MigL

Even crude atomic bombs are simple to make. The hard part is getting the enriched fissionable material. Anyone with high school level science education should be able to make a chemical bomb. And anyone who has 3rd yr University level Nuclear Physics should know how to make an atomic bomb. Thermonuclear devices ( fusion ) are a different story.

Welcome 'back' Stringy. Now if only Swansont would go back to James Bond. ( and I'm not too thrilled with Pepe Le Phew either, Phi )

Of course they should be entitled to back pay, Swansont. But only if it is obtained fro the person or company that discriminated against them. And I hate to widen the issue because it really opens up a can of worms, but consider slavery in the US. There's no question black Americans were discriminated against ( and treated sub-humanly ).. And there's no question their descendants ( and even current black Americans who are disadvantaged ) deserve some sort of compensation. The problem is, do you extract this compensation from rich Southerners who benefitted from slavery, or do you also extract it from Northerners as well, who gave their lives to free the slaves in a bloody civil war ? Do you extract it from new immigrants ( who have their own problems ) that had no part in the discrimination against black Americans ? I don't pretend to have the answers. I do know the status quo is unacceptable. And maybe I'm naïve, but it seems to me that 'pushing down' the higher side of the scales of justice rather than 'pushing up' the lower side is compounding the wrong ( I don't know, its Phi's analogy ).

Very simply, Phi. Pay women the equivalent of men doing the same work. That is not compounding the discrimination. What would be compounding the discrimination is leaving the wage disparity as is, but increasing taxation on men, or giving 'special' priviliges to women such as reduced taxation, housing costs, or even the cost of a cupcake. And I don't mean to go on about this cupcake business, because I realize it was meant to be a demonstration, nor do I have a problem with senior or student discounts, since we are all students or seniors at one time or another. I had, and will have those rights also. Plus the government should have a limited role in social engineering. They offer a child benefit as a means of promoting families with children, don't they ? I've also stated, Swansont, that those idiots who responded with the vile threats should be arrested, but that has nothing to do with equality, it is just plain wrong. It could be a whole separate thread.

Post #54 for one, Swansont, where Phi states... "I certainly do. Insisting on treating all equally, at this point in this movement, ignores the fact that something extraordinary needs to happen to correct the CURRENT inequality." That's plain as day. And if you are being charged for an item depending on what you earn, or whether wealthy or poor, or black or white, and even male or female, Swansont - That's discrimination ! Even for a silly item like a cupcake ( I'm starting to think no-one will ever sell cupcakes again. too many hassles. ) Lets treat one group unequally to correct ( ?) the unequal treatment of another group. What ever happened to the old adage 'Your rights stop when they start infringing on the rights of others' ? And note that this is NOT about women's rights. I've clearly stated that they are still disadvantaged in today's society; And that needs to change ! I just don't see how treating another group ( men in this case ) unequally corrects the situation. It just makes the situation twice as wrong !

This thread is progressing exactly the same as the others Dad's started about time. If you listen closely, you can hear Swansont coming with a lock.

Very well, lets assume you're right. Lets assume time passes at different rates in different areas of the universe, and could even be non-existent in some. Lets examine the consequences. We receive radiation from vast distances, the same spectral lines are common to this radiation other than it is red-shifted. That means the same elements are present in these far away galaxies, and we know how they react to give off this radiation. Differing rates of time passage would inhibit these reactions, as we are not talking about relativistic time dilation but differing rates measured in that distant frame. We see the same spectral classes of stars ( and pulsars, and type 1A supernovae ) in distant galaxies as our own. We see no difference. Areas where time is non-existent would exhibit very noticeable boundary effects as everything would be trapped at the boundary. Any and all particles, light included, would reach said boundary and stop as no time implies no events. Eventually these particles would accumulate around this boundary and begin to glow from the radiation heating. We notice no such effects. Maybe next you'll advance the notion that stars and galaxies aren't really far away. They're actually close by but much smaller...

Handicapped parking spaces don't take away my right to visit a public place. ( whereas lack of such would take away handicapped people's right to do so ) So I don't see that as discriminating against one group to 'make up' for discrimination against another. Which is what Phi seems to be advocating. Thank you Hypervalent for bringing sanity back to the discussion. That is exactly the message I took away from your link regarding the bake sale. The puerile and even vicious response and behaviour of the young, internet using males to this social demonstration of discrimination, where you are treated not as equals, but according to your lot in life. And even though I sometimes disagree with Phi ( and others ), I would never think of exhibiting behaviour such as calling him names or threatening him. As a matter of fact, I rather think he likes me. He always addresses my posts and engages in discussion with me.

So, just to be clear, Phi, you are openly advocating discrimination against one group to right the wrongs that discrimination has brought to another group. You are advocating wronging two groups to supposedly put things right. A classic example of the end justifies the means. And if that doesn't work, lets discriminate against a third group, maybe that will make things right. And if it still doesn't work, there's always a fourth, fifth, sixth... This really makes sense in your mind ?

