Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]

[Flibble]

RizzoTheRat said:

mike74 said:

No. Book, look, buck and luck are all pronounced exactly the same!

Would you pronounce fluke the same way? That's the only variation on book/look pronunciation I've heard (Brummies), but they wouldn't pronounce buck/luck the same.

Book and buck are very similar in a typical manc accent, fluke not so much (it has a longer vowel sound). Close to south east book in sound.

[Shakermaker]

gobuddygo said:

Just got back from Holiday and one of my cases was the last one out on the carousel at Leeds/Bradford, I noticed it had a green sticker on it saying OK and the date, am i right in saying it had been through ab x-ray machine?

All the cases will go through an x-ray, but these will have been through a secondary screening process. Either because it was one of those selected at random as part of the "we test X number per 1,000 bags at random" or because there was something in the bag that under X-ray looked suspicious, but closer inspection deemed to be acceptable. For example, a 1lb bag of coffee looks "apparently" just like 1lb of any other powdered substance when it goes through the X-ray. Who'd have thought that, because clearly I didn't think this through when I was bringing some home as a gift in my luggage.

[captain_cynic]

Cantaloupe said:

Bit of an easy one really.

Why has religion lasted so long into the modern age ?

Thousands of years ago civilisations would worship, pray, supplicate and sacrifice their children to Sun, Moon, sundry astrological events because if they didn't crops would fail, droughts, earthquakes and pestilence would befall the land.

After a few more centuries they saw through that old swaddling wrap but were still keen NOT to embrace the novel idea that humans were alone on this planet and were the masters of their own destiny and that all seeing Gods were a busted flush, but no we started worshipping humans as divine beings, Pharaohs, Kings, Emperors, Popes .and we soon discovered after a few centuries that they were mere weak mortals who pissed, shat, fornicated, farted and died of syphilis like the rest of us .

So why, in this age of mass communication do half the world still believe in sky fairies ?

Religions have spent hundreds, if not thousands of years embedding themselves as authorities over people. That simply cannot disappear overnight.

Although religions are losing membership at a fairly rapid rate in developed nations, they're still extremely powerful in developing nations.

Ultimately religion provides comfort and gratification and religion offers these things more easily than you can find on your own.

[captain_cynic]

gobuddygo said:

Just got back from Holiday and one of my cases was the last one out on the carousel at Leeds/Bradford, I noticed it had a green sticker on it saying OK and the date, am i right in saying it had been through ab x-ray machine?

Could be that the customs inspector is just trying to say you're not a bad bloke.

Jokes aside, there are a few reasons why bags get marked, besides the ones that Shakermaker mentioned, some countries will mark all bags that pass inspection, others will mark them to show they were inspected and passed at another airport. I.E. If you're passing through on a domestic leg before an international flight.

Shakermaker said:

All the cases will go through an x-ray, but these will have been through a secondary screening process. Either because it was one of those selected at random as part of the "we test X number per 1,000 bags at random" or because there was something in the bag that under X-ray looked suspicious, but closer inspection deemed to be acceptable. For example, a 1lb bag of coffee looks "apparently" just like 1lb of any other powdered substance when it goes through the X-ray. Who'd have thought that, because clearly I didn't think this through when I was bringing some home as a gift in my luggage.

That is exactly why I buy my coffee in bean form

[Clockwork Cupcake]

captain_cynic said:

Religions have spent hundreds, if not thousands of years embedding themselves as authorities over people. That simply cannot disappear overnight.

Although religions are losing membership at a fairly rapid rate in developed nations, they're still extremely powerful in developing nations.

Ultimately religion provides comfort and gratification and religion offers these things more easily than you can find on your own.

Religion serves to give those in control authority over the downtrodden, and it gives the downtrodden hope.

In both case, it's the promise of "Jam Tomorrow". Suck it up on your stty lot in life now because the afterlife will be wonderful.

Also, some people just can't mentally cope with the idea that we are alone in the universe and want to believe in some higher power that is looking out for them, and will make things better, and give them hope and meaning, and will reward them for being 'good'.

Finally, for some it is just the support of like-minded people. No different to a car club in some respects - people with a common interest helping each other out and supporting each other. I can kind of understand that, although I don't see why it needs the religious aspect.

[AC123]

Why don't people like Jews?

