Not "more than", by degree, but numerically more common.

Hmmm. Let me guess what inspired that....Microbes do produce waste, yes, and I think for some pathogens at least it is that which is toxic to us rather than the organism itself.Think of fermentation, by mould (e.g. yeast) or some types of bacteria: the mi...  moreHmmm. Let me guess what inspired that....Microbes do produce waste, yes, and I think for some pathogens at least it is that which is toxic to us rather than the organism itself.Think of fermentation, by mould (e.g. yeast) or some types of bacteria: the micro-organisms dine on the sugars, and excrete alcohol and carbon-dioxide. They do that at cell level as they are single-celled.  

There have been many reasons.Natural causes such as diseases and long-term droughts, man-made ones like external and civil wars or general decay... The Roman Empire faded away largely due to its own degeneration, but it was also becoming increasingly diff...  moreThere have been many reasons.Natural causes such as diseases and long-term droughts, man-made ones like external and civil wars or general decay... The Roman Empire faded away largely due to its own degeneration, but it was also becoming increasingly difficult to maintain its far-flung empire against invaders. What is likely to be our civilisation's demise - looking beyond the USA's febrile internal politics which only affect the USA anyway?Well, the SARS-Covid-19 virus and its offspring are having a good go at it, and do show what pandemics can be capable of; but I think the far greater threats to ourselves will be are ourselves, by:- - the major effects of climate-change,  - increasingly rapid depletion of natural resources with no satisfactory long-term replacements, with those two answered by knee-jerk reactions that do not seem based on rational thinking that also looks more than a couple of decades or so ahead; - greed and intolerance between different nations and cultures,  - pove...    less

Whoever pretends to be Q and why, he or she might now be afraid to admit it or of being revealed, through Qanon becoming a sort of cult that has caused a great deal of trouble in the USA and other countries. I am surprised the source has not been traced, ...  moreWhoever pretends to be Q and why, he or she might now be afraid to admit it or of being revealed, through Qanon becoming a sort of cult that has caused a great deal of trouble in the USA and other countries. I am surprised the source has not been traced, though I suppose the self-styled "Q" might post from any but hir or her own computer / phone/ whatever. A university or internet-cafe computer, perhaps, so not traceable to an individual unless it is properly protected with individual access-control.  

What did your friend actually mean though?I suspect he or she was referring to the way we see time - it often appears to us to drag or speed up whereas its rate ins constant but we are setting our own lives and memories against it. The time interval, in d...  moreWhat did your friend actually mean though?I suspect he or she was referring to the way we see time - it often appears to us to drag or speed up whereas its rate ins constant but we are setting our own lives and memories against it. The time interval, in days and years, between 1980 and 1990 was the same as that between 2010 and 2020, but we might individually think the second decade flew by much more rapidly than previous ones. That's where the cited "illusion" may lie.  

Perhaps the truth is that such groups do have intelligent people. They are the ones who organise its activities and recruit followers, but it is in the group's interest for followers not to be too bright.

Not "all" countries, only those either with companies and individuals large enough and rich enough for criminals to think worth robbing, or with state organisations that hostile governments think worth attacking for other reasons of their own.The success ...  moreNot "all" countries, only those either with companies and individuals large enough and rich enough for criminals to think worth robbing, or with state organisations that hostile governments think worth attacking for other reasons of their own.The success of the attacks does depend very much on the hacked systems being insufficiently defended, but it is a sort of arms-race.  

There was a startling programme on BBC Radio Four last week about Qanon.  Specifically about the huge mumber of teenagers and adult children who have "lost" their parents to the cult - with  most cults it's usually the other way round. A mutual-...  moreThere was a startling programme on BBC Radio Four last week about Qanon.  Specifically about the huge mumber of teenagers and adult children who have "lost" their parents to the cult - with  most cults it's usually the other way round. A mutual-support forum of these "orphans" has more than 150 000 users.The programme did end with a comment that Qanon had not published any of the messages it calls "Q-drops" since December, and I wondered if that means it's run its course and is fading away. We were told it emerged from the deep and bitter divisions with US domestic politics, but has found followers in many other countries, applying it to their own situations.I also wondered if and when its originator will be flushed out and identified, given the massive successes by various Eurpoean but mainly French investigators, and now the FBI, in Internet detection. If they can smash major crime gangs by intercepting encrypted Internet traffic I'd have thought it possible to trace the mere crackpot who created Qan...    less

It's not so much whether the metal can be magnetised, i.e. made to be a magnet, as whether it is magnetic. Most metals, including brass and its constituents, copper and zinc alone, are neither.I expect the silly woman is now trying to invent some conspira...  moreIt's not so much whether the metal can be magnetised, i.e. made to be a magnet, as whether it is magnetic. Most metals, including brass and its constituents, copper and zinc alone, are neither.I expect the silly woman is now trying to invent some conspiracy "theory" to explain why her demonstration would not work.  