And you don't seem to understand that, whether the price is normal or not, giving an 'unfair' advantage to one group by having them pay a 'sub-normal' price is still discriminatory; Even for a trivial cupcake. That would be equivalent to saying that women are paid a 'normal' wage but men are paid higher for some reason. Still discrimination ! You also fail to see that the exercise was meant to showcase discrimination in women's pay by itself being DISCRIMINATORY. I.E. this is what discrimination feels like. So I merely used it as an example. I don't have a problem with it ( for reasons previously explained ), but do have a problem with the online responses and even death/rape threats. And you can make absurd claims about my social ( and political ) views, but I suggest they are more likely a reflection of your mindset and penchant for generalization. I have only ever suggested treating all equally, whether man and woman ( or Liberals and Conservatives ). Do you suggest differently ?

Oh FFS ( I guess that's acceptable now ), Phi, put aside your pre-conceived notions of my perspective and re-read my post ! Nowhere did I say women don't face more challenges than men, in pay or numerous other opportunities. Nowhere did I say these barriers shouldn't be eliminated. I simply stated that discriminating against a group to correct past ( and present ) discrimination against another group, is doubly wrong. And I realize the bake sale was simply a demonstration of the wage disparity, but... MEN AREN'T PAID MORE, I REPEAT, WOMEN ARE PAID LESS !!!!! Any way you wanna slice it its discrimination against one group and favouring another. but this was all meant to illustrate a point ( poorly I might add ) and a demonstration only, none of these people were forced to buy these 'discriminatory' baked goods, so the threats and inappropriate responses should definitely be called out, and if possible, arrests made. No-one should behave like that. Maybe you'd care to explain exactly how your point of view is different ? Or is Sato right about you ?

Absolutely right, Swansont. The ostacles men face are, on average, less than obstacles faced by women. The solution, however is not to throw up additional obstacles at men so as to equal the 'playing field'. Obstacles previously described as 'oversteering the ship in the opposite direction', or charging a man more for baked goods ( although the response to this is what troubles me ). The solution is to remove the additional obstacles women face also.

Has this effect become much more prevalent during the last 15 yrs of internet activity ? People who were afraid to look you in the eye when talking to you will now tear a strip off you for the slightest reason, and may actually threaten you; from behind the screen of their computer. Guys who were once afraid to talk to girls, will say the most vile things to them online, again because of the 'protection' ( anonymity ) afforded by their computer screen. People should realise that they're not so anonymous, and their identity can always be found.

While I agree with you, guys about the disadvantages females face, rights are not equivalent to a ship that's off course. I would very much like to see more women participating in our forum, and get their perspective, for one thing. It would get rid of the 'novelty' and this avatar foolishness for one thing. ( I personally favor Hypervalent's approach; I simply consider her an intelligent person, neither male nor female ) But back to the boat analogy.... Say my ancestors were disadvantaged in some way compared to yours, Phi. Would it make sense to 'oversteer' in the opposite direction and grant me more rights than you so as to 'correct' past injustices and bring the 'ship back on course' ? I don't see how two injustices, on different groups, yielding twice the suffering, cancel out and make everything 'hunky-dory'. Or am I misunderstanding you ?

Works in Romulan battle cruisers.

Well let's see, John. You're English and probably close to my age. I'm gonna guess a Sinclair ZX-80 or ZX-81 built from a kit. ( or was it an Acorn Atom ? ) My first was a ZX-81 kit in 1980, after using the university's Burrows B6700 mainframe, Wang mini, Apple II and, in my thesis later on, a TRS-80 model I with 4K of memory

Anything outside our observable universe is causally disconnected. We cannot affect it and it cannot affect us. It is also getting larger all the time so it couldn't have been causally connected in the past either ( at least not after inflation ). It may as well not exist.

I guess you're retired Ed. Still you'd better find something to do, you know what they say about 'idle hands'. Wouldn't want you getting into trouble. I find quoting Bill Gates strangely amusing. No-one would know the name of this school drop-out if Gary Kildall hadn't gone fishing that fateful weekend in 1980 when IBM came to buy an operating system for their first micro-computer.

I take my garlic with boiled or sautéed rapini and ev olive oil, as a side to chicken, or pork sausage. Not for medicinal purposes. I like the taste. P.S. lighten up people !

At first I thought he was asking if the universe is too complex for us to ever completely understand it. And that would be a valid question. But we already have a thread on that subject

You have two 'special' cases... One is where the test mass is moving directly towards the gravitating body. This obviously results in 'straight' motion to a collision. The second is where the test mass is moving tangentially to the gravitating body at exactly the right speed to result in a circular orbit. All other ( and there are infinitely more than these two 'special' cases ) gravitational interactions will result in elliptical orbits ( including parabolic and hyperbolic ), because of momentum conservation. Any initial speed ( i.e. momentum ) going in, is regained going out. And ALL are geodesic solutions.

And I'm just poking fun by taking it to an extreme. Seems to me, if people would 'lighten up' a little we wouldn't need to have this discussion to begin with.

What's up with all the female avatars ? When did this forum become a 'transvestite' forum ?

Oh, come on ! I was just getting used to Austin Powers !

You may also want to google J.A. Wheeler's concept of space-time at Planck scales. The 'quantum foam' is assumed to be composed of extremely tiny wormholes popping in and out of existence.