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Interesting Stuff Thread

15758606263132

Comments

  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Here he is again on the right. You'd have thought in the days when he had €700,000 euro belonging to the state that he could have afforded a decent tie, and known how to tie it!

    221209.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 390 ✭✭sephir0th


    OK this seems out of place now, but I was reading a few pages back :)

    rage+comic+math+transformation.png


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,247 ✭✭✭pauldla


    From todays Irish Times.

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0919/breaking16.html
    A Harvard University professor has unveiled a fourth century fragment of papyrus she said is the only existing ancient text quoting Jesus explicitly referring to having a wife.
    Karen King, an expert in the history of Christianity, said the text contains a dialogue in which Jesus refers to “my wife”, whom he identifies as Mary. Ms King said the fragment of Coptic script is a copy of a gospel, probably written in Greek in the second century.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    © Dan Brown!


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    More on that:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19645273
    BBC wrote:
    Jim West, a professor and Baptist pastor in Tennessee, said: "A statement on a papyrus fragment isn't proof of anything. It's nothing more than a statement 'in thin air', without substantial context."
    Zing!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,442 ✭✭✭Sulla Felix


    The irony is delicious.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,442 ✭✭✭Sulla Felix


    Wasn't sure whether to put it here or in the funnys.


    Wolf-Peter Funk, a noted Coptic linguist attending the same conference as Ms King, said there were "thousands of scraps of papyrus where you find crazy things,"


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,105 ✭✭✭Kivaro


    Wasn't sure whether to put it here or in the funnys.


    Wolf-Peter Funk, a noted Coptic linguist attending the same conference as Ms King, said there were "thousands of scraps of papyrus where you find crazy things,"

    Yeah, not unlike the bible.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    The winner's been announced for the UK's Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2012:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19637073

    Wouldn't mind getting that last one blown up to bathroom-ceiling size... :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,710 ✭✭✭✭extra gravy


    Wasn't sure whether to put it here or in the funnys.


    Wolf-Peter Funk, a noted Coptic linguist attending the same conference as Ms King, said there were "thousands of scraps of papyrus where you find crazy things,"

    Coolest name ever.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    robindch wrote: »
    The winner's been announced for the UK's Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2012:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19637073

    Wouldn't mind getting that last one blown up to bathroom-ceiling size... :)

    Breathtaking.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,537 ✭✭✭joseph brand


    Coolest name ever.

    Certainly beats this one.

    simpsons-max-power-754880.jpg

    "I got it from a hair dryer." Homer J Simpson

    I also like, Windy Shepherd Henderson. (Father Ted) :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,679 ✭✭✭✭Mr. CooL ICE


    If anybody would like to to torture themselves by watching a badly made american creationist science film, I highly recommend watching The Genesis Code.

    I saw it in the place where I 'acquire' my movies and saw it got 70% on rottentomatoes, so thought "it can't be that bad". Oh, how wrong was I. I do enjoy movies that are so crap they are entertaining, but it is rare that I watch a movie as far as the 45 min mark and have to switch it off. I went ahead and looked at the reviews on IMDB and it is interesting to see the unbiased reviews (1/10) against the friends/family of those involved (10/10 all around).


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Portland, Oregon, with a population of around 600,000 people, was the last major city in the USA to hold out against fluoridation of the city's water supply. Here's the Democratic mayor's thoughtful and measured statement announcing the introduction of fluoridation:

    http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.cfm?c=49522&a=410028


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    ^^ Freakin' hipsters.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,809 ✭✭✭CerebralCortex


    robindch wrote: »
    Portland, Oregon, with a population of around 600,000 people, was the last major city in the USA to hold out against fluoridation of the city's water supply. Here's the Democratic mayor's thoughtful and measured statement announcing the introduction of fluoridation:

    http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.cfm?c=49522&a=410028

    I was convinced or at least cured of conspiracy by this vid.



    He may be the squarest fecker alive but he does great critical thinking videos.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Hubble astronomers have spent 23 days of camera time creating an extreme deep-field view:

    http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/09/25/revealing-the-universe-the-hubble-extreme-deep-field/

    Very cool.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,578 ✭✭✭✭Turtwig


    So lads and ladies, let's face it, the self portrait of our own workspaces is never going to be as awesome as this.
    (Bet the fecker is pulling a duckface pose too.)

    ImgofDay_1256.jpg


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,218 ✭✭✭✭Bannasidhe


    I have interesting mould on my office wall that looks quite pretty in a certain light....:(


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,775 ✭✭✭✭Gbear


    http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1209/25comet/#.UGMQXQyVuJI.facebook

    A new comet has been discovered that is predicted to blaze incredibly brilliantly in the skies during late 2013. With a perihelion passage of less than two million kilometres from the Sun on 28 November 2013, current predictions are of an object that will dazzle the eye at up to magnitude —16. That's far brighter than the full Moon.

    That's going to be ****ing awesome! :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,953 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    It's a sign! The end times :eek:

    In Cavan there was a great fire / Judge McCarthy was sent to inquire / It would be a shame / If the nuns were to blame / So it had to be caused by a wire.



