sciencey stuff and astronomy type things.

ping

^ I wasn't thinking social science when I started the thread if that helps? :)
Also it'd be great if you/we could give some references to the scientists/ideas you/we mention, maybe links or something? For further reading purposes, oh god I feel like I'm about get homework! Haha.

Jeronimooo · Post edited by Jeronimooo at 2013-12-01 10:39:36

Well, at this very moment I am working on my Bachelor thesis. (Checking GMB now and then gives me some distraction). It is about the rise of democratic principles in the nineteenth-century associational life, specifically in Dutch and Belgian botanical associations.

But that is probably not the sort of reference you mean, I guess, because it is social science :)
Can´t help you with physical science references here...

ping

^ well, i don't really want to be dictatorial about what you do or don't post! haha >:)

whisperit

I would recommend Robert Axelrod's "The Evolution of Co-operation" as a short but convincing demonstration of how natural selection can lead to the development of cooperation and "pro-social" behaviours in organisms of all kinds - its a simple consequence of selection for genetic fitness in certain circumstances.

ping

jozzy there's a picture here that nasa posted that seems to show some part of ison survived. i'm not holding my breath for any spectacular views though :( i guess for them its great if only a tiny bit made it as they can get so much information from it and the earth bound views aren't such a big deal for them. (though i'm sure they would like to see a beautiful comet in the night sky as much as the next person!)

Ponygurl

@Whickwithy "No, not so bad. Especially historically speaking. Things are surely progressing in a direction that is superior to the past. But, omigod, we're slow-learners! And, at least to me, it seems we sure take alot of the branches on the path that lead nowhere."

I'm changing the subject a bit.. :P. This is sciencey though. I want to talk technology. Do you ever look at the world and see how primitive it all is? I mean really...we still need grids and wires hanging from poles to transmit electricity to houses? Where are the modern day Tesla's? We are still locked into burning fossil fuels as a means of energy? Seriously? Even I have had better concepts. Solarized paint for one, which I need to experiment with. The whole world needs a technological overhaul...from how we deal with waste, to primary energy sources. It seems our only real advancement has been using wave energy and technology. From satellites to cell phones..our communication has improved.

When you say we take alot of branches that lead nowhere, you are correct. Take the battery powered car. Where is the thinking behind that concept? You still have to plug it into an electrical source to recharge the battery. It completely misses the point. Where is the physics? Such outdated concepts of engines and batteries. I know there have been attempts at gravity disruption using mercury based, pressurized plasma.

Shouldn't we be more advanced by now? That question addresses both social and physical sciences.

Jozzy81

ping said:
jozzy there's a picture here that nasa posted that seems to show some part of ison survived. i'm not holding my breath for any spectacular views though :( i guess for them its great if only a tiny bit made it as they can get so much information from it and the earth bound views aren't such a big deal for them. (though i'm sure they would like to see a beautiful comet in the night sky as much as the next person!)

true ping hope we do get to see it love seeing comets hale-bopp back in 1997 was amazing :)

Halloween_Jack

There's also an update on ISON on the Sky at Night at 11:45 tonight.

I'm intrigued (but sceptical) about "blue skies" research. How cool must it be to plod along, testing various theories, without any pressure to achieve results! Wouldn't want to be in charge of funding, though...

