Dutch scientists contradict scientists on settled science...

[server]

On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 18:20:59 +0100, Tom Gardner
<spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 15:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 06:57:04 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 01:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 00:00:24 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/20 21:37, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
Tahoe used to be visited by mostly locals, but it has become an
international destination. Some idiot magazine put Truckee on the list
of the 10 best ski towns in the world, and things went to hell. Think
suites at the Ritz Carlton and $160 lift tickets. We see tons of
furriners now, talking funny, especially big Chinese families that
rent a cabin for a week or two and fall down a lot.

Dodging potholes makes the skiing more interesting.

But then I started skiing before piste machines existed,
when safety bindings were newfangled optional extras, and
boots were made of leather.

I have dodgy ankles, so the rigid plastic high-rise boots are great.

The plastic boots are a wonderful invention. Mine are
(or were since I\'ve given up skiing) strange old Salomon
\"rear entry\" boots with two very sensible adjustments:
- a novel clamp which tightens a wire running from one
side of the heel, across the front of the ankle, to
the other side of the heel. This kept the foot from
sliding around in the boot.
- a conventional clamp around the shin. When partially
released it enables easy /normal/ walking in the boot.


Not to change the subject (not me!) but I finally needed new boots
early this year, to replace my ancient Nordica rear-entry ones. I went
to a super fitter shop and tried on a bunch of trendy boots. They have
a zillion latches and toggles and adjustments and velcro things and
are impossible or painful to put on or take off. The guy finally
rolled his eyes and went out back and returned with a new pair of...
Nordica rear-entries! Super comfy! I didn\'t know they still made them.
Now my problem is amusing myself while everyone else is struggling to
get their boots on or off.

Just so.

Looking at fleabay (which is easier than excavating my attic),
it looks like mine are Salomon sx31. That low number hints
at the age!


I think some people, maybe most people, are impressed by complexity,
in cars, microwave ovens, washer/dryers, phones, thermostats, function
generators. I hate all that junk. Too many hidden states.

I tolerate complexity where I understand what is being
controlled, and that the controls are orthogonal.

The sx31 adjustments are orthogonal and comprehensible



But plastic boots aren\'t all good. They transmit all the
forces to \"god\'s mistake\", so now there are many ACL and
other knee injuries.

Bones heal well; soft tissue doesn\'t.

Right. One cousin blew his knee apart, racing 60 MPH past his age, and
has missed two seasons so far. Several surgeries, crutches for 6
months. He might try the bunny hill this year, if skiing is allowed. I
tweaked my knee pretty hard at Squaw (I HATE Squaw) but I think it\'s
OK now.

Yes.

It just occured to me how ethnically incorrect \"Squaw Valley\" is. I
intend to boycott.

I always seen to get hurt there anyhow. There are runs there that are
literally deadly to any but extreme experts, cornices and chutes full
of boulders. The worst is the long skinny road down to te village,
full of ruts and yahoos.

I, somewhat foolishly, got myself off the mountain with a
loose knee, was flown home. The French would have operated
immediately. The English attitude was \"see what it is like
after 6 weeks in plaster\".

I escaped an operation by the skin of my teeth, that time.
Not so when I snapped my patellar tendon outside my house.


Back then you skied carefully and made sure you understood
the snow on the next moguls; none of this /boring/ powering
down the piste wherever you like.

If you go fast enough, sometimes backwards, it\'s not boring. Features
are fun too.

Back then every run was /full/ of features, and they
got more pronounced every day until the next snowfall.

To avoid broken ankles, you frequently stopped, assessed
the moguls, and plotted your path through round and
over them.

Too much thinking!

No option, back then.

I still like having to modify my actions based on what
the conditions will allow. It is more interesting than
simply powering down yet another identical piste-bashed
run, thinking of something else.

That\'s what I like about skiing nice smooth packed runs. There\'s no
thinking needed, just float down and enjoy the view. One rum+coke
makes it even better.

Features are fun, though. Boxes, pipes, rails, jumps.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/seo6hdzkmub1n83/Features.JPG?raw=1

Skiing twisty stuff in the woods is cool too.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/it9m9heaeny7hrl/HH3.JPG?raw=1

You don\'t need bad snow to have fun.

Skiing is totally absorbing, an entirely different world,
and you can do it all day.

Gliding is intense relaxed concentration, very similar
to skiing except it can be done locally.

I tried parachuting, but the duty cycle was absurd. At great expense
(and risk) you might actually do it for 10 minutes per day.

I did half a dozen solo static line jumps from 3kft. The
first 4 seconds were interesting, then it was a slow video
game where I never landed more than 20m from the bullseye.

Me too. A guy with loudspeakers talked me down, dead center on the
target. OK as something to try once in life.

The sixth jump was the same as the second, and I realised
that if I persevered I would eventually be able to hold
someone\'s hand for a few seconds.


