Re: Human Sweat wasRE: Political Compass
Deborah Harrell wrote: This study found increased concentrations of manganese in an exposed population of Australian aboriginals,[what do they prefer to call themselves, you Down Under? Me (we?) downunder say: they prefer to be known as Koories. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: beware the BIOS
On 28 May 2003 at 3:07, The Fool wrote: Phoenix wants to be able to track, disable, wipe hard drives, connect to the internet, download advertising, 'secure' sections of your harddrive, without your permission: They can literally destroy your computer / HD data ay ANY time they choose. Suppose a hacker hacks their system? That hacker or virus could destroy millions of peoples machines. *sniffs* Ah yes, the sweet smell of misunderstanding. For one thing, without direct BIOS access you can't do that - and the way windows works that's not possible (a hacker triggering it) from within the OS itself*. (*certain old laptops excluded) I myself use a similar program although it has to interface with the NT kernel at startup rather than being based in the BIOS. So a BIOS version WOULD be nice. Still, the guy who nicked my laptop was caught. The data thing I understand as well, I have data on this hard disk which I'm uinder NDA about and/or I consider confidential. While much of it is encrypted, someone with time could crack the (unfortunately weak) encryption. This is a control issue - even the people who I pay for the guardian software can't activate it without the code only I know. Andy Dawn Falcon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pregnancy update
Jon Gabriel wrote: From: Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Both twin girls are fine so far. Still more congratulations from way down south! Their parents, on the other hand, are in a bit of shock at the news. You may laugh, but here's a secret passed on to me by an aunt to her success with twin boys: name tags. (OK, it's kinda obvious) She had their names embroidered into lots of shirts. Apparently it helped tremendously. :-) To tie in with a recent thread, have you considered tattoos??? ;-) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Nukes found with reactor vessel woes-NRC
- Original Message - From: Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 7:01 AM Subject: Re: Nukes found with reactor vessel woes-NRC Jon Gabriel wrote: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Dan Minette Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 12:40 AM To: Killer Bs Discussion Subject: Re: Nukes found with reactor vessel woes-NRC One quick question before I respond. You don't eat bannanas, do you? *snort* Jon I remember that article Maru I don't. (Then again, I'm pregnant.) I'm going to want a recap. :) I think it had something to do with potassium? Yes, potassium is radioactive. I actually have told two stories about that on brin-l. The first involves a friend of mine who borrowed a sensitive radiation meter for a talk at his son's school. He was walking by my office, walked in and was describing what he was going to say, when we both noticed that the background radiation reading had gone up about 30%. He searched my office with the meter for the source and found it was the big jar of pretzels I had on my desk for friends to come and nibble. The pretzels had light salt (NaCl KCl), and the meter picked up the radiation from the potassium. The second example was when I needed a potassium source to test a natural gamma tool. I went to a super Wall Mart and bought about 12 of those blue Morton light salt containers as the source. After we used them, I brought most of them home, and we've been using them as our salt for over a year. So, for health reasons, I am using my radioactive salt as part of our food. :-) The point is that radiation has been around much longer than humans. It is a natural part of our environment. In order to remain healthy we must ingest potassium, which is radioactive. The changes in background radiation from human activity is far smaller than the natural variation in background radiation. Since we do not see a correlation between this natural variation and genetic damage, health risks, etc., we can set a fairly low limit to the risks from low level radiation. In addition, we can set a correspondingly lower limit to the damage done by the very small increase in background radiation due to human activities. Now, there are acute instances of very high exposures; and those can cause damage. Being near a nuclear bomb when it goes off can kill you in many ways. Radiation damage is one of the least likely (unless you count being burnt by the flash as radiation damage), but it does exist. However, it no more reasonable to use the danger posed by nuclear weapons as an argument against nuclear power than it is to use the dangers of napalm to argue against oil as an energy source. Dan M. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The Geek Test
From: Jon Gabriel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The Geek Test: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I'm not as of a geek as I thought: 29.19% - total geek. - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
Horn, John wrote: The Geek Test: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I'm not as of a geek as I thought: 29.19% - total geek. Bit more of a geek than I thought (ticked all possibly applicable boxes). 28.79684^*($#% bloody French keyboard! Total-Geek. Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pregnancy update
Julia Thompson wrote: I had my first (but not my last) ultrasound exam with this pregnancy. Both twin girls are fine so far. Their parents, on the other hand, are in a bit of shock at the news. And their big brother doesn't quite understand what's going on, but was interested in things in the room where the ultrasound was done. Wow, twins! Congratulations! Let's hope they don't take advantage of the fact that they outnumber you ;-) -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pregnancy update
From: Ray Ludenia [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: BRIN L [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Pregnancy update Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 23:59:46 +1000 Jon Gabriel wrote: From: Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Both twin girls are fine so far. Still more congratulations from way down south! Their parents, on the other hand, are in a bit of shock at the news. You may laugh, but here's a secret passed on to me by an aunt to her success with twin boys: name tags. (OK, it's kinda obvious) She had their names embroidered into lots of shirts. Apparently it helped tremendously. :-) To tie in with a recent thread, have you considered tattoos??? ;-) Regards, Ray. Beta and Gamma tattooed on their respective foreheads? Jon _ The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
32.34714% - Total Geek Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
In a message dated 5/28/03 12:06:48 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The odd-numbered movies suck, the even-numbered movies are good. To wit: Star Trek I, TPM - Not good. Star Trek III, TSfS - Not good I liked III - the scene where the Enterprise explodes in space and then they cut to Kirk on the ground watching it burn up in the sky is a brilliantly conceived and shot sequence, always brings a tear to my eyes. And Robin Curtis is a much better Saavik than Kirstie Alley (IMNAAHO). Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
Interesting that so far nobody on this list is any higher than low 40% Geekiness. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing... Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: beware the BIOS
- Original Message - From: Andrew Crystall [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 8:43 AM Subject: Re: beware the BIOS On 28 May 2003 at 3:07, The Fool wrote: Phoenix wants to be able to track, disable, wipe hard drives, connect to the internet, download advertising, 'secure' sections of your harddrive, without your permission: They can literally destroy your computer / HD data ay ANY time they choose. Suppose a hacker hacks their system? That hacker or virus could destroy millions of peoples machines. *sniffs* Ah yes, the sweet smell of misunderstanding. For one thing, without direct BIOS access you can't do that - and the way windows works that's not possible (a hacker triggering it) from within the OS itself*. (*certain old laptops excluded) Andy, you should know its terribly bad manners to interrupt a perfectly good rant with facts. :-) Dan M. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