I didn't take to Mr. Trump either - his first forays abroad as President soon showed his lack of diplomatic knowledge and skills long before the effects within the USA of his presidency started to appear - but nor did I support the demonstrations against ...  moreI didn't take to Mr. Trump either - his first forays abroad as President soon showed his lack of diplomatic knowledge and skills long before the effects within the USA of his presidency started to appear - but nor did I support the demonstrations against him.You need consider that apart from the man's character, what really matters in other countries is not the President's political party and domestic politics, but his foreign policy.  

I'm glad you used the word "seemed" there......

Like it or not nations and their governments, presidents or prime ministers do have to deal with each other, and hopefully constructively, but it does not mean necessarily supporting each other's ideology.  

If she does she is extremely unlikely to reveal who.

What an awful crime!Have I though.... Naturally if you meet via an advertisement you are total strangers until that meeting, of course. A  couple of times, yes, and I went out with one of the women for about a year. The other didn't progress past our...  moreWhat an awful crime!Have I though.... Naturally if you meet via an advertisement you are total strangers until that meeting, of course. A  couple of times, yes, and I went out with one of the women for about a year. The other didn't progress past our first meeting.That was when such dating was rather simpler and a lot cheaper, via "lonely hearts" ads in the local papers. Then big telephone-based agencies charging premium rates high-jacked the trade, followed by Internet versions; and I would not touch any such services with a barge-mouse.  less

Probably any science that benefits her personally, but I wonder how many of those who use the Internet to campaign against science ever stop to consider the irony?

Oh, these types have been around for a long time. In Britain we had the deeply-racist National Front back in the 1970s.The advantage the current shower have over their predecessors is the Internet enabling them to spread their poison more widely and more easily.

Well, it must be portable and fairly light....

Indeed, and if he'd avoided the train he'd probably have collided with that car approaching from the left.

Thankyou!I have had periods of mental problems though not really depression. I was prescribed a mild sedative (I think) to lighten the symptoms, and of all things, a book! Available on loan from the local library it was about helping yourself out of poor ...  moreThankyou!I have had periods of mental problems though not really depression. I was prescribed a mild sedative (I think) to lighten the symptoms, and of all things, a book! Available on loan from the local library it was about helping yourself out of poor self-confidence and the like. Later, I bought my own copy.My experience with nitrous oxide is that of its analgesic properties, and in larger doses it is an anaesthetic, which is why I am surprised at it being found helpful in treating depression. What we don't know though is how it's administered - as a regular few breaths, or what?  less

What size beds do most couple in real life occupy though? Regular (about 5-6ft wide) or the "royal" sizes?

No I haven't, but accidents and near-misses led the authorities in Britain eventually to replace most single-lane barriers as in that video, with double ones; and many of those also have folding slats that block the gap below the arms. Where possible road...  moreNo I haven't, but accidents and near-misses led the authorities in Britain eventually to replace most single-lane barriers as in that video, with double ones; and many of those also have folding slats that block the gap below the arms. Where possible roads cross main lines on bridges, and there are no level-crossings at all on the motorways.The remotely-controlled barriers had originally replaced massive double gates that when open to traffic barred access to the railway, but these were manually-operated from an adjacent signal-box or by a dedicated crossing-keeper, many of whom lived in adjacent cottages built for the purpose. (The railways in the UK are all closed to unauthorised access and farm animals by full-length fences with appropriate gates.) I watched that video a few times to try to understand another aspect of the situation. I think the motorist was intending to turn right, so had only one lane on the main road to contend with, but I can't see any room for his car to wait between the far barrier and ...    less

Blimey, I thought most of our (UK) politicians are not the most technically literate people going but that suggestion of Mr. Gohmert's makes them look like a gathering of Nobel Prize winners! Are we sure though he was being serious or was he trying to be funny?

