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Author Topic:   Coffee House Musing
dwise1
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Posts: 5930
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.8


(1)
Message 226 of 380 (891973)
02-18-2022 6:02 PM
Reply to: Message 224 by kjsimons
02-18-2022 4:38 PM


Re: Submarines
I was surprised at the amount of wood work there was inside the sub.
Well, wood is a very versatile material that can be turned into any shape. We mainly use plastics for that now, but plastics technology was not as advanced then. Plus many plastics are of petrochemical origin and oil was a valuable and scarce commodity in WWII Germany.
In a computer version of Larry Bond's modern naval wargame, Harpoon, Tom Clancy wrote a short essay about a tour he had taken of a Soviet warship. Please note that Clancy had met and worked with Bond when writing his breakthrough novel, "The Hunt for Red October", using Bond's wargame to testplay the novel's action scenes as well as tapping Bond's familiarity with Jane's Books (which were in turn created starting around 1906 to support Fred T. Jane's own naval wargame). In his piece, Clancy noted the wood paneling in the captain's stateroom (where he would receive visitors) and all he could think of was all that wood turning into "secondary missiles" during combat inflicting grave physical harm to any occupants of that room.
 
In WWII, my father was a SeaBee (Naval Construction Batallion -> CB -> Sea Bee). They trained at Camp Peary which was located in a government reservation in Virginia which, rumor has, is where the CIA's training facility, "The Farm", is located.
That same reservation also housed a very special POW camp. ADM Dönitz was a WWI veteran, from which he learned the vital importance of cryptography and the need to keep your communications absolutely secure. Army and Luftwaffe use of Enigma was often slack which made breaking their comms easier. But Dönitz ran a much tighter ship! Not only did Kriegsmarine comms run much tighter protocols, but even the Navy Enigma machines were more complex. And hence far more highly prized for the Allies.
The mortality rate of U-Booten (dative plural) was high enough already (as cited in the beginning of the movie, Das Boot), though greatly worsened by the accomplishments of the Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU), a unit manned primarily by rather young women (WRENs) which analyzed wolf pack attacks against our convoys and wargamed highly effective countermeasures which led the CO of U-Boot operations to mount a photo of the WATU CO on the wall and identify him as their primary enemy (post-war, he saw that himself).
Every one of those sunken U-Booten (dat.pl.) carried a Navy Enigma device and code books. If that U-Boot actually sank, then that classified material was lost, no security problem. But if the U-Boot had been captured, then that classified could have been captured as well. In the classified bizz, that's called a compromise (I'm drawing here on 35 years of training in military service plus some civilian experience). The Kriegsmarine's response would have been the same as our own response to a compromise: issue new codes and other stuff (if even I were to learn of them they'd have to kill me).
So, when we were able to capture a German U-Boot and its Enigma and codebooks, we had a vested interest to not advertise that fact. There was a scene in The Imitation Game where the British having cracked Enigma traffic revealed a wolf pack attack on a convoy where a character's brother was serving. They couldn't warn that convoy since that would tell the enemy that we had cracked their codes, so they couldn't do anything to warn the convoy of the attack. There was supposed to have been a similar situation with the British knowing of a bombing attack on Coventry that they couldn't do anything about without informing the enemy that they had inside information about the attack.
As I understand the Geneva Conventions (I could be mistaken), when you take a prisoner of war you are supposed to report it. But if you were to report having captured a member of a U-Boot crew, then you are also reporting the potential of having also captured that U-Boot and all its classified. So those captured U-Boot crews were not reported at the time, but rather were taken to highly secure POW camps, their survival kept a close secret until the end of the war.
One of those POW camps was supposed to have been in that government reservation housing Camp Peary and The Farm (albeit in different time periods).
 
Are you a Marvel fan? Do you really want to know what Hydra was up to during WWII? It's an absolutely true story! No duff!* (as the Canadians say)
Camp X
Hydra
X Company, a Canadian/Hungarian spy thriller television series depicting a team of agents out of Camp X operating in France and communicating through Hydra. I had watched it on Amazon Prime, but it's apparently no longer available.
 

