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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 23, 2010 1:22:29 GMT
Put your "dumb questions" here! I mean all that stuff you wonder about and don't know where to ask. Others may be wondering the same things or even have the answers.
I was walking just before sunset and noticing how the sky's color, light, and cloud formations were different in every quadrant.
Farmers, sailors, mountain climbers and others read and interpreted these signs for thousands of years, correct? But if I watch the tv weather, I'm going to get doppler radar, satellite imaging, etc.
So, my first question is this: Is any official weather forecasting still done by people who know how to interpret natural phenomena?
I'd really like to know ~~ thanks!
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Post by hwinpp on Feb 23, 2010 3:07:18 GMT
In Germany, if you want the most exact weather forecast, it's best to call the forecast for farmers. It used to be a phone- in service so it could be gone now. I'm not sure they interpreted natural phenomena though.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 23, 2010 3:25:29 GMT
It's interesting that there is (or was) a separate forecast for farmers, and that it was the most exact. Of course if all old farmers were adept at reading natural signs, I guess they wouldn't need forecasts.
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Post by onlymark on Feb 23, 2010 5:32:24 GMT
Is thyme honey made from bees who feed on thyme flowers or normal honey with thyme added?
How do you know when you've run out of invisible ink?
If you eat pasta and anti-pasta, are you still hungry?
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 23, 2010 5:45:57 GMT
I'm pretty sure that thyme honey is from bees who've been feeding on thyme. I believe that's how all the special honeys are produced, by putting the hives in an orange orchard, for instance, or in a grove of tupelo trees, etc.
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paristraveler
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Post by paristraveler on Feb 23, 2010 14:51:24 GMT
How do you know when sour cream has gone bad?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2010 18:16:12 GMT
Mine has started turning pink, strangely enough. This is a new phenomenon, caused by god knows what deadly bacteria. The moment I see the pink color, I throw it away.
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Post by Kimby on Feb 23, 2010 19:04:34 GMT
Mine turned blue-green around the top edge of the carton, but I didn't notice till after I'd added some to dinner, fortunately missing the furry stuff.
Tasted fine, but I tossed it as soon as I brought a new container home.
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Post by Kimby on Feb 23, 2010 19:05:32 GMT
Is thyme honey made from bees who feed on thyme flowers or normal honey with thyme added? How do you know when you've run out of invisible ink? If you eat pasta and anti-pasta, are you still hungry? Two of these three remind me of Steven Wright, my favorite comedian. Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?
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Post by onlymark on Feb 23, 2010 21:34:40 GMT
Steven Wright is good. I don't normally like American comedians, in fact I can count those I do like on the fingers of ... errr..... well .... one finger.
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Post by onlymark on Feb 23, 2010 21:44:33 GMT
Further dumb questions spring to mind. I'd be obliged if there were answers to these.
If we use the Greek letter 'pi' to symbolise 3.141592... what do the Greeks use?
If Milli Vanilli falls over in the woods, does somebody else make a sound?
If cheese has its picture taken, what does it say?
"I AM, therefore I think." Isn't that putting Descartes before the horse?
Hairdressers always ask you where you're going on holiday; why don't travel agents ask you where you have your hair done?
If water is H2O... does that make ice H2O cubed?
Does a radioactive cat have 18 half lives?
If you water your lawn with beer, will it come up half cut?
Do the batteries in torches wear out more quickly if you shine the torch on objects that are further away?
I better stop now before I get carried away.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 24, 2010 2:42:20 GMT
"If you water your lawn with beer, will it come up half cut?" ~~ I don't get it. Not that I'm one to complain, but truly, no one knows the answer to my question?
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Post by existentialcrisis on Feb 24, 2010 8:36:15 GMT
"half cut" might be an expression for drunk... like "half in the bag"...
Anyhow, I am confused. Is this thread a place for honest questions and discussion, or for funny rhetorical questions?
I can't answer your question bixa. The only thing I know is: "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailor take warning."
As for the sour cream ... I thought it was always obvious when it is bad. There is very obvious mold growing on it. Sour cream always seems to go bad. I thought cream cheese was the same... I went to throw mine out the other day which I've had for a long time and can't even remember what I bought it for.... but apparently it doesn't expire for months!
Why does cream and/or sour cream expire faster than cream cheese ?
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Post by bjd on Feb 24, 2010 8:39:38 GMT
Cream cheese in France seems to be different from that in N America -- it keeps like fresh or sour cream -- i;e. a couple of weeks, less once it's open.
I don't know the answer to your question, Bixa. I imagine all "official" weather forecasting is done using supercomputer modelling.
