General Discussion Thread

[OwlsG0]

Here is a bit of a public service announcement for everyone:

Please stop referring to table salt as "sodium".
Seriously. It really irks me... Table salt is Sodium Chloride (NaCl), NOT SODIUM!!  If you were to eat sodium, you would literally burn. Sodium releases a massive amount of energy (fire!) when put in water.

My teacher called salt sodium today and I spent the rest of the class dying inside. 

Science geek problems, right? One time my Math teacher said that E=mc^2 was the most fundamental equation in Maths and I nearly leapt out of my chair yelling "THAT'S PHYSICS YOU UNEDUCATED WALNUT"
I don't know why I thought it was appropriate to call my teacher a walnut

[Tr]

Here is a bit of a public service announcement for everyone:

Please stop referring to table salt as "sodium".
Seriously. It really irks me... Table salt is Sodium Chloride (NaCl), NOT SODIUM!!  If you were to eat sodium, you would literally burn. Sodium releases a massive amount of energy (fire!) when put in water.

My teacher called salt sodium today and I spent the rest of the class dying inside. 

Well, it's not your fault if people go to a science-themed restaurant and ask for sodium and get actual sodium, now is it? 
*coughs* Sorry.
Your teacher called salt sodium? Hopefully they aren't a science teacher... seriously. 
And Owl... uneducated walnut.  Best insult ever.

[Eriaror]

Science geek problems, right? One time my Math teacher said that E=mc^2 was the most fundamental equation in Maths and I nearly leapt out of my chair yelling "THAT'S PHYSICS YOU UNEDUCATED WALNUT"
I don't know why I thought it was appropriate to call my teacher a walnut

uneducated walnut.  Best insult ever.

We should totally found an Uneducated Walnut award for the worst teachers... hey, actors already have the Golden Rapsberry!

[Ragnarok]

Science geek problems, right? One time my Math teacher said that E=mc^2 was the most fundamental equation in Maths and I nearly leapt out of my chair yelling "THAT'S PHYSICS YOU UNEDUCATED WALNUT"
I don't know why I thought it was appropriate to call my teacher a walnut

Mind if I use that in arguing? It sounds hilarious to call someone that.

[Juniper]

But ??? is not a winky face. It's a face with one single raised eyebrow, which is a classical way to express confusion in cartoons.
If people are bothered by it, I don't mind it being changed. I rarely use the smileys and can do without all of them. I just wanted to reassure you that you've NOT been unwillingly winking at people.

Yes that is quite reassuring thank you

[Jethan]

So I looked around go see if there was a paranormal thread but not any that I saw (that might be another fun one to start) so anyway I have a few weird things that have been going on to talk about.
[...]

 
Eeeeeeeeeeeek!!!  You need a new home!!!
I can understand seeing a person out of the corner of your eye who isn't there, I do that all the time with my kitty.  If I see something gray and white in a nook, I always think it's the kitty, and it turns out to be some random objects or a plush husky or something.  But everything else is just weird and spooky.     *Is concerned*

"THAT'S PHYSICS YOU UNEDUCATED WALNUT"

Heh heh.

[Tr]

We should totally found an Uneducated Walnut award for the worst teachers... hey, actors already have the Golden Rapsberry!

Like this? 

Edit: Yes, I know. I am an evil devil student. Heheheh.

[Eriaror]

Like this? 

Precisely. Maybe you can still spice it up with some Comic sans...

[Ana Nymus]

Here is a bit of a public service announcement for everyone:

As long as we're talking scientific pet peeves, I have another:

Don't market things as "chemical free"! News flash, everything is made up of chemicals. If it's matter, it's chemicals! So unless you're trying to tell me that something is a vacuum, don't say it's chemical free.

Like this? 

Edit: Yes, I know. I am an evil devil student. Heheheh.

This is perfect, I will use this someday. *saves for future reference*

[Purple Wyrm]

Don't market things as "chemical free"! News flash, everything is made up of chemicals. If it's matter, it's chemicals! So unless you're trying to tell me that something is a vacuum, don't say it's chemical free.

A thousand times yes!!!! I end up yelling at my TV on a regular basis over that one.

Just as bad is "no artificial chemicals". What the heck is an "artificial chemical" when it's at home??

And I always have a laugh at a local coffee place that has a big sign saying "Our Coffee is from Organic Sources". I wouldn't like to see non-organic coffee

_{I know, I know, there's at least two different definitions of "organic"}

[Athena]

A thousand times yes!!!! I end up yelling at my TV on a regular basis over that one.

Just as bad is "no artificial chemicals". What the heck is an "artificial chemical" when it's at home??

And I always have a laugh at a local coffee place that has a big sign saying "Our Coffee is from Organic Sources". I wouldn't like to see non-organic coffee

_{I know, I know, there's at least two different definitions of "organic"}

For any "organic" food, I always think that! What would non-organic food be!?

Also, Uneducated Walnut award - XD YES! All the yes! I will use this so much...

[Tr]

For any "organic" food, I always think that! What would non-organic food be!?

Also, Uneducated Walnut award - XD YES! All the yes! I will use this so much...

I helped! 
I think advertisers have figured out they can put "[anything]-free" on their stuff to make it look healthy... artificial chemical-free, additive-free, etc.
I look forward to seeing "arsenic-free" labels on my food, heheh.*

*Joking. Mostly.

[Athena]

I helped! 
I think advertisers have figured out they can put "[anything]-free" on their stuff to make it look healthy... artificial chemical-free, additive-free, etc.
I look forward to seeing "arsenic-free" labels on my food, heheh.*

*Joking. Mostly.

What I would like to see is either "polonium-free" or "uranium-free".
The thing is, they can't really state that something is totally free of anything because there is always a possibility the there will be at least one particle of it in the product.

[Ana Nymus]

What I would like to see is either "polonium-free" or "uranium-free".
The thing is, they can't really state that something is totally free of anything because there is always a possibility the there will be at least one particle of it in the product.

Ahhh but at least in the US, foods labeled as "fat-free" can actually have small amounts of fat in them, as long as it's within a specified limit. I don't know if the same applies to other things foods can be "free" of, though.

I look forward to seeing "arsenic-free" labels on my food, heheh.*

Not on your fish, you won't! (the amount of arsenic in fish generally isn't a concern for your average person, though)

[Kiraly]

Ahhh but at least in the US, foods labeled as "fat-free" can actually have small amounts of fat in them, as long as it's within a specified limit. I don't know if the same applies to other things foods can be "free" of, though.

I think there is testing to make sure foods that are "free" of something have under a certain amount of particles of whatever the thing is. So for instance, certified gluten-free foods have to be tested to make sure they contain less than [some number I don't actually know] parts per million of gluten, which is a small enough amount that it won't make someone sick. The problem is, some companies don't test their products as thoroughly as others (as in, they don't test every batch or sufficient batches) but they manage to stick those "gluten free" labels on anyway. (I keep checking to see if there's any positive news on the new "gluten-free" status of cheerios cereals, but it looks like they're still questionable and therefore not okay for me to eat. *sigh*)