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

  • Thread starter Thread starter Evo
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Random Thoughts
Click For Summary
The discussion revolves around frustrations with current documentary programming, particularly criticizing the History Channel's focus on sensational topics like time travel conspiracies instead of real historical content. Participants express disappointment over National Geographic's sale to Fox, fearing a decline in quality programming. The conversation shifts to lighter topics, including humorous anecdotes about everyday life, such as a malfunctioning kitchen fan discovered to be blocked by installation instructions. There are also discussions about the challenges of understanding various dialects in Belgium, the complexities of language, and personal experiences with weather and housing in California. Members share their thoughts on food, including a peculiar dish of zucchini pancakes served with strawberry yogurt, and delve into mathematical concepts related to sandwich cutting and the properties of numbers. The thread captures a blend of serious commentary and lighthearted banter, reflecting a diverse range of interests and perspectives among participants.
  • #1,741
Bandersnatch said:
Now I'm thinking how much room for improving the names of the moons in the solar system there is. Phobos and Deimos could be renamed after your suggestion Lo and Behold.

Eek! :nb) I prefer Phobos and Deimos, roughly translated as "fear" and "panic." Those work best in my opinion.

I'm sure @Drakkith would agree.* :wink:

*This is a reference to the video game, Doom, btw. The original game took place on the moons, Phobos and Deimos.
 
  • Like
Likes Drakkith and fresh_42
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #1,742
I was thinking my way through a topology problem this morning and realized that it would be much facilitated by using play-doh. If my son is cool with it I am going to borrow his. I don't think he will mind. (So far he has only tried to eat it and did not seem to be very fond of it).
 
  • #1,743
fresh_42 said:
And not to forget about the vocabulary. Formerly I thought the f-word is bad, and bs isn't much better either. Puh! Those are for amateurs! The really mean ones are: Copenhagen, Bell, Bohr, wave-particle duality, FLT, event horizon, simultaneous and a couple more!

Yes and often those concepts get...entangled.

OOPS! :nb)
 
  • Like
Likes fresh_42
  • #1,744
I need to watch the elevator buttons more carefully. For the second time I accidentally pressed the 'close door' button when a
frail old lady was trying to get in. I got plenty of dirty looks.
 
  • #1,745
WWGD said:
I need to watch the elevator buttons more carefully. For the second time I accidentally pressed the 'close door' button when a
frail old lady was trying to get in. I got plenty of dirty looks.
Did you explain it? Like:
"She obviously needs some practice. Better she takes the stairs."
 
  • Like
Likes dkotschessaa
  • #1,746
fresh_42 said:
Did you explain it? Like:
"She obviously needs some practice. Better she takes the stairs."
No, I finessed it: " Hey, hurry up or get the hell out. I have no time for this #$% ".
 
  • Like
Likes dkotschessaa
  • #1,747
WWGD said:
No, I finessed it: " Hey, hurry up or get the hell out. I have no time for this #$% ".

"I gave you the challenge because I believe in you!"
 
  • Like
Likes fresh_42 and WWGD
  • #1,748
dkotschessaa said:
I was thinking my way through a topology problem this morning and realized that it would be much facilitated by using play-doh. If my son is cool with it I am going to borrow his. I don't think he will mind. (So far he has only tried to eat it and did not seem to be very fond of it).
Don't know how you will submit play-doh (play d'oh! for Homer ) in exam, kind of messy for prof. to reconstruct proof.
 
  • #1,749
WWGD said:
No, I finessed it: " Hey, hurry up or get the hell out. I have no time for this #$% ".
Sorry, this is the triple espresso version.
 
  • #1,750
WWGD said:
Sorry, this is the triple espresso version.
Or the hypocritical version: "Sorry, I just farted. I'm too ashamed."
 
  • #1,751
fresh_42 said:
Or the hypocritical version: "Sorry, I just farted. I'm too ashamed."
I usually stare at someone else in fake disgusted and pretend they were the ones who farted.
 
  • Like
Likes fresh_42
  • #1,752
WWGD said:
I usually stare at someone else in fake disgusted and pretend they were the ones who farted.
We should start a spin-off thread or two: one for the excuses towards the others in the elevator: "Sorry, but I have a wiccaphobia." and one as an excuse to the old lady: "Yes of course, ma'am, I'll test the elevator for you!"
 
  • Like
Likes WWGD
  • #1,753
We were discussing the Self/less movie yesterday, and it occurred to me that it was about:

Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) taking possession of Deadpool's (Ryan Reynolds) body.

I am thinking Deadpool's girlfriend would be disappointed.
 
  • #1,754
WWGD said:
Don't know how you will submit play-doh (play d'oh! for Homer ) in exam, kind of messy for prof. to reconstruct proof.

I wasn't planning on it, but I was wondering if they would let me bring it in anyway as a sort of...topological calculator.
 
