Cool science stuff

Football_Bat · Jan 24, 2013

TrooperBari said:

Today is the most depressing day of the year -- except for the fact that it's not.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/brain-flapping/2013/jan/21/blue-monday-depressing-day-nonsense-science

The "Blue Monday" phenomenon is based on the claim that there is an equation that takes into account numerous variables that negatively influence people's mood and calculates that the most depressing day of the year is the third Monday in January.

This claim is incorrect. It is unscientific. It is pseudoscientific. It is uberpseudoscientific. It is gibberish, bilge, rubbish, crap, stupid, and any other polite way of saying "utter bollocks" that you can think of.
It was created by Dr Cliff Arnall, who often presents himself as a Cardiff University psychologist. I say "presents himself", but I'm not saying he isn't one. Granted, I worked at the Cardiff University psychology department for over five years, and nobody there had ever heard of him, and also the university outreach group have complained several times about having to repeatedly tell enquirers that he's nothing to do with the university (though apparently he worked there as a part-time tutor until February 2006). But I'm not saying he isn't what he says he is.

The equation itself is farcical. It includes variables like "time since Christmas", "weather", "debt level", "motivational levels", "time since failure to keep new year's resolution" and numerous other things that aren't part of the metric system. Even if most of these weren't nonsensical measurements (how do you determine the motivation of everyone in the population?), they're not compatible. How do you quantifiably combine "time since Christmas" with "weather"? You can't.

Even if you could combine these things, you'd get nothing useful. It's like saying "what do you get if you combine a) 14kg of sand, b) 53°C, c) 89 mph, d) A weasel". At best, you'd get a hot fast sandy weasel, which would be of no use to anyone, but it might attract some media interest. And that's why it's a perfect metaphor for this "equation".
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Silly Brits. Everyone knows Blue Monday is the day after the Super Bowl.

Buck · Jan 2, 2014

Whoa - the universe is a hologram:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/physicists-discover-clearest-evidence-yet-that-the-universe-is-a-hologram-9000748.html

TrooperBari · Jan 3, 2014

Phil Plait is in a debunking mood again.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/03/another_debunking_zero_g_day_on_january_4_2014.html

"It has been revealed by the British astronomer Patrick Moore that, on the morning of January 4th 2014, an extraordinary astronomical event will occur. At exactly 9:47 am, the planet Pluto will pass directly behind Jupiter, in relation to the Earth. This rare alignment will mean that the combined gravitational force of the two planets would exert a stronger tidal pull, temporarily counteracting the Earth’s own gravity and making people weigh less. Moore calls this the Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational Effect."

If you want the math, then here you go: Even if you add all of the planets together, they pull on you with a force less than 2 percent of that of the Moon! The News Hound article mentions tides, too, but that’s even worse: The combined tidal force from the planets is far less, like 0.005 percent of the Moon’s! Simply put, the planets are just too far away to have any real effect on you. By the way, the Moon orbits the Earth on an ellipse, so its own gravity fluctuates far more than the combined strength of the planets every two weeks.

Note that you cannot float in the air every two weeks.

And specifically, the gravity from Pluto is weakest of them all. Pluto is a teeny tiny iceball, far smaller than even our Moon … and at its closest it’s flippin’ 4 billion kilometers (2.5 billion miles) from Earth. That’s a long way. A car on the road half a kilometer away has more gravitational pull on you than Pluto does.
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Buck · Jan 3, 2014

TrooperBari said:

Phil Plait is in a debunking mood again.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/03/another_debunking_zero_g_day_on_january_4_2014.html

"It has been revealed by the British astronomer Patrick Moore that, on the morning of January 4th 2014, an extraordinary astronomical event will occur. At exactly 9:47 am, the planet Pluto will pass directly behind Jupiter, in relation to the Earth. This rare alignment will mean that the combined gravitational force of the two planets would exert a stronger tidal pull, temporarily counteracting the Earths own gravity and making people weigh less. Moore calls this the Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational Effect."

