RE: Snakes on a Plate, was How to tell if a star has planets?
At 06:27 PM Friday 11/13/2009, Ronn! Blankenship wrote: At 03:32 PM Friday 11/13/2009, Julia wrote: > > Julia >who declined to take part in what she perceived was the torturing of the >rattlesnakes from Taylor during the premiere weekend of "Snakes on a Plane" >at the Alamo Drafthouse (this was at the Village location), and did *not* >reach out to touch the one being brought up the aisle on her side (and I >think that one was only about 5' long) The Alamo Drafthouse is a church? . . . ronn! :) Nope. http://www.drafthouse.com/ Opening weekends of some things, they go all-out. Oh, and Harry Knowles' Butt-Numb-A-Thon is held at one. And, well, that's where I found out that cheese & grapes is *not* as good for my digestion as cheese & apples. (I'm inclined *not* to order the cheese & fruit plate after that one.) One of the featured menu items for about a month was "Snakes on a Plate". And I hear tell that rattler (which was the snake they were using) tastes like chicken. I declined to explore that. Julia When you said that they brought a rattlesnake "up the aisle" for folks to touch I of course immediately thought of those snake-handling churches, hence my wisecrack . . . And here's another one: Natural Selection free online comic strip library at comics.com - http://comics.com/natural_selection/2009-11-16/ . . . ronn! :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
Ronn! Blankenship wrote: At 02:05 PM Saturday 11/14/2009, Keith Henson wrote: Go there and look. ... Yeah, I've suggested that before, but it's hard enough getting funding for something like Kepler . . . . . . ronn! :) I still thought it could be a nice result, if it panned out. Before actively sending something to a star, we'll probably have a good enough telescope that we can see the planets. So directly looking for planets might be the best test in practice. But if having "had planets" leaves a trace in a star, it would still be a good first test. We might even see things like stars with observed lithium abundances that indicate they've had planets, but with no planets currently visible. ---David One never knows, Maru ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: How to tell if a star has planets?
At 02:05 PM Saturday 11/14/2009, Keith Henson wrote: Go there and look. Keith Yeah, I've suggested that before, but it's hard enough getting funding for something like Kepler . . . . . . ronn! :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: How to tell if a star has planets?
Go there and look. Keith ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: How to tell if a star has planets?
At 03:32 PM Friday 11/13/2009, Julia wrote: > > Julia >who declined to take part in what she perceived was the torturing of the >rattlesnakes from Taylor during the premiere weekend of "Snakes on a Plane" >at the Alamo Drafthouse (this was at the Village location), and did *not* >reach out to touch the one being brought up the aisle on her side (and I >think that one was only about 5' long) The Alamo Drafthouse is a church? . . . ronn! :) Nope. http://www.drafthouse.com/ Opening weekends of some things, they go all-out. Oh, and Harry Knowles' Butt-Numb-A-Thon is held at one. And, well, that's where I found out that cheese & grapes is *not* as good for my digestion as cheese & apples. (I'm inclined *not* to order the cheese & fruit plate after that one.) One of the featured menu items for about a month was "Snakes on a Plate". And I hear tell that rattler (which was the snake they were using) tastes like chicken. I declined to explore that. Julia When you said that they brought a rattlesnake "up the aisle" for folks to touch I of course immediately thought of those snake-handling churches, hence my wisecrack . . . . . . ronn! :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: How to tell if a star has planets?