  • #1,755
dkotschessaa said:
I wasn't planning on it, but I was wondering if they would let me bring it in anyway as a sort of...topological calculator.
They will let you bring it, but will they return it, too?
 
  • #1,756
Parsing problem:

"Black Eyed Peas " ## \neq ## " Black Guy Pees ".
 
  • Like
Likes nuuskur
  • #1,757
Tylenol: now with laser-drilled holes.
 
  • #1,758
zoobyshoe said:
Tylenol: now with laser-drilled holes.
Yeah, take a look at... Control Micro Systems .
 
  • #1,759
Qualifier countdown.. approx 30 days left. Time to put the petal to the...manifold, or something.

This will be me...
 
  • #1,760
dkotschessaa said:
Qualifier countdown.. approx 30 days left. Time to put the petal to the...manifold, or something.

This will be me...

I remember the line, a classic one IMO by Rodney's character, upon seeing Sam Kinnison ( Prof. Terguson) shouting, in response to , basically, every thing:
" I like this professor, he really cares. About what, I have no idea ".

EDIT:
The actual line was : " Good teacher, he really cares. About what, I have no idea "

http://www.hark.com/clips/ctjqysvnjx-good-teacher-he-really-seems-to-care-about-what-i-have-no-idea
 
  • Like
Likes fresh_42
  • #1,761
WWGD said:
Parsing problem:

"Black Eyed Peas " ## \neq ## " Black Guy Pees ".
damn near wet my pants reading that :D
 
  • #1,762
dkotschessaa said:
...Time to put the petal to the...manifold, or something.
...
Reminds me of when I was 16, and I was trying to discuss the "gas pedal", and inadvertently called it the "starter pedal".

It took me years to reconcile why I called it that.
1. There are a lot of doohickeys in a car, with a myriad of names, and I'm probably going to get some wrong, without some practice.
2. My "starter pedal" made the car "start" moving when you pressed on it.

ps. I believe in the olden days, that device was sometimes also called the "accelerator pedal".

pps. Actually, I'm going to blame my confusion on the auto industry...
5 year old Om; "Daddy, what does that button on the floor do?"
Daddy; "It starts the car."

Brother; "Why are you pushing on the high/low beam button?"
16 year old Om; "Dad told me that button starts the car."

25 year old Om; "Where did all the buttons on the floor go?"
Car; "They're now up here on sticks, and incorporated into the ignition switch."

58 year old Om; "What? Toyota now has an automatic high/low beam light thingy? What happened to all the buttons, switches, and other stuff?"
The future; "Technology".
Om; "Oh. Ok. I'm cool with that. Just don't expect me to remember the names of anything..."
 
  • #1,763
OmCheeto said:
Reminds me of when I was 16, and I was trying to discuss the "gas pedal", and inadvertently called it the "starter pedal".

It took me years to reconcile why I called it that.
1. There are a lot of doohickeys in a car, with a myriad of names, and I'm probably going to get some wrong, without some practice.
This guy I know here (age 25) has a '65 Beetle and he keeps calling the points "dots." I suspect this comes from geometry class where a "dot" is made on paper to represent a Euclidian "point." Regardless, it's very confusing to hear him talk about "adjusting the dots."
 
  • Like
Likes OmCheeto
  • #1,764
zoobyshoe said:
This guy I know here (age 25) has a '65 Beetle and he keeps calling the points "dots." I suspect this comes from geometry class where a "dot" is made on paper to represent a Euclidian "point." Regardless, it's very confusing to hear him talk about "adjusting the dots."
I think what he is discussing, is an expansion of what we called; "connecting the dots", back in the olden days.
Oddly enough, this makes total sense to me.
 
  • #1,765
zoobyshoe said:
This guy I know here (age 25) has a '65 Beetle and he keeps calling the points "dots." I suspect this comes from geometry class where a "dot" is made on paper to represent a Euclidian "point." Regardless, it's very confusing to hear him talk about "adjusting the dots."

You lost me at "points."
 
  • #1,766
dkotschessaa said:
You lost me at "points."
How does one adjust points as in this VW case?. EDIT2: The whole " connecting the dots" thing sounds very " Tubular" , i.e., very So Cal.
 
Last edited:
  • #1,767
dkotschessaa said:
You lost me at "points."
These things ?
 
  • #1,768
dkotschessaa said:
...manifold, or something.
I thought that was a pun about this... or something... lol
 
  • #1,769
Kind of awkward: I overheard at the coffeeshop that I creep some people out because I spend hours working with a blank expression.
 
  • #1,770

Waxing Moon.JPG
 
  • Like
Likes OmCheeto

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2K ·
64
Replies
2K
Views
57K
  • · Replies 3K ·
89
Replies
3K
Views
159K
  • · Replies 2K ·
76
Replies
2K
Views
170K
  • · Replies 4K ·
134
Replies
4K
Views
235K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3K ·
112
Replies
3K
Views
360K
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
2K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K