Phi for All

It wasn't a fan. The guy asked for an interview and had a microphone in his hand. When he asked Cruise a question he pointed the fake microphone at him and when Cruise started speaking the microphone squirted water in his face. It was part of a new comedy show for the Beeb and they caught Cruise in a bad mood. He lost it at the guy, calling him a jerk and generally making two asses instead of one. Could have been funny but I think the buildup was wrong, the guy probably squirted him too early in the interview and gave the impression of being a heckler. Better to ask several questions, gain his confidence and then let him have it. Timing, people. The readiness is all.

The loopie doth protest too much, methinks.

And I thought the OFU on your sweatshirt stood for Ohio Free University. I'll bet you were their favorite tufted, scaly lizard-monster at U of Cinn!

Indeed. Except posts in General Discussion aren't included in post counts.

There are medications for Attention Deficit Disorder and hyperactivity. See your doctor for a proper diagnosis and prescription.

Even if it existed, no one here is in a position to prescribe it. Over the counter remedies exist, but are not proven to be effective. Don't you think if they worked that everyone would take them? Try listening and applying what is said to you, think about how it affects you, make it personal. Your mind may be wandering because you see nothing valid in what you are learning. Everything is valid when applied to you.

Which would be here, and here, and here.

Your obvious knowledge and the fact that your thread didn't start out, "hey ppl, n00b here!" earned you a reprieve on the introductory thread. Welcome and enjoy.

Tbh, the best thing about it is the fact that a "sciency" movie has been so popular and stayed in the theaters so long. For so many people to go out and see a movie that tries to explain quantum physics (even partially) at a mainstream multiplex theater is quite an accomplishment, imo.

My biggest fear is that there could be a cheap potential for independent energy (such as photovoltaic solar) that may never be researched because there is too little profit involved. How can companies make a hideous profit by selling you a product that runs off the sun? These days it's all about monthly charges, or selling you an inexpensive system that costs a fortune to maintain (like water purification systems: $30 for the tank, $10/month for filters!). As the population grows the profit base grows. The powers-that-be are unlikely to want to let go of that to allow us independent energy sources on a wide basis.

I wondered about the music thing as well. What if you played a heavy metal song about gratitude and love (assuming there is such a thing)? What if you played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star but changed the words to "Boy I really hate your guts"? Is it the music or the sentiment behind the music? I also would like to believe in the photos. The rest of the science in the movie seems to support the idea that our mental state affects our body in so many ways.

I have a Zatoichi sword cane with a ninja-to blade. It is pretty cool but I get the feeling it would get me into the most trouble if I ever took it out with me in public. It is so obviously an attempt at concealment. And because I know it's really a sword, I can't imagine anyone else not knowing.

I would like to know if he's gotten anyone else to review his experiments to see if they could be repeated. It sounds like he's done some extensive work. I haven't seen his site yet.

E-bay might have something cheaper, but the price in your link is one of the best I've seen. Remember it's all from United Cutlery, who had to pay big bucks for the right to use the LOTR names, photos, etc. It's not going to get too much cheaper soon, especially since it's still hot property.

Until we get to another planet or some asteroids to mine more resources. I realize I sound pretty flip about this, but truly you're not alone. While I do think that corporate interests have more immediate needs to meet, I do believe there are enough forward thinkers to hopefully balance them out. It really isn't in a mega-corporattion's best interest to use eveything up. They usually just want to make it scarcer so they can charge more. Fortunately enough, there are people who want to live high up and people like you who want to live at ground level. Diversity saves us in the long run. It is why we don't all wear the same clothing or drive the same car. Why am I glad some people drive Hummers? So I don't have to. I think if you master geothermal technology to the point of harnessing lava, your energy concerns just got solved. Vent the heat into cities that float on the water or lie under the water. It may not be your cup of tea but with 10 or 15 billion people around it's bound to suit some. I can sure believe that. Let's not let big corporate lobbyists prod politicians into relaxing environmental standards. Get out the vote and let them know that we need to stop crapping where we live.

Go off-planet. ... yet. If we did nothing about the oxygen loss. You answer your own question here. This won't happen overnight. Keep pioneering new ways of doing things, making things, always with an eye towards the future. I think the biggest obstacle to overcome is the tendency to milk the last drop of money out of certain processes before moving on to the next. We can easily miss the next new technology by not properly funding it's early research.

