Interesting Stuff Thread

Bellatori

Brian Shanahan wrote: »

The natural nuclear reactor at Oklo is fictional...

Shame... it has a delightful plausibility.

Cabaal

Heard this first around 15 years ago, if you've not heard this then you'll never look at Corn Flakes the same way again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCSWbTv3hng

CramCycle

Bellatori wrote: »

Shame... it has a delightful plausibility.

Preparing myself for humiliation here but Sarcasm goes way over my head this week. Oklo is real and the discworld equivalent is Loko? I never got into the Discworld books (because I never read them, not because there is anything wrong with them).

Bellatori

CramCycle wrote: »

Preparing myself for humiliation here but Sarcasm goes way over my head this week. Oklo is real and the discworld equivalent is Loko? I never got into the Discworld books (because I never read them, not because there is anything wrong with them).

Even better. It has a delightful plausibility and is real. Wow...!

Never liked discworld much myself, either....

Brian Shanahan

CramCycle wrote: »

Preparing myself for humiliation here but Sarcasm goes way over my head this week. Oklo is real and the discworld equivalent is Loko? I never got into the Discworld books (because I never read them, not because there is anything wrong with them).

I think we need to do an intervention on you, and Bellatori now that I see his/her post.

But yeah, you're right.

sbsquarepants

Brian Shanahan wrote: »

The natural nuclear reactor at Oklo is fictional, the natural thaumaturgical reactor is real. Everybody knows Roundworld is simply a fantasy, silly.

I think (dangerous sometimes I know:D) oklo is legit, I've read about it from a fairly reputable sources, Scientific American for example. I've also never read discworld, I just can't take to reading fiction whatsoever.

What's a thaumaturgical reactor by the way? A teleportation device of some kind? Am I missing a Terry Pratchett joke or what? I had a late night and now I'm confused.....and craving sausage rolls.

pauldla

Small Gods as a starter!

legspin

pauldla wrote: »

Small Gods as a starter!

Certainly from an A+A standpoint.

Start at the beginning though with The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. Both excellent books and very funny but it is not until Equal Rites (3rd book) that he really begins to find his groove.

Brian Shanahan

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I think (dangerous sometimes I know:D) oklo is legit, I've read about it from a fairly reputable sources, Scientific American for example. I've also never read discworld, I just can't take to reading fiction whatsoever.

What's a thaumaturgical reactor by the way? A teleportation device of some kind? Am I missing a Terry Pratchett joke or what? I had a late night and now I'm confused.....and craving sausage rolls.

A thaum is the Discworld equivalent to the atom, measuring magic rather than elements. You can probably guess the rest from context.

Sulla Felix

legspin wrote: »

Certainly from an A+A standpoint.

Start at the beginning though with The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. Both excellent books and very funny but it is not until Equal Rites (3rd book) that he really begins to find his groove.

Dunno, Hogfather has some relevance too. It was my first Pratchett book so maybe I'm biased.

robindch

Last month, the International Space Station installed a few high definition cameras. Then they decided to live-stream them:

http://www.space.com/25797-nasa-hd-earth-from-space-video-webcasts.html

Mmm... space!

kylith

pauldla wrote: »

Small Gods as a starter!

I was just thinking this.

I was actually reading (or rather re-re-re-reading) it on the Luas the other week when a pair of Mormons got on. I was momentarily tempted to give it to them and advise them to read it. I couldn't give away my Pratchett though, I love them too much.

Brian Shanahan

kylith wrote: »

I was just thinking this.

I was actually reading (or rather re-re-re-reading) it on the Luas the other week when a pair of Mormons got on. I was momentarily tempted to give it to them and advise them to read it. I couldn't give away my Pratchett though, I love them too much.

It's the only one I don't own. Thank Om nobody every checked it out of the college library.

KyussBishop

CramCycle wrote: »

Preparing myself for humiliation here but Sarcasm goes way over my head this week. Oklo is real and the discworld equivalent is Loko? I never got into the Discworld books (because I never read them, not because there is anything wrong with them).

Yea my sarcasm detector did a bit of a double take on that one, heh - had to Google and think on it for a bit

Bellatori

Brian Shanahan wrote: »

...his/her post.

His !

It is from AA Milne poems

Jonathan Jo
with a mouth like an O
and a barrel full of surprises.
If you ask for a bat
or something like that
He has it whatever the size is.



Sadly parents do not seem to read poetry to their younglings now which is a shame.

Alfred Noyes - The Highwayman use to make my kids cry. They loved 'The Knight whose armour did not squeak"...

Brian Shanahan

Bellatori wrote: »

His !

It is from AA Milne poems

Jonathan Jo
with a mouth like an O
and a barrel full of surprises.
If you ask for a bat
or something like that
He has it whatever the size is.



Sadly parents do not seem to read poetry to their younglings now which is a shame.

Alfred Noyes - The Highwayman use to make my kids cry. They loved 'The Knight whose armour did not squeak"...

Sorry bout that. The bella put me off. Oh, and during the intervention we need to get you off the George Lucas as well, "younglings", sheesh.

Kivaro

Introducing our new overlords:

Scientists Create First Living Organism With 'Artificial' DNA

Bellatori

Kivaro wrote: »

Introducing our new overlords:

Scientists Create First Living Organism With 'Artificial' DNA

This is a surprisingly OLD ! story in many ways

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10132762

is from 2010

obplayer

Bellatori wrote: »

This is a surprisingly OLD ! story in many ways

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10132762

is from 2010

From Star Talk Radio with Neil deGrasse Tyson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9TbPp-KL-g

keane2097

Tried listening to Star Talk a few times but it's riddled with ads to a degree that makes it borderline unlistentoable, which is a shame because Tyson is pretty great.

robindch

The number of priests in the country has declined by 20% in five years. There are still almost seven thousand nuns though -- could that really be true?

