Random Posts

[GRowell]

Does that mean that a mass on the moon has a different inertia? Getting shot on moon is less painfull then?
Something is out.

[andydp]

Aug 31, 2021 17:38:18 GMT indy said:

Aug 31, 2021 17:04:27 GMT andydp said:

You lost me at "Einstein".

If I remember it correctly, which is not a given by any means, one of the major assumptions underlying the general theory of relatively is that they these two masses are, in fact, equivalent.

They are the same within our limits to measure them, which is an important detail.

Strangely enough, I can actually grasp this concept:  a car at rest has the same mass as a car doing 60.  Other factors such as speed would be "extraneous" and not add to the actual mass of the car.  Feel free to shoot me out of the water.  Remember, I have a hard time balancing my checkbook.

[indy]

Sept 2, 2021 13:40:23 GMT andydp said:

Aug 31, 2021 17:38:18 GMT indy said:

If I remember it correctly, which is not a given by any means, one of the major assumptions underlying the general theory of relatively is that they these two masses are, in fact, equivalent.

They are the same within our limits to measure them, which is an important detail.

Strangely enough, I can actually grasp this concept:  a car at rest has the same mass as a car doing 60.  Other factors such as speed would be "extraneous" and not add to the actual mass of the car.  Feel free to shoot me out of the water.  Remember, I have a hard time balancing my checkbook.

We are getting into areas where I have to dust the cobwebs away in what physics I was able to absorb, so hopefully somebody can correct any errors.

According to Einstein's special relatively theory, the mass of your car at rest does not have the same mass as the car doing 60. The mass of the car at rest is called, appropriately, its rest mass. The car in motion has what's called its relativistic mass to an observer of the car. There is an equation that relates the two together but suffice it to say that a car doing 60 would have a relativistic mass extremely close to its rest mass. As you approach the speed of light, however, relativistic mass increases such that traveling at the speed of light would produce an object of infinite relativistic mass. This is the extremely simplified explanation for the concept that nothing can travel at or faster than the speed of light.

[LFC]

All of this talk about Einstein, relativity, and the speed of light reminds me of this great Steven Wright joke.

[andydp]

Sept 2, 2021 19:44:20 GMT indy said:

Sept 2, 2021 13:40:23 GMT andydp said:

Strangely enough, I can actually grasp this concept:  a car at rest has the same mass as a car doing 60.  Other factors such as speed would be "extraneous" and not add to the actual mass of the car.  Feel free to shoot me out of the water.  Remember, I have a hard time balancing my checkbook.

We are getting into areas where I have to dust the cobwebs away in what physics I was able to absorb, so hopefully somebody can correct any errors.

According to Einstein's special relatively theory, the mass of your car at rest does not have the same mass as the car doing 60. The mass of the car at rest is called, appropriately, its rest mass. The car in motion has what's called its relativistic mass to an observer of the car. There is an equation that relates the two together but suffice it to say that a car doing 60 would have a relativistic mass extremely close to its rest mass. As you approach the speed of light, however, relativistic mass increases such that traveling at the speed of light would produce an object of infinite relativistic mass. This is the extremely simplified explanation for the concept that nothing can travel at or faster than the speed of light.

Again, this is why I have a hard time with my checkbook. I appreciate your efforts and simple talk.

Now I have to figure out where the checkbook is…

[indy]

Sept 2, 2021 22:14:02 GMT andydp said:

Sept 2, 2021 19:44:20 GMT indy said:

We are getting into areas where I have to dust the cobwebs away in what physics I was able to absorb, so hopefully somebody can correct any errors.

According to Einstein's special relatively theory, the mass of your car at rest does not have the same mass as the car doing 60. The mass of the car at rest is called, appropriately, its rest mass. The car in motion has what's called its relativistic mass to an observer of the car. There is an equation that relates the two together but suffice it to say that a car doing 60 would have a relativistic mass extremely close to its rest mass. As you approach the speed of light, however, relativistic mass increases such that traveling at the speed of light would produce an object of infinite relativistic mass. This is the extremely simplified explanation for the concept that nothing can travel at or faster than the speed of light.

Again, this is why I have a hard time with my checkbook. I appreciate your efforts and simple talk.

Now I have to figure out where the checkbook is…

Well, I provided something I thought was easy to type in a paragraph and yet kind of explain it, but it's important to note most any physicist will (quite fairly) dispute it as inaccurate. Still, most introductory physics textbooks (when I was using them, maybe it has changed since then) explain it this way because a more precise explanation requires concepts most people just aren't familiar with.

