Re: Jaffa cakes biccie
On Sep 25, 2009, at 8:05 AM, Charlie Bell wrote: On 25/09/2009, at 4:20 AM, Jo Anne wrote: Charlie wrote: A kind of biccie (or possibly a cake?). A sort of sponge base with an orangey bit and a chocalate covering on one side. :) ROFL! Now it's *perfectly* clear. What the heck is a biccie? Biccie is biscuit in the same way that sarnie is sandwich. A bickie is indeed a biscuit to right-thinking people, but that's just going to confuse others who think a biscuit is a small bread more like a scone. I hope Jo Anne remembers her lessons in Aussie-speak, so she probably knows what you mean. For more info on Jaffa cake, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_cake Regards, Ray. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The thread about the thread Re: DeLong on health insurance reform
On Sep 13, 2009, at 10:21 AM, Doug Pensinger wrote: Hi Ray, glad to see you're still hanging out. Are you ready for spring, or does it make that much of a difference? The change of seasons is not as obvious here as it seemed to be in the States as we toured around last year. We don't go from ridiculous negative temperatures to extreme heat as for example in Colorado. It's gradually getting warmer now (the low 20s C) and it looks like we might be expecting another horror bushfire season. Melbourne's dams are still below 30% full after 12 years of drought. So how do you like your health care? Um, I'd like my health care to be unnecessary! If you mean do I like Australia's system?, then overall, I'd say yes. There is universal health coverage under the government mandated Medicare system, and as well as that, many people also to take out private health cover (which is subsidised by a 30% gov contribution). I won't go into detail here, but I encourage those on both sides of the debate to perhaps check out: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/healthsystem-overview-1-Introduction or http://tinyurl.com/qppnmu Being a government site, it perhaps paints too rosy a picture, but it does give the outline of the system. From discussions with many people during our US trip last year, it was amazing to us what a worry it was to US citizens about how to pay for their health care. Some of the premiums discussed were to our ears, unbelievable. Relying so much on employer-sponsored health benefits seems to me a strange system. The employed surely are far more able to pay for their own health coverage than the unemployed. Here in Australia, at least everyone is entitled to basic care, usually with little copayment required. It obviously does help if you can afford to take out private health insurance was well, as it increases the range of choices you have for treatment. Regards, Ray. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The thread about the thread Re: DeLong on health insurance reform
On Sep 11, 2009, at 4:35 AM, dsummersmi...@comcast.net wrote: As Obama said this morning, we should be able to civilly differ when strongly held opinions differ...particularly on a mailing list where RL is only occassionally involved. I fail to see what difference it makes how often I am involved. Surely this should be the case with or without my participation! Regards, RL. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Wildfires Down Under?
On Mar 7, 2009, at 11:26 AM, Charlie Bell wrote: On 07/03/2009, at 5:07 AM, Horn, John wrote: How are things on the wildfire front down under? A lot better - We've had a cool change (it's down to mid-teens rather than high 30s!) and we've finally had some proper rain. Hopefully the fire season is over for this year, and it's good to get the first real rain for the year to refill our water tank. Just for something different, we had an earthquake here last night, magnitude 4.7 which is not that impressive for areas used to them, but large by local standards. It was felt over a large area, including much of Melbourne. Epicentre was 600 metres from our house! We certainly felt it. http://snipurl.com/dbjdk [earthquake_usgs_gov] http://snipurl.com/dbjft [maps_google_com] Zoom in and you'll see our place just to the NW. Regards, Ray Ludenia. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: [Brin-l] Australian Fires and Floods
On Feb 12, 2009, at 7:13 PM, Charlie Bell wrote: On 12/02/2009, at 7:48 AM, Jo Anne wrote: BTW, Ray and Maree went back to Australia on Feb. 4. They live S.E. Of Melbourne. I haven't heard from them and I hope they are OK. Does anyone know I haven't spoken to them, but I don't think there were any fires around them - the Gippsland fires were about 40km to their east. But I'm sure they're a bit nervous - it's tinder dry everywhere, and they're on a hill. We made it back safely and without any drama (or even jet-lag!), just in time to experience the record temperature. We are (relatively) safe where we are and we are not surrounded by trees. The scale of the devastation caused by the fires is terrible. It will be interesting to see what the Royal Commission set up to investigate the fires will say about the advice given to people as to whether to fight the fire or flee, and recommendations about fuel reduction burn-offs. I have been hearing an awful lot of greenie bashing around here because of their perceived opposition to burning- off and clearing trees around dwellings. Regards, Ray Ludenia. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
On Topic shocker!
On Nov 16, 2008, at 5:23 PM, Olin Elliott wrote: I'm a little surprised, since this is a David Brin discussion group, that no one has suggested that the best possible fix for government waste and courruption is greater transparency and accountability. Speaking of the illustrious patron, I just read an interesting little suggestion he made in Discover magazine, giving advice on what the next POTUS needs to do for science. http://snipurl.com/5nwoy [blogs_discovermagazine_com] The idea of a shadow scientific Congress sounds like an idea with merit. (Unfortunately perhaps), I suppose this idea could be extended to economists, lawyers, artists etc. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Franklin Delano Bush
On Nov 9, 2008, at 7:05 AM, John Williams wrote: On Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 9:15 PM, Wayne Eddy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The only reason the government makes bad decisions is because it is made up of people. The private sector is made up of people too. The private sector is made up of MORE people, and more involved people, both of which tend to result in better decisions. So to get governments to make better decisions, you would advocate they employ many more people? What a facile solution. I thought you knew better than that. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Global Warming
On May 6, 2008, at 10:49 PM, Doug Pensinger wrote: Ray wrote: On May 5, 2008, at 8:58 AM, Mauro Diotallevi wrote: IAAMOAC is his original motto, at least seven years old (see http://www.davidbrin.com/parting.html but I think I remember him using it before that). He certainly did use it earlier than that. The earliest message I have archived using IAAMOAC is from Feb 23 1997, strangely enough from DB himself in a message he sent off-list. The oldest list message I have using this is from March 30 1997 though I'm sure this would not be the first time it was used on the list. Anyone have better archives than my spotty ones? I found it mentioned in a post by Barbera Ott on January 2, 1997, but the way it was used, I'm sure it wasn't the first time either. Can you share what the off list message was about? Doug ___ It was a very brief message about something I'd written criticising how he had responded to a couple of other peoples' posts. Can't see any harm in passing it on in it's entirety. (Except perhaps exposing his poor spelling!) On Feb 23, 1997, at 1:40 PM, d.brin wrote: peeece! ;-) (and genuine respect) IAAMOAC --DB Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Global Warming
On May 5, 2008, at 8:58 AM, Mauro Diotallevi wrote: IAAMOAC is his original motto, at least seven years old (see http://www.davidbrin.com/parting.html but I think I remember him using it before that). He certainly did use it earlier than that. The earliest message I have archived using IAAMOAC is from Feb 23 1997, strangely enough from DB himself in a message he sent off-list. The oldest list message I have using this is from March 30 1997 though I'm sure this would not be the first time it was used on the list. Anyone have better archives than my spotty ones? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Bay Area gathering? (was Re: Opera Night)
On Apr 10, 2008, at 11:13 AM, Nick Arnett wrote: Hey, who else is joining us? I KNOW you're out there. I'll bet you didn't know that I'm out there. Maree and I drove through SF today, and are staying in Petaluma for a few days. We plan to do a few trips in to see the sights and may well be interested in meeting up. Regards, Ray Ludenia. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Germany moves to ban Scientology
On 12/12/2007, at 2:07 PM, Julia Thompson wrote: On Tue, 11 Dec 2007, Ronn! Blankenship wrote: It leaves more space and money for collecting books. Money, maybe. How much space for books will be saved by not collecting stamps? Or do I just not know any serious philatelists? Can't say I'm a very serious one, but there's two or three metres of prime shelf space taken up by the annual collections published in albums by Australia Post alone! It's academic anyway as we can no longer fit all our books in the library we put in a few years ago, even though the shelves are floor to ceiling on all four walls. Books are more prolific breeders than coat hangers in our place. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Turkey, Genocide Congress.