* FOOTNOTE:
One of my friend's favorite TV shows was Air Disasters, which is a USA rebranding of a Canadian show, Mayday. That show cured her of her fear of flying, because each investigation into what had gone wrong led to corrective actions to keep that from ever happening again.
One show depicted a crash in the far north of Canada. Basically in such cases, any survivors of a crash would eventually die from exposure. Not so here.
At the time of the crash, Canadian defense forces were conducting an emergency exercise for such an incident. When the actual crash occurred in the middle of the exercise, the radioman reported the crash as "No duff! This is no duff!" Those two words are now burned into my memory.
 
The warming of the planet has raised a few questions.
As the "Northern Passage" across North America opens up due to warming, what's to keep cruise liners from booking such passages?
And when those cruise ships encounter emergencies, who's there to bail them out?
Case in point. On a cruise along the south coast of Spain, we heard on the 1MC the call to the crew to clear the forward deck/helipad for the evacuation of a passenger for a medical emergency.
In the Northern Passage, what emergency facilities even exist?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 224 by kjsimons, posted 02-18-2022 4:38 PM kjsimons has not replied

Replies to this message:
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AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


Message 227 of 380 (891975)
02-18-2022 6:36 PM
Reply to: Message 226 by dwise1
02-18-2022 6:02 PM


Re: Submarines
In the Northern Passage, what emergency facilities even exist?
I would suppose whatever access to facilities is required by their insurance. If profitable enough, they'll build some.

Eschew obfuscation. Habituate elucidation.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 226 by dwise1, posted 02-18-2022 6:02 PM dwise1 has not replied

  
Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


(1)
Message 228 of 380 (892005)
02-19-2022 11:28 PM
Reply to: Message 202 by AZPaul3
02-05-2022 3:38 PM


Re: I hate science
Well, it's been 2 weeks since I started experimenting with vaping and it has been nice. I'm still using the first cartridge, so it's lasting quite a while. I got 2 cartridges one at 94% THC 1000mg and no added flavor. I only tried it for one day before I switched to the other one, pineapple flavor 78% THC. That's the one I've been using after the first day. Holy Crap! It comes on way faster and stronger.
It is cleaner less hassle and works at what it's supposed to, so yippee!
I had for gotten that I had a vaping device for bud. I'm charging it now and looking forward to testing it with my homegrown. Less harmful molecules than combustion.

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python

One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie

If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy

The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq


This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
 Message 229 by dwise1, posted 02-20-2022 2:57 AM Tanypteryx has replied

  
dwise1
Member
Posts: 5930
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.8


Message 229 of 380 (892006)
02-20-2022 2:57 AM
Reply to: Message 228 by Tanypteryx
02-19-2022 11:28 PM


Re: I hate science
OK, I'd get high around 1970. Then my future wife wasn't into any of that, followed by my 35 years of military service and the constant spectre of "Golden Flow"(routine urinalysis testing for drugs).
It's just not the same anymore. We'd get high and it was really cool to listen to music, but it's just not the same anymore.
What happened? Did I just get old? The only way to get a really great high is to include tequila for some drug synergy. Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot-Oscar!?!?!?!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 228 by Tanypteryx, posted 02-19-2022 11:28 PM Tanypteryx has replied

Replies to this message:
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Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


Message 230 of 380 (892009)
02-20-2022 11:35 AM
Reply to: Message 229 by dwise1
02-20-2022 2:57 AM


Re: I hate science
What happened? Did I just get old?
Yep!
I got high a lot in the 70s too. Music, sex and food were all nice sensations that cannabis enhanced. Hell, we were still excited by the effects of stereo music. In the 80s we lost interest in getting high and got focused on kids, jobs, education, life, etc. Drug tests on jobs were also a worry, with cannabinoids persisting detectibly in the body for days or weeks.
Once it was legalized here I tried it again, primarily tinctures which also included CBD for ingestion, to help manage pain and sleep. It also noticeably improved my symptoms of COPD. Now inhaling smoke or vapor is the most efficient delivery method.
I have been watching the organization of the business side of legal cannabis and it seems quite well done here. We invested in several cannabis startups when it first was legalized for medical use here and the returns on that have been steadily growing.
And my grandkids think I'm badass for growing my own pot! Neither of them seem interested in trying it and I am quite vocal in my discouragement of cannabis use by teens and young adults.