If you are interested in why exactly it's not quite right, this guy explains it pretty well: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTJauaefTZM

[LFC]

Sept 2, 2021 22:14:02 GMT andydp said:

Again, this is why I have a hard time with my checkbook.

Wait a sec. You have a hard time with your checkbook because its mass increases when it's moving?

[andydp]

Sept 3, 2021 17:39:07 GMT LFC said:

Sept 2, 2021 22:14:02 GMT andydp said:

Again, this is why I have a hard time with my checkbook.

Wait a sec. You have a hard time with your checkbook because its mass increases when it's moving?

I’ll use that next month. Thanks

[goldenvalley]

With flames from the KNP Complex Fire advancing toward the signature grove of ancient massive trees in Sequoia National Park, firefighters on Thursday fought fire with fire.

Using firing operations to burn out flammable vegetation and other matter before the wildfire arrives in the Giant Forest is one of several ways firefighters can use their nemesis as a tool to stop, slow or redirect fires.

Firefighters on Thursday were conducting burnout operations in the Giant Forest at almost a micro level, moving from tree to tree, Paterson said. Ground cover and organic debris known as duff close to the trees was being set on fire, allowing the flames to creep away from the tree to create a buffer.

The General Sherman and other massive conifers were wrapped in aluminum blankets to protect them from the extreme heat.

The park was the first in the West to use prescribed fire more than 50 years ago and regularly burns some of its groves to remove fuels. Paterson said that was a reason for optimism.

Read more here: www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article254320998.html#storylink=cpy


Read more here: www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article254320998.html#storylink=cpy

[Bact PhD]

We were out there in 2018.


Hope the backfires work; it would be a shame to lose those trees.

[Bact PhD]

The Villages,FL has come up in conversation a few times. Maybe not all of us aging Boomers want to live in endless Old People-ville (we sure as hell don’t!)?

The Villages, a master-planned retirement community in central Florida, is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the U.S., we learned from the 2020 Census. In a demographically changing and urbanizing America, this predominantly white, politically conservative stronghold bucked the trend as retirees lured by warm winters and pastel-hued homes surrounded by golf carts and pickleball courts, flocked in.

We are all free to choose how and where we want to live, of course, and new housing solutions for the rapidly growing population of older Americans are needed. But, to be honest, if communities like the Villages represent the future of aging, please count me, and many of us, out.

[snip]

It is understandable that so many people in their sixth, seventh and eighth decades find Villages-type developments a logical next step for their lives. These places can seem safe choices in a youth-focused America that stigmatizes aging, regularly pushes older adults to the sidelines and sees getting older as defined by dependency and decline. In the past year alone, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted ageist attitudes, as “OK, boomer,” “boomer remover” and similar memes spread across social media.

www.marketwatch.com/story/the-villages-is-a-retirement-paradiseso-why-is-that-a-problem-11631818529?mod=home-page

[andydp]

Sirius XM success !!

I get an e mail offering me three free months on an "inactive radio" in the Corvette. I try to activate but get nothing, then I look at the letter.  Seems they are giving me three months on a radio that I took out of the car three years ago.  Called customer service but the final word was they can't activate my new radio. I wrote a letter saying I was not pleased and thought it was a bit silly to offer me three months on a radio I don't have in the car anymore. 

I get a message to call the customer service to try an straighten this out. I called and was very polite explaining its a bit silly to offer me a deal on a removed radio. They still can't activate my new radio BUT... they're giving me a special "intro" rate of $6.00/Month for a year to make up for my inconvenience.  

I have to say I'm well pleased with the outcome.  Since I have Apple Play on the new Corvette radio this is a major win for my budget.

[goldenvalley]

Sept 22, 2021 16:52:35 GMT Bact PhD said:

The Villages,FL has come up in conversation a few times. Maybe not all of us aging Boomers want to live in endless Old People-ville (we sure as hell don’t!)?

The Villages, a master-planned retirement community in central Florida, is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the U.S., we learned from the 2020 Census. In a demographically changing and urbanizing America, this predominantly white, politically conservative stronghold bucked the trend as retirees lured by warm winters and pastel-hued homes surrounded by golf carts and pickleball courts, flocked in.

We are all free to choose how and where we want to live, of course, and new housing solutions for the rapidly growing population of older Americans are needed. But, to be honest, if communities like the Villages represent the future of aging, please count me, and many of us, out.

