General Discussion Thread

[Eich]

Hehe what's your preferred music to shout along to? Because that is an awesome amount of time to sing everything! X'D
If I'm home alone I'll usually do the same thing- it's the best way to work! But then when people come home I'm so used to singing randomly and I get paranoid that I'll start singing again out loud in their presence U___U or in class. Or the library and public places. Or during exams. It's a challenge X'D
I don't tend to get hoarse though, so maybe I'm not putting in enough hard-core effort?

Weeeeellll... Anything from Nirvana to Bill Withers.  I probably sing more to Red Hot Chili Peppers than anything else though, because their guy doesn't go out of my vocal range very much.  I used to stop singing when other cars would pass by me, but now I just try to own it, haha.  They might think I look stupid, but at least I'm having fun. 
I'm not sure if I'm singing from the right part of my body, but when I sing from my throat, it helps me hit the notes a little better.  It also makes me hoarse faster, but this is a 2.5 hour trip, so it kind of makes sense.

Last night was scary.  I woke up at 4:30 laying on my back, with little feeling in (of all places) my left arm, and having a hard time breathing.  -___-  I stayed up for two hours looking up heart attack and stroke symptoms.  Eventually I read something that said the history of 20 year olds having heart attacks without pre-existing conditions were next to zero, so I went back to sleep.  Woke up, left arm was fine again.  I think it was related to some nerve issues I was having a couple months ago that made my pinky go numb...  Either way, not a fan.   

[Noah O.]

This probably has nothing to do with about anything, but have any of you read the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini? Anyways, in the last book he describes what sounds like a total conversion of matter to energy, with 100% efficiency. Now, I did some math this morning (over a bowl of froot loops), and I found (roughly) that that would create a blast equivalent to around 1.5 gigatons of TNT. This is 30 times the blast yield of our largest tested nuclear weapon, the Tsar Bomba. And using my good friend Nuke Map Classic, the thermal radiation radius would be an estimated 172,000 sq. km- so everybody in Uruguay would get 3rd degree burns from this. The air blast radius at 20 psi would be around 2900 sq. km, so everybody in Luxembourg would die. In the story, the bad guys (somehow) avoid getting crushed, burned, irradiated, and generally just exploded to death by this gigantic explosion. Somebody explain to me how this makes any sense. At all.
(Assuming the average elf male weighs ~70 kg.)

[Fimbulvarg]

BTW, it was an elf getting their matter converted into energy, and I'm assuming elves weigh around 70 kilograms.

I find that I must ask you at this point whether you are simply not aware that it is possible to edit a post rather than to make a chain post immediately afterwards. Because you seem to do the latter a lot.

Last night was scary.  I woke up at 4:30 laying on my back, with little feeling in (of all places) my left arm, and having a hard time breathing.  -___-  I stayed up for two hours looking up heart attack and stroke symptoms.  Eventually I read something that said the history of 20 year olds having heart attacks without pre-existing conditions were next to zero, so I went back to sleep.  Woke up, left arm was fine again.  I think it was related to some nerve issues I was having a couple months ago that made my pinky go numb...  Either way, not a fan.   

Heart attacks are usually felt as intense chest pain with radiation out into the left arm so I would pretty much rule that out. Anyways, I hope you have insurance just in case the symptoms return. I know how tense it can be not knowing why strange stuff like this happens.

[Noah O.]

I find that I must ask you at this point whether you are simply not aware that it is possible to edit a post rather than to make a chain post immediately afterwards. Because you seem to do the latter a lot.

Wait, you can? Oh.

[ThisCat]

Wait, you can? Oh.

Hey, everyone has to learn sometime.

Regarding your pervious question: How does that make sense? It doesn't, and it never will.

[kjeks]

This probably has nothing to do with about anything, but have any of you read the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini? Anyways, in the last book he describes what sounds like a total conversion of matter to energy, with 100% efficiency. Now, I did some math this morning (over a bowl of froot loops), and I found (roughly) that that would create a blast equivalent to around 1.5 gigatons of TNT. This is 30 times the blast yield of our largest tested nuclear weapon, the Tsar Bomba. And using my good friend Nuke Map Classic, the thermal radiation radius would be an estimated 172,000 sq. km- so everybody in Uruguay would get 3rd degree burns from this. The air blast radius at 20 psi would be around 2900 sq. km, so everybody in Luxembourg would die. In the story, the bad guys (somehow) avoid getting crushed, burned, irradiated, and generally just exploded to death by this gigantic explosion. Somebody explain to me how this makes any sense. At all.
(Assuming the average elf male weighs ~70 kg.)

