HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: nick+@pitt.edu (Nick C De Mello)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Why GREENSleaves?
Date: 31 Jul 92 20:10:58 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <1992Jul31.172222.23907@cbnewse.cb.att.com> gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart) writes:
>
>I have a somewhat bizarrely-related question.  I was told long, long ago
>that the structures of chlorophyll and hemoglobin were identical except
>for iron in hemoglobin being replaced by copper in the chlorophyll.
>Sounds fascinating, but is it true?  Completely or partially or similar
>enough to be BS of a judgement call?
>
  
   Fairly similiar, same porphyrin ring structure, but the variations on
chlorophyll and the variations on hemoglobin (yea there are different 
kinds of each) have different substituents hanging off the ring.
Oh, and it's magnesium in chorophyll, copper is a whole different
kettle of fish.

                 Nick (I read this group to avoid chemistry) de Mello
                                            ^^^^^
    

-- 
   _/   _/  _/  _/_/_/   _/   _/  
  _/_/ _/  _/  _/   _/  _/_/_/
 _/ _/_/  _/  _/       _/ _/                    Nicholas C de Mello
_/   _/  _/   _/_/_/  _/   _/                     Nick+@pitt.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart)
Subject: Re: BEACH-BABES
Organization: AT&T
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 19:38:42 GMT

In article <1992Jul25.184225.19217@ugle.unit.no>, mortenaa@Lise.Unit.NO (Morten Aagaard) writes:
> Most humans are attracted to the beach when the sun glows hot, is anybody
> capable of some good explaination?

Humans have a region in the brain similar to that of pigeons and many
other birds that is extremely iron-rich.  It helps birds navigate and
prompts humans to remove clothing and search for large bodies of
electrically-neutral water when solar activity is high and the
angle of incident light is more nearly vertical.  It sometimes
forces them to find brightly-colored, low mass spheres to strike
as a norepinephrine releasing activity.

GMS
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: scott@ailab.ncsu.edu (Scott A Tai)
Subject: T/ Re: T: To All MENSA Members...
Reply-To: tai@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us
Organization: NCSU Artificial Intelligence Systems Laboratory
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 02:56:34 GMT


In article <1992Jul28.200644.24124@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>, edp@math.zko.dec.com (Eric Postpischil) writes:
|>>In article <1992Jul27.214609.12298@ncsu.edu> tai@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us writes:
|>
|>>     Personally, I have absolutely no doubt that blacks, Hispanics, 
|>>and other minorities are of equal intelligence, on average, to the 
|>>average white.  I do not want to accuse MENSA of racism here, but 
|>>how the hell do you explain these testing differences?  If you assert 
|>>that IQ and aptitude tests measure skills that are unrelated to 
|>>differences in education and social background (which is the position
|>>of all psychometric purists), you can come to only two logical 
|>>possibilities:
|>
|>You ignore my previous posting in which I explained there is a third
|>possibility, one backed not only by logic, but also, unlike your
|>postings, by data.

You want data?  You got it... see upcoming posts.

-- Scott Tai
   tai@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Why mammal lips?
From: mcbeanb@brandonu.ca
Date: 24 Jul 92 21:39:28 CST
Organization: Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

In article <1992Jul24.123158.8144@cs.mcgill.ca>, mingmar@cs.mcgill.ca (Ming MAR) writes:
> Why are most mammals lipped?  Is this a result of random
> evolution or is there any particular reason for not being
> duck-billed?

Why is Cosby negroid?  But the lip thing...
See mammals and birds come from entirely different evolutionary lines
(well they both are vertebrates, but they separated a long time ago)...
I forget the explanation for the duck-billed platypus but I think
it's simple...  Wish I had my Evolution text here (maybe you should consider
looking at one yourself).

