VerDeTerre

6 ms·

1.
by VerDeTerre 4y ago
This was an example of the dubious kind of parapsychology experiment conducted during the period. I'm sure there were true believers, but I think healthy skepticism probably prevented people from pursuing it too seriously, even when po
2.
by VerDeTerre 4y ago
> People back at shore would dip the bandages from a wound inflicted on a dog, which would supposedly cause the dog on board to yelp. That kind of morbid experimentation was apparently still in fashion during the Cold War: > Dr. Pavel
3.
by VerDeTerre 4y ago
This is the way to go if you have the option. If you need to keep the bike outside but have a reliable designated area, you may want to consider leaving a heavy chain and padlock on site. If you don't have to carry it with you, you can
4.
by VerDeTerre 6y ago
I would not have guessed the scale. The article says the instrument platform weighs 900 tons, which is amazing to imagine. At first, I wondered if they could use a helicopter to bring it down safely, but it's like two or three 747s on
5.
by VerDeTerre 6y ago
Your first-hand experience isn't universally applicable. Many people live in food deserts or don't have access to reliable cooking facilities. And physical exercise costs time, which for many is lost to long commutes. As you indic
6.
by VerDeTerre 6y ago
I had heard of the similar Purple Earth Hypothesis[1] wherein organisms with photosynthesis based on retinal arose in the oceans early on. Chlorophyll-based life developed deeper and took advantage of the red and blue light that filtered th
7.
by VerDeTerre 6y ago
I've donated in the past, but with the recent copyright debacle, I'm less inclined to—not so much because I think they're clearly on the wrong side of the law (though I do believe so), but more because it seems like such an o
8.
by VerDeTerre 7y ago
Fluoridation is by no means universal in the US—around 69.2% of public water in 2006, according to Wikipedia[1]. In some areas, resistance is strong and cuts across diverse political orientations. Portland's 2012 attempt to fluoridate,
9.
by VerDeTerre 7y ago
Or, to belabor the disease analogy, an opportunistic infection. Distrust makes it easier for otherwise fringe sources to spread beyond what would be expected in a healthy media environment.
10.
by VerDeTerre 8y ago
While I suspect that's largely true, I was intrigued by the article about "The Great Sushi Craze of 1905" that appeared a few years ago ( http://eccentricculinary.com/the-great-sushi-craze-of-1905-p... , https
11.
by VerDeTerre 8y ago
As I understand it, when the Germans occupied Paris, they saw it as a key prize and were keen to keep its culture alive, at least superficially. There was a fair amount of prestige in sending home something refined. Imagine--if the city los
12.
by VerDeTerre 8y ago
This analysis assumes conventional reproduction, which is probably just as interesting in the context of general population studies; when it comes to dealing with the issues in space travel, however, there would be a number of options for d
13.
by VerDeTerre 9y ago
I’ve had the same thought, inspired by similar incredulity. I wonder if there’s a feeling that anything short of strict physicalism is just a flavor of dualism. Better a philosophical zombie than a philosophical ghost?
14.
by VerDeTerre 9y ago
I don't think it's entirely a matter of Half.com becoming obsolete because of changes to eBay; I suspect they lost out to Amazon Marketplace, which provides basically the same service with (I'd assume) a larger reach. I would
15.
by VerDeTerre 9y ago
In effect, it did happen. A number of American citizens were prosecuted and convicted under the Federalist-supported Sedition Act of 1798, which included the following: "And be it farther enacted, That if any person shall write, print,
16.
by VerDeTerre 9y ago
With irony in vogue but subtlety out of fashion, absurdity treads a fine line. A line no wider, even, than the itsy-bitsy Mississippi.
17.
by VerDeTerre 9y ago
Of the former quotation, I at first thought, "How terrifically jejune." Then, naturally, I wondered how reading P&P became a recurring annoyance for him. Was it simply for self-indulgent infuriation? In the end, I am left simp
18.
by VerDeTerre 10y ago
Sounds like Alfred Bester's "Adam and No Eve" from 1941. It's included in https://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Unrealities-Fiction-Alfred-Be...