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Posting just a title line sometimes links to an empty body. RobVG November 5, 2025 1:02 pm (GeekSpeak)

Trump nominates a NASA chief — again BuckGalaxy November 4, 2025 10:28 pm (Space/Science)

Muskfinger - and other evil space billionaires BuckGalaxy November 4, 2025 10:19 pm (Space/Science)

New Glenn set for its second launch on November 9 BuckGalaxy November 4, 2025 9:15 pm (Space/Science)

Spanberger projected to win VA BuckGalaxy November 4, 2025 5:10 pm (CurrentEvents)

The destruction of Goddard is illegal RL October 31, 2025 9:41 am (Space/Science)

Weighing the scales on Elon Musk BuckGalaxy October 30, 2025 9:28 pm (Flame)

Bunker Envy ? podrock October 30, 2025 6:18 pm (CurrentEvents)

Message in a bottle BuckGalaxy October 29, 2025 10:55 am (Off-Topic)

According to some, we're a nation of illiterate dependents looking for a handout RobVG October 27, 2025 8:56 pm (CurrentEvents)

The 1% RobVG October 27, 2025 10:54 am (Off-Topic)

Parting Shot ER October 27, 2025 4:36 am (Off-Topic)

100 years ago today. by Jeff-Wash March 31, 2012 12:39 pm

And on April, 02, 1912, 100 years ago today, the Titanic went on its sea trials, departing the port of ... by Jeff-Wash 2012-04-02 09:09:22
- And 100 years ago today, the Titanic arrived at the port of Southampton where it was berthed at its quay for ... by Jeff-Wash 2012-04-04 12:44:34
  - One hundred years ago today, April, 06, 1912, Captain Edward Smith and hundreds of other Englishmen signed on as the ship's crew ... by Jeff-Wash 2012-04-06 11:43:00
    - On April, 10, 1912, one hundred years ago today, the White Star Liner Titanic departed from the port of Southampton, England. ... by Jeff-Wash 2012-04-10 13:12:00
      - The suspense is killing me! What's next??!! :-) by bowser 2012-04-10 19:19:34
- The best-laid plans of mice and men, etc. It had a far greater impact on the world from the ... by bowser 2012-04-02 11:15:43
  - Some curious facts that I didn't know about. The Titanic was not totally powered by piston & cylinder engines. She ... by Jeff-Wash 2012-04-02 22:49:19
  - Not unlike the history of the giant airships. by TB 2012-04-02 12:28:52
    - I've heard of the Hindenburg, the Graf Zeppelin, and the LZ ships Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin made to test ... by VelociraptorBlade 2012-04-04 14:27:42

So what can a poor boy do? by ER April 9, 2012 3:54 am

If this place is any indication... by RobVG 2012-04-09 18:13:13
- If I had it to do all over again, I'd study music. People say it is like mathematics, although ... by ER 2012-04-09 19:30:34
It can fill yer belly n/t by RobVG 2012-04-09 17:13:32
I'm trying to think of changes in society that have succeeded. The anti-smoking campaign is one, and the anti-Union ... by bowser 2012-04-09 10:10:43
- Individuals can make a difference, but they take heavy casualties, too. I respect and admire them, but I do not envy ... by ER 2012-04-09 11:15:18
  - I believe we all want our lives to have meaning. Those who know this also know we have to ... by bowser 2012-04-10 09:04:00
    - You're a wise man, Bowser. by ER 2012-04-10 10:26:49
      - You're very kind, and way too modest. And trapped. Your COPS activity is important in two ways. One is ... by bowser 2012-04-10 19:17:51

I wonder if it is tempting fate? by Jeff-Wash April 10, 2012 1:17 pm

Since this reply page is a better medium to type on, I will ask you here, is it tempting fate ... by Jeff-Wash 2012-04-10 13:34:30
- Believe me, there are radar-assisted collisions and GPS-assisted groundings all the time. And no mechanical malfunctions are required. I mean, ... by ER 2012-04-10 14:16:32
Let me guess...(spoiler alert) by ER 2012-04-10 13:20:54

