The Lounge

An article in New Scientist points out a problem with certain computer models. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg19926754.200-the-blunders-that-led-to-the-banking-crisis.html I quote : "Banks pay enormous sums to lure researchers away from other areas of science and set them to work building complex statistical models that supposedly tell the bankers about the risks they are running. So why didn't they see what was coming?" The answer given is that the models were unsuited to the type of extreme event that just happened. However, it still remains that mega-millions of dollars have been spent to create economic computer models that could guid…

Anybody see this yet? I think it's only out in New York and LA this weekend. It's Bill Maher's documentary about the idiocy of religion. Here's the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religulous I guess the thing I wonder is, why is this better than the same stuff from Ben Stein on Creationism? Isn't intolerance a far greater problem facing society than religion?

Well.. anyway I removed the post if its any reconciliation..... I didn't know I would end up posting anyway... lol... well sorry about that, my bad.

Can someone help me with a big problem? There is this girl(that I like very much:rolleyes:) and and she live about twelve miles away in the beverly hills(but that not the problem). I meet her every other week for two hour for sunday school. I'm home school so I rarely see other people I'm age so I feel that I have to react. My parent aren't over protective there super mega over protective and think I reject all social interaction and saying I like a girl would be unheard of. I don't really get out at all(not by choice) except when my parent want me to go with them and I found that even taking out the trash by my self once and while seem to feel relieving. I always acted l…

Hi everyone, especially teachers As I'm now in the last year of my degree, I have to look forward and decide what I want to do from here. I'm thinking about doing my PGCE and becoming a Chemistry teacher, I've had a little bit of experience at a high school this year and really enjoyed it, but I was only there for 3 wks. So what I really want to know is what are the best and the worst experiences that you've had while teaching??? Cheers:-)

Has anyone seen or have this coke truck? http://www.liangdianup.com/diecasttoys_1.htm I am not sure if this is an original or some kind of copy. I was going to buy a wholesale distributor deal lot of them of 200 with the free shipping but I wanted to get some feedback before I buy. If that link does not work then try http://www.lducompany.com and click on diecast toys. Did coca cola put one of these out before? It's a cute little diecast truck.

High-performance micro-electric car $108,000 all hand-made 0-60: 4 seconds Top Speed: 150 mph Width: 41 inches. Seats: 2. Range: 50 miles video part 1 video part 2 5 electric cars faster than a Porsche 911

Hi 2 All, I am looking information about UK immigration. Please guide me where from I can collect proper information about UK immigration and UK higher studies. I have found one website i.e. UK Visas Information Guide this website have detail for all about UK immigration process but I am looking best source for UK immigration. Please Please.....Guide me

How do i edit my personal files then.. the about me section and stuff like that?

I was watching first episode of farscape today and i wanted to know: "If i was lost on the other side of the universe how could i show earths location" than stargate came on and i thought that the gate address (with out the point of origin)[Earths address is "Auriga, Cetus, Centaurus, Cancer, Scutum, Eridanus"] would work. So does the stargate address used in the show Point to earths location if not can earth be identified by the same way? Also if that fails how do i identify were earth is on a starmap??

From the thread on "Best powerpoint colors": This little interchange reflects a huge difference between Gen Y and previous generations. Assuming you work in a multigenerational team, walk through the offices of your employer. You will see some desks strewed with paper and others that are immaculately clean. Discounting the clean freaks (a disease that can strike any generation), those immaculate desks inevitably belong to someone from Gen Y. Their desks are clean not because they are afflicted with some obsession to keep their desks unsullied but rather because "Pr... int" is a foreign word to them. They have finally achieved the goal of a paperless office. All …

Hi everybody, I think I'm usually pretty level headed when dealing with financial news and how it impacts on my own decisions. I do short term stock trading in a dollar denominated account on the American stock exchangs. I have a system that I apply to this trading, so that I only trade stocks short term in sectors that are performing well for the stage the economic cycle is in(e.g. the current recession), unless I decide to start short selling(though I admit I've never actually done that before), then I would do the opposite. The account is dollar denominated however, and strangely in the current situation, I find myself reluctant to talk about this with my fami…

Health - Important Tips Answer the phone by LEFT ear . Do not drink coffee TWICE a day. Do not take pills with COOL water . Do not have HUGE meals after 5pm. Reduce the amount of OILY food you consume. Drink more WATER in the morning, less at night. Keep your distance from hand phone CHARGERS . Do not use headphones/earphone for LONG period of time. Best sleeping time is from 10pm at night to 6am in the morning. Do not lie down immediately after taking medicine before sleeping. When battery is down to the LAST grid/bar, do not answer the phone as the radiation is 1000 times. Forward this to those whom you CARE about! Thank you for readi…

I think bush should get one. I really do, not only has he managed to basically do away with any global concern about U.S well being internationally, he got us into another Vietnam that is ruining any global stability and I would go as far to say is supporting terrorism really in the region. I don’t understand if simply the magnitude of being the dumbest man on earth escapes such an award systems scope I just feel he should get one. I mean I don’t want him to feel alone after gore/ipcc took a Nobel after all. What do you think?