On 16/10/2007, at 5:01 AM, Gary Nunn wrote: Even if it WAS genocide, the question still remains: what good comes from making that declaration 90 years after the fact? How does that improve the world today? Facile answer: Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Crossing that bridge . . .
On 17/10/2007, at 6:27 AM, Ronn! Blankenship wrote: On this day in 1843, Sir William Rowan Hamilton comes up with the idea of quaternions, a non-commutative extension of complex numbers. Not to forget that it is also the day George H. Trabert, hymn translator, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Turkey, Genocide Congress.
On 15/10/2007, at 9:28 AM, David Hobby wrote: Gary Nunn wrote: I'm REALLY struggling with this one. I don't understand what good could possibly come from passing a resolution labeling this WW1 issue as genocide. I tend to agree with you on a practical basis, and I have actually been thinking about this particular incident for a while now. However, then my idealistic streak kicks in and I ask why is it then a crime to be a holocaust denier? That's ancient history to most people now. What about the Japanese denials of war atrocities? Yes, I'd say that too. But then look at the reaction from Turkey! Most scholars call it genocide; maybe it's time the Turks admitted it. I do like Alberto's suggestion about this! Of course, to be fair, there should be matching resolutions for EVERY country. They could go through the alphabet, and do one a week.. Quite right as I started saying above. Where does one draw the line? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: blood type
On 10/10/2007, at 9:46 PM, Julia Thompson wrote: (My biggest complaint about my fish allergy is not being able to eat lox.) I can't even drink it! Liquid oxygen??? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: blood type
On 11/10/2007, at 12:05 AM, Julia Thompson wrote: On Wed, 10 Oct 2007, Ray Ludenia wrote: On 10/10/2007, at 9:46 PM, Julia Thompson wrote: (My biggest complaint about my fish allergy is not being able to eat lox.) I can't even drink it! Liquid oxygen??? Smoked salmon. Not recently! How do you get it to light??? Americans do have some peculiar habits ;-) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Signs
A few sent by my brother-in-law from Africa. http://raylud.googlepages.com/africa Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: ban lawns
On 24/09/2007, at 10:04 AM, Robert Seeberger wrote: Watering lawns is not always a problem Maybe in your neck of the woods, Rob. In Melbourne and most of the state of Victoria (and much of the rest of Australia), watering lawns is a big no-no. It's got to the stage that sports grounds etc may be becoming to hazardous to play on, as watering restrictions are so severe here. Storage levels are below 40%,even though water use is now down over 20% from the 1990's, despite increased population. Normally, this is the wettest part of the year here, but it's not looking good for the coming summer. Personally, we have no problems, as we have a 45000 litre tank which fills up rapidly from our roof, and a dam (which is not refilling the way I would like - still less than half full). For details, see http://tinyurl.com/34honn It has some interesting graphs. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Why so little renewable energy 30 years after the sweater speach?
On 05/09/2007, at 7:24 AM, Robert Seeberger wrote: - Original Message - From: Ray Ludenia [EMAIL PROTECTED]Around here (Australia) petrol is about 120-130c/litre (roughly US$1 so I guess about US$4.50 per gallon... WRONG! 3.78 litres to a US gallon so I think about US$3.80 per US gallon. Here we would be a bit less likely to use LPG and a bit more likely to use LNG for vehicles. We already have a small LNG infrastructure for bus and fleet usage and a containerized infrastructure for forklifts and such (and patio bar-b-ques). I'm not sure about how we use LPG here. But since I only see it in train tankers and big trucks, I would guess it is used mainly in industrial processes. But I could easily be wrong about that. The big advantage here is the price of LPG, (approx US$1.50/gal) about 40% that of petrol. Not only that, but car conversions to run on dual fuel (petrol and LPG) are strongly subsidised by the Federal Gov. In my case, I was refunded A$2000 of the total cost of under A$2700. It doesn't take long to break even at that rate! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Why so little renewable energy 30 years after the sweater speach?
Alberto, you better not read this; it will only aggravate you! On 03/09/2007, at 11:40 AM, Dan Minettte wrote: I hope you remember my suggestion of a fossil fuel tax that would...as part of it...add about $5.00 per gallon of gasoline as an incentive to conserve and use other energy forms. As a matter of interest, roughly what is the price of petrol (gas in US)? (My car is dual fuel: petrol and LPG. Would USians have to say gas and gas???). How does this compare to current European prices? Around here (Australia) petrol is about 120-130c/litre (roughly US$1 so I guess about US$4.50 per gallon... WRONG! 3.78 litres to a US gallon so I think about US$3.80 per US gallon. Regards, Ray. Gallons ain't necessarily gallons! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Am I married to a terrorist?
