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

[Sophia]

The hacking was supposed to have made it not possible to access certain big sites like Twitter and Amazon. Facebook wasn't listed among the affected.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/...-east-coast-netflix-spotify-twitter/92507806/

It was first aimed at the east coast but the news said it later hit the west coast as well.

I see, so it probably wasn't caused by the attack.

 

[Astronuc]

Tokyo (AFP) - The first woman to conquer Mount Everest, Junko Tabei of Japan, has died aged 77, media reported Saturday.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/first-woman-atop-everest-dies-aged-77-reports-005027587.html

Tabei succumbed to peritoneal cancer. In 1975, Tabei completed the first conquest of Mount Everest by a woman. She went via the southeast ridge route.

She went on to conquer soaring peaks in several continents -- Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount McKinley in the United States and the Vinson Massif in Antarctica -- heralding the era of women climbers.Olympic gold medal swimmer thanks fan who spotted suspicious mole
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/18c36cf9-8d49-3630-a43d-bf68f602cb27/olympic-gold-medal-swimmer.html

Apparently one of the moles may have been malignant or pre-cancerous.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Walking Dead season premiere was an hour of pure torture with no relief at the end.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Father makes "real" version of small son's drawings:

http://www.sadanduseless.com/2016/10/real-drawings/

 

[Ibix]

In a similar vein, I recall a mother who took her child's scribbles and added colour and extended lines to "discover" pictures in them.

 

[Psinter]

Scapegoating.

At my place, they are making commercials to influence people to vote. I have never had problems with adequate and educated arguments regarding that... The problem is always their illiterate approach. Besides the common every 4 year term mockery and deliberate circus show, this time they are doing something called scapegoating. I don't know if you have heard about it (below are some definitions, courtesy of Wikipedia ). They are saying that if you don't vote, anything bad that happens to the place in the next 4 year term, will be your fault. They are dictating that if the next leader does something bad, it will be the fault of those who didn't vote. And of course my face after hearing that:

Spoiler: When you hear something ludicrous

Lesson of the story: Ignoring the political part and in all seriousness, don't scapegoat. It looks very, very ugly. Not to mention it shows responsibility denial. That said, when you think about it, scapegoating is used very frequently in other areas. This is only but a small example. As if there is always someone looking for excuses and make others responsible. Makes you think... and cringe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapegoating]Scapegoating[/PLAIN] (from the verb "to scapegoat") is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame as a scapegoat.

Specifically:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_guy]Fall[/PLAIN] guy is a colloquial phrase that refers to a person to whom blame is deliberately and falsely attributed in order to deflect blame from another party.

 

[Astronuc]

Don't do this - The video shows Eric Dossantos, of San Diego, soaring over rocky mountain slopes and outcroppings before reaching a pine forest, at which point the pilot starts to weave through gaps in the trees in a nail-biting sequence that ends with a dramatic thud.

https://gma.yahoo.com/man-wingsuit-survives-high-speed-tree-collision-daring-112903076--abc-news-topstories.html



There is a point at which he should have veered left where the slope and trees drop below his glide plane. He kept right - and into the trees.

 

[jim hardy]

At my place, they are making commercials to influence people to vote.

I've come to resent the psychological manipulation since hearing a TV writer in an interview say "It is your job as writer to deliver the audience to the commercial in a receptive state of mind." I guess i'd noticed they always leave you hanging but thought it was so you wouldn't switch channels during the break ...

Then i started paying attention to commercials with an eye to "what is the real message?"
Usually it's "You're inadequate but our product will change your life you'll become one of the 'beautiful people' of magazine lore surrounded by beautiful women , excitement and affectations of wealth".

But i did love the
"Have you some Grey Poupon? " ads with the yachtsmen.

Made the ridiculous somehow sublime.

 

[mheslep]

Don't do this - The video shows Eric Dossantos, of San Diego, soaring over rocky mountain slopes and outcroppings before reaching a pine forest, at which point the pilot starts to weave through gaps in the trees in a nail-biting sequence that ends with a dramatic thud.

https://gma.yahoo.com/man-wingsuit-survives-high-speed-tree-collision-daring-112903076--abc-news-topstories.html

...

Yes, recent fatalities are approaching one every couple weeks or so. Wingsuit flying risk seems to be akin to something like, setting yourself on fire and then running 50 yds or so to pre-positioned extinguisher to put yourself out. Wow, I made it. Wow, I made it. Ooops.

