What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

[WWGD]

in the spirit of humour (but not mean-spirited), maybe you could say you are working on something completely non-sensical / archaic, then he responds that he knows how to do that and is great at it too... The punch line is when you point out that no one would ever do said thing because ___ .


- - - -
Alternative idea:

Guy stops by, asks what you're doing.

"I just got off the phone. The Jerk store called, and they're running out of you!"

Deontological, profilactic sausage encryption? I will hire this guy as the PR guy for my group:

 

[Chris Riccard]

I would just like to say that I'm happy to be stuck with child of evo again! lol

 

[skyshrimp]

I bought a drone at a tech show last week. I got home and tried to calibrate it but it kept flying oddly. I tried to find their company online and saw that it was local so I sent them an email to see if I could bring it in for them to have a look at it. I mentioned that I bought it from their booth at a tech show in London that weekend. A woman emailed back and said they were not open to the public, but they would make an exception for me. They asked what day/ time I wanted to visit and I arranged. She emailed back to rearrange as they had meetings that day. I said I'd be there around 2:30pm. She said perfect Ask for me at reception and I'll come and greet you.

I got there at 2pm. I waited outside for 10 minutes longer to get nearer the 'around 2:30' mark. I went in and told the receptionist and mentioned I was early. The receptionist told me not to worry and phoned the woman. She came downstairs and snapped at me with, "I'm on my lunch break?". I said, "Oh, sorry. I can come back". She snapped, "What's the problem?" I could smell her lunch. I think she just started a curry or something. I told her and she got it out of the bag and asked me when I bought it, forgetting I mentioned at the tech show. She said she will just swap it for another one. I asked her a quick question about the next model up as I wanted to know a little more about the camera on it. She snapped, "We don't have that here. You have to order it from China", like I was fishing for the next model up for the swap which was twice the price. So she gave me the swap, shook my hand and walked off.

She probably rescheduled her lunch so she could see me at 2:30. I did say around 2:30

 

[WWGD]

It would be nice if there was a subsidy to coffee shops here the way I've heard they have in other countries, so you could sit in them indefinitely. I would be willing to pay a reasonable tax to this effect.

 

[fresh_42]

It would be nice if there was a subsidy to coffee shops here the way I've heard they have in other countries, so you could sit in them indefinitely. I would be willing to pay a reasonable tax to this effect.

Reminds me of an anecdote which played in a coffeehouse in Vienna. The local champ was playing chess against everybody who dared to challenge him. I think it was Aljechin, but it could have been any grandmaster of chess. He watched for a while and at the end of his match, the champ asked Aljechin if he wants to try. Aljechin agreed, sat down and they both placed their pieces on the board. As they had finished, Aljechin removed both of his rooks. The local champ said in a tone of indignation: "Sir! What are you doing? You don't even know me!" And Aljechin answered: "Exactly!"

 

[StoneTemplePython]

A canonical random thought:

An alter guy at a table came up to the bar to interrupt a friend and me who were brainstorming at a bar tonight. He complained we were too loud. The bar had loud music and metallic walls with a lot of echo. Not great for sound absorption. I should have asked about his physics knowledge but instead I apologized and said we'd dial it down ein bischen a little bit. He returned to his table just behind us.

5 minutes later a random guy comes up and tells us our volume seemed just fine to him. Another 5 minutes later a bartender asked us what happened, said the original guy was a regular who had already paid when he came up here and wondered what he asked us... ? She pointed out that the bar had laut music and not great acoustics and ...

I'm still not sure what to make of this. I'm hoping for a quasi-intelligent rationale to recommend a tin-foil helmet to the first guy, next time.

 

[skyshrimp]

I attended a work meeting on Friday. The man presenting it had his laptop connected to a projector. As he was talking, his laptop went to his screensaver which displayed photos he had on his hard drive of his 20 something year old daughter. He looked up at the projector and said, “Ops, that’s my daughter. I’ll get rid of that”. The slideshow then went on to show a series of photos of her posing only in a bikini. Lots of photos of this. During the presentation, his laptop kept going idle and showing these bikini photos. Why on Earth would a father want to admire his daughter dressed like that? He wasn’t embarrassed by it and i’m sure he did’nt see the wrong, but eww. When his laptop goes idle, he chose to view his daughter scantily clad. She’s a really looker too. They were like Playboy pics.

 

[Chris Riccard]

is it just me or do things like magic and physics not mix. what do you guys think of the billy idol
song - eyes without a face? also how do i get rid of ear rings or should i assume it's some kind of
divine thing. things like this bring me to the question of our environment and if were actually going
to have heat or cold death. when i was small i saw the a tree rendered in front of me, and all that
is making me question free will and theology. so from your point of view, what is reality? yes i'm
ratting. if dreams come true why haven't i won the lottery yet? btw from what i was told I'm #4076
when i asked about my rank in the world, but maybe my window and mr booogie tell lies to see what
i'll fall for. god knows i don't want to fall into a suckers trap. i won a love ring that was way
more expencive than what i paid for it but i burnt a hole in it on purpose, i don't believe in rings
or any other of these things including quantum logic and wheels, spooks and nonsence. and flowers
are made to be admired not cut. all i know is that my spot is garenteed and that what i wanted was
mind body freedom money and time with everything else i ever wanted along with some unforseen
pleasent extras. still making up my mind in this world. i told them not to play the game... music
is getting annoying when i listen to the radio. i think i may of found my wives, yes two, not just
lust but i have my mathematical reasons too when i saw the trinity.

alien blueprint?

that is all i'll say for now...

