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

[Jonathan Scott]

The wild hedgehog in our garden died yesterday night. I think it must have eaten something poisonous as appeared to be fine the previous night, and was a good weight, but we saw it staggering around during the day (too late to take it to any animal care place). I'm amazed it had been able to live around here at all, especially as they have a habit of crossing roads abruptly. One of the two young hedgehogs had already disappeared, and this morning the nest was empty, so I guess the other one has gone too. I hope it's OK.

 

[jim hardy]

That's sad.
I looked , Wikipedia says they're insect eaters . I've long thought yard spray has to be hard on the birds so i don't do it.
I found a little hawk dead the other day - my guess is he ate a poisoned mouse. Lots of people here put out poison to keep the chipmunks down, they'll eat underhood car wiring.

My sister is at odds with her homeowner's association. She won't poison either and cultivates milkweed because some migratory butterfly eats it.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

On further checking of the symptoms, it seems likely that our hedgehog died of poisoning by slug pellets. It's not clear whether hedgehogs actually eat the pellets or get poisoned by eating poisoned slugs, and the manufacturers maintain that "if used according to the instructions" the pellets should be harmless to wildlife, but apparently hedgehogs are being found dying or dead with high levels of slug pellet poisons in them. There are plenty of wildlife-friendly alternatives now (assuming you don't count slugs and snails in that definition of "wildlife") so there's no excuse.

 

[WWGD]

Ouch! It should have been obvious, looking back, that she was talking about her _Stash_, and not her 'Stache (Mustache)..
Hope she won't be angry for too long, and call me for the followup interview.

 

[WWGD]

Mr. Sunshine was at the coffee shop today. I arrive at the place, which is pretty packed, a guy is just pulling out of his seat.
I tell him " Perfect Timing", while taking the seat he just vacated. He replies: " Yes, perfect for _you_ ". ? Since we are in a coffee shop , he cannot argue he had not had a chance to have his caffeine yet as an excuse. Ah, yes, and I need to remember to cool down and stop sweating before walking into 50 degree AC.

 

[WWGD]

Kind of confusing: they had a TV presentation on the book " Spies Like Us". Still, if they like us, why do they spy on us? I don't think I would spy on someone I liked.

 

[Ibix]

Kind of confusing: they had a TV presentation on the book " Spies Like Us". Still, if they like us, why do they spy on us? I don't think I would spy on someone I liked.

For sale: Large dog. Will eat anything. Likes children.

 

[WWGD]

For sale: Large dog. Will eat anything. Likes children.

Let's see if I can follow up:

Have you called your aunt Martha?
No
Why not?
Her name is not Martha.

I have even worse(rer) ones.
EDIT: How about writing a whole small play full of these?

 

[fresh_42]

I have even worse(rer) ones.
EDIT: How about writing a whole small play full of these?

Yep. Problem is, the real good ones are not PC or make use of forbidden language. I've dropped more good puns than I've posted jokes.

 

[Tom.G]

My sister is at odds with her homeowner's association. She won't poison either and cultivates milkweed because some migratory butterfly eats it.

That's the Monarch butterfly. Semi-spectacular with it's good size orange-and-black wings.

With it's population down about 90%, it is in danger of extinction. It ranges between Canada and Mexico. The Western population winters in Baja California (Western coast of Mexico) with some of them wintering in the coastal forests of California. The Eastern population manages to migrate across the Gulf of Mexico.

The larva eat only Milkweed and we have exterminated most of that. As a child growing up outside of Buffalo N.Y (60 yrs. ago), they were plentiful during the Summer. Now living in Southern California I recall seeing a fair number of them up to about 30 yrs ago, but the number has drastically reduced since then. My wife and I spot perhaps 4 a year now. There is a semi-robust movement for city-slickers to plant Milkweed in their backyards to attract and support them. Kudos to your sister for taking part!

 

[jim hardy]

The larva eat only Milkweed and we have exterminated most of that. As a child growing up outside of Buffalo N.Y (60 yrs. ago), they were plentiful during the Summer. Now living in Southern California I recall seeing a fair number of them up to about 30 yrs ago, but the number has drastically reduced since then. My wife and I spot perhaps 4 a year now. There is a semi-robust movement for city-slickers to plant Milkweed in their backyards to attract and support them. Kudos to your sister for taking part!

Got an email from her yesterday. She's raising monarch caterpillars indoors, in Tupperware, because of

an EVIL NASTY DIABOLICAL parasitic fly that attacked and killed all my pretty little monarch caterpillars on my milkweeds.

Her dining room table is a Monarch nursery for the time being..
There must be a movement growing like you mentioned because she reports a milkweed shortage in nurseries around Tulsa.

Thanks @Tom.G

 

[Borg]

Arrrrr

 

[fresh_42]

Arrrrr

 

[WWGD]

Wonder if I can patent this: it is pretty confusing when you're at a public place and ask someone sitting if someone is using the chair. A "yes" can be interpreted reasonably as either " yes, you can take the chair" or " yes, someone is using the chair". My idea, assuming it is free, is to point the palm of the hand perpendicularly towards the chair and nod.

