41

Just Chat! / What are the best places to eat in all greater London?

« on: 24/01/2024 15:29:58 »

I'm not asking for an A+ essay, just do your best. I could google an answer, but there's no fun in that.

42

Just Chat! / Re: What is your favorite Dickens novel and why?

« on: 19/01/2024 13:30:21 »

Shakespe

Did Shakespeare write any novels?

He wrote a GREAT novel called The Dictionary. The protagonist is Inspector Tom Dictionary who solves a series of murders. Spoiler: The Zebra did it.

43

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How do astrochemists and astrophysicists know what exoplanets are made of?

« on: 12/01/2024 14:07:35 »

On the rare occasion that we can see exoplanet images all we're looking at is a few pixels at best. Obviously we have other data such as distance from its star, orbital speed, mass, and on some really rare occasions it's diameter and rotation speed. Obviously these are facts everyone on this subforum knows. What I cannot figure out is how astrochemists can sometimes say with certainty what an exoplanet is made of. For example, the scary exoplanet 16 Cygni Bb is said (not presumed) by them to be abundant in lithium.

44

The Environment / Is it possible for hydrogen sulfide clouds to form on Earth?

« on: 10/01/2024 13:16:51 »

What would it be like?

45

Just Chat! / Anyone here have prosopagnosia?

« on: 01/01/2024 16:28:14 »

I had no idea this thing of mine has an actual diagnosis. When I meet someone it can take me a few weeks or more to be able to visualize their face. My visualisation can be either a blur or the face of someone else. It's a trait that causes people to misinterpret me as self-absorbed, uninterested, a dick or someone with early-onset dementia. During college I worked seasonally at a couple retail jobs and I would often fail at recognizing the faces of repeat customers, making me look like another uncaring salesman. This morning I took my mother to get a coronary angiogram, and while in the waiting room I had a friendly conversation with a married couple for 30-some-odd minutes, and right now I cannot visualize their face.

46

Just Chat! / Re: Why does it take pharmacists so long to fill a simple prescription?

« on: 27/12/2023 14:08:41 »

It shouldn't take 40 minutes to fill a tube of penis cream.

47

Just Chat! / Why does it take pharmacists so long to fill a simple prescription?

« on: 25/12/2023 14:10:02 »

I don't want to insult any of them, therefor I never ask. I know every pill has to be accounted for to avoid theft- and missing pills is far more serious than missing bottles of Diet Pepsi, but still...

48

General Science / Is desalinated ocean water just as healthy as any other purified water?

« on: 23/12/2023 13:40:15 »

Is desalinated ocean water just as healthy and potabile for human consumption as purified spring, rain, lake, and melt water? Is the issue with treated salanated and brine water primarily cost?

Also, in regards to freshwater, what should we look out for before drinking it?

49

Just Chat! / What is your favorite Dickens novel and why?

« on: 22/12/2023 19:10:58 »

Also, if you're feeling generous, replace Dickens with Shakespeare in this question.

50

Just Chat! / The British Iles does not just have weird food names...

« on: 18/12/2023 13:59:05 »

Bishop's Incher, Pucklechurch, Curry Mallet, Uploders, Nether Wallop, Didling, Crudwell, Affpuddle, Wetwang, Queen Camel, Papplewick, Stiffwood.

I know you guys don't like talking about it, but it needs to be had...

51

Just Chat! / Re: If you got your hands on a bunch of Osmium, what would you do with it?

« on: 17/12/2023 14:04:17 »

I'd send samples to some of our correspondents, labelled "at last, something denser than you".

It must be heaven working for you. When you get your staff to fetch your coffee, do you have them retreat to their place slowly, never turning their back on you? Or slap them if they make eye contact with you or splash it in their face if it's too hot?

52

Just Chat! / Re: If you got your hands on a bunch of Osmium, what would you do with it?

« on: 15/12/2023 10:49:53 »

Spank me now and we'll call it even.

53

Just Chat! / If you got your hands on a bunch of Osmium, what would you do with it?

« on: 15/12/2023 04:46:45 »

Just a question.

54

Physiology & Medicine / Are there self-hypnosis methods for finding a lost item?

« on: 13/12/2023 07:47:32 »

Is there a usable self-hypnosis trick to finding something you lost such as a phone or car keys?

Also- I asked Bing AI why people lose their keys and it said...

55

Just Chat! / Re: Are wine tasters legitimate?

« on: 08/12/2023 18:39:44 »

Yes, sommeliers are legitimate.

Is a Sommelier someone that fought at the Battle of the Somme?

56

Just Chat! / Are wine tasters legitimate?

« on: 08/12/2023 14:19:48 »

My late father was a wine enthusiast and I once brought up the topic of possible fakery in that little world he was in. I told him about a video I watched showing people like him getting fooled at a prestigious wine tasting. They were even fooled by glasses of cheap white wine with red food dye served in red wine glasses. The video's thesis, obviously, was to show that they're faking it. "Well, they're not wrong" was his response.

57

Physiology & Medicine / Do tranquilizers really work as fast as we see in crime fiction?

« on: 01/12/2023 17:16:28 »

It happens all the time, a character will instantly knock out another character with a tranquilizer such as etorphine. There was once a case where a woman killed herself in a way that made it look like a homicide. She bounded her hands and feet together behind her back and tightly tied a nylon stocking around her neck, all after injecting a lethal dose of morphine. Mustachioed cops and medical examiners agreed she was murdered, as they figured that a high amount of injected morphine would have made the task impossible. It would be a skeptical journalist who pointed out that an injection of morphine takes 15 to 30 minutes to take effect. Also, she had a motive for her suicide, which was a desperate act to finally convince people that her delusions were real.

58

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Does my mother possibly have ALS?

« on: 30/11/2023 17:26:48 »

If I had known that electromyography results are instant, I would have not posted this question. Anywho, she is fine. ALS has been ruled out.

59

Physiology & Medicine / Does my mother possibly have ALS?

« on: 30/11/2023 15:27:56 »

Last February my 74-year-old mother got surgery for her severe spinal stenosis and her recovery has not been great. She still feels weak and stuff walking around, and uses the walker her mom (my grandmother) used during the last few years of her life. Today she is getting an electromyography to rule out ALS. I explained to her how rare motor neurone disease is and that worrying about it has no benefit whatsoever. My mother, as her mother before her, lived a very active life and looks much younger than she actually is. So, you can see how awful it is for someone like her to have mobility problems..
ALS used to be a relatively unheard of disease until a decade ago with the the wave of viral Ice Bucket Challenge videos on YouTube. Now (for better or worse) almost everyone knows about this incurable menace and worry about having it or not. This, and the fact that my mom's partner died of ALS 13 years ago, will naturally produce these fears in one's mind.

60

Just Chat! / Would you fart in an elevator?

« on: 29/11/2023 16:25:01 »

The old belief that holding farts for too long can wreck internal organs has been thoroughly debunked. No need to worry about that. But, if you're in an elevator and have gas creeping in on you ready to be liberated- and have a minute or more to reach your destination-  would you, as a courtesy to fellow travelers, hold it in no matter how much it hurts?