Saints were worse." somewhere.

I love association football, I don't really get American football. It looks a little bit like rugby league but a lot more stop start.
I watched the ladies footy yesterday. Definitely an improvement from when I first started watching them.
They are the opposite of the men's football in terms of and attitudes and injuries from what I have seen so far.
One girl when down after a challenge and it looked like nothing till I saw it in slow motion.
She lost her balance at full speed and went over on her ankle, agonizing if you have ever done it.
She was obviously in a great deal of pain and it looked like she was doing the best to hide it, whilst being treated.
Many men's premiership footballers go down and act like they have been shot in the face, rolling round like children. The men should watch them more.

 

[Orodruin]

I love association football, I don't really get American football.

I can see why you are confused:

 

[strangerep]

I watched the ladies footy yesterday. Definitely an improvement from when I first started watching them.

Have you ever watched AFLW (Australian Rules -- Women)? I was surprised at their (high) standard of play.

 

[pinball1970]

Have you ever watched AFLW (Australian Rules -- Women)? I was surprised at their (high) standard of play.

It is not a game that is featured that much in the UK. I do not think I have ever seen women play it.
It looked quite physical.

 

[strangerep]

It is not a game that is featured that much in the UK. I do not think I have ever seen women play it.
It looked quite physical.

Indeed. Google "Tayla Harris" - superb athlete and former boxer.

 

[DennisN]

I just read this article which I found very interesting:

4 quotes that you have been terribly misquoting.​

https://mystudentvoices.com/4-quotes-that-you-have-been-terribly-misquoting-6b2233d3212d

I actually knew that the saying "blood is thicker than water" is almost always misquoted; it actually has the opposite meaning compared to what people usually think it has.

I had no idea that the other three were misquotations.

I particularly liked the original quote:

"Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ.”

That's hilarious!

 

[Ibix]

"Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ.”

I knew that one. I frequently mutter it when senior management have a shared idea...

 

[pinball1970]

I just read this article which I found very interesting:

4 quotes that you have been terribly misquoting.​

https://mystudentvoices.com/4-quotes-that-you-have-been-terribly-misquoting-6b2233d3212d

I actually knew that the saying "blood is thicker than water" is almost always misquoted; it actually has the opposite meaning compared to what people usually think it has.

I had no idea that the other three were misquotations.

I particularly liked the original quote:

"Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ.”

That's hilarious!

Completely unaware of this.

In context I agree they all are opposite in meaning except the Money/root of Evil quote. It certainly does not mean the opposite.
All kinds of evil but still the root of it is still more or less what it is saying.
Having read from the source material I think they are all in line. If you need details PM me.
Elucidation would lead to thin ice followed by hot water!

 

[pinball1970]

Indeed. Google "Tayla Harris" - superb athlete and former boxer.

Wow. I have looked into her career. Unbelievable athlete. Her wiki photo just said it all to me before I even started reading. Body language, relaxed, looking back at me said, 'any questions?'
My response would be, 'No mam!'
Shame that a dedicated athlete should have to endure all that social media stuff.
Anyway thanks for the ARF ref, Sports are changing rapidly now in terms of inclusion and promotion.

 

[kyphysics]

Bitcoin proponents say it's value is at least partially attributed to scarcity (unlike, say, fiat currencies, which can be debased via central bank printing).

I dunno. My pubic hairs, which have my unique DNA, are scarce. I could shave some off every two years and a lab can finely slice and dice them up into fine strands/units (down to the nano scale) to pass around as a medium of exchange. You have the benefit of testing my DNA on them to confirm it's REALLLY MY pubic hair.

. . .Maybe the scarcity argument for bitcoin is a bit overrated or nonsense? . . .Lots of things are scarce. . .

 

[WWGD]

The poster asked to refer comments and observations to the FEIL Organization.
To start with:
YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR NAME!

 

[Swamp Thing]

Bitcoin proponents say it's value is at least partially attributed to scarcity (unlike, say, fiat currencies, which can be debased via central bank printing).

I dunno. My pubic hairs, which have my unique DNA, are scarce. I could shave some off every two years and a lab can finely slice and dice them up into fine strands/units (down to the nano scale) to pass around as a medium of exchange. You have the benefit of testing my DNA on them to confirm it's REALLLY MY pubic hair.