If you want the math, then here you go: Even if you add all of the planets together, they pull on you with a force less than 2 percent of that of the Moon! The News Hound article mentions tides, too, but thats even worse: The combined tidal force from the planets is far less, like 0.005 percent of the Moons! Simply put, the planets are just too far away to have any real effect on you. By the way, the Moon orbits the Earth on an ellipse, so its own gravity fluctuates far more than the combined strength of the planets every two weeks.

Note that you cannot float in the air every two weeks.

And specifically, the gravity from Pluto is weakest of them all. Pluto is a teeny tiny iceball, far smaller than even our Moon and at its closest its flippin 4 billion kilometers (2.5 billion miles) from Earth. Thats a long way. A car on the road half a kilometer away has more gravitational pull on you than Pluto does.
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What happens if this rare planetary alignment coincides with the moon being at the far point of it's elliptical orbit, and at that time someone attempts a 70-yard field goal in Denver?

TrooperBari · Jan 3, 2014

Buck said:

TrooperBari said:

Phil Plait is in a debunking mood again.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/03/another_debunking_zero_g_day_on_january_4_2014.html

"It has been revealed by the British astronomer Patrick Moore that, on the morning of January 4th 2014, an extraordinary astronomical event will occur. At exactly 9:47 am, the planet Pluto will pass directly behind Jupiter, in relation to the Earth. This rare alignment will mean that the combined gravitational force of the two planets would exert a stronger tidal pull, temporarily counteracting the Earths own gravity and making people weigh less. Moore calls this the Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational Effect."

If you want the math, then here you go: Even if you add all of the planets together, they pull on you with a force less than 2 percent of that of the Moon! The News Hound article mentions tides, too, but thats even worse: The combined tidal force from the planets is far less, like 0.005 percent of the Moons! Simply put, the planets are just too far away to have any real effect on you. By the way, the Moon orbits the Earth on an ellipse, so its own gravity fluctuates far more than the combined strength of the planets every two weeks.

Note that you cannot float in the air every two weeks.

And specifically, the gravity from Pluto is weakest of them all. Pluto is a teeny tiny iceball, far smaller than even our Moon and at its closest its flippin 4 billion kilometers (2.5 billion miles) from Earth. Thats a long way. A car on the road half a kilometer away has more gravitational pull on you than Pluto does.
Click to expand...

Click to expand...

What happens if this rare planetary alignment coincides with the moon being at the far point of it's elliptical orbit, and at that time someone attempts a 70-yard field goal in Denver?
Click to expand...

I believe that's what astronomers call "tic-tac-toe".

spikechiquet · Jan 4, 2014

This just in...time travelers are good at not posting on message boards and Twitter.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/173813-back-to-the-future-scientists-search-the-internet-for-evidence-of-time-travelers

Starman · Jan 5, 2014

Buck said:

TrooperBari said:

Phil Plait is in a debunking mood again.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/03/another_debunking_zero_g_day_on_january_4_2014.html

"It has been revealed by the British astronomer Patrick Moore that, on the morning of January 4th 2014, an extraordinary astronomical event will occur. At exactly 9:47 am, the planet Pluto will pass directly behind Jupiter, in relation to the Earth. This rare alignment will mean that the combined gravitational force of the two planets would exert a stronger tidal pull, temporarily counteracting the Earths own gravity and making people weigh less. Moore calls this the Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational Effect."

If you want the math, then here you go: Even if you add all of the planets together, they pull on you with a force less than 2 percent of that of the Moon! The News Hound article mentions tides, too, but thats even worse: The combined tidal force from the planets is far less, like 0.005 percent of the Moons! Simply put, the planets are just too far away to have any real effect on you. By the way, the Moon orbits the Earth on an ellipse, so its own gravity fluctuates far more than the combined strength of the planets every two weeks.

Note that you cannot float in the air every two weeks.

And specifically, the gravity from Pluto is weakest of them all. Pluto is a teeny tiny iceball, far smaller than even our Moon and at its closest its flippin 4 billion kilometers (2.5 billion miles) from Earth. Thats a long way. A car on the road half a kilometer away has more gravitational pull on you than Pluto does.
Click to expand...