There is some very good gliding near the Sierra peaks. Good updrafts.
That\'s why we get so much snow, and why Nevada is so dry.

If you have updrafts, you have downdrafts. Rotor shouldn\'t
be forgotten.

Sometimes the sky treats you like a homesick angel, sometimes
it just spits you out. Unlandable mountain terrain concentrates
the mind.

Right. A small plane loses power and people die. Too many trees.



--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc

Science teaches us to doubt.

Claude Bernard

 

[Tom Gardner]

On 09/08/20 18:19, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

On Sun, 09 Aug 2020 08:46:20 -0700, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com
wrote:

On 2020-08-09 07:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 06:57:04 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 01:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

[...]


Skiing isn\'t really very dangerous.

My daughter and I watched someone die at Breckenridge.
A local man fell, slid, made a memorable \"crump\" as he
hit a water cannon, and didn\'t move. I called out the
blood bath when our chairlift reached the top.


Our insurance agent almost died. He hit a tree. The tree won.


Any ordinary vacation, like a beach or something, I keep thinking
about stuff.

Yes. I can sit on a beach for a day or so, then I\'m off
using local busses to explore local towns, or off on the
train to another destination.


Skiing is totally absorbing, an entirely different world,
and you can do it all day.

Gliding is intense relaxed concentration, very similar
to skiing except it can be done locally.

I tried parachuting, but the duty cycle was absurd. At great expense
(and risk) you might actually do it for 10 minutes per day.


Not if you open up three seconds after the exit once in a while. The
others thought it was foolish to waste all this freefall fun but once in
a while I just wanted to \"soar\", find thermals and all that. Especially
if the pilot would drop us above 16,000 ft. Which, of course, wasn\'t
100% legit sans oxygen but fun.

[...]

I only made a few static jumps, from 3000\' or so, and the view was
cool, but it didn\'t seem to last long. How long does it take from 16K
feet?

I guess a wing-type chute could soar for a while. What\'s the glide
slope like on a good chute?

Apparently paragliders are 12:1, which is pisspoor - a 747
manages 15:1. Perhaps that is why many paragliders have big
fans on their back!

An old wooden glider will do >20:1, a modern plastic glider >50:1.

 

[Tom Gardner]

On 09/08/20 18:53, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 18:20:59 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 15:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 06:57:04 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 01:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 00:00:24 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/20 21:37, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
Tahoe used to be visited by mostly locals, but it has become an
international destination. Some idiot magazine put Truckee on the list
of the 10 best ski towns in the world, and things went to hell. Think
suites at the Ritz Carlton and $160 lift tickets. We see tons of
furriners now, talking funny, especially big Chinese families that
rent a cabin for a week or two and fall down a lot.

Dodging potholes makes the skiing more interesting.

But then I started skiing before piste machines existed,
when safety bindings were newfangled optional extras, and
boots were made of leather.

I have dodgy ankles, so the rigid plastic high-rise boots are great.

The plastic boots are a wonderful invention. Mine are
(or were since I\'ve given up skiing) strange old Salomon
\"rear entry\" boots with two very sensible adjustments:
- a novel clamp which tightens a wire running from one
side of the heel, across the front of the ankle, to
the other side of the heel. This kept the foot from
sliding around in the boot.
- a conventional clamp around the shin. When partially
released it enables easy /normal/ walking in the boot.


Not to change the subject (not me!) but I finally needed new boots
early this year, to replace my ancient Nordica rear-entry ones. I went
to a super fitter shop and tried on a bunch of trendy boots. They have
a zillion latches and toggles and adjustments and velcro things and
are impossible or painful to put on or take off. The guy finally
rolled his eyes and went out back and returned with a new pair of...
Nordica rear-entries! Super comfy! I didn\'t know they still made them.
Now my problem is amusing myself while everyone else is struggling to
get their boots on or off.

Just so.

Looking at fleabay (which is easier than excavating my attic),
it looks like mine are Salomon sx31. That low number hints
at the age!


I think some people, maybe most people, are impressed by complexity,
in cars, microwave ovens, washer/dryers, phones, thermostats, function
generators. I hate all that junk. Too many hidden states.

I tolerate complexity where I understand what is being
controlled, and that the controls are orthogonal.

The sx31 adjustments are orthogonal and comprehensible



But plastic boots aren\'t all good. They transmit all the
forces to \"god\'s mistake\", so now there are many ACL and
other knee injuries.

Bones heal well; soft tissue doesn\'t.

Right. One cousin blew his knee apart, racing 60 MPH past his age, and
has missed two seasons so far. Several surgeries, crutches for 6
months. He might try the bunny hill this year, if skiing is allowed. I
tweaked my knee pretty hard at Squaw (I HATE Squaw) but I think it\'s
OK now.

Yes.

It just occured to me how ethnically incorrect \"Squaw Valley\" is. I
intend to boycott.

I always seen to get hurt there anyhow. There are runs there that are
literally deadly to any but extreme experts, cornices and chutes full
of boulders. The worst is the long skinny road down to te village,
full of ruts and yahoos.

