Phi for All

I agree. The way we use it politics *is* a science, or is approached and discussed almost like one. Like the Philosophy / Religion forum, Politics can be approached scientifically and that's what makes our discussions different from other sites with similar sub-fora.

Besides splitting up the User info, I'm also not liking the feng shui of the post layout. My eyes tend to go diagonally across a post so the upper left and the lower right corners are dominant and tend to get the most attention. I like that I start right out with what the poster is saying (I still glance right to check avatars) but then my eye is lead to the lower right where Join Date and Post Count are prominent. I'd prefer to have the Response buttons (Quote, Edit, Multi-Quote, etc.) in the lower right. Join Date and Post Count can switch places with them. I think it would make response a tiny bit easier.

Breaking up the block of info that tells me who is writing before I start reading is very hard to overcome. Having the avatar and the username on opposite sides of the screen doesn't sit well with me.

If we were in an elevator I'd be pushing all the buttons.

I notice we're in a default vBulletin style as well. Must be a server upgrade coming or tweaks to the format.

You asked for "a way to stop a 10m high wave coming at you". Do you have to stop it from coming at you or stop it from affecting you? As Cap'n and MolotovCocktail suggested you could build a barrier in front of you (I'd build a triangular wedge facing the wave with me behind it). It doesn't stop the wave from coming but it stops it from affecting you.

Bump! the Haiku Thread! A Spanish Inquisition that no one expects! Counting on fingers to get the syllables right; Digital poem!

If you're looking for someone to play Gilligan, I'm your man! Good to see you back, O desert flower!

System Colonization Immigration Examiners and Nomination Acceptance Requirements Agency (SCIENARA) to the rescue! We have a full range of tests and certifications to determine suitability for all applicants for off-world migration. From mega-corporations to plucky individuals, SCIENARA certification is your passport to other-worldly dreams! I have a business plan but I need exam criteria. How do we make sure the right people get the green light to be part of the colony? Would any group or type of person be automatically excluded from consideration (that's going to cause many problems)?

It would be very interesting to adopt the policy that whatever we do in space we do as citizens of Earth rather than citizens of just one country. Since that probably won't happen we'll rely on combined efforts and contracts but I don't know if national fervor will ever reach the pitch it was at during the race for the moon. I think we should start a company that governments can consult with regarding colonization and territory distribution on Mars. Pass our rubric and receive accreditation and a great-looking suitably-framed certificate you can point to with pride. We'll need a list of criteria we're looking for in perspective colonists and developers. I'm not trying to hijack this thread. Shouldn't there be an overall goal for sharing out Mars, a pre-planning phase where we can determine what we're looking to accomplish on Mars eventually? Do we go green or start drilling for fossil fuels (no green Martian jokes please)? Is Mars going to be Earth II or does it have a different structure?

It does seem strange in a country where your meals are generally twice as much as you need. Maybe most bars serve more pitchers than pints. They want you to feel like you're getting more so they put it in smaller glasses.

Why can't you get pasta in bulk? Everybody sells spaghetti in huge packs these days. Ramen has been suggested and it has it's own spices. Carrots are sweeter and may actually make you hungrier. Cabbage is bland but filling. Broccoli is tastier and probably has more vitamins than cabbage or carrots. Do you have to buy all this in advance? Your last gallon of milk will probably go bad after a whole month.

Right, the big Sisy is a real monster, no doubt about it. Makes my knees shake just thinkin' about him. What will become of us? See, I can be sarcastic. In an absurd kind of way.

You can't really make that stick in a court of law. Remember you liked Weezer? Call me later about your damage deposit. Got it. X-box, cheese, *then* SFN. Is it true you'll be staging raids from Rapid City on Detroit to stuff copies of the Watchtower into automobile airbags? Do you realize how lost you're going to be without Cartesian mapping? Do you have to give up technology for this mission and is it true you've been contacted by the neo-Amish? How did the subcutaneous MP3 player implant operation go? Did you know that my sense of humor is considered absurd by at least one online quiz?