 

[fresh_42]

Random thought:

The previous post, if corrected by the use of capital letters, can be seen as an example of a context-free valid sample of English words over the Latin alphabet with unrestricted grammar. It passes a Turing test even if Alan wouldn't have understood it.

 

[Chris Riccard]

Glad somebody understands it, see I used a capital letter!

 

[WWGD]

is it just me or do things like magic and physics not mix. what do you guys think of the billy idol
song - eyes without a face? also how do i get rid of ear rings or should i assume it's some kind of
divine thing. things like this bring me to the question of our environment and if were actually going
to have heat or cold death. when i was small i saw the a tree rendered in front of me, and all that
is making me question free will and theology. so from your point of view, what is reality? yes i'm
ratting. if dreams come true why haven't i won the lottery yet? btw from what i was told I'm #4076
when i asked about my rank in the world, but maybe my window and mr booogie tell lies to see what
i'll fall for. god knows i don't want to fall into a suckers trap. i won a love ring that was way
more expencive than what i paid for it but i burnt a hole in it on purpose, i don't believe in rings
or any other of these things including quantum logic and wheels, spooks and nonsence. and flowers
are made to be admired not cut. all i know is that my spot is garenteed and that what i wanted was
mind body freedom money and time with everything else i ever wanted along with some unforseen
pleasent extras. still making up my mind in this world. i told them not to play the game... music
is getting annoying when i listen to the radio. i think i may of found my wives, yes two, not just
lust but i have my mathematical reasons too when i saw the trinity.

alien blueprint?

that is all i'll say for now...

Most places now have decaf! ;).

 

[Charles Link]

Here's a trivia question: Which came first, the planet Pluto, Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto, or the element Plutonium? Here is a google that should help determine that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto_(Disney)

 

[fresh_42]

Most places now have decaf! ;).

Btw., this is a myth. There is no such thing. I once knew a chemist who examined samples. It's just lower than usual. However, it's been quite a while since then. Maybe they've improved on their procedures, but I doubt so.

 

[WWGD]

Btw., this is a myth. There is no such thing. I once knew a chemist who examined samples. It's just lower than usual. However, it's been quite a while since then. Maybe they've improved on their procedures, but I doubt so.

Could be. I remember the story of this guy who would always order decaf at nights after his meal and he was able to sleep soundly. Until one day he told so to one of the waiters and the waiter ( who had worked there for a long time ) told him that they have never carried decaf. Still, are you saying the difference is insignificant effect-wise?

 

[fresh_42]

Still, are you saying the difference is insignificant effect-wise?

I would never ever underestimate the placebo effect. A pharmaceutical scientist once told me, that the effect of caffeine needs several hours to come into effect, so this could explain a lot. E.g. my brother in law has no problems drinking coke late at night, no matter how much. I think for me it's already sufficient to look at the bottle, but I can handle espressos. All we taste are the bitter aromas which we wrongly take as degree of caffeine. I recently checked the content in teas, just out of curiosity. The strongest tea wasn't at the highest level and rather mild ones could have a lot.

 

[WWGD]

I would never ever underestimate the placebo effect. A pharmaceutical scientist once told me, that the effect of caffeine needs several hours to come into effect, so this could explain a lot. E.g. my brother in law has no problems drinking coke late at night, no matter how much. I think for me it's already sufficient to look at the bottle, but I can handle espressos. All we taste are the bitter aromas which we wrongly take as degree of caffeine. I recently checked the content in teas, just out of curiosity. The strongest tea wasn't at the highest level and rather mild ones could have a lot.

I would try to test the hypothesis, but I believe I am allergic to placebos ;)

 

[fresh_42]

Me, too. I hate those fat reduced cheeses here. C'mon, either I eat cheese or I don't, but what is it good for to buy a fake cheese? Just eat less or an apple, but don't call 10% a cheese.

 

[WWGD]

B

I would try to test the hypothesis, but I believe I am allergic to placebos ;)

Back to the caffeine thing, I think I have seen a distinct effect from caffeine at times. There are other factors: how rested/well slept I am. Haven't you been/felt over-caffeinated at times, to the extent that you could not function well?

 

[fresh_42]

Oh a veritable caffeine intoxication (the German word for it is far better!) is a mean thing.
And worst, you cannot defeat it with more coffee!

 

[WWGD]

Oh a veritable caffeine intoxication (the German word for it is far better!) is a mean thing.
And worst, you cannot defeat it with more coffee!

Only zeit can help overcome it, AFAIK.