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,105 ✭✭✭Kivaro


    ninja900 wrote: »
    It's a sign! The end times :eek:


    Let's all hail "C/2012 S1".


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,247 ✭✭✭pauldla


    Gbear wrote: »

    Just bought the young fella a new telescope for his birthday. He's going to be excited by this, and I can hardly wait myself!!!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,814 ✭✭✭Calibos


    pauldla wrote: »
    Just bought the young fella a new telescope for his birthday. He's going to be excited by this, and I can hardly wait myself!!!

    There is a comet next March called Panstars that might be good too.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Jernal wrote: »
    So lads and ladies, let's face it, the self portrait of our own workspaces is never going to be as awesome as this.
    (Bet the fecker is pulling a duckface pose too.)

    Desktop background image sorted...


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  • Moderators Posts: 51,893 ✭✭✭✭Delirium


    If you can read this, you're too close!



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 50,510 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    pauldla wrote: »
    Just bought the young fella a new telescope for his birthday. He's going to be excited by this, and I can hardly wait myself!!!
    he won't want to look at it through his telescope, though!


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 50,510 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder




  • Registered Users Posts: 2,247 ✭✭✭pauldla


    he won't want to look at it through his telescope, though!

    Why not...?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    pauldla wrote: »
    Why not...?
    I'm guessing because if it's brighter than the moon it's bright enough to cause serious eye injury?


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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 50,510 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    yep, i've a fairly reasonable telescope (sadly underused), an 8 inch dobsonian, and the full moon is *painful* to look at through it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,247 ✭✭✭pauldla


    yep, i've a fairly reasonable telescope (sadly underused), an 8 inch dobsonian, and the full moon is *painful* to look at through it.

    He'll look through it and like it, dammit! And I'll have no patience for all this "Daddy my eyes hurt, I can't see, where are you Daddy" nonsense again. Youngsters these days, I ask you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,578 ✭✭✭✭Turtwig


    pauldla wrote: »
    He'll look through it and like it, dammit! And I'll have no patience for all this "Daddy my eyes hurt, I can't see, where are you Daddy" nonsense again. Youngsters these days, I ask you.

    I can't quite recall correctly but I think he should count himself lucky that his eyes hurt. Lots of things you look at through a telescope can blind you via intense invisible light acting on the cells inside your eye, particularly the fovea.
    Not trying to play the scaremonger, but make sure he's aware of proper safety when using it. (This applies more to lasers than anything else, but whatever, safety groucho got spoil your day.)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,247 ✭✭✭pauldla


    Jernal wrote: »
    I can't quite recall correctly but I think he should count himself lucky that his eyes hurt. Lots of things you look at through a telescope can blind you via intense invisible light acting on the cells inside your eye, particularly the fovea.
    Not trying to play the scaremonger, but make sure he's aware of proper safety when using it. (This applies more to lasers than anything else, but whatever, safety groucho got spoil your day.)

    Ah now, I was kidding. We're not Christians at Knock, you know. :p

    He's probably a wee bit young for it (he's seven) so I keep himself and his sister well supervised when they use it (rottweilers are great). I was a bit worried they wouldn't like it (Daddy this is boooring) but the first time they looked at the half-moon they were jumping up and down shouting 'look at the circles! It's covered in circles!' Then they were asking me what they were, how they got there, etc. It was fun. Alas, the light pollution here is awful, and we get a lot of cloud, especially at this time of the year.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,578 ✭✭✭✭Turtwig


    pauldla wrote: »
    Ah now, I was kidding. We're not Christians at Knock, you know. :p

    He's probably a wee bit young for it (he's seven) so I keep himself and his sister well supervised when they use it (rottweilers are great). I was a bit worried they wouldn't like it (Daddy this is boooring) but the first time they looked at the half-moon they were jumping up and down shouting 'look at the circles! It's covered in circles!' Then they were asking me what they were, how they got there, etc. It was fun. Alas, the light pollution here is awful, and we get a lot of cloud, especially at this time of the year.

    Aww, that's adorable. If possible don't tell them straight off tell them the answers let them try to reason their own causes for the circles, no matter how bizarre those causes or reasons get. :)


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 50,510 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    Jernal wrote: »
    let them try to reason their own causes for the circles, no matter how bizarre those causes or reasons get. :)
    jesus put them there.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,247 ✭✭✭pauldla


    If possible don't tell them straight off tell them the answers let them try to reason their own causes for the circles, no matter how bizarre those causes or reasons get.

    What an excellent idea! I must remember to do that next time.

    jesus put them there.

    and it's all your fault.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,371 ✭✭✭Obliq


    jesus put them there.

