Things I do & Don't Understand

[Jimbo]

Things I don't Understand:

1)The liberal theory of Robin Hood Economics
2)Gun control advocates
3)Patriotism (Until recently I thought I understood this)
4)PETA
5)The movies: Soylent Green and A Clockwork Orange
6)Women
7)How the government could know what is better for me than me
8)Voodoo
9)Why The Beatles broke up besides the Yoko Ono theory
10)Why Rap music is popular

Things I do understand:

1)Trickle down economics (aka Reaganomics)
2)Self defense
3)Why we should pre-emptively invade Iraq
4)Cock fighting
5)The movies: Scooby Doo and Risky Business
6)Why water drains in opposite directions in different hemispheres
7)Why a smaller Federal government is better
8)Why colors lose their clarity at night
9)Most aspects of poker
10)Why the Dallas Cowboys lose

Jimbo

Jimbo,

That's a myth about the water draining; also, let's reconcile self-defense and a smaller federal government.

Would you agree that the government knows better for some people?

A Clockwork Orange: book or movie?

John

[BonJoviJones]

9)Why The Beatles broke up besides the Yoko Ono theory

Clearly they got sick of the "Paul Is Still Alive" charade and chose to quit.

[John Cole]

"next to of course god america i
love you land of the pilgrims' and so forth oh
say can you see by the dawn's early my
country tis of centuries come and go
and are no more what of it we should worry
in every language even deafanddumb
thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry
by jingo by gee by gosh by gum
why talk of beauty what could be more beaut-
iful than these heroic happy dead
who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter
they did not stop to think they died instead
then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water

e.e. cummings


For your reading pleasure.

John

[brad]

8)Voodoo

power of suggestion i guess

[Jeffage]

A Clockwork Orange is about whether or not Alex should be sterilized so to speak in order to keep the world safe from his murderous ways or whether or not this idea destroys his inherent free will to be who he IS. It is about free choice, and is Kubrick's futuristic view of a world where government is in complete control, changing the inherent nature of some men so society can rest. If you don't like big government, you should love A Clockwork Orange. BTW, this is a very simplistic explanation for this....This is one of my favorite movies and I've written a thesis paper on it. Def. Kubrick's best stuff.

Jeff

[Jimbo]

To quote Anonymous "That's a myth about the water draining-- Nope no myth!

Jimbo

[Ed Miller]

Do you understand why we shouldn't pre-emptively invade Iraq? Hint... it's not because "war is bad and soldiers will die" (though I won't argue that there isn't something to that viewpoint).

The war against Iraq is an interesting topic. I listened to Bush's speech, and afterwards I found myself agreeing with him. Then about an hour later I remembered why I opposed the war and why what he said didn't address that at all. I thought his speech was well-written and persuasive, though.

[ripdog]

Yes, no myth! Please do some reading about the Coriolis Effect! Where would we be without it? Maybe dead.

[Jimbo]

Majorkong,

You asked me "Do you understand why we shouldn't pre-emptively invade Iraq?" No I do not undersatnd why. Would you please outline some reasons?

Thanks in advance,

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jeffage,

Thanks for the outline of A Clockwork Orange. I would love to read your thesis. I knew I liked the portions I understood but much of it's symbolic relevance certainly escaped me.

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

I see no conflict to resolve between self defense and a smaller government. They tend to go hand in hand. Most of the defense one requires is from government over-regulation and excess spending. The government may know better for a minority of the people but I believe we have a majority rules system.

Jimbo

ps: Actually I should have stated "personal" self defense in my listing.

[Phat Mack]

There was an article about the Coriolis Effect and draining bathtubs in the Scientific American in the 80's. The Coriolis Effect effects weather patterns, but the shape of the plumbing determines drain patterns.

[Phat Mack]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
e.e. cummings
For your reading pleasure.

[/ QUOTE ]

Next to Ogden Nash, my favorite.

Mack (your blue-eyed boy, mr. death)

[Ed Miller]

*sigh* I wrote a big long response and then lost it because my login expired before I hit send. Hopefully I will find the time to write it again...