Multiple levels of reality. by ER April 9, 2012 6:55 pm

Amazing that everyone has an opinion. Amazing that every opinion comes from our own unique perspective. Amazing that our perspective ... by Jody 2012-04-10 08:45:37
- Don't go into engineering. :) by TB 2012-04-10 08:47:24
  - Hee hee....Actually I truly appreciate the engineer mentality. I can be very abstract. Sometimes I need to be reeled it. ... by Jody 2012-04-10 09:37:24
    - Yep, engineers are hard-headed, practical, empirical, and have no use for academic and theoretical considerations. Afterwards, they have no problem figuring ... by ER 2012-04-10 09:47:22
      - Factoid: Wiccan shamans tend to be engineers in their day jobs. by Robert 2012-04-10 13:08:55
      - Your first sentence is false. The second sentence is what engineering is about. by TB 2012-04-10 11:39:32
        
        Lighten up, TB. by ER 2012-04-10 11:56:31
There is a wonderful 9 acre lake in the western Cascades. To get to it is a 2 hour ... by bowser 2012-04-09 23:01:25
- Bravo! It is the source of much of our conflict that we perceive these values differently, that different equally valid perceptions ... by ER 2012-04-10 05:22:40
I dust off the cobwebs of my bicycle. I tighten the bolts, lubricate the chain, test the brakes and re ... by Jody 2012-04-09 19:59:29
- Great story. You went into Kickass Mode. I had a very similar experience once myself. When I was a ... by ER 2012-04-09 21:17:53

The deep places of the Earth by TB April 9, 2012 8:07 pm

Awesome! Thanks! by BuckGalaxy 2012-04-10 00:24:14
I don't understand what they're saying here... by RobVG 2012-04-09 21:18:41
- I imagine that water comes out of a household faucet at some pressure, and that pressure must exceed 1 atmosphere ... by ER 2012-04-09 22:01:09
  - Typical household water is at about 40-50 psi. by podrock 2012-04-10 07:03:27
    - Back in the midwest, you could figure it out by knowing the height of the town's water tower. by TB 2012-04-10 08:32:12
    - Thanks. Looking up the exact figures, 1 atmosphere is 14.7 lbs/sq in, and 1 atm pressure is exerted by ... by ER 2012-04-10 07:33:53
      - While we are talking pressure, perhaps you could pop on over to johannes' thread on the Mysteries of the Multiverse ... by podrock 2012-04-10 08:05:45
        
        Johannes is a sweetheart, but discussing physics with him is like discussing politics with some of our Conservative friends here. ... by ER 2012-04-10 08:28:01
        
        Um, yeah. Something like that. by TB 2012-04-10 08:30:16
Personal range of experience: 46,000 feet by podrock 2012-04-09 20:54:43
- Wow. I've done 14,695 in 12 hours, from the top of Mt. Whitney at 9:00 AM to - 200' ... by bowser 2012-04-09 23:11:33
Yeah ...but...where is middle earth??? by Jody 2012-04-09 20:26:18
- Where the sun don't shine. by ER 2012-04-09 20:45:38

Ten Debunked Scientific Beliefs of The Past by Jody March 31, 2012 7:11 pm

Alchemy 1948 by RobVG 2012-04-01 10:55:46
It is the nature of science to debunk bad ideas. It is in fact what science is all about. by BuckGalaxy 2012-04-01 01:52:17
- I know it is Buck...but open mindedness...something you believe the Conservatives are guilty of *not* embracing...is a two way street.... In ... by Jody 2012-04-01 12:44:42
  - Again, the very fact that scientist actively seek to debunk their own theories shows exceptional open mindedness. THINK ABOUT ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-04-10 00:28:42
    - ACTUALLY THAT WAS MY POINT. Sometimes I communicate poorly because I forget people don't see what I see. by Jody 2012-04-10 07:29:31
- You're right, of course, and I think all those ideas were valid explanations based upon the level of knowledge at ... by bowser 2012-04-01 08:37:01
- Buck's got a point. by TB 2012-04-01 07:38:59