On 19/08/2007, at 11:32 AM, Alberto Vieira Ferreira Monteiro wrote: Today, when we [me + wife + 3 kids] went to watch the Pseudo-Para Pan American Games, my wife was barred at the door. She was hiding a WMD inside her purse, so hidden that she herself wasn't aware of it. It was a very lethal small left-handed scissors covered with rust and with a no-longer sharp blade. In other words, a terrorist's weapon! Abdullah Mahmoud I must say it does not surprise me that she was barred. In fact I'm surprised she wasn't arrested on the spot. From your description, it appears to be a particularly sinister pair of scissors. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Whinging
On 11/10/2006, at 6:31 AM, Julia Thompson wrote: Actually, someone did a study where they took a bunch of snorers and had some of them take didgeridoo lessons, and follow-up found that that group had fewer problems with snoring after a number of months than the control group. I would have thought that practicing the didgeridoo would simply allow development of continuous snoring using the circular breathing technique. Not much of an improvement! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Whinging
On 10/10/2006, at 6:29 AM, Matt Grimaldi wrote: - Original Message From: Ronn!Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion brin-l@mccmedia.com Sent: Monday, October 9, 2006 6:00:17 AM Subject: Re: We Will Not Be Afraid At 12:20 PM Saturday 10/7/2006, Julia Thompson wrote: Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 11:30 AM Saturday 10/7/2006, Julia Thompson wrote: pencimen wrote: Charlie wrote: Hmm. I think intent is important. Some words may have been offensive once, but 50 years is a long time in language. Pom used to be offensive in Oz, but it's not now, unless it's accompanied by an adjective (usually whinging...). pffft! WTF is whinging? ] I asked someone in the UK who uses that word frequently (it is in his ] .sig file, for whatever that says about him) and his response was ] that as far as he knew there is no significant difference, and that ] it is interchangeable with whining . . . ] ]-- Ronn! :) But it also seems to have a usage which can make it similar to wheedling or even begging. In the original context of whinging pom, it definitely means complaining or whining in Australia. It was applied to those poms who migrated out here, and who were disappointed that things were different from home. A commonly accepted derivation of pom is from pommie, or Prisoner Of Mother England, I guess going back to the old days when the UK practised foreign rendition a couple of hundred years ago. ;- Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Whinging
On 10/10/2006, at 10:29 PM, Charlie Bell wrote: On 10/10/2006, at 10:15 PM, Ray Ludenia wrote: In the original context of whinging pom, it definitely means complaining or whining in Australia. It was applied to those poms who migrated out here, and who were disappointed that things were different from home. A commonly accepted derivation of pom is from pommie, or Prisoner Of Mother England, I guess going back to the old days when the UK practised foreign rendition a couple of hundred years ago. ;- Although it does seem to be apocryphal, that explanation. The true derivation may have been lost for good. I think you're right Charlie, but this is the one I'm used to. Ray, I've not got your contact details anymore. Could you mail me your phone number? We'll try to pop down in a few weeks time. :-) Done! Charlie Closest Brineller Maru Closet Brineller Maru? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Wealthy couples travel to U.S. to choose baby's sex
On 21/07/2006, at 4:47 PM, Charlie Bell wrote: Hate it when I do that. Blame the jet lag. Welcome to our newest Aussie member! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Good Math, Bad Math entry
On 22/05/2006, at 4:52 PM, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 11:23 PM Sunday 5/21/2006, Julia Thompson wrote: Yeah, well, as I was going through the blog entry, I kept seeing this multiple of 47, which bothered me. (It being a multiple of 47 was what bothered me.) :) Then again, I'm weird. My favorite integer right now is 21504. Julia y? y'? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Br!n-L anniversary date
On 28/04/2006, at 8:11 PM, Charlie Bell wrote: On 28/04/2006, at 10:16 AM, Russell Chapman wrote: I happened to be looking for an old email in my mail folders when I came across some stuff I had saved from mid 1996 from the list. I know we went through all this 5 years ago, but I can't remember - did we ever determine when the list actually started? I'm sure there are people here who were here well before me (Julia and Steve for starters), so it must be close to a decade old. I (first) joined in late 97. iirc... Charlie. I found my subscription email from October 1996, and the list had been going a while before that. I suspect 10 year anniversary may have already passed. Speaking of anniversaries, I'm off to my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary this weekend, and I am currently organising the 30 year reunion of an overland bus trip (Kathmandu to London) which we hold every 5 years. Ahh, the good old days... Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Charlie's Partnership
On 27/03/2006, at 11:37 AM, Jo Anne wrote: Charlie Bell Wrote: our Partner Application Visa in before I have to leave... Jeez, Charlie, did you think I was gonna let that one go? I thought you weren't a couple. Did I miss something? (Not that *that* would be unusual...) Charlie is a couple??? Of what, may I ask? Regards, Ray. PS Charlie: Best of luck with the application. Having been a referee for someone, I understand the paperwork involved. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hello (hello, hello)
Synchronicity strikes again! This song just happened to be playing in the car today, causing me to explain the existence of this thread to my wife. Thanks everyone for all those sweet lyrics coursing through my addled brain the last few days! Regards, Ray. On 22/03/2006, at 10:43 AM, Robert Seeberger wrote: Wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’ Plannin’ and dreamin’ each night of his charms That won’t get you into his arms So if you’re lookin’ to find love you can share All you gotta do is hold him and kiss him and love him And show him that you care Show him that you care just for him Do the things he likes to do Wear your hair just for him, ’cause You won’t get him Thinkin’ and a-prayin’, wishin’ and a-hopin’ ’cause wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’ Plannin’ and dreamin’ his kisses will start That won’t get you into his heart So if you’re thinkin’ of how great true love is All you gotta do is hold him and kiss him and squeeze him and love him Yeah, just do it And after you do, you will be his You gotta show him that you care just for him Do the things he likes to do Wear your hair just for him, ’cause You won’t get him Thinkin’ and a-prayin’, wishin’ and a-hopin’ ’cause wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’ Plannin’ and dreamin’ his kisses will start That won’t get you into his heart So if you’re thinkin’ of how great true love is All you gotta do is hold him and kiss him and squeeze him and love him Yeah, just do it And after you do, you will be his You will be his You will be his xponent Synchopated Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Question for Aussies
On 01/02/2006, at 1:46 PM, Julia Thompson wrote: The Austinite in question was working in Australia (Dell moved him out there, he'd been working in Austin/Round Rock before then) for at least 3 years and fell in love with meat pies, and thought that enough other folks in Austin would feel the same way that he could make a go at running a restaurant. :) (From the sounds of it, it's pretty affordable, as well.) On the blasphemy list, turkey avacado wouldn't be so bad. (That's a combination I see offered for sandwiches, anyway.) But something with lots of beef and some potato sounds really, really good to me. He is offering some vegetarian selections (you can't open an off-beat restaurant in Austin and NOT have vegetarian selections, if you want to stay in business for very long), as well, but depending on what's in them, I might be more inclined to stick to the beef. Personally, I'm not sure a real Aussie pie could be meatless (regardless of what constitutes meat). However, a vegetable pastie is quite nice. (A pastie is shaped quite differently from a pie, usually a circular piece of pastry folded in half containing the filling, which may or may not contain some meat as well as the obligatory vegies (potatoes, carrots, peas etc)). For a picture, see: http://www.hannammarket.co.kr/upload/1050293097/DSCN0383.JPG I wonder whether the restaurant would offer a pea floater which is a South Australian speciality. It consists of a meat pie floating in pea soup, and with tomato sauce on top looks interesting. Regards, Ray ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin website - Browsers, versions countries...
On 19/10/2005, at 1:23 PM, Gary Nunn wrote: If anyone visits the mirror site , especially via the DavidBrin.net redirect, please post it here or email me directly and let me know what make and version of browser you are using. Also, if any list members are from Asia or Australia, or if you know anyone from either, please have them access both DavidBrin.com and DavidBrin.net to see if they can access either. If DavidBrin.net isn't accessible, let me know and I will make sure the country isn't blocked from using the .net redirect. Using Camino, on davidbrin.net, all I get is: Site Temporarily Unavailable We apologize for the inconvenience. Please contact the webmaster/ tech support immediately to have them rectify this. error id: bad_httpd_conf Exactly the same result using IE. I'm using a Mac in Australia. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Just for the record...
On 18/05/2005, at 10:49 AM, Erik Reuter wrote: How disappointing! Julia started a whining thread just tailor-made to draw the nonsense-spouting whiners, like flies to shit. It sure worked. Here you are! Hey, so am I. :( or :) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Br!n: Re: more neocons
On 12/05/2005, at 8:15 AM, Dan Minette wrote: But, there were pro-Nazi terrorists for a couple of years. We had a lot tighter control there than in Iraq, so I don't think they could hide a camp, but there were terrorists. Any cites on this Dan (or anyone else)? This is not something I've heard about before. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: an item from the culture war front
On 21/03/2005, at 11:52 AM, d.brin wrote things: Was I the only one who when they read the subject line, conjured up visions of a declaration of war with that other list Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: quantum darwin?
