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

[WWGD]

What? Not enough that it is already hard to get the curve in a debate with a topologist, you now also load the categorial gun? But you're right, they might preserve the temper

Maybe not quite a topologist; my nickname is Jakob Altrade, maybe Jack O'boltrades. But, yes, I used to be into the 4D stuff, embeddings, etc.

 

[WWGD]

Maybe someone would like to play the game: " Science Fiction or Algebra ( or both)" for terms; algebra seems to have a lot of terms that sort of sound like superheroes.:
Centralizer
Phaser
...

 

[fresh_42]

Maybe someone would like to play the game: " Science Fiction or Algebra ( or both)" for terms; algebra seems to have a lot of terms that sort of sound like superheroes.:
Centralizer
Phaser
...

Algebra is completely full of them. I like the potent family: nil, idem and uni, and their cousin nilradical. Radical sounds like a political agenda. But zero divisors and integral domains, that have nothing to do with integrals are also funny, not to mention

Only mathematicians can call a group of $$808,017,424,794,512,875,886,459,904,961,710,757,005,754,368,000,000,000$$ elements simple.

However, the topologists' T-party is nice, too, the more as it's not clear where the "T" comes from (in an English context).

 

[WWGD]

A

However, the topologists' T-party is nice, too, the more as it's not clear where the "T" comes from (in an English context).

Sarah Palin ?( Sorry, I ran out of puns ).

 

[WWGD]

Maybe someone would like to play the game: " Science Fiction or Algebra ( or both)" for terms; algebra seems to have a lot of terms that sort of sound like superheroes.:
Centralizer
Phaser
...

How about other terms: Made up or Real " Plumbing Manifolds" (MAde up/Real) , " Surgery on Manifolds" ( Made up/Real) ,..." Gardening on Manifolds" (??).

 

[BillTre]

I have several plumbing manifolds (several valves on a pipe).

 

[WWGD]

I have several plumbing manifolds (several valves on a pipe).

It is an actual topic; you essentially remove some parts and put them back in in ways that change some of the structural properties. EDIT: But, yes, it gets kind of tiring to do online searches.

 

[WWGD]

I have several plumbing manifolds (several valves on a pipe).

There is so much knowledge ( as well as garbage ) generated daily no win age of big data that it is difficult to filter the stuff you're looking for from the barrage of stuff coming at you. Like trying to drink water out of a fire hose.

 

[OCR]

...water out of a fire hose.

How can you get water out of a fire hose... ?? .

 

[WWGD]

How can you get water out of a fire hose... ?? .

I meant the water hose used to put off fires.

 

[Evo]

Ok, had an engine DUMMY light come on, no problems with the car, looked at the car book, it said "could be serious or not serious", could just be the gas cap, bad gas, coolant flush, or broken thermostat. So had a diagnostic run, "oh, the thermostat is broken", the worst possible scenario! Took it in, paid $400, but the mechanic told me, "well, we replaced the thermostat, but the light was still on, so then we flushed the coolant and the light went out". WHAT? So there was nothing wrong with the thermostat? It just needed a coolant flush that it was due for? Of course when I started screaming, the manager came over and assured me the thermostat needed replacing and the mechanic just got it wrong.

UH HUH.

When they asked me what problems i was having I told them "NONE". If the thermostat was broken, I would have expected to have overheating, which they agreed. I was having no overheating. JERKS!

 

[BillTre]

Ask for your old thermostat. (In some states they are supposed to ask you if you want the old part.)
You might be able to check it out to see if it busted. (Have any friends who are mechanics?)

 

[OCR]

Ok, had an engine DUMMY light come on...

Worked as designed, didn't it ? . .

There's a very simple fix for that light issue...
Put a piece or two of black electrical tape over the little window the bulb resides behind... it's always worked for me... .

... it's always worked for me...

Lol... then again, you remember the old saying... " It takes one to know one " ? .

 

[Borg]

@Evo I have made it a habit to reset the warning light when it comes on before taking it to a mechanic. Very often they are just service reminders and don't indicate any actual problem with the car. I only take it in if the light keeps coming back on.

 

[OCR]

How can you get water out of a fire hose... ?? .

I meant the water hose used to put off fires.

