1

Just Chat! / Have you ever been in trouble with the cops?

« on: 03/01/2011 23:11:37 »

I was once arrested for writing bogus posts on a science forum in order to lull the other members into a false sense of security, to then arrange to meet with them and then butcher them and eat their livers with a nice glass of chianti. But I managed to talk my way out of it.

Anyway, on a more cheerful note I was thinking of arranging a TNS meet-up for the New Year. Anyone fancy coming round for a glass of wine?
 

2

Just Chat! / Have you ever slapped anyone across the face?

« on: 03/01/2011 22:48:19 »

I woke up once with a dead arm and rolled over, my own arm slapped me in the face and I awoke fully expecting to see the assailant but realised it was my own hand!  [:I]

I knew I'd get away with that if I ran out of your bedroom quickly enough!
 

3

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: I Have a Monster in my Aquarium. What is it?

« on: 28/11/2010 11:20:43 »

I have also sent pictures to the British Amateur Entomologist Society, the British Museum and the Invertibrate Section of Chester Zoo. I wonder if anybody can pin down the exact species without dissecting it. I'll keep you posted about any of their replies.
 

4

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: I Have a Monster in my Aquarium. What is it?

« on: 28/11/2010 11:07:11 »

Thanks RD and Geezer

I reacon you've cracked it. Some of those pictures look almost identical. I showed Monster a picture of a dragonfly and it got all excited and shouted "Mummy! Mummy!". So there you go.

The problem now is what to do with it. Dragonfly larvae are voracious. I think I'd better get some extra fish!

I've heard that dragonflys spend the vast majority of their lives in their larval stage and only a month or two as adults. I've also heard that British dragonfly larvae can over-winter for one or two years depending on species. I wonder if I can keep it until next spring and then release it. It seems to be growing very fast in my heated aquarium.
 

5

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / I Have a Monster in my Aquarium. What is it?

« on: 27/11/2010 23:33:02 »

A monster's moved itself into my house. And I've not even shagged it.
 
I have a small indoor heated aquarium which fits within a picture frame and hangs on the wall of my living room. The tank is about 2.5 foot long by about 18 inches high by about 2 or 3 inches deep and is fully enclosed in a wooden frame. It contains guppies and a lot of weed and snails.
 
A couple of weeks ago I saw what I thought was a spider drowning, thrashing/swimming in the tank. I tried to fish it out but it buried itself in the gravel and I lost it. A few hours later I was amazed to see it sitting in the weed. Upon closer examination I could see it has six legs, clearly has a head, abdomen and thorax, has a laterally flattened body and it’s abdomen was pulsating, presumably to facilitate breathing. It was then about 10mm long but is now about 15. No fish seem to be disappearing and I have a number of baby guppies which are smaller than it is. But I suspect it is eating snails.
 
I assume it is an insect larva and was probably introduced on the weed, possibly as an egg. But since it is a tropical tank I have no idea whether the weed is of native or foreign origin. Obviously it would be irresponsible to release a non native insect species into the wild – although at this time of year it would probably mean instant death even if it is native.

Any entomologists out there? Has anyone got any idea what it is? What can I do with it?

Monster, Naked Sci 1.JPG (49.19 kB . 403x293 - viewed 12750 times)
 Monster posing 2 weeks ago.


Monster, Naked Sci 3.JPG (43.31 kB . 392x294 - viewed 11175 times)
 Monster posing tonight.


Monster, Naked Sci 2.JPG (49.31 kB . 392x294 - viewed 11369 times)
 Monster's home.
 

6

Just Chat! / Re: Punning is hard(ly) work! Groaning aloud here?

« on: 24/10/2010 22:43:19 »

Some bloke takes his kids to the zoo. When they get inside there's just one cage with a small scruffy dog sitting inside it. He storms to the office to complain.

"You call this a zoo?! It's just one dog sitting in a cage!" he rants.

The ticket seller calmly replies:

"I know, Sir. It's a shitzu"
 

7

Just Chat! / who can answer this one?

« on: 03/10/2010 12:43:20 »

Look. He's at it again - the bloody multilingual showoff.

And have you seen these other posts of his?

Khün bür törzh mendlekhee erkh čölöötei, adilkhan ner törtei, izhil erkhtei baidag. Oyuun ukhaan nandin čanar zayaasan khün gegč öör khoorondoo akhan düügiin üzel sanaagaar khar'tsakh učirtai.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

8

Just Chat! / who can answer this one?

« on: 02/10/2010 18:14:38 »

now how on the earth would omid knw mongolian? [:-'(]

I know. That Don_1s a bloody nuisance. Just look at the last post he left. It was written in bloody Mongolian.

 

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

9

Just Chat! / who can answer this one?

« on: 02/10/2010 13:26:16 »

Ahhh, but Omid never thought to ask her old superhero friend John. You know, the one with the super intelligence.

In one I am two, observed or cut.
In two I am one, on high or in pain.
But in all three ways,
I sound just the same.

