HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: xeno@iastate.edu (Gary L Snethen)
Subject: Re: Phony SCIFI on TV an
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 21:53:26 GMT

In <566.2AF8E534@mechanic.Fidonet.org> Lauren.Podolak@mechanic.Fidonet.org (Lauren Podolak) writes:

>GVN>One of the worst uses of Science knowledge is the visible
>GVN>phasor beams. We shouldn't be able to see it if its some
>GVN>kind of directed energy beam.  Yes-No?

>Frankly the beams move much too slowly........But at least its one
>continuous beam until the person firing lets go of the trigger.  Alot of
>SciFi flick have the chunk beams which are utterly ridiculous.

Agreed...  but I have seen shows where it was done realisticly, and frankly...
it LOOKED phoney.  It produces a very cheap looking effect in comparison.
As I recall from long ago, a phaser is basically a laser that fires several
frequencies in harmony --- such as a chord of three frequencies of coherent
light.  It might be worthy to note that when the ship is firing from space,
the effect is much closer to realistic.  It would take a fraction of a second
for the beam to fire a few tens of thousands of kilometers.

>Lauren
>___
> X OLX 2.1 TD X On a clear disk you can seek forever

--- Xeno
From: dave@eram.esi.COM.AU (Dave Horsfall)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Phony SCIFI on TV an
Date: 12 Nov 92 02:09:46 GMT
Organization: Pacific ESI, Sydney, AUSTRALIA

In article <1992Nov8.031318.11794@colorado.edu>,
    juola@bruno.cs.colorado.edu (Patrick Juola) writes:

| A phaser is also a way of describing AC electrical power, used by EE's and
| their ilk, in designing circuits, that often produces such "chords" as
| you describe in a well-designed circuit.

Wouldn't that be "phasor," as in vector and tensor?  Unless Merkin spelling
is different...

-- 
Dave Horsfall (VK2KFU)         VK2KFU @ VK2RWI.NSW.AUS.OC
dave@esi.COM.AU                ...munnari!esi.COM.AU!dave
           Disclaimer: "Me, speak for us?"
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:3960 sci.misc:1787 rec.arts.startrek.tech:6069
From: jsh@controls.ccd.harris.com (Joe Hoff)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
Date: 6 Nov 92 19:58:31 GMT
Organization: Harris Controls
Originator: jsh@rs2


In article <1992Nov5.041417.22517@rtsg.mot.com>, svoboda@rtsg.mot.com (David Svoboda) writes:
|> In article <1992Nov3.232240.5653@ctp.com> bpita@ctp.com (Bob Pitas) writes:
|> |
|> At those pressures CO2 is also 
|> metabolized, as a poison, so that is not included either.  The divers 
|> therefore have to remember to breathe, as CO2 is involved with the 
|> breathing reflex.
|> 
|>

I have a question that just occured to me about the preceding paragraph.  If CO2
is involved with the breathing reflex (hence the breathing reflex is at least
partially chemical and not behavioral as I'd always assumed?), how do the people
in those deep-water laboratories, ala Jaques Cousteau, sleep.  If they have to
remember to breath, it seems that sleeping could be deadly.

Any ideas, anyone??

Joe Hoff
From: grante@aquarius.rosemount.com (Grant Edwards)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Phony SCIFI on TV an
Date: 11 Nov 92 01:26:19 GMT
Reply-To: grante@aquarius.rosemount.com (Grant Edwards)
Organization: Rosemount, Inc.

juola@bruno.cs.colorado.edu (Patrick Juola) writes:

: xeno@iastate.edu (Gary L Snethen) writes:

: >As I recall from long ago, a phaser is basically a laser that fires several
: >frequencies in harmony --- such as a chord of three frequencies of coherent
: >light.

Er, What?  The whole point of a laser is that it produces a single
frequency of light (that's partly what "coherent" means).

: Um, I don't know where you're remembering from, but it's far off the mark.
: A phaser is an unexplained plot device created by Gene Roddenberry in
: a television show of the late 60's called _Star_Trek.  It has absolutely
: no technological basis.

That's better.

: A phaser is also a way of describing AC electrical power, used by EE's and
: their ilk, in designing circuits, that often produces such "chords" as
: you describe in a well-designed circuit.

That's a phasor (with an 'o'), and it's simply a pair of numbers that define the
phase and amplitude of a signal.

--
Grant Edwards                                 |Yow!  I hope you millionaires
Rosemount Inc.                                |are having fun!  I just
                                              |invested half your life
grante@aquarius.rosemount.com                 |savings in yeast!!
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech
From: tomas_e@LINK.Physchem.KTH.SE (Tomas Eriksson)
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
Reply-To: tomas_e@LINK.Physchem.KTH.SE
Organization: Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 23:26:47 GMT

In article <Bx9Cr5.M5E@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>, rlbell@babbage.uwaterloo.ca (Richard Bell) writes:
>Nitrogen narcosis is caused by the air pressure being high enough to start
>forming laughing gas.  (aside: if the pressure became even higher, nitrogen
>would combust with the oxygen -- one of the many reasons submariners have
>no fear of drowning).

