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

[fresh_42]

Every time I go out people keep coming up to me wanting to talk. I just find this weird. Is this normal?

You should really stop to wear this t-shirt saying "Info Service".

 

[Evo]

You should really stop to wear this t-shirt saying "Info Service".

I really do feel like I am wearing a sign "I'm a loser, please talk to me".

 

[fresh_42]

Is this normal? Do you constantly have complete strangers come up to you in public places and strike up a conversation?

To me those occasions, at least those I remember, occurred when I have been a stranger to the place myself. I remember a visit to MI when I took a break somewhere in nowhere to have a snack and a not so healthy thing on the longer way back to the airport. As I stood there on a parking lot, a van with four or five young ladies stopped and they asked me about the way to a party. Oh how I hated this flight ticket in this moment ...

But this hasn't been the only time something like this happened to me. My guess is this happens, because as a stranger you normally are far more open to impressions of all kind and looking around anyway, which makes it easier for others to start a conversation. However, I do not assume that you behave like a tourist in the grocery store which makes it a bit strange.

 

[Evo]

To me those occasions, at least those I remember, occurred when I have been a stranger to the place myself. I remember a visit to MI when I took a break somewhere in nowhere to have a snack and a not so healthy thing on the longer way back to the airport. As I stood there on a parking lot, a van with four or five young ladies stopped and they asked me about the way to a party. Oh how I hated this flight ticket in this moment ...

These were girls flirting with you the "HOT" guy! This was no accident, they spotted you and made a decision to talk to you. Not that my girlfriends and I have ever <cough> done anything like this when we were young.

I've just noticed that over the past year that I seem to have an abnormal number of complete strangers come up to me and ask my opinion or just start chatting. These are obviously wealthy, educated people, dressed much nicer than me, hmmmm, maybe I do look like a store clerk. The sad thing is, I really liked some of these people and they seemed to be people I would like as friends, having similar interests. Like the fern lady today. She looked like she just walked off of the cover of Vogue. I was wearing capri pants and a tank top.

 

[dlgoff]

I get so impatient during vacuum pump-downs.

 

[WWGD]

Well, push it a little. Ask the next one about your "Aura" .

Good one, but a bit tricky. Worse case, you may get a lecture on your aura. Make sure the first name of the person talking to you is not something like "Zelda", or at least does not have the prefix " Madame", or not wearing a handkerchief wrapped around their head. I don't remember hearing about "Zelda the engineer/economist, etc. " It is always Zelda's readings, etc.

 

[WWGD]

And now that I mentioned "prefix" in above post, I am remembering all these restaurants advertising a "prefix" lunch, instead of a prix fixe lunch . What is a "prefix" lunch: " lunchanarium"? And don't get me going about potato's.

 

[fresh_42]

... or not wearing a handkerchief wrapped around their head..

But you do know, that you shall never leave the house without one?

 

[WWGD]

But you do know, that you shall never leave the house without one?

Together with aura-cleaning liquid and equipment?

 

[fresh_42]

Together with aura-cleaning liquid and equipment?

Sort of. One corner should be carrying liquid proteins, if I remember correctly. But towel day is over this year.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Maybe this is normal. When you go out, like to the grocery store, do you constantly have people come up to you and ask you for nutritional advice, like which is healthier, olive oil or coconut oil, OLIVE OIL! Coconut oil is the unhealthiest vegetable oil there is, it is the highest in saturated fats, even my health insurance included a warning about it in their monthly newsletter, well maybe palm oil is worse.

But I digress, I don't know why I look like a health expert, but I am constantly approached by people in the store asking for advice. Or they just want to tell me about something they saw that I might be interested in. Today I was looking at some echevaria they had on sale and some nice lady came over to me to let me know that she bought a boston fern there a couple of days ago for $5 and there were 2 left if I would like one. And she just kept talking and talking and finally I said "thank you" and she said "oh, goodbye".

Every time I go out people keep coming up to me wanting to talk. I just find this weird. Is this normal? Do you constantly have complete strangers come up to you in public places and strike up a conversation?

Maybe I am being stalked by the government?

Possibly you have an "open" disposition, i.e. you look easy to talk to. It doesn't not happen to me that much, though I imagine people more frequently approach females than males.

We have coconut oil in the kitchen but it is not used very often. I think a jar lasts us a year or two. The one in the bathroom however, is used daily by me as a hair product. It is the secret to my beauteous locks. (Well, not anymore I guess)

-Dave K

 

[jim hardy]

Make sure the first name of the person talking to you is not something like "Zelda", or at least does not have the prefix " Madame", or not wearing a handkerchief wrapped around their head. I don't remember hearing about "Zelda the engineer/economist, etc. " It is always Zelda's readings, etc.

Hmmm..
A 'Psychic' once said to me: " December 23rd is a significant date for you" ,
and told me i'd be in court twice in the next year but not as a defendant.

Dec 23 was the date of my divorce a few years earlier
and i was indeed called to court twice in the next year as a witness ..
When i got the second summons i thought back to that psychic and said "Sometimes I just have to wonder..."