Brian McBean  McBeanB@BrandonU.Ca

PS.  Why not go to talk.origins and ask Colby?  He'll tell you everything
you need to know and a whole lot more.
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: jlc5f@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Jean L. Cooper)
Subject: Re: More on the AG
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 18:11:43 GMT

Yes, it seemed to me that you asked a question by posting
your "amazement" on this newsgroup.
--
Jean L. Cooper    (BITNET: JLC5F@virginia.edu   CIS: 70253,1114)
"The true University of these days is a Collection of Books." 
                                           --Carlyle
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: T/ Re: T=Killfiles and whoami
Date: 30 Jul 92 20:39:02 GMT

In article <1992Jul30.031645.22365@ncsu.edu>, scott@ailab.ncsu.edu (Scott A Tai) writes:
> 
> 
> In article <3943@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>, nick+@pitt.edu (Nick C De Mello) writes:
> |>In article <1992Jul28.225210.28598@ncsu.edu> tai-sa@ailab.ncsu.edu (Scott A Tai) writes:
> |>>
> |>>Maybe if your hollombe friend discontinued posting kill files for my id, 
> |>>I wouldn't have to continually modify it.  Then everyone would be happy.  
> |>>
> |>>Get it?
> 
> |>Scott:
> |>
> |>   You're not in my killfile.  Still, if I chose to add your name to it,
> |>indicating that I wasn't interested in listening to your arguments, what
> |>purpose would be served by trying to circumvent that effort?  Wouldn't
> |>you just be atagonizing people that have already decided, for good or
> |>bad, that they didn't want to listen to you?
> |>
> |>                                               Nick
> 
> You're missing the point.  I don't care if someone chooses to put me in
> their killfile.  What I do object to is the regular posting of a killfile
> with my id in it. 

Spoken like a true egotistical spoiled brat.  You earned that honor, boy;
now learn to live with it.
From: pmailman@genesis.nred.ma.us (Paul Mailman)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: IQ vs. Faith
Date: 22 Jul 92 18:06:47 GMT
Organization: Genesis Public Access Minix  +1 508 664 0149

In article <zlsiida.1000@fs1.mcc.ac.uk> zlsiida@fs1.mcc.ac.uk (dave budd) writes:
>
>> MS> I believe that the universe was made by an infinitely-large
>> MS> Persian cat.
>
>>You damm fool!!! you sorry damm fool!!  Everyone knows that an american
>>shorthair did the dead.
>
>Wrong wrong wrong: it was the great FROG that created the earth.  

"Before the Beginning, there was this Turtle..."
       -- the Firesign Theater, "I think we're all Bozos on this bus"
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: scott@ailab.ncsu.edu (Scott A Tai)
Subject: T/ Re: T: To All MENSA Members...
Reply-To: tai@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us
Organization: NCSU Artificial Intelligence Systems Laboratory
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 02:35:13 GMT


In article <1992Jul27.115417.2527@walter.cray.com>, sonic@artgate.cray.com (Curtis Swanson) writes:
|>Indeed, these are serious problems which need fixing.

Can it be true?  There's a MENSAN who not only doesn't flame my article,
but agrees with my point of view?  Wow! 

|>>     So what needs to be done?  I think dropping the 2% rule would do 
|>>wonders.
|>Again, it does not automatically follow that dropping the 2% rule would 
|>transform Mensa into an organization capable of sweeping changes in 
|>government policy over the objections of all those who disagree.  

Okay, but the "2% rule" is inherently flawed:
   -- Intelligence has several facets, some of which are not measured
      by intelligence tests;
   -- Intelligence level varies with time;
   -- Some of the more commonly used tests for qualification to MENSA
      are not intelligence tests at all;
   -- Some qualifying practices condoned by MENSA defeat the 2% limit;
   -- Achievement, not test score, is a better measure of ability.

-- Scott Tai
   tai@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: tai@cs.ncsu.edu (Scott Tai)
Subject: T--Polyandric Polymath and Kill Files
Reply-To: tai@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 22:22:55 GMT


In article <1992Jul18.010824.4567@ttinews.tti.com>, hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath) writes:
|>This week's flame retardant:
|>
|>/ T./j
|>/tai@ailab/h:j
|>
|>We've seen it all before.  Ignore him and he will go away.

        I never cease to be shocked by the things I read in
this newsgroup.  If it isn't someone really full of themselves
pontificating on some bit of esoterica, it's some rude buffoon
making idiotic comments directed against them.  Although I also
find the use of foul language and slanderous remarks which 
seems to be this newsgroup's trademark offensive, I think that
the suggestion of shutting others out is easily the MOST
offensive thing I've ever seen written.  What is it with you
people?  Can you really not stand to hear any dissenting
voices?  Are you so accustomed to being in control of every
conversation that any reply is seen as another interruption of
one in a series of brilliant epiphanies?
        If the use of the kill file is in any way
representative of the views of the regular users of this
newsgroup then maybe this whole group should be wiped out so
no one has to listen to the annoying opinions of others.
That way we can all  go back to hearing the joyous sound of
our own voices babbling incessantly and unchecked, with nary
an incorrect syllable uttered.