NO WAY!!!

Changing pressure (and we're talking about very modest pressure changes 
compared to what's used in e.g. industrial processes involving gaseous 
reactants) can effect the thermodynamics of a chemical reaction; it's 
equilibrium, i.e. "would it be possible for this reaction to occur". If 
the gas phase reaction occurs or not, is bascially only a *temperature* 
question.

You do *NOT* get N2O from N2 + O2 when you're diving, and you do *NOT* 
get NO2 when you go deeper.

Where do people get all strange ideas from?

Tomas
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomas Eriksson                                          tomas_e@physchem.kth.se
            Surface Force Group, Department of Physical Chemistry,
               Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

"These latter-day practitioners of surface chemistry reflect a lingering of the
adventurous spirit of the Enlightment" -- Charles Tanford
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Drowning Duck Experiment?
From: ray@tahi.isor.vuw.ac.nz (Ray Brownrigg)
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 07:36:04 GMT
Organization: Institute of Statistics and Operations Research, VUW, Wellington, NZ

In article <1992Nov8.221349.25430@noose.ecn.purdue.edu> gfritz@ford.ecn.purdue.edu (Geoffrey M Fritz) writes:
>In article <1992Nov7.035917.16481@engage.pko.dec.com> moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com writes:
>>
>>Yes.  One of a series of Time-Life books on science has such a photograph
>>of a duck, which is obviously rather soaked and frustrated, and is riding
>>quite low in the water.  I don't know exactly which in the series it is
>>offhand, though.
>
>I don`t know the name of the series, either, but the title of the book is
>"Matter".  Hopes this narrows the possibilies down, as there seem to be an
>uncountable number of Time-Life series (or whatever the plural for "series"
>may be).
>
>-- Geoff
My copy is from the LIFE SCIENCE LIBRARY, published by Time Life
International (Nederland) N.V., Copyright 1968, Original English
Language edition Copyright 1963, 1965 by Time Inc. The photograph of the
duck on p.97 is credited to Albert Fenn.


-- 
Ray Brownrigg			ray@isor.vuw.ac.nz
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:3969 sci.misc:1794 rec.arts.startrek.tech:6093
From: putzolu@toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu (David Putzolu)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
Date: 8 Nov 92 22:07:59 GMT
Followup-To: alt.folklore.science
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of California, Davis

In article <1992Nov5.203111.9517@wts.com> jbf@wts.com (Jens B. Fiederer) writes:
>In article <1d9g2lINNsqf@gap.caltech.edu> carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU writes:
>>Caisson disease (a.k.a. the bends) occurs when you decrease the pressure and
>>the nitrogen comes out of solution.
>Bubbles in blood == embolism: usually quick death
>Bubbles in joints == caisson disease: usually much suffering

Any more discussion about this quite old thread == utter boredom. :)

| David M. A. Putzolu               | putzolu@cs.ucdavis.edu               |
| Senior Undergraduate              | op disclaimer(opinion : ptr mine)    |
| Computer Science and Psychology   | SG:1.025 PPM    NH3+4+:0.10    NO3:0 |
| University of California at Davis | 76 Deg. F  CaCO4:400  NO2: 10  PO4:0 |
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech
From: Thomas R. Blake <tblake@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu>
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d12
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A7208A217B0301DF@macii.cc.binghamton.edu>
Organization: Binghamton University
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 03:40:44 GMT
X-Xxdate: Fri, 6 Nov 92 20:46:25 GMT
X-Posted-From: macii.cc.binghamton.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <1cs3gvINNme9@gap.caltech.edu> John A. Wright,
jaws@cco.caltech.edu writes:
>As far as the Star Trek episode goes, just because one wall opens
>into a vacuum does not mean that the room instantly becomes a 
>vacuum.  Also, I would assume the Enterprise has an environment
>control system which maintains air pressure as well as air quality.
>Thus, one side of the room would be at vacuum and the air ducts
>would be at one atmosphere and a pressure gradient would exist
>across the shuttle bay, creating an environment where you could
>probably live assuming you could keep the resulting wind from
>blowing you out into space.

As I recall, the wind stopped blowing, (no more air rushing out into
space), and they were trying to achieve a vaccum in order to put out the
plasma fire.  (Yes/No?)

Tom Blake
Binghamton University
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech
From: u926135@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (Adrian Hassall Lewis)
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
Organization: University of Tasmania, Australia.
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 23:41:50 GMT

I posted this several days ago but apparently it didn't reach the US so I'm
reposting it (with some minor alterations).