No basis for it in Physics though, beyond coincidence.

old jim

 

[WWGD]

Hmmm..
A 'Psychic' once said to me: " December 23rd is a significant date for you" ,
and told me i'd be in court twice in the next year but not as a defendant.

Dec 23 was the date of my divorce a few years earlier
and i was indeed called to court twice in the next year as a witness ..
When i got the second summons i thought back to that psychic and said "Sometimes I just have to wonder..."

No basis for it in Physics though, beyond coincidence.

old jim

Give me 10+ consecutive correct guesses like that, and I may start believing.

 

[WWGD]

BTW, I used to be able to guess small things about people correctly. Thinks like " This guy will ask me what the time is" , or, " This person likes the rock group Beastie Boys", minor things of this sort, but never the important things, like winning lottery numbers. What a waste.

 

[jim hardy]

Give me 10+ consecutive correct guesses like that, and I may start believing.

That's pretty much how i felt. Were that psychic somebody i knew i'd have tried to gather some more data points.

BTW, I used to be able to guess small things about people correctly. Thinks like " This guy will ask me what the time is" , or, " This person likes the rock group Beastie Boys", minor things of this sort, but never the important things, like winning lottery numbers. What a waste.

You might enjoy Carl Jung's book "Synchronicity". Be aware though it's anathema to established science.

Music of the Spheres?
I once wrote a Basic computer program that took Florida's wining lottery numbers (Before Powerball, when they were only 49 to pick from)
made them into a list of 49 bit binary numbers
printed out their values as binary, octal, hexadecimal and decimal looking for a pattern in non-decimal number base (radix?).

Was trying to figure out how to convert them to base(radix?) e and base pi , even bought a math textbook on 'Irrational Numbers"
but found that math over my head.
If i ever do learn it i'll try base Planck's Constant, too.

 

[WWGD]

That's pretty much how i felt. Were that psychic somebody i knew i'd have tried to gather some more data points.
You might enjoy Carl Jung's book "Synchronicity". Be aware though it's anathema to established science.

Music of the Spheres?
I once wrote a Basic computer program that took Florida's wining lottery numbers (Before Powerball, when they were only 49 to pick from)
made them into a list of 49 bit binary numbers
printed out their values as binary, octal, hexadecimal and decimal looking for a pattern in non-decimal number base (radix?).

Was trying to figure out how to convert them to base(radix?) e and base pi , even bought a math textbook on 'Irrational Numbers"
but found that math over my head.
If i ever do learn it i'll try base Planck's Constant, too.

Yes, I try to keep a distinction between that which has not been tested and what has been debunked.

 

[WWGD]

My OCD keeps bothering me, and I want to give a like to anyone who has none yet: I cannot stand the division by 0 next to their avatar: Total Posts/Likes=a/0 .

 

[dkotschessaa]

My wife, who I've known since I was 10, although we lost touch for 15 years in between, was told by a psychic (before we re-met) that she would marry somebody "from her past."

Sounds pretty amazing, but she met the psychic when she was a journalist and doing a news story on psychics in some town in Florida . She visited at least a dozen psychics while doing the story. Surely one of them was bound to tell her something that would come true!

 

[WWGD]

My wife, who I've known since I was 10, although we lost touch for 15 years in between, was told by a psychic (before we re-met) that she would marry somebody "from her past."

Sounds pretty amazing, but she met the psychic when she was a journalist and doing a news story on psychics in some town in Florida . She visited at least a dozen psychics while doing the story. Surely one of them was bound to tell her something that would come true!

And often confirmation bias comes into play when you want to believe: you only remember the things you were told that became true.

 

[Borg]

And often confirmation bias comes into play when you want to believe: you only remember the things you were told that became true.

I know what you mean. Someone told me something that was completely wrong but I forget what it was.

 

[OCR]

Lol...

Someone told me something that was completely wrong but I forget what it was.

 

[dkotschessaa]

I know what you mean. Someone told me something that was completely wrong but I forget what it was.

To my recollection, I've never been wrong about anything.

 

[dkotschessaa]

I learn so much on this forum that I found an analogous forum (in terms of format, and the software it's run on etc.) for history, thinking I'd learn something there. But everyone here has me so spoiled... There is a basic level of quantitative literacy and rigor here, and people tend to cite sources, at least if asked if not otherwise. Over there? Not sure how long I can take it.

 

[Borg]

To my recollection, I've never been wrong about anything.

I predict that someday you will be wrong but, you won't remember this prediction.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Meant to reply to something Borg said, but I don't remember what it was.

 

[Borg]

I can confirm that but then, I'm biased.

 

[Ibix]

I learn so much on this forum that I found an analogous forum (in terms of format, and the software it's run on etc.) for history, thinking I'd learn something there. But everyone here has me so spoiled... There is a basic level of quantitative literacy and rigor here, and people tend to cite sources, at least if asked if not otherwise. Over there? Not sure how long I can take it.

Science spoils you with its experimentally-based certainty.
Ultimately, if someone wants to deny relativity (or evolution or whatever) they have to cope with multiple fields of technology that only work if their denialism is wrong.

There's no real analogue for experiment outside of science. I can deny the Holocaust or whatever, and as long as I can come up with some kind of conspiracy theory that might make that semi-plausible the only thing you can really do is try to shout me down.

