The Lounge

I have a tendency to ask a lot of questions so I started this thread to obtain answers from a bunch of different topics in a centralized and easy to refer to space. This is to both prevent me making a bunch of different threads and condensing it all into a single area to have my questions answered. First question, is there like a single mathematics book that does not have all of the analogous "fluff" between the "definitions, processes, examples, connections, and excersises?" Going from a foundational level to an advanced level. Walking the student through all what is currently known about the given field? One in which a, lets say, 10 year old child can go from…

For as long as I remember I have had a craving for knowledge and a want to create more. However it seems like each time I do it becomes over shadows but negating thoughts such as "there are people who are smarter than you so why even try" or " there is no point in doing this, let it go." I believe that it is routed in jealousy, however I am unsure. Working out and drinking water helps, however it just seems like a constant search for something that I am currently unaware of. Any advice would be greately appreciated. I want to get out of the box of scientific insecurity and open my mind to the impossibly connected knowledge we as humanity has developed so far. Thank y…

I watch science documentaries quite often. I find most other kind of TV quite unbearable. Overall I think it's a positive experience, because you get a lot of visual information that otherwise wouldn't be accessible to you. Plus you get to hear the researches, you learn some of the story of the scientific ideas... But I've noticed it's a bit dangerous to take some statements from them too literally. There are narrative strictures that sometimes have the unfortunate effect of adulterating the message with a pinch of sensationalism. And why is it that you never get the chance to hear a complete argument by any scientist that's being interviewed? It's like a collage of sente…

Are we spending too much (relatively) on glory projects that may/will not bring benefits for centuries, if ever ? Some examples 1) Gravitational lensing was mooted in the 1920s and confirmed in 1979 and has yet to find a use. 2) Quantum tunnelling was mooted in the 1930s and first realised in the 1960s and is important to most people today. 3) The existence of other forms of life than our own developing on Earth was has been mooted several times and confirmed in the 1990 at the subsea hydrovents. 4) Fullerenes were first mooted in the 1980s and realised in that decade and are of developing importance and use. How much did each discove…

(I'm going to regret this) Someone asked in another thread (that I am not going to link to, for obvious reasons): Oooh! I thought, maybe it has an interesting origin. Nope. It just developed over time from a phrase meaning "a plausible postulate of a conspiracy" to the modern meaning of "an intellectual construct ... a template imposed upon the world to give the appearance of order to events." So, I am guessing that there is a conspiracy theory about the origin of the term! (If there is, I really don't want to know. I used to find conspiracy theories mildly amusing but now they are just boring and often dangerous.) Some people will inevitably react…

This is a reaaalllllyyyy long shot, but...I am planning to take six months out next year to attempt a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail in the US (~3100 miles - no small feat!), subject to me being able to raise the necessary funds for the gear I need, and getting a visa. Just wondering if by odd coincidence there is anyone on here who has done this trail, either the whole thing, or a section of it?

Hey everybody, I've been setting up my various labs lately and thought I should check in here. I really have no clue what I'm doing but eventually my goal is to figure some of this stuff out. Here's a pic of my electronics lab setup so far. I'm going with a HP theme for the most part as it will go with my server room. It's currently been commandeered to fight the corona with colloidal silver production. I would like to upgrade the lab with a HP-IB card in my vintage HP vectra P-233 but I'm still researching that. Anyway nice place here, looking forward to contributing. Stay safe and healthy.

Wonder if anyone here recognizes it. I "made it up" after 50 years of using an off the peg technique (on and off), and wonder whether I have just stumbled into already charted territory So ,to explain ,I just get comfortable ,close my eyes and bring my attention to my breathing. I don't alter my breathing , I just pay attention to it (as we know breathing is involuntary so there is no need to interfere with it on that count) After a short while my attention will slip and my mind goes down its rabbit holes of choice. When I realize this has happened (unless the rabbit hole is of special interest) I restart/repeat the process .....a…

Most of the Canadians of Italian descent I know, don't seem to like Brits. They consider them snobbish and self-serving; I am always having to defend them. I realize the Covid-19 pandemic has brought a lot of good will out in people. It is now not uncommon for a person to say "hello" from across the street, whereas before, they would have bumped into you, on the same sidewalk, without greeting. But this old British vet, Capt. Tom Moore, has really amazed a lot of people. He started out trying to raise 1000 pounds, for the NHS, by his 100th birthday ( 24 days ), by walking laps of his garden. He's mentioned in a single which topped the UK music charts, rec…

Hello everybody! The sarrusophone is a double-reed woodwind with conical metal body developed very shortly after the saxophone and sharing its fingerings. It lived shortly (enough for museums to have a few pieces) except for the C contrabass which was preferred in France to the contrabassoon for being louder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarrusophone A few (well over 100) copies still exist, and at least Benedikt Eppelsheim and Orsi produce them on request. Enough for musicians to blow in the horn with varied results. I've just heard one soprano nicely played, prompting me to share it: soprano alto tenor The record begins at 1min10. The sopranino, baritone, bass,…

With my colleague Emperor Sakkeus I, we have named number 3^DD, based on extensive research and careful consideration It's called Miisa. This thread is for publishing names for large numbers so feel free to publish yours here.