Seeker:

...a 2012 study of BASE jumpers reported that 72 percent of jumpers “had witnessed death or serious injury of other participants in the sport, 43 percent (of) jumpers had suffered a significant BASE jump injury, and 76 percent had at least one 'near miss' incident (an incident which would most probably result in serious injury or fatality but was avoided),

 

[mheslep]

There is a point at which he should have veered left where the slope and trees drop below his glide plane. He kept right - and into the trees.

I see the point that I think you mean at ~40s, but even taking that veer left then his glide path does not appear to offer sufficient altitude above ground to open his chute, not anywhere before reaching the valley floor already in view. By 25s he is already below tree top height, without a path to regain ground clearance. Thus he might have staid right intentionally to take his chances with the tree tops.

I suspect his mistake was earlier, the dive and acceleration he committed at ~22s (or, downdraft off the mountain?), giving up what he might have thought was excess altitude. Perhaps his intended path was to clear the treeless ridge in view at 22s and gain steeper ground on the other side. By 25s, his best glide path never again offers chute altitude, AFAICT.

 

[strangerep]

I just read some media reports about the new Russian "Satan 2" ICBM which can (supposedly) destroy an area the size of France.

Suddenly, those 1-way Mars missions are looking far more attractive...

 

[Astronuc]

new Russian "Satan 2" ICBM which can (supposedly) destroy an area the size of France.

or Texas. - https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/e7f35523-f274-391f-b0a9-12fc3193cefd/russia-publishes-image-of.html

I am highly skeptical.

 

[Sophia]

Scapegoating.
At my place, they are making commercials to influence people to vote. I have never had problems with adequate and educated arguments regarding that... The problem is always their illiterate approach. Besides the common every 4 year term mockery and deliberate circus show, this time they are doing something called scapegoating.:

They do it here all the time, since I can remember. There's always this One Bad Guy who will ruin everything and everyone hates him and they tell you that if you don't vote the Bad Guy will win and it will be your fault. And all the time they say if you don't vote you have no right to complain etc. Though I don't think it's scapegoating in the full sense because technically, it's true.

Then i started paying attention to commercials with an eye to "what is the real message?"
Usually it's "You're inadequate but our product will change your life .

So true.

I just read some media reports about the new Russian "Satan 2" ICBM which can (supposedly) destroy an area the size of France.

Suddenly, those 1-way Mars missions are looking far more attractive...

I'm 100% sure that the US has similar weapons. And it's equally scary to me as Russian ones.

 

[zoobyshoe]

They are saying that if you don't vote, anything bad that happens to the place in the next 4 year term, will be your fault. They are dictating that if the next leader does something bad, it will be the fault of those who didn't vote.

There may or may not be something wrong with this idea, but it is actually not an example of scapegoating. There's quite a bit of difference between a "fall guy" and an "enabler." The commercials you speak of sound like they're implying the latter, not the former.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I'm 100% sure that the US has similar weapons. And it's equally scary to me as Russian ones.

I think as much as 30 years ago it was common to hear people say both sides had enough bombs stockpiled to destroy the planet several times over. So, whether you destroy an area the size of France with 10 smaller bombs or 1 large bomb, it's just as destroyed and it's destroyed just as fast, and destroyed for just as long. In other words, if this new super bomb is real, it doesn't actually change anything, it just sounds worse.

 

[strangerep]

[...] So, whether you destroy an area the size of France with 10 smaller bombs or 1 large bomb, it's just as destroyed and it's destroyed just as fast, and destroyed for just as long. In other words, if this new super bomb is real, it doesn't actually change anything, it just sounds worse.

Yeah, after thinking about it for a few minutes I realized it's propaganda. What would be the point of throwing that much radioactive fallout into the high altitudes over France? The jet stream(s) would carry it back to... oops.

 

[zoobyshoe]

What would be the point of throwing that much radioactive fallout into the high altitudes over France? The jet stream(s) would carry it back to... oops.

If PF were a musical, this would be my cue to say, "Be such an ignorant thing to do, if the Russians love their children, too." :

 

[Psinter]

Though I don't think it's scapegoating in the full sense because technically, it's true.

The arguments of those commercials are a fallacy.

There may or may not be something wrong with this idea, but it is actually not an example of scapegoating.