From: Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I liked III - the scene where the Enterprise explodes in space and then they cut to Kirk on the ground watching it burn up in the sky is a brilliantly conceived and shot sequence, always brings a tear to my eyes. And Robin Curtis is a much better Saavik than Kirstie Alley (IMNAAHO). And let's not forget the best part, Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon commander. :-) Back at the time STIII was still new, some comedian did an impression of Chrisopher Lloyd as the Klingon Commander, but using Lloyd's Jim Ignatowski character: So Kirk - you won't hand over the Genesis Device? Well, okeydoke! Now whenever I think of Star Trek III, that's the first thing that pops into my mind. _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The Geek Test
The Nerd From Hell comes in at a pathetic... 28.20513% - Total Geek - I just love that preciseness! (I am so embarrassed!) Frankly, I suspect that the test is jaded toward more modern geeks, with more weight given toward more recent technologies. For instance, no reference to HAM radio operators... or owners of a TRS-80, or questions like did you build your own remote control model plane or fired a rocket? Or have you ever done programming through a green screen terminal? What about being a paperboy, swing bike owner, or own a glow in the dark Godzilla doll, or even got the top score on a classic video game like Donkey Kong, Defender, or pac-man? Can anyone else think up some vintage Geek values? Nerd From Hell ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pregnancy update
* Julia Thompson [Tue, 27/05/2003 at 12:51 -0500] Both twin girls are fine so far. Cool ! Their parents, on the other hand, are in a bit of shock at the news. Relax, I'm sure you'll make it marvelously ! -- Jean-Marc ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
* Jon Gabriel [Tue, 27/05/2003 at 23:30 -0400] The Geek Test: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I ranked: 44.3787% - Major Geek 25.44379% - Total Geek And I thought I was weird ... -- Jean-Marc ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
From: Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: The Geek Test Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 10:05:57 -0600 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 5/28/03 12:06:48 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The odd-numbered movies suck, the even-numbered movies are good. To wit: Star Trek I, TPM - Not good. Star Trek III, TSfS - Not good I liked III - the scene where the Enterprise explodes in space and then they cut to Kirk on the ground watching it burn up in the sky is a brilliantly conceived and shot sequence, always brings a tear to my eyes. And Robin Curtis is a much better Saavik than Kirstie Alley (IMNAAHO). And let's not forget the best part, Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon commander. :-) I really wish I could see the blooper reel from that movie. With both Christopher Lloyd and John Larroquette playing Klingons it must have been one great set. :) Haven't seen the dvd yet... does anyone know if there are interviews with either of them? Jon _ The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: uranium
Other researchers suggest new types of radioactive weapons may have been used in Afghanistan. I am not a nuclear physicist, but I would think that weapons scientists would use some other (man-made) radioactive material other than Uranium. AFAIK, Uranium is only used in DU rounds, and this is depleted (its practically lead). SNIP I was wondering if there might be groundwater contamination from these sites, but by this map Semey -as it is now called - in the north-east corner, seems pretty far from Afghanistan (about 1100 miles from the northern border by my guesstimate). I didn't see any big river connecting from Semey either. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/kazakhstan_rel94.jpg I would also think that Nuclear weapons would use something other than Uranium. It is Uranium that is found in the urine of the Afghans, not plutonium. NFH ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
* Ray Ludenia [Thu, 29/05/2003 at 00:31 +1000] Horn, John wrote: The Geek Test: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I'm not as of a geek as I thought: 29.19% - total geek. Bit more of a geek than I thought (ticked all possibly applicable boxes). 28.79684^*($#% bloody French keyboard! Total-Geek. Non French using French kbd are either compelled by force or masochist :-) Real geekness is to use dvorak keyboard. -- Jean-Marc ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
From: Jean-Marc Chaton [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: The Geek Test Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 19:14:48 +0200 * Jon Gabriel [Tue, 27/05/2003 at 23:30 -0400] The Geek Test: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I ranked: 44.3787% - Major Geek 25.44379% - Total Geek And I thought I was weird ... Gee. Thanks. :) Jon GSV No Soup For You! _ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: uranium
At 10:16 AM 5/28/03 -0700, Chad Cooper wrote: Other researchers suggest new types of radioactive weapons may have been used in Afghanistan. I am not a nuclear physicist, but I would think that weapons scientists would use some other (man-made) radioactive material other than Uranium. AFAIK, Uranium is only used in DU rounds, and this is depleted (its practically lead). No. Naturally-occurring uranium is about 99.3% U-238 (half-life 4.5 billion years) and 0.7% U-235. Only the U-235 is fissionable, so the two isotopes must be separated for use in nuclear power plants or nuclear bombs. The left-over non-fissionable material (99.6 to 99.7% U-238 IIRC, as the separation process is not perfect) is what is called depleted uranium and used in places where a metal which is significantly denser than lead is desired, such as armor-piercing rounds and as the counterweights for the control surfaces on aircraft. (From http://www.science.co.il/PTelements.asp?s=Density, the density of uranium is 17.95 g/cm^3, and the density of lead is 11.35 g/cm^3, so a given volume of uranium has 1.58 times the mass of the same volume of lead.) -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
I'm stumped on one of the questions: I WANT... to work for Microsoft Do I get zero, one, or two points for this one? Joshua _ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: uranium
At 02:03 PM 5/25/03 -0500, The Fool wrote: A small sample of Afghan civilians have shown astonishing levels of uranium in their urine, an independent scientist says. And in a related story, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory reported today that recent shipments of uranium arriving at the laboratory have contained astonishing amounts of urine. Apparently the truck drivers are drinking a lot more coffee than they used to, said an ORNL engineer who preferred to remain anonymous. Since security regulations won't allow them to leave their trucks to visit the bathroom, I guess they have to go somewhere. --Ronn! :) Bathroom humor is an American-Standard. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Pregnancy update ...um Dor-hinuf's
I wrote: on-topic [snip] /on-topic Jon replied: Topic? We don' need no stinkin' topic!! :-) [snip] Or, if you're a biologist trying to avoid pseudoscience masquerading as the real thing you might want to avoid it altogether. The man writes decent science fiction, but apparently knows nothing about mutation and genetics. Didn't we beat that point into the ground a few months ago? I hadn't read it yet, so I avoided those discussions. Actually, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I didn't expect the science to be real; I don't mind having at least one impossible thing in a novel, and I really liked the personal journey that Kaye Lang went through. And I think Stella Nova might be the name of my next Electronic Music piece! (That or Fiat Lux -- I'm re-reading Brin's _Earth_ now that I've finished _Darwin's Radio_, and since I remember how it turns out, I started with Ambiguity, the extra little story stuck in the back.) Hmm, that reminds me, I have a question for the Good Doctor... Reggie Bautista _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The Geek Test