I'm a bit of a country bumpkin and don't think I've even met someone who is Jewish, but they seem right enough? Saw some with funny hats in London once but that doesn't seem a a good reason to dislike them.

Hitler/this anit semitism thing in the labour party etc

[anonymous-user]

AC123 said:

Why don't people like Jews?

I'm a bit of a country bumpkin and don't think I've even met someone who is Jewish, but they seem right enough? Saw some with funny hats in London once but that doesn't seem a a good reason to dislike them.

Hitler/this anit semitism thing in the labour party etc

A lot think they control the power. But there is some facts to this, like the Rothschilds, who underwrite countries and have trillions in wealth.

[vonuber]

AC123 said:

Why don't people like Jews?

I'm a bit of a country bumpkin and don't think I've even met someone who is Jewish, but they seem right enough? Saw some with funny hats in London once but that doesn't seem a a good reason to dislike them.

Hitler/this anit semitism thing in the labour party etc

I believe- and i may be wrong - is that is in part a hangup from the middle ages where jews were able to lend money and charge interest, which their Christian compatriots weren't.
This obviously led to resentment.

[RizzoTheRat]

So they were resentful of the people who could do things they wanted to do, rather than resentful of the people who told them they couldn't do it? Human stupidity in a nutshell.

[vonuber]

RizzoTheRat said:

So they were resentful of the people who could do things they wanted to do, rather than resentful of the people who told them they couldn't do it? Human stupidity in a nutshell.

I think it was more resentful of having to pay interest on the loans they received and then didnt want to pay back.

Again, iirc, quite a few of the pogroms seem to have been instigated in part due to loans having to be repaid by kings etc.

It also meant that this low level resentment- as of course being able to operate financially sound systems of loans etc meant that *some* jewish people became wealthy- could be utilised by those in charge in the 'blame those different people it's all their fault you are poor' game.

Edit to add: obviously the vast majority of jewish people were no different to anyone else when it came to wealth, oppurtunity etc.

[Mothersruin]

vonuber said:

RizzoTheRat said:

So they were resentful of the people who could do things they wanted to do, rather than resentful of the people who told them they couldn't do it? Human stupidity in a nutshell.

I think it was more resentful of having to pay interest on the loans they received and then didnt want to pay back.

Again, iirc, quite a few of the pogroms seem to have been instigated in part due to loans having to be repaid by kings etc.

It also meant that this low level resentment- as of course being able to operate financially sound systems of loans etc meant that *some* jewish people became wealthy- could be utilised by those in charge in the 'blame those different people it's all their fault you are poor' game.

Edit to add: obviously the vast majority of jewish people were no different to anyone else when it came to wealth, oppurtunity etc.

The whole Friday 13th cull of the Templars was the same - some King didn't want to pay back the money he'd legitimately borrowed so convinced the Pope to get on board.

Same with the Jews in this instance.

[Frank7]

simoid said:

bigpriest said:

Don't "buck" / "book" and "luck" / "look" sound exactly the same? They're homophones.

Only in (I’m ste with English accents...) Birmingham!?

I’d agree with that, book, luck, and look certainly don’t sound the same in Cockneyland, book and look, yes, but never luck.

[Jaroon]

Cantaloupe said:

Bit of an easy one really.

Why has religion lasted so long into the modern age ?

Thousands of years ago civilisations would worship, pray, supplicate and sacrifice their children to Sun, Moon, sundry astrological events because if they didn't crops would fail, droughts, earthquakes and pestilence would befall the land.

After a few more centuries they saw through that old swaddling wrap but were still keen NOT to embrace the novel idea that humans were alone on this planet and were the masters of their own destiny and that all seeing Gods were a busted flush, but no we started worshipping humans as divine beings, Pharaohs, Kings, Emperors, Popes .and we soon discovered after a few centuries that they were mere weak mortals who pissed, shat, fornicated, farted and died of syphilis like the rest of us .

So why, in this age of mass communication do half the world still believe in sky fairies ?

You believe in atoms though you've never seen them, you believe in gravity though I guarantee you don't actual know how it works. You've been told a compelling story you can not prove and choose to believe it on faith but still think you are some how superior because your belief system (which is certainly far from the whole story and limited by language, life span, limited intellect and limited access to many visual,aural, etc spectra ie if we where much more inteligent and better communicators we would have a different science, open minded scientists will concur) is the most popular. You are religious, you have priests, you are closed minded like most indoctrinated and have a miss placed sense of superiority and will be indignant like most religious types.

