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Community => General Chat => Topic started by: Xepher on May 04, 2007, 11:42:14 PM

Title: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on May 04, 2007, 11:42:14 PM
There are times when I really wish I'd stuck with the engineering and science education I started with...

This presentation http://www.sunclipse.org/?p=68 is one of those times.
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on June 09, 2007, 02:53:00 AM
Computer science would've been cool too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-DqZ8jAmv0

The future is gonna be SO awesome, and we're all going to take it for granted. Years from now, when your car nav system does this for any place you're driving to, just remember how cool it was when you first saw this, or when you first used http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on December 05, 2007, 03:40:00 PM
Ah... the joys of research.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBGlm0Sye8Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erg07VDtTYk
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: cha0s on December 05, 2007, 08:33:37 PM
lol, nice. That photosynth one was amazing.
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on January 25, 2008, 03:15:23 AM
Wow... this one is really impressive.

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2008/01/theo_jansen_the_art_of_creatin.php

You have to watch at least 3 minutes in before you can judge... this guy is both a genius and a nutjob. He's building "beasts" that he treats as alive the whole time, but they're plastic tubes and drink bottles. He also talks about how they're built using "the eleven holy numbers" and other weirdness. Then it gets awesome, because they move under their own power (gathered from wind) and walk around on a beach... but he's got sensors, so they don't step into the surf and "drown"... but even better, he's built a basic pnumatic computer out of plastic bottles! Literally a switched step counter so the thing "knows" where it is on the beach, and where the ocean last was. Amazing stuff!
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Databits on January 29, 2008, 06:01:29 AM
That's just plain wacky. It's cool and all, but wacky.
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on March 10, 2008, 08:24:17 AM
...this isn't the first thing that comes to mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-JHmOYnnFU

But it's insanely awesome anyway. It's things like this that make me so glad I live in the time I do. At no prior point in all of history would simple-yet-beautiful things like this have been possible. That I can be sitting here, at 3am in Texas, and watching music and scenery from a couple guys in Antarctica is one of those ways technology has become so incredibly powerful while we hardly even noticed. Then things like this happen, and you realize that for all the logic, reason, and science behind it, it's still magic. We live in an age of wonders never dreamed of by our ancestors, and we don't even realize how amazing it is. "Any sufficiently advanced technology..." as the saying goes. But we've done it now, we're advanced enough. We are all wizards and don't even know it. :-)
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: cha0s on March 10, 2008, 08:43:26 AM
I agree totally, and it's things like this that cement my belief that technology is good, even in the face of all the evil that is done with it in the world. It's just a tool and using it for good is a beautiful thing.
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: griever on March 11, 2008, 09:42:55 AM
Technology is what enables me to work in a foreign country and keep my relationship intact.  I have it so much easier than my mom and dad did.  I also think technology is good, except when it distracts me from what needs to be done.  But that's my fault. :(
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on April 03, 2008, 04:57:51 AM
Oh Em Eff Gee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaGgpGLxLQw

Also: Grape Plasma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCNNqgKqnaQ

Also Also: NSWF, and not really science related... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN2VqFPNS8w
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Lifew/outlife on April 09, 2008, 06:56:30 PM
The grape one was kinda cool, and makes me want to try it, but I dont want to ruin my microwave. The NSFW one was really funny, and looking at some of the comments made me laugh.

Here's two "Scientifically inclined" vids I found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfPJeDssBOM&feature=related Onions are powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eT-buIKUpY&feature=related Hehehe, the best part of science FIRE! (Ok, explosions are funner to watch in a non destructive way. Like fireworks)
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on April 10, 2008, 01:31:17 AM
Those are pretty good. I'm surprised you can directly plug the USB into the onion. I imagine it only works because the charger cord isn't really USB, it just uses the +V and ground wires, else it would short out the signal.


Also, try this one on for size. Don't read the comments until you see it, they may have spoilers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Lifew/outlife on April 10, 2008, 06:53:44 AM
*REDACTED BY ADMIN*

Here's another one of those odd ball vids. How to Power a TV using a AAA Battery. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rA-zhTJuFU

Sad thing is, I've done this in Woods Class. Dont ask.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgsW0uy4Y7E
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on April 11, 2008, 02:37:31 AM
Okay, I should've said this before hand, but you shouldn't give away the answer HERE either! I edited the above reply to remove the spoiler.

Liefw/outlife: Yes, I know you didn't intentionally give anything away, but you did. Don't worry, not angry, just don't mention it again. :-)
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Lifew/outlife on April 11, 2008, 06:56:03 AM
Hehehe, sorry about that.
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on August 12, 2008, 06:09:38 AM
... I never knew you had to be a rapper as well.

Warning: Epic nerdiness ahead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on August 20, 2008, 08:49:12 AM
Hmm... we may almost be out of the uncanny valley. http://www.image-metrics.com/
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: runedaur on February 14, 2009, 02:05:30 AM
QuoteWe are all wizards and don't even know it. :-)

I'm fond of imagining how Henry VIII (for example) would react to one small handkerchief-sized piece of plastic wrap.  I mean, a "cloth" that looks and kinda feels like water -- !


---runedaur
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on April 26, 2009, 05:23:24 PM
When I wish I was a scientist... I never thought...

...about having to eat funky things in time to the imperial march.
http://www.scq.ubc.ca/filter/?p=730


...that you had to sing about DNA.
http://www.scq.ubc.ca/filter/?p=1096

...that the period table was literal.
http://www.scq.ubc.ca/filter/?p=963

...you'd have to get a musical super-group to sell PCR machines.
http://www.scq.ubc.ca/filter/?p=539


So really, I'm just saying that http://www.scq.ubc.ca/order-of-the-science-scouts-of-exemplary-repute-and-above-average-physique/ is the coolest group I ever joined. :-)
Title: Re: When I wish I was a scientist
Post by: Xepher on August 24, 2009, 10:21:08 AM
I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

http://www.hizook.com/blog/2009/08/03/high-speed-robot-hand-demonstrates-dexterity-and-skillful-manipulation