************************************************** ******************************
From: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON SCI.PHYSICS - Part 3/4

Which Way Will my Bathtub Drain? updated 16-MAR-1993 by SIC
-------------------------------- original by Matthew R. Feinstein

Question: Does my bathtub drain differently depending on whether I live
in the northern or southern hemisphere?

Answer: No. There is a real effect, but it is far too small to be relevant
when you pull the plug in your bathtub.

Because the earth rotates, a fluid that flows along the earth's
surface feels a "Coriolis" acceleration perpendicular to its velocity.
In the northern hemisphere low pressure storm systems spin counterclockwise.
In the southern hemisphere, they spin clockwise because the direction
of the Coriolis acceleration is reversed. This effect leads to the
speculation that the bathtub vortex that you see when you pull the plug
from the drain spins one way in the north and the other way in the south.

But this acceleration is VERY weak for bathtub-scale fluid
motions. The order of magnitude of the Coriolis acceleration can be
estimated from size of the "Rossby number" (see below). The effect of the
Coriolis acceleration on your bathtub vortex is SMALL. To detect its
effect on your bathtub, you would have to get out and wait until the motion
in the water is far less than one rotation per day. This would require
removing thermal currents, vibration, and any other sources of noise. Under
such conditions, never occurring in the typical home, you WOULD see an
effect. To see what trouble it takes to actually see the effect, see the
reference below. Experiments have been done in both the northern and
southern hemispheres to verify that under carefully controlled conditions,
bathtubs drain in opposite directions due to the Coriolis acceleration from
the Earth's rotation.

Coriolis accelerations are significant when the Rossby number is
SMALL. So, suppose we want a Rossby number of 0.1 and a bathtub-vortex
length scale of 0.1 meter. Since the earth's rotation rate is about
10^(-4)/second, the fluid velocity should be less than or equal to
2*10^(-6) meters/second. This is a very small velocity. How small is it?
Well, we can take the analysis a step further and calculate another, more
famous dimensionless parameter, the Reynolds number.

The Reynolds number is = L*U*density/viscosity

Assuming that physicists bathe in hot water the viscosity will be
about 0.005 poise and the density will be about 1.0, so the Reynolds Number
is about 4*10^(-2).

Now, life at low Reynolds numbers is different from life at high
Reynolds numbers. In particular, at low Reynolds numbers, fluid physics is
dominated by friction and diffusion, rather than by inertia: the time it
would take for a particle of fluid to move a significant distance due to an
acceleration is greater than the time it takes for the particle to break up
due to diffusion.

The same effect has been accused of responsibility for the
direction water circulates when you flush a toilet. This is surely
nonsense. In this case, the water rotates in the direction which the pipe
points which carries the water from the tank to the bowl.

Reference: Trefethen, L.M. et al, Nature 207 1084-5 (1965).

[HDPM]

See if this link works Jimbo. (Or others) web page (http://www.flashbunny.org/content/logic1.html)

[Jimbo]

HDPM,

Thanks for the link, it may prove to be very useful.

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Thanks Anon,

I stand corrected, I now see the most significant aspect is the geometry of the tub. The way water begins to flow through the plug hole can start a vortex with the whole body of water eventually rotating in the same direction. In other cases, residual currents from when the sink was filled can cause the flow to rotate in a particular direction.

I appreciate you researching the information.

Jimbo

[BruceZ]

The above explanation is correct, and this is a common misconception. There was a real effect of the coriolis force in play when Britain fought a war in the Falkland Islands off the southern coast of Argentina. Their bomb dropping algorithms assumed all battles would take place in the northern hemisphere, so the coriolis force caused them to miss their targets.

[MMMMMM]

Certainly I can see reasons why we should not invade Iraq. The only problem I have with that approach is that I can see many more reasons why we should, and many of these reasons are also weightier.