[snip]

It is understandable that so many people in their sixth, seventh and eighth decades find Villages-type developments a logical next step for their lives. These places can seem safe choices in a youth-focused America that stigmatizes aging, regularly pushes older adults to the sidelines and sees getting older as defined by dependency and decline. In the past year alone, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted ageist attitudes, as “OK, boomer,” “boomer remover” and similar memes spread across social media.

www.marketwatch.com/story/the-villages-is-a-retirement-paradiseso-why-is-that-a-problem-11631818529?mod=home-page

The Villages style living is fine when one is a relatively healthy retired person, but eventually you'll have to think about being near family to help you go to medical appointments and to show up at the hospital when you end up there.  

My farm grandparents lived in a ye olde mobile home park for years and they had fun for a while.  Eventually they couldn't make the trip and were too far for my mom to help them out in a hurry.  

[andydp]

Sept 22, 2021 23:27:50 GMT goldenvalley said:

Sept 22, 2021 16:52:35 GMT Bact PhD said:

The Villages,FL has come up in conversation a few times. Maybe not all of us aging Boomers want to live in endless Old People-ville (we sure as hell don’t!)?

www.marketwatch.com/story/the-villages-is-a-retirement-paradiseso-why-is-that-a-problem-11631818529?mod=home-page

The Villages style living is fine when one is a relatively healthy retired person, but eventually you'll have to think about being near family to help you go to medical appointments and to show up at the hospital when you end up there.  

My farm grandparents lived a ye olde mobile home park for years and they had fun for a while.  Eventually they couldn't make the trip and were too far for my mom to help them out in a hurry.  

I have VERY mixed (mostly negative) feelings about going to an "over 55" area.  While it would be convenient to be near places that cater to people in your demographic, the downside is if you hang around all those old people and their ailments you'll get older faster and pick up their ailments.

[Bact PhD]

Sept 22, 2021 23:27:50 GMT goldenvalley said:

Sept 22, 2021 16:52:35 GMT Bact PhD said:

The Villages,FL has come up in conversation a few times. Maybe not all of us aging Boomers want to live in endless Old People-ville (we sure as hell don’t!)?

The Villages style living is fine when one is a relatively healthy retired person, but eventually you'll have to think about being near family to help you go to medical appointments and to show up at the hospital when you end up there.  

My farm grandparents lived in a ye olde mobile home park for years and they had fun for a while.  Eventually they couldn't make the trip and were too far for my mom to help them out in a hurry.  

The thing is, though, if you are a 60-something couple in Cincinnati (or Trenton, or Buffalo...), and your offspring are grown and raising their kids in Atlanta and Kansas City (Austin/Charlotte/Seattle...), the kids are going to be no farther away from you if you go where it's sunny and warm most of the year than if you stay put. Might as well have the fun in the sun while you're still able to. The eventual decline is far enough in the future that that's a bridge to get crossed when you get to it.

My personal story on this very issue: In the case of Chem PhD, his father was long deceased by the time I entered the picture; his mother had carved out a very active life for herself in the PA burg where Chem grew up. She had already decided on a CCRC¹ in that burg that she would go to, and did so once she decided not to keep the house anymore. Even though Chem was the only child, and he had moved to FL in the 1980s, she had more than enough assistance from friends and neighbors, and later the retirement facility, that she only needed our help when it came time to sift through the STUFF prior to the move (she downsized BIG TIME).

In my case, Daddy Dear passed before Dear Son's second birthday. Mommie Dearest kept the South Florida home for some years afterwards, riding out the Great Recession. Truth be told, she was all set to transition to a CCRC in South Florida when both her broker and I asked whether she had looked into the community here; she had not. She actually did NOT want to move closer to us, at the risk of being too close. One visit and she was sold. She made the visit in early October; by December 15 she was moved and settling in up here.


¹CCRC = Continuing Care Retirement Community. The kind of place that has multiple modes of living - independent, assisted, and nursing care -- all in one place. The buy-in is pretty pricey, but the care is there if/when it's needed. They have all sorts of activities, provide transportation if needed, dining,...

[LFC]

It feels like the more tightly controlled the organization the more likely it is that unchecked abuse occurred.

Three sisters are among dozens of former students who say they were sexually abused by Malka Leifer, their former principal at the ultra Orthodox Adass Israel school for girls in the mid-2000s. On Thursday, Leifer was ordered to stand trial on 70 counts of child sex abuse after a Melbourne court heard testimony from the sisters, a former colleague and an ex-husband of one of the victims.