--Scott 
"Loved or hated, but never ignored"
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: speed of light and age of the universe
Date: 21 Jul 92 18:57:32 GMT

In article <711734414.F00006@blkcat.UUCP>, Craig.Wagner@p2.f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Craig Wagner) writes:
> 
> 
>   MS> From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) Newsgroups:
>   MS> rec.org.mensa
>   MS> Steve contended that there has been no record of hours or days having
>   MS> been other than they are now, so they must have always been the same.
>   MS> 
>   > But they're not the same *now*.
>   > 
>   MS> Can that be proven?
> 
> Not by me, certainly.  I'm willing to trust the experts in this area
> whoJoccasionally convince the world of the necessity to throw in a "leap second"
> to keep everything timed correctly.  I've been told that this is necessary
> because the earth's spin rate is decreasing.  What I find interesting, though,
> is that there doesn't seem to be any regularity to the necessity of doing so. 
> (i.e. it's not every "n" months, but appears to be something almost random)  
> While this seems odd to me, it does tend to reassure me that it's not related to
> an inaccuracy in the length of our "24 hour" day.    <pondering:  perhaps we
> shouldn't trust these guys after all?>

Don't never trust nobody nowhow, nowhen, nowhere.
From: edp@math.zko.dec.com (Eric Postpischil)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: More on the AG
Date: 23 Jul 92 13:18:31 GMT
Reply-To: edp@math.zko.dec.com (Eric Postpischil)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

In article <1992Jul22.193103.6893@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>,
jlc5f@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Jean L. Cooper) writes:

>If you will refer to my original post on this topic,
>you will note that I said, "It took my precessor
>70-80 hours to complete the minutes."  I did not
>say that is how long it took me.

If you will refer to my posts on this topic, you will note that I did
not say it took you 70-80 hours.  I simply expressed amazement at
transcribing 45,000 characters taking so long.

>I also said that the finished minutes are about
>45,000 bytes long.  Those are the FINISHED minutes.
>I listen to the tapes of the 8-9 hour meetings at
>least twice while transcribing and editing.  I do
>not include every comment that is made, many of 
>which are of the "Me too" variety.  In the course
>of producing this document, I have to make numerous
>decisions about what to keep and what to leave out, 
>and still keep the essential meaning of the ideas
>developed at the meeting.

Listening to 9-hours of tape twice:  18 hours.
70-80 hours minus 18 hours is 52 to 62 hours.
Typing 45,000 characters at 30 wpm is 5 hours.
That leaves 47 to 57 hours.
Let's say everything is erased (at 30 wpm) and retyped (at 30 wpm) in
the course of editing.
That's 10 hours, leaving 37 to 47 hours.
All that remains is making numerous decisions,
for which we have 37 to 47 hours.

So for every hour of tape, 4 to 5 hours are spent making decisions about it?

I still don't understand.

>In suggesting that you run for Secretary, I do not
>assume that you can or that you think you can do it
>better.

Then that wasn't a very good suggestion.

>If you don't think I'm doing the job 
>properly, then it is your right, even your obligation,
>to find someone who CAN do it to your satisfaction.

I didn't say anything about you, did I?  I expressed amazement that
transcribing 45,000 characters would take 70 to 80 hours.  You said that
described your predecessor, not you, didn't you?  So why do you think
that has something to do with you?


                                -- edp (Eric Postpischil)
                                "Always mount a scratch monkey."
                                edp@alien.enet.dec.com
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: T/ Re: T: To All MENSA Members...
Date: 30 Jul 92 20:20:45 GMT

In article <1992Jul30.023513.20194@ncsu.edu>, scott@ailab.ncsu.edu (Scott A Tai) writes:
> 
> 
> In article <1992Jul27.115417.2527@walter.cray.com>, sonic@artgate.cray.com (Curtis Swanson) writes:
> |>Indeed, these are serious problems which need fixing.
> 
> Can it be true?  There's a MENSAN who not only doesn't flame my article,
> but agrees with my point of view?  Wow! 
> 
> |>>     So what needs to be done?  I think dropping the 2% rule would do 
> |>>wonders.
> |>Again, it does not automatically follow that dropping the 2% rule would 
> |>transform Mensa into an organization capable of sweeping changes in 
> |>government policy over the objections of all those who disagree.  
> 
> Okay, but the "2% rule" is inherently flawed:
>    -- Intelligence has several facets, some of which are not measured
>       by intelligence tests;
>    -- Intelligence level varies with time;
>    -- Some of the more commonly used tests for qualification to MENSA
>       are not intelligence tests at all;
>    -- Some qualifying practices condoned by MENSA defeat the 2% limit;
>    -- Achievement, not test score, is a better measure of ability.

