Royston

Hi Martin, sorry for the late reply (have been very busy recently) and I'll be sure to have a look at the links you've kindly provided.

I managed to read some of the CDT article you provided in an earlier post, and I must admit I had never really appreciated curvature on small scales...I've always applied curvature in a more cosmological sense, and it's really opened my eyes to the complexity of correlating the small with the large...albeit this just goes back to GR (again) but still worth considering the constraints of quantifying small scale space-time and how it differs to the constraints of equating large scale space-time...obvious, but worth appreciating.

Unfortunately I've been so busy I havn't even been able to give much thought, or have had time to read and digest the article and others recently...but I have a few spare evenings ahead of me where I'll give them some proper attention. So this is more of a thankyou note than anything else.

I had a school friend who had a similar situation but it was resolved when she came home to find her mum had put them in the freezer. You could always try that but it depends on how attached you are to them. Seeing the frozen corpses of her lovable snails pretty much traumatised her or so she says.

Hello aj47, this is the recommendation you get on caresheets to stop the eggs from hatching...I should imagine (albeit they are snails), that freezing them after they have hatched is probably quite a lengthy death (please don't tell your friend this) relative to crushing / burning them and some of the other more macabre suggestions that have been posted.

Also I think my house mates would be a little miffed about a load of dead snails parked next to their chicken kievs, despite being in a sealed container. I've been so busy recently that I havn't found the time to carry out the ether option that YT2095 suggested, though if this is not resolved by the weekend I have beers in the fridge, so I'll just get them drunk and seal the container...probably worst ways to go if you're a snail. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

so I vote Plants 1`st then animal

Wasn't algae the first plant on earth, and isn't algae sexless, so no eggs (seeds) and not very appetising for a Sunday roast.

Some scientists say that ancient humans lived on Venus that were more technologically advanced than us. However' date=' pollution and possibly a nuclear war has left Venus in its current state.

 

Does this sound possible?[/quote']

 

Nah, they all just shopped till they literally dropped and so causing a mass extinction.

I don't buy that for a second. Our technology may be advanced, but it's not THAT advanced. We barely even understand how the brain works, much less mimic it with computer chips.

We're only talking about one part of the brain here...prosthetics / transplants are all accepted, but it's a far cry from creating a modern day Frankensteins monster, just as this is a far cry from an entire brain made of computer chips. So this technology isn't so advanced that it seems inplausible.

I guess you've heard of the IBM 'blue brain' project, also 'in development' but if there's anything that's uniting computer technology with neuroscience that's the space to watch. I'm with Bascule, that the rate of technological advancement is accelerating at an alarming rate and I should imagine there will be some crossing of certain fields of technology to look forward to in the next few years.

Full BBC article here....let's just hope it works !

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4415722.stm#graphic

A few key excerpts...

Prof Karsten Danzmann, Hanover University

"It will be a big event for two reasons: it will be yet another confirmation that Einstein's Theory of General Relativity is correct, but it will also open up a new kind of astronomy that will allow us to look inside the most violent events in the Universe."

A new kind of astronomy requires a new type of "telescope", and that's just what Hough and UK-German colleagues have been developing on farmland a short drive from Hanover. It is called GEO 600.

This is precision engineering at the extreme. To have any hope of detecting gravitational waves, it has to be.

It's equivalent to measuring a change of one hydrogen atom diameter in the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

Artifical memory-enhancing hippocampus. Computer-like short term memory. That's nuts.

There's more on this and related articles here...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/mindx/frame.html

I'm sure you're more than familiar with Ray Kurzweil, there's some very interesting articles on this site, not all related to the technological singularity, and well worth a look.

Jacques Chirac is an asshole and a terrorist supporter...

I'd be interested to hear your argument supporting this statement.

Or maybe the asteroid is symbolic of Intelligent Design, take care of it before it becomes a threat and collides with secular education.

...and the earth rotates on its axis. News at 11.