At 03:27 PM Friday 11/13/2009, Julia wrote: -Original Message- From: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] On Behalf Of Ronn! Blankenship Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 8:03 AM To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion Subject: RE: How to tell if a star has planets? At 12:35 PM Thursday 11/12/2009, Julia Thompson wrote: > > >-Original Message- >From: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] >On Behalf Of Ronn! Blankenship >Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 8:55 AM >To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion >Subject: Re: How to tell if a star has planets? > >At 04:39 AM Thursday 11/12/2009, Alberto Monteiro wrote: > > >David Hobby asked: > > > > > > Whatever happened to good old snake oil? > > > > >Became biodiesel. > > > >Alberto Monteiro > > > >How many snakes do you have to squeeze to get a gallon? > > >. . . ronn! :) > >_ > >Depends on the snakes. A little grass snake isn't going to yield much. >A 9' rattler, on the other hand, if you can squeeze it hard enough >without getting bit, will give you more. > > Julia I'm surprised no one tried to make something out of "snakes" = "oil company executives" . . . (And I've heard of rattlers that size who survived to crawl away after being run over, backed over, then run over again . . . ) I've witnessed that. Also, dropping rocks on the thing is just going to prolong its misery. Get a hoe! Just get a hoe! The last snake I killed was (1) not a rattler and (2) by accident: I didn't know there was a snake in the grass until after I ran over it with the lawn mower, and not having a hoe or shovel or anything similar nearby enough (I was in the front yard and the tool shed is in the back yard almost diagonally opposite where I was at the time) the best thing I could think to do was to keep backing up over it and running over it again until it stopped thrashing (And I'm sure you appreciate my not putting another interpretation on your exclamatory advice.) (We should probably buy a couple of extras for just in case we see that sort of thing again, so we can give the clueless neighbor one without depriving ourselves. That, or make sure the next-door neighbor has ammo for his small-caliber gun.) My next-door neighbor had not yet reloaded his shotgun with larger shot after using it to kill snakes (cottonmouths in this case) down on his son's property when he needed it earlier this week for an intruder who was running from the police and made the unwise decision to bail out and try to run on foot through here. (Bad idea 'cuz there's only one direction in or out by vehicle or on foot, and he was heading in the opposite direction.) I'm not absolutely sure if he got stung with a few pellets or not, but he did change direction after that at least (not in the direction of the only way out, though). Fortunately the police caught the guy (and that I wasn't outside when he came across my yard, and that everything out there like the tool shed he might have tried to hide in was locked, so the first I learned of it was after he was already in custody when I walked outside to go to the store and wondered what all the police cars were doing on the street in front of my house and then why there were a bunch of uniformed and plainclothes officers gathered in between my house and said neighbor's). . . . ronn! :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: How to tell if a star has planets?
> > Julia >who declined to take part in what she perceived was the torturing of the >rattlesnakes from Taylor during the premiere weekend of "Snakes on a Plane" >at the Alamo Drafthouse (this was at the Village location), and did *not* >reach out to touch the one being brought up the aisle on her side (and I >think that one was only about 5' long) The Alamo Drafthouse is a church? . . . ronn! :) Nope. http://www.drafthouse.com/ Opening weekends of some things, they go all-out. Oh, and Harry Knowles' Butt-Numb-A-Thon is held at one. And, well, that's where I found out that cheese & grapes is *not* as good for my digestion as cheese & apples. (I'm inclined *not* to order the cheese & fruit plate after that one.) One of the featured menu items for about a month was "Snakes on a Plate". And I hear tell that rattler (which was the snake they were using) tastes like chicken. I declined to explore that. Julia ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: How to tell if a star has planets?
-Original Message- From: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] On Behalf Of Ronn! Blankenship Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 8:03 AM To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion Subject: RE: How to tell if a star has planets? At 12:35 PM Thursday 11/12/2009, Julia Thompson wrote: > > >-Original Message- >From: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] >On Behalf Of Ronn! Blankenship >Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 8:55 AM >To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion >Subject: Re: How to tell if a star has planets? > >At 04:39 AM Thursday 11/12/2009, Alberto Monteiro wrote: > > >David Hobby asked: > > > > > > Whatever happened to good old snake oil? > > > > >Became biodiesel. > > > >Alberto Monteiro > > > >How many snakes do you have to squeeze to get a gallon? > > >. . . ronn! :) > >_ > >Depends on the snakes. A little grass snake isn't going to yield much. >A 9' rattler, on the other hand, if you can squeeze it hard enough >without getting bit, will give you more. > > Julia I'm surprised no one tried to make something out of "snakes" = "oil company executives" . . . (And I've heard of rattlers that size who survived to crawl away after being run over, backed over, then run over again . . . ) I've witnessed that. Also, dropping rocks on the thing is just going to prolong its misery. Get a hoe! Just get a hoe! (We should probably buy a couple of extras for just in case we see that sort of thing again, so we can give the clueless neighbor one without depriving ourselves. That, or make sure the next-door neighbor has ammo for his small-caliber gun.) Julia ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: How to tell if a star has planets?
