Close your eyes and decide

[sovay]

This year is a low-key Thanksgiving. It's very nice so far. spatch took a picture of the Byfar coffee mug I was drinking out of, genteelly eliding the fact that I wasn't drinking coffee out of it. Please enjoy some links in the aftermath.

1. Improbable Research now has a Patreon! If you want to help fund the people who made it possible for me to sing smart ridiculous opera this fall, here's how to do it. They will be resurrecting their much-missed podcast and I am for weird radio in all its forms.

2. Courtesy of conuly: MANTIS ADVICE COLUMNIST. It is not holiday-specific, but it's not holiday-inapplicable, either. "[DIVIDE] [MALE] [INTO] [FOUR] [PORTIONS] [SO] [ALL] [MAY] [CONSUME]"

3. I knew the outlines of this story, but not, actually, the name the disputes were given: "The Transfermium Wars: Scientific Brawling and Name-Calling during the Cold War."

4. My childhood would have been significantly different with the Red Line running through it: "A visionary plan for the MBTA's future (from 1947)." Thanks a lot, St. Agnes.

5. I relate extremely to these questions from the 1935 San Francisco Examiner. Going by the 1939 Paducah Sun-Democrat, we're all philosophers these days.

Comments

[cynthia1960]

Love the mantis advice column. There's a good book called Superheavy with mute about the transuranic elements.

[sovay]

Love the mantis advice column.

It generally delighted me.

There's a good book called Superheavy with mute about the transuranic elements.

Cool! (Is "mute" an autocorrect for "more"?)

[cynthia1960]

Yes, darn it.

[sovay]

Yes, darn it.

The sense still came through.

[nodrog]

Oh, that entire website is marvelous. Thank you!

https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/brave-new-butter

[sovay]

Oh, that entire website is marvelous. Thank you!

You're welcome!

Re: Paducah, Philosophers of

[nodrog]

On the other hand:

"You ever notice how 'what the hell' is always the right decision?"

- Marilyn Monroe

Re: Paducah, Philosophers of

[sovay]

"You ever notice how 'what the hell' is always the right decision?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Re: All The Lines Are Down

[nodrog]

Have you ever seen After Hours ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Hours_(film)

Your description of the “lost weekend” and its denizens put me in mind of it immediately.  NYC at 3 am can make you feel expatriated, “out there operating without any decent restraint, totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct.”

Re: All The Lines Are Down

[sovay]

Have you ever seen After Hours ?

I've had it described to me, but never seen it. Thanks for the additional recommendation!

[asakiyume]

It is not holiday-specific, but it's not holiday-inapplicable, either. --LOL, very true

[sovay]

--LOL, very true

I consider myself and spatch very fortunate that we do not actually have relatives we think longingly about devouring at the Thanksgiving table.

[brigdh]

I love Mantis Advice Columnist, and her guests! =MANY==HUSBANDS==I'VE=HAD=.=EACH==I==CONSUMED=.=DO==WHAT==PLEASES==YOU= -S P I D E R

That article about The Transfermium Wars was fascinating; thank you for linking. The transfermium elements (and what a great name!) are so odd to me in general; does a thing exist if it only exists for a fraction of a second? I suppose it must, but not being remotely a physicist, it's hard for me to wrap my mind around.

[sovay]

I love Mantis Advice Columnist, and her guests!

Yes! A lot of different perspectives.

The transfermium elements (and what a great name!) are so odd to me in general; does a thing exist if it only exists for a fraction of a second?

It makes sense to me if you can reliably make it exist if only for a fraction of a second. It may even make sense to me even if it was a one-off—it was here, even if it's not anymore—but that's less useful for publishing papers.