The Lounge

I surf youtube constantly it seems like and well here is to really neat videos I found with little critters in them.

Rightho, so I've created this ubernice guide for you all to follow to get onto IRC, attached at the bottom. You'll need Acrobat Reader to view it. Now there's really no excuse!! Get connected Server: irc.blackcobalt.net:6667 Channel: #sfn

How many PhD's and MDs and likesuch are really insistent on being addressed "Doctor so and so"? Personally, I wonder how I would feel about it. I suppose I'd want to be addressed properly; you spent a decade of your life getting that degree after all. It seems a tad self-important, though.

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, the Almighty. He asks one of his new students to stand and..... Prof: So you believe in God? Student: Absolutely, sir. Prof: Is God good? Student: Sure. Prof: Is God all-powerful? Student: Yes. Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.) Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good? Student: Yes. Prof: Is Satan good? Student: No. Prof: Where does Satan c…

This is kinda of hard to explain, but where does cold,hot,warm, and cool states come from? Was it created at the beginning of the universe? Also it can't be created by our minds because "hot" had to be at the beginning of the universe to create new chemicals through fusion or fission. If I have made any mistakes please tell me (future reference).

Methane spotted in a planetary atmosphere in a system in Vulpecula. It's not an Earth-like planet but it's a promising development in the search for life outside our own ecosphere. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/science/space/20planetw.html

After three weeks of failings I finally got them... Two tickets for radiohead in london yay!!! :D I hope there are other radiohead fans here who appreciate how manically happy I am at the moment.

Greetings, Does anyone know if it is possible to patent the concept/structure behind a software package, before the software has been produced? Thanks

Hi all, I am trying to find out which University is the most desired university to enter! Unbaised choice will be most appreciated: Oxford university Cambridge Univeristy Imperial College London Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Princeton University Yale University and Stanford University. Good day!

Hi all... just a quick question... does anyone know where I can buy mosquitoes? I work for a video production company and we need to shoot mosquitoes. Thanks.

Hey everyone, I found this petition to stop animal testing. Why? Well I really think that its important that we not use animals for our own benefit, especially seeing as most of the time, it has no benefit. Its cruel to subject them such torture, as the most intelligent species it is up to us to take responsible care of the world and its inhabitants. THe link to the petition is here, if you could take some time to sign it and maybe pass it on, we can make a difference, http://petitionearth.com/viewpetition.php?id=80. Thanks for your time.

does luck and karma act as an actuall ouside force upon our world, or is it just us looking for something so hard, and then making it true??

Should one insist on finding wisdom if everything that he finds out is bad? and should he seek truth knowing that the truth is usually overwelmed by evil? Is it our best intention to simply stay an ordane, confined organism, who understands nothing but what he is told, and who oporates mostly on mean of survival and human nature??????

I usually don't do this sort of thing, but it's been in my head for quite a while... I don't know, was there ever a time in your life when you realized that you know so pathetically little about this world we live in, and that before that time, you were so hopelessly naive and stupid? I think I am now beginning to realize that for myself.... I think I mentioned this before, but this site has certainly showed me just how little I truly knew about everything in general. But, now having been at college and experienced "real life" for once, I now realized just how naive I have truly been too. After taking a couple of humanities classes, reading about things in the…

I've singlehanded solved the problem of domestic abuse, racism and homophobia for all of human civilisation. It turns out that the victims of abuse simply weren't IGNORING their abusers enough. Because, as any good parent will tell you, if you ignore bullies then they'll eventually give up and go away. * (* For the terminally stupid, this message is brought to you in MASSIVE SARCASM quotes.)

Anyone know good sites for good high resolution science-themed wallpapers? I frequently use pictures from APOTD -- just wondering if anyone knows of any other good sites.

For anyone who will be in the Glasgow area in April, you may be interested in the latest round of Gifford Lectrues: http://www.giffordlectures.org/news.asp#item08 There are letcures on "Natural Theology" (i.e. the interplay between theology and the natural world) so although they don't need to have anything to do with science, quite often they do. Richard Dawkins gave one set of lectures a few years ago for example, and last year Martin Rees gave some lectures on “21st Century Science: Cosmic Perspective and Terrestrial Challenges.” On April 10 there will be a lecture entitled "The implausibility of religious belief: claims and counterclaims" which sounds quit…

Alright, this thread is dedicated to listing down all of the events and things that ever happened since the time you were on SFN. Think of it as some sort of tribute to all the good, the bad, the ugly, and the comical things that are and have ever occurred on this site. You can list anything you want, from memorable members to classic quotes to good/bad events to debates. And you can certainly quote people from the time these events took place. =============== I'll start: Does anyone remember a guy called geoguy? You know, the guy who always behaved like a grumpy old man when he was in the politics subsection and tried to flame all Americans there? Wh…

What do you all think, do animals think? I say yes they do. I would have posted this in a poll but I guess I am not special enough to do that.

Could it be possible to make a working lightsaber for use like in the star wars movies?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/05/autism.vaccines.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories So to toss some more fuel on the fire of the whole vaccine autism "debate", the US government recently paid out on a case in which it's claimed vaccines caused a disease which influenced the onset of autism. I've felt the whole angle has been completely discredited at this point, but I assume we'll be hearing about this case for quite some time. Meanwhile the parents ignore the real causes of their children's autism: their genes.

I've been a fairly avid follower of Penn's style of skeptical libertarianism, rationalism, atheism, and a general aversion to what he and his partner Teller refer to as "Bullshit!" in the eponymous TV show. He's a fellow at the Cato institute, who've been doing some great work lately combating the Bush administration's illegal spying program. I'm a bit concerned about his views on global warming: http://medioh.tv/videos/3750182 Actually, I'm not concerned about his views so much, but more the reasons why he has them. What he's asking for is entirely reasonable: falsifiability and evidence. Science can easily provide this information: averaged multi-decad…

Hi, I'm very interested in these two colleges! Is there anyone in this forums who has studied in MIT(USA) or Cambridge(UK) that I can quickly interview? If you or someone you know went or goes to MIT or Cambridge please reply soon!

Im fed up of having to buy cigarettes and getting that annoying guilt trip when i read the health labels plastered all over the packet - second hand smoke damages those around you, decreases fertility, leads to a slow and painful death, will kill you blah blah blah. Smoking is cool. JAMES BOND DOES IT!!!

My friend heard a rumour that sellers put fiber glass in Marijuana in order to make it appear like there's more. I told him that that's complete bull, but I was wondering if there's anything to this. I highly doubt it, but I'd thought I'd ask.