Phi for All

I think a psych test would be new grounds for mudslinging and smear tactics. They can imply things that any political strategist would manipulate and take out of context. Good idea in theory, bad idea in practice, imo.

Who was that president that liked to wear a dress....

he did a pretty good job didn’t he...?

(and he cut a mighty fine figure in a ball gown).

Why do you think women are more likely to believe in life after death, in religion, in astrology, et cetera...

Their early role as gatherers equipped women to look at everything all at once and see how it relates to their lives. Gatherers have to find not only ripe berries, but also firewood, medicinal plants, tool stones, keep an eye on the kids, ad infinitum.This may naturally lead them to think more about future needs, leading also to things spiritual. Indeed, women played a much bigger part in early religious leadership than they do now.

My wife and I raise our daughter using the Love and Logic approach. I tried spanking, when she was about three, for safety issues and it just made her angry and made me feel like crap. Love and Logic tells you you don't ever let them see you out of control, yelling or flying off the handle. You calmly take things away, you pick them up if they won't walk voluntarily, you put them in their room, you come up with consequences for inappropriate actions. You commiserate with them on how their behavior has affected their freedom and you say, "What a bummer!" a LOT.

You should never let them get away with bad behavior, but hitting them is not good, imo. I know you get an immediate response from spanking, but I think fear as discipline can teach them to avoid YOU rather than avoiding bad behavior. Above all you want a child who associates natural consequences from doing the wrong thing.

When a child sees you lose it they love it, but secretly it makes them uncomfortable too. If they learn that there are logical consequences for bad behavior, they move away from that behavior. It takes more time to master than spanking, but it has the benefit of not teaching them to hit to solve problems.

I work for an East Coast company and a little over a year ago, our firm moved a guy and his family here from Vancouver BC. I instantly bonded with the guy and in six months we became best buddies. Tragically, unbelievably, almost a year ago[/b'], he and his young son, and another two people, were killed in a car crash.

As you have stated, she's moved back, she's very strong, you are married, you'd like to continue being a big brother-type. I would start by emphasizing this in your emails ("I enjoy my big brother role in your life as long as I can be of help"). Keep in mind that she has a small child to raise on her own and if she's too attached to you for help she may not look very hard for another, healthier relationship.

You mention that you feel emotionally distanced from your wife. Could it be that it is easier for you to be the third party observer in someone else's life and have a harder time drawing your wife into discussions that involve the two of you directly? You want you and your wife to discuss things the way you discuss things with this other woman, but realistically the topics would be much more personal and maybe a bit more emotional. Helping others allows you to maintain a certain emotional distance; helping your own marriage is much more intimate and potentially scary.

My two cents, also from a non-professional stance. I'm also curious as to why you joined a scientific community to bring this up.

You can attach bmp, doc, gif, jpe, jpeg, jpg, pdf, png, psd, txt & zip docs via Additional Options --> Attach Files --> Manage Attachments below each Reply to Thread when you post. I forget what the limit is, maybe one of the Admins will chime in tomorrow on this.

RedAlert, have you given any thought to running time? I think anything over about three minutes would be too ambitious.

Also, how much plot are you looking for? Is the idea of SFN members doing verbal and physical battle with various trolls enough or are you looking for more? Should we wait till after Memorial Day for everyone who wants a character to post? I would like the cast set before scripting.

Does everyone remember these likenesses are going to be very simple, ala South Park? Do you still think that style is the way to go? I thought it best since I have no idea how good flash animation can get, or how good our people are. I've seen some people going way beyond the basic facial features descriptions, mentioning height, multiple weapons, etc. I think we'll want to put some limits on detail so we don't get too bogged down.

There have been a novel and a musical that didn't get past the planning stages, probably because they tried to go way overboard on details from many ideas put forward and were faced with the monumental task of incorporating them all. Lots of people have lots of ideas about what they'd like to see, but in the end it's going to be just a few people putting it all together.

Can we set up some kind of org chart so we know who's doing what and when? Who can do the drawings? We need continuity between the character styles so it would be great to pick one and have all the artists duplicate it. Who can do the flash stuff? Can more than one person work on that or is it better for one?

That's enough to answer for now but I have more questions.

That's globalistic thinking, just as it's nationalistic to want all the tax money to stay in your country until all it's problems are fixed before spending money on foreign countries. It sounds good but isn't in practice.