Additionally, and from a purely humanitarian perspective, I feel that allowing a tyrant to continue systematically torturing and murdering his own people on a large scale as a means to maintain his grasp on power would simply be unconscionable. All similar dictators should be deposed if for that reason alone.

[andyfox]

Some help where I can provide it

1)The liberal theory of Robin Hood Economics

-needed to counteract the conservative theory of what's mine is mine and tough [censored] for the rest of you, better known as trickle-down Reaganomics.

2)Gun control advocates

-same as WMD control advocates. The more people that have them, the more they will be used, the more bad things that will happen.

3)Patriotism (Until recently I thought I understood this)

-we've already discussed this one.

4)PETA

-I'm with you on this one, they make no sense at all to me.

5)The movies: Soylent Green and A Clockwork Orange

-Didn't see Soylent Green, loved A Clockwork Orange, but that was 100 years ago on acid, most movies were pretty good then.

6)Women

-No comment. But I'll bet it has something to do with having to put up with us men.

7)How the government could know what is better for me than me

-Well, I'm against the preemptive war on Iraq because I think it will be very bad for me. Do they know what's better for me than I do on this one?

8)Voodoo

-Don't know anything about it except that I loved the lyric that talked about the voodoo that you do.

9)Why The Beatles broke up besides the Yoko Ono theory

-Nothing lasts forever, it was time to move on.

10)Why Rap music is popular

-I imagine most people, especially white people, felt the same way about ragtime, gospel singing, jazz, and rock and roll.


Things I do understand:

1)Trickle down economics (aka Reaganomics)

-I think i understand it too. The problem was Reagan didn't.

2)Self defense

-The best defense is a good offense?

3)Why we should pre-emptively invade Iraq

-The best defense is a good offense?

4)Cock fighting

-The best defense is a good offense?

5)The movies: Scooby Doo and Risky Business

-Haven't seen either won, I have seen Scooby on TV and I'd rather watch the static on channel 1.

6)Why water drains in opposite directions in different hemispheres

-Plenty of discussion above

7)Why a smaller Federal government is better

-Better than what? It's certainly better than a cock fight.

8)Why colors lose their clarity at night

-Because it's dark?

9)Most aspects of poker

-I've seen your poker posts, and I think you know more than just most aspects.

10)Why the Dallas Cowboys lose

-I don't know all the reasons, but certainly that peabrain they have for a coach is one of them.

Wonderful post, Jimbo.

[Jimbo]

Andy,

Thanks for your compliment, I enjoy discussing topics with you because we can do so civily. Now your poker posts are the ones with great value. I ardently admire your poker knowledge and am truly amazed that a liberal can think as well as you do! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Best Regards,

Jimbo

ps: Colors lose their clarity at night due to the way the cones in your eye respond to reduced illumination. Red looks black, white looks yellow, etc. I also really liked this particular response of yours "-Better than what? It's certainly better than a cock fight."

[Ray Zee]

gun control advocates-- the same people that think the govt should be allowed to search your house as you should have nothing to hide if you are innocent.

soylent green with charles heston and edward g robinson is a real classic. someday we will all be riding a bike to power our tv or radio and eating soylent green. i wont spoil the picture for those that need to see it.

voodoo is like religion. a tool for those with respect or power to influence people to do their bidding.

beatles had too much money

rap music-- look at the mentality of those that listen to it


water drains opposite in the southern hemisphere because they are upside down looking up at us in the north. i still havent figured out why they dont fall off though and how come their hair doesnt stand up.

[Nepa]

What is wrong with PETA? I love People Eating Tasty Animals

Re:# 4 Cockfighting, I understand it a little and where I used to live, that is the biggest gambling game. How I wish David, Mason or Ray Z knew something about it so they can give me suggestions on how to improve my EV. Anyone out there an expert on the subject, please speak up! When I used to wager on it 35 years ago, I had plenty of good memories winning the equivalent of $20-30K in a year, a lot of money at the time. But I also had a few losing bets wherein my cock/rooster got creamed in the pit and straight it went to the boiling pot to be eaten eventually. Much like bullfighting and dog fighting, it is a very exciting but gory sport not for the faint of heart.