As a kid having to go skiing in at Easter, I got used to
skiing on slush, mud and stones at the end of the run.

I remember two runs from a holiday 35 years ago in the
Dolomites.

One was a green route, a single track mountain road.
Normally that would be boring, but there had been a
fresh snowfall and someone had made a 12\" deep straight
track. All we did was put our skis in the slots, and
crouch down. Excellent, until I came round a sharp bend
and found someone across the entire path, a which point
I dived into the trees

The other was a \"beyond black\" run where you had to
get yourself off the slope. There was a net across
the run, and you lifted it up and went underneath.

I, somewhat foolishly, got myself off the mountain with a
loose knee, was flown home. The French would have operated
immediately. The English attitude was \"see what it is like
after 6 weeks in plaster\".

I escaped an operation by the skin of my teeth, that time.
Not so when I snapped my patellar tendon outside my house.


Back then you skied carefully and made sure you understood
the snow on the next moguls; none of this /boring/ powering
down the piste wherever you like.

If you go fast enough, sometimes backwards, it\'s not boring. Features
are fun too.

Back then every run was /full/ of features, and they
got more pronounced every day until the next snowfall.

To avoid broken ankles, you frequently stopped, assessed
the moguls, and plotted your path through round and
over them.

Too much thinking!

No option, back then.

I still like having to modify my actions based on what
the conditions will allow. It is more interesting than
simply powering down yet another identical piste-bashed
run, thinking of something else.

That\'s what I like about skiing nice smooth packed runs. There\'s no
thinking needed, just float down and enjoy the view. One rum+coke
makes it even better.

Boring


> Features are fun, though. Boxes, pipes, rails, jumps.

Lethal; avoid.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/seo6hdzkmub1n83/Features.JPG?raw=1

Skiing twisty stuff in the woods is cool too.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/it9m9heaeny7hrl/HH3.JPG?raw=1

Great fun, even better when you have to duck to get
under branches. Helmets? Pah.

There is some very good gliding near the Sierra peaks. Good updrafts.
That\'s why we get so much snow, and why Nevada is so dry.

If you have updrafts, you have downdrafts. Rotor shouldn\'t
be forgotten.

Sometimes the sky treats you like a homesick angel, sometimes
it just spits you out. Unlandable mountain terrain concentrates
the mind.

Right. A small plane loses power and people die. Too many trees.

Or rocks on slopes.

Q: what does an aircraft propellor do? A: evidently
it keeps the pilot cool, because if it stops they
start sweating.

Q: in a two-engined plane with one engine out, what\'s
the purpose of the second engine? A: to get you to the
crash site.

My gliding club had a rarely used tug that sometimes
needed jump starting from a car. That would never have
got out of the hanger at a powered club. The tug pilot\'s
attitude was \"it is only an engine, what\'s the fuss
about?\".

 

[Joerg]

On 2020-08-09 10:19, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

On Sun, 09 Aug 2020 08:46:20 -0700, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com
wrote:

On 2020-08-09 07:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

[...]

I tried parachuting, but the duty cycle was absurd. At great expense
(and risk) you might actually do it for 10 minutes per day.


Not if you open up three seconds after the exit once in a while. The
others thought it was foolish to waste all this freefall fun but once in
a while I just wanted to \"soar\", find thermals and all that. Especially
if the pilot would drop us above 16,000 ft. Which, of course, wasn\'t
100% legit sans oxygen but fun.

[...]

I only made a few static jumps, from 3000\' or so, and the view was
cool, but it didn\'t seem to last long. How long does it take from 16K
feet?

We usually did freefall until around 3000\' but when I opened at 16,000\'
I got about 25mins of soaring. My first parachute was a Paracommander
round version, not so great for soaering. The 2nd was a 240sqft square
and way too big for my weight back then. Consequently it flew like a
lumbering sky truck but I got great soaring out of it. Landing in a high
or eratic wind was quite the challenge with it.

I guess a wing-type chute could soar for a while. What\'s the glide
slope like on a good chute?

Well under 4:1 AFAIR.

https://www.spotassist.com/flying-formula/

The trick was to find thermals. Genk (Belgium) where I parachuted had a
bunch of coal operated steel production plants back then. Also power
stations. Then while a pilot let me fly his aircraft a bit I discovered
the big freeway to be a major source of thermal activity.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

 

[Martin Brown]

On 08/08/2020 17:21, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 04:01:39 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com
wrote:

On Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9:34:43 PM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:50:06 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

What if R is high but only among a fraction of the population?

R is defined on a population, statistically; cherry-picking inside that
population is NOT DEFINED. So, the \'among a fraction\' is magical thinking.

I\'m a design engineer. Magical thinking is my profession.

You are inclined to ascribe to Magyck everything that you do not
understand which seems to include almost all of scientific knowledge.