Aah heck, I thought you'd say something like...

" First, you need to unhook it from the fire hydrant... "

Indeed, I'm crestfallen... .

 

[Asymptotic]

When they asked me what problems i was having I told them "NONE". If the thermostat was broken, I would have expected to have overheating, which they agreed. I was having no overheating. JERKS!

JERKS! is at least partially correct, because they ought to have known a thermostat can fail open as well as closed. Failed closed is easy to diagnose - overheated engine, and if not addressed promptly, a good chance for a blown head gasket or cracked engine block. A failed open thermostat is more subtle - water flow is continuous even when the engine is cold, and (except for frigid winter days when the secondary sign of "freezing your butt off" becomes apparent) the downsides of increased engine wear and efficiency loss are equally as subtle.

I wonder whether they checked coolant level before replacing the thermostat? If it gets so low that the radiator core isn't fully immersed, the engine runs marginally hotter than it ought to, and as fluid level creeps ever lower eventually gets hot enough to trigger a coolant over-temperature warning. This may or may not be annunciated as such; auto manufacturers may bring this out to the dash as a stylized red thermometer, or bunch it along with everything else the 'check engine' light denotes.

 

[Asymptotic]

I meant the water hose used to put off fires.

Just standing there with a stern look and hose at the ready is off-putting enough for most fires.

 

[BillTre]

@Evo we used to have (earlier this year) an old car that had a lot of problems as well as pseudo-problems.
A friend who is quite the mechanic told us to get a engine code reader which could be plugged into the car to read the diagnostic codes.

@Evo I have made it a habit to reset the warning light when it comes on before taking it to a mechanic.

It can also be used to reset the codes since a lot of them seem to be trivial.

It is a small electronics box on a cable and cost (I believe) >$20 at a Harbor Freight store.
It was quite handy for that car.

 

[skyshrimp]

I had a weird craving today for salty French fries and squirty cream.

Tasted great.

 

[OmCheeto]

I had a weird craving today for salty French fries and squirty cream.

Tasted great.

"squirty cream"?
google google google
Ah ha! Whipped cream in a can.

I shall henceforth start calling cheese[?] in a can, "squirty cheese".
I crave it once a year.
Much to the chagrin of my friends, who I only see that one time of the year, as they assume I eat squirty cheese every day, which I do not.

 

[Evo]

I wonder whether they checked coolant level before replacing the thermostat? If it gets so low that the radiator core isn't fully immersed, the engine runs marginally hotter than it ought to, and as fluid level creeps ever lower eventually gets hot enough to trigger a coolant over-temperature warning. This may or may not be annunciated as such; auto manufacturers may bring this out to the dash as a stylized red thermometer, or bunch it along with everything else the 'check engine' light denotes.

It sounds like they did not check the coolant first, they were convinced from the start the problem was the thermostat, it was only after replacing the thermostat that the engine light was showing the same issue that they flushed the cooling system and the light went out. Believe it or not, my car does not have an engine temperature gauge, among others. The paperwork is written so that it sounds like they did all of the work and resolved the issue. Done.

 

[Evo]

Ask for your old thermostat. (In some states they are supposed to ask you if you want the old part.)
You might be able to check it out to see if it busted. (Have any friends who are mechanics?)

Even if they gave me a broken one, I wouldn't know if it came from my car..

 

[OmCheeto]

@Evo I have made it a habit to reset the warning light when it comes on before taking it to a mechanic. Very often they are just service reminders and don't indicate any actual problem with the car. I only take it in if the light keeps coming back on.

Service reminders?
hmmm...
My truck is now (2017.9 - 2009.5) 8.4 years old. I've only had one of the imbecile lights come on once, and have never had my vehicle in for service.
The light went out after a few miles, after fiddling with things the owners manual said caused it. ["Either your gas cap is loose, or, something else is boogered" The cap was not loose]
Anyone remember what year I took a picture of the Heceta Lighthouse? That's when it happened. hmmm...

Never mind. It was 2.5 years ago: 2015.07.12

Someone from Bulgaria talked me into taking that picture. Weird, huh?

 

[OmCheeto]

Even if they gave me a broken one, I wouldn't know if it came from my car..