[MMMMMM]

: 10)Why Rap music is popular

AF: -I imagine most people, especially white people, felt the same way about ragtime, gospel singing, jazz, and rock and roll.

Well, I like all of the following: ragtime, gospel, classic rock, soul, folk (including old negro spirituals), classical and baroque. But rap just plain sucks.

[MMMMMM]

I'm not convinced either way yet. I suggest we all take note of which direction our tubs and any toilets we flush drain, EVERY time until Dec. 17 (1 month). We should carefully log the results. We'll either see a reasonably random distribution, or we won't. Maybe it's a myth, or maybe this guy is all wet and we'll see counterclockwise rotations virtually every time. If we get varied results, Mason can surely interpret the raw data for us in a meaningful statistical sense.

[davidross]

Wow Jimbo,

If this is only #6 on your list you must know them better than any man I know. It would be #1 on my list.

I have a wife and 2 daughters to figure out. Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

[Glenn]

You wanna know the secret to women?

you are wrong.

[BruceZ]

I once got into an argument with a guy from Australia who claimed that toilets down under swirled in the opposite direction from the ones in the states. That may well be true, but it only has to do with the direction of the drain pipe, not the direction of rotation of the earth. These observations, along with the fact that a real but very weak force does exist, give rise to the myth that toilets must drain in opposite directions in different hemispheres. You'd really have to transport his toilet to the states to see that it would drain the same way it does down under.

[MMMMMM]

I think tubs and sinks represent better test objects than do toilets (for various reasons).

[Phat Mack]

Can you explain the movement away from gaffs over the last decade or two? To my thinking it introduces too much variance.

[Jimbo]

I believe as the roosters are now bred for speed and endurance rather than strength the gaff has become passe'. Cock fights tend to last longer these days or they did till they were outlawed last Tuesday.

Jimbo

[MS Sunshine]

I wonder what the cost is of sending a used toilet(is it called a loo there?) from Australia to the USA. Or could we find a common brand and model in both countries and have a live internet web-cam broadcast of them both being flushed at the same time. We would need a sealed room in an unused mine in both countries. And a few other things, I'll get on it, but this is do-able. Since it takes awhile for the new water in the bowl to get to a stable state, it could only be every few days or once a week. How about The Wednesday Night Flush.com?

MS Sunshine

[Phat Mack]

This doesn't make any sense to me. If I were breeding for speed and endurance, i would want to use gaffs. If I were breeding for strength, I would want slashers.

[adios]

1)The liberal theory of Robin Hood Economics

A stated economic goal of the USA is a fair and equitable distribution of income. When breaking up the wage earners in the USA into quintiles, between 49% and 50% of the income is made by 20% of the wage earners. Also the personal distribution of income has been steadily skewed more towards the haves and away from the have nots over the past 20 years.

2)Gun control advocates

I believe the murder rate is declining in the USA over the past 20 years. Guns can wreak much havoc on innoncent people when put into the wrong, criminal hands (snipers in DC area). However, there's this thing called the Constitution which IMO gives people the right to bear arms.

3)Patriotism (Until recently I thought I understood this)

I think blind, unthinking patriotism is a bad thing. Patriotism in mild doses is a good thing.

4)PETA

Don't have a clue.

5)The movies: Soylent Green and A Clockwork Orange

Seems like A Clockwork Orange was predictive of the future regarding gang violence.

6)Women

Personally speaking, I wouldn't have it any other way.

7)How the government could know what is better for me than me

Probably need to be specific about this. Nobody would pay taxes if they didn't have to since not paying them is better on an individual basis but on a collective basis it's for the greater welfare of US citizens. Not saying that taxes are reasonable, just saying some taxes are necessary.

8)Voodoo

Marie Leveaux is interesting to me in a peculiar kind of way.

9)Why The Beatles broke up besides the Yoko Ono theory

Lot's of egos.

10)Why Rap music is popular

I wouldn't even call it music but it's definitely a cultural phenomona.