On 21/03/2005, at 3:23 PM, Erik Reuter wrote: * Dan Minette ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: In reletivistic quantum mechanics, this is stated as Spacelike operators must commute. So, going back to our example of two spin 1/2 particles in a spin zero state, if we have call the operator for measuring the spin of particle 1: A and the operator for measuring the spin of particle 2: B, we find that if we perform A then B on the wavefunction BA(|+- + |-+)/sqrt(2) one gets |+- half of the time and |-+ half of the time. (the operator closest to the ket (which is what |s are called) operates first. If we perform B then A, we obtain exactly the same results. There is no difference in the results if you perform A then B or B then A. So, the operators do commute. I have my doubts whether anyone who hasn't taken quantum mechanics could follow that paragraph. But I imagine serious quantum-less people could follow the rest of the post. Except that no one said anything...h I'll say anything then. Seemed clear enough to me. All of these hits are basically non-lethal. It was still possible in the '50s and early '60s to consider his hidden variable theory something that would be a theory of real observables once we probed a bit deeper. But, there was a big development in the mid-60s that eliminated hidden variable theories from serious consideration. That will be in the next installment. Ah, EPR coming? Are you saving these for your forthcoming _Physics for Poets_ book? Hardly seems likely. Dan is from the famous shut up and calculate school after all. More likely to be titled _Physics for Non-Metaphysicians_? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: quantum darwin?
On 13/03/2005, at 9:57 AM, Dan Minette wrote: The best place to start, I think, is spin. My old foundations of QM teacher said that spin was probably the most QMish of all the aspects of QM. So, lets consider a spin 1/2 particle: the electron. Spin is intrinsic angular momentum. It cannot be the real spinning of the electron without the surface of the electron going faster than the speed of light. So, here we have one new feature alreadyintrinsic angular momentum without any observable motion. In any given direction, a measurement of the spin of the electron gives either +1/2 or -1/2. If one measures the spin of the electron as up in a given direction, and then remeasures it at an angle 2x from the original direction, one gets up again cos(x)^2 of the time and down sin(x)^2 of the time. For example, if one measures at 180 degrees, x=90 degrees, cos(x)^2 =0 and sin(x)^2=1. This makes sense, because at 180 degrees, one should always get down. If one measures at 90 degrees, x=45 degrees. At that angle, cos(x)^2=.5, sin(x)^2=.5which also makes sense. To get this, the wave function is given as sin(x)*|d + cos(x)*|u ...a superposition of two eigenstates: |d (spin down) and |u (spin up). The wavefunction itself is not an observable, we only observe the eigenstates. When this was first developed, Einstein accepted that the formalism worked, but he thought that the indeterminacy inherent in this formalism would eventually be replaced by a more deterministic physics. Attempts to develop this has been labeled hidden variable theories, because they assume that there are more classical variables that we don't see yet underlying QM. But, I want to make sure that this step in the formalism is accepted first. If this doesn't make sense, I need to clarify it before going on. (Lurkers are encouraged to unlurk and ask questions if they need clarification.) So far it's at just the right level for me. Not sure how long I'll be able to keep up though! You are bringing back some memories from 35 years ago, so I'm pretty rusty. I don't think I ever really got the idea of eigenstates at the time. Earlier you wrote: Are you familiar with eigenstates and superpositions? For example, if you measure the spin in the x direction, the spin in the y (which is orthogonal to x) is a superposition of up and down. |s = ( |+ + |-)/sqrt(2). which is now much clearer to me than before. Sin(x)^2 and cos(x)^2 refer to probability amplitudes iirc, though why the angle used to remeasure is 2x momentarily escapes me. Anyway, hope you and Warren manage to keep the discussion going as I am finding it most interesting. I'd like to join in some, but time seems to be at a premium. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: quantum darwin?
On 08/03/2005, at 8:23 AM, Warren Ockrassa wrote in a fascinating exchange with Dan: Or the suggestion that detecting things a given way once will set pointers such that those things will more naturally tend that way in the future. Seems that is just a more radical expression of the Practice Effect! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Cat-astrophe (was: E-mail program questions)
On 08/02/2005, at 6:09 AM, Travis Edmunds wrote: From: Deborah Harrell [EMAIL PROTECTED] For behaviors/places it isn't workable, I use The Enforcera squirt gun filled with water and a tiny bit (teaspoon) of white vinegar. Why the vinegar my dear? Obvious! It's for a sour-puss. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Prospect on the Future of the Democrats
On 10/12/2004, at 1:11 AM, Erik Reuter wrote: On Fri, Dec 10, 2004 at 12:52:41AM +1100, Ray Ludenia wrote: On 10/12/2004, at 12:27 AM, Erik Reuter wrote: Ray wrote: PS: In other words John (and others), can we try to avoid this pernickety nit-picking bickering on-list? The correct spelling is persnickety. Picky! Pernickety is a perfectly acceptable synonym. Why waste electrons on the superfluous s? Misquote! I didn't type a period after persnickety! Sorry, must have been a spot on my screen that hitched a ride. Thanks for sending it back Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Prospect on the Future of the Democrats
On 09/12/2004, at 2:37 PM, JDG wrote: or at least the message was claimed to be written by a JDG. From the contents, it looks suspiciously like we may have been infiltrated by a certain Dutchman again. :-( Regards, Ray. PS: In other words John (and others), can we try to avoid this pernickety nit-picking bickering on-list? PPS: Yes, I know you were just trying to set the record straight At 06:51 AM 12/7/2004 -0800 Nick Arnett wrote: Unless of course one is only allowed to post thought-provoking articles that one agrees with on this List. As if. This seems to me to be a straw man. Straw Man?I was accused of the following: JDG may want to have both ways: he posts (I read: endorses) an article that presents evidence that the author believes bodes ill for the Dems, but distances himself from the author's conclusions by calling those conclusions all too gloomy. The clear implication of Dave Land's post was that want[ing] to have [it] both ways was not an admirable quality.I reacted angrily to this, because the other clear implication of Dave Land's post is that one can either: a) only post articles you agree with b) post articles you disagree with, specifying that you do so, and then be accused of wanting to have it both ways. Dave has since apologized for his statement, for which I thank him, and for which I also apologize for over-reacting a little bit to his initial accusation. So, why are you still trying to defend this original statement? In short, the future of the Democratic Party has been a topic for discussion on this List.I read this article, and thought that the author had some interesting points about the subject. I posted this article to the List for other people's enjoyment, and was careful to specify that I was not in agreement with everything the author had to say, and gave some indication of my disagreeements. Since we are responding to the article, whether or not you agree with is beside the point. Well, you have posted in this thread various items that are ambiguous as to whether or not you are referring to me or the article. If you're going to call me underhanded for that Another straw man. Actually the only straw man is your assertion that either I, or the author of the article in The Prospect ever stated that The Democratic Party has no future. Oh wait, there were actually at least two straw men in this thread, another one was: This writer seems to be endorsing rejection of the interests of 49 percent of the population. JDG ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Prospect on the Future of the Democrats
On 10/12/2004, at 12:27 AM, Erik Reuter wrote: Ray wrote: PS: In other words John (and others), can we try to avoid this pernickety nit-picking bickering on-list? The correct spelling is persnickety. Picky! Pernickety is a perfectly acceptable synonym. Why waste electrons on the superfluous s? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Cat Stevens the Terrorist
Robert Seeberger wrote: Anyone have any idea why Cat Stevens is verboten? Probably because he re-recorded Peace Train which was assumed by The Authorities to be a threat to blowup a train into little pieces. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Alcohol and neuron function (was: The Mercies of The Vatican)
