neufer wrote:... I have a friend who's an contortionist and has sometimes taken a view which I don't agree with very well. He'll hold up a stem and say "look how beautiful it is," and I'll agree. Then he says "I as an contortionist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing," and I think that he's kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe. Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is ... I can appreciate the beauty of a stem. At the same time, I see much more about the stem than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it's not just beauty at this dimension, at one millimeter; there's also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the branchings of xylem in the stem evolved in accordance with Murray's law is interesting. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in Murray? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a stem. It only adds. I don't understand how it subtracts.
That sounds a lot like Richard Feynman's musings, except that he referred to an artist rather than a contortionist. ("Nutty" is the giveaway. It's a word few people use, at least in public, but Feynman used it fairly often.)
Rob
http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php? ... 15#p196003
And Art has posted a Feynman video a couple of times (a great video!) in which RF says this. And I'm pretty sure that I also remember reading it in one of his books ("You must be joking, Mr Feynman"?)
Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
Sigh of nostalgia - I can remember the very first series.
Something that intrigues me is that David Tennant and Patrick Stewart appeared in Hamlet together in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's 2008 production. Dr Who and Captain Picard together ! I would have LOVED to see that.... (Both actors are excellent "Shh----you-know-whom ---- " actors. I've seen both - separately - at the RSC.)
Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
Ann wrote:Margarita, are those disabled salt shakers? (I've never seen Dr. Who, no.)
Beyond, really, blue-eyed cicadas would be much prettier!
Ann
You've never seen Dr Who?!!
The Daleks, like the Tardis, provided icons for a generation of Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans.
They used to go around declaring, in a tinny monotone voice, "EXTERMINATE" . Marvellous stuff!
But no-one ever seemed to think that steps would be the way to defeat them...
The Daleks are a powerful race bent on universal conquest and domination, utterly without pity, compassion or remorse. Various storylines portray them as having had every emotion removed except hate, leaving them with a desire to purge the Universe of all non-Dalek life. Collectively they are the greatest enemies of the series' protagonist, the Time Lord known as the Doctor. They are popularly known for their catchphrase "Exterminate!" and are a well-recognised reference in British popular culture. They have appeared in 97 episodes as of April 2013.
Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
Idly looking up Daleks, I found this. It isn't an original Douglas Adams' version, but it almost could be!
Click to play embedded YouTube video.
Very tangential to this thread - but, then again, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT Ann didn't know about Daleks nor that this rather good little video exists.
Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
The Daleks' creator bears an uncanny likeness to Star Trek's Captain Christopher Pike
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk. — Garrison Keillor
The "real" Marge Simpson, Margaret Ruth Groening, has died at age 94. She was married to Homer and had five children, two of whom were named Lisa and Maggie. Marge's father worked not in a nuclear power plant, but in a smelly paper mill. Read about it here.
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
geckzilla wrote:Hmm, another dubious finding from Russia. I hate to say it but I just don't believe a lot of science news that comes out of that country.
You shouldn't. The country has been a hotbed of bad science and pseudoscience for more than a century. You want to look very carefully at the credentials, institutional affiliation, and publishing history of any Russian scientist's work. Unfortunate for the many good scientists, but that's the reality of it.
Chris
*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory https://www.cloudbait.com
The sulfur hexaflouride thing was rather amazing. I don't know if I would have wanted to breathe it, even though the effect seems to have worn off within a minute.
Ann wrote:The sulfur hexaflouride thing was rather amazing. I don't know if I would have wanted to breathe it, even though the effect seems to have worn off within a minute.
Ann
It does seem to be harmless enough, but at the end, if you pay close attention through all the others yakking... it sounds like he mentions having a slightly sore throat for about three weeks. But i couldn't catch it all, so i may be a little wrong.
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk. — Garrison Keillor
That tile material seems to be somewhat similar to soap stone that is used on some woodstoves, except that the soap stone releases it's built up heat slowly, at a comfortable level, over hours, instead of very quickly. Both can be touched with a full build-up of heat. But you have to be more careful with the tile stuff.
! I would have LOVED to see that.... (Both actors are excellent "Shh----you-know-whom ---- " actors. I've seen both - separately - at the RSC.) 
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