At 12:35 PM Thursday 11/12/2009, Julia Thompson wrote: -Original Message- From: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] On Behalf Of Ronn! Blankenship Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 8:55 AM To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion Subject: Re: How to tell if a star has planets? At 04:39 AM Thursday 11/12/2009, Alberto Monteiro wrote: >David Hobby asked: > > > > Whatever happened to good old snake oil? > > >Became biodiesel. > >Alberto Monteiro How many snakes do you have to squeeze to get a gallon? . . . ronn! :) _ Depends on the snakes. A little grass snake isn't going to yield much. A 9' rattler, on the other hand, if you can squeeze it hard enough without getting bit, will give you more. Julia I'm surprised no one tried to make something out of "snakes" = "oil company executives" . . . (And I've heard of rattlers that size who survived to crawl away after being run over, backed over, then run over again . . . ) who declined to take part in what she perceived was the torturing of the rattlesnakes from Taylor during the premiere weekend of "Snakes on a Plane" at the Alamo Drafthouse (this was at the Village location), and did *not* reach out to touch the one being brought up the aisle on her side (and I think that one was only about 5' long) The Alamo Drafthouse is a church? . . . ronn! :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
Deborah Harrell wrote: David Hobby wrote: ... O.K., how about stem cells, made from the stems of real plants? (Yarrow could be good, for the I Ching connection. But papaver somniferum was my first choice.) I actually had to look up the latter - all the times I've seen "The Wizard of Oz" nothwithstanding. As for the species, I might favor penstemon: Note that I was going to use the stems, going for word play over biological activity. "... in these moments of sorrow and pain, the soul must have the courage to rebuild itself and the faith to trust in a higher power. Penstemon flower essence has enormous strengthening powers, enabling the soul to tap into reservoirs of courage and resilience which are normally inaccessible to human consciousness. At its deepest level of transformation. Penstemon essence shows the soul that it has freely chosen even the harshest circumstances for its growth and evolution..." That is well written. I'm impressed. And I thought that souls "freely chose" bodies in harsh circumstances just by being at the back of the line for reincarnation. : ) ---David ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
> Dave Land wrote: > > Deborah Harrell wrote: > >> Dave Land wrote: > >>> Deborah Harrell wrote: > >>> But it's definitely not Higgs bosons. > >> Only because the Higgs bosons came back in time to make you think so. > >> LHC Maru > > Are you saying that my brain is a weird version of a super-collider?! > > ...I can live with that. > > But what does 'LHC' mean? > You already knew: the Large Hadron Collider. Well, I didn't _think_ it meant 'Lady Harrell Collider...' > This is Your Brain on Bosons Maru I'd rather be quarky, I think. ;) Debbi Charmed And Strange Maru ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
> David Hobby wrote: > > Deborah Harrell wrote: > >> David Hobby wrote: > >> Protomatter is obviously made out of protons. > >> Protomorphogens would be made of protists? > > Only if protists are itsy-bitsy Animorphs - or maybe that was Pokemen? > > But it's definitely not Higgs bosons. > O.K., how about stem cells, made from the > stems of real plants? (Yarrow could be good, > for the I Ching connection. But papaver somniferum was my first choice.) I actually had to look up the latter - all the times I've seen "The Wizard of Oz" nothwithstanding. As for the species, I might favor penstemon: http://www.anandaapothecary.com/fes-north-american-flower-essences/penstemon-flower-essence.html "... in these moments of sorrow and pain, the soul must have the courage to rebuild itself and the faith to trust in a higher power. Penstemon flower essence has enormous strengthening powers, enabling the soul to tap into reservoirs of courage and resilience which are normally inaccessible to human consciousness. At its deepest level of transformation. Penstemon essence shows the soul that it has freely chosen even the harshest circumstances for its growth and evolution..." A lovely photo of the flower- http://www.pbase.com/macknight/image/46316311 > > Debbi > > Tardigrades Rule! Maru :) > Yes, but can I have one big enough to ride? Funny, I just recently read a short story (old Omni paperback) about a clinically 'locked-in' boy who dreams of riding his teddy bear- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade Oh!!! Cool video of a water bear locomoting! Neato!!! http://www.tardigrades.com/ Debbi AKA Moss Bear Maru ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