Chad wrote: Can anyone else think up some vintage Geek values? Jon replied: Own(ed) or worn plaid shirts at any time in your life. Own(ed) a Star Trek or Star Wars Toy anything after the age of 21. Built Star Wars or Star Trek models Own(ed) a Star Trek alum album (William Shatner or Leonard Nimoy gets two points) Own(ed) a Franklin Mint Science Fiction or Fantasy anything Has ever debated whch Dr. Who was the best. Invited a Science Fiction actor to your a) communion or bar or bat mitzvah (I know someone who invited Leonard Nimoy to his Bar Mitzvah.) b) graduation c) birthday d) wedding (2+ points) Owns the full, original Star Wars multidisc album on vinyl. Worked phone Tech Support Knows what 'TARDIS' stands for. Guilty on at least 6 counts -- but I'm not saying which 6! Reggie Bautista Guessing Games Maru _ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
At 10:57 AM 5/28/03 -0700, Joshua Bell wrote: I'm stumped on one of the questions: I WANT... to work for Microsoft Do I get zero, one, or two points for this one? Minus infinity. -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The Geek Test
At 01:48 PM 5/28/03 -0400, Jon Gabriel wrote: From: Chad Cooper [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Killer Bs Discussion' [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: The Geek Test Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 09:27:03 -0700 The Nerd From Hell comes in at a pathetic... 28.20513% - Total Geek - I just love that preciseness! (I am so embarrassed!) Frankly, I suspect that the test is jaded toward more modern geeks, with more weight given toward more recent technologies. For instance, no reference to HAM radio operators... or owners of a TRS-80, or questions like did you build your own remote control model plane or fired a rocket? Or have you ever done programming through a green screen terminal? What about being a paperboy, swing bike owner, or own a glow in the dark Godzilla doll, or even got the top score on a classic video game like Donkey Kong, Defender, or pac-man? Can anyone else think up some vintage Geek values? Own(ed) or worn plaid shirts at any time in your life. How about plaid pants? How about wearing them together? (I am just asking, not confessing.) Own(ed) a Star Trek or Star Wars Toy anything after the age of 21. Guilty. Built Star Wars or Star Trek models Guilty. Own(ed) a Star Trek alum album (William Shatner or Leonard Nimoy gets two points) How about Inside Star Trek? On both vinyl and 8-track? Own(ed) a Franklin Mint Science Fiction or Fantasy anything Has ever debated whch Dr. Who was the best. Invited a Science Fiction actor to your a) communion or bar or bat mitzvah (I know someone who invited Leonard Nimoy to his Bar Mitzvah.) b) graduation c) birthday d) wedding (2+ points) How about been an actor in an SF movie? Owns the full, original Star Wars multidisc album on vinyl. Worked phone Tech Support No, I think I'd rather starve than commit suicide. Knows what 'TARDIS' stands for. Guilty. -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Brin: Preface to _Earth_
Dr. Brin: I'm re-reading _Earth_ right now and I've a got a question for you. In the preface, you wrote that the future shown in the book is about the most encouraging tomorrow I can imagine right now. What a sobering thought. Do you still feel that way? Reggie Bautista _ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Pregnancy update ...um Dor-hinuf's
From: Reggie Bautista [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Pregnancy update ...um Dor-hinuf's Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 13:06:54 -0500 I wrote: on-topic [snip] /on-topic Jon replied: Topic? We don' need no stinkin' topic!! :-) [snip] Or, if you're a biologist trying to avoid pseudoscience masquerading as the real thing you might want to avoid it altogether. The man writes decent science fiction, but apparently knows nothing about mutation and genetics. Didn't we beat that point into the ground a few months ago? I hadn't read it yet, so I avoided those discussions. Actually, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I didn't expect the science to be real; I don't mind having at least one impossible thing in a novel, and I really liked the personal journey that Kaye Lang went through. Perhaps I'm biased. I don't mind technobabble for the most part. The book just left me cold. And I think Stella Nova might be the name of my next Electronic Music piece! (That or Fiat Lux -- I'm re-reading Brin's _Earth_ now that I've finished _Darwin's Radio_, and since I remember how it turns out, I started with Ambiguity, the extra little story stuck in the back.) Hmm, that reminds me, I have a question for the Good Doctor... That also reminds me... I should have the first Earth summary posted this weekend, if I'm lucky. I'll get it posted, I promise. :) Jon _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Br!n: Preface to _Earth_
In a message dated 5/28/2003 11:18:07 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Dr. Brin: I'm re-reading _Earth_ right now and I've a got a question for you. In the preface, you wrote that the future shown in the book is about the most encouraging tomorrow I can imagine right now. What a sobering thought. Do you still feel that way? Reggie Bautista You work from the front--I'll work from the back. What happened to Stratos? William Taylor (And what are your thoughts when not sober?) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Human Sweat wasRE: Political Compass
--- Ray Ludenia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: This study found increased concentrations of manganese in an exposed population of Australian aboriginals,[what do they prefer to call themselves, you Down Under? Me (we?) downunder say: they prefer to be known as Koories. Thanks for the info; I try to stay culturally aware/sensitive as you never know who's going to walk through a clinic door, and it's nice to keep current. Debbi __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Brin-L Chat Reminder
This is just a quick reminder that the Wednesday Brin-L chat is scheduled for 3 PM Eastern/2 PM Central time in the US, or 7 PM Greenwich time, so it just started. There will probably be somebody there to talk to for at least eight hours after the start time. See my instruction page for help getting there: http://www.sloan3d.com/brinl/brinmud.html __ Steve Sloan . Huntsville, Alabama = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brin-L list pages .. http://www.brin-l.org Chmeee's 3D Objects http://www.sloan3d.com/chmeee 3D and Drawing Galleries .. http://www.sloansteady.com Software Science Fiction, Science, and Computer Links Science fiction scans . http://www.sloan3d.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
--- Jon Gabriel [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The Geek Test: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I ranked: 44.3787% - Major Geek Jon Somewhat to my surprise, I'm at only 32.54438% - Total Geek. I think it's my lack of roleplaying-ish experience... Gautam __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
dean to fcc
