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To be a scientist is to keep one's mind 100% open, while at the same time remaining 100% skeptical about new claims outside the known body of knowledge. The skeptical part pertains to the observations made by the scientist him/herself.
Originally Posted by scott free:
No hate at all, but what does chap my ass and crack me the hell up at the same time, is when people who claim to love science want to sit here and call a man like Boyd Bushman, senior research scientist for Lockheed Martin skunkworks, a "wacko".
Guys like him work feverishly every single day on science that some of you, very arrogantly, want to call "wacko" or even say doesn't even exist at all as a research field, i dunno... guess i'll take one of our nations top scientists word, over a few Chiefsplanet know it alls.
How about ufo's, its ever so popular to nail anyone mentioning the subject to the wall around here... well, watch the last ten minutes of that interview as Boyd tells the camera that one of his dearest friends shot a ufo down over New Mexico.
Is he just making it up? yep, he's gotta be, why WOULDNT such an accomplished man lie about such a fantastic thing?
Here's the perfect test for that. Ask other currently established scientists to review Bushman's claims. That's the key to science, peer review of the claims and agreement of the evidence. Credentials don't equate to truth. It's a start, but no way in hell do you take someone's word simply on their credentials. If there is not a scientific consensus of the claims, it's very likely bullshit. It's that simple. [Reply]
Originally Posted by cdcox:
To be a scientist is to keep one's mind 100% open, while at the same time remaining 100% skeptical about new claims outside the known body of knowledge. The skeptical part pertains to the observations made by the scientist him/herself.
100% open-minded + 100% skeptic = scientist
I'm skeptical of your numbers since they add up to 200%. But I'm willing to consider your argument. [Reply]
There's little that I find more depressing or exasperating than coming home to see a huge pile of dirty dishes. Washing dishes is the worst. Really, that's why the dishwasher was invented. But loading and unloading dishwashers also can be something of a tedious chore. So we should all be thrilled that Tomorrow Machine, a Swedish design company, has invented this self-cleaning plate and bowl.
These are made entirely of cellulose — plant pulp — finished with a water-repellent coating found in nature on the leaves of lotus plants, nasturtiums, and elephant's-ear plants, and on the wings of some butterflies. These biological structures are water-repellent because they are roughened at a nano-scale level. This minimizes adhesion, causing droplets of water to bead rather than flatten. This means they easily roll off, taking dirt particles with them. For the lotus plant, this kind of coating keeps the plant's leaves free of dirt and contaminants, helping to ward off disease and parasites.
What does this mean for you? That cleaning this plate is as easy as tipping it over and watching the gunk roll off. No scrubbing necessary. Just like a lotus leaf:
The material is produced from a sheet of cellulose which is then pressed into a mold, making the cellulose harden like ceramic. The result is a plate lighter than ceramic, but which won't shatter when dropped.
The one big problem? The water-repellent coating is not yet approved for food consumption. That's a pretty big stumbling block, and only rigorous testing will tell whether hydrophobic coatings are safe to serve up food for human consumption. This means that it could be awhile before we see these plates used in homes and restaurants.
The plate was created for a project called Ekoportal 2035, commissioned by the Swedish Forest Industries Federation. They asked Tomorrow Machine and research institute Innventia to create three products that explore potential future uses for cellulose created from materials from Swedish forests.
Beside the self-cleaning plate and bowl, the project also produced a transparent digital touch screen made from nano-cellulose, and an item made from a cellulose-based plastic that can be 3D-printed.
I have lotus plants in my water garden and the leaves get huge in the summer. Conveniently the size of dinner plates. It really is amazing how the water beads on them and rolls off without a trace. I guess this means I don't need to wash plates anymore. Assuming the natural leaf is safe to eat off of course. [Reply]
This is a horse conch... let the jokes commence...
The Florida horse conch (Triplofusus giganteus) is one of the largest univalve gastropods in the entire world. Its shell can get up to 24 inches (60 cm) long and is found on the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from North Carolina down to the Gulf of Mexico. They feed on other gastropods and can even be cannibalistic. Despite the shape of the shell (and the common name), this isn’t a true conch because it isn’t in the Strombidae family. [Reply]
sorry, it feels like I lose 30 IQ points every time I read one of your responses when it relates to science. believe whatever it is you want to believe, but your stances on science are rather... a sad indictment on the school systems of the USA. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Ebolapox:
sorry, it feels like I lose 30 IQ points every time I read one of your responses when it relates to science. believe whatever it is you want to believe, but your stances on science are rather... a sad indictment on the school systems of the USA.
that's all you've got? self aggrandizement? shocking. [Reply]
