The Lounge

I would like to invent a machine that will eliminate all the dust in a room using more static electricity than anything else in the room. Maybe it can do this with the help of a fan. My story is that I own a very very small body shop and I do all my painting with no paint booth and only one small exhaust fan. Not many people are familiar with the process of painting cars but it is very hard to do well because when I put on the see-through clear coat, all dust that is in the air crashes into the wet paint, leaving a spec in the paint that looks really bad. This probably doesn't sound like a big deal but I have a feeling there's going to be a revolution world wid…

I am a regular on one other forum (and please excuse my spelling i have a memory disorder) but anyways i have a question or two i would like to pose. one, if there is ever going to be an evacuation of any substantial number of people from our planet outward, and i am in no way bringing the question "if it will happen" this is a functional question, regardless of the fact that "they" will need time to develope proper propulsion one would think any craft substantial enough to house and transport the numbers we would require to realisticly populate any place would be massive beyond realistic and wouldnt you think we should at least start building the craft without the en…

Having worked in robotics for several years and now retired, I was amazed to see the advancements made in them during the past 20 years. Watched 60 Minutes last night and was stunned to see this program. Question is: With unemployeement being what it is today, what will happen with the millions who will shortly become unemployed? http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50138922n

Hey Everyone, my brother-in-law and I started a YouTube channel called The Sci Guys where we do cool, do-it-yourself science experiments. Here's a link to the first episode, we would really appreciate if you would check it out and leave us a comment with what you think. We want to try and help spread science as a fun activity in families with kids to assist with their science education. The first episode is on Electrolysis: http://www.youtube.com/thesciguys/ If you like it a lot please subscribe and share it around to help spread science into every home!!

Hi all And thanks for reading my post, Im really new to the site so please excuse any mistakes. I am really interested in studying experimental physics or astrophysics, I also enjoy chemistry a lot. now here's my problem, When i was at school i never did very well. I have an above average IQ not that it matters much, and am intelligent on many levels But in mainstream education i never progressed really. I went my own way with learning to be honest and have done 3 college courses on varied subjects starting when i was 14. ( i left school really early) Money isn't an issue much at the moment as far as a job goes and things as i am trading online very successfully at the m…

You'll either love this or hate it, satire...

I know this was put out by FOX NEWS, but even I question its authenticity. I've looked around but haven't found much on the issue. Perhaps some of you are much more up to date than myself? http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/2000862202001/

View a larger scale version of Tessellated I A tessellation of a capital "I" shape employing the colours of the spectrum which I created using Paint.NET the free image and photo editing software which runs on Windows. The "I" Shape. The "I" shape is square in proportions, with the vertical column one third the width of the square by design. The thickness of the base and top of the "I" are the same thickness and consequently have to be one quarter of the height of the square to tessellate in this precise fashion. The shape of the "I" I arrived at during consideration of one of my engineering design projects. The Colours. My use of the colours of the spec…

A week ago i received some baby paddlefish from a breeder I know. they are very shark like and so far fairly easy to keep. here are some pics. Sorry about the focus, i can't seem to get my camera to focus on them correctly.

This seems like the default forum to post this, and I want to highlight one part of Liza Long's blog that has gone viral (emphasis mine) — So, where are these boys' fathers, and why does our modern society think that the male parent is optional in raising healthy children? I salute all mothers for raising their children as well as they do, but where are the children's fathers, especially when their children have mental and/or emotional issues? We read that Adam Lanza shunned his father. Why, because the father exercised more discipline? If so, this should have been a red flag of a troubled mind, instead of an excuse to shun some primary instruction and disciplin…

To all of you celebrating Dooms Day tonight, be safe out there. Don't drink and drive because It could be you that ends somebody else's world.

I want to play try out the pc version of MC before I buy it. I know that a demo exists but it doen't include a downloadable client and wont tell me if my computer can handle it. I also would like to mod it if i can.

