fixingships asked: FYI, A woodchuck could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
roryyy-williams asked: I have a question that will stump you, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
jabberwookiee asked: overlooked technologies - how about the contribution of textile technology to transit? from sails to saddle blankets to safety belts, textiles have made a significant contribution to travel that most people wouldn't think of.
Interesting point. In fact, textiles are a huge part of life in general and we probably fail to appreciate how much it effects our lives. Esp since we started creating synthetic materials. Thanks jabberwookiee!
sockhaven asked: Can you please follow me I love your account and am new to tumblr!! Thanks
I’m soo sorry, but I really can’t! I have a hard enough time keeping track of the ones I already follow - and am really way behind!
But I do encourage all the sock enthusiasts to check it out.
Cheers!
Anonymous asked: What do you think is a discovery that is often over looked but had a large impact on its field?
Figuring out how to make paper from tree pulp. (That’s the best I have offhand for such a surprising and excellent question.) Or maybe biblical criticism/archaeology.
How about you followers? Any ideas?
numbedd-deactivated20130521 asked: Your blog is absolutely amazing! xo
This is a wonderful idea, and not surprising from Carl Sagan. It kinds reminds me of the Tardis: Bigger on the inside, can take you anywhere in time and space. Yes, the mind, the imagination, they can build universes in our minds. It’s pretty amazing.
Sometimes I think of digital versions of this. It kinda blows my mind that we can generate virtual worlds, like in video games or whatever. They seem real (ish). They have space. Objects. Often natural laws, like those of physics. When you’re playing, you may feel like you’re walking around a place - someplace obviously much bigger than the screen or software.
And yeah, I obviously understand how it works, but there does seem to be something amazing about being able to create a huge (virtual) spaces inside of actually much smaller real spaces.
(I don’t think I can express it any better than that. Consider it more of an artistic feeling than a scientific thought.)
(Source: new-world-devestators, via cognitivedissonanzzz)
lifeduality asked: The Lightening strike analogy works for randomness though right? Evolution as I've learned it is the environment favoring genetic mutations that help that species survive and reproduce. But those genetic mutations are in themselves random.
I’m not sure it’s exactly the same. But yes, evolution does have an element of randomness, but it is definitely an non-random process. It’s like playing backgammon: You don’t have control over the die, but you can decide how to use your moves. Mutations are random, but the environment decides what to do with them.
Cheers!
jtotheizzoe asked: I don't like that lightning analogy. Evolution isn't random and it isn't rare and it isn't the path of least resistance, and it isn't even made of super-heated plasma. Nope.
I don’t think the analogy said that evolution is random or rare, but I do agree that the idea of “path of least resistance” can be confusing, though I do think it’s a legitimate way to understand it.
Basically, it’s the kind of analogy that could work for some but not for others. (Use with care?)
Actually a pretty darned good analogy.
Indeed!
Though I could also see this analogy confusing someone without a good understanding of evolution. The point is: It’s not really random; it just had a very complex set of options determined by the environment. (Did I just make it more confusing?! lol)
(Source: atheistfeeddotnet)
Anonymous asked: I've kept up with scientific advances surrounding things resembling invisibility cloaks as well, but when a company has such a low quality website and must use poorly edited photos because they can't reveal their most valuable product, I am highly, highly skeptical. Not of the science, but of this particular claim to have mastered it.
Totally fair.
Hyperstealth is a Canadian company that has recently developed a material that bends light waves around a target that allows for complete invisibility labeled “Quantum Stealth”. The material removes not only your visual, infrared (night vision) and thermal signatures but also the target’s shadow.
Well, holy crap. O.o
Apparently the photos are mock-ups bc they don’t want to reveal their real tech just yet. And that’s fine. I’m just happy to hear about more progress on this. I’ve been writing about invisibility cloaks for some time (x, x). And I mention it to friends now and then - who are generally pretty skeptical and assume I’m pulling their leg.
Sometimes it feels like science advances at a crawl; other times it feels faster than light. Either way, as I’ve said before, get ready, bc the future is here.
p.s. paintball games in the near future are gonna be so much fun!
L’Enfants Bizarre
Three preserved human fetuses, presented in an antique display cabinet. The first is an altogether healthy fetus, the second suffers Polymelia, six arms, and the final, suffers a rare infection of the Shope papilloma virus, which causes a series of horn like growths in the forehead. These three are part of a large collection of human specimens, afflicted with various genetic diseases.
I find this just fascinating. The biological aspect is amazing. The artistic aspect is amazing. The macabre element is amazing. The surprising cuteness of it is amazing. Idk.. this gives me a strange mix of feels and thinks.
(Source: alexcf.com, via smokesignalswouldbebetter)