Leifer fled to Israel to try and avoid the justice system when allegations against her emerged more than a decade ago. The charges against her include 11 counts of rape, 43 of indecent assault, 13 of committing an indecent act with a child and three of sexual penetration. Most of the alleged crimes were committed on school grounds and at girls’ camps affiliated with the school, according to court records. One charge is described as compelling a victim “without her consent” to sexually penetrate Leifer with an object. Another charge involves Leifer allegedly sexually penetrating the child “while being aware that she was not consenting or might not be consenting.”

Magistrate Johanna Metcalf told the court there was ample evidence to bring the case forward.“Having carefully considered the entirety of the evidence… in my opinion the evidence is of sufficient weight to support a conviction,” Metcalf told the court Thursday. “I propose to commit the accused for trial.”

Leifer, whose husband is Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Leifer, who heads the small Chust Hassidic community in Emmanuel, Israel, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday. Leifer has also been accused of abusing children in Israel, but no formal charges have been filed against her or her husband.

[LFC]

A tale of "luxury" condos. Sounds like some of the stories that have come out of China.

Early this summer, a contractor arrived at 432 Park Ave. on Billionaires’ Row in Manhattan to address pervasive water leaks at the mega high-rise. He began drilling through the concrete floor, allegedly without any guidance on whether the building’s developers had placed electrical wiring below. The contractor quickly discovered the answer. He cut into a cable, triggering an explosion that launched him several feet through the air, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of tenants this week. It was allegedly the second explosion in just three years.

The lawsuit, which seeks at least $125 million in damages, claims that residents have suffered one of the worst cases of “malfeasance in the development of a luxury condominium in the history of New York City.” The suit further alleges that developers have either tried to dodge accountability for 1,500 building defects or “negligently performed remediation efforts that at worst caused millions of additional dollars in costs.”

Many of the allegations appeared in a New York Times investigation published in February, which unleashed a torrent of schadenfreude in the article’s comments section. (“I sobbed uncontrollably reading this indescribably bleak tale of woe,” wrote one sardonic reader.) The Times also first reported this week’s lawsuit.

Sarina Abramovich, who owns a unit in the building, said the chaos provoked infighting among residents. “Everybody hates each other here,” she previously told the Times. Abramovich and her husband had purchased a $17 million apartment in 2016, expecting white-glove treatment upon arrival. Instead, she complained, she was zipped up to her unit in a freight elevator, “surrounded by steel plates and plywood, with a hard-hat operator.”

According to court filings, construction at the 1,396-foot tower was not just delayed, but haphazardly completed. Ceilings are cracked, joints are misaligned, sliding doors don’t work, and “use of the trash chute is reported to sound ‘like a bomb.’”

Tenants also grumble about frequent creaks and vibrations. Filings allege that the cofounder of one of the developers, Richard Ressler, owns a unit in the building and has previously admitted that the noise issues are “‘intolerable,’ rendering it difficult to sleep during periods of even moderately inclement weather.”

Ressler’s firm, CIM, declined to comment. A spokesperson for the building’s sponsor group—of which CIM is a member—said that “each and every commitment and term contained in the 432 Park Offering Plan and Declaration has been honored.” He added that “the [homeowner's association] has restricted access to the property for the performance of remediation, which has delayed completion of certain work. In addition, the HOA and certain vocal residents misunderstand Sponsor’s obligations.”

The lawsuit is filed on behalf of 432 Park’s board and tenants collectively, meaning that individual owners could potentially still file their own legal claims. But the most striking allegations seem to affect the entire building.

Elevators, for instance, were programmed to slow down during periods of high winds. As a result, residents have been trapped inside for hours at a time. The sponsor group allegedly hired a consultant that recommended using duct tape to stabilize insecure materials. Meanwhile, the building holds an energy efficiency rating of a D, according to the lawsuit.

[goldenvalley]

Yeah paying big bucks for an apartment doesn't guarantee quality in today's residential construction world.  

San Francisco's Millennium Tower has been sinking and tilting for years — but its homeowners may have finally found a solution.

On December 3, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Millennium Tower Homeowners Association will put forward a $100 million plan to address the tower's instability.

Since its opening in 2009, the 58-story skyscraper has sunk 17 inches and tilted another 14 inches to the northwest, generating concerns among residents that the building's foundation could jeopardize their safety.