New amendment in the news... http://www.theonion.com/articles/right-to-live-life-in-complete-stunned-horror-adde,30749/

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=11434 You know, I don't have any problem with someone being a skeptic, but (as is typical) this guy seems to go a little too far. From the article: He [Professor Fred Singer] suggested people should be suspicious of any science where there was a consensus -- this just blows my mind away. How can anybody consider themselves a professor in any kind of science if the eventual goal isn't consensus?!? I guess he's probably pretty skeptical of gravity, and light as a wave and particle, and of fluid mechanics, and of any other part of science where there is significant consensus. Math probably just kills him. "1+1=2…

Hello! As the topic name suggests, I've started a project where I'm collecting various data about different people from different parts of the world. My objective is to find whether or not there is the slightest relevance in the correlation between the personality and birth date of the individual. Of course It's definitely vital to take in account the background and environment in which the individual grew up. However, the plan is to find "coincidences" between the personality type and birth date of the individual. If enough matches are found, the study will continue. Otherwise I will, personally, consider the zodiac idea to surely be nothing but a myth. It does seem …

Hi! I’m a researcher at University College London (UCL) and I’m currently running a study looking at work stress and how people recover from work, with the hope to find out what factors and activities (for example, social support) may help with this. I’m really keen to get respondents from a variety of professions, levels of job stress and working hours, so it’d be great if anyone from this forum would be interested in taking part. It only takes 15 minutes and you’ll receive instant feedback on things like whether you have high work strain, whether you’re successfully recovering from work and whether you’re work life is influencing your home life. Plus, you’ll be…

This is a good watch:

I want to buy a special science related gift for my daughter (8 years old) and here is my top 5. A solar system model like this: Copernican Orrery Kit (url removed by moderator) A book with experiments like this: Science in Seconds for Kids: Over 100 Experiments You Can Do in Ten Minutes or Less (url removed by moderator) A wall decal like this for her room: Science Niels Bohr's inspiring quote with particles' collision vinyl wall decal (url removed by moderator) A magazine subscription (like Popular Science) A cool t-shirt like this: Boson Higgs T-shirt (url removed by moderator) Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance

The illusions in this video are pretty cool.

I am starting this as a split from another thread.http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/71115-finally-in-college/ Actually I can think of a worse scenario, write grants that do not hit and then get urged to write further grants for the PI without actually having time to do research of any sorts (and obviously without crediting in the grant). After two years these postdocs may very well leave the position with nothing to show. Also, as a correction to a an earlier post of mine : the NIH grant towards independence is the K99/R00 mechanism. Non US citizens are also eligible for that. I think there was one more for postdocs but can't remember). The…

As I was not able to post there... That very annoying smart vacuum cleaner is not that smart... ---->http://www.youtube.com/embed/xWMkOwq2qIU?rel=0 Enjoy !

Over and over again I am disappointed and appalled with how general public perceives the word 'theory' as used in science to mean the exact same thing it does in some casual everyday conversation... that is, speculation, guesswork, opinion... On a personal level, it is annoying to watch scientifically illiterate people dismiss a scientific theory as 'just a theory', but, more importantly, I feel it's detrimental to goals of science to have this general public 'it's just a theory' sentiment floating around allowing loud, ignorant people to dismiss scientific theories backed up by evidence accumulated over hundreds of years as comparable to some outrageous nonsense back…

I've been thinking about creating a blog to identify common arguments against scientific topics such as evolution and ways to answer and educate for people who find themselves arguing with creationists, anti-vaccine people, etc. If I did I like for people to post questions or arguments that commonly (or even not so common) come up that they may have trouble addressing. I was just wondering what the feelings are towards something like that are. Would it be worth the effort and time or would it just be a waste? Input would be much appreciated.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-quantum-reality-analog-after-all Last year the Foundational Questions Institute's third essay contest posed the following question to physicists and philosophers: “Is Reality Digital or Analog?” The organizers expected entrants to come down on the side of digital. After all, the word “quantum” in quantum physics connotes “discrete” —hence, “digital”. Many of the best essays held, however, that the world is analog. Among them was the entry by David Tong, who shared the second-place prize. I'd say both. You?

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/09/study-castration-adds-years-to-mens-lives/262778/ the above article suggests that there is a trade-off between reproduction and longevity. Men pay a big price for male hormone. Anybody got any other alternative suggestions why this is the case?