http://deancalltoaction.blogspot.com/2003_05_25_deancalltoaction_archive.h tml#200345599 DEAN TO FCC: CEASE AND DESIST Howard Dean today wrote to FCC Chairman Michael Powell, urging the FCC to avoid further deregulation of the American media. The text of the letter: Dear Chairman Powell, Americans cherish the freedom of the press -- and the diversity of the press that ensures they can get access to the truth and to the information they need. The Bush Administration may not appreciate that freedom and diversity, but they should not tamper with it. On June 2nd, the Federal Communications Commission should decide against allowing a single company to own multiple television stations, radio stations, and newspapers in a single town. The Bush Administration has urged the FCC to remove regulations that protect every Americans' right to a free press. This latest attempt by the Bush Administration to undermine the American ideals enshrined in our Constitution is wrong. This deregulation, like so many actions pushed for by the Bush administration, would benefit a few at the expense of the rest of us. Modifying the ban in most cities on cross-ownership of television and radio stations and newspapers will have serious repercussions for every American. A similar deregulation of radio, through the 1996 Telecommunications Act, has resulted in a 30% decline of independently-owned radio stations in the United States. This decline has reduced Americans' access to local news via radio. According to a May 27 Bloomberg story, in at least one instance local authorities were delayed in broadcasting important emergency information to the local populace because the local radio station was broadcast from out-of-state. Accelerating the disappearance of independent local media by further deregulating television and newspaper ownership is the wrong direction for this country. In my travels around the country, I have discovered that this proposed deregulation is one of the foremost issues on peoples' minds. I am asked about it everywhere--in small towns in New Hampshire, and in major cities across the nation. The American people are concerned about the future of their media, and the effect this decision will have on them. Thousands of Americans have written the FCC to oppose this rule, and members of Congress from both parties have voiced their protest and requested that you testify before them on the matter. Yet the FCC appears poised to ignore the interests of regular Americans by allowing a few massive conglomerates to gobble up our local news sources. This proposed deregulation threatens the ideals of America--the ideals of openness, free speech, free expression and free discussion, which are the backbone of our Constitution and our democracy. Therefore, I urge you to take the following actions: 1) Delay the June 2nd vote by the FCC. 2) Testify before Congress so that the Representatives of the American people can have the opportunity to question the representatives of the Bush Administration. 3) Allow for, and consider, additional public input. The FCC must provide sufficient opportunity for public input on a decision that effects every American. I appreciate your consideration. Sincerely, Governor Howard Dean, M.D. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: uranium
--- Ronn!Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: No. Naturally-occurring uranium is about 99.3% U-238 (half-life 4.5 billion years) and 0.7% U-235. Only the U-235 is fissionable, so the two isotopes must be separated for use in nuclear power plants or nuclear bombs. The left-over non-fissionable material (99.6 to 99.7% U-238 IIRC, as the separation process is not perfect) is what is called depleted uranium and used in places where a metal which is significantly denser than lead is desired, such as armor-piercing rounds and as the counterweights for the control surfaces on aircraft. (From http://www.science.co.il/PTelements.asp?s=Density, the density of uranium is 17.95 g/cm^3, and the density of lead is 11.35 g/cm^3, so a given volume of uranium has 1.58 times the mass of the same volume of lead.) -- Ronn! :) Hey Ronn. I believe that there's actually more to it than just that. DU is used in both armor and armor-piercing rounds. This isn't terribly surprising - so it steel, after all. It's useful in armor because it's very dense and very tough (osmium, for example, is denser than Uranium but also melts in your hand). It's useful in projectiles for both those reasons, plus an interesting third one - DU has some neat mechanical properties. A round made of DU that impacts instead of deforming as it punches through the armor (the way steel would) actually flakes off in bits and pieces, and the flakes tend to ignite. Thus a DU sabot round that hits an enemy tank both smashes through the armor _and_ ignites the flammable objects (ammunition and people, chiefly) inside. Gautam __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Congressmen ask Ashcroft to drop free speech prosecution
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/5955253.htm Congressmen ask Ashcroft to drop Bursey prosecution Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. - A group of Congressmen have written Attorney General John Ashcroft urging him to drop prosecution of a South Carolina man arrested for trespassing while protesting an appearance by President Bush in October. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said 11 House members - 10 Democrats and Texas Republican Ron Paul - wrote to Ashcroft that charging Brett Bursey was a mistake and is in fact a threat to the freedom of expression we should all be defending. Bursey, a longtime activist, was arrested at Columbia Metropolitan Airport before a speech by Bush on Oct. 24. Bursey was asked to leave a restricted area moments before the president arrived. Bursey says he was told to go to a designated protest site that was at least a half-mile away from the speech. Although local charges were dropped, federal authorities are still pursuing charges against Bursey under a statute that allows the Secret Service to restrict access to areas during the president's travels. As we read the First Amendment to the Constitution, the United States is a 'free speech zone,' Frank said. Frank said a citizen's right to express themselves does not depend on their doing it in a way the President finds politically amenable. Bursey, who heads the South Carolina Progressive Network, faces a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to six months in jail. The office of U.S. Attorney Strom Thurmond Jr. has said Bursey will likely face a hearing in July. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Interesting that so far nobody on this list is any higher than low 40% Geekiness. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing... I passed it along to another list, and someone came up 57.79093%, and attributed it to owning a yurt. :) That's the high one so far. And there's one woman, named Julia (no, not *that* one, the one who did something for NASA), who came out in the low-to-mid 40s. Julia p.s. that list has at least 3 people named Julia; I met one of them this weekend. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
WMD
- Original Message - From: Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 3:10 PM Subject: RE: uranium I wanted to ask you a question before Teri and I leave for a cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary. (in other words, I won't be on line for almost 10 days). I remember you making a virtual bet that we'd find a smoking gun for WMD in Iraq by about now. Any guesses as to why we didn't? Dan M. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Congressmen ask Ashcroft to drop free speech prosecution
On Wed, May 28, 2003 at 03:57:34PM -0500, The Fool wrote: http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/5955253.htm Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said 11 House members - 10 Democrats and Texas Republican Ron Paul - wrote to Ashcroft that charging Brett Bursey ^ Hey, a Texas politician with ethics! And a Republican no less! :-) -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
I ranked: 31.36095% - Total Geek Cheers! -- Han Tacoma - Wondering when the Brin-L Geek Matrix will be setup? ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
US Finds Evidence of WMD At Last - Buried in a Field Near Maryland