Erik Reuter wrote: On Tue, Aug 24, 2004 at 05:40:23AM -0400, Erik Reuter wrote: On Tue, Aug 24, 2004 at 04:49:19AM +0100, William T Goodall wrote: Just noticed that the cal command line command and iCal (the GUI calendar program on Mac OS X) start to disagree around the 1752 Gregorian Reformation :) Going backwards that is. Oops... I think that iCal is probably not switching between Julian and Gregorian on the right date. man cal gives this option on my Linux box: -s country_code Assume the switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar at the date associated with the country_code. If not specified, ncal tries to guess the switch date from the local environment or falls back to September 2, 1752. This was when Great Britain and her colonies switched to the Gregorian Calendar. Didn't notice the -p option the first time. Here are ncal's assumed switching dates on the ncal version on my Linux box: AU Australia 1752-09-02 This must have caused considerable consternation and confusion. Who consulted the Australians living there at the time? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: BetaVote
Robert G. Seeberger wrote: Very very unscientific. But it is humorous to look at what various countries are purported to desire in the upcoming election here. http://www.betavote.com/ One can only wonder if there is even a shred of accuracy in this poll. (Not that it matters a bit) G Results for Australia seem to match a reliable poll I saw recently which obtained the same result of 15% support for Bush, if memory serves correctly. The question posed was: if you had a vote in the US presidential election, who would you vote for? Bloody ignorant Aussies! 15%! You'd expect us to know better. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: brin-l-books stats
Robert Seeberger wrote: Thanks to Erik raving about how good Hyperion is a few months ago, I finally read it after looking at the cover and *not* buying it for 20 years or so. Gawrsh its great. I ended up reading all four books one after the other and will read them again at some point. I felt pretty dumb for having not read them years ago. Much the same here for some reason. I had it in my to read pile for at least 5 years, looked at it many times, and somehow was reluctant to start it. I must concur with others that it is great. Definitely a must-read. I must be in an agreeable mood tonight, as I totally agree with Rich's comments: The first two are excellent, even if parts of _The Fall of Hyperion_ are a mess and the ending isn't as clean as it should be. I was much less impressed by the two Endymion books though. Must be nearly time for a re-read, it's been a few years since I read them. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: March for Women's Lives
Robert Seeberger wrote: Question: Is there anyone here who did not understand my use of the word trollery? Actually, I thought you were talking about the arcane art of shopping trolley manoeuvring. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Collected thoughs on Iraq
Ahh, another polite correspondent on the list. Not sure we can cope. ;-) Regards, Ray. (Really just testing if my ISP is still being blocked by the spam filter!) Andrew Paul wrote a lot of non-aggressive, polite sucky stuff: Ohh, thanks Julia, I did not mean to imply that kind of black hole :) I happened to be changing IP addresses at the time, and had one that was on lots of spam lists. I understood about the limit, and it was only so big because I forgot to clean up the original messages on the bottom. I fixed that, and then tried to repost it, but it got blocked by the IP issue. That was the black hole. I gave up after that, cos it was not all that stunning a post and the moment had passed. So, no intended critism, I know you have a lot better things to do than read my drivel. Ohh, I am sorry to hear about that. Hope its all OK now. Hugs. Thanks, but I still have a copy and its not worth reposting, that excerpt just seemed apt for the thread Yes, I saw and understood, then etc... Thank you for taking the effort to explain, and all your other list efforts. I think we all appreciate yours and Nick et al's hard work. Andrew ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: War in Space, was Re: Battlestar Galactica
Robert Seeberger wrote: Offhand, I can think of different type of fighting craft a Space Carrier might deploy. A fighter craft that in swarms, protects the Carrier by forming a protective sphere, or singly or in small groups act as recon. A torpedo craft that launches attacks against carriers or other similarly large structures. An atmospheric fighter (lander too?) for planetary missions. Small scout craft with long range travel potential carrying equipment that makes it equivilent to our AWACs. Very small drones that act in concert and compliment all the other craft. A Carrier would have to be enormous to carry full compliments of each of these fighting machines, but that might be the way it would need to be done. Interesting discussion going on here, but did you guys read the article posted by Byron a week or so ago? It covers some of the same ground and goes into some detailed speculations. The url Byron gave was: http://www.denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2004/04/SpaceNavies2.shtml http://tinyurl.com/2xmzr Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Collected thoughs on Iraq
Andrew Paul wrote: From: Ray Ludenia [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Ahh, another polite correspondent on the list. Not sure we can cope. ;-) Regards, Ray. I am probably just a sock puppet for some really nasty bastard :) Andrew (I think) Took me a moment! (it's getting late). Polite sock-puppetry would indeed be a challenge for some people. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Cats May Have Been Pets 9,500 Years Ago
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: Obviously the writer of this blurb has never lived with cats, since s/he suggests that the human may have been the owner of the cat . . . Midnight Is Currently Sitting On His Servant's Lap Maru Humphrey is currently not sitting on his servant's lap. He has been missing for nearly two days which is not like him at all. He was the gentlest cat I have ever come across. I will miss his morning ritual of him polishing my shoes whenever I sat down. --Ronn! :) and Midnight =^.^= , Spot (199296), Andy (198999), and D.J. (1994±1?2003) Isaac (198493), Max (19932001), Humphrey (2002-04??) and his sister Liselle (2002- ) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Irregulars request: French
Alberto Monteiro wrote: Does anyone know if there is any site with exercises in French for beginners? I'm sure there is. Let me google... You could check out: http://www.blisslogik.com/fr/products/fitnessbliss/pro/exercises/ Regards, Ray (The Unhelpful : ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Welcome to life in George W. Bush's America
Mike Lee wrote: The way humans apologize is to say I'm sorry, I was wrong. And then shut up. How about proving that *you* are human Regards, Ray. PS: I'm sorry, I don't know if I'm wrong, but I will shut up now! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Winning the War on Terror
Gautam Mukunda wrote: At least the people arrested aren't dropped into paper shredders now. Can you provide a (recent) reference to this having really happened? As far as I can find out, this is a furphy and has been shown to almost certainly be propaganda. See from a (not totally reliable) site: http://www.crikey.com.au/politics/2004/03/04-0002.html If you say it often enough, it must be true? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [ADMIN] Pseudonymous postings from the Netherlands
Alberto Monteiro wrote: Don't you think that it's an evidence that JD is _not_ that member? When I play a person, I try to make myself completely different in the choice of words and style from the real me. For example, I fooled at least 3 workmates using a female persona. Hmmm... Maybe I should try it here? evil grin You have never really fooled me Alberto. There must be something suspicious about names beginning with the letter J. Many of us know that Julia is just a pseudonym so you can make the odd reasonable post whilst maintaining your own idiosyncratic style for your own posts. Very clever, but you can't fool us. Hm. Fool.. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [ADMIN] Pseudonymous postings from the Netherlands
Kevin Tarr wrote: I say do nothing until the usual problems surface. Kevin T. - VRWLC And they will I agree with this. Both bits unfortunately. However, I would love to be proved wrong. I do understand Nick's wariness. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Belief (was: (no subject))
Deborah Harrell wrote: Ray Ludenia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: But the short answer is 'a sense of the numinous' (not my words - Doug's? Bob's? Robert's? - but I liked them enough to appropriate them). Running a quick search through last year's posts revealed a plethora of posts (23) using the word numinous. Seemed to be up to 7 different threads over a period of about 5 weeks. The first instance was actually (and surprisingly) in one of my posts! Did it perchance have to do with Ayer's Rock (sorry, don't recall the native name)? Uluru. For some reason, that image came to mind with the 'numinous; No, actually it had to do with Petra in Jordan. ' didn't mean to slight your contribution! :} No problem. It was a rather slight contribution anyway! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Belief (was: (no subject))
