Phi for All

I wonder if the dip is causing overheating. That would cause above average consumption of the charge.

Absolutely. But drawing the emotional attachments has already been done skillfully by professionals. If I want to sell the People on spending their tax revenue my way, I can point to how strong our defense is, and how we're the good guys and we need to spend a some money to stay that way. If I want to block something done by another politician, I mention taxes or Social Security, because those things are attached to BAD feelings and government ineptness. This argument alone keeps the US from doing the smartest thing it could, which is to forget all the healthcare insurance crap and just make Medicare available to everyone. It's a good system, but the argument "Do you want the government to run this?" has stopped this discussion too many times to count. Yet another reason why our media shouldn't be in the hands of some of the same businesses that lobby our politicians and influence our laws. It's too easy to fool most of the people at just the right times.

Even in the Lounge you aren't going to be able to discuss something like this without some citation to support what you're saying. Personally I'm not interested in talking to people who think, "all Germany cares about is destroying Jews". Frankly, if I wanted a discussion like that, I wouldn't do it here. This sounds like conspiracy and bigotry, with a big dash of "I hate science" thrown in for good measure. Not our cuppa.

Since I know you're seeing the doctor, I'll go ahead and say this. I'll bet the pain in your chest is just part of the adjustment. The body has funny ways of letting us know it's not pleased, and it even punishes us when we stop doing something bad. The body seems to like consistency, even if you're poisoning yourself consistently. A new consistent behavior is being formed and you may need to give it time. But I'm glad you're seeing your doctor about this.

! Moderator Note I see way too many personal comments in the last several posts. If we can't stay focused on the ideas, perhaps it's time to close the thread? We do NOT attack people here at SFN. Read your rules. No more Wild West, please.

I still think this is an aural illusion. I've heard what I thought was a woman in high heels walking up my front steps, only to realize it was the drapery pull gently knocking against the wall from the wind. When I was hearing it though, I was convinced it was someone's shoes. What I was thinking at the time affected what I was hearing. Our ears are probably more easily fooled than our eyes. Have you heard of the McGurk Effect?

I applaud your sacrifice for science. It's actually more of a standing ovation, since the prod seems to work everywhere simultaneously.

Greed/Envy seems to be at the root of so many of the problems that might lead some to develop a species-killing technology. But how do you suppress those traits without damaging competitive spirit and innovation? It seems like the struggle makes us stronger, while having things too good may make us lazy and content to rest on our laurels. It seems logical that, if we're going to survive to spread out in the universe, we need to cooperate globally as a species. A better idea is needed, but we also need to decide if we're going to cooperatively collaborate on this better idea, or have it forced on us by someone who's better idea isn't.

! Moderator Note While we have no control over how people push the Rep buttons, we do monitor to make sure no vendettas or agendas are being served using this system. Looking over the accounts in question, there is no pattern of vendetta, agenda or persecution. These negative points represent the perspectives of multiple users.

Yet another reason for establishing a presence off-planet. If we're going to invent something that wipes us out, better to have some colonies that might survive. And if we are alone in the universe, if other intelligent life developed but couldn't get past this technological filter that may doom high intelligence as an ultimately unsustainable species trait, then I still don't count us out. To me, that's all the more reason to work towards some of our other strong points as a species. Our cooperation and communication may be enough to offset our curiosity and tool use so we can agree NOT to engineer a bunch of nanoterminasties.

Isn't it possible that the merchant called out for a while in one language, a language you didn't understand, and then switched to your native language as he moved along the streets? I've been in places where street vendors called out the name of their wares in English, Spanish, German, depending on the predominant customers. At one time, I knew how to say "shrimp" in seven languages.

Thanks Dave! What does this new "Quantum Cattle Prod" button do?

Not since you stopped putting your lunch in the staff fridge.

If diarrhea is a side effect, I wouldn't put them in a smoothie. Is this supposed to be because people with B5 deficiency have trouble metabolizing fat? I don't think the correlation with megadoses of B5 and increased metabolization has been established. Also, there's no established connection between fat consumption and acne. There have been connections established with excessive carbohydrate consumption, however. The idea that excess fat finds its way through the skin as sebum is unfounded.

I think, for people who believe their morality is tied to their religion, it seems like everyone else are those people the preacher is always talking about, sinning their way to hell and falling prey to lustful urges. The "moral" folks elevate themselves above those sinners by behaving in certain ways, and then comparing their actions to those around them. All of this makes it difficult to empathize with someone who is in a different set of circumstances. To me, the whole argument pivots on a single point: It's not uncommon for anti-choice protesters outside an abortion clinic to sneak in the back way and have an abortion done on themselves. In every story I've heard like this, they justify their stance by saying their pregnancy was an accident, it's just this once, this isn't the right time for a child and they aren't like the other women who go to clinics like this. Apparently, their hypocrisy knows no bounds. Either that or they just don't realize how common their problems are, and that there's no need moral judgement.

Glad I read this before suggesting we all take "special" photos to raise awareness for testicular cancer.

BS artists in parent's basements eat Cheetohs. They lack the sophistication required to appreciate Cheese Nips. Same orange face though.

! Moderator Note This is NOT a religious or political topic. Please don't introduce these off-topic aspects to a scientific speculation.

I certainly understand the dangers, but isn't this why the scientific method is used in the first place, to provide a platform so people can question the methodology used? It's not so much a question of intelligence and education as it is accessibility and process. Given enough time, a person could reasonably learn the necessary science and math to either increase their trust in a theory, or to refute it. If one relies on mainstream theory to provide the best possible explanation, it might be lazy to do so if one's scientific education isn't as robust as those who work professionally on those theories, but I certainly don't consider it "cowardly". It could also be an Appeal to Authority if you assume someone who's work you respect is correct just because they have a reputation for rigor, but again, I don't think that's cowardly, just fallacious.

No violence. No rage. Aggressiveness is subjective. Definitions are important so we know everyone is talking about the same thing, and so we argue about these definitions. Argue about the ideas, without making it personal. No violence. No rage.

Here's a link to the visualization from B612 Foundation mentioned in the OP. A friend in space policy governance sent me the link this morning: https://b612foundation.org/portfolio/impact-video/

Is there a theory that explains more, or better? And I didn't say I trust the model, I said I trust it to be the best explanation currently available. I suppose it's more accurate to say I trust the methodology used on the model, to give the most meaningful findings.

I think it's the thought that someone is enjoying sex that sets them off. If you follow the anti-choice rhetoric, it all seems aimed at these imaginary women who can't get enough sex, get pregnant every nine months and then use abortion as birth control. These seem to be part of the same group that sponges off welfare, never does a lick of decent work and probably came to the country illegally. Somehow they simultaneously have too many children getting benefits and also get too many abortions. The anti-choice crowd makes a straw effigy to burn that's obviously not reflective of reality. It's pretty much a program that says, "Stop treating sex like it's fun; you're doing unimaginable harm to me with the behavior you exhibit in private."

"Believe" is a murky word. For explanations I can test myself, like the Big Bang Theory, I use the word "trust". It's a form of belief based on a preponderance of evidence and the ability to check methodologies and test predictions. I trust the Big Bang Theory to be the best explanation for the development of the universe we observe now.