It is scapegoating. The definitions are clear and I'm not inventing anything (I have the source). I do not write details and point to the sources because I wrote it as a random thought and not a separate thread. Plus we were told this is not a chat and I don't want to get banned so I leave it there. You can reply to me and I will read it , but it will be very unlikely for me to reply anything back. Despite the fact that my sources are very academical and are a very nice read/listening regarding fallacies, this is as much as I reply in this thread in relation to that post of mine because I previously concurred that this was not a chat. I do not wish to call attention unto me .

 

[zoobyshoe]

The arguments of those commercials are a fallacy.

They may or may not be, but not all fallacious accusations are scapegoating.

It is scapegoating.

There is a difference between saying someone is the primary cause of something and saying they are complicit, that they enabled it by doing nothing to stop it. Consider if you saw someone throw a molotov cocktail into a building and you didn't call the police or the fire department. There is a difference between someone accusing you of having thrown the firebomb, which you didn't, and someone accusing you, rightly, of having done nothing to stop the fire or the arsonist.

 

[Sophia]

For those interested in scapegoating in religion and society https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801839173/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Psinter]

Found it! OpenCV.

This is what I need to properly process image frames from a camera to detect spiders at night. Although I'll need to check how well it works with night-vision camera created images.

Coming soon, a spider detection system for those who are afraid of spiders. So they can sleep well at night, trusting that they will be alerted of when a spider is on the move in the same room .

Married people are so lucky. They get to sleep with someone who protects them at night from spiders. I on the other hand have to always be on alert. Asleep, but not super asleep.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Here in California we are voting on whether or not to make marijuana legal. If it passes, it looks like it will be handled much like alcohol:

• Smoking is a-okay in a private home or at a business licensed for on-site consumption.
• Smoking is illegal while driving, in any public place, or anywhere where smoking tobacco is already prohibited (e.g. restaurants, bars, planes, etc).

https://ballot.fyi/64/

 

[jim hardy]

There is a point at which he should have veered left where the slope and trees drop below his glide plane. He kept right - and into the trees.

Old pilot's saying: "Power into conifers, stall into deciduous" .

Wingsuit flying risk seems to be akin to something like,

I don't understand the compulsion to daredevil. If i felt need of a Russian Roulette fix i'd just watch "Deer Hunter" again .
But then I'm over fifty. That's the age where a male starts to value his life.

old jim

 

[Psinter]

Volkswagen

May or may not be a play of words.

Volk - "people"
Wagen - "wagon, car"

Sources:
http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/volk
Google Translate

 

[zoobyshoe]

Volkswagen

May or may not be a play of words.

I don't understand your confusion. Hitler wanted a "People's Car," which was going to be called a "People's Car," which, in German, is "Volkswagen." There is no accidental play on words to speculate about.

 

[Psinter]

Hitler wanted a "People's Car," which was going to be called a "People's Car," which, in German, is "Volkswagen." There is no accidental play on words to speculate about.

Source?

I don't understand your confusion.

Naturally, zooby. I have no confusion. So there's nothing to understand about confusion. When you are not certain about something you just use the word "may" like I did. Not certain does not mean confusion.

I don't know German. I just noticed when my eyes by chance landed on a German writing that had the word "wagen" on it and I was like: "Wait... wagen?... that sounds like Volkswagen..." So I looked about it's definition and thought that if wagen means car, maybe the first part of the name also had a meaning. So I searched and that's how I came to it.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Source?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen

Naturally, zooby. I have no confusion. So there's nothing to understand about confusion. When you are not certain about something you just use the word "may" like I did. Not certain does not mean confusion.

First definition that came up when I googled:

con·fu·sion/kənˈfyo͞oZHən/
noun

1. lack of understanding; uncertainty.
2. the state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something.

 

[mheslep]

Old pilot's saying: "Power into conifers, stall into deciduous" .
I don't understand the compulsion to daredevil. If i felt need of a Russian Roulette fix i'd just watch "Deer Hunter" again .
But then I'm over fifty. That's the age where a male starts to value his life.

old jim

I'd "like" this three or four times but, sadly, is not possible.

 

[Bystander]

I'd "like" this three or four times but, sadly, is not possible.

 

[fresh_42]

I just noticed when my eyes by chance landed on a German writing that had the word "wagen" on it and I was like: "Wait... wagen?

Wagen and wagon are very likely of the same origin. Same as folks and Volk I assume.