I know a good honest mechanic, but his shop is in Tennessee.

hmmmm...

Road Trip!

 

[collinsmark]

I just realized this a few minutes ago in a different thread, but I thought I'd also share it here.

In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Prince Hamlet speaks his famous quote when contemplating suicide:

"To be, or not to be, that is the question"​

When evaluating that statement in C based programming language (C, C++, C#, etc.) in a statement such as
0x2b | ~0x2b
where "0x" specifies hexadecimal, "|" is the bitwise "OR" operator and "~" is the bitwise "NOT" operator, it evaluates to "-1." 'Kinda spooky.

Spoiler: Example

For example, the program

#include "stdafx.h"
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    printf("%d", 0x2b | ~0x2b);

    getchar();
    return 0;
}

simply outputs "-1".

Of course, that would be the case with any fixed-point number ORed with its own bit-wise inverse. So "2b" isn't really special here. But still.

 

[BillTre]

Even if they gave me a broken one, I wouldn't know if it came from my car..

Yeah. Probably too late now. When I have car work done, they usually have a pile of parts and ask if I want any of it before they pitch it.

 

[OCR]

Are Our strive to achieve correctness and total accuracy on this Forum is relentless and uncompromising !... .
Therefore, and hereafter, the structure called...

Heceta Lighthouse

Shall be referred to as... Heceta Head Light. .

I know a good honest mechanic, but his shop is in Tennessee.

Honest, so do I ... weird, huh?

 

[fresh_42]

Around 30 years and hundreds of fancy, questionable features later, I still use the command shell and the repetition functionality of DOS commands, and to do what?

ping www.google.com -t​

... the telephone company changes its transmission protocols ...

 

[WWGD]

Same thing every time. I ask for hot tea at the cafe'. They say : Honey? I say : Yes, sugar bear.

 

[Posy McPostface]

I want to post a thread about laser weapons and the possibility of them providing an absolute defense measure against the MAD doctrine, and whether people think that's true or if not why; but, am afraid of getting banned for low post quality. I think it's a simple enough question, not very political, and somewhat edifying to know if possible to implement. It would seem that laser technology has matured enough to make such a defense measure possible, since when first Reagan proposed the Strategic Defence Initiative or pejoratively known as 'Star Wars'.

Thoughts?

 

[fresh_42]

Same thing every time. I ask for hot tea at the cafe'. They say : Honey? I say : Yes, sugar bear.

Is this your version of a bungee jump?

 

[WWGD]

Is this your version of a bungee jump?

?Just when I thought my posts were bizarre...? Traduttore Traitore??

 

[WWGD]

I just found Waldo. What do I do now??

 

[WWGD]

I want to post a thread about laser weapons and the possibility of them providing an absolute defense measure against the MAD doctrine, and whether people think that's true or if not why; but, am afraid of getting banned for low post quality. I think it's a simple enough question, not very political, and somewhat edifying to know if possible to implement. It would seem that laser technology has matured enough to make such a defense measure possible, since when first Reagan proposed the Strategic Defence Initiative or pejoratively known as 'Star Wars'.

Thoughts?

Ask within the lounge how to go about it, or PM Greg or some other mentor.

 

[fresh_42]

?Just when I thought my posts were bizarre...?

Will the cord work, or will it not? Will I get into a fight, or will I not? You live a dangerous life ...
I've once been told I'd rather lose a close friend than a bad pun. Dude, me thinks you're in a similar category

 

[WWGD]

Will the cord work, or will it not? Will I get into a fight, or will I not? You live a dangerous life ...
I've once been told I'd rather lose a close friend than a bad pun. Dude, me thinks you're in a similar category

Oh, no, I just get blank stares and then get ignored. EDIT But I take it back, I see what you meant. I don't know how it works there at Konigsberg with its bridges, but being bizarre here is not helpful, to say the least.

 

[Posy McPostface]

Am I not in the lounge?

It might be better to post this in the SCI-FI section of the forum, with something of the following:

"How far away are we from eradicating the MAD doctrine? Will laser weapons provide a means to that end?"

 

[WWGD]

Am I not in the lounge?

It might be better to post this in the SCI-FI section of the forum, with something of the following:

"How far away are we from eradicating the MAD doctrine? Will laser weapons provide a means to that end?"

