StringJunky

" What do atoms have to do with life? That is my question."- Eric If life can exist distinct from atoms, as you propose, how do we detect this atom-free life form...do i feel a sense of deja vu...going round in circles? Science can only work from a foundation of verifiable evidence and standard methodology that can be repeated by anyone with the necessary knowledge. With this in mind, no one has ever discovered a 'living system' existing separately from atoms...have they? The point of the video that I linked you to was to help you see how life could begin. Can't you see that starting from a few simple reactions and interactions, these discrete molecular 'entities', gradually over time, build up increasingly complex layers of cyclical biochemical processes? There comes a point in this evolution where all the criteria that we define a living organism by, is fulfilled...at this point we can call it 'life' Outside of this forum we all hold our own beliefs, some of us may even be religious, but within the arena of this forum, which only builds on what is known, we must leave our unsubstantiated beliefs at home...I think this idea of yours is one of those. Scientific research tries to make hypotheses and evidence fit to a central body of knowledge, like adding a new piece to an imaginary incomplete bridge, on the side of a sheer cliff, that extends and leads us further into the unknown. Would you trust your belief in helping to build this bridge?

Three old dears overheard talking to each other: - " It's windy" - " No it's not, it's Thursday" - " So am I...let's go and have a cup of tea

These are the UMTS/HSPDA frequencies for broadband enabled phones. GSM can only handle voice, text and the original text based internet service as it has insufficient data bandwidth for transferring movies and images. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS_frequency_bands

When we can change the the laws of Nature and the Universe at will or evolve, then we might have telepathic abilities ....in a million years or three. Seriously, notions and arguments for telepathic ability start from the premise of belief and not as a result of direct observation under scientific conditions with results that are statistically meaningful... as yet. Until this happens, in the eyes of mainstream science, it does not exist. That's the most accommodating science can be, at the moment, to the idea of telepathy. It is my opinion that much of this desire for paranormal phenomena to exist and the idea of spiritual selves etc stems from a deep dissatisfaction with what we have, what we know and our impending mortality ie ...there's GOT to be more than this. They appear to be symptoms of over- imaginative desperation. It is not my intent to ridicule since even the most rational and logical amongst us hold dear at least one irrational or illogical belief, outside the field of scientific debate. For instance, I won't catch a fish if I get my weighing scales out ready for it in anticipation!

That's ok....my pleasure. If you look at this immense flock of starlings closely, you will see the effect as a dark wave passing through the flock as they sequentially change direction...you might need to watch it a couple of times first to follow what's happening within the flock and find a 'leading edge' which is frequently changing position. I hope you can see it.

It might help us to visualise a solution better if you tell us what you need it for. What's the scenario?

It only looks instantaneous because our own visual response is so slow relative to theirs...if you slow the flocks/shoals movement right down you'll see the 'domino effect' pass through them following from the leading birds/fish. I've seen it on Nature programs several times demonstrating it.

I've found this that seems to support the wikipedia article linked by Mr Skeptic. It seems to show that rice contains melatonin which is capabe of binding to the receptor sites but does not indicate the amount one would need to eat to have the sleep inducing effect. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7773197

Expt1: I've just done 30 seconds each with a pair of scissors and a fork (S/Steel). The scissors did not spark and the fork did initially but stopped after 2 or 3 seconds. They were both quite hot to touch. Expt2: I left the fork 'cooking' for five minutes to let it get really hot..on the basis that the electrons needed more energy to start arcing but it didn't happen. I laid it on top of a plastic thermos cup which melted where the fork was in contact...gives you an idea how hot I got it! An aluminium ring-pull and small alumininium mitre block gave 'fireworks' almost immediately. I think, probably, the main basis for the microwave manufacturers blanket recommendations against using metal objects is that there are too many shapes and combinations of metal types to recommend its use in them. They are playing safe. Knowing what I know now about stainless steel, I still would not use it in a microwave because there maybe scenarios, I'm not aware of, that may be dangerous to the`appliance or myself.

Have you put a steel fork in the microwave...does this spark?

what about a Chimnea with copper pipe wrapped tightly around the 'chimney' part and a rubber hose from the feed attached,but not too close to melt it. The cleanest and hottest fuel is Anthracite nuggets..it's also the dearest. http://www.castironchimineas.co.uk/ EDIT: Wrapping the pipe around is easier said than done but but this idea might get the 'ball rolling' for you.

I found a link provided by D.H. in the Physics Forum (the other one) on this subject: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8631798/

On reflection, I agree it doesn't make sense (from a data security point of view) to tie your valuable data to a device that can't be detached from the computer. Yes, your knowledge is out of date Mokele (like mine was 'til last night!]. I haven't got the time now to provide the evidence but the best SSD's are designed to withstand the operating forces and reliability demands of tactical military aircraft pilots and drones, and their specs outstrip platter drives in every way except price / byte and absolute capacity. There Mean Times Before Failure (MBTF) rates, the number of times they can be written to before becoming unreliable, has apparently reached a level comparable to a platter based drives operating life...this issue has been their main sticking point. I'm going to stick one in my laptop!

You are probably right for the foreseeable future. I haven't looked into computer technological progress for a year or two so my eye is 'off the ball'...I just use them now.