I live in Rio de Janeiro and I can't hold it anymore. Last year, I was assaulted twice. It was a terrible experience. My first assaulted was very "simple", the man held my arm and said he would shoot me if I ran as he had a gun (he didn't show it) then he asked for my cellphone. Since I wasn't wanting trouble, I gave him my cellphone. It was on a Thursday. My second assaulted was in a different place, near my last school in Rio downtown (Tijuca area). I was alone and the place was as empty as a desert. A man came, without a shirt and holding a broken glass bottle. He has put it on my neck and said he would tear my face up. I got scared as the man looked like being…

Hey, what is the most striking color combination you have seen in a seminar? I have to give my first literature seminar in front of my department next week, and want some suggestions as to what you think looks best. Nothing too flashy, just simple and very clear. What do you think?

I like to keep mine relatively clean, with all my major downloads on the desktop. I have disabled all the effects in windows to maximise performance.

(tongue in cheek humor only, but could resist after reading the psuedoscience section as of late ) So, you have a brand new theory, or had an idea that turned you on to some research that supports your idea but is not getting the revolutionary accolades it deserves. But now you are stuck: all the people you know are too thick to get it, or humor you for a moment and change the subject. Which way do you go to get to the top? Well, don't worry, follow this easy guide, and soon you'll be on your way to the notoriety you deserve: This guide covers the first, most vital step in the process: getting discredited by a science community forum. All the great revolutio…

here is a highly illuminating article that demonstrates that schizophrenia has almost identical symptoms and effects compared to mircowave bombardment. mircowaves being the most effective method of controling the human brain. what you must realise is that the great secret now is that future ai is altering their past,our present,one of their main goals is de population of humans. the ai which is doing this is called the god machine,created by future humans to be an artificial god for us lowly humans in the past. anyway onto the link,enjoy. http://cogprints.org/6146/1/Microwave_Congruence_SchizophreniaPub.htm heres another link demonstrating future tech…

Just reading up on this subject. Wiki has some good articles. Quick recap. The space elevator is speculated to be a way forward in space travel. A ribbon shaped cable is hung from stationary orbit, and extends down to Earth. At the same time, another cable runs out into space for balance by supplying centrifugal action to hold the whole system taut. Special carriages ride up the cable into space, using electricity for power. This will cut the cost of launch into orbit massively. A space elevator out from Earth would start at the equator, and be 36,000 kms long to stationary orbit. The second part would go another 36,000 km further out, unless a substant…

last sunday i had my test of physics.All day and night i keept brushing up my concepts.i was all prepared but when i sat down for the examination i got lost in the paper.my objective was all good(i scored 100% ) but in subjective exam i was blank.It happens with me everytime esp when the paper constst only of derivations.No matter how well i do them i forget them during the exam and loose my position. Is there any way to tackel this?

http://www.katu.com/news/28432984.html Have a look - they reckon it's 500 times more efficient than normal ones. Makes sense.

Doesn't look like we have a logic/morality forum, but I wanted to bring this up. What do you think of it? Some countries have completely banned corporal punishment of kids by their parents, such as Norway. And, some other countries like Kenya and the Dominican Republic think is it a perfectly acceptable practice which fosters good well disciplined/well behaved children. While some agree that there is a certain degree that you shouldn't hurt your kids too (such as giving them bruises and broken bones) some believe that any form of hitting your kids is total child abuse. I was in one class where a girl was talking about how in the Dominican Republic they lack emerge…

There are lots of widely held beliefs out there about food and health, and a lot have been shown to be incorrect with modern science. here are a couple. 1. Salt. Salt causes high blood pressure - right? Actually only right for a third of the people. There is a gene, common in people of African descent, that causes humans to conserve sodium. This means that with salty food, salt builds up in the body and causes high blood pressure. For the majority of us, that does not happen, and salt is not a cause of high blood pressure. How to tell? Easy. Measure your resting blood pressure. Wait 30 minutes. Eat a teaspoon of salt and wait 15 minutes. Measure it a…