I love this movie (in fact I own it). As far as experiencing anything they profess, I think we experience it every day. Especially with regards to the way we view ourselves and others. Negative people tend to attract negative things. If you are looking for the positive in life, you will find it. I have long believed in parallel universes of possibility. As far as being capable of accessing them, I don't think we can ever know while we are in these bodies. I think the movie is trying to tell us that the way we perceive our world is much more important than we think. Just as particles in wave state change when they are observed, so our observations can be changed by the way we perceive the objects made up of those particles.

Mine is Paul Chen's Golden Oriole (first series) made by Hanwei. It was my last sword purchase.

Ah, a man after my own heart. No sword is more awe-inspiring than the simplicity and cleanness of form inherent in the Japanese katana. It is the height of the swordmaker's art. yourdadonapogos, I would seriously call your local police and tell them you are considering the purchase of a sword for display at the local fair and are concerned about legally transporting it home on foot. Get the name of the person who tells you what to do so you can cite them if stopped. I'll bet they tell you to wrap it in something that covers it and don't take it out of the wrappings the whole way home.

Iirc, you're a big guy and PowerPoint looks to be pretty big. A bastard sword (also called hand-and-a-half swords) or a full two-hander (like the early Claymore Mel uses in Braveheart) would be a good historic blade for you. I have a big bastard with a wide blade (and 3 fullers) that's only about 4 lbs. Very sweet. I'm not very familiar with the fantasy stuff. They tend to be full of cool-looking details that just add weight to the blade. Authorized versions from fantasy movies (like LOTR) tend to have a heavy markup due to licensing costs and are usually made by United Cutlery out of 420 J2 stainless steel, which would hold up in a fight for about 3 minutes. They sure look good though. And the heft feels nice if all you're doing is taking them down and fantasizing every once in a while. That kind of weight would tire you pretty quickly in a real duel.

Take it through airport security. If they don't confiscate it, it's not considered dangerous enough to be a weapon.

Fairs can be pretty overpriced or have a lot of junk steel. But you should call the local police and ask them how you can transport the sword home from the fair on foot. I'm sure it's legal if you're just taking it home. Swords are all over the internet if you got a credit card, from cheap to grand, and they'll deliver. I recommend Museum Replicas down in Atlana if you want something authentic that could actually work. Stay away from the really flashy looking stuff that offers to take 10 easy payments, it's crap and overpriced for suburban warriors who have cash to burn. Stainless steel is nice-looking and maintenance free, but high-carbon steel is much better and more authentic, but you will need to either oil it occasionally or use a clear coat product to avoid rust (is the Indy/Shelbyville area very humid?). I always think it's best to buy one really nice $200 sword as opposed to ten $20 ones. I figure even if it's for display why put crap on your walls? Quality is better than quantity when it comes to something that's a point of pride for you. What kind of sword are you looking for, historic or fantasy type?

I collected museum replica swords for years. I have thousands of dollars worth invested. They are cool but highly impractical. All my swords are "working quality steel", none of the usual crap that looks good but creases if you bend it more than 10 degrees out of line. I even have a beautiful katana that has been differentially tempered, where the edge of the blade is harder than the spine so the blade is more flexible. It's not folded steel though, those run into the thousands of dollars just by themselves. I stopped collecting when I realized you can only display so many of them. I also wouldn't trust myself in a fight with anything longer than my 15th century Italian short sword. Unless you have professional training and practise for a few hours every day for years, you're more likely to hurt yourself than anyone else. Mokele's right, in most places in the US it's legal to "bear arms" in public, but scabbards and holsters, even if worn on the hip in plain sight, are considered concealment. And just try walking around with a bare bodkin in public and see how fast your right to bear arms evaporates. As Mokele said, a staff is much more practical and there are lots of stories where the greatest swordsmen are laid low by a simple farmer with a quarterstaff. Swords get all the attention because they're flashy but it was simple weapons like staves and spears that did most of the work on the battlefield.

Wasn't that something? I especially liked the "I'm 13 so I can't be bothered to use punctuation" defense. ppl plz!