 

Once again' date=' a science journalist does a bad job of reporting. Unfortunately, that's the norm, in my experience, rather than the exception. One might be surprised by the result, unless one had actually studied a little bit of science. [/quote']

 

Well yeah, this is why I couldn't understand that these emissions from 'particular' parts of the body were heralded as a 'new' discovery. I thought there was something, as I've already stated 'special' about these particular parts. My OP is misleading...sigh.

also to find out why this happened and if I am going crazy. But I will say that this account in not exaggerated in the least and it is really what happened…

 

I can still elaborate further' date=' so if you have any questions I would be happy to answer.[/quote']

 

Well the fact you're rationally explaining your experience and are not convinced you were visited by spirits et.c means you're not crazy.

 

Hallucinations can manifest for all sorts of reasons...lack of sleep, severe dehydration, and of course drugs...they don't necessarily have to be hallucinogens and it doesn't sound like you've been spiked with anything. This sounds much more like lack of sleep and nutrition.

 

I had a similar experience when I had no sleep for a few days...just alcohol and a mild stimulant were the culprits...and I had women coming out of my mirror, I was watching a programme on TV, only to find it wasn't plugged in half an hour later, and cartoon characters dancing on the walls, all very vivid and I had some control over what I saw.

 

If you had been spiked with a hallucinogen you would of experienced fractal geometric shapes, everything moving and breathing without you consciously thinking about it and a profound sense that you were on the brink of something amazing. If you had been spiked with an analgesic like Ketamine you would of noticed the physical effects just as much as the visual side. Most hallucinogens have almost identical effects on low doses...mescaline, psilocybine, LSD et.c DMT at low doses is the same...you really would know if you'd been spiked.

 

You done the right thing...relax and enjoy the experience, but I'd strongly recommend you don't try and induce this state again, because A. it's incredibly bad for you to starve your body of sleep / nutrition. B. the next time may be nightmarish.

Please see the Discovery article below...

 

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20050905/handlight_print.html

 

"Not only the hands' date=' but also the forehead and bottoms of our feet emit photons," Hiramatsu said, and added that in terms of hands "the presence of photons means that our hands are producing light all of the time."

 

The light is invisible to the naked eye, so Hiramatsu and his team used a powerful photon counter to "see"it.

 

The detector found that fingernails release 60 photons, fingers release 40 and the palms are the dimmest of all, with 20 photons measured.

 

The findings are published in the current Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. [/i']

 

Can anyone explain this phenomenom ? I'll try and find the published article, but for the time being if anyone can explain how this occurs and more puzzling why these particular parts of the body...first time I've heard of humans emitting photons.

Yikes...'first time I've heard of humans emitting photons from their fingernails' I didn't realise I hadn't finished the sentence. I was going to carry on with 'it would make an alternative to those light up key fobs'. I've just found the rest of my post stuck in word.

I thought the concentration would be round the head, I really wanted to know why these particular parts of the body are being researched. If this is to be used for diagnosis why are they concentrating on these specific parts of the body. errr I guess I thought there was something 'special' about these 'parts'.

Just going through some of the replies, I thought it would be obvious that I understood where there's heat there's photons ??? My OP was badly worded so sorry about that, but still.

Please see the Discovery article below...

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20050905/handlight_print.html

"Not only the hands, but also the forehead and bottoms of our feet emit photons," Hiramatsu said, and added that in terms of hands "the presence of photons means that our hands are producing light all of the time."

The light is invisible to the naked eye, so Hiramatsu and his team used a powerful photon counter to "see"it.

The detector found that fingernails release 60 photons, fingers release 40 and the palms are the dimmest of all, with 20 photons measured.

The findings are published in the current Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology.

Can anyone explain this phenomenom ? I'll try and find the published article, but for the time being if anyone can explain how this occurs and more puzzling why these particular parts of the body...first time I've heard of humans emitting photons.

Deep Impact is on TV at the moment...then I noticed this thread had appeared in the news forums

I would go with the killing jar if I had to kill them; it's more euthanasia than murder.