This virus has evolved against those pre-loaded defenses. Your expectation
is contrary to experience. Fantasy is another word for that.

Species wage ongoing battles for survival. Our ancestors battled the
ancestors of this virus, and we are alive to show that they sometimes
won.

This particularly infectious virus has never been in humans before. It
was a disease of bats (and they harbour lots of interesting nasties).

Its distant relatives have - the last time a corona virus jumped species
was in 1890 from beef cattle and the effect was roughly the same except
that back then they had no idea why so many people were dying from it.

We still only have rudimentary treatments for it that basically consist
of trying to keep someone alive long enough for their immune system to
mount an effective response and/or ameliorate a cytokine storm over
reaction and that is a very fine line to have to tread.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

 

[Tom Gardner]

On 10/08/20 15:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 10:23:38 +0100, Martin Brown
\'\'\'newspam\'\'\'@nonad.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/2020 17:21, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 04:01:39 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com
wrote:

On Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9:34:43 PM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:50:06 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

What if R is high but only among a fraction of the population?

R is defined on a population, statistically; cherry-picking inside that
population is NOT DEFINED. So, the \'among a fraction\' is magical thinking.

I\'m a design engineer. Magical thinking is my profession.

You are inclined to ascribe to Magyck everything that you do not
understand which seems to include almost all of scientific knowledge.

I got solid A\'s in physics and chemistry. I made it the the National
Science Fair. 800 math SAT. But math and science are just the basis,
or more like the constraints, of inventing circuits and systems. They
are not nearly enough. You need insanity and magic.

\"Insanity and magic\" may be helpful in some ways, but they
are neither necessary nor sufficient.

Science requires:
1 observation
2 make hypothesis that *predicts* something new
3 formulate *falsifiable* test for hypothesis
4 perform test, modify hypothesis if necessary

Without the prediction and falsifiability, it is
mere cargo cult science, not science.

 

[server]

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 16:12:56 +0100, Tom Gardner
<spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 10/08/20 15:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 10:23:38 +0100, Martin Brown
\'\'\'newspam\'\'\'@nonad.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/2020 17:21, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 04:01:39 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com
wrote:

On Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9:34:43 PM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:50:06 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

What if R is high but only among a fraction of the population?

R is defined on a population, statistically; cherry-picking inside that
population is NOT DEFINED. So, the \'among a fraction\' is magical thinking.

I\'m a design engineer. Magical thinking is my profession.

You are inclined to ascribe to Magyck everything that you do not
understand which seems to include almost all of scientific knowledge.

I got solid A\'s in physics and chemistry. I made it the the National
Science Fair. 800 math SAT. But math and science are just the basis,
or more like the constraints, of inventing circuits and systems. They
are not nearly enough. You need insanity and magic.

\"Insanity and magic\" may be helpful in some ways, but they
are neither necessary nor sufficient.

Science requires:
1 observation
2 make hypothesis that *predicts* something new
3 formulate *falsifiable* test for hypothesis
4 perform test, modify hypothesis if necessary

Without the prediction and falsifiability, it is
mere cargo cult science, not science.

But that\'s just boring old science. This is an electronic design
group.

In my experience, most scientists are horrible electronic designers.



--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc

Science teaches us to doubt.

Claude Bernard

 

[Ricketty C]

On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 11:13:01 AM UTC-4, Tom Gardner wrote:

On 10/08/20 15:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 10:23:38 +0100, Martin Brown
\'\'\'newspam\'\'\'@nonad.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/2020 17:21, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 04:01:39 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com
wrote:

On Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9:34:43 PM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:50:06 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

What if R is high but only among a fraction of the population?

R is defined on a population, statistically; cherry-picking inside that
population is NOT DEFINED. So, the \'among a fraction\' is magical thinking.

I\'m a design engineer. Magical thinking is my profession.

You are inclined to ascribe to Magyck everything that you do not
understand which seems to include almost all of scientific knowledge.

I got solid A\'s in physics and chemistry. I made it the the National
Science Fair. 800 math SAT. But math and science are just the basis,
or more like the constraints, of inventing circuits and systems. They
are not nearly enough. You need insanity and magic.

\"Insanity and magic\" may be helpful in some ways, but they
are neither necessary nor sufficient.

Science requires:
1 observation
2 make hypothesis that *predicts* something new
3 formulate *falsifiable* test for hypothesis
4 perform test, modify hypothesis if necessary

Without the prediction and falsifiability, it is
mere cargo cult science, not science.

You are conversing with a person who claims he designs electronics using insanity and magic. Do you really think he can be affected by reason???

--

Rick C.

+--- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
+--- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

 

[Ricketty C]

On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 12:23:30 PM UTC-4, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 16:12:56 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 10/08/20 15:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 10:23:38 +0100, Martin Brown
\'\'\'newspam\'\'\'@nonad.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/2020 17:21, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 04:01:39 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com
wrote:

On Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9:34:43 PM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:50:06 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

What if R is high but only among a fraction of the population?

