The Lounge

Today is the first day of winter. The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. But it is not, on average, the coldest day. The coldest days come in January and February. Why the lag? I would think that least amount of sun should result in least amount of heat. The same lag happens after the summer solstice - the hottest days follow by a month or more. Obviously something other than the amount of sunlight is causing this. Is it the moderating effect of the oceans? I know the water takes longer to heat and cool than the land does (thus the sea breeze at the shore), but does it lag by a month or more? Is there something else?

No. The existence of the universe is itself unscientific because it came into being though the appearance of incomprehensible amounts of energy and matter from nothing and nowhere. According to science matter must come from something – it cannot simply suddenly appear. If even a small amount of matter should likewise appear today science would be unable to explain it and it would be considered a miracle. The principles and laws of science cannot explain how matter can be created from nothing. But still science does not consider existence of the universe a miracle. The laws of physics that scientists believe in rule out the universe’s existence. Scientists believe i…

Mt. Isa, a large mining town in North Western Queensland has a problem, women. There aren't any. There are 5 blokes for every girl. This means that a local boys chances of getting lucky on a Saturday night are slim to none. Things are so bad that the local bordello has had to put in an express "5 minutes or less" Drive Thru lane. Back in August the Mayor of Mt Isa put out a call for "beauty disadvantaged" women to come to his town, guaranteeing that "They would wear a grin". Needless to say, this got some people quite upset. Newly formed Brisbane group "The Brisbane Hotties" have released a response to Mayor John Moloneys appeal. http://au.youtube.com/wat…

I am not here to cause arguements, but at best, sometimes, i cause it myself. I know i do.... and this is why, I suffer from a pragmetic disorder that is related to the autistic spectrum. Sometimes this leads me to take, which is rightfully causual to other peoples displeasure of my actions, where i fail to communicate on a level manner. My name is Gareth-Lee Meredith, and i continue to study at a place called James Watt college. I am one of best, or at least, so i have been told, in my physics education, and all i wish is to be part of this community. My disability sometimes can lead me into disarray, and i am left feeling sorry for myself, because …

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flicking through my junk box on my msn email(this gets so much spam and it doesn't get caught by the filters i have abandoned it. if you send me an email to that account i will not get it.) i noticed some amazingly awesome names. i think we should have a contest to see who is getting spam with the most interestingly named bots . my 3 nominations are: 1/ Xanthia Barbosa (trying to sell viagra) 2/ Dr. Song Lee (trying to hook me up with a kenyan kings millions of dollars and his daughters, never had this spam before, i think the name sounds pretty cool) 3/Julio Fernando (apparently, the 'leader of the FBI' claiming that unless i send him $150000 i will be taken fr…

I'm not sure where this topic belongs. If one of moderators wants to move it, that's fine with me. I've developed an obsession with the philosophy of science - I guess I need to get out more. But I seem to be in a very narrow niche. Of those interested in philosophy, few (some, but few) have a good grasp of science. Of those interested in science, few (some, but few) show any interest in philosophy. In my engineering education, we were brainwashed with an "it just is" view of how things work. So, here is my question: Did anyone participate in a science curriculum that acknowledged the philosophy of science?

Given how much we've been spammed lately I thought the subject line might amuse. This thread is, of course, about NASA's announcement of plans to sell off the Space Shuttles after the program ends in 2010. Apparently they're exploring the idea of allowing a museum, school, or other institution to have a shuttle if they're willing to help pay for the cost of getting it there. I think it's a great idea, and I think at least one of the shuttles should go to a little-known air museum in some rural backwater that's not even serviced by a major interstate highway. Something next to an airstrip with faded numbers, a beat-up Navion, and a place at the end of the runway w…

I will start this off. As a young boy in Scotland I used to dream of having exceptional powers much like Billy the Cat in the comics I used to read. However, this ambition changed to being a lecturer or professor. I got close but left the scientific profession. My new ambition is to be a shepherd of some sort with full Internet access. How about you guys?

This was really cool: It's a CFL bulb shaped exactly like an incandescent. It should remedy concerns about CFLs being too large to fit in particular fixtures. Plus, the whole ship-in-a-bottle aspect to it is pretty neat.