. . .Maybe the scarcity argument for bitcoin is a bit overrated or nonsense? . . .Lots of things are scarce. . .

I believe some people make money by, um, flatulating into jars and selling them.

We live in strange times.

 

[WWGD]

Intrigue in the world of Chess, of all places. Magnus Carlsen, #1 -rated, implying Hans Niemann cheated .

 

[pinball1970]

Intrigue in the world of Chess, of all places. Magnus Carlsen, #1 -rated, implying Hans Niemann cheated .

How do you cheat at chess?
In a tournament?

Did he point at the foyer and shout, “Oh no, is that wild dog that has just strolled into the auditorium?”

Everyone in the auditorium turns towards the foyer and Niemann (black) neatly places another Bishop on the board

“Apologies, it was just a shadow.” Then he stuns the world of chess by completing the first ever three bishop 8 move check mate…

Probably not, what did actually do? Hum annoyingly? Chess players can be a little particular.

Bobby Fischer was a little pedantic from memory.

 

[fresh_42]

How do you cheat at chess?

By using computers.

In a tournament?

Yes, in an online tournament. And he admitted it afterward.

And ever since, Magnus refuses to believe any of his statements and to play against him.

 

[pinball1970]

By using computers.

Yes, in an online tournament. And he admitted it afterward.

And ever since, Magnus refuses to believe any of his statements and to play against him.

Ah ok. Thanks

 

[BillTre]

Here's a cool t-shirt I found on line:

 

[strangerep]

How do you cheat at chess? In a tournament?

Someone outside, with a computer, sending messages to the player via WiFi-enabled anal beads that can vibrate Morse code.

Seriously -- that sort of nonsense has been circulating on the (anti-)social chess media for some time now.

In the past, there was "Toilet Gate" -- a player would make waaaay too many trips to the loo, and consult their smartphones. That loophole was closed off sometime ago when all such electronic devices were banned from the playing hall. Even being caught with one, although not being used, brings immediate game forfeiture and expulsion from the tournament.

Magnus had not lost in the previous 50-something tournament games. He is head-and-shoulders dominant over his nearest peers at the moment. But no one suggests that he might getting a little extra help...

Moreover, a reasonable person could argue that the help Magnus gets from "Team Magnus" (paid grandmasters) to analyze reams of different opening lines, and give him their summaries, is itself unfair.

Bobby Fischer was a little pedantic from memory.

... and gradually progressed down the road to paranoid madness as he aged. I reckon Magnus is headed down that same road.

Show me a serious chess player and I'll show you a (budding or actual) nutcase.
(I should know -- I used to be a tournament chess player.)

 

[pinball1970]

In the past, there was "Toilet Gate" -- a player would make waaaay too many trips to the loo, and consult their smartphones. That loophole was closed off sometime ago when all such electronic devices were banned from the playing hall. Even being caught with one, although not being used, brings immediate game forfeiture and expulsion from the tournament.

Magnus had not lost in the previous 50-something tournament games. He is head-and-shoulders dominant over his nearest peers at the moment. But no one suggests that he might getting a little extra help...

Moreover, a reasonable person could argue that the help Magnus gets from "Team Magnus" (paid grandmasters) to analyze reams of different opening lines, and give him their summaries, is itself unfair.

Smart phones yes.

They did not have that problem in Karpov verses Kasparov days when I used to follow it occasionally.

Probably a lot going on behind the scenes but it seemed more gentlemanly then.

 

[Astronuc]

Overcoming, or coming to terms with, loss/grief.
https://www.themarginalian.org/2018/08/26/epictetus-love-loss/

 

[strangerep]

Probably a lot going on behind the scenes but it seemed more gentlemanly then.

It varies, depending on the people. Spassky was known as a good natured "bon vivant". There's a story about how, during a tournament early in their careers, Spassky knocked on Fischer's hotel room door and invited him out on the town with a bunch of other Russian grandmasters.

Then there's the case of Mikhail Tal (very heavy smoker/drinker) who fell so dreadfully ill during a tournament in Curacao that he had to be hospitalized. None of the other Russian grandmasters in the tournament visited him in hospital, and Tal was deeply hurt. His only visitor among the tournament participants was... Bobby Fischer. There's an old photo somewhere on the Internet with Fischer playing a casual chess game with Tal at his hospital bed. I still smile when I see it.