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/priest-levels-down-20-since-2009-268268.html

Irish Examiner wrote:

The Catholic Church is facing a critical shortage of clergy after losing one in five of its diocesan priests in just five years. There were 2,536 active diocesan priests attached to the country’s churches in 2009, but that has slumped to 2,050, a drop of 20% that leaves many of the 1,359 parishes struggling for personnel.

Reform group the Association of Catholic Priests has announced that its annual general meeting later this year will focus specifically on the crisis in vocations. The association, which represents about 1,000 of the country’s more radical Catholic diocesan and religious order priests, believes not enough is being done at Vatican level to help boost clergy numbers and has called for a review of the marriage ban.

However, Fr Willie Purcell, the Church’s National Co-ordinator for Diocesan Vocations, said there were signs of improvement in the number of men prepared to commit to the priesthood. “We had an open day at Maynooth last Saturday week and 25 men attended,” said Fr Purcell. “Last year at the same event, 20 attended so we’re up by five and five is good. Over the last two years, the numbers of inquiries generally have grown significantly.

“The reality on the ground is that, at the moment, yes there is a lack of priests nationally, but the other reality is that the number of inquiries about going into the diocesan priesthood is increasing.” Bishops yesterday marked World Day of Prayer for Vocations by calling on the Catholic faithful to promote vocations within their communities and parishes.

Bishop Denis Nulty said: “I am inviting parishes to reflect on when was the last time someone was ordained from their parish and asking all parishes to think about how they can actively promote vocations. I am also asking parents and friends to encourage, not discourage young people who need permission and reassurance to talk about priesthood.” There are 4,345 priests in Ireland, according to the Irish Catholic Directory, but only 2,050 are active in diocesan work, while 696 are retired, sick, on study leave, or abroad.

The rest belong to religious orders. This group showed the smallest fall in the last five years, losing just 3% of personnel. During the same period, the number of religious brothers fell by 19% to 557 and the number of nuns by 13.5% to 6,820. Fr Purcell said Church scandals had affected numbers but added those entering religious life now would do so at a time of renewal. “We have come through bad times, we have come through a time of purification, and now people are renewing their contract with the Church,” he said.

Cabaal

ha, I actually know Fr Willie Purcell,

I don't know if I'd agree with him though that things are looking up,
Even if 25 attend, how many actually commit to the course? Then how many actually complete the course?

Didn't RTE do a documentary about men entering the priesthood a few years back, a number of them dropped off during the course as they realised the whole "no women and no sex" thing wasn't for them.

They could have 2000 men attend the open day, its worth shag all if only 5 commit to the course and only 3 complete it.

I honestly don't know what they expect the Vatican to do for them, ok changing the whole marriage thing would help but realistically thats just not going to happen in the next 1-2 decades.

After that, whats left?...importing priests? Thats basically it.

robindch

robindch

robindch wrote: »

Last month, the International Space Station installed a few high definition cameras.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's deputy PM, appears to have announced that Russia will be abandoning support for the International Space Station from 2020.

http://news.yahoo.com/russia-rolls-response-u-high-tech-sanctions-134440653.html

Rogozin seems to be in the mold of the lunatic Vladimir Zhirinovksy and made the comments a day or two after he said he'd return to Moldova in a bomber after Romania honored a US request to bar his aircraft from their airspace. Rogozin was apparently returning to Moscow with what appears to have been the results of another Soviet-style "referendum", this time in Transnistra.

Cabaal

Given H.R Giger's recent death I happened to be looking at a old doc about Alien

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079210/

Giger narrates the film in excellent British English and takes us on a behind-the-scenes look at the film crews construction of his designs. He covers all the set pieces he designs and all of the different alien creations, including the use of condoms and animal vertebrae on the actual alien costume. He even mentions the original single-slit 'vaginal' design for the eggs, which to appease the Catholic church, were changed to have a crosswise opening. Ridley Scott discusses his immediate and absolute decision to hire Giger to design the film, upon first seeing his artwork.

Seriously?
Is there nothing they can't leave the hell alone?

I figure the Catholic church involvement was via the MPAA as the rating board includes a catholic priest, as an organization it really is seriously obsessed with sex and all things sex and women related!...especially for a bunch of men that will never get a shag!

obplayer

Cabaal wrote: »

Given H.R Giger's recent death I happened to be looking at a old doc about Alien

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079210/



Seriously?
Is there nothing they can't leave the hell alone?

I figure the Catholic church involvement was via the MPAA as the rating board includes a catholic priest, as an organization it really is seriously obsessed with sex and all things sex and women related!...especially for a bunch of men that will never get a shag! (with an adult)

FYP

obplayer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jl9DwNOonOA

pauldla

iflscience.com has the following article that includes a must-see video about cosmic evolution.

http://www.iflscience.com/space/visualizing-13-billion-years-cosmic-evolution

Knocks the socks off anything you'll read in Genesis. :P

postitnote

"Giger narrates the film in excellent British English..."

Now maybe this refers to his accent, but "BRITISH ENGLISH" really gets my goat.

Hotblack Desiato

America is the real centre of the universe don't you know, it's why aliens in films always go there.