I doubt is as good news as it seems; and most certainly not something for casual use when it would only alleviate the symptoms for a short while.Nitrous Oxide in small doses has a very short-term euphoric effect, but is mainly a pain-reliever used in some...  moreI doubt is as good news as it seems; and most certainly not something for casual use when it would only alleviate the symptoms for a short while.Nitrous Oxide in small doses has a very short-term euphoric effect, but is mainly a pain-reliever used in some casualty situations and giving birth. It used to be a common dental anaesthetic but I don't know if it's still used for that. Its value lies in having no lengthy after-effects that might cause problems in hospital treatment. I have used it when having a bad cut stitched, and been shown how to adminsiter it, in a cave-rescue practice session. In situations like that, it is self-administered, the casualty holding the breathing-mask to his or her own face but relaxing and dropping it when the gas starts to become anaesthetic. So it is automatically regulating. A demand-valve ensures proper inhalation and no waste. So as it soon wears off I do wonder what the use in alleviating depression actually is, but obviously should be used only under medical supervision. Unf...    less

Hmmm! I think that's an old argument and I don't recall anyone giving a very definitive answer.You could say that simple counting is artificial so arithmetic and maths are invented, and certainly all measurement units are arbitrary to some extent at least...  moreHmmm! I think that's an old argument and I don't recall anyone giving a very definitive answer.You could say that simple counting is artificial so arithmetic and maths are invented, and certainly all measurement units are arbitrary to some extent at least. Yet if you analyse natural process, many undeniably work to numerically consistent rules, so those rules are discoveries not inventions.If we work back from that, we can find that mathematical relationships are themselves consistent, but we have discovered rather than invented them. You can test the point very easily with a bowl of 12 apples: share them among 4 people and each person has 3 apples. It don't matter what you call "three" and "four" - the words are just our language - nor how you perform the sharing, but the effect is the same.The BBC Radio Four statistics-magazine programme More Or Less recently posed a simple question: what is 48 plus 27 (or similar numbers). Solve by mental arithmetic. This set the "soshul-meejah" world a-flutter as users twigg...    less

The metric system was invented in France after the French Revolution, by which time the Americas were already well populated with a motley assortment of nationalities each with their own systems. France did that because her own national measurement system...  moreThe metric system was invented in France after the French Revolution, by which time the Americas were already well populated with a motley assortment of nationalities each with their own systems. France did that because her own national measurement system was anything but a system! It was an unholy mess of regional trade units that made commerce across larger distances very difficult. The odd thing though was that they tried to be too clever and base the metre on a fraction of the Earth's circumference, not easy to measure accurately even now; rather than on something more tangible like the Nautical Mile. The Imperial Sytem with some units altered, became de facto standard in America probably due to the large proportion of settlers from Britain and Ireland; and the many imports from those countries at least until American industries could become established. I think the French did send an official Metre Bar standard, but it was never adopted for everyday trade.American scientists and some engineers do use the M...    less

Those jousters were not very likely to have been obese, because diets in Mediaeval times were more limited and people had to be physically more active just for everyday life, let alone keeping themselves literally fighting fit. (Jousting was a martial art...  moreThose jousters were not very likely to have been obese, because diets in Mediaeval times were more limited and people had to be physically more active just for everyday life, let alone keeping themselves literally fighting fit. (Jousting was a martial art and training, after all.)The horses were bred for strength and I don't think the armour was as heavy as you quote.  

Not in a fighting sense over an argument, feud or supposed point of "honour", no. Fencing as a sport, yes, and the fencers wear protective clothing. I think the swords (they have proper names but I am not familiar with them) have tiny beads on the tips, too.

Doesn't the United Nations have a department that oversees and monitors elections.....?

It is terrible, what people will do to animals.Someone from the Battersea Dogs' Home, in London and perhaps the oldest and most famous of these pet rescue centres, said on the radio recently that one couple returned an adopted dog because its fur colour d...  moreIt is terrible, what people will do to animals.Someone from the Battersea Dogs' Home, in London and perhaps the oldest and most famous of these pet rescue centres, said on the radio recently that one couple returned an adopted dog because its fur colour didn't match the furniture! The Home took the animal back - and did not let them choose another.I'm very sorry about Tigger, but I'm glad you found a suitable last resting place for her. I've not had pets for many years, but regard the wildlife in the garden as something like it. Yesterday I trimmed the vegetation in my garden pond, and then lay there on the grass for quite a long time, just watching the frogs!  less

No, you can't ignore him. That won't work, but really it's up to his Party to get rid of him, if they feel so inclined. It won't stop his public utterances, but may make him less influential. You have to consider too that in systems like those of the USA ...  moreNo, you can't ignore him. That won't work, but really it's up to his Party to get rid of him, if they feel so inclined. It won't stop his public utterances, but may make him less influential. You have to consider too that in systems like those of the USA and UK, many voters elect the Party rather than leader. They might not necessarily support the individual but want their Party to win.  