Click to expand...

What happens if this rare planetary alignment coincides with the moon being at the far point of it's elliptical orbit, and at that time someone attempts a 70-yard field goal in Denver?
Click to expand...

nothin

expendable · Jan 5, 2014

Starman said:

Buck said:

TrooperBari said:

Phil Plait is in a debunking mood again.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/03/another_debunking_zero_g_day_on_january_4_2014.html

"It has been revealed by the British astronomer Patrick Moore that, on the morning of January 4th 2014, an extraordinary astronomical event will occur. At exactly 9:47 am, the planet Pluto will pass directly behind Jupiter, in relation to the Earth. This rare alignment will mean that the combined gravitational force of the two planets would exert a stronger tidal pull, temporarily counteracting the Earths own gravity and making people weigh less. Moore calls this the Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational Effect."

If you want the math, then here you go: Even if you add all of the planets together, they pull on you with a force less than 2 percent of that of the Moon! The News Hound article mentions tides, too, but thats even worse: The combined tidal force from the planets is far less, like 0.005 percent of the Moons! Simply put, the planets are just too far away to have any real effect on you. By the way, the Moon orbits the Earth on an ellipse, so its own gravity fluctuates far more than the combined strength of the planets every two weeks.

Note that you cannot float in the air every two weeks.

And specifically, the gravity from Pluto is weakest of them all. Pluto is a teeny tiny iceball, far smaller than even our Moon and at its closest its flippin 4 billion kilometers (2.5 billion miles) from Earth. Thats a long way. A car on the road half a kilometer away has more gravitational pull on you than Pluto does.
Click to expand...

Click to expand...

What happens if this rare planetary alignment coincides with the moon being at the far point of it's elliptical orbit, and at that time someone attempts a 70-yard field goal in Denver?
Click to expand...

nothin
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John Fox calls a time out just before the attempt, making the kick like it never happened.

3_Octave_Fart · Jan 6, 2014

Bots account for 61 percent of all web traffic.
Maybe some of 'em even read the longform.

jackfinarelli · Jan 7, 2014

Buck said:

Lugnuts said:

Remember our discussion about a magnetic storm contributing to the rapid global warming? That was a good one.

Remember when I ran into that Black Hole scientist and asked him if time travel was possible, and he told me it had already happened?

Good times!

I'm really into psychology and the brain lately. Is the brain elastic or isn't it? Does it come pre-wired, or can we re-wire?
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I thought we were talking about the shifting magentic poles and the effect on climate.

Also, there reports out of CERN last year of neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light. Meets one of the possible requirements for time travel.
Problem - neutrinos don't really interact with matter in any real noticeable way. So if we could send a neutrino back in time, would anybody notice?
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I believe that upon reconstructing the experiment, the conclusion is that neutrinos do not travel faster than light and the previous result was due to a flaw in the experiment itself.

Buck · Jan 7, 2014

Way to buzzkill, Jack.

TrooperBari · Jan 7, 2014

jackfinarelli said:

Buck said:

Lugnuts said:

Remember our discussion about a magnetic storm contributing to the rapid global warming? That was a good one.

Remember when I ran into that Black Hole scientist and asked him if time travel was possible, and he told me it had already happened?

Good times!

I'm really into psychology and the brain lately. Is the brain elastic or isn't it? Does it come pre-wired, or can we re-wire?
Click to expand...

I thought we were talking about the shifting magentic poles and the effect on climate.

Also, there reports out of CERN last year of neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light. Meets one of the possible requirements for time travel.
Problem - neutrinos don't really interact with matter in any real noticeable way. So if we could send a neutrino back in time, would anybody notice?
Click to expand...

I believe that upon reconstructing the experiment, the conclusion is that neutrinos do not travel faster than light and the previous result was due to a flaw in the experiment itself.
Click to expand...

Yup. Loose cable.
http://news.discovery.com/space/opera-leaders-resign-after-no-confidence-vote-120404.htm

Science is the ultimate buzzkill, Buck, right up until it isn't.

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