Look, it's easy...

In the word 'one' I am letter number two, ie 'N'.
In the word 'two' I am letter number one, ie 'T'
'on high' means you add those two letters to the word 'over'
All this makes the word 'ntover' which is a little known outer mongolian word from the Darhan region of Ulaanbaatar, meaning 'just the same'. See? Simples.

Next time you're stuck dont forget to ask!
 

10

New Theories / .so what is the speed of Dark?

« on: 02/10/2010 00:08:27 »

Not if you used a flash!
 

11

Just Chat! / Re: Puzzles From A Trampolining Upside Down Sheeps Bottom (PFATSB) :-)

« on: 01/10/2010 23:37:44 »

Got it!

It's not written on a zig-zagged surface. It's a shop door sign. The word colpoesned is on a sliding mechanism behind a grill that shows every other letter. The sign might read 'closed'. But slide it a little to the left and it will then say 'open'. Ta daa!  Who's the daddy?
 

12

Just Chat! / Re: Puzzles From A Trampolining Upside Down Sheeps Bottom (PFATSB) :-)

« on: 01/10/2010 23:32:17 »

OK. What this thread needs is someone intelligent to spoon feed you the answers. So here I am.

If you look at every other letter then colpoesne!d actually contains two words. The odd numbered letters (1, 3, 5, etc) spell 'closed' and the evens spell 'open!'. If that were written on a zig-zagged surface then you would see the word 'open' when looking from one direction and 'closed' when looking from the other. I just can't think of a context where that would be commonly used.

13

Physiology & Medicine / What Happens If Two Sperm Fertilise An Egg At Exactly The Same Time ?

« on: 21/06/2010 00:01:53 »

My Granny was called Polly. Wouldn't 'polyspermy' be a terrible nickname for your Grandma. It just conjours up too many disturbing images.
 

14

General Science / How Many Mega-pixels Is My Eye ?

« on: 20/06/2010 23:48:57 »

John has got this bit
"Analogue images are particular, that is they are made out of discrete units. Whereas digital images use a continuous, non-divisable range of values. If you enlarge a digital image it becomes pixelated and granular whereas an analogue image becomes blurry and indistinct."
pretty much totally backwards.

Hi B.C. Yes, you are right, of course. I had it the right way round in my head and I'm not sure why it ended up written that way  [].

 

Hang on! The eye is digital.

..... the nerve signals from the eye to the brain are digital. ...Also, there are a finite number of rod and cone cells in the retina that receive the light. These correspond with the pixels in the camera... [etc]

Well you've got me convinced. I have never thought about our vision as being a digital system before but your explaination make perfect sense to me.
 

15

General Science / How Many Mega-pixels Is My Eye ?

« on: 20/06/2010 09:36:16 »

You can't directly compare the quality of digital and analogue because there is no common framework of reference. It's a bit like comparing cats and custard!

.
In the human body, the sensors chemically blend together like a fluid and are not just a "hard", turn on, shut off process.

This is more an analog characteristic then a digital characteristic.

I think Tommy hit the nail on the head. Analogue images are particular, that is they are made out of discrete units. Whereas digital images use a continuous, non-divisable range of values. If you enlarge a digital image it becomes pixelated and granular whereas an analogue image becomes blurry and indistinct.

And Geezer's point that the majority of image perception is due to the processing power of the brain also makes it difficult to directly compare the eye with a digital camera.
 

16

General Science / Can you help me prank another forum member?

« on: 17/06/2010 13:55:23 »

Right. Yesterday I got a message from Omid to say that no-one had proposed to her and that I am definately not a superhero. Tsk, tsk. 15,000 members and no-one joined in - much as Joe predicted.

Then, this morning she told me one person had now offered to marry her. See? I am a superhero after all.
 

17

Just Chat! / who can answer this one?

« on: 17/06/2010 00:24:25 »

Is it the letter 'T'?

18

General Science / Can you help me prank another forum member?

« on: 16/06/2010 00:13:40 »

Yes, I suspect you may be right. Heyho. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
 

19

General Science / Can you help me prank another forum member?

« on: 16/06/2010 00:01:58 »

Yes, of course you are absolutely right and I'm not sure which one of us is pulling the other's leg. Omid is very bright. The fact that she is able to study in the native language of a foreign country is hugely impressive and is nothing I could have done at any age, let alone hers.

She acted genuinely excited at the prospect of me being a superhero but I am aware that she's probably either having me on or, more likely, she's humouring someone she thinks I might be a nutter! [] In fact I wondered if I was being set up! Which is why I thought I'd give her a demonstration.

However, I have no idea if she did receive any proposals as she is staying tight lipped on the subject.
 

20

Just Chat! / who can answer this one?

« on: 14/06/2010 23:30:07 »

Oooo, they're getting tricky.

At first I thought it might be 'eyes', then I thought maybe a rainbow or even a colour camera but none of those really fit. This one's definately superhero-proof.  []