From a purely tactical perspective... by ER April 9, 2012 10:36 am

I think one factor is arrogance. After electing George W. Bush twice, George H. W. Bush once and Ronald ... by bowser 2012-04-09 11:40:15
- I'm not sure that computes. Sure Reagan was ideologically pure, charismatic, and ultimately successful. Bush I, McCain and Dole were highly ... by ER 2012-04-09 13:18:35
  - With all due respect. (Doesn't that belong on another thread?) Reagan presented to the public well, was glib, ... by bowser 2012-04-09 15:06:44
    - Man, and I thought I was a cynic. 8) by ER 2012-04-09 15:56:14
      - The more you see, the more you read, the grimmer it gets. :-) by bowser 2012-04-09 21:03:06

Some good medical news by TB April 1, 2012 1:36 pm

Freaking amazing,...not only would this save a lot of human suffering, but also squillions in health care costs. That is stunning,...and ... by Ainz 2012-04-09 16:02:33

Meme generation survey by ER April 8, 2012 9:47 am

"With all due respect" tends to mean something else sometimes. And "My friend". I used to work with ... by bowser 2012-04-09 15:13:17
The younger male generation uses *Your Mom* ALOT....in a sexual reference. Example: "I went fishing, the other day, dude...caught a huge ... by Jody 2012-04-09 07:18:02
- We did the same back in the '70's when I was a teen. by podrock 2012-04-09 07:37:31
  - Saddam Hussein coined a great one, that has managed to survive translation from Arabic to English: "The Mother of All Battles". I've ... by ER 2012-04-09 13:27:33
I have never thought of myself as creative and I seriously doubt that I have originated any memes. Maybe "cold ... by FrankC 2012-04-08 23:45:22
"What could possibly go wrong?" is widely used. I didn't make it up. by TB 2012-04-08 15:01:09
Like, totally, dude. I mean, y'know, I totally jive your vibe man. Seriously though, that stuff does get annoying pretty ... by VelociraptorBlade 2012-04-08 13:47:00
- Verbal memes are not the same as slang, although slang (as do many components of language, even language itself) can ... by ER 2012-04-08 14:22:59
  - I am resisting the urge to reply with "Dude". It's taking a LOT of effort. Isn't the phrase "Dude, where's ... by VelociraptorBlade 2012-04-08 16:20:26
    - The whole "where's my car" line is a meme, often modified by other nouns. "Dude" never vanished completely, although ... by ER 2012-04-08 17:12:48
And how well is that working for you? by bowser 2012-04-08 10:16:07
- I think Sara Palin was the first documented user of that one, in reference to Obama's failure to deliver on ... by ER 2012-04-08 10:28:41
  - It's been a stock phrase for at least 34 years that I know of in recovery circles. When one ... by bowser 2012-04-08 14:07:39
    - Hmmmmm.... by ER 2012-04-08 14:24:44
One I have made up..."Oh you're good...I never would have thought that"...as a snarky obviousity. sorta like..."Gee, Captain Obvious" I always liked..." ... by Jody 2012-04-08 09:58:56
- "Captain Obvious" is new to me, but I've heard the other two. "No shit, Sherlock" I remember from high school. by ER 2012-04-08 10:31:05
  - "Fantastic!" Two female classmates meet after twenty years. One of them is wearing a fur coat, very short ... by bowser 2012-04-08 14:13:47

More about corporate libertarianism. by ER April 9, 2012 4:23 am

All of these bong fantasies, including Carson's "Mutualism," fail in execution on one simple point: Who decides? by TB 2012-04-09 09:13:04
- That's very simple, a problem which has been solved many times. Once the standards, values, or goals have been agreed upon ... by bowser 2012-04-09 09:31:29
  - The problem is NOT that free markets are a bad thing. On the contrary, they actually work. The problem is ... by ER 2012-04-09 09:40:28
    - I was once testifying before the Oregon House Ways and Means committee about increasing the budget for the Wage and ... by bowser 2012-04-09 09:52:39
  - "The community." Hall. Thumb. Now. by TB 2012-04-09 09:37:16
    - It's a problem which has been solved many times. by bowser 2012-04-09 09:41:18
      - Name them. Historical, please, not academic papers. by TB 2012-04-09 09:43:36
        
