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Waves
Feb 7, 2011 23:13:43 GMT 1
Post by helen on Feb 7, 2011 23:13:43 GMT 1
Just watched a documentary on BBC4 about waves, did anyone see this too? Read Gavin Praetor-Pinney's book The Wavewatchers Companion. Isn't the study of waves, in the sea; in the sky fabulous? Used to watch the tide doing it's do as the Tamar entered Plymouth Sound when I was at college down there, but even better when I lived in Tewkesbury and the Severn, the Avon and the tide collided: That bore is not boring!!! Well done BBC, great programme, it's on the i-player.
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Waves
Feb 8, 2011 0:01:41 GMT 1
Post by abacus9900 on Feb 8, 2011 0:01:41 GMT 1
Helen why don't you talk about chemistry? At least we might learn something.
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Waves
Feb 8, 2011 0:14:37 GMT 1
Post by helen on Feb 8, 2011 0:14:37 GMT 1
You've been spoken to, Abacuss9900, about the didactic nature of these boards by STA. What's wrong with finding other folk interested in waves? It was a fine tv show and BBC4 should be called for being superb! As for the chemistry, what do you want to know? It's not something folk care to chat about but I can bore you on Boron if you like www.periodicvideos.com/videos/005.htm or interesting stuff like the story of praseodymium and crazy glasses www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/element.asp
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Waves
Feb 8, 2011 0:18:55 GMT 1
Post by abacus9900 on Feb 8, 2011 0:18:55 GMT 1
Yes, Miss has spoken to me so I must behave now or get detention.
Who is that in the video?
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Waves
Feb 8, 2011 0:27:27 GMT 1
Post by helen on Feb 8, 2011 0:27:27 GMT 1
She's the professor of chemistry at Nottingham University, she loves boron, she's my mate!
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Waves
Feb 9, 2011 20:17:45 GMT 1
Post by helen on Feb 9, 2011 20:17:45 GMT 1
It would have been nicer had we begun a discussion about waves here, that was the plan. Has anyone read the book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger? (there was a film made of it starring George Clooney but that was just for swoon value!!!!!!). The thing is, there was a ratio that Junger cited in his book that related a ships length and beam to it's ability to deal with either a swell or a breaking wave on a reef or a sand bank. I've lost my book. Anyone help? Just chat for chat's sake. RSmith, you do fish, you must know about this sort of stuff?
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Waves
Feb 9, 2011 20:29:24 GMT 1
Post by louise on Feb 9, 2011 20:29:24 GMT 1
Hi Helen
i didn't get to see the programme but managed to get incensed by the write up for it in the Times TV guide.
"If this doesn't sound too appetising, don't dismiss it. The science is spiced up with philosophy"
Why do they think that science has to be spiced up to be interesting?
Bluddy meeja studies graduates.
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Waves
Feb 9, 2011 20:50:31 GMT 1
Post by helen on Feb 9, 2011 20:50:31 GMT 1
Were not science and philosophy one and the same years ago? Philosophy meaning, from the greek, a love of wisdom and science an 'americanism' from the latin scrire? Don't understand how a tv programme could be described as science and philosophy though they are trying it on BBC4, there's a correspondent or two here who might have a problem with this. Anyway, back to waves. Read The Wave Watchers Companion by Gavin Pretor-Pinney? Superb but need to know about the question before, it's bugging me and I can't find it on line!
As for meeja studies, when a panel on the Round Britain Quiz couldn't link HG Wells with the singer from Queen and they all agreed and clapped themselves on the back as they said they didn't do science. I nearly gave up hope, didn't crash the car but showed the kids at school some mercury that afternoon. Sod coshh and what not!.
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Waves
Feb 9, 2011 21:00:50 GMT 1
Post by louise on Feb 9, 2011 21:00:50 GMT 1
Similar thing on today programme this morning. Discussion (not in studio) of initial isolation and use of neon and other gases including argon and helium. Returning to the studio, John Humphries patronisingly says something like "we'll leave you to play with your bunsen burner or whatever it was"
Definite impression was - science is for weird geeks
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Waves
Feb 9, 2011 21:20:36 GMT 1
Post by helen on Feb 9, 2011 21:20:36 GMT 1
We have fun with helium at school, you know that makes you sound and sulphur hexaflouride which makes the year 7 boys sound like year 12's when they breath it. John Humphries has written a couple of readable books about the English language, he should know better than to diss science. He must have had his newsreader head on!
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Waves
Feb 10, 2011 0:43:12 GMT 1
Post by rsmith7 on Feb 10, 2011 0:43:12 GMT 1
It would have been nicer had we begun a discussion about waves here, that was the plan. Has anyone read the book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger? (there was a film made of it starring George Clooney but that was just for swoon value!!!!!!). The thing is, there was a ratio that Junger cited in his book that related a ships length and beam to it's ability to deal with either a swell or a breaking wave on a reef or a sand bank. I've lost my book. Anyone help? Just chat for chat's sake. RSmith, you do fish, you must know about this sort of stuff? The perfect storm was a good book although most of the stuff about the andrea gail was speculation. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time and got hit by a big wave - probably. They likely had a combination of problems - flooding, wheelhouse windows smashed, loss of power or steering - who knows. Waves take many forms - swell, wind chop, tide lumps, breakers, freaks. Ship stability is the most important factor and it can be affected by lots of things - top weight being the most important after design; then you've got free surface effect of water on the deck or internal, cargo that can shift or become waterlogged. There are many new and interesting ways to be killed at sea. Think about that when you talk about over-fishing. Fishing isn't easy.
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Waves
Feb 10, 2011 0:56:08 GMT 1
Post by helen on Feb 10, 2011 0:56:08 GMT 1
I got that from the book RSmith but thanks for the pleasant post. Makes a nice change. Shame we can't discuss the physics and ecology of the ocean without falling out.
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Waves
Feb 10, 2011 12:55:54 GMT 1
Post by speakertoanimals on Feb 10, 2011 12:55:54 GMT 1
Not necessarily a great idea -- I didn't realise until I saw a news story how easy it is for helium inhalation to cause death. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11812619As far as I can gather, it was just one ordinary ballloon, not someone with a whole cylinder of it.
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Waves
Feb 10, 2011 13:10:23 GMT 1
Post by carnyx on Feb 10, 2011 13:10:23 GMT 1
@sta,
Lack of Oxygen = Death. What is not to realise? How did it take you so long?
It is hard to know HOW someone can go through the complete 15 or so years of the educational process, and be so ignorant.
But it is sadly easy to know THAT someone actually has! Presumably because they were not told, or it was not set out in a text-book .
What a massive failure of imagination, or even basic curiosity. Sad, really.
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Waves
Feb 10, 2011 13:14:54 GMT 1
Post by Progenitor A on Feb 10, 2011 13:14:54 GMT 1
@sta, Lack of Oxygen = Death. What is not to realise? How did it take you so long? It is hard to know HOW someone can go through the complete 15 or so years of the educational process, and be so ignorant. But it is sadly easy to know THAT someone actually has! Presumably because they were not told, or it was not set out in a text-book . What a massive failure of imagination, or even basic curiosity. Sad, really. Carnyx Yoy are bringing your engineering analytical skill into play, and you have been told just how much contempt 'physicists' have for engineers!
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