It's by no means a rare problem even if that case was unusual for the woman having all that money and no home.I don't know the details of UK law in this, and I have not seen that word "escheatment" previously so perhaps it's not used over here; but it is ...  moreIt's by no means a rare problem even if that case was unusual for the woman having all that money and no home.I don't know the details of UK law in this, and I have not seen that word "escheatment" previously so perhaps it's not used over here; but it is common to see small-ads appeals in our local paper from one law firm or another, seeking anyone with rightful claims to the estate of someone who has died intestate and with no obvious relatives around.If it remains unclaimed it does eventually go to the Treasury but I don't know if later claims can be entertained..My sister started work  many years ago in the office administering local burials and cremations. She reported that under her desk was a supermarket carrier-bag holding a few scruffy odds and ends and bits of clothing. This was the known "estate" of a homeless man who had died on the streets, and been cremated on the rates, and the Council were now trying to trace any family. As far as I know they never succeeded.  less

It's not really shorthand but a complete language with a very small alphabet.The computer's electronics' "language" uses only two characters, called "bits": 1 and 0. It's called 'binary' (Bi = 2).Basically if a 1 is a pulse of electricity or a dot on a di...  moreIt's not really shorthand but a complete language with a very small alphabet.The computer's electronics' "language" uses only two characters, called "bits": 1 and 0. It's called 'binary' (Bi = 2).Basically if a 1 is a pulse of electricity or a dot on a disc; then a 0 is the space that might otherwise be used by a "1". The circuits use an internal clock to mark time so they "know" 1s from 0s.The manipulating boils down to electronic switches called transistors, which are either On (1) or Off (0); and their switching is based on a very small set of choices like "AND", "OR", etc., expressed by "Boolean Logic", after the 19C English mathematician John Boole, who invented it. I don't know what particular applications he had in mind or if it was an abstract concept waiting for a use to come along. Bundling bits into 4s, 8 and 16s ('hexadecimal' means 6 + 10) facilitates manipulating larger chunks of data at higher speeds.The arithmetic seems unwieldy to us because we are accustomed to base-10 and powers of 10; not bas...    less

Apart from cloud cover blocking views of astronomical events, which is disappointing... I can't really think of any events "ruined" for me by bad weather. Spoilt, yes, most often by rain; but most of the time now I take the weather as it comes. The worst ...  moreApart from cloud cover blocking views of astronomical events, which is disappointing... I can't really think of any events "ruined" for me by bad weather. Spoilt, yes, most often by rain; but most of the time now I take the weather as it comes. The worst I have endured was 36 hours of strong winds and lashing rain while camping on a fairly remote Norwegian hillside. The spoiler was not really the weather, even though that was very unpleasant. Instead it was that my tent leaked badly. Luckily we returned to the road next day, the weather cleared and I was able to dry everything. Except my camera and the film it contained (pre-digital) - that was the only real loss.  less

Usually, though not very quickly.

I'm not convinced a manned trip to Mars would be necessary or good, though not for the reason Franc suggests. They would have plenty to do, shared between scientific research and keeping themselves alive.The planet's surface is an arid, cold desert that m...  moreI'm not convinced a manned trip to Mars would be necessary or good, though not for the reason Franc suggests. They would have plenty to do, shared between scientific research and keeping themselves alive.The planet's surface is an arid, cold desert that may or may not still hold some water, under a very thin atmosphere inimical to human life.The biggest problems though are posed by the sheer distance away, making the journeys each way extremely long, necessitating some way to carry sufficient supplies for the crew for the entire round-trip. The distance would also create lengthy radio-signal delays that at the very least would make conversations very awkward and could have serious consequences in the event of some emergency needing advice from back here on Earth.  less

We are still in the Ice Age, a time of long, slow cold and warm alternations over cycles of about 100 000 years, but the last glacial phase often called "the Ice Age" is considered to have "ended" about 11 000 years ago. I think they mean by that, the tim...  moreWe are still in the Ice Age, a time of long, slow cold and warm alternations over cycles of about 100 000 years, but the last glacial phase often called "the Ice Age" is considered to have "ended" about 11 000 years ago. I think they mean by that, the time of most rapid rate of change.The Polar and high-altitude ice cover shows we are still thawing from that, but the present warming due to human activities is considerably accelerating the natural change. If left to Nature the resulting climate change and sea-level rise would take millennia yet, but at least none of us here will be around to endure the results. Especially if it is the end of the Ice Age as a whole, and not an interglacial phase.  less

I wonder what the scientists actually reported?