 

[BillTre]

The patent would be worthless.
It is not something you could sell.

You might, however, be able to name it after yourself ("The WWGD gesture" perhaps) and get it to propagate as a meme, thus becoming famous.

 

[WWGD]

The patent would be worthless.
It is not something you could sell.

You might, however, be able to name it after yourself ("The WWGD gesture" perhaps) and get it to propagate as a meme, thus becoming famous.

Yes, I was joking about the patenting think; it is just that I see this issue come up pretty often: " Yes, you mean it is taken or yes it is free and I can take it". Not life-changing, but, hey, it is something.

 

[fresh_42]

Yes, I was joking about the patenting think; it is just that I see this issue come up pretty often: " Yes, you mean it is taken or yes it is free and I can take it". Not life-changing, but, hey, it is something.

There are already gestures in place: an open palm for "have it" and I bet we all know the other one

 

[dkotschessaa]

Have been so busy I forgot this forum existed. study--> work--> toddler -->study --sleep. (It's more fun than it sounds).

Second attempt at qual in 10 days.

 

[fresh_42]

Second attempt at qual in 10 days.

Good luck!

 

[WWGD]

There are already gestures in place: an open palm for "have it" and I bet we all know the other one

I agree, but few, at least around here, seem to have the common sense to use it. Instead, they mumble something and go on about their day.

 

[WWGD]

I did not know John le Carre was...Breetish https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_le_Carr%C3%A9 ?? Maybe he laiks bisqueets with he's tee? EDIT: This is Scottish Wiki, it seems ( seams?)..

 

[WWGD]

I saw this woman moving her foot 90 degrees+ inward. Had not seen that before ( nor after).

 

[fresh_42]

I did not know John le Carre was...Breetish https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_le_Carr%C3%A9 ?? Maybe he laiks bisqueets with he's tee?

And I didn't know the Scots have their own Wikipedia language or more precisely, that English and Gaelic could be mixed to such a catastrophic result.

 

[WWGD]

And I didn't know the Scots have their own Wikipedia language or more precisely, that English and Gaelic could be mixed to such a catastrophic result.

I never figured whether they ( Scotland, Wales, N.Ireland) are considered countries or some other type of geo-political entities nor why they play separately in the World cup. But I love the Scottish accent. I used to watch this TV show on Geology, which I don't care much for, just because the narrator was Scottish.

 

[fresh_42]

But I love the Scottish accent.

I regularly have to give up my attempts to understand them. Sometimes, I think they pronounce close to German, but if they are interviewed (Amy Macdonald, John Higgins), I usually have no chance. But I prefer the Scottish accent definitely over the British "o" as in sports or horse. The latter being my second most reason to immediately change the channel from CNN to anything else.

 

[WWGD]

I regularly have to give up my attempts to understand them. Sometimes, I think they pronounce close to German, but if they are interviewed (Amy Macdonald, John Higgins), I usually have no chance. But I prefer the Scottish accent definitely over the British "o" as in sports or horse. The latter being my second most reason to immediately change the channel from CNN to anything else.

British accent in CNN?

 

[fresh_42]

British accent in CNN?

Yes, the spɔːts program on CNN international is broadcasted from Lʌndən and accordingly biased in content and language. I'm meanwhile so used to hear American English, that the British version sounds pretty alien to me. But I admit I remember a visit once in our English class from a young girl who spoke Queen's (Oxford?) English to us, and even then it sounded rather funny and arty.

 

[WWGD]

I have a better guess for why I have not been sleeping well. I have these maple ice coffees from DD. Today I saw the clerk putting in 4 shots of espresso in it. The maple iced coffee, together with shots of espresso elsewhere, then the caffeinated sodas. Makes sense.

 

[fresh_42]

I have a better guess for why I have not been sleeping well. I have these maple ice coffees from DD. Today I saw the clerk putting in 4 shots of espresso in it. The maple iced coffee, together with shots of espresso elsewhere, then the caffeinated sodas. Makes sense.

Not really. The caffeine affects frequent coffee drinkers to a much lesser degree than one usually thinks it does. And it has an automatic delay of several hours before it comes into effect. At least this is what a pharmacologist once told me. Furthermore espresso (if done right) has lesser caffeine as normal coffee due to the shorter exposition to the beans.

 

[WWGD]

Not really. The caffeine affects frequent coffee drinkers to a much lesser degree than one usually thinks it does. And it has an automatic delay of several hours before it comes into effect. At least this is what a pharmacologist once told me. Furthermore espresso (if done right) has lesser caffeine as normal coffee due to the shorter exposition to the beans.

Well, I don't know if it is purely or mostly psychological, but my ability to sleep well seems to correlate negatively with the amount of coffee I drink after 7 p.m. or so. Still, I agree that there is a certain degree of desensitization. I will try black tea next few times I want to be more awake and then switch back to coffee. I don't know well what the difference is between the respective active ingredients. Still,obliquely , I remember reading a book about Starbucks which mentioned that the water purification systems in many systems just cannot get rid of all the caffeine , so much of it keeps poring into reservoirs.