Published on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 by the Guardian/UK http://www.guardian.co.uk/ US Finds Evidence of WMD At Last - Buried in a Field Near Maryland by Julian Borger in Washington The good news for the Pentagon yesterday was that its investigators had finally unearthed evidence of weapons of mass destruction, including 100 vials of anthrax and other dangerous bacteria. The bad news was th at the stash was found, not in Iraq, but fewer than 50 miles from Washington, near Fort Detrick in the Maryland countryside. The anthrax was a non-virulent strain, and the discoveries are apparently remnants of an abandoned germ warfare program. They merited only a local news item in the Washington Post. But suspicious finds in Iraq have made front-page news (before later being cleared), given the failure of US military inspection teams to find evidence of the weapons that were the justification for the March invasion. Even more embarrassing for the Pentagon, there was no documentation about the various biological agents disposed of at the US bio-defense center at Fort Detrick. Iraq's failure to come up with paperwork proving the destruction of its biological arsenal was portrayed by the US as evidence of deception in the run-up to the war. In an effort to explain why no chemical or biological weapons had been found in Iraq, the US defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said yesterday the regime may have destroyed them before the war. Speaking to the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations thinktank, he said the speed of U.S. advance may have caught Iraq by surprise, but added: It is also possible that they decided that they would destroy them prior to a conflict. The US germ warfare program. at Fort Detrick was officially wound up in 1969, but the base has maintained a stock of nasty bugs to help maintain America's defenses against biological attack. The leading theory about the unsolved anthrax letter attacks in 2001 is that they were carried out by a disgruntled former Fort Detrick employee; equipment found dumped in a pond eight miles from the base has been linked to the crimes. The Fort Detrick clean-up has unearthed over 2,000 tonnes of hazardous waste. The sanitation crews were shocked to find vials containing live bacteria. As well as the vaccine form of anthrax, the discarded biological agents included Brucella melitensis, which causes the virulent flu-like disease brucellosis, and klebsiella, a cause of pneumonia. -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] w177 r0x3r y0ur s0x3rs ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: uranium
At 01:10 PM 5/28/03 -0700, Gautam Mukunda wrote: --- Ronn!Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: No. Naturally-occurring uranium is about 99.3% U-238 (half-life 4.5 billion years) and 0.7% U-235. Only the U-235 is fissionable, so the two isotopes must be separated for use in nuclear power plants or nuclear bombs. The left-over non-fissionable material (99.6 to 99.7% U-238 IIRC, as the separation process is not perfect) is what is called depleted uranium and used in places where a metal which is significantly denser than lead is desired, such as armor-piercing rounds and as the counterweights for the control surfaces on aircraft. (From http://www.science.co.il/PTelements.asp?s=Density, the density of uranium is 17.95 g/cm^3, and the density of lead is 11.35 g/cm^3, so a given volume of uranium has 1.58 times the mass of the same volume of lead.) -- Ronn! :) Hey Ronn. I believe that there's actually more to it than just that. DU is used in both armor and armor-piercing rounds. This isn't terribly surprising - so it steel, after all. It's useful in armor because it's very dense and very tough (osmium, for example, is denser than Uranium but also melts in your hand). Um, just to be picky, osmium melts at 3045°C and boils at 5027°, so you must have a rather warmer hand than I do. You may be thinking of _gallium_, which has a melting point of about 30°C and so will melt in your hand. (As would cesium and francium, but both of them are alkali metals which would react rather violently with the moisture in your hand to release hydrogen energetically enough that it would catch on fire, and francium is radioactive besides.) Osmium is indeed the densest element at 22.6 g/cm^3, though iridium is so nearly equal in density that it is very difficult to actually measure the difference in density between the two metals. It's useful in projectiles for both those reasons, plus an interesting third one - DU has some neat mechanical properties. A round made of DU that impacts instead of deforming as it punches through the armor (the way steel would) actually flakes off in bits and pieces, and the flakes tend to ignite. Thus a DU sabot round that hits an enemy tank both smashes through the armor _and_ ignites the flammable objects (ammunition and people, chiefly) inside. This is true. I suspect that an additional practical reason why DU is used is the fact that a fair amount of it is produced as a waste product of the nuclear industry . . . -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: uranium
On Wed, May 28, 2003 at 05:13:52PM -0500, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: _gallium_, which has a melting point of about 30°C and so will melt in your hand. What good is THAT? The real money is in elements that melt in your mouth but NOT in your hand, like mnmium. -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
[L3] Re: Nukes found with reactor vessel woes-NRC
--- Dan Minette [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
snippage
The point is that radiation has been around much
longer than humans. It is
a natural part of our environment. In order to
remain healthy we must
ingest potassium, which is radioactive.
This abstract claims that low-dose radiation enhances
health:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrievedb=PubMedlist_uids=10453435dopt=Abstract
[If you click on _Related Articles_ at the upper
right, other articles on 'ionizing radiation hormesis'
are retrieved, including this one which states:
...Accordingly, evolutionary and ecological
considerations suggest two components of hormesis in
relation to ionizing radiation: background radiation
hormesis based upon the background exposure to which
all organisms on earth are subjected; and
stress-derived radiation hormesis. Exposure under
stress-derived radiation hormesis is considerably
larger than under background radiation hormesis, so
significant deleterious effects from non-catastrophic
radiation normally may be impossible to detect...]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrievedb=PubMedlist_uids=10715607dopt=Abstract
*Hormesis is any physiological effect that occurs at
low doses and which cannot be anticipated by
extrapolating from toxic effects noted at high doses.
The changes in background radiation from human
activity is far smaller than
the natural variation in background radiation.
Since we do not see a
correlation between this natural variation and
genetic damage, health
risks, etc., we can set a fairly low limit to the
risks from low level radiation.
A PubMed search yields a 1999 Chinese study that finds
a significant increase in esophageal cancer, but no
other kinds, in an area of high background radiation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrievedb=PubMedlist_uids=11715418dopt=Abstract
(A later revision reports no difference; a problem
with many studies in this category - including the
Chinese ones - is using *estimates* instead of actual
measurements -- but clearly accuracy would be
difficult to achieve on a population scale...)
A 1987 Indian study reports ...Where the radiation
level is greater, cancer risk is invariably less. The
annual cancer incidence rate (per 100,000 population)
seems to decrease by 0.03/microSv increase in the
external background radiation dose from a hypothetical
incidence level of 79 per 100,000 corresponding to
zero environmental radiation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrievedb=PubMedlist_uids=3570803dopt=Abstract
[Problem: seems and hypothetical]
In addition, we can set a
correspondingly lower limit to the
damage done by the very small increase in background
radiation due to human activities.
But local excesses in workers, miners and inhabitants
where contamination of water/soil has occurred is
real.
Here is a file about the possible effects of radiation
from flying (of concern to frequent flyers and flight
crew, as well as pregnant women during a solar
particle event), with tables for various flights, from
the Jan 2000 _Nuclear News_:
http://www.ans.org/pubs/magazines/nn/pdfs/2000-1-3.pdf
This 2002 article found an increase in melanoma in
Swedish airline pilots and other skin cancers in
military pilots:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrievedb=PubMedlist_uids=11817615dopt=Abstract
Now, there are acute instances of very high
exposures; and those can cause
damage. Being near a nuclear bomb when it goes off
can kill you in many
ways. Radiation damage is one of the least likely
(unless you count being
burnt by the flash as radiation damage), but it does
exist. However, it no
more reasonable to use the danger posed by nuclear
weapons as an argument
against nuclear power than it is to use the dangers
of napalm to argue against oil as an energy source.