        I did. Two different methods. If you don't like the way I did it, try the Constitutions of ... by bowser 2012-04-09 09:56:23
        
        In the context of the ideology we're discussing, please. by TB 2012-04-09 10:00:49
- I must have scored a hit. I see secondary explosions. by ER 2012-04-09 09:29:52
  - We have the recent examples of Enron and WorldCom which debunk the idea a free market is workable in this ... by bowser 2012-04-09 09:39:52
    - You realize you cough up the same two or three examples every time to "prove" that the free market can't work? by TB 2012-04-09 10:08:39
      - Do you realize you've never refuted that? Do you realize that human nature needs to be a factor? ... by bowser 2012-04-09 10:32:16
  - Friend, your shots didn't even hit the same ocean I'm in. by TB 2012-04-09 09:35:44
    - Yeah, who decides? The guy who gets paid a bonus for selling as little as he can for as ... by ER 2012-04-09 09:45:28
      - In the context of the references we were discussing please. by TB 2012-04-09 10:19:48
        
        You want references? by ER 2012-04-09 10:52:57

Corporate Libertarianism and the betrayal of Adam Smith by ER April 8, 2012 8:25 am

"planned and managed by the world’s largest corporations to maximize financial returns to top managers" by RobVG 2012-04-08 12:18:17
- Tell us what a "straw man" argument might look like. by bowser 2012-04-08 14:16:46
- Not even kings of old had lackeys piling bags of gold at their feet. CEOs do it the same way the ... by ER 2012-04-08 13:06:20
I constantly link to people who encapsulate my opinions better than I sometimes can. by TB 2012-04-08 10:24:34
- Another chapter from the same book, I see. by ER 2012-04-08 10:37:33
  - You agree with the bulleted points? Tell me you're just pulling my chain. by TB 2012-04-08 14:04:59
    - Yep. Every single one, although in a few areas I really don't have the technical expertise to have thought ... by ER 2012-04-08 14:49:04
      - Okay, you are pulling my chain. by TB 2012-04-08 15:05:23
        
        I presume that banking gobbledygook has something to do with how our banks are organized and regulated, right? I ... by ER 2012-04-08 15:25:14
        
        Yep. A whole lot of gobbledygook. by TB 2012-04-08 15:54:22
        
        Silicon-based macroprocessors by Robert 2012-04-08 17:32:48
        
        By the way, what the hell is a "corporate libertarian?" by TB 2012-04-08 20:29:12
        
        "By the way, what the hell is a corporate libertarian?" by ER 2012-04-09 02:41:44
        
        Get back to me when you've compiled a version of your software on one of those devices. by TB 2012-04-08 20:20:52
        
        You're really out of your depth. by Robert 2012-04-09 10:17:22
        
        I guess that makes three. by TB 2012-04-09 10:30:15
        
        How about an SiO2 slide rule? Right out of the corporate libertarian box. by ER 2012-04-08 18:28:10
    - Love those bulleted points. Much better than working for the demise of the country. by bowser 2012-04-08 14:20:33

Just sayin' by Jody April 5, 2012 6:40 pm

This is America, then. Equality. Responsibility. Opportunity. Let's give everyone an equal chance and let them ... by bowser 2012-04-06 14:34:01
- OMG...BOWSER! ...and you say I don't have a pulse on reality. It is indeed a strange world. Why don't you adopt a ... by Jody 2012-04-06 15:12:44
So let's put it in simple terms then. Except for number four, the other points are essentially true (in ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-04-05 22:29:00
- "Moral vacuum?" What do you think, Jody? by TB 2012-04-06 09:17:22
  - A "moral vacuum" is having children without health insurance. Go ahead - justify that. Morally. by bowser 2012-04-08 02:51:08
    - No... a moral vacuum is having children KNOWING you have no health insurance....and doing it anyway..thinking somebody else will pick ... by Jody 2012-04-08 09:18:35
      - So watching a child born to irresponsible parents do without health care is just fine. That is not a moral vacuum. ... by bowser 2012-04-08 10:20:24
        