I was being cautious in my prediction, but yes I think they will eventually be "cheap as chips" just like thumb drives are now since there aren't any moving parts, thus less human intervention in the manufacturing process compared to HD's. Intel have just moved to a 35nm process, from 50nm, so the new ones are faster and will be cheaper eventually. Currently £204 for the latest 80gb SSD (35nm process) from Intel. Reading about the progress towards smaller denser chips it still has another year or two, at least, of improvements left in the technology: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10307018-64.html I suppose the next logical step will be to make standard motherboards with SSD's welded on as one.

Solid State Digital drives haven't been taken up universally yet because their maximum capacities have been too low for everyday storage use in the average PC. A quick check reveals that a 64gb SSD can be bought for $165 for an eeepc, so it's just coming into the realms of having a usable capacity and being affordable. There were also one or two performance and reliability issues that precluded it's mainstream use before but they seem to have ironed them out. I found a 512gb unit so capacity is not an issue any more. I imagine SSD prices will fall substantially to mechanical hard drive levels, as take up increases, just like other PC components have in th past.

It's best to learn the conventional view of anything scientific here, understand it, THEN challenge it if you find an apparent anomaly or have an alternative hypothesis...don't forget, some of these scientists here are the bearers of hundreds of years of hard-earned research by past and living scientists...we amateurs are not, realistically, going to turn upside down an established Law or Theory with one 'lightbulb' moment are we? If we present an idea contrary to this convention, we must accept that they will try and rip it to pieces...this is the nature of science.

I think that same phenomenon is replicated all over G.B. at Christmas! It is`a useful substance to exploit when you have the odd bout of insomnia. I heat a mug of milk with a good amount of sugar and a minimal amount of coffee to give it a bit of taste...relaxes me enough to sleep.

I checked it out on a few sites and it would appear that rice (especially brown) is rich in tryptophan. This is an amino acid that can have calming properties in the presence of a lot of carbohydate Pumpkin seeds contain a lot of tryptophan as well and had this effect on me some years ago. Heating milk also releases tryptohan, hence, giving it a mild sedative effect http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t042400.asp

Pangloss, I think these words and quote should, somehow, be integrated into the forum's advice section to new posters with regard to presenting new 'theories' or hypotheses. Being new to this forum and learning to conform to the level of scientifc discipline required here, I find these words very illuminating and concise. Sorry to distract, but I was moved enough to comment.

Thanks for the link Pangloss, very interesting...it gives a good rough overview of offical attitudes across The States and the rest of the world doesn't it? Israel was massive surprise...i totally underestimated their abiity for sexual/gender tolerance! I was, obviously, completely wrong in thinking that it was totally dogmatic in favour of their religious doctrine with respect to homosexuality...wonders never cease! They make much of America look like a third world country in that respect....but they do have many more heads to turn around to the tolerant way. than Israel

I'v found a picture of it. http://www.promolife.com/frequency-healing-tools/sead-6000-subtle-energy-activation-device/prod_1967.html I must say Bascule, you've posted a truly magnificent piece of mind-wretching literaure...I can't handle a full reading.....pass the the mind-bleach Padren! I was going to post the " Forty Laws of Vibratory Physics" which underpins the principle behind this machine's action..............but I am merciful

Eric: You might find this interesting:

How about if Mummy's a boy or Daddy's a girl? How does the US law figure on same sex adoptive parents or does the official policy differ depending on each state? In the UK it's dealt with on a case by case basis and assessed on its individual merits, irrespective of a prospective couples sexual orientation. They are protected from negative bias here under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007. The Catholic Church was recently brought to account from the Charity Tribunal here for breaching the above law on same sex adoption: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5433917/Catholic-charities-breaking-law-on-homosexual-adoption.html Is this a 'hot potato' there? As a matter of interest, how strong do you think religious opinion is in influencing official US policy on subjects like the above? My perception, via the UK media, is that it is quite overwhelming and prospective politicians there compromise themselves to get the religious vote, hence their undue influence on matters that contravene their religious doctrine. Is this broadly right or not?

"Correlation does not imply causation,.....". With respect to this thread, I interpret this as: It is not reasonable or logical to suspect a correlation between cannabis and mental illness Given that delta-9-thc can induce temporary effects in a person (with a usually stable cognitive function) not dissimilar to an acute schizophrenic-like state: "Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health condition that causes a range of different psychological symptoms. These include: * hallucinations - hearing or seeing things that do not exist, and * delusions - believing in things that are untrue. Hallucinations and delusions are often referred to as psychotic symptoms or symptoms of psychosis. Psychosis is when somebody is unable to distinguish between reality and their imagination." - http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Introduction.aspx It does not take a quantum leap of the imagination (I think), from a research perspective, to wonder (as some of the medical establishment is doing around the world) if these effects might manifest permanently in some vulnerable individuals who otherwise may not have got it (mental illness). "... and these studies seem to have conclusions far vaguer that what I've seen reported."- bascule Given the number of variables that have to be taken into account, the conclusions from studies, in the face of scientific rigor, will nearly always seem vague. The weight of all the evidence as it is published, must be viewed in its totality and a conclusion drawn from that. Just like we did in the moonlanding thread recently.