I'm sometimes creating maths problems during breakfast as well but mostly these contain figures about how many people would stay at home during strike of bus- and train drivers. Or how many use some internet boards for getting a ride in a strangers car. I think my knowledge about atomic weapon is far too less for helping out with your issue here.

[Eich]

Heart attacks are usually felt as intense chest pain with radiation out into the left arm so I would pretty much rule that out. Anyways, I hope you have insurance just in case the symptoms return. I know how tense it can be not knowing why strange stuff like this happens.

I've got some insurance, yeah, but I know for a fact that it wouldn't cover all the expenses.  I don't usually get scared about my health very much, but last night was... yeah, tense. 

Hey, everyone has to learn sometime.

Regarding your pervious question: How does that make sense? It doesn't, and it never will.

Eh, it's a book series about a magical talking dragon and an elf-man-thing.  I wasn't too bothered about the author's physics not making sense.  His writing was good, after all.  Also, I think that was the last series of books I read for fun...  Iirc, it was... maybe 2 or 3 years ago?  I really need to read something again. 

[Fimbulvarg]

I've got some insurance, yeah, but I know for a fact that it wouldn't cover all the expenses.  I don't usually get scared about my health very much, but last night was... yeah, tense. 
Eh, it's a book series about a magical talking dragon and an elf-man-thing.  I wasn't too bothered about the author's physics not making sense.  His writing was good, after all.  Also, I think that was the last series of books I read for fun...  Iirc, it was... maybe 2 or 3 years ago?  I really need to read something again.

If you have time to spare there's always A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm almost finished with the most recent book. It's been a journey, it's had some ups and downs. The price has been that I haven't had the time anything else. The Hunger Games books are gathering dust on a shelf.

[kjeks]

  I really need to read something again.

I recommend the Wheel of time series though there is not much of physics done there only magic of different sorts and good against evil. If Frodo would not have been such a sissy and Mordor harder to find the Wheel of Time series would not have nedded to be written, because Lord of the Rings would have covered the story in the whole.
If your time is really short xkcd's "what if"-Book might be fine, though you probably have most of the story read already .

If you have time to spare there's always A Song of Ice and Fire.

Great Book. Though I read the books a second time just for cut down on time to wait. It didn't help though. I don't like the TV-Series because they had to leave out so much of sidecharacters (I know that you have to do this for making a payable production). So if you're a slow reader the 5 books might last until the sixth is published.

[Eich]

If you have time to spare there's always A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm almost finished with the most recent book. It's been a journey, it's had some ups and downs. The price has been that I haven't had the time anything else. The Hunger Games books are gathering dust on a shelf.

That's just it.  I don't have any time that I want to give to reading.  I want to read that specific series, actually, but between job work, guitar, occasional forum work, and all the things in between, it would probably take me months to finish any single book.  Also, yeah, I never finished Hunger Games.  I liked the first two, but 3 just killed it for me, and I stopped about 2/3 of the way in.

I recommend the Wheel of time series though there is not much of physics done there only magic of different sorts and good against evil. If Frodo would not have been such a sissy and Mordor harder to find the Wheel of Time series would not have nedded to be written, because Lord of the Rings would have covered the story in the whole.
If your time is really short xkcd's "what if"-Book might be fine, though you probably have most of the story read already .

Great Book. Though I read the books a second time just for cut down on time to wait. It didn't help though. I don't like the TV-Series because they had to leave out so much of sidecharacters (I know that you have to do this for making a payable production). So if you're a slow reader the 5 books might last until the sixth is published.

My best friend really liked the Wheel of Time series.  I tried starting it, but starting books is... very hard for me.  Once I get a few chapters in, I'm usually hooked, but getting through those first 3 or 4 chapters is unpleasant.  I ended up quitting WoT after two chapters, I think.  I should give it another try, eventually though.  And, yes, "What If," has been a good thing to read before bed, every now and then.

[Fimbulvarg]

That's just it.  I don't have any time that I want to give to reading.  I want to read that specific series, actually, but between job work, guitar, occasional forum work, and all the things in between, it would probably take me months to finish any single book.  Also, yeah, I never finished Hunger Games.  I liked the first two, but 3 just killed it for me, and I stopped about 2/3 of the way

I wouldn't worry about how long it's going to take really, I started on the series in 2011 and am still going whenever vacations come around. I've never even started on The Hunger Games. I assume it's a lot like Battle Royale.

Came to think of it, I really want to read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I like humour and satire after all.