R is defined on a population, statistically; cherry-picking inside that
population is NOT DEFINED. So, the \'among a fraction\' is magical thinking.

I\'m a design engineer. Magical thinking is my profession.

You are inclined to ascribe to Magyck everything that you do not
understand which seems to include almost all of scientific knowledge.

I got solid A\'s in physics and chemistry. I made it the the National
Science Fair. 800 math SAT. But math and science are just the basis,
or more like the constraints, of inventing circuits and systems. They
are not nearly enough. You need insanity and magic.

\"Insanity and magic\" may be helpful in some ways, but they
are neither necessary nor sufficient.

Science requires:
1 observation
2 make hypothesis that *predicts* something new
3 formulate *falsifiable* test for hypothesis
4 perform test, modify hypothesis if necessary

Without the prediction and falsifiability, it is
mere cargo cult science, not science.

But that\'s just boring old science. This is an electronic design
group.

In my experience, most scientists are horrible electronic designers.

Just as some electrical engineers make horrible scientists, but fail to understand they are horrible.

--

Rick C.

+--+ Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
+--+ Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

 

[Tom Gardner]

On 10/08/20 17:23, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 16:12:56 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 10/08/20 15:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 10:23:38 +0100, Martin Brown
\'\'\'newspam\'\'\'@nonad.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/2020 17:21, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 04:01:39 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com
wrote:

On Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9:34:43 PM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:50:06 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

What if R is high but only among a fraction of the population?

R is defined on a population, statistically; cherry-picking inside that
population is NOT DEFINED. So, the \'among a fraction\' is magical thinking.

I\'m a design engineer. Magical thinking is my profession.

You are inclined to ascribe to Magyck everything that you do not
understand which seems to include almost all of scientific knowledge.

I got solid A\'s in physics and chemistry. I made it the the National
Science Fair. 800 math SAT. But math and science are just the basis,
or more like the constraints, of inventing circuits and systems. They
are not nearly enough. You need insanity and magic.

\"Insanity and magic\" may be helpful in some ways, but they
are neither necessary nor sufficient.

Science requires:
1 observation
2 make hypothesis that *predicts* something new
3 formulate *falsifiable* test for hypothesis
4 perform test, modify hypothesis if necessary

Without the prediction and falsifiability, it is
mere cargo cult science, not science.

But that\'s just boring old science.

It isn\'t boring, and the overlap with engineering is significant.

Any conflict between engineering and science is a big red flag.

This is an electronic design group.

In my experience, most scientists are horrible electronic designers.

Shrug. So what.

For that matter most electronic designers are horrible
electronic designers - just look at the crap on sale.

 

[server]

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 17:50:35 +0100, Tom Gardner
<spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 10/08/20 17:23, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 16:12:56 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 10/08/20 15:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 10:23:38 +0100, Martin Brown
\'\'\'newspam\'\'\'@nonad.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/2020 17:21, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 04:01:39 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com
wrote:

On Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9:34:43 PM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:50:06 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

What if R is high but only among a fraction of the population?

R is defined on a population, statistically; cherry-picking inside that
population is NOT DEFINED. So, the \'among a fraction\' is magical thinking.

I\'m a design engineer. Magical thinking is my profession.

You are inclined to ascribe to Magyck everything that you do not
understand which seems to include almost all of scientific knowledge.

I got solid A\'s in physics and chemistry. I made it the the National
Science Fair. 800 math SAT. But math and science are just the basis,
or more like the constraints, of inventing circuits and systems. They
are not nearly enough. You need insanity and magic.

\"Insanity and magic\" may be helpful in some ways, but they
are neither necessary nor sufficient.

Science requires:
1 observation
2 make hypothesis that *predicts* something new
3 formulate *falsifiable* test for hypothesis
4 perform test, modify hypothesis if necessary

Without the prediction and falsifiability, it is
mere cargo cult science, not science.

But that\'s just boring old science.

It isn\'t boring, and the overlap with engineering is significant.

Any conflict between engineering and science is a big red flag.

Scientists would be paralyzed without electronic instruments and
computers. Any hard science instruments everything with electronics.

Engineers built aqueducts and ships and cathedrals without science,
although it does help. Engineering historically invented things that
inspired scientists to quantify them.

Engineering and science are different.

This is an electronic design group.

In my experience, most scientists are horrible electronic designers.

Shrug. So what.

So science isn\'t what it takes to do good electronic design. It takes
imagination. It takes less theory than it used to: instinct and
simulation work well. Our peer reviewers are the customers.

For that matter most electronic designers are horrible
electronic designers - just look at the crap on sale.

True.




--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc

Science teaches us to doubt.

Claude Bernard

 

[whit3rd]

On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 9:23:30 AM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

But that\'s just boring old science. This is an electronic design
group.

In my experience, most scientists are horrible electronic designers.