Is the document amenable to being printed in some other colour so you can use an ink you have not used much. I suspect it would not be,  but it's a thought.I wonder if it's ever occurred to companies like HP that being fairer and more honest, and not...  moreIs the document amenable to being printed in some other colour so you can use an ink you have not used much. I suspect it would not be,  but it's a thought.I wonder if it's ever occurred to companies like HP that being fairer and more honest, and not over-charging for inks, would be better for them than their having to develop ways to try to stop the printers working on third-party inks?  

I thought that's what they'd be, before I opened the post to see the photo! A fine old pair. I wonder if the zoologists have worked out the secret of their longevity.

Cake would work with me, too!I'm not so sure kale would. The Brussels Sprouts perhaps.

It can be either or both of those, and food plants are no different from any plant in that respect.

It's unlikely to make you noticeably drunk, but even one beer or other drink equal in alcohol can impair mechanisms like response time and rapid thinking.It is very variable, depending on the individual and the situation, too.

"... to produce gasoline" as some compensation for what you've spent on gadgets?I wonder how many of them, such as the magnets clamped aound the fuel line, ever worked.Around that time the motorcyling publications carried ads for a so-called "injector". I...  more"... to produce gasoline" as some compensation for what you've spent on gadgets?I wonder how many of them, such as the magnets clamped aound the fuel line, ever worked.Around that time the motorcyling publications carried ads for a so-called "injector". I never saw one physically but the photo suggested it was no more than a very basic carburettor. (Had to think then. Long time since I last wrote that word.)  

Shocked by you thinking of another question? No! I know you do that all the time - you've said so! :-)

I imagine there are still classes and courses in cyber security! The whole thing is an arms-race in hexadecimal arithmetic rather than bombs.

Me!

I've some lettuces developing nciely - though the slugs and snails have a go at them. Plus some runner-beans and 3 or 4 tomato plants but the latter don't look too happy.I tried radishes but don't have much luck with them. The roots don't grow as they oug...  moreI've some lettuces developing nciely - though the slugs and snails have a go at them. Plus some runner-beans and 3 or 4 tomato plants but the latter don't look too happy.I tried radishes but don't have much luck with them. The roots don't grow as they ought and eventually I end up with very pretty radish flowers but no edible radish tubers.I've sometimes grown dwarf tomatoes in compost-bags, successfully too, helped by a watering-system with a timer on it set to irrigate late at night to reduce evaporation loss. I grew a crop last year like that, and the garden's frogs loved it, as it gave them lots of damp but cosy little retreats.  less

I think some of those sorts of devices are claimed to emit a whistle of sufficiently high or low frequency to be inaudible to humans but unpleasant or alarming to the pests.Whether they work is another matter, but if powered by a small solar cell like tho...  moreI think some of those sorts of devices are claimed to emit a whistle of sufficiently high or low frequency to be inaudible to humans but unpleasant or alarming to the pests.Whether they work is another matter, but if powered by a small solar cell like those path-marker lamps, their effective range is likely to be very low anyway. These seem the kind of gadgets I have seen advertised by mail-order companies who stock all manner of unlikely home, health and garden items you never need but can't do without. The catalogue writers delight in sprinkling the descriptions with scientific terms, but the text soon shows they barely understand the words let alone the concepts and the flaws.  less

The original disease already has a formal, non-national name: SARS Covid 19.I don't suppose it worries the Greeks at all, because their alphabet is used for all sorts of scientific notations, some more or less standard (e.g. the letters lambda for wavelen...  moreThe original disease already has a formal, non-national name: SARS Covid 19.I don't suppose it worries the Greeks at all, because their alphabet is used for all sorts of scientific notations, some more or less standard (e.g. the letters lambda for wavelength, pi for circular and harmonic calculations); others specified as the need arises (e.g. in trigonometry, and for the covid variants). I expect Greece is a WHO member anyway!  

If it was the most common type of attack, the hackers were most likely simply after money. "Largest supplier...", so a lot of money, and possibly weak security. I don't know if the criminals work in the way that telephone scams work, by simply broadcastin...  moreIf it was the most common type of attack, the hackers were most likely simply after money. "Largest supplier...", so a lot of money, and possibly weak security. I don't know if the criminals work in the way that telephone scams work, by simply broadcasting the hack as widely as possible among large organisations, knowing most attempts will fail but sooner or later one company or another will unwittingly let the malware in.