On Nov 12, 2009, at 6:59 PM, Deborah Harrell wrote: Dave Land wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: David Hobby wrote: Protomatter is obviously made out of protons. Protomorphogens would be made of protists? Only if protists are itsy-bitsy Animorphs - or maybe that was Pokemen? But it's definitely not Higgs bosons. Only because the Higgs bosons came back in time to make you think so. LHC Maru Are you saying that my brain is a weird version of a super-collider?! ...I can live with that. But what does 'LHC' mean? You already knew: the Large Hadron Collider. This is Your Brain on Bosons Maru ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
> Dave Land wrote: > > Deborah Harrell wrote: > >> David Hobby wrote: > >> Protomatter is obviously made out of protons. > >> Protomorphogens would be made of protists? > > Only if protists are itsy-bitsy Animorphs - or maybe that was Pokemen? > > But it's definitely not Higgs bosons. > Only because the Higgs bosons came back in time to make you think so. > LHC Maru Are you saying that my brain is a weird version of a super-collider?! ...I can live with that. But what does 'LHC' mean? Debbi Cringing Ahead Of Time Maru ;( ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
Deborah Harrell wrote: David Hobby wrote: Debbi wrote: Are protoplanets made of protomatter?! Just who are these surveyors, and are they being unethical scientists!? Is protomatter related to "protomorphogens," the 'primitive matter which makes up organs' and is sold on a website I decline to pass on?... Protomatter is obviously made out of protons. Protomorphogens would be made of protists? (Trying to keep my fields straight, here.) Only if protists are itsy-bitsy Animorphs - or maybe that was Pokemen? But it's definitely not Higgs bosons. O.K., how about stem cells, made from the stems of real plants? (Yarrow could be good, for the I Ching connection. But papaver somniferum was my first choice.) ---David Debbi Tardigrades Rule! Maru:) Yes, but can I have one big enough to ride? ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
On Nov 12, 2009, at 12:02 PM, Deborah Harrell wrote: David Hobby wrote: Debbi wrote: Are protoplanets made of protomatter?! Just who are these surveyors, and are they being unethical scientists!? Is protomatter related to "protomorphogens," the 'primitive matter which makes up organs' and is sold on a website I decline to pass on?... Protomatter is obviously made out of protons. Protomorphogens would be made of protists? (Trying to keep my fields straight, here.) Only if protists are itsy-bitsy Animorphs - or maybe that was Pokemen? But it's definitely not Higgs bosons. Only because the Higgs bosons came back in time to make you think so. LHC Maru ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
> David Hobby wrote: > > Debbi wrote: > > Are protoplanets made of protomatter?! Just who are these surveyors, > >and are they being unethical scientists!? Is protomatter related to > >"protomorphogens," the 'primitive matter which makes up organs' and is > >sold on a website I decline to pass on?... > Protomatter is obviously made out of protons. > Protomorphogens would be made of protists? > (Trying to keep my fields straight, here.) Only if protists are itsy-bitsy Animorphs - or maybe that was Pokemen? But it's definitely not Higgs bosons. Debbi Tardigrades Rule! Maru:) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
> Dave Land wrote: > > On Nov 11, 2009, Deborah Harrell wrote: > > Genesis Wave Maru ;} > Is that like Google Wave, but older? > How do I get an invite? It's *much* better than callow Google Wave, having mellowed for years in a quadrotriticale barrell than once contained protomorphogens. It hasn't even made beta yet, so no invites possible - so sorry... Debbi Snakes Can't Wave, Only Sidewind! Maru :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: How to tell if a star has planets?