This site claims to sell parallel universes: http://www.youruniverse.co.uk/ They say it's all based on real science. You can read about the 'science' behind it on their science page. Can anyone tell me if there is any truth to the claim that this is based on real science?

I was watching the Discovery Channel, or the Science Channel the other night and it occured to me that maybe, just maybe, scientists watch these shows and shake their heads like my dad does when he watches ER or House (he's a respiratory therapist). So, when you're watching something on Discovery / Science / National Geo and they're discussing something in your particular field of expertise, do you all throw up your proverbial hands at how they're mangling the details and facts, or do these networks do a pretty good job of getting it right?

One of our long-time members, and author of the affiliated "Smarter Than That" science blog, Mooeypoo, is looking for some help putting together a cool animation to demonstrate a specific concept in science. If you've seen Mooeypoo's work on her own site or her many posts here at SFN then you know that she has a wonderful talent for making things interesting for both scientists and the general public. It sounds like it would make a great project for a member to work on, or perhaps even multiple members! It would surely make a nice addition to any resume or CV, and you would get credit on her web site. The details can be found here: http://www.scienceforums.net/…

Hi, everyone! Long time, no see! Sorry for the nearly two-year hiatus, but as you'll soon hear, I've been quite busy. Let's see...::Checks last posting time::...March 21, 2007. Well, most of the rest of that year was consumed with the increasing workload of my MS thesis on arboreal snake locomotion, resulting in my first publication in October of that year in a top tier journal (Full pdf at http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/210/21/3862 ), describing a new mode of snake locomotion. At the same time, I was making preparations for my wedding, and applying to PhD programs. In May, I completed my MS, and in July I married Gemma (she was here very temporarily a …

i searched for insanity once. i threw a pile of sardines into a bath full of custard and hung upside down above it for a day dressed as a vicar with a violin tied to my chest. when i looked in the mirror i found it.

So i just took this online quiz to see what i should do for a living, i was originally thinking about magering in history or lierature but the quiz gave me totally different results i am suppose to be an artist or lawyer Theres a big difference between those two occupations Im deffinitly confused lol so take the quiz for yourself are you truly persueing your interests? haha please post your results and your current mager/occupation/what you want to be ect... http://www.jobdiagnosis.com/ (registration required)

In my daily web surfing, I've been looking at the Command and Conquer Canon. Command and Conquer is a real time strategy game. The basic story is that Einstein uses a device called a "Chronoshpere" [which plays an important role in the game as a superweapon] to travel back in time and assassinate . All goes well of course, the Chronosphere works flawlessly and Einstein travels back in time, meets , and assassinates him. [in the clip scene of Red Alert they shake hands, and something about the Chronosphere effect is what kills him.] And without getting into a long whinded discussion of the C&C universe, let me just get to my point... …

Thoughts?

Is anyone going to watch it? It looks kindof confusing, because I thought the old cylon models made the skinjobs.

I am looking for an option on my Laser Ruler. it an old idea that never made it.

To me and SFN... four years today and still going strong! Seriously though, I'd like to thank everyone here for the past 4 years. It's been a long, strange journey. I've changed a lot over this time, due in no small part to SFN's influence and I am certainly better off because of it. I can't even begin to point to individual members and express my appreciation for the interactions and friendships I've built with many of you. I am grateful to this community of scientists and critical thinkers who have helped me to continually challenge myself, whether that's related to scientific knowledge, political opinions or (back in the day) religious beliefs. I'm s…

I was looking for some old stuff for my mum through the mess in my storeroom when my finger was drenched in what I later found to be 2-year-old battery leakage. And my finger had an open wound. I washed it off immediately. Will it pose any hazard to my health? Because my mum's uh freaking out a bit lol.

how do you give yourself your picture on this forum? i can't figure out how. by the way no comments about literally giving yourself a picture i just don't know how to word it.

take a look at this article and see what you think of it. http://www.alchemyrevealed.com/node/22 you might want to start at paragraph 6 (which starts with 'for the last 30 years though....) if you want to skip to the alchemy bit

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/11/28/black.friday.violence/ Sometimes I just have to shake my head at the sheer idiocy of some people.