Whickwithy · Post edited by Whickwithy at 2013-12-01 19:18:09

Ponygurl, do you ever take a look at the web sites for science news? I think technology is moving at a breakneck pace, really. And, I'm not sure about your dislike of battery-powered cars. Where the electricity comes from is the real point, right? I mean, yeah, it would be great to find a cost-free energy source, but I'm not holding my breath for that. By the way, Intel did discover a way to transmit power without wires, probably near a decade ago. I'm not sure I like the idea of power being transmitted through the air (shades of microwave radiation). Did you ever hear of the Darwin Award for the guy that decided to stay warm by sleeping in front of a microwave antenna? I'm guessing you are reading science news pages considering the subjects you broached. That anti-gravity and solar paint are pretty cool, though a super-conducting plasma doesn't really sound like anti-gravity. Anyways, back to my original point, I think the spiritual aspect, that which in my estimation, makes us more than animals is suffering dearly, partially due to our fascination with technology (love technology but we can over do it) and the world-wide obsession with profit, which is just going to get worse as we learn that this thin economy we are living in, now, is here to stay for quite awhile. Also, no one seems to want to own up to the fact that the jobs that were there a few years ago are disappearing rapidly, never to be seen, again. For the future? I think the bulk of the jobs will be in science. I'd add sales clerk but even that is being slowly eroded by automation.

Ping, if you like, I'll run up a few threads on different subjects and see which catches.

Sartori

I used to work in a Power Station and standing in the transformer houses onsite, if you put a neon screwdriver (the type electricians use to indicate live circuits) in the air , the neon lights up. On a foggy day, the very air crackles with electricity , somewhat I can only describe as an air-of-shit-your-pants to be in there .

Sartori

Super conducting plasma is nuclear fusion as I recall.
I find the arguments of hippy types who argue against every type of electricity generation as deluded as xfactor contestants and have no objectivity or practical ideas of how the fuck to produce reliable and consistent source of electricity then (whilst using the aforementioned electricity to whinge about it). Solar, wind, wave are unreliable, although I'm interested in the wave generator inventors idea that won a Dyson award recently.

The political will is lacking (with ALL parties) to invest in research, private companies (or v.c's) would rather invest in shitty "next Facebook" startups. The world wants "someone else" to spend money and time on it.

Ponygurl

@Whickwithy "Ponygurl, do you ever take a look at the web sites for science news? I think technology is moving at a breakneck pace, really. And, I'm not sure about your dislike of battery-powered cars. Where the electricity comes from is the real point, right?"

My point was energy is still coming from the grid. It's not saving energy or costs..you still pay for the electric. Let's say the metal in the car could act like a conductor for energy coming from a solarized paint. The battery could be charged without the use of an outlet. Same with the paint on your home. I'm not against the battery, per say, but the way we charge it. Sounds futuristic I know..but they've already come up with artificial photosynthesis.

As far as plasma is concerned...I've read about plasma propulsion systems..http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/travelinginspace/future_propulsion.html ..and development of the TR 3B. Honestly though, I've never seen anything proven firsthand..so who the hell knows. Interesting concepts though.

Whickwithy

Ponygurl: Yeah, I finally got what you were suggesting after reading a little (hard to find, by the way) about solarized paint. It's a great way to go. I hope that can develop it soon. That is close to no-cost energy, which makes it ultra-cool. Geez, I'd love to paint my house with it.

The only thing that baffled me about the plasma was the reference to anti-gravity. Heck, who knows? Maybe that's real, I just can't connect the dots.

I've looked into everything from solar panels to windmills for electricity for my house and it all seemed to come out about equal to the cost of just buying electricity. That's actually encouraging to me, that should mean that in the near future it should become a little more viable to own your own electricity source. Wouldn't that be a bang!!

One thing I've finally determined and I'm not sure whether I am encourage or not, is the fact that, with living in Maine, heat can be a big cost. Nowadays, I'm pretty sure that I could heat the whole house with electricity as cheaply as I could with fuel oil (which is usually the heating method of choice because, in the past, it has been so cheap). Me being a tightwad extreme and no lovely lady to keep comfortable, I warm a small portion of the house with electricity only and it's as cheap as beans. I think oil is getting very, very close to falling off the clliff. The amount of oil being used seems to be dropping drastically. I could be wrong, that is just from a couple of reference points.

iuventus

Whickwithy said:
...in the near future it should become a little more viable to own your own electricity source. Wouldn't that be a bang!!

You're a little late. From what I understand, big oil companies already have a monopoly on the solar power industry.

whisperit

There's an almost-intelligible description of quantum entanglement and its ramifications here.

Almost.

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