-Original Message- From: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] On Behalf Of Ronn! Blankenship Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 8:55 AM To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion Subject: Re: How to tell if a star has planets? At 04:39 AM Thursday 11/12/2009, Alberto Monteiro wrote: >David Hobby asked: > > > > Whatever happened to good old snake oil? > > >Became biodiesel. > >Alberto Monteiro How many snakes do you have to squeeze to get a gallon? . . . ronn! :) _ Depends on the snakes. A little grass snake isn't going to yield much. A 9' rattler, on the other hand, if you can squeeze it hard enough without getting bit, will give you more. Julia who declined to take part in what she perceived was the torturing of the rattlesnakes from Taylor during the premiere weekend of "Snakes on a Plane" at the Alamo Drafthouse (this was at the Village location), and did *not* reach out to touch the one being brought up the aisle on her side (and I think that one was only about 5' long) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
On Nov 11, 2009, at 12:23 PM, Deborah Harrell wrote: Genesis Wave Maru ;} Is that like Google Wave, but older? How do I get an invite? ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
At 04:39 AM Thursday 11/12/2009, Alberto Monteiro wrote: David Hobby asked: > > Whatever happened to good old snake oil? > Became biodiesel. Alberto Monteiro How many snakes do you have to squeeze to get a gallon? . . . ronn! :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
David Hobby asked: > > Whatever happened to good old snake oil? > Became biodiesel. Alberto Monteiro ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
At 02:51 PM Wednesday 11/11/2009, David Hobby wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: David Hobby wrote: Hi. I just saw the following in article summaries from Nature. The actual article is behind a paywall, but this seems interesting. ... Are protoplanets made of protomatter?! Just who are these surveyors, and are they being unethical scientists!? Is protomatter relateted to "protomorphogens," the 'primitive matter which makes up organs' and is sold on a website I decline to pass on? (Not kidding about the latter - various friends with currently non-curable diseases send me stuff and ask about it...Predators abound.) Debbi Protomatter is obviously made out of protons. Protomorphogens would be made of protists? (Trying to keep my fields straight, here.) ---David Whatever happened to good old snake oil? With folks like this out there, who needs it? I. Q. Lacking, Maru . . . ronn! :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
Deborah Harrell wrote: David Hobby wrote: Hi. I just saw the following in article summaries from Nature. The actual article is behind a paywall, but this seems interesting. ... Are protoplanets made of protomatter?! Just who are these surveyors, and are they being unethical scientists!? Is protomatter relateted to "protomorphogens," the 'primitive matter which makes up organs' and is sold on a website I decline to pass on? (Not kidding about the latter - various friends with currently non-curable diseases send me stuff and ask about it...Predators abound.) Debbi Protomatter is obviously made out of protons. Protomorphogens would be made of protists? (Trying to keep my fields straight, here.) ---David Whatever happened to good old snake oil? ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: How to tell if a star has planets?
> David Hobby wrote: > Hi. I just saw the following in article summaries > from Nature. The actual article is behind a paywall, > but this seems interesting. > > Stars similar to the Sun in age, mass and composition show a wide > > range of lithium abundances... The surface > > lithium abundance of the Sun itself is 140 times less than the > > primordial Solar System value, yet the Sun's surface convective zone > > is thought not to extend far enough into the interior to reach > > regions where lithium can...be burned. A new survey > > of Sun-like stars with and without detected planets now suggests that > > the planets may hold the key to the Sun's missing lithium. The stars > > with planets have less than 1% of the primordial lithium abundance, > > whereas those with no detected planets range more widely, with half > > of them having about 10% of primordial abundance. It is possible that > > the presence of protoplanets increases mixing in the stellar disk so > > that lithium reaches interior regions where the temperatures are > > sufficient to destroy it. Are protoplanets made of protomatter?! Just who are these surveyors, and are they being unethical scientists!? Is protomatter relateted to "protomorphogens," the 'primitive matter which makes up organs' and is sold on a website I decline to pass on? (Not kidding about the latter - various friends with currently non-curable diseases send me stuff and ask about it...Predators abound.) Debbi Genesis Wave Maru ;} ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
How to tell if a star has planets?
Hi. I just saw the following in article summaries from Nature. The actual article is behind a paywall, but this seems interesting. ---David Editor's Summary 12 November 2009 In search of solar lithium Stars similar to the Sun in age, mass and composition show a wide range of lithium abundances, which is hard to explain. The surface lithium abundance of the Sun itself is 140 times less than the primordial Solar System value, yet the Sun's surface convective zone is thought not to extend far enough into the interior to reach regions where lithium can get hot enough to be burned. A new survey of Sun-like stars with and without detected planets now suggests that the planets may hold the key to the Sun's missing lithium. The stars with planets have less than 1% of the primordial lithium abundance, whereas those with no detected planets range more widely, with half of them having about 10% of primordial abundance. It is possible that the presence of protoplanets increases mixing in the stellar disk so that lithium reaches interior regions where the temperatures are sufficient to destroy it. (And as far as flying flags at half mast, New York does it constantly. Well, whenever a soldier from the state dies in Iraq or Afghanistan. So pretty much constantly. : () ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