Great Book. Though I read the books a second time just for cut down on time to wait. It didn't help though. I don't like the TV-Series because they had to leave out so much of sidecharacters (I know that you have to do this for making a payable production). So if you're a slow reader the 5 books might last until the sixth is published.

Yeah, I don't much like the Tv series either because their "vision" is just wrong IMO. It will be interesting to see how they develop it if and when it diverges from the unreleased books.

[kjeks]

My best friend really liked the Wheel of Time series.  I tried starting it, but starting books is... very hard for me.  Once I get a few chapters in, I'm usually hooked, but getting through those first 3 or 4 chapters is unpleasant.  I ended up quitting WoT after two chapters, I think.  I should give it another try, eventually though.  And, yes, "What If," has been a good thing to read before bed, every now and then.

I had to give it about six up to seven tries I think. I bought it, tried a page, laid it aside. It just didn't hook me. After three month of just making abot 1-3 pages  sometimes not touching the book at all out of nowhere it got me hooked. I'm at the second one now and mostly read it while using public transport. As I have to frequent that a lot there is much time for reading it .

Hmmm what about Bill Bryson or Terry Pratchett? Okay, one has to like the set up of the discworld then it's easy just reading through but for the first book of a Pratchett series one needs to have some time. My father feeds me with british crime series such as Marthe Grimes, CJ Sansom and Ian Rankin. I really liked them and most of the books are short in comparison to a Song of Ice and Fire or Wheel of time. Sometimes I wish days lasted about 26 hours and one was allowed to get 8 hours of sleep every day. I have to organize my weekdays accurate if I want to have enough sleep. It's always leaving for bed at 9pm, lights out at 10 pm (more oft it turns out to be 10.30/11pm) and up 5.30 am or earlier. Less then six hours of sleep are horrible for me. At university I often hat up to 4 nights with 3 hours in a row and everything was fine .

It will be interesting to see how they develop it if and when it diverges from the unreleased books.

I really am afraid that they will start stealing Mr Martins time then and he finishes the last book after the TV-Series is done.

[Fen Shen]

Or he dies before completing the series at all.  I know that's not a nice thing to say, but I've been waiting for the series to finish since about ten years, and well, he isn't exactly a young, healthy guy...

[Fimbulvarg]

I really am afraid that they will start stealing Mr Martins time then and he finishes the last book after the TV-Series is done.

Eeh, I'm more concerned Martin will turn senile before he has a chance to even start on the seventh book - which supposedly is going to be the last (in which case I assume it will be huge, too many loose threads). That's what happened to Pratchett anyways, and he's the same age as Martin.

Truth to be told university has sort of ruined reading for me. I have so many books there aren't even room for them on my shelves, even though I threw out all my unimportant (e.g. Harry Potter) books years ago. There are two huge stacks of books in a corner, my work desk is overflowing with books and compendia, even my wardrobe has some books in the drawers. One day they will find my body flattened against the floor under the weight of a book-avalance.

[Sunflower]

Last night was scary.  I woke up at 4:30 laying on my back, with little feeling in (of all places) my left arm, and having a hard time breathing.  -___-  I stayed up for two hours looking up heart attack and stroke symptoms.  Eventually I read something that said the history of 20 year olds having heart attacks without pre-existing conditions were next to zero, so I went back to sleep.  Woke up, left arm was fine again.  I think it was related to some nerve issues I was having a couple months ago that made my pinky go numb...  Either way, not a fan.   

Of course that was scary, and you were right to check it out.  But I've had that happen, and your medical advice is almost certainly right -- you don't need to worry (at least about the arm issue). 

It may not even be "nerve issues," just circulation getting cut off temporarily.  I am quite prone to my feet and legs falling asleep.  And once, when I was using a sleeping bag during a Model U.N. field trip, my left arm fell asleep when it was under me.  I half-woke and had a nasty shock -- not just that I couldn't feel my own arm, but it felt as if someone else's arm was in the bag with me!   

As far as the hand numbness, since you're in a line of work that'll probably require heavy keyboard use over the years, hopefully you're getting good advice about ergonomics, hand position, etc. 

When I was at SAP, I had the pinky and ring fingers of my left hand go numb for a few months.  It was diagnosed as "ulnar tunnel syndrome" (counterpart of the more common "carpal tunnel syndrome").  Luckily, my responsible German employer bent over backwards to accommodate me -- a thorough evaluation by an ergonomics expert, advice on changing my posture, a special wrist-rest, rebuilding my desk chair, etc.  Eventually, the problem went away.  But it sure made me appreciate having all 10 working fingers again!