StringJunky

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

Although I don't contribute much in Politics I enjoy reading contributions from a scientific community that has a definite scientific slant with all the evidential rigor and logical discipline that their profession encompasses. If I wanted a purely philosophical slant I'd frequent a Philosophy forum or if I wanted a moral slant I'd probably look into a Religious one...the point is each professional area in life has its own unique view`and emphasis on certain aspects of any given subject like Politics and we choose which one we wish to align with or view.....I agree with this site's policy of filtering for the more scientific approaches in the non science areas here because that's the nature of this particular beast. If we all here use the same sort of intellectual 'tools' (like the Scientific Method or are at least familiar with it's existence) it makes for a more productive discussion environment...the same applies to the other types of forum otside this site covering different disciplines that have their own etiquette and standard methodologies that are unlike science but no less valid within their own sphere of existence. I think it''s essential for there to be common agreement on the rules and standards of discourse`and here that discourse has science at its heart so it is natural IMO to expect that sort of general approach from any person that posts here regardless of the forum header title here..Politics, Ethics, whatever.

There's a company that is looking to increase straw's effectiveness in helping to solve this problem by impregnating it with oil munching micro-organisms. "We are in the process of partnering with select chemical companies to impregnate our hay and straw with oil-eating bacteria and microorganisms to speed up the process of breaking down and removing as much oil as possible from these affected coastal waters". http://oilhay.com/ I don't know if hay is the same as straw but straw has aglaecidal properties (it's used for reducing algae blooms in lakes and ponds) so it's effectiveness might be negated a bit if straw is used.

The thing with the Saudis is that they follow the Koran to the letter and spirit and that's why they end up with these ridiculous ideas trying to modernise without compromising the Koranic ideal. Another farcical situation they have due to their strict segregation of men and women disallowing casual liaisons and bearing in mind homosexuality can be punishible by death is that they have more men practicing homosexuality than there are actual homosexuals because of their need to find sexual expression! Duh! The authorities turn a blind eye to this practice as long as no one flaunts it openly...or else they'll lose their head.

You've got a point there...that's silly as well really.

The current situation is like saying the first person to SEE something for the first time owns it. Bizarre to say the least....pure idiocy on the part of those who allow it.

There's a saying in computing: Free RAM Is Wasted RAM. In Vista and W7 they have a routine called Superfetch which is a memory cache that uses up all the available RAM (after the essential programs) with stuff that Windows 'anticipates' will be needed next helping it to perform faster....this is much faster than having to get it directly from the hard drive on demand. If the routine changes it can drop the contents of Superfetch in an instant and do something else.

If the Universe is subject to expansion/contraction cycles and everything is destroyed during the contraction phase we are at a definite point in time in this cycle relative to the contraction/expansion equilibrium point which is the BB (T=0). This model accommodates why we are here at this point .. because it's taken this long for us to evolve from T=0 and an infinite number of prior cycles could have occurred beforehand...infinite time becomes conveniently segmented and we are in the midst of one of those Epochs. In this model it's not possible for life to evolve from one epoch and traverse into the next one is it? That's how my mind handles infinite time, our position in it and why now anyway.

If Space is infinite wouldn't it be reasonable to think that Time was also infinite because it would take an infinite amount of time for an infinite amount of space to manifest? Even at the moment of expansion the Universe, although much smaller, was still infinite in extent, apparently.

This is what I've explained to him in a PM exchange that BB represents T=0 because it's convenient for cosmologists to do so but time most probably extends much before it possibly infinitely and also that T=0 is is just a point in the Universe's evolution.

I never realised 'til now you mention it there's a difference between Climate and Weather: What Climate Means In short, climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area. Some scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30-years. It's really an average pattern of weather for a particular region. When scientists talk about climate, they're looking at averages of precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind velocity, phenomena such as fog, frost, and hail storms, and other measures of the weather that occur over a long period in a particular place. For example, after looking at rain gauge data, lake and reservoir levels, and satellite data, scientists can tell if during a summer, an area was drier than average. If it continues to be drier than normal over the course of many summers, than it would likely indicate a change in the climate. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html Based on the 30 year 'sets' of observations that make up a region's climate it would take a good lifetime or two to see if substantial climate change had really occurred wouldn't it and that any given set is not just a 'blip' in the long term trend?

This will answer your first two questions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_electricity

I think I can identify with you on the loss of your guitar...it is what you express yourself with and it takes along time to to understand its strengths and weaknesses and get it to sing with the voice you have in your mind. It's like losing a wife or husband to divorce and have to go through all that learning/familiarising process with someone else again. I had an acoustic guitar made with money left by my Grandparents so there is a strong sentimental value attached to it not to mention the countless hours it's taken me to find the voice I want from it...having to do all that again does not bear thinking about...it's a year at least before the luthier get's round to making mine and that's just for starters! Like you my immediate response, thinking about it, is a visceral and physical one but I do hope you can reconcile with yourself philosophically somehow with what has happened and emerge stronger than you were before. If financially possible, spoil yourself and have your next one made for you...it's a great journey..make the final outcome positive.