 

[fresh_42]

To my recollection, I've never been wrong about anything.

Don't you talk to your wife anymore?

 

[dkotschessaa]

Don't you talk to your wife anymore?

I don't recall.

 

[Borek]

Now I know what I made these lights for.

 

[fresh_42]

Now I know what I made these lights for.

If it should happen that you will post these pictures on a UFO side, let me know and give me the link: some popcorn, a cool drink and UFOs - perfect!

 

[WWGD]

Now I know what I made these lights for.

View attachment 205484

View attachment 205485

View attachment 205486

View attachment 205487

Life is a highway!

 

[Evo]

I found out today that someone stole my car's license plate renewal sticker. I just got through filing a police report of the theft, I'll have to call the DMV tomorrow and see if they will mail me another when I get the permanent police report. I do not want to have to go down to the DMV animal house.

 

[WWGD]

They still fall for it at the ASPCA:
ASPCA Guy (in sidewalk, while I am rushing to get somewhere, trying to ignore them): Sir, we have an adoption campaign. Would you like to adopt?
Me: Yes, sir, I would like to have a dog.
ASPCA Guy ( excited) : Really? Sure, what type?
Me: Relish and Mustard.
Maybe that will lead them to not stop me anymore on the sidewalks. Feeding a dog takes a bit of change, which, of course, they will not provide you with.

 

[fresh_42]

They still fall for it at the ASPCA:
ASPCA Guy (in sidewalk, while I am rushing to get somewhere, trying to ignore them): Sir, we have an adoption campaign. Would you like to adopt?
Me: Yes, sir, I would like to have a dog.
ASPCA Guy ( excited) : Really? Sure, what type?
Me: Relish and Mustard.
Maybe that will lead them to not stop me anymore on the sidewalks. Feeding a dog takes a bit of change, which, of course, they will not provide you with.

Manhattan?

 

[WWGD]

Manhattan?

I was in Queens at this point, but they have them there(here) too.

 

[fresh_42]

I was in Queens at this point, but they have them there(here) too.

Just thought ... delicious dogs > china > china-town > Manhattan ...

 

[WWGD]

Just thought ... delicious dogs > china > china-town > Manhattan ...

Yikes, Taboo alert: I prefer not to think about it; this is my personal version of " Don't Ask Don't Tell": I don't ask what is in the food, you do not tell me. I don't get sick, I eat it again.

 

[WWGD]

This latest "Raw Food" trend does not agree with me. I need some protein to fill full. And raw vegetables, while tasty , get me gassed up. Back to the cooked stuff for me, including cooked vegetables -- and meat, or at least some protein.

 

[fresh_42]

This latest "Raw Food" trend does not agree with me.

This is my taboo alert. I tested your advice of celery and peanut butter. It was a nightmare ...
On the other side, I really like raw food. O.k. not quite, rather almost raw food. However, I usually call it medium rare.

 

[fresh_42]

I just saw a discussion on TV which was in French and the moderator said "Tschüss!" at the end. This is funny. Not that she used a German word, but the fact, that "Tschüss!" itself developed from the French "Adieux!". Re-import after transformation. Funny.

 

[WWGD]

No Gesundheit! after "Tschuss"? ( How do you do the umlaut in Tex ?)

 

[WWGD]

This latest "Raw Food" trend does not agree with me. I need some protein to fill full. And raw vegetables, while tasty , get me gassed up. Back to the cooked stuff for me, including cooked vegetables -- and meat, or at least some protein.

Still, part of the problem here, is that it is almost impossible to know when your trial is close to being a randomize, blind/double blind trial, so it is hard to draw conclusions.

 

[fresh_42]

No Gesundheit! after "Tschuss"? ( How do you do the umlaut in Tex ?)

In a TeX editor via the language settings, here via my keyboard which has them as well as the French accents. Only cedille and trema are missing. It starts to get difficult towards Scandinavia (Ångström) and the Czech republic.

 

[WWGD]

In a TeX editor via the language settings, here via my keyboard which has them as well as the French accents. Only cedille and trema are missing. It starts to get difficult towards Scandinavia (Ångström) and the Czech republic.

Gesundheit! !??!

 

[fresh_42]

Gesundheit! !??!

Спаси́бо.

 

[DennisN]

Cool animation:

 

[DennisN]

Another one:

 

[Ibix]

Cool animation:

Nice. The xscreensaver used to have a (less pretty) version that rotated about multiple axes, which was similarly hypnotic.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Science spoils you with its experimentally-based certainty.
Ultimately, if someone wants to deny relativity (or evolution or whatever) they have to cope with multiple fields of technology that only work if their denialism is wrong.

There's no real analogue for experiment outside of science. I can deny the Holocaust or whatever, and as long as I can come up with some kind of conspiracy theory that might make that semi-plausible the only thing you can really do is try to shout me down.

Good historians (or graduate students in history) at least know how to argue without employing logical fallacies and they know to cite references without even being asked. Then of course you can debate the historicity of those references and so forth. It can still be done with a degree of rigor appropriate to the field.

But no...

-Dave K