And, we discuss boring old science like Cockcroft-Walton circuits.
Science then, electronic design now: the boring old stuff is now new!

 

[John Larkin]

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 12:06:47 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com>
wrote:

On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 9:23:30 AM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

But that\'s just boring old science. This is an electronic design
group.

In my experience, most scientists are horrible electronic designers.

And, we discuss boring old science like Cockcroft-Walton circuits.
Science then, electronic design now: the boring old stuff is now new!

The voltage multiplier was a circuit, not really science. Besides, C+W
weren\'t the original inventors.

 

[John Larkin]

On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 19:24:13 +0100, Tom Gardner
<spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 18:53, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 18:20:59 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 15:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 06:57:04 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 01:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 00:00:24 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/20 21:37, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
Tahoe used to be visited by mostly locals, but it has become an
international destination. Some idiot magazine put Truckee on the list
of the 10 best ski towns in the world, and things went to hell. Think
suites at the Ritz Carlton and $160 lift tickets. We see tons of
furriners now, talking funny, especially big Chinese families that
rent a cabin for a week or two and fall down a lot.

Dodging potholes makes the skiing more interesting.

But then I started skiing before piste machines existed,
when safety bindings were newfangled optional extras, and
boots were made of leather.

I have dodgy ankles, so the rigid plastic high-rise boots are great.

The plastic boots are a wonderful invention. Mine are
(or were since I\'ve given up skiing) strange old Salomon
\"rear entry\" boots with two very sensible adjustments:
- a novel clamp which tightens a wire running from one
side of the heel, across the front of the ankle, to
the other side of the heel. This kept the foot from
sliding around in the boot.
- a conventional clamp around the shin. When partially
released it enables easy /normal/ walking in the boot.


Not to change the subject (not me!) but I finally needed new boots
early this year, to replace my ancient Nordica rear-entry ones. I went
to a super fitter shop and tried on a bunch of trendy boots. They have
a zillion latches and toggles and adjustments and velcro things and
are impossible or painful to put on or take off. The guy finally
rolled his eyes and went out back and returned with a new pair of...
Nordica rear-entries! Super comfy! I didn\'t know they still made them.
Now my problem is amusing myself while everyone else is struggling to
get their boots on or off.

Just so.

Looking at fleabay (which is easier than excavating my attic),
it looks like mine are Salomon sx31. That low number hints
at the age!


I think some people, maybe most people, are impressed by complexity,
in cars, microwave ovens, washer/dryers, phones, thermostats, function
generators. I hate all that junk. Too many hidden states.

I tolerate complexity where I understand what is being
controlled, and that the controls are orthogonal.

The sx31 adjustments are orthogonal and comprehensible



But plastic boots aren\'t all good. They transmit all the
forces to \"god\'s mistake\", so now there are many ACL and
other knee injuries.

Bones heal well; soft tissue doesn\'t.

Right. One cousin blew his knee apart, racing 60 MPH past his age, and
has missed two seasons so far. Several surgeries, crutches for 6
months. He might try the bunny hill this year, if skiing is allowed. I
tweaked my knee pretty hard at Squaw (I HATE Squaw) but I think it\'s
OK now.

Yes.

It just occured to me how ethnically incorrect \"Squaw Valley\" is. I
intend to boycott.

I always seen to get hurt there anyhow. There are runs there that are
literally deadly to any but extreme experts, cornices and chutes full
of boulders. The worst is the long skinny road down to te village,
full of ruts and yahoos.

As a kid having to go skiing in at Easter, I got used to
skiing on slush, mud and stones at the end of the run.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e8kpfvn1aa6nefy/AACDtIA4--qpbpuTSal1YMyBa?dl=0

 

[Joerg]

On 2020-08-09 10:25, Tom Gardner wrote:

On 09/08/20 16:46, Joerg wrote:
On 2020-08-09 07:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 06:57:04 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 01:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
Skiing is totally absorbing, an entirely different world,
and you can do it all day.

Gliding is intense relaxed concentration, very similar
to skiing except it can be done locally.

I tried parachuting, but the duty cycle was absurd. At great expense
(and risk) you might actually do it for 10 minutes per day.


Not if you open up three seconds after the exit once in a while. The
others thought it was foolish to waste all this freefall fun but once
in a while I just wanted to \"soar\", find thermals and all that.
Especially if the pilot would drop us above 16,000 ft. Which, of
course, wasn\'t 100% legit sans oxygen but fun.

No (planned) freefall for me at 3kft

At 3000\' one should open. Though we had \"low-pullers\" who\'d go down to
2000\'. That\'s playing with fire.

Oxygen recommended above 10kft, mandatory above 12kft,
but I\'m sure you know that!

Ahm, sure ... <whistling innocently>

I guess the pilot also wanted to show off the turbine conversion of his
aircraft.

ISTR a paragliding contest in the Phillipines where the
contestants found too much updraft, and quite a few were
turned into corpsicles (to borrow a phrase from Larry
Niven).

