The Lounge

Skeptics are supposed to pay attention to the facts, but just look at how exaggerated this cover art for the new issue of Skeptic Magazine is. "Evangelist" would be a better name for this magazine nowadays. And look at the article list -- four articles about global warming. Apparently there is scarcely else to talk about in the entire world of science but global warming, and about that there can be no... skepticism. So, uh, what's the point of having a magazine about skepticism, then? /boggle http://www.skeptic.com/the_magazine/index.html

I'm trying to flesh out this idea a bit. The situation: I often have to travel back to my home province. Usually this entails taking two dogs, a wife, and a bunch of carpentry tools, so I need to take the truck. I also need transport when I get there, since most of my relatives live in rural areas and there is no public transit available. I know a lot of people who make this kind of trip, either for family or business. My idea: My idea is for a rail ferry. You drive to the rail station in Winnipeg, put the truck on a rail car and sit either in the truck or in a passenger lounge until the train gets to Regina. You can take all your stuff with…

Hello everyone. I was wondering if someone could explain to me why things burn with bright lights? I understand about electrons absorbing photons and jumping to higher states, then emitting them on returning to ground state. So why don't things release the MOST light as they cool? Surely while still in the flame they should mainly be absorbing??

I’m no scientist but I thought this would be a good topic. The only immeasurable thing I can think of would be “now.” Is it an instant? How long is that? Please, try to keep this within the realm of science, faith is off topic.

Hi, we would be starting soon a mega portal on labware . I am looking for expert to answer querries on lab equipment ( glassware, plasticware, physics lab equipment etc) If some one interested? he would get publicity

Scientists have long experimented with growing meat in-vitro, now PETA has apparently borrowed a page from the X-Prize and is offering a $1 million reward for production of commercially viable quantities of meat produced through the method. Personally I think this is the greatest thing PETA's ever done. As a pescetarian I am still concerned with the way the meat I eat is produced. Fish farms have promoted diseases, and commercial fishing is on the verge of wiping out species like king salmon and ahi tuna (ahi tuna being an apex predator), plus there's the human cost to consider in regard to harvesting species like king crab. It's hard to eat king crab legs knowing …

What is your opinion on Biofuels? Do you think it will take off? Has anyone heard of 2nd generation biofuels? I do not think it is sustainable!

As you may have heard in the news, the Soyuz craft that returned to Earth the other day ran into difficulties. Unfortunately, news reporters have about as much interest in technical facts these days as your average creationist, so it's been hard to nail down exactly what happened. (Here's an amusing example of a reporter dazzled by the news of flames seen by the astronaut outside the window during re-enty -- gee whiz!) Fortunately James Oberg posted a real analysis this afternoon over at MSNBC, so I thought I'd pass it along. Apparently the root of the problem is considered to be a rapid increase in the production rate of Soyuz capsules as we approach t…

So, I'm biting into an apple the other day, and I am flooded with questions. It was early. My blood sugar was low. I'd had no caffeine. I was about to jump in the shower before work, and I hadn't yet studied for my Chinese quiz which was later that afternoon. Then, I grabbed an apple. I realized how many different types of apples we have available to us, and how they each offer something a little bit different to the consumer. Flavor. Crunch. Smoothness. Meatiness. Sweetness. Juiciness. Tartness. Gurth. Staying power (ability to avoid spoil). Did you know that there are over 7,500 known different types of apples? http://en.wikipedia.org/…

Richard Dawkins — Beware the Believers Yeah he's the Dick to the Doc to the phd, he's smarter than you he's got a science degree!

Have any of you seen EXPELLED? If so, what do ya think about it?