Hello everybody! The contrabassoon is the usual contrabass in the woodwind section of a symphonic orchestra. Alas, it's not very loud, and most often a single one shall make the contrabass line for all woodwinds. The contrabass sarrusophone replaced it in the 19th century, mostly in France, but has disappeared. Other attempts were less known. And the excellent contrabass clarinet has a completely different sound. But presently, a loud alternative exists: the contraforte, by Guntram Wolf and Benedikt Eppelsheim guntramwolf.de and eppelsheim.com whose wider bore and wider tone holes give the expected louder sound. Fingerings differ, I ignore by how much. It ca…

What is it with Iran and UFOs? One of the most celebrated UFO reports came from Iran before the islamic revolution but evidently the Glowing lights have both increased in capabilities and aggressiveness? This video, contains some Iranian claims that are just out of this world and point to either aliens or some secrete US drones with some wild capabilities, either real or deceptive. Makes you wonder if the Nimitz sightings so talked about are part of some US drone capabilities we have yet to hear of and maybe just out of this world enough to even fool experienced pilots.

LINK DELETED This song is about the evolution of life in the cosmos. What do you think, will AI stay an expression of human creativity, or will it evolve to the next step in evolution?

My neighbor's sound system is giving me terrible headaches and ear pressure. I can't actually hear the music but could hear the bass thumping through the shared wall. Once I complained to the HOA, she did something (not sure if she moved the sub or turned it down) so I no longer hear the bass but the headaches and ear pressure continues. I'd like to know how to best document and prove that her sound system is causing this. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, Sidney

Just thought I would say Hi and introduce myself. I have always been interested in pretty much all sciences. My main interests are with electronics, computers and photography the style of which I am having to adjust what with the current lockdown. Since I am spending pretty much all my time at home at the moment, I find myself sat at my computer a lot more, which gives me time to edit some of the photos I have taken.

Could you advise some of the best crowdfunding sites which aren't scummers and don't collect mandatory all the personal and banking info? Thank you

I read it when I was a kid. A couple of times. It seems to be different from "The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton, which comes up every time I try to Google search. It is an even more sinister story. About a signal that gets received from the general direction of the Andromeda Galaxy, and which contains the recipe for creating some kind of alien organism. It is when some laboratory follows this recipe and manages to create an exemplar of this organism that things begin to go very wrong. I remember that it was quite well written and scary, not some simple minded pulp story.

Holy crap, Mordred. You were already studying physics in 1921 ?

Guys, I made a short video that some of you might find helpful, especially these times At least it was helpful for me while I was making it. Just some cinema shots with some music; I just put them together. Here it is: video link removed

Armand Duplantis, a US resident but vaulting for Sweden, set a new world record of 20'3" (6.18m) on 2-15-2020. He is just getting started at the age of 20, making it look easy.

A couple of recent threads have been discussing Bob Lazar and element 115, I happen to have tape of his original interviews and unless you guys are ignoring the really juicy stuff his story seems to have been toned down more than a bit. Lazar either broke the biggest story in human history, is the grandest part of the supposed disinformation campaign, or has an imagination Heinlein would be proud of. His details leave no doubt about the choices... Among the claims he made, human were created by the aliens whose space craft he saw, element 115 allowed access to the strong nuclear force which he claimed was just gravity, 115 gave off antimatter as it decay…

Book ''Is there life out there?'', by Sara Seager: https://www.saraseager.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/book-is-there-life-out-there.pdf SPAM DELETED Search for exoplanets online: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/nora-dot-eisner/planet-hunters-tess/classify AND https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/ianc2/exoplanet-explorers/classify NASA app Eyes on Exoplanets: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/eyes-on-exoplanets/#/

Hi everyone! Both single and double sided adhesive tape can leave marks that are difficult to remove from the items. One nasty case is on scissors used to cut the tape. Small debris of the adhesive tape on the blades separate them, and the scissors can't cut. Removing these marks is lengthy. An eraser removes these marks like magic, quickly and perfectly. Marc Schaefer, aka Enthalpy