I choose science as my belief system, I believe in atoms on "faith" but I have enough awareness to realise it is an incomplete story using short cuts to accomodated our limited abilities and intellect and will certainly be modified beyond recognition and be as laughable as flat earthers eventually. Now wipe your keyboards down and make another brew

[Shakermaker]

The arrival of the "caravan club" to the local park over the weekend has got the residents all talking on the town Facebook page.

But as with all these things, it is regularly repeated that "trespass is a civil offence not a criminal offence" which got me wondering - what would be the consequences of it becoming a criminal offence? Presumably a different level of evidence required to prove a crime was committed?

[Halmyre]

Jaroon said:

Cantaloupe said:

Bit of an easy one really.

Why has religion lasted so long into the modern age ?

Thousands of years ago civilisations would worship, pray, supplicate and sacrifice their children to Sun, Moon, sundry astrological events because if they didn't crops would fail, droughts, earthquakes and pestilence would befall the land.

After a few more centuries they saw through that old swaddling wrap but were still keen NOT to embrace the novel idea that humans were alone on this planet and were the masters of their own destiny and that all seeing Gods were a busted flush, but no we started worshipping humans as divine beings, Pharaohs, Kings, Emperors, Popes .and we soon discovered after a few centuries that they were mere weak mortals who pissed, shat, fornicated, farted and died of syphilis like the rest of us .

So why, in this age of mass communication do half the world still believe in sky fairies ?

You believe in atoms though you've never seen them, you believe in gravity though I guarantee you don't actual know how it works. You've been told a compelling story you can not prove and choose to believe it on faith but still think you are some how superior because your belief system (which is certainly far from the whole story and limited by language, life span, limited intellect and limited access to many visual,aural, etc spectra ie if we where much more inteligent and better communicators we would have a different science, open minded scientists will concur) is the most popular. You are religious, you have priests, you are closed minded like most indoctrinated and have a miss placed sense of superiority and will be indignant like most religious types.

I choose science as my belief system, I believe in atoms on "faith" but I have enough awareness to realise it is an incomplete story using short cuts to accomodated our limited abilities and intellect and will certainly be modified beyond recognition and be as laughable as flat earthers eventually. Now wipe your keyboards down and make another brew

You, boy! Write out 1000 times:

Science is not a belief system.

[berlintaxi]

AC123 said:

I'm a bit of a country bumpkin and don't think I've even met someone who is Jewish, but they seem right enough? Saw some with funny hats in London once but that doesn't seem a a good reason to dislike them.

You do realise the hat is not mandatory, you have probably spoken to lots of Jewish people in your life without ever realising it.

[Flibble]

Jaroon said:

You believe in atoms though you've never seen them, you believe in gravity though I guarantee you don't actual know how it works.

It is possible to "see" atoms though, with the right sort of microscope.
Likewise I can see that gravity works - I don't have to "believe" it, I can observe it.

[Lily the Pink]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

The beauty of 3D printing, and its greatest potential, is for manufacturing spare parts that can no longer be obtained.

Not just for items that are NLA.

A pair of current model MX5/124 Spider cupholders costs £140 from eBay or a dealer.

A pair from a local guy with a 3D printer will cost me £50 (should be arriving tomorrow, so let's hope they're good). I was tempted to invest in a printer and material for a few hundred pounds to do them myself, but that would be for the trivial things thread. The file for them is here and there is a vast range of other "things".

[captain_cynic]

Flibble said:

Jaroon said:

You believe in atoms though you've never seen them, you believe in gravity though I guarantee you don't actual know how it works.

It is possible to "see" atoms though, with the right sort of microscope.
Likewise I can see that gravity works - I don't have to "believe" it, I can observe it.

This,

The difference between faith and proof is observability and disprovability. We know that gravity exists because we can test it time and time again and get the same answer. We can prove it.

Faith on the other hand requires that any evidence to the contrary is ignored.

However above all else, if proof demonstrates that our understanding of gravity is wrong, we will change and adapt to fit the new evidence. You don't do that with "beleif".

[Initforthemoney]

What are the giant white dots and squares painted in the middle of the lanes on dual carriageways and some motorways for?