It's the *waste* that's the problem.
It has to be kept from the environment and future
human activity for thousands of years. {I looked for
a more precise figure on several US gov't sites, but
couldn't find it. Here is the NRC's site on
high-level waste - I didn't include the Sierra Club's,
which gave as a half-life for depleted uranium 4.5
billion years...)
http://www.nrc.gov/waste/hlw-disposal.html
Ah - from the Nuclear Energy Agency's (France) site:
...it takes about 10,000 years for the radioactivity
of such wastes to decay to the level which would have
been generated by the original ore from which the
nuclear fuel was produced, should this ore never have
been mined...
http://www.nea.fr/html/brief/brief-03.html
So even if we cut that in half, high-level waste needs
to be stored for **5,000 years**.
And the tailings pile [from mining the uranium] must
have a cover designed to control radiological hazards
for a minimum of 200 years and for 1,000 years to the
greatest extent reasonably achievable.
http://www.em.doe.gov/idb97/chap5.html
About Yucca Mountain:
Re: uranium
At 06:46 PM 5/28/03 -0400, Erik Reuter wrote: On Wed, May 28, 2003 at 05:13:52PM -0500, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: _gallium_, which has a melting point of about 30°C and so will melt in your hand. What good is THAT? The real money is in elements that melt in your mouth but NOT in your hand, like mnmium. Gallium would certainly melt in your mouth, but personally I wouldn't put it there. -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin: Preface to _Earth_
Dr. Brin: I'm re-reading _Earth_ right now and I've a got a question for you. In the preface, you wrote that the future shown in the book is about the most encouraging tomorrow I can imagine right now. What a sobering thought. Do you still feel that way? Pretty much. Except that EARTH presupposed a mature Pax Americana helping to ease in its successor, a loose, best-case world governance. Instead now we see an immature, triumphalist Pax Americana, almost deliberately spitting in the eyes of everybody in sight, driving Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing and Teheran into each others' arms. Not subtle. Not far-seeing. Not wise. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: US Finds Evidence of WMD At Last - Buried in a Field NearMaryland
--- Miller, Jeffrey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Published on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 by the Guardian/UK http://www.guardian.co.uk/ US Finds Evidence of WMD At Last - Buried in a Field Near Maryland The good news for the Pentagon yesterday was that its investigators had finally unearthed evidence of weapons of mass destruction, including 100 vials of anthrax and other dangerous bacteria. The bad news was th at the stash was found, not in Iraq, but fewer than 50 miles from Washington, near Fort Detrick in the Maryland countryside. Well, we do have documentation of *providing* various pathogenic bacteria to Iraq, as well as CDC training for at least one Iraqi scientist, back in the 80's... The anthrax was a non-virulent strain, and the discoveries are apparently remnants of an abandoned germ warfare program. They merited only a local news item in the Washington Post. But suspicious finds in Iraq have made front-page news (before later being cleared), given the failure of US military inspection teams to find evidence of the weapons that were the justification for the March invasion. Even more embarrassing for the Pentagon, there was no documentation about the various biological agents disposed of at the US bio-defense center at Fort Detrick. Iraq's failure to come up with paperwork proving the destruction of its biological arsenal was portrayed by the US as evidence of deception in the run-up to the war. snipped rest Nor was there adequate documentation at the Rocky Mountain Weapons Arsenal, where sarin-type bomlets were found, nor at Lowery AFB here. And what will the gov't make of the reams of data they want to collect for Total - excuse me, *Terrorist* -Information Awareness? Listen To Your Underlings - They Might Have Valuable Information Maru :P __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: uranium
On Wed, May 28, 2003 at 05:58:39PM -0500, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 06:46 PM 5/28/03 -0400, Erik Reuter wrote: On Wed, May 28, 2003 at 05:13:52PM -0500, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: _gallium_, which has a melting point of about 30°C and so will melt in your hand. What good is THAT? The real money is in elements that melt in your mouth but NOT in your hand, like mnmium. Gallium would certainly melt in your mouth, but personally I wouldn't put it there. You're damn right you're not putting anything in my mouth! -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Congressmen ask Ashcroft to drop free speech prosecution
-Original Message- From: Erik Reuter [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 2:47 PM To: Killer Bs Discussion Subject: Re: Congressmen ask Ashcroft to drop free speech prosecution On Wed, May 28, 2003 at 03:57:34PM -0500, The Fool wrote: http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/5955253.htm Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said 11 House members - 10 Democrats and Texas Republican Ron Paul - wrote to Ashcroft that charging Brett Bursey ^ Hey, a Texas politician with ethics! And a Republican no less! :-) Ron Paul was THE Libertarian Presidential candidate in 1988. As a libertarian who got to shake his hand during his presidential campaign, I'll take your comment as a complement to the libertarian party. Nerd From Hell Dr. Ron Paul M.D.'s Bio @ http://www.house.gov/paul/bio.htm -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Political Compass
In a message dated 5/25/2003 7:30:16 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I don't think so. I've watched Star Trek many times, as well as a bunch of other future documentaries. They show that races exist in the same way in the future as they do now. :-) That is because they are really stories about us not our ancestors. Understand that what we think of as dramatic differences are less than skin deep. Slight variations in some gene frequencies. Let me give you an example. Jews have been somewhat isolated as a breeding population for about 2 milenia. For the most part jews have bread with jews because a) there has been a very strong prohibition against marrying outside of the religion. Christians on the other hand faced dire consequences if they became involved with jews. So the amount of interbreeding was small and yet it was large enough so that there are no racial genetic differences between jews and other europeans (a little shtupping apparently goes a long way). Sure there are genetic diseases that are more common amoung jews but is simply an effect of a recent mutation in a family that just happened to be jewish. Given the amount of inter-racial mating that is going on races are doomed. We are really one population after all. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Political Compass
In a message dated 5/25/2003 10:29:37 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Correction: Mules are the sterile offspring of horses and donkeys. (ass == donkey). Bob Z: Yeah you are right I always confuse donkeys asses and mules. Specifically, breeding a male donkey and a female horse results in a mule, while the opposite apparently results in a more horse-like hinny. At least according to this site: http://www.imh.org/imh/bw/mule.html To me, that last point is pretty interesting. I wonder what would cause those differences between a mule and a hinny, when I would expect that they would have pretty much equivalent DNA? Could the pregnancy environment account for the difference? Bob Z; It is, if I remember correctly, a consequence of imprinting. In mammals the parental source of genes can have a consequences. Typically one of the two allelles from each parents is inactive in the child. So there is a difference depending on which parent is a donkey and which is horse ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pictures of the Nerd from Hell