Firstly, what should all the people who are experts in space propulsion do? The astrophysicists? Are the astronomers just supposed to theorize with no proof? People will go where their talents and visions lie, and others will fund those visions.

Secondly, you are placing the problems like pollution ahead of the profits gained by polluting. While I agree with you that we should take care of our environment, it is necessary in market economies for the people who make profits to see profit in being responsible. Recycling never caught on until someone found a way to make it profitable.

If you agreed to only buy goods packaged in recyced materials and you got millions to agree to do it with you, profiteers would only make them that way. If politicians knew that you and millions of others wouldn't vote for them unless they supported green initiatives, they would suddeenly become environmentalists. It is the apathy of the consumers and the voters that keeps us in our present predicament. We're too busy working hard enough to afford our leisure to care about the future.

Would you really prefer silent space battles? What would they do with all their fancy THX equipment then?

 

As far as the "sound in space" issue goes' date=' I think a little suspension of disbelief is in order, as otherwise the movie would be rather boring.[/quote']I beg to differ. With the right editing, it's really rather ominous and mesmerizing to move from the inside of the ship with all the sounds of crew, klaxons and engine throb, to the outside of the ship where you watch the missiles strike silently as the ship explodes without a sound, and the only flame is extinguished as soon as the available oxygen is burned up.

 

It's all a matter of contrasts. Using silence to counterpoint sound is like using shadow to offset light.

Search checks post content as well as titles. Look further and you will see your search word highlighted in red.

Strawman is very common, but easy to spot. When you make a point and your opponent sidesteps that point and raises a similar but non-applicable point and then refutes the new point, he is strawmanning.

It's easy to avoid strawmanning. Refute or concede your opponent's point before you move on to other arguments. What makes Straw Man so insidious is that it's impossible to debate someone progressively who won't admit you may have a good point.

You cannot create a curved line without first creating a square.

Firefly is the best

it got knocked down' date=' cancelled

but the show is just too good, thanks to the effort of the staff, actors, fans and other crew it will be making a big comeback

 

Firefly will return as the movie Serenity !! Go see it ![/quote']I just had to bump this thread after my best bud bought me the Firefly series on DVD. I absolutely love this show! Funnier than a tornado in a sack of flour and good science as well. I particularly like the fact that no sound travels outside the ship in flight. The silence of space actually adds an ominous note I find refreshing.

 

The cast works flawlessly together. I can't believe Fox borked this one up so much! They actually aired it out of sequence, starting with an episode they felt had the most action, despite the fact that Joss Whedon had done a 2-hour pilot that started things off nicely. Fox also did little to market the show, even after throwing big bucks at Whedon to create it. No wonder it didn't survive the ratings crunch.

 

I can't wait for the full-length movie Serenity coming out in late summer. If you haven't seen the series yet I highly recommend it.

Can you send me those diagrams??? Thanks...[/email]

Reference, please?

Didn't this thread say large[/b'] breasts in the beginning?

So no, nothing was changed in the opening post.

All bananas used to have seeds, but they have been slowly bred out of the most popular varieties by planters wanting a seedless fruit. The darkened center is where the seeds used to be.

The #1 export variety, the Cavendish, is in danger of being wiped out by a disease it is particularly susceptible to. Growers spend up to 25% of the total cost of growing trying to fight this disease.

http://www.biotech-info.net/extinction.html

Certain obstacles will make us weak if we don't overcome them.

Plus for those who can't overcome such obstacles, it gives fair advantages.

Plus for nerds like me, who might not get a chance to procreate(or if we do, it would have to be with some hag), we can have children(I REALLY, REALLY wanna have kids, and a large family) without having women!

I think this is a bad idea. Have you ever considered that things which are difficult (pregnancy, relationships, etc) provide the most satisfaction when they're experienced fully and successfully? Take away the obstacles and the lack of challenges will make us weak.

Why don't people use the Search feature? No one can ever give me a definite answer.

Decided to take up archery. Decent shot' date=' but my third arrow ricocheted into my leg (rounded practice tips.) I take another shot, the arrow ricochets, hits me right in the breast, ouch... decide third time's the charm, take the shot, it ricochets back to my face, which I barely block with my palm.

[/quote']Three ricochets that come right back to hit you? Stop practicing in a tunnel.

found these deep tubes out in the woods... I really want to know what was at the bottom of that hole.

Sounds like the kind of tubes they put in old landfill sites they cover up and forest over. The tubes vent methane buildup from the organic garbage way below.

hehehe, cute, I feel loved

And I apologize if the button remark sounded patronizing. You know I would never willingly risk your wrath for a cheap joke.