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python

One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie

If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy

The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq


This message is a reply to:
 Message 229 by dwise1, posted 02-20-2022 2:57 AM dwise1 has not replied

Replies to this message:
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Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


Message 231 of 380 (892016)
02-20-2022 1:55 PM
Reply to: Message 230 by Tanypteryx
02-20-2022 11:35 AM


Re: I hate science
The silence from the right-wing nutjobs the past couple of weeks has been refreshing!
But it probably won't last...

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python

One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie

If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy

The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq


This message is a reply to:
 Message 230 by Tanypteryx, posted 02-20-2022 11:35 AM Tanypteryx has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 232 by AZPaul3, posted 02-20-2022 10:40 PM Tanypteryx has replied

  
AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


Message 232 of 380 (892019)
02-20-2022 10:40 PM
Reply to: Message 231 by Tanypteryx
02-20-2022 1:55 PM


Re: I hate science
But it probably won't last...
Well, we could use with a bit of color about the place.

Eschew obfuscation. Habituate elucidation.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 231 by Tanypteryx, posted 02-20-2022 1:55 PM Tanypteryx has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 233 by Tanypteryx, posted 02-20-2022 11:10 PM AZPaul3 has not replied
 Message 234 by Theodoric, posted 02-21-2022 8:55 AM AZPaul3 has not replied

  
Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


(3)
Message 233 of 380 (892020)
02-20-2022 11:10 PM
Reply to: Message 232 by AZPaul3
02-20-2022 10:40 PM


Re: I hate science
Well, we could use with a bit of color about the place.
Hey, We're colorful, really colorful!

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python

One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie

If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy

The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq


This message is a reply to:
 Message 232 by AZPaul3, posted 02-20-2022 10:40 PM AZPaul3 has not replied

  
Theodoric
Member
Posts: 9076
From: Northwest, WI, USA
Joined: 08-15-2005
Member Rating: 3.7


Message 234 of 380 (892021)
02-21-2022 8:55 AM
Reply to: Message 232 by AZPaul3
02-20-2022 10:40 PM


Re: I hate science
I will get some color when I go to Puerto Rico. The lack of sunlight here in WI has lightened me up a bit. Not as light as most of the people here. The Scandinavian and Germanic heritage shows as they become paler and paler. If my wife gets much paler she will be ghostly.
A week of sun and I will darken up quite nicely.

What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence. -Christopher Hitchens

Facts don't lie or have an agenda. Facts are just facts

"God did it" is not an argument. It is an excuse for intellectual laziness.

If your viewpoint has merits and facts to back it up why would you have to lie?


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 Message 232 by AZPaul3, posted 02-20-2022 10:40 PM AZPaul3 has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 235 by jar, posted 02-21-2022 9:14 AM Theodoric has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 235 of 380 (892022)
02-21-2022 9:14 AM
Reply to: Message 234 by Theodoric
02-21-2022 8:55 AM


I loved Puerto Rico
Loved Puerto Rico in the early 1970s. I was working for the Sea Pines Company designing cable system for their resorts so had to fly down pretty regularly when the Palmas Del Mar property was just getting started. I stayed in the upstairs apartment of a couple when over at the site. They had two kids (a boy about ten and girl maybe 12 or 13) and a hillside home looking off over the ocean. The husband had been a cabby in NYC and he and his wife spoke English with a Brooklyn accent while their two kids spoke only Spanish. With the kids though, a smile, a baseball and my very limited Spanish was all that was needed.
I was invited to have dinner with them one evening which generally meant great eats, a few grapefruit from one of the threes and liberal doses of Don Q but from the kids excitement it seemed this might be truly special.
And it was.
When I returned from the property the two kids met me with the baseball, an extra glove and the daily ritual began. Then the young boy took off, very excited and ran to the house returning with a brown paper bag and ...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
... dinner; the loser from the prior nights cockfight.
The Toronja Q's were fantastic.
Edited by jar, : No reason given.