        Man....I had to look up *amoral* vs. *immoral*. Anyhoo....I don't consider being a Conservative to be immoral. You do. You are ... by Jody 2012-04-08 10:37:39
        
        You believe that watching an American child not get health care is moral. Typical Conservative, Silly Putty substituting for brains. ... by bowser 2012-04-08 12:21:00
        
        BOINGA BOINGA...that is my silly putty brain bouncing around the room...sorta like your logic. by Jody 2012-04-08 15:54:13
        
        State and Federal governments, right now, spend something like $450 billion a year on medical care for those who can't afford it. by TB 2012-04-08 13:37:19
        
        Every other industrialized nation as national health care. America, which touts it'self as the richest nation in the world ... by bowser 2012-04-08 14:03:30
        
        What's the point of telling you anything at all? by TB 2012-04-08 14:24:33
        
        Funny how easy it is by RobVG 2012-04-08 12:55:29
        
        What about the kid, Rob? by bowser 2012-04-08 14:04:50
        
        "The Kid" by RobVG 2012-04-09 08:38:32
        
        Agreed Rob....and I think the average Josephine is completely overwhelmed by just about everything right now. Nothing...absolutely nothing is working ... by Jody 2012-04-09 08:47:02
        
        "Nothing…absolutely nothing is working how we would like it to." by TB 2012-04-09 09:30:19
        
        Well, I have lemme see...1,2,3,nope 7 extended family members that are doing just fine existing on government hand out programs. ... by Jody 2012-04-08 14:47:22
        
        Rob...seriously...I think you have hit the nail on the head. Bowser perceives himself a hero. A Robin Hood of sorts. Wow...this has ... by Jody 2012-04-08 13:11:23
        
        Like I said in a different post, it's a lot easier to wear a colored ribbon and yell for someone else to pay more taxes than to actually do something. by TB 2012-04-08 13:59:21
  - Your arguments as always are extremist. As if paying higher taxes is stealing every last penny from a billionaire. ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-04-06 12:12:45
    - You're missing the point, Buck. The rich don't want to pay any taxes at all. In fact, they want protectionism, ... by ER 2012-04-07 11:23:29
    - When we had the tax rates of the 90s, spending was a trillion dollars less a year, in 2005 dollars. by TB 2012-04-06 12:58:10
  - Well, there's a "moral vacuum" when the resources of a country are used to the benefit of the wealthy to ... by bowser 2012-04-06 11:50:49
  - I understand what Buck means by moral vacuum because I have a Conservative brother in law who is a millionaire ... by Jody 2012-04-06 10:55:08
    - I see that as an investment decision vs a moral decision. No one knows better than him whether his money would ... by FrankC 2012-04-06 12:02:09
      - Yeah, but see, under the liberal "moral code" it's not his decision. by TB 2012-04-06 12:59:22
        
        What chaps my hide Tom...and this is a digression, but the liberals are every bit as guilty about passing *moral" ... by Jody 2012-04-06 13:34:54
        
        Exactly. He has a choice...and it is only himself he must answer to. It is all about personal accountability ... by Jody 2012-04-06 13:11:26
Well, that certainly reads well. Sounds great. Let's ask how hard hedge fund managers, who contribute absolutely nothing repeat nothing ... by bowser 2012-04-05 19:28:02
- None of the things Jody wrote made the slightest dent, did it? by TB 2012-04-05 21:27:55
  - I said they sound good. There's a simplistic ring to them, simplistic assumptions which appeal to people whose value ... by bowser 2012-04-05 23:21:41
    - Valuing community. by RobVG 2012-04-07 10:30:32
      - This is very simple. People who are willing to contribute to the well-being of those around them are interested ... by bowser 2012-04-08 02:49:56
      - Thank you Rob...I couldn't have said it better. by Jody 2012-04-07 12:21:40

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