Absurd, but that's plainly... absurd.

Welcome all, and sorry if we kidnapped your intro and moved it here. This is where it belongs. Thanks for joining everyone, and I hope you learn to love it here.

I'm testing a drug that will make me look more attractive. I'm using *you*, squealy meat-bag. How am I supposed to know the results if I dont test them on a "living organism"?

Condoleezza Rice did say that she could not have or did not anticipate that jets would be used as weapons was a possibility, despite having been given a great deal of intel on just that possibility. Didn't she prepare the Presidential Daily Briefing that mentioned the possibility and subsequently got ignored? I don't buy into much of the conspiracy but she did trip up on that.

Explain, please. Also explain, please. I've been loathe to experiment using the microwave given my daughter's predilection for independent research but I'm looking to buy a new one soooooo.... (we really need an evil grin in addition to the SEG)

While I don't think this is the process I think *it does happen* with cows. The sheer number that go through the slaughterhouses is pretty staggering and they don't always get the quick kill they want. I just don't think it's supposed to happen. It's a safety issue instead of a humane issue to the slaughterhouses. And if I knew that inhumane treatment was part of the methodology I would object in many ways. Being a meat eater I have to justify it by saying that animals raised for their meat are different from herding wild animals to be slaughtered for the same reason, at least in modern times. And as has been mentioned dolphins are very high in intelligence. Their mass slaughter simply for food serves no porpoise. Culture is not a relevant argument for inhumane treatment of animals but this seems to be an argument of degree and economics. It could be argued that a country like Japan can't provide enough land to raise herd stock the way the US can but using the open oceans as your corral is just plain wrong ("I have the world's largest seashell collection, which I keep strewn across beaches all over the world. Maybe you've seen it." -Steven Wright). And I, for one, thank you for keeping it in front of our faces. Apathy fails when we're reminded how much we care.

It forces you to clean your microwave. Fortunately, there's soap right there. Seriously, it expands and puffs up like shaving cream.

Wish I'd said that.

Sounds like it's time to start a web campaign to raise awareness. Hard to believe anyone could treat such a beautiful animal that way. At least cows are ugly and grown for food purposes. This *may* (please note the emphasis) be part of a covert Bush administration plan to curb the growing Chinese middle class by using mercury poisoning. If anyone calls me a conspiracy theorist we'll know who they're working for.

You complained of dizziness before and I'm not sure if that's a symptom of migraine headaches. Are you assuming you have migraines because someone in the other thread recommended a migraine product? It doesn't sound like it and that makes me very sad.

Let's all remember that the Pseudoscience and Speculations forums are our equivalent of unofficial peer review for those members who have no scientific accreditation. Let's steer clear of ad hominem and stick to (civily) attacking the thesis instead of the person posing it. Let's not stoop. And Ladyhelix, I apologize for any seemingly intended rudeness, but the scientific method demands that ideas be subjected to intense scrutiny and experimentation before moving their way up the ladder of acceptability. Much of religion and spirituality falls outside this process since supernatural effects are not, by definition, testable, repeatable or falsifiable. Invisible forces often defy observation and therefore usually fall outside the purview of science. I LOVE the fact that you are challenging us with an experiment. I'm sorry some people didn't understand the parameters but now that you've made it clearer can we get some further clarification? I glued two pieces of construction paper using a small amount of white all-purpose glue. I mashed them together to spread and thin the glue. I wrote today's date on the paper. I will repeat this process on Thursday. Question 1 - Does the type or amount of glue matter? Question 2 - How long do we have to wait to check the two bonds to see which held better? Question 3 - What is the best method for checking the bond without resorting to precise force measurement equipment? I want to make absolutely sure that, if I take the time to run the experiement and discuss it with you that you won't dismiss my results by saying I didn't do it right.