TheVat

Using this spoiler box system on a small tablet is going to drive me insane. LOL

Drat! He beats me to it by one minute! 😀

It bugs me that John Mellencamp's Little Pink Houses which was intended to be a cynical and sarcastic ("ain't that America...") look at America's problems with race and materialism, has been appropriated by all these GOP flag wavers as if it's some sort of patriotic love song to America. Ugh! Let's be grateful it stopped with just kissing....

There is a potential second answer. But I'm not sure it's "always."

Good point. And probably less ice than the Arctic, since a larger percent of the southern hemisphere is ocean which is absorbing heat. Also, the southern hemisphere gets 7 percent more solar radiation than northern, since the south pole is tilted towards the sun in summer there at the same point as perihelion of earth's orbit. So, more water absorbing more radiation producing a more complete melt and more heat-absorbing surface. (this is a simple model, so I realize there can be other factors like ocean currents and average cloud cover and so on)

Same reasons as everywhere else. Blame de Tocqueville for getting us started on the whole American exceptionalism narrative. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_exceptionalism It's harder for politicians to get people to pay taxes and fight in wars, if they start to realize their nation came from theft and plunder and genocide and wealthy landowners protecting their interests. Many nations have whitewashed versions of history they teach children - the latest whitewashing spree by the US GOP is nothing new.

Either American lawnmowers are safer, or I've apparently led a sheltered life. I will certainly not be using mine barefoot (which I always saw as kind of a no-no, given the proximity to whirling steel blades). Sorry about your cousin @StringJunky.

Since the distance can be arbitrary, I just set it as 15 miles, and the intuitive solution popped right out at me.

Har! Of course, observing with binoculars can give an incorrect sense of scale. A vast proliferating cloud of Bracewell probes seems possible, where any system with parameters possibly supporting life gets a basic device which, if EM emissions or other indicators of emerging tech civilization are detected, can then multiply into specialized surveillance probes.

I don't know anyone who has used GFI protection with a mower. Nor have I heard of anyone being electrocuted by their mower. It's difficult for me to imagine how your body, gripping the plastic handle and deadman switch, could find itself as the current pathway. That said, How Can I Electrocute Myself with my Lawn Mower sounds like a great thread topic at SFN. 😀

Your assertion seemed to be that Einstein had a larger than usual brain (you said "braincase" which implied larger contents of said case). I provided evidence rebutting that assertion. If you are wrong about a fact that could be easily checked, then this causes doubt on your other assertions.

At 1230g, his brain was actually on the low side of normal. https://www.science.org/content/article/closer-look-einsteins-brain#:~:text=One parameter that did not,of average for modern humans. Surprising that you missed this, given your incredibly high IQ and expanded braincase. I sometimes shout "viola!" because I'm dyslexic.

Repulsion + propulsion = maglev train. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev They occasionally have to scrape Bond villains off the tracks.

Based on his/her output so far, I think she/he could receive payments from the many people who would prefer she/he stay silent. "Hush money," so to speak. That's my slightly tongue in cheek answer.

Wait, what? Moontan has been communicated with by aliens?? How did I miss that? The OP didn't seem to specify that such probes would need to communicate to us. The default mode, for the security of any civilization, would seem to be "observe first, say hello later." Regarding the "they" - IIRC Moontanman's pronoun is he. And I'm not just alluding to his forum nom de plume. I'll tag him, in case this needs correction... @Moontanman

Yes, it seems more like an anecdote to spur someone to possibly consider real research. Much of the excerpts I saw seemed like that: it was impossible to tell if behaviors were a function of gender or racial dynamics, or just the personalities that certain individuals in the group happened to have. If I sounded dismissive of these branches of social science earlier, it was because of the methodology concerns that you expressed. Not only the small sampling and muddy causality, but also the subjectivity and lack of definitional rigor that seems to contaminate almost every aspect of these studies. My experience of racism, in the US great plains, was more like a heavy metal poison poured into my ears on a regular basis. My adult life has incorporated a regular chelation therapy which slowly has removed some of the toxic buildup. As with many people, the most powerful treatment has simply been knowing real human beings, who are always so much more than their demographic labeling. I've noticed the most intractable bigots are often the ones who have basically never really sat down and had a conversation with someone in their most-loathed group.

There is the Dark Forest scenario, where a civilization assumes contact risk is too high, so it might design probes only for covert surveillance. (though UAP reports would seem to indicate an epic failure on that mission as well)

There is possibly a topic shift there. And one that has an ironic quality, given the OP. Let me see if I can illustrate: I want to change my judgmental reflex and feel less contempt for others. Now, let's discuss those people who get degrees and think they know everything, and arrogant scientists who can't ever be wrong. 😀 Maybe one should ask, is it possible to be critical in a useful way, and without contempt for the person? I remember how distasteful I found American politics when Obama was president, and there was a segment of society that couldn't just disagree with his policies or suggest better ones - they had to attack him, constantly, as "arrogant."

I think it was clear you were replying to Ogon, but it doesn't hurt to clarify. I have a friend in Toronto who is an artist and has quite a bit of her work at DeviantArt, some of it deals with women and how their self-image is influenced by modern culture. I agree Ogon might fit in there nicely. @Genady - is there any of your daughter's art that can be seen online? Forgive this question, if you prefer not. I know many people limit or compartmentalize their web presence. (anyway, that would be another thread, as this one is Ogon's "show")

Moving away from such habits of being judgemental and uncharitable would only serve to lengthen lifespan and improve health, IMO. A lot of negative harsh judgements come from not really understanding someone's whole story, and you can often get to a more positive view by an effort to understand them. There are exceptions of course - people who are so damaged and twisted that it's not possible to really avoid being critical - but in that case you can opt to not dwell on them. We have had public figures here in US who one must, at some point, just stop reading about them or watching them on media. Best not to give them oxygen.

@MasterOgon A couple of the earlier ones you posted in 2021 also had retro touches that made me think of Fritz Lang's Metropolis and other early sci-fi art. Very evocative.

I remember your flying saucer designs at the now defunct sciencechatforum. Glad you made your way over here. I like the surreal aspects, and also how some show influences of old Soviet Era poster art. The eroticism of "Space Values" was intriguing.

Were you helping the Fijians deal with climate change? 😀

I've played it on pf. Worked all day at it, just got deeper in debt. Do you play marimba, xylophone or vibe, also? I can imagine the "hammer" theme of the song would sound cool maybe on marimba, with its lower range and deeper timbre.