Recent content by Swammerdami

Speaking of quantum physics ... I've never taken a class in quantum physics, and have tried to learn a little by myself, but with only very meager success. One of MANY confusions was Paul Dirac's Equation: What is it? Why is it so wonderful? How did it predict anti-matter? And why did the...

What I was suggesting -- too tersely -- is that students poor BOTH financially AND scholastically are unlikely to be admitted, IF they apply at all.

Check my "Basic Beliefs" :hysterical: My connection claims to be 5GHz -- I must have mislaid my 9600 bps modem at some point. Is 5GHz considered slow these days? I don't think so: I'll guess the bandwidth limit was at your end, or rather at the host you rerouted to. The giant-sized image...

You have left me TOTALLY confused. You want "information" and "dots connected" but reject Rachel Maddow as "news." SHE connects dots!! "News" shows, almost be definition ("News" is new) do NOT. Newsmagazines (60 Minutes etc.) ar better, but NOT on a par with John Oliver or Rachel Maddow. USA...

I saw this link to an Atlantic article on another message-board. At many universities a large number of undergrads are given special treatment due to attention deficit, social anxiety or depression. The beneficiaries of these policies are typically NOT the traditionally disadvantaged (i.e...

Just two objective comments ... for now. (1) I had to Google Loper-Bright, so will try to save a click for any fellow ignoramuses: (2) It has come to my attention that someone posted a 3 Megabyte image, let's call it 16b4uwl5kozf1.jpeg since that is its name. Do you have any idea how long it...

When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of the Big Secret that Jews and Christians alike have kept hidden: God went missing -- completely disappeared -- sometime in the 7th century BC. Jesus was eventually invented as a stand-in, a place-holder for the alleged Deity who had...

Chinatown is very good, but somewhat over-rated. I love Jack Nicholson but he made several films better than Chinatown. His One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of the very best films ever. Is there some reason you're avoiding Casablanca ? IMHO it is the perfect movie, #1 of all time. I...

Especially famous I think is the scene where you strain your eyes: Is there a tiny camel in the distance? I don't think it's much of a spoiler to show the funniest(?) dialog in the film: Omar Sharif: "It is written." Several hours later, Peter O'Toole: "Nothing is written." Several hours...

Memento is also one of my favorite movies. I've watched it a few times, even though it's one (a la Sixth Sense or Fight Club) where the surprise ending is key so it can never be quite as good the second time. There are several "classic greats" I do not like. Citizen Kane is a favorite among...

I've not seen Jaws nor Avatar nor most of the Star Wars films nor the old Charlie Chaplins nor most of the super-hero and action genres. My son tells me we watched The Matrix together, but I have no recollection of it. Wow! You are missing the 2nd-best movie ever made AND the very best movie...

Yes! :thumbup: You are asking the right questions and, if you study diligently, will be on a path to understanding. No. :HEADBUTT: The rest of us are well past this. Repeat it to yourself if you need to. Climate variations can be periodic, quasi-periodic, or episodic. The variations can...

My son decided to buy stocks, picking Nvidia et al (even though he hates the notion of AI even more than I). I gave him my old copy of the famous 19th century book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, suggesting he read the chapter on "Tulipomania." (When he returned the...

Please don't go away! Your comment did NOT upset me; no apology needed. My question about insulting words was NOT related to your comment. I have often seen objection to a single word while a long insulting phrase goes unremarked, and sincerely wondered whether others had noticed this also.

May I hijack the thread to ask a serious question? What constitutes an "insult"? Is the above quote by Mr. Swizz an "insult"? Elsewhere I wrote that Mr. Swizz "seems stupid [but actually isn't]." Was mine an insult while Swizz's isn't just because "stupid" is an insulting word, while none of...