That can\'t really happen under a parachute. You can always pull on the
front risers and kill pretty much any lift except for a hardcode tornado.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

 

[John Larkin]

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 15:00:44 -0700, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com>
wrote:

On 2020-08-09 10:25, Tom Gardner wrote:
On 09/08/20 16:46, Joerg wrote:
On 2020-08-09 07:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 06:57:04 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 01:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
Skiing is totally absorbing, an entirely different world,
and you can do it all day.

Gliding is intense relaxed concentration, very similar
to skiing except it can be done locally.

I tried parachuting, but the duty cycle was absurd. At great expense
(and risk) you might actually do it for 10 minutes per day.


Not if you open up three seconds after the exit once in a while. The
others thought it was foolish to waste all this freefall fun but once
in a while I just wanted to \"soar\", find thermals and all that.
Especially if the pilot would drop us above 16,000 ft. Which, of
course, wasn\'t 100% legit sans oxygen but fun.

No (planned) freefall for me at 3kft


At 3000\' one should open. Though we had \"low-pullers\" who\'d go down to
2000\'. That\'s playing with fire.

One guy I met jumping had no altimeter. I asked him when he pulled.
\"When I can\'t stand it any more.\"

Some of their chutes were really worn out. Confetti chutes.

Strange hobby.

 

[whit3rd]

On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 12:50:59 PM UTC-7, John Larkin wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 12:06:47 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com
wrote:

On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 9:23:30 AM UTC-7, jla...@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:

But that\'s just boring old science. This is an electronic design
group.

In my experience, most scientists are horrible electronic designers.

And, we discuss boring old science like Cockcroft-Walton circuits.
Science then, electronic design now: the boring old stuff is now new!

The voltage multiplier was a circuit, not really science. Besides, C+W
weren\'t the original inventors.

No, that was Greinacher, also a physicist; but the CW device was an
important electronic design nonetheless, and the multiplier trick was only a circuit, I hear...

 

[Tom Gardner]

On 10/08/20 21:04, John Larkin wrote:

On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 19:24:13 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 18:53, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 18:20:59 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 15:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 06:57:04 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 01:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 00:00:24 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 08/08/20 21:37, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
Tahoe used to be visited by mostly locals, but it has become an
international destination. Some idiot magazine put Truckee on the list
of the 10 best ski towns in the world, and things went to hell. Think
suites at the Ritz Carlton and $160 lift tickets. We see tons of
furriners now, talking funny, especially big Chinese families that
rent a cabin for a week or two and fall down a lot.

Dodging potholes makes the skiing more interesting.

But then I started skiing before piste machines existed,
when safety bindings were newfangled optional extras, and
boots were made of leather.

I have dodgy ankles, so the rigid plastic high-rise boots are great.

The plastic boots are a wonderful invention. Mine are
(or were since I\'ve given up skiing) strange old Salomon
\"rear entry\" boots with two very sensible adjustments:
- a novel clamp which tightens a wire running from one
side of the heel, across the front of the ankle, to
the other side of the heel. This kept the foot from
sliding around in the boot.
- a conventional clamp around the shin. When partially
released it enables easy /normal/ walking in the boot.


Not to change the subject (not me!) but I finally needed new boots
early this year, to replace my ancient Nordica rear-entry ones. I went
to a super fitter shop and tried on a bunch of trendy boots. They have
a zillion latches and toggles and adjustments and velcro things and
are impossible or painful to put on or take off. The guy finally
rolled his eyes and went out back and returned with a new pair of...
Nordica rear-entries! Super comfy! I didn\'t know they still made them.
Now my problem is amusing myself while everyone else is struggling to
get their boots on or off.

Just so.

Looking at fleabay (which is easier than excavating my attic),
it looks like mine are Salomon sx31. That low number hints
at the age!


I think some people, maybe most people, are impressed by complexity,
in cars, microwave ovens, washer/dryers, phones, thermostats, function
generators. I hate all that junk. Too many hidden states.

I tolerate complexity where I understand what is being
controlled, and that the controls are orthogonal.

The sx31 adjustments are orthogonal and comprehensible



But plastic boots aren\'t all good. They transmit all the
forces to \"god\'s mistake\", so now there are many ACL and
other knee injuries.

Bones heal well; soft tissue doesn\'t.

Right. One cousin blew his knee apart, racing 60 MPH past his age, and
has missed two seasons so far. Several surgeries, crutches for 6
months. He might try the bunny hill this year, if skiing is allowed. I
tweaked my knee pretty hard at Squaw (I HATE Squaw) but I think it\'s
OK now.

Yes.

It just occured to me how ethnically incorrect \"Squaw Valley\" is. I
intend to boycott.

I always seen to get hurt there anyhow. There are runs there that are
literally deadly to any but extreme experts, cornices and chutes full
of boulders. The worst is the long skinny road down to te village,
full of ruts and yahoos.

