HAL9000

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ... ballet. ... Who ever does anything with it? Summer Glau - my favourite Terminator robot.

Chick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But what have they done to the original music?? > Made by Delia Derbyshire in the BBC radiophonic > workshop in 1963. A bit of trivia: The theme music was composed by the late Ron Grainer: "In 1963, Grainer was asked to provide a theme for a new children's BBC's science fiction series entitled "Doctor Who" (1963). Despite some changes in the arrangement, this theme is still being used today - some 43 years later! The very first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast in November, on a day when television was dominated by the news of the shooting of President Kennedy, so tended to pass almost unnoticed, but soon became one of the most popular children's programmes of all time."

Have to share this amazing animation. Using computer animation based on molecular research it is possible to see how DNA is actually copied in living cells. This animation shows the ?assembly line? of biochemical machines which pull apart the DNA double helix and output a copy of each strand. The DNA to be copied enters the whirling blue molecular machine, called helicase, which spins it as fast as a jet engine as it unwinds the double helix into two strands. One strand is copied continuously, and can be seen spooling off on the other side. Things are not so simple for the other strand, because it must be copied backwards, so it is drawn out repeatedly in loops and copied one section at a time. The end result is two new DNA molecules. The animation clearly shows the violet DNA Polymerase (the copier) and the green sliding clamp protein (which keeps the DNA Polymerase into place). The actual machinery is more complicated, Read the literature in footnote #2 for more details about the replication fork."

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > HAL9000 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > > As long as the western world pursues an > > economic system based on perpetual growth > > - don't hold your breath. > > As Huge pointed out, in reality Hal you need to > replace the "Western World" with "The Developing > World"... I'm not sure about that. Western economies are still driving growth in the developing world by exporting hi-tech products and services in exchange for raw commodity, food and fuel imports and the fruits of their cheap labour.

A reality show based on which contestant's funeral attracts the most public votes will break the taboo, no doubt.

m7post Wrote --------------------------------------- > Stop Having Babies to Save the Planet As long as the western world pursues an economic system based on perpetual growth - don't hold your breath.

A Starfleet Admiral has five pips.

Is this the way the world ends - not with a bang but a whimper? European Time-Warp Mystery 31st March 2010 Scientists throughout Europe are baffled by a strange new phenomenon: their atomic clocks have slipped out of synchronisation. Extremely accurate atomic clocks are installed at various universities, astronomical observatories and research facilities throughout the world. They are often linked together to enhance their accuracy. At least one research group is actively monitoring minute variations between atomic clocks, known as ?drift?, in an attempt to detect weak gravitational waves from collapsing black holes in outer space - Einstein?s Theory of General Relativity predicts that time slows down near black holes. Engineers who maintain atomic clocks posted their concerns on an internet forum at the US National Physical Laboratory early this morning after Europe-wide time distortion was detected. Unprecedented levels of drift appear to be centred on Geneva, Switzerland, ironically, a country famous for manufacturing accurate timepieces and chronometers. The greatest effect is found in clocks closest to the epicentre and declines in magnitude as one moves farther away. Atomic clocks began to slow down yesterday, shortly after the troubled Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research near Geneva, was switched on at full power for the first time. Scientists at CERN dismiss any link to their experiments. The head of public relations, Prof. Alid Loyas, said, ?We are certain that [the LHC] is not responsible. We have experienced no problems with our atomic clocks.? Prof. John Frink, a vociferous critic of the LHC, said, ?Of course they can?t see any drift. All of their clocks have slowed down by the same amount. It is only when they are compared with clocks further away that the effect becomes noticeable. The experiment must be shut down now before it is too late.? Critics have warned that the LHC could trigger the creation of a black hole in the Earth?s crust that would draw in the entire planet ? and then begin consuming its way through the solar system. Or worse. Much worse. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8593780.stm http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=worries-about-lhc-black-hole-resurf-2009-01-29

Origins of the Easter Bunny

This program reminded me of the Balloon Boy Hoaxers - someone should have asked little Marla who did the paintings - she would have told them it was her dad.

Narnia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Recycle your favourite thread HAL? Why would you > do that? Can a computer be sarcastic? 'Recycle' in computer speak means do something useful with it. I'm guessing your definition of 'recycle' means something else - like wipe it off the face of the earth?

My favourite thread: Is there a God?

There was a fire at the Mothercare shop in the Aylesham Centre, Rye Lane this afternoon. I don't know how bad it was but worth checking first if anyone is planning a shopping trip (or anticipating a fire sale).