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 08:02 AM 3/30/04, Ray Ludenia wrote: Running a quick search through last year's posts revealed a plethora of posts (23) using the word numinous. Would you say that they were numerous? Not without prompting. Supernumerary, perhaps. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Question Regarding Richard Clarke
Dan Minette wrote: 4) When there was a spike in the danger indication under Clinton, the principals had daily meetings on it to help shake the bushes for information. Did he really expect that shaking the Bushes would continue under the new administration? All sorts of nuts could have been exposed. :) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Belief (was: (no subject))
Deborah Harrell wrote: smile I can't remember the thread, but there was a discussion on this question not too terribly long ago...perhaps last summer? I'll try to find it (maybe someone else can recall the thread?), but it might be a while (a lot's going on). But the short answer is 'a sense of the numinous' (not my words - Doug's? Bob's? Robert's? - but I liked them enough to appropriate them). Running a quick search through last year's posts revealed a plethora of posts (23) using the word numinous. Seemed to be up to 7 different threads over a period of about 5 weeks. The first instance was actually (and surprisingly) in one of my posts! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: DEFENDERS OF THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 06:24 AM 3/26/04, Ray Ludenia wrote: This reminds me of a wonderful task set for teachers here recently. The top 8% of students in a subject are given a score of 40+. The required outcome set for teachers was to increase the proportion of students who achieve this grade each year Were the teachers at least issued bootstraps? All straps were taken away from teachers many years ago. :-| Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: DEFENDERS OF THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE
Deborah Harrell wrote: Of the 'believers' on this List, I suspect all have an above-average IQ (of course, I think _everyone_ here is above average in the brain category -- else they'd not be brinellers in the first place). This reminds me of a wonderful task set for teachers here recently. The top 8% of students in a subject are given a score of 40+. The required outcome set for teachers was to increase the proportion of students who achieve this grade each year Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [ADMIN] Call for administrative action
Travis Edmunds wrote: You're a meanie. But I guess it's all true, so...ah...yeah...you're a meanie and I'm telling my mommy... Or is it mommie? I dunno. What's wrong with the normal English use of mummy? Don't tell me Canadians have been corrupted into using Americanese? :-) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [ADMIN] Call for administrative action
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 04:27 AM 3/21/04, Ray Ludenia wrote: Travis Edmunds wrote: You're a meanie. But I guess it's all true, so...ah...yeah...you're a meanie and I'm telling my mommy... Or is it mommie? I dunno. What's wrong with the normal English use of mummy? Nothing, if you are referring to Egyptian royalty who have been dead for 5,000 years or so . . . Umm, surely not *all* Egyptian royalty? What about the men? They were not all wrapped in having babies! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: March Madness!
Julia Thompson wrote: experiencing March Insanity having nothing to do with basketball, and everything to do with RL stuff Huh? What's your insanity got to do with my stuff??? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: America, land of the Ashcroft-haters
Horn, John wrote: (Responding to my own post, bad, bad, bad!) Ah, Bill Maher. Should have waited to post. Then again, I'm so far behind I don't think I'll ever catch up. With the number of posts to read in the last couple of days, I'm surprised anyone finds the time to post. I can't... Make that couldn't. Regards, Ray. 253 to go. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: ATM update and cat
The Fool wrote: Cat's won't eat what they can't smell, or what smells stale or rotten (like right-wing ideology). Right-wing, left-wing, doesn't matter. If it's feathered our Humphrey will have a go at it. :-( Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Do as I say, not as I do Democrats
Julia Thompson wrote: Kevin Tarr wrote: Some people on this list consider drunk driving to be a horrible crime that isn't punished harshly enough. (I'm not one of them.) At least he wasn't caught legally gambling, the republicans would really howl over that! IMO, it isn't punished harshly enough when it leads to death, dismemberment or disfigurement. I must disagree somewhat with this view. I have never understood why people advocate much harsher penalties when this happens. Two drivers equally under the influence (all other factors being equal) should face the same penalty. Just because one is unlucky to have a bad accident, he should be hammered, whereas the one not involved should get off lightly? To me, they appear equally culpable. If anything, the killer is worse off because he has to live with what he did. Regards, Ray. PS: By same penalty, I mean they both should be hammered. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Gas Prices
John D. Giorgis wrote: At 09:08 AM 3/6/2004 -0600 Robert Seeberger wrote: How much are you paying in your part of the country? $1.56 or so down the street from me, but the picture on drudge that linked to the article below shows $2.28. Yikes, that is high Actually, $2.28 strikes me as a very reasonable price, especially once you include the damage your emissions from the burning of the gasoline are doing to the environment. Hardly reasonable compared to the rest of the civilised world :-) Cost here at present is approx A$1 per litre (US$3.50? per gal) and rising. Not quite as bad as UK. Poor William. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Bases, was Re: Stirling engine queries
Alberto Monteiro wrote: Alberto Monteiro who spends his time in the traffic looking at the numbers of the cars and dividing them by 11. I spend my time making words from the three letters on the plates we have here. Keeps me amused for a while. Bonus points for naughty words. Did I say I hate traffic?? No! Well, I do. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: BRin-L - are we average? (was RE: Federal Marriage [sic]Amendment)
Julia Thompson wrote: Actually, in all seriousness, what are the percentages of left-handed people and right-handed people on the list? And ambidexterous? Back of the envelope calculation: Approx 200 out of 6 billion is 0.03% for each of your categories. I'm curious. Anyone have a good method for getting the data? I'm sure Dan M. has. :-) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Move completed...
Deborah Harrell wrote: ...now comes the unpacking and putting away! *After* I catch up on some sleep (3 nights skipped in the past 8 days blecth!); I _would_ manage to be moving in the worst storm so far this winter season... They predicted a couple of inches of snow for yesterday; it was closer to a *foot* in the hills where I now live. And here am I contemplating playing golf tomorrow with a forecast temp of 41deg. (106?deg F) Not sure which is worse! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: TiVo privacy
Robert J. Chassell wrote: Perhaps someone on this list who lives in Australia can confirm or deny the claim of my nephew, who lives in Sydney: that already it is illegal in Australia to use a TiVo or home built PVR to skip commercials. Rather than think of a commercial as an invitation that you may accept or reject as you choose, a commercial is legally considered a product such that if you skip it, you are a thief. I have not heard of this! I think there would have been a slight ruckus if this were so. I have come across a number of articles about this suggestion, but in reference to the US. Guy named Turner seems to ring a bell in regards to espousing the views expressed above. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Happy New Year
2004 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: RIDDLES: Yet another thread for fun.
Kevin Tarr wrote: This should be easy: I am the ruler of shovels I have a double I am as thin as a knife I have a wife What am I? King of Spades? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Christmas greetings
I just got back from a short holiday before Christmas to find 300 Brin messages waiting for me (not to mention another 400+ others). I'll catch up in a few days. In the morning, Maree and I will be going to Melbourne to have Christmas lunch with her family, and then to the other side of town to have dinner with my folks. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Christmas, Ray Ludenia. PS: I know I'm an hour early, but my connection is about to be broken. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [ADMIN] Another dang interruption
Russell Chapman wrote: I highly recommend the 2004 GTO :-) Go Monaro! Regards, Ray. (Taking Nick's advice and trying a posting to the list) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: A year ago today...