 

As an aside' date=' how did you get them? Like you said, they're illegal, that's what stopped me from getting a pair.[/quote']

 

No I said they're illegal in the US to own as pets. In the UK it's illegal to realease them, but they're fine as pets.

just sell them to restaurant

Well I inquired but they only buy them fully grown, so death is the only option.

here a some ideas

 

-dip them in bleach

-put them in the bleach and light it on fire

-rat poison

-wd-40 and a lighter

-shoot them

-blow them up

-squish them

-pour salt on them

-use a hammer

-dunk them in ammonia

-boil them

-eat them

Well my house mate has a black widow (handheld catapult) got seventy go's at getting the neighbours cat...or a wandering seagull.

I like the wd-40 and a lighter suggestion...burn snail, buuuuuuurrrrrn.

Though I'm going to Halfords (UK garage chain) on Monday, to give the ether idea a go. Failing that I'll smash 'em with a guitar to Pantera or something, how does that sound ?

Strangely enough if I introduced a few humble garden snails into my tank of GALS the GALS would be the ones that suffered...I can't remember the real reason for this, but I'll have a quick gander and get back to you. But as far as I know (although GALS are omnivores) I don't think they'd eat native slugs or snails.

This link gives the reasons for not releasing GALS into the wild...mainly as I've already stated the impact on the environment (particularly flora) and the rate of reproduction.

http://www.manandmollusc.net/Odessa/GALS.html

Small note I've just realised that my largest 'Sonic' is actually Achatina Fulica from East Africa...not the Ghana breed achatina achatina

Well thanks YT2095, I appreciate the thought...though I think it's illegal to release 'GALS' into the wild for a good reason, I'll have a browse to find out exactly the kind of impact they'd have.

I should imagine off the top of my head they could disrupt the British eco-system somewhere down the line (these molluscs multiply and then some...in fact a few of mine were courting just months after hatching...once impregnated that's it they'll just continue laying batches of eggs !!!). But I'll get back to you with some details...if I find any, cheers

it might be an idea to google for the words "Killing Jar"' date=' as that`s what`s used by Insect collectors, it`ll give some idea of how it`s done too

 

failing that, 2 paving slabs will be as Instant as it gets![/quote']

 

I'll give it a look, cheers.

 

Yeah my Dad recommended a hammer...but I didn't want my snails to have a violent end by my hand, when it's partially my fault they were brought into this world.

Which totally sucks because I think they're some of the coolest invertebrates out there and have always wanted some.

I always wanted one since seeing an unusual pets slot on a kids programme.

There was the usual red knee tarantulas, stick insects, but the giant snails stuck out the most, they look so primitive, kind of ancient, plus they're great fun to watch (very graceful) and enjoy a good beer. They're very low maintenance (providing you prevent the eggs from hatching) and don't mind being handled...perfect.

Salt just dehydrates snails / slugs and isn't full proof, it's also very unpleasant for a mollusc. I think I'm gonna stick with the ether idea...let them pass peacefully in their sleep... thanks anyway for the suggestions.

You could try and sell some.

 

Why can you not release them? Or is the answer in the name giant african land snails?

I've sold a few...but they really aren't that popular. You can't realease them because although from Africa they can hibernate and survive the cold...in fact they can go without food and water for a long time. By accident I left one in an old tank for 3 months (no food or water) and managed to revive the little sod by breaking the seal that develops on the shell (where the sanil comes out) and soaking it in warm water.

They also have clusters of around 100 eggs, depending on species.

Your right as well though...I have one snail called Sonic who's body is about 8 inches long. They can get to over a foot in the wild depending on how much vegetation and calcium is available. So basically you let a few of those thrive in a field...and you've got big (being the operative word) problems. They're completely banned in the US except for research purposes.

Please find the news article here...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9871982/

'NASA has outlined what it could do, and in what time frame, in case a quarter-mile-wide asteroid named Apophis is on a course to slam into Earth in the year 2036. The timetable was released by the B612 Foundation, a group that is pressing NASA and other government agencies to do more to head off threats from near-Earth objects.'