Big fucking deal!  the point is that you're not in Mensa; you have said that
you don't want to be in Mensa; and the "rule" works for us.  So why don't you
take your terminal and sodomize yourself with it?  At least you would be doing
something more useful with it than what you're doing now!
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: T: To All MENSA Members...
Date: 28 Jul 92 19:15:33 GMT

In article <1992Jul28.141155.6246@linus.mitre.org>, wchenaul@cyclone.mitre.org (William W. Chenault) writes:

> 	And just for the heck of it, I have this to say about that (that is,
> this thread).  I came on in the middle of this thread, when people were 
> already claiming Scott A. Tai to be a liar and worse.  I don't know what he
> did to deserve this label, but would appreciate it if people included facts or
> quotes about what he said and what independent source that was shown to
> contradict when making claims like this on the net.  And Scott, prior to a
> post that showed up hear just recently in which you claimed you wanted to lead
> the group in a new and better direction (or something like that), you appeared
> to be just bashing MENSA for the hell of it.  If you really have something to
> say, don't have a three or four day preamble of "ass-kicking" before you say
> it, because it makes some of the "reasonable" people quit reading your posts
> and most of the rest will have too much suspicion of you, or still be too busy
> returning your at-least-heretofore-unjustified flames to be able to respond
> to any real questions or ideas that you may post later.  I think others have
> explained why MENSA as a group can't hold the opinions you want them to, and
> that many individual members do.  I would have rather heard your points and
> their counter points without having to wade through the rest of the flaming
> sewage that has been posted in this thread's preamble.

"Scott Tai" has been posting on this newsgroup almost since it started; he has
continually posted the same stuff--that has been discredited and rebuted many
times before.  It would be a waste of bandwith (almost as much of a waste as
his messages are) to continue to repeat those same rebuttals, especially since
he completely ignores the evidence presented to him.  He really has no point,
other than to make a nusiance of himself.

> 	I'm not a mensian, but I have the scores to qualify and may do so when
> I am able to quit moving across the country as often as I do now.

Don't let that stop you, Bill.  Many of us are very mobile.  I spent my first
14 years in Mensa in the US Army, and moved all over the country, and to other
parts of the world.  I think that in your mobile situation, you'll find that
Mensa membership is a benefit, because wherever you go, you'll have "family."
From: nick+@pitt.edu (Nick C De Mello)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: T=What Correlation?
Date: 29 Jul 92 16:19:53 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh



Scott:

  I think you may have already posted this document, or perhaps it was
Mr. Linstein.  In any event, I don't see how the studies you described
could have been accomplished.  

  You argue that random rolls of the dice or other non-applicable
criteria is shown to be a better measure of "success" at college.
But where would you conduct such a test?  If you conducted it at
a college that considered these scores as a criteria for admission,
then those individuals that the test was designed to filter out
would not be in your test group.  You would only have those that
the SAT's said had the best chance of succeeding, and thus expect
to find a random distribution of success and failure.

  And, if you managed to find a college that did not consider SAT's
as a criteria for admission, I think you would either be hard pressed
to find individuals who scored in the higher percentiles there, or you
would be looking at a specialized college where the skills that those
tests are designed to measure are less needed.  An example of the
latter might be a music college where the skill and interest in 
the piano might be more of a factor of success than mathematical
acumen.         

  I don't denie that some will fall through the holes of these tests,
but I think on the whole, the skills that they test, do influence
success or failure in the classical college setting, and seem as
resonable a criteria for admission as any I can think of.