As a kid having to go skiing in at Easter, I got used to
skiing on slush, mud and stones at the end of the run.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e8kpfvn1aa6nefy/AACDtIA4--qpbpuTSal1YMyBa?dl=0

Grass round ski lift - tick.
Bikinis - tick.
Sunbathing in bikinis or swimming trunks in sub-zero temperatures.

Steep run I was referring to was (?is?) just under 45 degrees and
about 1km long. One person skiing with me lost his ski and it took
him 20 mins to walk down and retrieve it.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.51336,11.74212,3a,75y,75.6h,105.5t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMsYgrHPsUsY-YqKG1lmafLA6TLZu55ffSE21-I!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMsYgrHPsUsY-YqKG1lmafLA6TLZu55ffSE21-I%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya166.15596-ro-0-fo100!7i7168!8i3584!5m1!1e4

The area was sufficiently intriguing that I went back in the summer
and, with zero experience and tuition, climbed up here:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.5398887,11.8276568,3a,50.3y,240.54h,130.16t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipO9Sv_21BTbfyKm2ImCwfnk76_P8RcBjEpOJMqs!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipO9Sv_21BTbfyKm2ImCwfnk76_P8RcBjEpOJMqs%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya149.10101-ro-0-fo100!7i8192!8i4096!5m1!1e4

Some days I didn\'t see anybody else while walking. The only
English people I saw were in a hut where they helicopter in
supplies - and I had worked with them a couple of years earlier.

That\'s also happened to me backpacking around India. The world
is not as large as some people imagine

 

[Joerg]

On 2020-08-10 15:07, John Larkin wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 15:00:44 -0700, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com
wrote:

On 2020-08-09 10:25, Tom Gardner wrote:
On 09/08/20 16:46, Joerg wrote:
On 2020-08-09 07:34, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
On Sun, 9 Aug 2020 06:57:04 +0100, Tom Gardner
spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/08/20 01:47, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com wrote:
Skiing is totally absorbing, an entirely different world,
and you can do it all day.

Gliding is intense relaxed concentration, very similar
to skiing except it can be done locally.

I tried parachuting, but the duty cycle was absurd. At great expense
(and risk) you might actually do it for 10 minutes per day.


Not if you open up three seconds after the exit once in a while. The
others thought it was foolish to waste all this freefall fun but once
in a while I just wanted to \"soar\", find thermals and all that.
Especially if the pilot would drop us above 16,000 ft. Which, of
course, wasn\'t 100% legit sans oxygen but fun.

No (planned) freefall for me at 3kft


At 3000\' one should open. Though we had \"low-pullers\" who\'d go down to
2000\'. That\'s playing with fire.

One guy I met jumping had no altimeter. I asked him when he pulled.
\"When I can\'t stand it any more.\"

Yikes! We had another problem. When doing formation jumps it is
customary to look at the altimeter of the guy across from you to decide
when to separate back and later pull, mainly because the airflow
disturbance caused by twisting your wrist or turning the head ever so
slightly to look can really upset a formation. One guy left very early.
\"Why did you do that?\" ... \"Because your altimeter showed 2500\" ... \"But
mine is in meters!\" ... The French-speaking guys sometimes had metric
altimeters.

Some of their chutes were really worn out. Confetti chutes.

Ours had to be inspected yearly, especially the spare. What gave me the
goose bumps was a trend that spilled over from the US, \"trash pack\".
Instead of neatly following a folding procedure to pack the parachute
people would shake and ruffle it, then stuff it all in there. IIRC we
had only one that didn\'t open and he deployed the reserve.

Strange hobby.

I loved it. However, my back isn\'t great which always carried some extra
risk and then I also met a girlfriend (now wife) who found this hobby
horrifically scary, so I stopped. I had withdrawal symptoms for years.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

 

[Tom Gardner]

On 10/08/20 23:07, John Larkin wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 15:00:44 -0700, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com
wrote:
At 3000\' one should open. Though we had \"low-pullers\" who\'d go down to
2000\'. That\'s playing with fire.

One guy I met jumping had no altimeter. I asked him when he pulled.
\"When I can\'t stand it any more.\"

That is very rational.

When gliding, it is normal to have to make a flight with
all control panel instruments covered up - because they
can and do fail[1]. Hence you have to be able to fly
/literally/ by the seat of your pants, plus eyeballs.

Obviously an altimeter is useless if you are landing
out in whatever field is available - so you have to
be able to eyeball your height.

I\'ve had the \"speedo\" fail due to the inlet being covered
by a flap of rubber[2]. I discovered it while climbing on
the wire, dipped the nose to try to gain speed, failed, and
even though the plane was very controllable, decided to
release before the wing is heavily loaded at the top of
the launch. The instructor said I got it right.

[1] conversely when training for cloud flying, the
instruments are uncovered but the external view is
obscured.

[2] the traditional failure mechanism are bumble bees
or hail/water stuffed in the tubes.