Pointless but it makes me go: "Wow, didn't know that."

P

paolo

Mechanical phantoms
For those massive stars - how can we tell how far away they are? How can we tell whether a star's not that big and fairly close, or absolutely massive and really far away? Is it something to do with the wavelengths of the light that we receive from them?
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Good question - it's not my field, but I think there are pretty well-understood relationships between the temperature of a star, its composition (both of which you can derive from its spectrum) and its overall power output, which along with the distance determines the apparent brightness. So you can work it out with a reasonable degree of certainty.

You can estimate the distance of stars that are 'nearby', in astronomical terms, by making measurements of their apparent position in the sky at a certain time of year and again six months later. This information can then be used to calibrate the estimated distances of much more distant stars.

Edit - I just realised this is astronomical Father Ted - to Dougal: "These are very small; those are far. Away." :D
 
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nomadthethird

nomadthethird

more issues than Time mag
grizzleb said:
Hahaha, I love that all those doctors totally believe it.
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Chuckle. I've already heard about this, but the video makes it even more ridiculous.

Let's say the guy hasn't eaten in a while... he's clearly low on fat reserves and fluids. Those doctors should have their licenses revoked for not putting that fucker on IV nutrients/fluids.
 
grizzleb

grizzleb

Well-known member
Some of the chat on links from that fasting Indian.

http://www.rationalistinternational.net/article/20031201_en.htm

http://www.helium.com/items/1830574-how-a-man-can-live-seven-decades-without-food-or-water

Some quality capers.
In 1992, Sanal Edamaruku exposed the godman Pilot Baba who claimed that he survived in meditation under water for five days without breathing. Pilot Baba's under-water feat attracted national and international attention. He constructed a huge swimming pool in a Delhi public park, climbed down in front of a crowd of 4000, ordered water to be pumped in and stayed there underwater for four days. That was at least the claim.

But Edamaruku and his assistants exposed him. They found out that there was a special secret pipeline connection. Though water was pumped in, the tarpaulin-covered pool did not get wet inside, and the Baba had a comfortable time on its dry ground. Four years later, in 1996, he tried it again. This time he claimed to stay for four days buried under the earth. Edamaruku exposed him again in front of television cameras. This time he was sitting comfortably in an underground dug-up room.
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Hahah. Sneaky.
 
lanugo

lanugo

von Verfall erzittern
To spare a stranded terminally ill whale an agonising death and put it to sleep the International Whaling Commission officially recommends - explosives.
 
Z

zhao

there are no accidents
zhao said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8652837.stm?ls
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Prahlad Jani, an 82-year-old yogi who claimed he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for 70 years , was observed by 30 medics in a hospital in the Indian state of Gujarat. He spent two weeks under constant surveillance in an area equipped with cameras and closed circuit television. During the 15-day period, which ended Thursday, Jani didn’t eat, drink or go to the toilet.

From AFP:

“We still do not know how he survives,” neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment. “It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is.”

“If Jani does not derive energy from food and water, he must be doing that from energy sources around him, sunlight being one,” said Shah. “As medical practitioners we cannot shut our eyes to possibilities, to a source of energy other than calories.”

The study was done by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state defense and military research institute. They hope to unlock the key to Jani’s mysterious ability so that others can benefit, such as soldiers in the field, astronauts in space, and victims trapped in natural disasters.

Doctors performed several tests on Jani’s heart, lungs and memory capacity and took scans of his organs, brain and blood vessels. Lab work will also be completed on his hormones, enzymes, energy metabolism and genes. The findings will be revealed in greater detail over the next several months.

Jani claimed that he has not had anything to eat or drink since 1940, and called himself a breatharian, sustaining himself on air and meditation. According to AFP, Jani said he was given his special powers after being blessed by a goddess when he was young. After the observation and tests were completed, he returned to his village in northern Gujarat where he will continue his routine of yoga and meditation.
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http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/0...food-and-water-baffles-doctors/#ixzz10nU06wNg

they studied him back in 2003 too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3236118.stm
 
M

michael

Bring out the vacuum
lanugo said:
To spare a stranded terminally ill whale an agonising death and put it to sleep the International Whaling Commission officially recommends - explosives.
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I heard a radio report about that, if it's the one off Australia. They were planning to lay large amounts of explosives on its head, then cover that with sandbags, then set them off, so the blast would only detonate inwards/downwards.

Night-night.
 
Z

zhao

there are no accidents
67746_451718778257_558333257_5240510_8071888_n.jpg


sites of violent deaths in downtown baghdad 2004-2009

http://warlogs.wikileaks.org/
The reports detail 109,032 deaths in Iraq, comprised of 66,081 'civilians'; 23,984 'enemy' (those labeled as insurgents); 15,196 'host nation' (Iraqi government forces) and 3,771 'friendly' (coalition forces). The majority of the deaths (66,000, over 60%) of these are civilian deaths.That is 31 civilians dying every day during the six year period. For comparison, the 'Afghan War Diaries', previously released by WikiLeaks, covering the same period, detail the deaths of some 20,000 people. Iraq during the same period, was five times as lethal with equivallent population size.
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