The Lounge

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.

Okay, I was sleeping and I wake up out of nowhere; half-conscious and half-asleep. Then I feel electricity in my right hand flowing outwards (electricity seems to be the right word for me, but the original feeling was that my whole arm was numb and that something(energy?) was being pumped outward. I want an explanation. If anyone can.

I remember a few years ago when i joined this site I debated with a girl named AzurePheonix about Iraq in the philosophy and debates section (it was later thrown into the archives) but I don't see her anymore. Anyone know what happened to her? I have been on hiatus so I might be missing out on things.

So, I've received some Rep point from someone claiming they love me... ?

hey ppl, I'm 22 years old and only know basic mathmatics. I managed to get enough algebra right to pass, but now i'm old enough to realize that math really IS important. so i'm here now to learn from you all. please forgive me in advance if i as any really stupid questions. i'll do my best to follow the rules and make sure i check previous threads before I ask a question. thanks all. hope to be here a long time. I've got my science all day long, so maybe i'll be useful in that aspect. --papa

Description says it's Travis Pastrana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBrdl2sZWs&feature=related

Last year I undergo Lasik surgery for my... problem... and like the concern of other people im not comfortable in wearing thongs because my... well, you know, are sensitive for infection so my friend recommend me for Lasik exam in North Korea have you heard that? The exam includes a complete evaluation of the internal and external health of the... region. They create a detailed map of the area and perform all of the tests necessary to prepare for LASIK. And the nice thing with Lasik-1 is they use the latest, most advanced technology to thoroughly determine your eligibility for LASIK. I don’t know if you already heard a Dr. Stephen B. Wiles, he is one of the surgeons and I…

Time, time, time. Wonderful time. Maybe time is a field in space. Its strength is defined by the speed of motion. Maybe space is filled up with something we don't know yet. That something is electrical charged and very very tiny, like e/10^100, maybe it has no mass too. Maybe light travel in space is just like sound travel in air. That tiny thing is light's conductor/medium. Since it has electrical charge, so sound/light speed in it is equal to C. When we travel in space, we against that tiny tiny thing and produce a resistance/force, that force act at every atom in us and our ship (not like air Resistance only act at the surface of a jet). When we speed…

Hey, do you remember me? You know, that person who kept on biting you? You mind if I ask you some questions. How is it that I am so infantile? Why is that? I mean, just look at me and my baby face. And, how is it that you guys just can't stop fawning?

Just out of curiosity, how many here on SFN are males, and how many are females? For some reason, I tend to think that almost all people on sites like SFN are male. But then, that could be social stigma and I could be mistaken with regards to this particular site. BTW, I am a male.

I am not expressing a personal opinion here. Just want to see what others think. The latest New Scientist (Australian printed copy, 23 Feb. 08 page 18) has an editorial by Professor Donald Braben of University College London and author of "Scientific Freedom : The Elixir of Civilisation". Prof. Braben suggests that modern scientific structure, including the requirement for peer review is stifling creativity and scientific innovation. He suggests that, in the 20th Century before the 1970's, the greatest discoveries were made by a small group of top scientists (about 400 - roughly the number of Nobel prize winners) who thrived in a freer research environment. …

Hi all. A young fellow started work as an electronics technician a couple of years ago in a factory and by whatever reason management did not train him on the products, by his own means slowly learned and found out the innerworkings of the products he handles, meanwhile struggling and appearing unfit for the job. Another technician to do similar activity was hired. Should the now experienced technician on his own train/teach/share/guide the new one with all the knowledge management did not care to supply ? If yes, the new guy will appear more competent for the job. If no, the company suffers. And other implications depending the point of views of each technic…

If you dont have an open mind i suggest you dont read this! i have come across an opinion that seems almost fact to me. It goes something like this; today we live in a society where ignorance is rewarded. its true look around you people who do stupid crazy things are rewarded by applause and everyone likes them. in the olden days those people would have been considered the village idiot. todays society has gone to hell look at kids that fail classes they are usually popular and well liked and for a stupid mistake recieve not punishment but are excussed. im sorry but that seems wrong. and usually the small portion of smart people go unnoticed. now i go to high school …

Of all the technology and science ever conceived of by science fiction in the past 200 or so years, which do you think will actually come to past, may be used as a forerunner or idea to something more practical or much better, or may just remain science fiction but really really like? Personally, I really like the Death Star. As impractical and probably unrealistic as it is, the fact that it can destroy a planet in one shot makes it pretty kick ass. But alas (or rather, fortunately) it will probably remain science fiction. Other tech that I like that I do think will probably come to past within the next few decades or so is real, human-like artificial intelli…

It is our belief that the discipline of science has been hijacked by atheists and used to support atheistic beliefs. It is our belief based on scientific method and empirical evidence; atheism cannot state that there is no God. It can only state “at this present time in human history we cannot prove with existing instruments of measurement and detection that there is or is not a God or a spiritual realm where he is suppose to exist.”