From: Steve Sloan I just added Chad Cooper's picture to the Memberpix page: http://www.sloan3d.com/cgi-bin/memberpix.cgi?person=chadc Is it just me, or does he look kinda like Douglas Adams? ;-) I didn't see my reply to this on the list so I'm resending... Actually, I think he looks like Mandy Patinkin... Reggie Bautista Ducking Maru _ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Political Compass
I'm curious: Do those specific genetic differences cover 100% of the population of a given race and exclude other races? Could you do a blind DNA test on a person and with 100% certainty decide what race that person is? What if that person was multiracial? No you cannot determine race based on a specific genetic profile. To the extent that race is real it is a population phenomena. The frequency of different genes in a group of individuals. I don't think he was denying there were differences. His point was that there are so many different human traits (IOW, genetic differences) that vary within races and span across to other races, it's not helpful to package an arbitrary set of these characteristics (which just happen to correlate some/most of the time) as a race in the common sense (with all the social/economic/political division that it entails). In other words, he wasn't denying genetics, just rejecting the term race in its common sense, which has greater connotations and divisions than just meaning the small genetic differences. The point is that in the abscence of politics, race would be an uncontroversial scientific notion with some value. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: SCOUTED: Massive Tsunami Sweeps Atlantic Ocean InAsteroid Impact Scenario For March 16, 2880
At 05:28 PM 5/27/2003 -0500, you wrote: http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/press_releases/text.asp?pid=355 May 27, 2003 Contact: Tim Stephens (831) 459-2495; [EMAIL PROTECTED] UC Santa Cruz Press Release Massive tsunami sweeps Atlantic Coast in asteroid impact scenario for March 16, 2880 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SANTA CRUZ, CA--If an asteroid crashes into the Earth, it is likely to splash down somewhere in the oceans that cover 70 percent of the planet's surface. Huge tsunami waves, spreading out from the impact site like the ripples from a rock tossed into a pond, would inundate heavily populated coastal areas. A computer simulation of an asteroid impact tsunami developed by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, shows waves as high as 400 feet sweeping onto the Atlantic Coast of the United States. snip Computer simulations not only give scientists a better handle on the potential hazards of asteroid impacts, they can also help researchers interpret the geologic evidence of past events, Ward said. Geologists have found evidence of past asteroid impact tsunamis in the form of inland sediment deposits and disturbed sediment layers in the seafloor that correlate with craters, meteorite fragments, and other impact evidence. An important feature of Ward's simulation is that it enabled him to calculate the speed of the water flows created by the tsunami at the bottom of the ocean--more than 3 feet per second out to distances of several hundred miles from the impact. Splat Maru What I want to know is: How far inland will a 400 foot wave cause destruction? I don't think Deep Impact was a bad movie, near the end after the hit, they used awful animation to show the waves lapping up the eastern seaboard hills. Just wondering. Kevin T. - VRWC So you're a feminist...ain't that cute? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Mules, Donkeys and Horses (was Re: Political Compass)
At 09:26 PM 5/28/03 -0400, Han Tacoma wrote: Bryon Daly (Sun, 25 May 2003 23:29:37 -0400) wrote: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Donkeys are the sterile offspring of horses and asses. They are hybrids. Correction: Mules are the sterile offspring of horses and donkeys. (ass == donkey). Specifically, breeding a male donkey and a female horse results in a mule, while the opposite apparently results in a more horse-like hinny. At least according to this site: http://www.imh.org/imh/bw/mule.html [...snip...] When I was about 12/13 years old, I used to spend my summer vacations at the coffee plantation that my father managed in the Peruvian jungle. We only used mules (other than the Land Rover and the Auto Union amphibian) to get around the plantation (about 3,000,000 acres). I still remember the explanation my father gave me Horses will walk at night but they don't watch where they're going; donkeys are very safe in navigating jungle terrain but will refuse to walk at night, whereas the mule will walk at night and _feel_ it's steps before committing itself -- very smart animal. Yes, but they are quite literally a pain in the butt to ride bareback. -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: SCOUTED: Massive Tsunami Sweeps Atlantic Ocean InAsteroid Impact Scenario For March 16, 2880
At 09:55 PM 5/28/03 -0400, Kevin Tarr wrote: At 05:28 PM 5/27/2003 -0500, you wrote: http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/press_releases/text.asp?pid=355 May 27, 2003 Contact: Tim Stephens (831) 459-2495; [EMAIL PROTECTED] UC Santa Cruz Press Release Massive tsunami sweeps Atlantic Coast in asteroid impact scenario for March 16, 2880 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SANTA CRUZ, CA--If an asteroid crashes into the Earth, it is likely to splash down somewhere in the oceans that cover 70 percent of the planet's surface. Huge tsunami waves, spreading out from the impact site like the ripples from a rock tossed into a pond, would inundate heavily populated coastal areas. A computer simulation of an asteroid impact tsunami developed by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, shows waves as high as 400 feet sweeping onto the Atlantic Coast of the United States. snip Computer simulations not only give scientists a better handle on the potential hazards of asteroid impacts, they can also help researchers interpret the geologic evidence of past events, Ward said. Geologists have found evidence of past asteroid impact tsunamis in the form of inland sediment deposits and disturbed sediment layers in the seafloor that correlate with craters, meteorite fragments, and other impact evidence. An important feature of Ward's simulation is that it enabled him to calculate the speed of the water flows created by the tsunami at the bottom of the ocean--more than 3 feet per second out to distances of several hundred miles from the impact. Splat Maru What I want to know is: How far inland will a 400 foot wave cause destruction? I don't think Deep Impact was a bad movie, near the end after the hit, they used awful animation to show the waves lapping up the eastern seaboard hills. Just wondering. Well, I'm about 760 feet above sea level here . . . Kevin T. - VRWC So you're a feminist...ain't that cute? You're apparently feeling suicidal tonight . . . -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
At 11:30 PM 5/27/2003 -0400, you wrote: The Geek Test: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I ranked: 44.3787% - Major Geek Jon 40.63116% - MG Some made me laugh out loud. They should have had subtraction questions(do you know sports or gone to a sporting event of your own free will, not to make someone happy or because you were in the band; have you had sexwith another person; know how to drive, a stick shift). Mine would be lower. Not saying you can't be a geek if you know these things Kevin T. - VRWC So you're a feminist..ain't that cute? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
At 10:34 PM 5/28/2003 -0400, you wrote: At 11:30 PM 5/27/2003 -0400, you wrote: The Geek Test: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I ranked: 44.3787% - Major Geek Jon 40.63116% - MG Some made me laugh out loud. They should have had subtraction questions(do you know sports or gone to a sporting event of your own free will, not to make someone happy or because you were in the band; have you had sexwith another person; know how to drive, a stick shift). Mine would be lower. Not saying you can't be a geek if you know these things Kevin T. - VRWC So you're a feminist..ain't that cute? Replying to myself: I'm third highest on this list, and I don't consider myself a geek at all, and I doubt any real life friends would describe me that way. From Chad: Or have you ever done programming through a green screen terminal? I do that NOW. Kevin T. okay, it's an emulatorbut still Also if I go the way I'd like, I would have a dedicated terminal. But they have orange screens. I'm only 15 years behind on my career path. if I only knew then what I know now ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Political Compass
- Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 7:41 PM Subject: Re: Political Compass In a message dated 5/25/2003 7:30:16 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I don't think so. I've watched Star Trek many times, as well as a bunch of other future documentaries. They show that races exist in the same way in the future as they do now. :-) That is because they are really stories about us not our ancestors. No, they are the history of our decendents. They just used time reversal to send the stories back to us. :-) Dan M. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Interesting that so far nobody on this list is any higher than low 40% Geekiness. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing... OK, from the other list, my former boss took it, and he scored 60.5527% Extreme Geek. This is the highest score I've seen yet, and if someone told me he'd score higher than anyone else I knew who took the test, it wouldn't exactly surprise me. The former co-worker who took it scored 36.88363% - Major Geek and was disappointed that his score was so low. I haven't heard from the other former co-worker who's on that list, but I don't think he's quite as geeky. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Congressmen ask Ashcroft to drop free speech prosecution
Erik Reuter wrote: On Wed, May 28, 2003 at 03:57:34PM -0500, The Fool wrote: http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/5955253.htm Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said 11 House members - 10 Democrats and Texas Republican Ron Paul - wrote to Ashcroft that charging Brett Bursey ^ Hey, a Texas politician with ethics! And a Republican no less! :-) He's not really a Republican, just runs in the Republican primary and makes it, and gets elected in the general election. He's a lot closer to being a Libertarian, by the way he votes, etc. than any other Republican I know of in Congress. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pictures of the Nerd from Hell
Reggie Bautista wrote: I didn't see my reply to this on the list so I'm resending... Actually, I think he looks like Mandy Patinkin... Reggie Bautista Ducking Maru Yeah, I can see that. Me Too Maru ;-) __ Steve Sloan . Huntsville, Alabama = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brin-L list pages .. http://www.brin-l.org Chmeee's 3D Objects http://www.sloan3d.com/chmeee 3D and Drawing Galleries .. http://www.sloansteady.com Software Science Fiction, Science, and Computer Links Science fiction scans . http://www.sloan3d.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [L3] Re: Nukes found with reactor vessel woes-NRC
--- Deborah Harrell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snippage with some rearrangement of first sentence other articles on 'ionizing radiation hormesis' include this one which states: ...Accordingly, evolutionary and ecological considerations suggest two components of hormesis in relation to ionizing radiation: background radiation hormesis based upon the background exposure to which all organisms on earth are subjected; and stress-derived radiation hormesis. Exposure under stress-derived radiation hormesis is considerably larger than under background radiation hormesis, so significant deleterious effects from non-catastrophic radiation normally may be impossible to detect...] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrievedb=PubMedlist_uids=10715607dopt=Abstract *Hormesis is any physiological effect that occurs at low doses and which cannot be anticipated by extrapolating from toxic effects noted at high doses. snipped rest On the way to a lesson earlier, I thought of why 'radiation hormesis' could be possible: just as the immune system is stimulated by normal gut bacteria to become more efficient at hunting down invading, pathogenic bacteria, perhaps it is also stimulated by radiation-damaged skin cells to hunt down other mutated cells in the body. Debbi On-The-Job-Training? Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pregnancy update ...um Dor-hinuf's
Reggie Bautista wrote: on-topic I'm near the end of Greg Bear's _Darwin's Radio_, and without being too spoilerish, there's a character that swears her unborn child can hear it's father singing it to sleep. /on-topic Just ask any expecting mother how their little one reacts to noises, and which songs are their favorites. -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: uranium
Chad Cooper wrote: Other researchers suggest new types of radioactive weapons may have been used in Afghanistan. I am not a nuclear physicist, but I would think that weapons scientists would use some other (man-made) radioactive material other than Uranium. AFAIK, Uranium is only used in DU rounds, and this is depleted (its practically lead). Depleted uranium is not used in cannon shells for its radioactivity, but rather for its chemical properties. IIRC, it heats up and vaporizes very nicely, making it excellent for armor piercing rounds. However, the downside is that it is very toxic, chemically. -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Scouted: Hormone Replacement Therapy started after age 65 increasesdementia risk
sigh HRT, at least with PremPro, actually increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's-type dementia, as well as ischemic stroke. So while we thought we were lowering the risk of heart and other vascular diseases, and fighting off dementia, we were making it worse... http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/65/72752.htm?printing=true ...HRT does protect against colon cancer and osteoporosis. But the harm outweighs the benefits... So for now, this combination should only be used short-term to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Debbi Just When Ya Think Yer Helpin' Maru :( __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
More Medical Controversies: PSA test
A single elevated PSA (prostate specific antigen) should be repeated in 4-6 weeks, instead of 1 week, to rule out a temporary elevation [which can signify prostate cancer; however this article did not address use of the ratio of free to bound PSA, which appears to be more specific for cancer if the level is elevated]. http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/65/72746.htm?printing=true ...The PSA blood test, first introduced in the U.S. in 1986, is still a controversial test for prostate cancer. Even though a PSA test is likely to detect prostate cancer at an earlier stage, there is no evidence that the test saves lives. This is because prostate cancer is generally slow-growing and typically strikes men at an older age, when they are more likely to die from other causes. Thus, treating prostate cancer in some men, the argument goes, may cause more harm than benefit... Of course, if it occurs in younger men (~60, it tends to be more aggressive, and treatment may extend life, whereas it generally doesn't at older ages (~75+). Medicine is past the 'howitzer blasting' stage in many cases, but we're still hunting lots of 'wasps' with the equivalent of sawed-off shotguns... :/ Debbi who is really hacked off that accurate advice can't be given for so many conditions (but things are still way better than they were 50 years ago) __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
I forwarded this to work and sent it to co-workers. One AF Major, PhD in Comp Sci from the AF Academy scored a 48 plus. George A - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 12:47 AM Subject: Re: The Geek Test Interesting that so far nobody on this list is any higher than low 40% Geekiness. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing... Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