                  
                                    Nick








-- 
   _/   _/  _/  _/_/_/   _/   _/  
  _/_/ _/  _/  _/   _/  _/_/_/
 _/ _/_/  _/  _/       _/ _/                    Nicholas C de Mello
_/   _/  _/   _/_/_/  _/   _/                     Nick+@pitt.edu
From: mcbeanb@brandonu.ca
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Why GREENSleaves?
Date: 27 Jul 92 22:56:03 GMT
Organization: Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

In article <920725183852.2080b106@VAX1.UTULSA.EDU>, SSR48327@VAX1.UTULSA.EDU (Syed Shibli) writes:
> 
> mcbeanb@brandonu.ca writes:
> 
>>In article <1992Jul23.134510.4261@ugle.unit.no>, mortenaa@Lise.Unit.NO (Morten Aagaard) writes:
>>> Why is most vegetation green? Is this a result of random evolution or
>>> is there any particular reason for not growing blue?
>>
>>Cuz the chlorophyll pigments make them green...  without chlorophyll you
>>get a real dull plant that's no fun at parties.
> 
>   I remember extracting some cholorophyll from a few leaves as part of
>   Biology lab. Pure cholorophyll is actually more bluish than green.
>   I think the green hue comes from the mixture of sugar and the
>   cholorophyll itself. 

actually there is more to it than chlorophyll... like there's chlorophyll
a and b, and there's a whole bunch of other neat stuff which I memorized
for biochem in February, but have since (gratefully) forgotten them.
 
> -- 
>                                               --Syed Shibli
>                                                 ssr48327@vax1.utulsa.edu
>                                                 +1 918 631 3257

Brian McBean  -  McBeanB@BrandonU.Ca
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: rhs@world.std.com (Richard H Schwartz)
Subject: M email directory
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 15:08:25 GMT

My follow was intended to refer to the concern for making the e-mail
directory available only to Mensans.  I deleted the wrong paragraph...

rhs@world.std.com (Richard H Schwartz) writes:

>Piece of cake!  Just encrypt it and don't give anyone the key.  Use a
>code that only a Mensan can break.  :-)

>-rich

But seriously, I can think of some ways you might be able to do this, but
in general there is no *good* way.  Internet is designed to facilitate
free exchange of information.  Keeping things secure is possible.  Making
data freely available is easy.  Making data available to a large but 
finite number of people is hard.  If it is available via anonymous ftp, anyone
can get it.  If is available in a named ftp account, anyone with the name
and password can get it, and if you publish the password for all Mensans, 
you can be pretty certain that the security will be breached sooner rather
than later.  If you change the password regularly and email the new one
to everyone on the list, you might do a little better since presumably all
the recipients are concerned about privacy... but let's not kid ourselves
into believing that email is secure.  Maybe you can do something by hacking
ftpd or rsh on the server, but what would you authenticate against: a list
of member names and id numbers?

-rich

-- 
             Richard H. Schwartz, Scheduling Systems Inc.,
            1000 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA  02138
                  (617) 864 8330; FAX (617) 864 8377
                          rhs@world.std.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: ph@vortex.ama.caltech.edu (Paul Hardy)
Subject: wierd spelling of weird
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 03:30:12 GMT

In article <1992Jul28.165117.1460@cbnewse.cb.att.com> gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart) writes:

>   gpowell writes:
>   >   BTW, GMS, weird is one of the exceptions to the i before e rule.
>   >  That's wierd, isn't it!
>
>   Did I fat-finger my keyboard again?  Or are you just sharing?  If so,
>   yeah, English is a weiieird language.  Who invented "silent letters"?
>   What were they thinking?

They believed that Silence is Golden, and wanted English to be a rich language.

				--Paul

--
This is my address:         ph@ama.caltech.edu
This is UUCP:               ...!{decwrl,uunet}!
This is my address on UUCP: ...!{decwrl,uunet}!caltech.edu!ama!ph
Any questions?

"Does Emacs have the Buddha nature?"  --Paul Hardy   "Yow!" --Zippy
From: Dave.Aronson@f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Aronson)
Sender: Uucp@blkcat.UUCP
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: T: To All MENSA Members...
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 00:48:34 -0500

gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart) writes:

 g> Okay, this charade has gone on long enough!  You are ALL Scott Tai!

Damn!  Who told you?  Oh, I guess it musta been Scott Tai.  Well, um, you know
what a liar I, I mean, he, is!  We're not me, I mean, him!  (Well, at least
Floyd isn't....)

 g> Have at thee, scoundrel(s)!!  The game's afoot!

So we're playing football?