Julia Thompson wrote: On Mon, 17 Nov 2003, Doug Pensinger wrote: I'm not sure how you would look it up. The list pre-dates the (woefully inadiquate) list archive at Yahoo. Julia would know for sure, but I'll guess it was somewhere around August, 1995. April 1996. I joined in the first or second week. Time sure does fly! I still considered myself a relative late-comer till I found my original subscription info dated beginning October 1996. Makes me wonder just how many electrons have been used in this time for my enjoyment. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: A year ago today...
Doug Pensinger wrote: Jon Gabriel wrote: Would you be willing to email them -- completely at your convenience -- to some of us (ok, me) if we made requests? I would like a copy as well, if it isn't too much trouble... Me too. Regards, Ray. I think this is my first me too post ever :-) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: iTunes for Windo$e
Erik Reuter wrote: On Mon, Oct 20, 2003 at 02:10:38PM +0100, William T Goodall wrote: So what was it? Go back and read my prior message and try actually answering the questions, then maybe we can get somewhere. Back to the netherlander sagas perhaps? Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: When I Was Your Age... (was Re: RE: Brin: rejuveniles)
Doug Pensinger wrote: Do you remember the math machines - kind of mechanical computers - that they used to have. If I recall correctly, you would type in a number pull a lever, type in an operation and another number and pull the lever and it would calculate the answer. My Dad used to take me to work with him on weekends and sit me down on those things (I was ~ 11) and we played on them for hours. Obviously this was a few years before the hand heald calculator was introduced. I remember using one of those things in '70 or '71 to analyse some data for physics prac. Seemed like magic at the time! How many here ever used a slide rule? I actually used one a couple of weeks ago. We have an old demonstration model slide-rule about 2m long that has been stashed in a back storeroom at school for ages. Some of the younger staff were amazed at what could be worked out with the old analogue computer. :-) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: a new Br!n: book review
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 12:41 AM 10/5/03 +1000, Ray Ludenia wrote: Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 12:03 AM 10/5/03 +1000, Ray Ludenia wrote: PS: Does my comment remind anyone that we seem to be missing some of the picky arguments and linguistic contortions of the past on the list? Um . . . I've been busy recently. Perhaps the other pickers of nits have also. If you have that problem, I have heard that kerosine helps get rid of the little beggars. :-) I gave that cure up when my hair caught fire . . . That should definitely have cured the problem. A rather drastic solution though Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: a new Br!n: book review
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 11:36 PM 10/1/03 +1000, Ray Ludenia wrote: The A$ is certaily not pegged to the US$. When I visited the States in 2001, we got US$0.52 for our dollar, yet it is now worth US$68. The Australian dollar really increased in value by 13,077% relative to the US dollar in the past two years? Wow! Indeed! Notice the inverted commas around worth? I didn't say this is what we would get. Regards, Ray. (wannabe American millionaire) PS: Does my comment remind anyone that we seem to be missing some of the picky arguments and linguistic contortions of the past on the list? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: a new Br!n: book review
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 12:03 AM 10/5/03 +1000, Ray Ludenia wrote: PS: Does my comment remind anyone that we seem to be missing some of the picky arguments and linguistic contortions of the past on the list? Um . . . I've been busy recently. Perhaps the other pickers of nits have also. If you have that problem, I have heard that kerosine helps get rid of the little beggars. :-) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: a new Br!n: book review
Erik Reuter wrote: On Tue, Sep 30, 2003 at 10:33:48PM +1000, Ray Ludenia wrote: Australia has tied its economy to US, In what way? Is the Australian currency pegged to the US dollar? I've noticed that the Australian stock market is one of the least correlated with the US stock market. Europe and the Far-East have much higher correlation with the US stock market. The US is Australia's largest source of imports and the second largest export market. Over a third of overseas direct investment in Aus is by the US, and surprisingly, Aus is the eighth largest foreign owner of US assets. There is more supporting info at: http://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/aus_us_fta_mon/Chapter%202.pdf http://www.petra.ac.id/asc/int_relations/australia_america/usa/economic.html The A$ is certaily not pegged to the US$. When I visited the States in 2001, we got US$0.52 for our dollar, yet it is now worth US$68. No wonder we found it expensive! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: a new Brin: book review
d.brin wrote: There is another factor. Every nation contains some people who remember that the nation bears responsibility for feeding itself. There is a wish never to completely abandon the land. America is down to the lowest fraction of farmers since we left the caves. I imagine this is the case in almost all developed countries, even those that artificially boost numbers by subsidies etc. It certainly is here in Australia. Living in a farming area, I get lonely here sometimes. grin Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: a new Brin: book review
Jan Coffey wrote: --- d.brin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Now, having said that, has America committed crimes? Duh! In protecting our farmers, for example, our price supports have wounded 3rd world farmers exactly BECAUSE we refused to let then tie their economy to ours! Ah, we can hope What? would you have us allow our own people to fall into a 3ed world state within our own borders? And besides, we are not talking about fair comparisons are we? Sure, if you work people for 16 hours a day, and you work kids 6 and up, and you feed them crap, and you have them live in shacks, and you pay them only enough to barly survive, sure, then you can do it cheaper. We use to have that here in the US we called it Slavery. So no, we don't allow places with these kinds of systems to compete in the area of farming. Australia has tied its economy to US, yet we are still not allowed to compete freely in agricultural products. I don't think it matters how or why other countries can produce more cheaply, some excuse is found to justify protectionism. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but we should then not be hypocritical and espouse free trade. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Information Request
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What is the best way to Synchronicity strikes again! Three seconds before reading this post, I had typed in a message I just sent What is the best way to do this. Earlier while reading Bova's Moonwar and listening to The Who, as I was reading the phrase deaf, dumb and blind simultaneously it was sung. Sorry Gary, no help to your request unfortunately. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Productivity vs efficiency
There was a discussion on the list a while ago about US versus European productivity. Just came across this article in the local paper with some relevant stats and comments. It makes many of the points that were mentioned in the list discussion. Regards, Ray. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/01/1062383510505.html Motivated staff boost productivity By Alexander Higgins September 1, 2003 - 2:41PM US workers are the world's most productive, but they put in more hours than Europeans to score higher, according to a study by the United Nations. Workers in France, Belgium and Norway beat the Americans in productivity per hour, the International Labour Organisation said in its new issue of Key Indicators of the Labour Market released today. Output per person employed in the United States last year was $US60,728 ($A95,065), the report said. Belgium, the highest-scoring European Union member, had $US54,333. ($A85,055). Part of the difference in output per worker was due to the fact that Americans worked longer hours than their European counterparts, the ILO said. US workers put in an average of 1,825 hours in 2002. Japanese worked about the same number of hours as Americans, but in major European economies the average ranged from 1,300 to 1,800 hours, it said. In terms of output per person employed, the US is on top, said Dorothea Schmidt, an economist on the team that produced the 855 page report. advertisement advertisement In terms of output per hour we have three European countries doing better than the US - that's Belgium, Norway and France, and they have done so ever since the mid-80s, Schmidt said. Norwegians lead the league, with an output of $US38 ($A59.49) an hour worked last year. French workers were in second place, with an average of $US35 ($A54.79) an hour, the report said. Belgians were third at $US34 ($A53.22). US workers were in fourth place at $US32 ($A50.09) an hour worked. Schmidt said it was not clear why the three countries outscored the United States. There are many, many reasons, she said. One might be that during the time that these people work, they work more efficiently. It might be that the technology they use enables them to be more efficient in this one hour. The differences were not