You guys seem to be forgetting the most important element in any story, the hot babe with heavy weaponry.

We're still looking for a t-shirt that's tight, clingy and has room for your name while still having a neckline that plunges to your navel. Also no sleeves so you can swing a lightsaber.

It would be easier if you would agree to just wearing two small buttons, one says "Azure", the other says, "Phoenix".

my take on your possible titles:

2) Geek Seekers: catcy' date=' and doesn't give much information on the plot, but doesn't exactly fit the story. SFN members can be thought of as geeks as much as the trolls, especially considering the opening scene.[/quote']My idea was for SFN to be seeking geeks, to wage war on the trolls. Thus SFN members are the GeekSeekers looking for new members with this flash movie. Sort of an indoctrination film.

3) Debate to Catch DeTrolls: i don't understand this.

The bait to catch the trolls, with a pun on "debate".

and about the Opening scene, there are some details you missed that might be important (especially for the visual artist).

-the logo: what happens to it after it becomes centered on the back of the T-shirt? should it then stay with the T-shirt, as if printed on it?

You got it, that's what I had in mind.

-the door: does it creek open, for the camera to slowly sneak in? is it pushed open, as if by the camera man, for the camera to walk in, or enter at a normal pace? is it slammed open just as the alarms blare, with the camera rushing in to find the action?

I was thinking more along the lines of a zoom or a slow dolly/zoom (as long as it doesn't give the impression of a third party sneaking up behind the person). The door should open up smoothly, simply showing that you are entering a room with a person at a computer. Enough time should be given before the alarms to establish that the person is typing/posting (maybe muttering under his breath).

-the sign: why would he put up a "Gone Fishing" sign in his own room, where only he can see it? i recommend putting a "BRB" sign on the doorknob of the open door while closing it (with the Title still printed on the door).

Why would he put up BRB if no one will see it? I'm not wedded to this, and I was actually thinking of what he might take with him, but this became too character specific (if he takes his katana is it supposed to be Sayo?). The sign was a way to indicate that the person knew they'd be gone for a while. How about the sign says, "DO NOT SHUT DOWN!"?

Government corruption is tied directly to big business interests and always has been. Very few people seek power in government for its own sake. Making or manipulating the rules to benefit those who have the money to pay for it is all too common, probably in every country.

It is so hard to tell a valid contract for "consulting services" never rendered from a kickback. And unless flags are raised that signal something fishy to auditors, it's apparent that billions of dollars can be illegally manipulated by reporting false numbers, "filling the gaps", and padding executive performance bonuses, and in a fairly short period of time at that.

To bring this all back to the OP, isn't the common thread that many of these mega-corps have figured ways to wiggle through our legal system? Isn't the use of plea-bargained testimony simply the last ditch attempt to put the perpretrators behind bars where they belong? They are so good at working the system and are so ultra-rich they can afford legal defenses that stagger the imagination. Are we supposed to let them go free as long as they have covered themselves well enough? How many more are out there who are below the radar of federal auditors, who play the game of screw-the-market-protect-the-stockholders much better than Lay or Scrushy?

Possible Titles:

1.Troll SurFiN

2. GeekSeekers

3. Debate to Catch DeTrolls

4. SFN: Agents for Truth

Opening scene: We start with the SFN logo on a pale background, then add the Title below it. Hold for a couple of seconds, then the background (which is really a bedroom door), along with the title, opens to reveal an anonymous SFN member from behind (more realistically drawn than the eventual characters will be) seated in front of his/her computer (the logo stays and is now centered on the back of his/her t-shirt. He/she is hunched over the keyboard furiously typing.

Suddenly, a warning light flashes on the computer and a metallic voice says "TROLL ALERT... TROLL ALERT...." He/she reaches into a drawer and hangs up a sign on the shelves in the background that says, "Gone Fishing", then presses ESCAPE on the keyboard and is immediately sucked into the computer screen, where he enters our more toonish, South Park type character world.

Then everyone involved needs to give those details. I have medium length brownish-blond hair, a mustache and a triangular flavor-saver under my bottom lip, and I wear rimless glasses. I prefer a green t-shirt.

Visual representations: simple toon-types (similar to South Park), SFN members with t-shirts with their names on them, variable hair color/length, beards, mustaches (I know Mokele has big honkin' sideburns). Can we do this?