My bad, I meant to say, open a new post within general discussion asking how to go about posting, or ask Greg and/or a mentor.

 

[berkeman]

Am I not in the lounge?

It might be better to post this in the SCI-FI section of the forum, with something of the following:

"How far away are we from eradicating the MAD doctrine? Will laser weapons provide a means to that end?"

Please do a forum search. There have been several recent threads about missile defense systems based on lasers.

And MAD is not currently much of an issue. There are other missile threats that are much more real at the moment...

 

[Posy McPostface]

Please do a forum search. There have been several recent threads about missile defense systems based on lasers.

And MAD is not currently much of an issue. There are other missile threats that are much more real at the moment...

I did some more thinking and hope to post this in the sci-fi section of the forum, under the rationale of "Are directed energy weapons an 'absolute defense' against threats, and if so how will they shape the future of war?" (I'm still trying to make a less ambiguous thread title and polishing up the whole thing).

On second thought, I think I'll just research the matter in more detail, as I seem to be confused as to formalize the idea into words.

 

[berkeman]

On second thought, I think I'll just research the matter in more detail, as I seem to be confused as to formalize the idea into words.

Thanks. And if you can, please run the proposed OP past me whenever you think your are ready. I can help you make a post that should turn into a good thread (if possible).BTW, be sure to read about the issues introduced in missile defense systems when the missiles have decoy technology incorporated in their warhead payloads...

 

[Evo]

I did some more thinking and hope to post this in the sci-fi section of the forum, under the rationale of "Are directed energy weapons an 'absolute defense' against threats, and if so how will they shape the future of war?" (I'm still trying to make a less ambiguous thread title and polishing up the whole thing).

On second thought, I think I'll just research the matter in more detail, as I seem to be confused as to formalize the idea into words.

I'm glad to see you putting more thought into your posts. The Sci-fi forum is actually for reviewing and discussing current works of science fiction, books, movies, etc..., although some threads that weren't acceptable elsewhere in the forum were moved there by mistake.

And do take Berkeman up on his offer of help, he's great!

 

[Posy McPostface]

Thanks. And if you can, please run the proposed OP past me whenever you think your are ready. I can help you make a post that should turn into a good thread (if possible).BTW, be sure to read about the issues introduced in missile defense systems when the missiles have decoy technology incorporated in their warhead payloads...

Thank you for the offer and time for making such a thread possible; but...

I decided to drop the idea (is that you ADD?), due to the sheer amount of information available online. What I also concluded is that such systems would be only effective, for defending cities or carriers and destroyers. To counter ICBM's one would have to have these lasers in space, which brings a whole host of issues in regards to the weaponization of space, that would probably prohibit such a defense system from being implemented. EDIT: Technically an alternative to the weaponization of space problem is to have high altitude drones equipped with lasers to target rogue nations like North Korea from launching an ICBM during the boost phase. This is something the MDA (Missle Defence Agency) is working on at the moment. So, that's that.

 

[Posy McPostface]

Well, I'm stumped. I think, I'll ask someone more competent then, here;

Is a fish wet in water or only when taken out of water?

 

[fresh_42]

Well, I'm stumped. I think, I'll ask someone more competent then, here;

Is a fish wet in water or only when taken out of water?

It depends.
These two are wed

and this one isn't:

 

[Posy McPostface]

Well, Trump just signed a new directive for NASA to go back to the moon and then Mars. I expect media coverage to be minimal to nothing.

 

[Apple_Mango]

After being in college for a year, I just realize how high-school is a waste of time.

 

[WWGD]

Horrible idea: Just saw this couple crossing the street while holding hands. What if a car heads in their direction at high speed? Will they be able to think quickly-enough to let go of the hands?

 

[Asymptotic]

Horrible idea: Just saw this couple crossing the street while holding hands. What if a car heads in their direction at high speed? Will they be able to think quickly-enough to let go of the hands?

Were they each other's hands? If disembodied, for damn sure I'd be in a high speed car heading in the other direction.

 

[WWGD]

Were they each other's hands? If disembodied, for damn sure I'd be in a high speed car heading in the other direction.

?? Where they each other hands?? Do you mean if they were holding each other's hands?