As a physics student I like to strip things down to their bare fundamentals, so I thought why not have a discussion, that's fundamentally general. So, how is everyone today...good, bad, indifferent ? Anything exciting planned for the weekend, anything amusing happend recently, any general stuff that's on your mind ? EDIT: As a side note, Aeternus...if you're reading this, as a general rule I get completely and utterly shafted after finishing an assignment, so I can't remember what I was saying to you last night, so, apologies if it was anything untoward. EDIT II: I'm not entirely sure if this thread has a topic or not, I think it does, but if the mods don…

Four out of five dentists agree -- Crest beats Aquafresh. That's 80%, important statistical evidence that NOT using Crest actually contributes to tooth decay. Show me another factor in tooth decay that has more than 80% support from the research community! What is it about basic oral endocrinology that people don't understand?! The debate is OVER! Aquafresh idiots are a dangerous and subversive element, and should not be tolerated! I for one welcome our shiny-rictus overlords.

Just out of curiosity what type of music fo you guys/gals like? I find all to often 'popular' music is what the record companies tell us to be popular and rarely reflects intelligent people choice in aural enjoyment. Personally I am a big fan of Breakbeat(also sometimes called Nu-skool) which is basically electronic music built around a syncopated or 'broken' beat (see Freestylers, Stanton Warriors, Rennie Pilgrem etc.). I like a fair bit of Drum and Bass also (Aphrodite and the like). Nothing like phat worbling bass with crazy drum loops to sooth the soul.

Now as i had really close encounter with "weed" i wonder. what you people think about it? (by close i mean someone close to me is using it) I think that only problem with it is that it is illegal (in many countries) so using it is basically paying to the underworld. it is not proven that it is less or more harmful than alcohol and tobacco. To be honest it looks like problem with drugs is staying somewhat far from people so everyone thinks it is something that does not concern me. just like with aids and so on.

Hello everyone. I'm from Texas. Huge fan of science. I am heavily influenced by Carl Sagan. My personal most burning passion is the study of human evolution. I don't do it as a living because I want to keep enjoying it. hehe. Anyways, glad to be here with you guys.

http://www.abyssandapex.com/200710-wikihistory.html Pretty funny stuff.

The topic is rather self-explanatory. Post the YouTube videos you've come across that struck at your scientific soul with their wit, wisdom, or beauty. I'll start off with this scene from Carl Sagan's Cosmos, a pictorial representation of evolution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYzx6C4irsI

What did you reckon about the science in that? Did you see the DVD-extra... where "Io" explains the nature of time? Pretty cool. What was wrong with it?

This was the final clue. It all makes sense now. It's so logical. Why would aliens want Doritos? Because they have a bad attack of the munchies. Why do they have the munchies? Because they've been smoking wacky weed. So why haven't they come? Because they're all sitting in their saucer looking at the wormhole going "Wow man, that's awesome." Not mine, I paraphrased the Aussie show "Good News Week" but I thought it worth sharing.

I was thinking about the Entertainment Software Rating Board the other day. It seems like the ratings are VERY inconsistent. For instance, Halo got an M when SOCOM got a T, although it's way more realistic and bloody. Who rates the games, and how? Any ideas on how accurate they are?

What OTHER degree would you seek, unrelated to your work or current area of study, if money and time were no object? Ever thought it might be cool to have a degree in "X", but it was just too far from your career to be worth chasing? I had this friend back when I was at Georgia Tech in the 1980s, and he got his Bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering. Then, for reasons I never quite understood, he went to LAW school. After that he went in a completely different direction and ultimately graduated MEDICAL school! He'll soon be the only MD I know with degrees in law and nuclear engineering! I've always had a hankering for politics, but what really "turns …

What field do you have a degree in? (If you don't have a degree yet but plan to get one, what field would it be in?)

I am not really sure how to go about all of this, as I am fairly new to computers & all that is involved, and I do not wish to appear stupid.So I guess I'll just say Hello for now.

For those of you who are currently or have been postdocs, how did you find the position? I am starting to hunt for postdocs myself in mathematical physics and related stuff, any advice on how to find positions welcomed. So far I have used; physics world jobs maths-jobs.co.uk jobs.ac.uk LMS jobs Tiptop Spires job search Anything obvious missing? All help welcomed.