The structure's unsteady footing has given rise to a host of other controversies, including weakened home values, accusations of fraud, and years of legal battles. Residents have also complained of mysterious odors, bubbling floors, cracked walls, and a giant fissure in a window on the 36th floor.

Engineers think they can fix everything but I sure as heck wouldn't buy a condo in that building for any amount of money, not ever. The original buyers are screwed.

[pnwguy]

Sept 24, 2021 20:31:56 GMT LFC said:

A tale of "luxury" condos. Sounds like some of the stories that have come out of China.

Sounds like an ideal Trump property.  

[LFC]

Sept 24, 2021 22:40:04 GMT goldenvalley said:

Engineers think they can fix everything but I sure as heck wouldn't buy a condo in that building for any amount of money, not ever. The original buyers are screwed.

Has the company that built it gone bankrupt yet? That seems to be the standard procedure. Many developments around my area, and likely across the nation, are built by individual "companies." Sometimes the "company" is a partnership but often its a wholly owned subsidiary of a well known builder. The profits are passed to the owner(s). When the development is complete the "company" that built it sits around for a few years handling some warranty items but generates no economic activity and then shuts down. If you have big problems years later due to a building defect (i.e. they f***ed up and actually broke the law, intentionally or not, by violating building codes) then there's no entity left to sue. You can try to go after the still existing former owning company by it's a bigger uphill battle to push the liability onto them.

[goldenvalley]

Sept 27, 2021 15:07:30 GMT LFC said:

Sept 24, 2021 22:40:04 GMT goldenvalley said:

Engineers think they can fix everything but I sure as heck wouldn't buy a condo in that building for any amount of money, not ever. The original buyers are screwed.

Has the company that built it gone bankrupt yet? That seems to be the standard procedure. Many developments around my area, and likely across the nation, are built by individual "companies." Sometimes the "company" is a partnership but often its a wholly owned subsidiary of a well known builder. The profits are passed to the owner(s). When the development is complete the "company" that built it sits around for a few years handling some warranty items but generates no economic activity and then shuts down. If you have big problems years later due to a building defect (i.e. they f***ed up and actually broke the law, intentionally or not, by violating building codes) then there's no entity left to sue. You can try to go after the still existing former owning company by it's a bigger uphill battle to push the liability onto them.

A cursory search shows no bankruptcy filing.  Apparently the building is still considered seismically safe and compliant with San Francisco building codes.   I still wouldn't buy (not that I could afford to anyway).

[theronmad]

I would like to mention about archeology. Many scholars and public media may be under the delusion that only the French were the butts and discoverers of history. This stigma lingers on because of the discoveries and excavations in Egypt. But relatively recently, by the way, in my college essay, I wrote about the fact that the British also made a very great contribution to the formation and structuring of the history of which we see it now. By the way, if someone is interested, then my work can be found at essaywritinghelp.pro/buy-research-papers/ in their blog of examples of work

[andydp]

Not to be outdone by the smart people ahead of me, I am now going off on a tangent of mundaness.

Took me two hours to mow my lawn of three+ week's worth of grown grass (usually takes an hour).  I'm happy it was "cool" since I would have collapsed by the last 1/3 of lawn.

After a one hour recovery and shower, off to the framing company to retrieve art photos we had framed:  a Dungeness crab (ILO a blue crab) to remind my wife of crabbing with her dad in the Delaware Bay.  A nice art photo of the US Flag.  I also brought over a NY Daily News Magazine Center Page I had saved as a kid in 1966.  The original is in the Hall Of Fame.  I saw the same thing for sale at $500+.  My framing will cost about $ 250.  Can't wait to hang it up.

Did some food and booze "window" shopping.  Came home, and having a beer.

I'm posting the link to the print.  If anyone wants to feel free to post the actual print.

collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/casey-bat-cartoon-1961-april-16-0

[goldenvalley]

That's a cool print. We're off to the Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in addition to our Lake Placid visit. I fully expect my husband to want to get something like that print for himself or something related to the Red Sox of his childhood.

[andydp]

Sept 28, 2021 21:43:51 GMT goldenvalley said:

That's a cool print. We're off to the Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in addition to our Lake Placid visit. I fully expect my husband to want to get something like that print for himself or something related to the Red Sox of his childhood.

Its actually one of the few poems I know more than one stanza. I loved it when it was published, I kept it. Now I’m getting it framed.