Rod Liddle's Spectator blog first to be censured by PCC

3000 nukes is more than enough to extinguish most terrestrial life on the planet. Modern nuclear warheads have a short shelf life because natural radioactive decay makes them unpredictable and/or unstable. The warheads, known as 'pits,' have to be removed from missiles, dismantled, molten down, reprocessed (i.e. purified from fission products), reengineered and reassembled - a very expensive and dangerous process. Economic reality has probably encouraged both sides to adopt a more cost-effective policy of MAD'ness.

If you have a Vista driver, you could try running in Windows 7 Compatibility Mode - if all else fails. How to Run a Program in Compatibility Mode in Windows 7 HTH

Lord Sornoff Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sorry Hal9000 Well, I'll be! I was just about to introduce myself to your Lordship but alas I'm too late - you've vanished into the ether. How strange.

Ladymuck Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > HAL9000 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > > I've just read Cameron's original 'scriptment' for > > Avatar...Well worth reading after seeing the movie. > > Ha ha ha... > > 114 pages - you are having a laugh! You could at > least have given us a summary!;-) Summary: in just two weeks Cameron wrote a movie scriptment with a box office take of over $2 Billion! Cameron's other scripments include: The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994) and Titanic (1997). The guy's a genius.

From a practical point of view, one of the most worrying aspects of Milgram's findings is how they relate to the conduct of criminal trials (in England and Wales). In my view, many wrongful convictions arise because jurors tend to convict because they feel that that is what the authorities expect them to do even when the evidence is flawed or insufficient to support such a verdict. Also, I think that jury polling should be introduced in England to ameliorate potential bias caused by effects such as, for example, conformity within juries during their empanelment. At the moment the deliberations of a jury are kept secret and it's against the law to make any enquiries or revelations about them.

David Cheetham Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > MSGD stands for Member of the Society of Garden > Designers Oops - picked the first hit that came up on Google. I stand corrected. > not sure who Mary Stevenson is? Nor I. Clever bit of self-referencing, though - grabbing the first spot on Google like that - no slouch, is she?

http://www.msgd.co.uk/

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Benzyl Benzoate AKA "horse liniment" - used to treat scabies (i.e. "sweet itch"). > Eugenol A naturally occuring analogue of the recreational drug ecstasy and a precursor in its illicit manufacture (second only to Safrole). > It smells of coal tar That is the smell of phenol, also known as carbolic acid, a powerful antiseptic and disinfectant that is now considered too toxic for use in topical OTC consumer products.

Bring back the turkey twizzlers! Queen invented phone, pupils say One in 10 children thinks the Queen invented the telephone, a survey of children's science knowledge suggests. Others gave credit for the invention to Charles Darwin and Noel Edmonds. One in 20 of the 1,000 pupils polled thought Star Wars character Luke Skywalker or Richard Branson had been the first to step foot on the Moon. Some 60% of nine- and 10-year-olds thought Sir Isaac Newton discovered fire, the survey for science campaign Birmingham Science City found. Despite these misconceptions, more children want to win a Nobel prize for science than the X-factor. The survey of primary and secondary school children in the UK suggests there is some confusion about key scientific achievements. Just under a half of boys (49%) correctly pinned down gravity as Newton's ground-breaking discovery, compared with 76% of girls. Just over a third of boys said Newton discovered fire, while the remaining 16% either said he invented the internet, or discovered the solar system or America. Eight out of 10 boys correctly identified Alexander Graham Bell as the inventor of the telephone, compared with 69% of girls. Dr Pam Waddell from Birmingham Science City said: "While some of these findings will raise a smile, it suggests that school children aren't tuned into our scientific heroes in the same way that they might be to sporting or music legends." She suggested it was clear that primary school children had a real interest in science. "In fact, nearly 70% of nine and 10-year-olds would like to be famous for winning a Nobel Prize in science, yet this drops to only 33% among 11 to 15-year-olds. "It appears children are losing an interest in science at secondary school, so more needs to be done to excite teenagers about the subject and rekindle some of their early childhood aspirations," she added. The poll was carried out online with a panel of 1,000 UK children in early March by OnePoll.

And therein lies the rub: there is no salvation without faith - believe or be damned. SteveT and vinceayre - have you considered Pascal's Wager?

Narnia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I saw Avatar and enjoyed the effects but I had a > sort of empty feeling leaving the cinema. I felt the same way. > I couldn't quite put my finger on it but it somehow > didn't deliver enough, ? I thought it might be because there is too much to take in during one viewing. > My other half can watch the same movie several times > and says she sees something different in it each time. I'd like to see it again in order to take it all in - perhaps a few times The movie is packed with so many fresh ideas: it's an extraordinary flight of imagination. I couldn't get enough of the visual imagery but the story took too long to unfold - it could easily lose 20-30 minutes, I reckon.