    Ha! Reminds me of the time I had my youngest (who has ASD) and his friend (also ASD) in the back of the car. My boy says "Look at all the smoke" - me "looks like smoke doesn't it? What else could that be?" - friend "It's clouds!" - my boy "How did clouds get made?" - friend "God made them" - my boy "Why?"
    That's my boy ;)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,016 ✭✭✭✭vibe666


    here's a bishop talking about how the church invented hell to keep people in line.

    a refreshing bit of honesty that would make religion a lot more palatable to me if it were more widespread.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,775 ✭✭✭✭Gbear


    I just finished watching an interview with Adam Savage (from Mythbusters) by Kevin Pollak (from The Usual Suspects).

    Pollak has a weekly interview available on iTunes. I saw another good one of Seth MacFarlane.
    There's about 150 in total.

    Anyway, it was a brilliant interview and Savage is utterly amazing.
    I think he's one of the best exponents of critical thought and rationality in the world.
    I'd seriously recommend it.

    Edit: Here's the youtube version


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    Gbear wrote: »
    I just finished watching an interview with Adam Savage (from Mythbusters) by Kevin Pollak (from The Usual Suspects).

    Pollak has a weekly interview available on iTunes. I saw another good one of Seth MacFarlane.
    There's about 150 in total.

    Anyway, it was a brilliant interview and Savage is utterly amazing.
    I think he's one of the best exponents of critical thought and rationality in the world.
    I'd seriously recommend it.

    Edit: Here's the youtube version

    You couldn't post a link to the episode on iTunes, could you? I can't find it. The latest interview I see is Mark Valley, preceded by Tom Everett Scott, Bob Odenkirk and Phil Rosenthal. I don't know who any of those people are =/


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Hard to say whether this is legit or not -- doesn't seem so -- but the point is valid all the same:



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,775 ✭✭✭✭Gbear


    You couldn't post a link to the episode on iTunes, could you? I can't find it. The latest interview I see is Mark Valley, preceded by Tom Everett Scott, Bob Odenkirk and Phil Rosenthal. I don't know who any of those people are =/

    If you subscribe to the podcast you'll get a list of all of the shows.
    You should have a "Podcasts" folder in Itunes, next to Music, Video, Radio on the top left (you might need to go in to preferences and check the "Podcasts" option so it appears in iTunes).

    It's episode #99.
    There's a few other good episodes (probably lots but there's a good few actors that I'm not interested in or haven't heard of). There's one with Billy West (Buggs Bunny, Popeye, Fry, Zapp Brannigan etc. from Futurama) and John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama), Seth MacFarlane, Paul Rudd, Eddie Izzard. 150 or so in total.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    Gbear wrote: »
    If you subscribe to the podcast you'll get a list of all of the shows.
    You should have a "Podcasts" folder in Itunes, next to Music, Video, Radio on the top left (you might need to go in to preferences and check the "Podcasts" option so it appears in iTunes).

    It's episode #99.
    There's a few other good episodes (probably lots but there's a good few actors that I'm not interested in or haven't heard of). There's one with Billy West (Buggs Bunny, Popeye, Fry, Zapp Brannigan etc. from Futurama) and John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama), Seth MacFarlane, Paul Rudd, Eddie Izzard. 150 or so in total.

    Thanks! I'd looked through the last twenty or so episodes and hadn't seen any sign of it. Did you know that you can click the arrow next to the "price" of the podcast in the episode list and it'll give you the option to copy the link directly to your clipboard?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    NASA catches an effing enormous CME. On camera. In HD.

    Words, etc, fail.



    Why is nobody rioting about this?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,953 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    robindch wrote: »
    Hard to say whether this is legit or not -- doesn't seem so -- but the point is valid all the same:


    More info on this:

    http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/09/26/how-to-read-the-minds-of-strangers-just-by-using-facebook-video/

    In Cavan there was a great fire / Judge McCarthy was sent to inquire / It would be a shame / If the nuns were to blame / So it had to be caused by a wire.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,141 ✭✭✭eoin5


    robindch wrote: »
    NASA catches an effing enormous CME. On camera. In HD.

    Words, etc, fail.



    Why is nobody rioting about this?

    Someones been messing with the summon materia?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,775 ✭✭✭✭Gbear


    robindch wrote: »
    NASA catches an effing enormous CME. On camera. In HD.

    Words, etc, fail.



    Why is nobody rioting about this?

    Anyone know how much matter is actually ejected?

    It must be like the mass of Jupiter or something.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Gbear wrote: »
    Anyone know how much matter is actually ejected?
    A lot, but in astronomical terms, almost nothing:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection#Physical_properties

    A quick back of the envelope calculation shows that this is has about the same mass as a rock a little over 1km in diameter. Jupiter is about 10^15 times heavier.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 445 ✭✭muppeteer


    http://io9.com/5948202/new-project-aims-to-upload-a-honey-bees-brain-into-a-flying-insectobot-by-2015
    Every once in a while, there's news which reminds us that we're living in the age of accelerating change. This is one of those times: A new project has been announced in which scientists at the Universities of Sheffield and Sussex are hoping to create the first accurate computer simulation of a honey bee brain — and then upload it into an autonomous flying robot.


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