Edited by jar, : No reason given.


My Website: My Website

This message is a reply to:
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ringo
Member (Idle past 411 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


(1)
Message 236 of 380 (892160)
02-28-2022 12:10 PM
Reply to: Message 224 by kjsimons
02-18-2022 4:38 PM


Re: Submarines
kjsimmons writes:
I was surprised at the amount of wood work there was inside the sub.
Fun fact: Lignum vitae wood was used for propeller-shaft bearings. It's strong, hard, heavy, dense, water- and salt-water-resistant and contains natural oils that make the bearings self-lubricating.

"I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!"
-- Lucky Ned Pepper

This message is a reply to:
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AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


(4)
Message 237 of 380 (892886)
03-17-2022 2:50 AM


Sharper Focus
Remember this? JWST took a selfie during a lens adjustment.
Then there was this. The same target star on each mirror.
Now there is this.
That same target star focused on all mirrors. That is a bright target star. Better yet, the scope isn’t even finished its finest calibrations and in the test image we can see galaxies in the background.
A couple more months of cool down and JWST will be at operating temperature. Then the science begins.
This scope is going to be fun.
Edited by AZPaul3, : better pic

Stop Tzar Vladimir the Condemned!

Replies to this message:
 Message 238 by vimesey, posted 03-17-2022 6:02 AM AZPaul3 has replied

  
vimesey
Member
Posts: 1398
From: Birmingham, England
Joined: 09-21-2011


(2)
Message 238 of 380 (892887)
03-17-2022 6:02 AM
Reply to: Message 237 by AZPaul3
03-17-2022 2:50 AM


Re: Sharper Focus
Science is Elpis.

Could there be any greater conceit, than for someone to believe that the universe has to be simple enough for them to be able to understand it ?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 237 by AZPaul3, posted 03-17-2022 2:50 AM AZPaul3 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 239 by AZPaul3, posted 03-17-2022 6:52 AM vimesey has not replied
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AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


(1)
Message 239 of 380 (892888)
03-17-2022 6:52 AM
Reply to: Message 238 by vimesey
03-17-2022 6:02 AM


Re: Sharper Focus
Science is Elpis.
I thought I remembered her but not until I looked it up. Good show.

Stop Tzar Vladimir the Condemned!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 238 by vimesey, posted 03-17-2022 6:02 AM vimesey has not replied

  
AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


(3)
Message 240 of 380 (892907)
03-18-2022 10:32 AM


RNA World
My personal favorite has always been RNA World. From the rock surface disposition models that form RNA molecules to RNA found to catalyze its own replication, RNA World has been a very hopeful playground for abiogenesis.
Now we have an RNA molecule that replicates, evolves through natural selection and … cooperates with its evolved forms to balance resources for further replication.
Say what?
Scientists Create RNA That Evolves on Its Own. This Could Be How Life on Earth Started : ScienceAlert
quote:
"We found that the single RNA species evolved into a complex replication system: a replicator network comprising five types of RNAs with diverse interactions, supporting the plausibility of a long-envisioned evolutionary transition scenario," says evolutionary biologist Ryo Mizuuchi.
Their experiment used cloned lengths of RNA in water droplets suspended in oil which underwent more than a hundred rounds of replication, with each round being tested and analyzed.
So totally isolated, just a drop of water isolated in a lipid envelope and some cloned snippets of an RNA strand. OK, the RNA was specifically created for self-catalyzation but we’ve been making those for decades now and it is still just dead chemistry, right?
This one not just replicated but evolved enhanced copies of itself. Then this “community” of snippets of dead chemistry shared the process of replicating more of each type. These things had organized to such an extent that if the snippets of one of the RNA types is removed the other 4 types in the mix stop replicating and … sit there ... like lifeless chemicals.
We’re getting close to cracking this nut.
Maybe next we can go find god and make him do lab tricks for us.

Stop Tzar Vladimir the Condemned!

  
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