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Post by onlymark on Feb 24, 2010 8:46:31 GMT
"half cut" might be an expression for drunk... like "half in the bag"... Anyhow, I am confused. Is this thread a place for honest questions and discussion, or for funny rhetorical questions? Half cut does mean drunk. And it was initially for honest questions and discussion, but taking things seriously is not my strong point and I fail to do so at every opportunity, so I digressed. I feel returning to it's original purpose may be prudent.
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Post by spindrift on Feb 24, 2010 8:50:07 GMT
No, Mark, I enjoy your repartee....
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Post by bjd on Feb 24, 2010 8:50:49 GMT
Me too.
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Post by onlymark on Feb 24, 2010 8:56:03 GMT
Well I do have a serious question (or two) -
Why can't someone invent a razor using just the third blade as that seems to be the one that shaves the closest ? Will a shark will only attack you when you're wet?
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Post by spindrift on Feb 24, 2010 9:08:39 GMT
I might know the answer to the shark question. Whilst I was living in Sydney I heard (from a close friend) that he had been in a small boat in the harbour with other merrymakers one of whom had put his feet over the side but not in the water. A shark pulled him in and killed him. This attack was so ferocious that my friend couldn't bear to talk about the details.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2010 10:26:46 GMT
Have they invented something to replace plastic when we run out of oil?
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paristraveler
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Post by paristraveler on Feb 24, 2010 14:46:16 GMT
How do you know when sour cream has gone bad? Sorry, folks, it was just my piss-poor version of a Steven Wright-type joke ;D
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 24, 2010 16:11:41 GMT
Why can't someone invent a razor using just the third blade as that seems to be the one that shaves the closest ? Hmmm. Is it the one that shaves you the closest, or is it in effect shaving you the third time? It's true that the double-bladed razors shave better than the single, and the triple-bladed even better than the double-blades. But isn't part of that engineering, getting the angle right on the shaving head?
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Post by onlymark on Feb 24, 2010 17:51:13 GMT
Initially when three bladed razors came out they advertised the fact that the third blade gave you ultimately the closest shave. The thought was that if this is so, then why bother with the first two? But the contradiction is that without the first two, the third wouldn't be effective. There are now four and even five bladed razors so the point is moot as it is always the last blade that gives the closest shave, the first ones clearing the path, so to speak, for it.
Getting the right angle is also a factor, but it is also difficult to hold the whole razor at the right angle all the time - operator error as it were. That's why they often have hinged heads, to follow the contours of your face.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2010 19:54:44 GMT
The simulations always show how the first blade not only slices through the forest but also pulls on what it is cutting, so that the next blade has something left to cut, while pulling on what it is cutting so that the next blade can cut something. All of this pulling is a source of excruciating pain for us manly men, so I hope the ladies appreciate what we do for them.
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Post by auntieannie on Feb 28, 2010 9:55:04 GMT
Why is it that those who know the least are the ones who talk most about a subject, trying to "educate" others?
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 28, 2010 15:38:18 GMT
Seems that way sometimes, doesn't it, Annie?
Okay -- let's talk about eggs. I'm pretty sure that in the US eggs come pointy-side down when you buy them. Eggs here are frequently sold in open flats, and they're pointy-side up. Since I transfer them to egg cartons, I always turn them pointy-side down when doing so. Does it really matter?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2010 15:57:23 GMT
I think the more rounded end is easier for machines to handle when loading a carton.
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Post by auntieannie on Feb 28, 2010 16:38:03 GMT
It's interesting that there is (or was) a separate forecast for farmers, and that it was the most exact. Of course if all old farmers were adept at reading natural signs, I guess they wouldn't need forecasts. do you mean this question, bixa? Well, I have a strange feeling that the farmer's forecast HW is talking about is more beneficial to non-farmers than these proper old farmers... unless the old farmers cannot see the natural signs well enough? Do farmers get holidays these days? if so, the forecast might be useful for when they return? ;D
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Post by auntieannie on Feb 28, 2010 16:40:58 GMT
bixabella, about the eggs, I guess it depends on the shape of the egg carton? I've always seen eggs pointy bit up here in Europe, if I am not mistaken.
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Post by Jazz on Feb 28, 2010 16:47:03 GMT
Why do so many people need to be constantly connected (distracted?) with technology?...cell phones in hand, twittering, texting, emailing, walking along with Ipods (blocking all of the unique sounds of the moment), blackberries, home phone with 500 options...my favorite being 'call waiting'...by the time they interrupt the natural flow of the conversation to rush to the possibly 'critical' other call, the moment is gone.
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