StringJunky

I found this diy project: http://www.ehow.com/how_5024385_make-dehumidifier.html

Stardust by John Gribbin. Great intro to Cosmology. Einstein: A Hundred Years of Relativity by Andrew Robinson. I think this is an honestly presented overview of Einsteins's life and works with critiques by the author (a physicist) on the long term and relative importance of each of his theories. The Revenge Of Gaia by James Lovelock. Putting his apocalyptic forecast for humanity aside this book is a nice intro to the Earth System: it's cycles and feedback mechanisms. It's about Time by David Mermin. An intro to Special Relativity that keeps the maths to a minimum. but some is unavoidable. Not a light-hearted read like the first three...needs effort!

For those with slow computers and/or internet connections the Chrome browsers are fastest at rendering. Google Chrome or SRWare Iron if one has reservations about Google's tracking/privacy policy. I use Iron which seems to be noticeably quicker than FF but it's not so customisable...the more responsive feel and faster rendering/scrolling makes up for it for my purposes. http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_download.php

I noticed Genecks and I had 3 little square shaped dots under our avatars earlier which I presumed was the rep...that's disappeared this visit. Kudos to the guys involved with the new logo...very nice with a good 'visual' message. Under Swansont's avatar it says 'Staff'. I think it should say 'Physics Expert/Moderator' as before so he and staff with similar status don't have to keep telling new posters what they are.

Genecks You don't like it cos it's not black and dark! I need to get used to the change before I have an opinion...I like blues so no cosmetic problem there for me.

I don't think there is any other person in history where so many people, amateurs and professionals alike, are so dedicated in their attempts to undermine his verified ideas and have failed. He's not 'pumped up' for nothing...he graces the pages of scientific history and the media through merit alone at the end of the day....you need to look into his life and works with a more open mind and you will see his reputation is justified. He didn't get everything right but who does? "As always, the myth has it's charms but the truth is far more beautiful"- R. Oppenheimer on Einstein (Scientific Director of the Manhattan Project...the first atom bombs) It's obvious, even to a relative scientific ignoramus like me, that SwansonT is correct...without Einstein's mass/energy equation fission/fusion technology would not be with us, at least until somebody else saw the relationship. There aren't many people here able to appreciate Einstein's contribution to science and technology more than SwansonT as he works with and applies his concepts professionally on a day to day basis...he knows what he's talking about.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to define 'ethical' first so that there is a consistent benchmark for the purposes of this discussion?...I'm thinking you are going to get religious/non-religious perspectives which might turn it into a bit of a mess. I tend to agree with AzurePhoenix; I agree with the use of the death penalty in some circumstances but the determination of guilt should not be left to a group of unqualified people. Is it ethical? I can't say until someone defines it.

Is it enough to give it it's blue colour with increasing volume and not down to scattering?

I think you've cocked up there mate. . My guess is all the colours are absorbed except blue which is scattered. If our eyes had a sensitivity in the violet portion of the spectrum equal to the blue portion the sky would appear more violet than we actually see it because indigo and violet is scattered just as much if not more than blue. Our brain interprets the blue portion only, I suppose because there's not enough violet sensitivity to have an effect.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/

Well done IA.

To get an image in Google put the word 'image' after your search term. For example I got this image for the Down Syndrome chromosome abnormality by typing 'Chromosomes Down Syndrome image' : I typed 'Chromosomes Turner Syndrome Image' and got this: Do the same for the rest...hope that helps

It's not a program in itself that you use directly but a software environment that some programs need before they will run. Here's more info: http://www.tech-pro.net/net-framework.html

Download this: http://www.filehippo.com/download_speccy

Congratulations AJB...I'm sure you'll go far.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/

What error codes are you getting?

You could have a look at this MS article on Update failures...you need to find the error code that is generated first. Copy and paste the error code into Google can get you answers as well. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906602

AJB: Maybe you emanate some body language as you go about your business that makes you an attractive target for antisocial behaviour. Our local environment is the way it is and we must adapt if we are to have any hope of being in harmony with it. Speak in the language of the listener. I am happy to to talk to anyone and adapt my language and demeanour accordingly....When in Rome..... We are all initially dealt a certain hand of cards in life and to see someone walking through the street that appears to have been dealt 'a better hand' and is aloof with it can make others not so fortunate want to direct their despair and envy at you in an aggressive manner. If you dress in a certain way and carry yourself in an aloof and lofty manner in a deprived area you will almost certainly invite this sort of attention on a regular basis. You have a brain that's in the top few percent..be sure not to wear it like a status symbol out in the street...be humble and grateful that you are chanced to have it. Use it to understand Life and.People as well as Science and then you should be more at peace with it all.

I think freewill is a function of self-consciousnness...the ability to imaginatively visualise our own presence as though from an externalised perspective. By this ability we can differentiate ourselves from our surroundings in real-time, imaginatively create new possible paths and therefore potentially alter the course of our future actions ...If we have the ability to conceptualise multiple possible future paths we must make a choice which one to follow...from the need to choose springs freewill.. A long term drug addict in the face of normally overwhelming internal urges and surrounded by like minded peers who are consciously or subliminally through their very presence trying to break his resolve manages to cognitively change his addictive behaviour to a different more personally and socially productive one is a perfect demonstration of freewill in my opinion...if we didn't have freewill we wouldn't be able to go against the grain..we wouldn't be able to change our habitual or environmentally-induced personal habits. We don't always just respond in a preset 'programmed' way to our environment and urges, like most animals: we as a species have the ability to proactively alter them if we choose, with sufficient resources and determination. In reality I think there is a reciprocatory relationship between our environment and ourselves...I sense more than a hint of the Nature v Nurture parallel here but like that one this discussion has no inherent dichotomy.. Determinism is the driving force but Freewill is the force that steers it.

Cap'n. I checked out the BBCode and it's this but it doesn't seem to work: http://eythorjonas.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/the_horsehead_nebula_b33_orion_nebula.jpg[/img] Note the additional characters in the first bracket.

http://eythorjonas.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/the_horsehead_nebula_b33_orion_nebula.jpg[/img]

I think you are about right in your estimation. In the 11-12 months that I've been reading these boards only one or two have have withdrawn from their position with good grace. It's a notable moment when it happens!

This is what they use in the cheese industry: http://books.google.com/books?id=_L1c6rR-Mp4C&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=sorbic+acid+on+soft+cheese&source=bl&ots=IJtpoU-VPZ&sig=DEwjSb5hTv8NXykwe4RywGtQam0&hl=en&ei=xsdYS9SUDYr-M6XOvdsE&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CBoQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=sorbic%20acid%20on%20soft%20cheese&f=false