 

[collinsmark]

Of course the decaffeination process is a real thing, as can be verified with only a tiny bit of effort and the following link:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=decaffeination+process

It doesn't mean that the caffeine content reaches zero, but it does reduce the caffeine content significantly.

Knowingly passing off regular coffee as decaffeinated, particularly to somebody with caffeine intolerance or a caffeine allergy, sounds pretty unethical to me.

(Disclaimer: I drink a lot of coffee, and nearly none of it is decaffeinated. [The only time I drink decaffeinated is when there is no other option.])

 

[fresh_42]

It doesn't mean that the caffeine content reaches zero, but it does reduce the caffeine content significantly.

I didn't claim anything else. It's just not free of it, as beer without alcohol isn't or juices aren't free of alcohol. The nature of the source requires a rest, for a total removal would probably be as well too expensive as damaging the taste. If someone is sensible for caffeine, then he shouldn't have a decaf.

 

[collinsmark]

If someone is sensible for caffeine, then he shouldn't have a decaf.

Some people with mild caffeine intolerance can handle a few sips of regular coffee OR and entire cup of decaf. If I were such a person I would opt for the entire cup from time to time.

If a waiter at a restaurant knowingly passes off a cup of regular coffee as decaf (possibly to a caffeine intolerant customer), perhaps hoping that the customer won't notice until later, after they leave the restaurant, well, that's unethical.

 

[fresh_42]

If a waiter at a restaurant knowingly passes off a cup of regular coffee as decaf (possibly to a caffeine intolerant customer), perhaps hoping that the customer won't notice until later, after they leave the restaurant, well, that's unethical.

Sure it is. I've never heard of a caffeine intolerance, but there is nothing which doesn't exist. Must be quite unpleasant, as it rules out tea, several soft drinks and some common pain killers, too.

 

[collinsmark]

Sure it is. I've never heard of a caffeine intolerance, but there is nothing which doesn't exist. Must be quite unpleasant, as it rules out tea, several soft drinks and some common pain killers, too.

I suppose it would be unpleasant to have it. Caffeine intolerance is another topic that is easily looked up. (I'll forego the link this time.)

Caffeine intolerance doesn't necessarily mean zero caffeine whatsoever. A particular caffeine intolerant person might be just fine with a single cup of decaf, so long as their waiter doesn't pull the old switcheroo on 'em.

 

[fresh_42]

Caffeine intolerance is another topic that is easily looked up.

... if I were interested in.

 

[WWGD]

... if I were interested in.

But then you have studies and counterstudies, like I have seen with the allergy to peanuts which some swear by, yet many others claim is inexistant.

 

[WWGD]

I am clearly not great at identifying accents. I was speaking (English, obviously) with this lady, and I asked her: " Are you from Sidney (Australia)"?.She replied, irritated: " No, I am from London(UK)". I then had to say: " Is that near Sidney"? She did not seem pleased; maybe thought to herself: " Dumb gringo". I thought it was pretty funny.

 

[fresh_42]

I am clearly not great at identifying accents. I was speaking (English, obviously) with this lady, and I asked her: " Are you from Sidney (Australia)".She replied, irritated: " No, I am from London". I then had to say: " Is that near Sidney"? She did not seem pleased; maybe thought to herself: " Dumb gringo".

I had a similar experience. I stood with my nephew and his girlfriend at a Kiosk near a castle to buy some sausages. In front of me two guys with which I chatted a bit. As I turned around to my guests, I said: "Look. People from all over the world here. Even Englishmen." - "Nope", said my nephew, "they're from Australia."

London and Australian accents are really a bit similar.

 

[WWGD]

I had a similar experience. I stood with my nephew and his girlfriend at a Kiosk near a castle to buy some sausages. In front of me two guys with which I chatted a bit. As I turned around to my guests, I said: "Look. People from all over the world here. Even Englishmen." - "Nope, said my nephew, they're from Australia."

London and Australian accents are really a bit similar.

But I am pretty sure the Aussies were not irritated ( were they?); they have no problem with that, from what I have seen. The lady seemed upset I believed she was Australian. Though, of course there may have been other issues in play .

 

[fresh_42]

But I am pretty sure the Aussies were not irritated ( were they?); they have no problem with that, from what I have seen. The lady seemed upset I believed she was Australian. Though, of course there may have been other issues in play .

The Aussies seemed, that only one thing could have irritated them at all. If the Kiosk was running out of beer or sausages.

 

[WWGD]

The Aussies seemed, that only one thing could have irritated them at all. If the Kiosk was running out of beer or sausages.

I assume beer more so than sausages? Upset enough to waltz Matilde?

 

[fresh_42]

I assume beer more so than sausages? Upset enough to waltz Matilde?

Well, the sun was shining, the Kiosk open, and they were in a good mood ready to talk to everybody.
Aussies and Scots are always a good company!

 

[WWGD]

Well, the sun was shining, the Kiosk open, and they were in a good mood ready to talk to everybody.

That's Englishme...er, Australians for you!

 

[nuuskur]

Sausage rolls!