Phi for All

I was reading this article about the Kwok brothers in Hong Kong building a full-scale ark as an amusement park/hotel. I don't want to talk about the ark. I don't want to talk about the biblical story. And I don't want to talk about why the Kwok's think it's a good idea to build it in Hong Kong's harbor. What I want to talk about is this: The science proved too difficult?! I knew as soon as I read this that there is a group I know who would take up this challenge. So how would you do it, make a rainbow that could be turned on and off as an attraction at a theme park? Permanent doesn't mean it has to be on 24/7, just that it has to be in a single location and be reproducable at will (OK, just during daylight hours).

Free Online Dictionary: ec·to·plasm (kt-plzm) n. 1. Biology - The outer portion of the continuous phase of cytoplasm of a cell, sometimes distinguishable as a somewhat rigid, gelled layer beneath the cell membrane. So I would say that Richet didn't coin the term, but merely borrowed the coin for use in his description of the supernatural.

I believe in telling kids about the bad stuff. If people could actually sign away their right to sue, I'd say let's get them to sign an agreement that says they know the risks and accept them and no matter what they or their parents claim later, they will not sue us right off the web. Alas.... I would show you the Moderator's Position, but posting that sort of picture is also against the forum rules.

I say Presidential Medal of Freedom for Capt. Richard Phillips. Well done, well done all.

Top of the list = swansont. Brilliant AND funny, the quintessential SFNer.

While there was no single source for our present woes, I'm beginning to think the sharp increase in gas prices last summer had a LOT more to do with the downturn than I previously thought. The Fed couldn't quite figure out the housing bubble problems, but they knew what to do when gas prices rose. When you couple the resulting interest rate increase with the fact that people who already had shaky mortgages, mostly for properties that were farther away from their workplace, had to choose between buying $4/gallon gas to drive twice as far or paying their mortgages, it seems oil owns a bigger share of the blame than I had previously thought.

So your brother is an arrogant jock who is stronger than you, and probably taunts you and lords it over you, and you want to become stronger than him so you can... lord it over him, taunt him with it and be an arrogant nerd? I think the best way to win that game is not to play.

Don't push so deeply.

The history of ether as an anesthetic is pretty interesting. It started out as a party drug in Victorian England, IIRC. We don't? Oooops.

Pharmacology = $

Too bad you can't set it to register "dork". As you can see, Sayo's uniform is waaaaay cooler, and needs no helmet (though from the pained expression on his face, his inseam is too tight ).

Why? Do you know of some company that sells LED study lamps that would be better than CFLs?

Extremely well put. And kudos for those who took their fingers out of their ears long enough to listen to it.

There should be no negotiation, that would eventually stop the piracy if we made stiff penalties for anyone who buys the pirated goods that would be their only treasure. The problem with that is not the pirates, it's the fact that few people would agree to work on a ship if there was no chance of negotiation once boarded. The biggest reason for pirates being considered hostis humani generis, besides the territorial neutrality of the open seas, is the sheer size and natural malevolence of the oceans. Trouble at sea, or anything that unnecessarily puts a ship in even more danger than normal, MUST be treated severely. This is the reason China needs to be heavily reprimanded for the actions of their boats against the USNS Impeccable recently. You simply don't act recklessly with fragile vessels on open water. It's an ethical concern that transcends even human lives, because it threatens human life at sea in general. If space exploration is in our future, this ethical concern must be heavily ingrained in our very psyche. You just don't mess with a ship unless you want war.

This happens with my trays about once a month. I have 4 trays stacked 2x2, and the top 2 trays are prone to this. I always figured it was due to uneven expansion in the freezing process. What I couldn't figure out was why the spikes are always straight. You'd think they would curve downwards as they form due to gravity, but they're always that way, at a less than 90 degree angle but arrow straight. So while we're on the subject of ice cube tray phenomena, can someone tell me why the bottom 2 trays of my 2x2 stack don't pop the ice out as cleanly as the top 2 trays do? I don't always use the same trays in the same order, but invariably, when I go to pop the ice out, the top 2 trays pop out whole cubes while the bottom 2 trays the ice cubes are more fractured and prone to sticking to the plastic. I always figured it had something to do with the bottom 2 trays not having the same amount of air for the freezing process, being blocked by the trays on top of them. Any ideas on this?

I've spent 5 years here poking holes in the arguments of others while stitching together my own evidence to refute them. It was a natural progression. And it gives me a chance to rest my eyes from the computer screen! And who couldn't hold still while his inseam was being measured? Bleh, that was Cap'n Refsmmat's idea. Liability issue for Staff dealing with crackpots. I just *shake* my head instead of banging it against the wall but swansont has been known to get a running start. And he likes the earflaps/chinstrap look. Go figure. Well, I'm not doing *your* hair anymore if you insist on wearing that helmet. It's a waste of my time and the wired Pippi Longstocking braids coming out of the holes in your earflaps are too distracting. Frankly, I think you take the eccentric physicist thing too far.

I'm embroidering that on a corporate T-shirt for you.

Obama should use some of that money to plant more moss so we can have more oil.

Without mentioning the persecution of Galileo, you have NOTHING, lame crazy man.

Poll corrected.

All the best reasons to keep it illegal merely help the people who make the most money from it now. The secondary reasons are all speculative, like what drug dealers will do to combat the loss of profit, or that obesity may increase because more people will have the munchies. That it will become too available is the one angle that holds any strength with me. Existing laws keep homemade wine and beer from getting out of hand but I think home growers would be capable of much production levels, and having your product grown outside means security from underage users would be a concern. I know there are existing laws to cover most of this but it could be a problem, having teens hop your fence instead of raid their folks' liquor cabinet.

It would be easiest to classify MJ the same way alcohol is classified. Develop a blood level verification, and let existing laws for alcohol govern MJ use and sales. Absolutely not. I'm saying that arguing that opponents are hypocrites because alcohol is legal and MJ is not is logical, but has the least chance of being effective in changing opponents minds. Opponents will not see themselves as being hypocritical. Hypocrisy is hard for ANYONE to spot in themselves, so it is almost always ineffective. It's just human nature. OK. I don't know what valid parts Mr Skeptic left out but I'm glad you agree that non-THC hemp should be legalized in the US since it poses no drug threat. Then I think you misunderstood my point. See below. I'm only talking about people who would be eligible to have medical MJ prescribed to them. My point exactly. I think I phrased it badly the first time. I know people undergoing chemotherapy who would benefit from taking medical MJ but don't because, even though they might obtain it legally, it has the stigma of being an illegal, controversial drug most others. While I admit to some facetiousness, I find it hard to look at a list of cons for legalizing MJ that isn't ridiculous for the most part. I'm not an advocate for decriminalization so I could get high legally. I don't consider it to be as bad as alcohol as an intoxicant. I think people in jail only for possession or for dealing in MJ don't belong there as felons and represent a huge drain on my taxes. I think a lot of people misunderstand MJ and dismiss it as a "criminal drug" in much the same way they think of much more dangerous drugs. Actually, what I said was I'd like medical MJ to happen at the same time it was declassified as a felony, not legalized entirely. We're really on the same page here, baby steps, check it out slowly, see how much of an impact it will have on society. But drop it to a misdemeanor so our prisons aren't filled with folks just looking for a little happy.