-
Posts
23652 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
170
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Everything posted by Phi for All
-
Clap, clap, clap, why do we clap?
Phi for All replied to CaptainPanic's topic in Psychiatry and Psychology
While it might be a natural offshoot of a more primitive attention-getting display, at some point it morphed into a sign of approval. It became less about "look at me" and became more about "I like that". Perhaps that part developed as hunters described their exploits to the gatherers in their tribe, receiving approval through hoots and howls and banging on whatever was available. -
You're very welcome.
-
Anoxia is the extreme form of hypoxia. We need both words because the first is a total depletion, and the second is just a decrease below adequate levels. Just like we need both of the words "non-existent" and "inadequate". There's a difference between nothing and not enough.
-
100 updates are for modernizing your computer, or giving it modern-eyes. In American darts, bulls-eyes are worth 100 points. Modern bulls are called steers, and they have their testicles removed, making these male offspring very angry. Male offspring = sons, angry = cross, and there you have it: cross sons becomes cross on the sun, and we should all dash (or dart) to the nearest church. It's all part of the mystery that only the TRUE believers understand (but can't really explain to anyone else).
-
I think it's a publicity stunt from the porn industry.
-
What if the creature had some kind of flammable bile or poison it could spit as a deterrent, effective simply because it's nasty? They could have found out that they can start cooking fires more easily with it. Then the species learned how to set it aflame as they breathe out. Over time it became a weapon for them, but they still have to ignite it somehow, maybe with a spark or flame device on a ring or bracelet.
-
Acceleration is not important in the twin paradox
Phi for All replied to md65536's topic in Relativity
! Moderator Note It doesn't to the people you're discussing this with, and they've told you so. Please, think of another way to explain this, and break up the communication log jam. And to all involved, thanks for the increased attention to civility. -
Orange is. As in, "You may love your oranges, but you don't know what orange is."
-
Mobius strip. A way to use paper to create a surface with only one side and one boundary component.
-
How can we get people off the grid for less than a thousand dollars?
Phi for All replied to Pozessed's topic in Engineering
A big part of the problem is that the technology to reduce electrical consumption (while still enjoying its benefits) costs money up front that should be viewed as an investment with a certain payback period. Energy efficient appliances and lighting should be viewed on a cost-to-own basis rather than on a cost-to-buy basis. LED lighting is currently extremely cheap to own, when you consider longer lifespan which means less maintenance costs, and less wattage to pay the utility company (or less load on an alternative energy source like solar or wind turbine). Once you already have your low-consumption lighting and appliances in place, getting off the grid for $1000 is going to be a matter of location, imo. The best way to set up a really effective alternative power source is to pool the resources of several homes in a neighborhood. Individual home power generation is always going to be more expensive than a cooperative venture among a community segment. As DevilSolution mentions, it will cost the individual home less if you can get most of the town to dilute the costs. -
Actually fitting in is boring. Standing out in a crowd, fighting to fit in but never quite making it, learning a new culture without losing your old one, these things are interesting. They make a better story. You should tilt it the other way, and make fitting in to Canadian society be really difficult, even with Canada's multicultural stance. Like maybe she's deathly allergic to maple syrup, or Tim Horton's doughnuts are like her kryptonite.
-
Why is being on the Canadian team so important that you have to change her? Could it be that the Canadians need more diversity in their group and that's why she's more valuable to them? This sounds like a great way to get some character conflict going, that she wants to fit in more with the Canadians but always ends up sticking out like a sore thumb. Why would this make a difference to the character? How does it help her to blend in? Why is blending in important? You could put her in an Armani suit and she's still going to stick out with that skin color and that tail. Do the breasts have a lactation function? If so, she would be more closely aligned with our monotremes. They lay eggs but also breastfeed their young. You might check out their habits to give you a clue about this alien's lifestyle. If her breasts are for forming the yolk, are we to assume she is carrying an egg? Would a non-pregnant female have those deposits? When did she mate? Was it before she got frozen? Do the markings vary from creature to creature in her species, like fingerprints? I have some trouble with the way she's dressed. Is she wearing the top to emulate the Canadians covering their own breasts? Also, the loincloth is a very functional, simple design but I don't think it would be natural for a creature with a tail like that. The back panel seems superfluous. Is she a warrior? Perhaps some kind of breastplate or scaled armor that extends to cover the genitals and back would be more natural for her race and still give you the coverup necessary for your viewers.
-
Apparently some work has been done with dragonflies and hyperoxia. Most spiders, however, seem to be locked into a certain size limitation by how quickly the tracheal system expands as the body expands. They get to a point where they're too big to breathe properly, or rather the trachea can't keep up with the rest of the body.
-
! Moderator Note Let's also keep replies focused on mainstream explanations. This is not in the proper section to start questioning QM.
-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion Problematic, apparently.
-
I think they should have an enormous space-based solar array. The array powers the roads somehow? or maybe charged universal vehicle fuel cells are available to swap for depleted ones.
-
Relativistic velocity addition formula from Bayes Theorem
Phi for All replied to Daniel Audet's topic in Speculations
! Moderator Note Let's focus on the ideas and not the people who have them, to keep things civil. -
Spider lungs aren't like human lungs, and a lot of them can breathe through their skin, but I would bet they need the same mixture of nitrogen/oxygen that we do, having evolved together. Too much pure oxygen in humans would cause a fluid buildup in the lungs, slowing the flow across the alveoli and making it even harder to breathe. But atmospheric pressure is a factor as well, and that may allow spiders to breathe a high oxygen mixture for longer periods of time than a normal human. Is that what you're asking, or are you talking about pumping in regular air just to increase pressure on the spider?
-
Males get erections several times a night during sleep. They coincide with REM sleep, iirc. A morning erection just means you recently finished a REM cycle, dreaming most likely. Of sex, most likely. It's also the body's way of testing the equipment in a non-sexual way, letting a bit of flow through the pumps, as it were.
-
! Moderator Note Please STOP cutting and pasting the work of others as your own with no citation given. Last warning.
-
! Moderator Note As long as the discussions are viable, civil and have enough to keep posters interested, threads remain open. The only reason other threads were locked is because they had no direction AND you claimed you were leaving. This one can be locked for those reasons, but not all the threads you've created are like this. ! Moderator Note Agreed, and it's also against the rules. Please stop doing this.
-
! Moderator Note Since the OP has left the discussion, it can be assumed there will be no further rebuttals. Thread closed.
-
! Moderator Note Please give a direction for this discussion so responses are meaningful to your topic. And as mentioned, a link and a small excerpt relevant to the discussion is preferable to so much cut and paste.