In contrast, Capablanca and Alekhine absolutely hated each other so much they would not even share a taxi from their hotel to the playing venue during their world championship match.

Further back, Paul Morphy's supremely gentlemanly conduct is legendary.

 

[Borg]

Raspberry Pi computers are really hard to find these days due to ongoing chip shortages and industrial demand for the Pis. I found rpilocator.com recently and was able to score one yesterday!

 

[WWGD]

No joke: They found the reason behind the clogged pipes

 

[WWGD]

I remembered the add " Not going anywhere for a while?" , when someone ask me to give them " Different examples of the empty set".

 

[Astronuc]

The X-15's highest speed, 4,520 miles per hour (7,274 km/h; 2,021 m/s), was achieved on 3 October 1967, when William J. Knight flew at Mach 6.7 at an altitude of 102,100 feet (31.120 km), or 19.34 miles. This set the official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a crewed, powered aircraft, which remains unbroken. Ref: Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15

I guess the Space Shuttle doesn't count as a powered aircraft (ostensibly) it's not under power when flying through the atmosphere, but instead falling/gliding. On the way up, it's more like a rocket or ballistic missile. But then again, the X-15 was a rocket plane. It also glided home from altitude.

 

[Astronuc]

Journalist Jack Thomas dies at 83 - He wrote: "I just learned I only have months to live. This is what I want to say."
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07...nly-have-months-live-this-is-what-i-want-say/

Atop the list of things I’ll miss are the smiles and hugs every morning from my beautiful wife, Geraldine, the greatest blessing of my life. I hate the notion of an eternity without hearing laughter from my three children. And what about my 40 rose bushes? Who will nurture them? I cannot imagine an afterlife without the red of my America roses or the aroma of my yellow Julia Childs.

We told each of the three children individually. John Patrick put his face in his hands, racked with sobs. After hanging up the telephone, Jennifer doubled over and wept until her dog, Rosie, approached to lick away the tears but not the melancholy. Faith explained over the telephone that, if I could see her, she was weeping and wondering how she could get along without her dad. Now, she is on the Internet every day, snorkeling for new research, new strategies, new medications. My wife cries every morning, then rolls up her sleeves and handles all doctor appointments and medication. Without her . . . I cannot imagine.

 

[kyphysics]

Surprisingly motivating words from Jeff Bezos (I often find his way of thinking shrewd vs. inspirational, but this surprised me).

His comments on how we should think about gifts vs. choices were fantastic (something I always knew, but needed to be reminded of).

 

[Astronuc]

https://magazine.atavist.com/alone-at-the-edge-of-the-world-susie-goodall-sailing-golden-globe-race/

In July 2015, Goodall, then 25, was teaching in Iceland when one of her crewmates mentioned that a rerun of the Golden Globe was in the works. When her boat came ashore, she used a computer in her tiny hotel to look up the details. And there it was: The race was set to launch in 2018, the 50th anniversary of the original voyage. Don McIntyre, a decorated Australian adventurer who’d grown up idolizing Robin Knox-Johnston, was masterminding the event. On the edge of 60, McIntyre knew that if he didn’t re-create his hero’s journey now, he never would. And if he wanted to do it, he figured a few others might, too.

Boats would be limited to the same class as the intrepid Suhaili, between 32 and 36 feet. Sailors would have to navigate with paper charts and sextant, catch rain for water, handwrite their logs, and communicate by radio. No outside assistance would be allowed: no physical contact with anyone else, no help with repairs, no supply deliveries. The specifications couldn’t have been more different than those of the only other solo, nonstop, round-the-world race on offer, the Vendée Globe. That event, which took place every four years, was high-tech, high-speed, and high-cost; the boats alone were worth $300,000 to $5 million. But the new Golden Globe seemed more about the journey than the competition. Goodall downloaded the application and sent in the $3,000 entry deposit.

Fascinating story.
GGR 2018 - https://goldengloberace.com/edition/2018/
https://goldengloberace.com/the-race/
GGR 2022 - https://goldengloberace.com/edition/2022/ - one month into race, which started 4 Sep.

 

[BillTre]

This showed up in the neighborhood recently.
Looks pretty bad, but it may still be driveable (tires are in good shape).
Looks like it was impacted on the front right.

Notice the expandable foam all over the place, including holding the pine cone where the right headlight should be, sealing windows.