that great, she said. It's not that they do twice the work that a US worker does. It's the small things. If you work 15 hours a day, of course there are hours when you are not as productive as if you only work six hours a day. But working less is not necessary the key, as is shown by most other European Union countries that trail the United States, she said. It also depends on such factors as motivation, skills and training. The report found that in most countries the number of hours worked had been going down over the past three years in conjunction with the decline in the world economy. The US figure of 1,825 hours worked in 2002 was down from 1,834 in 2000, it said. Norwegian hours worked dropped from to 1,342 from 1,380 over the same period. Swedish hours worked went to 1,581 from 1,625. In France they went to 1,545 from 1,587, in Australia to 1,824 from 1,855, in Canada to 1,778 from 1,807, in Ireland from 1,668 to 1,690 and in Germany to 1,444 from 1,463. The ILO said US productivity has been growing twice as fast as that in Europe and Japan over the past seven years. The report said the high overall US productivity resulted in part from two factors. The first is that the US economy provides an environment for widespread use of information and communications technology. The second is that it has had more growth of wholesale and retail trade and financial securities using the technology. Schmidt said that the report also looked at productivity in agriculture, where technology proved to be a huge advantage. For example, she said, an agricultural worker in the United States produces 650 times more than the worker in Vietnam. But she said the report, which was based on government-supplied figures and other data, shouldn't be taken to mean that workers in developing countries were lazy or inefficient. If you are talking about developing countries, it's not fair to say that these people are not efficient, she told reporters. They are working hard. They are probably working harder than other people. It's just because they do not have the technology that they cannot perform that well. - AP ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Productivity vs efficiency
Sonja van Baardwijk wrote: That, and in Belgium you usually get paid an all in salery. So if you finish early the rest of the hours are considered a bonus. I for one alway found that extremely motivating. Wow, wouldn't that be fantastic! Most jobs here in Aus with a fixed salary are impossible to finish early. In fact there is an inordinate amount of (unpaid) overtime worked by many so that set tasks can be completed. There is a lot of talk about the need to balance work and leisure time, but the sad reality for many is that long hours are expected by most employers. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Politics, was [L3] Re: fight the evil of price discrimination
Doug Pensinger wrote: Gautam Mukunda wrote: Chomsky just speaks to elites - like you. That's where his power comes from. I can see we're going to need a definition of elite before we continue this discussion. I don't know how I could be considered elite in any sense of the word. Pretty obvious, Doug. Anyone who disagrees with my statements (which of course all right thinking people would agree with) is elitist because they think they know better than the rest of us. Regards, Ray. Useless Definitions-R-Us. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
testing
William wrote: I've sent email to the list on Sunday (about not getting any email) but haven't seen anything in my inbox from the list since Saturday. I can see that a few messages have been added to the archive since then, but I haven't seen any of them in email. In fact the last list mail I received was the d.brin worldcon message at Sat Aug 23, 2003 5:02:08 pm Europe/London. This is the last one I received too. Do you think DB broke the list? At least I have made good use of the extra time available not reading listmail by reading more books. Read Bova's The Precipice today. A light, easy read. Don't suppose I'll receive a copy of this post either. :-( Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: _Politics,_was_[L3]_Re:_fight_the_evil_of price_discrimination
Jan Coffey wrote: If everyone has a gun, that power is balanced. If every country has nukes, power is balanced too. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The seven habits of highly ineffective list-subscribers
Erik Reuter wrote: On Wed, Aug 06, 2003 at 11:10:36PM +1000, Ray Ludenia wrote: If you have memory problems, one technique you might find useful is to make written notes. No, written notes are slow and not easily searchable. Digital notes stored on a computer are far superior. Sorry for not being clearer. I didn't mean to give the impression that I meant the old-fashioned notes using pencil and paper. My bad. I naturally (and erroneously) assumed that everyone on this list would be technologically literate enough to realise that by written notes I would naturally mean using a digital assistant of some kind. (A computer may not be ideal, it's a bit of a nuisance to lug around.) Regards, Ray. PS Erik: What do you do to your posts so that when I reply, the quoted message is automatically truncated at the end of your comments? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The seven habits of highly ineffective list-subscribers
Erik Reuter wrote: On Tue, Aug 05, 2003 at 05:36:17PM -0700, Jan Coffey wrote: Toung pushed forward, mouth open, eyes rolled up, head shaking and bobing from side to sidemaru Do you ever post anything worth anything? I can't recall the last time I saw a post of yours that had anything worthwile. If you have memory problems, one technique you might find useful is to make written notes. Regards, Ray. PS: The subject line is particularly apt for this thread, is it not? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Politics, was [L3] Re: fight the evil of price discrimination
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: C) everyone [who wants to own a gun and who has not been convicted of a violent crime or diagnosed with a serious mental or emotional illness] should [be allowed to choose to] have a gun. Can we all agree with that? Most definitely not! Anyone who wants to own a gun demonstrates a mental or emotional illness and has delusions of inadequacy. Furthermore, they are very likely to commit violent crimes because they can, even though they are just pussycats without the artificial enhancement of a gun. Regards, Ray. PS: Are the legs getting longer yet??? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Irregulars question: Milky Way
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 12:45 AM 8/2/03 +1000, Ray Ludenia wrote: Doug Pensinger wrote: Ronn!Blankenship wrote: However, there's at least one spiral galaxy which apparently rotates backwards: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2002/release_2002_33.html Must be in the Southern Hemisphere. Nah, only if it's upside-down. Another would-be astronomical comic heard from . . . ;-) Hey, I've learnt to make appropriate adjustments by standing on my head when I make astronomical observations! Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: NYT: Weapons of Mass Confusion
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This speculation raises several questions in my mind: if Saddam destroyed his nukes - WHY DIDN'T HE TELL US??? That's what we wanted, after all, what we were demanding, the ostensible reason for the invasion. Why do what he was supposed to but not gain any benefit from doing so? Let us invade anyway? He's a nutcase, but I don't see how this makes any sense from his point of view. Also, did we know he was doing it? (We meaning the CIA, the president, etc.) Could the destruction have been detected from outside Iraq's borders using spy satellites, etc.? And, if we did know - did we invade anyway because the president wanted his invasion? (This will piss off the Bush-is-wonderful-and-so-is-the-war crowd on this list, but it has to be asked in light of other suggestions that the president and his chickenhawk warmongers either cooked the intelligence books or ignored contradictory evidence or both.) Come on Tom, think! If you know he has no WMD handy, isn't that the ideal time to clobber him? It's a no-brainer. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The seven habits of highly ineffective list-subscribers
Julia Thompson wrote: Ray Ludenia wrote: Jan Coffey wrote: Wouldn't you have a chip on your shoulder after a while as well? You know, having a chip on your shoulder doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you. Actually, having a chip on both shoulders is better. It keeps one balanced. Choc-chips are good. OK, how is the balance between a chocolate chip on one shoulder and a butterscotch chip on the other, if they're of the same mass? :) By the way, would anyone know where this saying came from and what sort of chip? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Irregulars question: Milky Way
Doug Pensinger wrote: Ronn!Blankenship wrote: However, there's at least one spiral galaxy which apparently rotates backwards: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2002/release_2002_33.html Must be in the Southern Hemisphere. Nah, only if it's upside-down. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The seven habits of highly ineffective list-subscribers
Jan Coffey wrote: Wouldn't you have a chip on your shoulder after a while as well? You know, having a chip on your shoulder doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you. Actually, having a chip on both shoulders is better. It keeps one balanced. Choc-chips are good. Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