I'd hate to spoil this interesting discussion....
But if you want some *real* information on this topic I've copied part of the
FAQ from sci.space (specifically ">Space FAQ 12/15 - Controversial Questions")

>    HOW LONG CAN A HUMAN LIVE UNPROTECTED IN SPACE
>
>    If you *don't* try to hold your breath, exposure to space for half a
>    minute or so is unlikely to produce permanent injury. Holding your
>    breath is likely to damage your lungs, something scuba divers have to
>    watch out for when ascending, and you'll have eardrum trouble if your
>    Eustachian tubes are badly plugged up, but theory predicts -- and animal
>    experiments confirm -- that otherwise, exposure to vacuum causes no
>    immediate injury. You do not explode. Your blood does not boil. You do
>    not freeze. You do not instantly lose consciousness.
>
>    Various minor problems (sunburn, possibly "the bends", certainly some
>    [mild, reversible, painless] swelling of skin and underlying tissue)
>    start after ten seconds or so. At some point you lose consciousness from
>    lack of oxygen. Injuries accumulate. After perhaps one or two minutes,
>    you're dying. The limits are not really known.
>
-- 10:40 --sci.misc-- 11 MORE+next --help:?--Top 64%--

>    you're dying. The limits are not really known.
>
>    References:
>
>    _The Effect on the Chimpanzee of Rapid Decompression to a Near Vacuum_,
>    Alfred G. Koestler ed., NASA CR-329 (Nov 1965).
>
>    _Experimental Animal Decompression to a Near Vacuum Environment_, R.W.
>    Bancroft, J.E. Dunn, eds, Report SAM-TR-65-48 (June 1965), USAF School
>    of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas.

note - I have seen other references on this but I can't remember the titles,
       just try Dewey 629.4 at any _good_ university library (the equivalent
       Libary of Congress code is (I think) TL 780+).

Adrian.Lewis@iasos.utas.edu.au

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: grimjack@milton.u.washington.edu (Leslie Basel)
Subject: Re: Drowning Duck Experiment?
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 04:13:26 GMT

In article <1992Nov6.180657.3322@schunix.uucp> sonix@schunix.uucp (Duane Morin) writes:
>One of the guys here at work tells a story about an early experiment in 
>the effect of detergent/water combinations, where a duck is set swimming in 
>a small bath of water, to which a small amount of detergent is added.  The
>detergent breaks the surface tension of the water, and the poor duck gets 
>too wet and sinks.  
>
>Question:  Can anyone document this?  Is there some sort of chemistry
>explanation for it?  And, perhaps most importantly, does anyone that knows 
>this story know what kind of detergent (in particular what chemical) was 
>used?  We are looking for something that we can add to a water bath to 
>facilitate getting objects wet.  If this exists, it might be what we're 
>looking for.
>
> Duane Morin


It was also a Perry Mason episode (The Case of the Drowning Duck),
The duck floats because of the oil on its feathers and the air trapped
within (the reason ducks are always preaning is to keep the feathers dry)
The detergent disolved the oil, the feathers got wet, and dragged the
duck under.

Rodger

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech
From: rlbell@babbage.uwaterloo.ca (Richard Bell)
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 19:28:16 GMT

In article <1d9g2lINNsqf@gap.caltech.edu> carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU writes:
>In article <1992Nov3.232240.5653@ctp.com>, bpita@ctp.com (Bob Pitas) writes:
>>Actually, you can't compress liquids.  It's the gases (nitrogen, to
>>be exact) that cause 'rapture of the deep' for divers.  The nitrogen
>>gets compressed during the decent, and then forms bubbles on the ascent.
>>These bubbles block blood vessels, and generally do bad things.  The
>>phenominae is called 'Nitrogen Narcosis'.
>
>Sorry, but the fact that you apparently don't know the difference between
>nitrogen narcosis and caisson disease has just completely destroyed any
>credibility you might've had.
>
>Nitrogen narcosis (a.k.a. rapture of the deep) is caused simply by too high a
>partial pressure of nitrogen in the air you're breathing.  To much nitrogen
>pressure => too much nitrogen in the blood => nitrogen narcosis.  Period. 
>Absolutely nothing to do with forming bubbles in the blood, blocking blood
>vessels, etc.  In particular, nitrogen narcosis happens while you're still at
>maximum depth.
>
>Caisson disease (a.k.a. the bends) occurs when you decrease the pressure and
>the nitrogen comes out of solution.

Nitrogen narcosis is caused by the air pressure being high enough to start
forming laughing gas.  (aside: if the pressure became even higher, nitrogen
would combust with the oxygen -- one of the many reasons submariners have
no fear of drowning).
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: nkjrm@taxus.uib.no (Rolf Manne)
Subject: Re: Photographic Memory
Summary: Is there such a thing ?
Organization: University of Bergen
Distribution: alt
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 08:04:31 GMT

In article <7135@pharaoh.cyborg.bt.co.uk> ian@pharaoh.cyborg.bt.co.uk (Speed Freak) writes:

>Is there such a thing as a photographic memory ?  Has it ever been proven in
>an individual ?  Does the person have to read a page, or study a diagram in
>detail; or can they just look at the page/diagram for a few moments and then
>read it back ?
>Ian.

I am not an expert but will still try to answer.

I once met a person who demonstrated this ability, and I have discussed it
with a professor of psychiatry who told about a famous chess player he once
had as a patient and who also had this ability. The person I met is a 
teacher. I met him at a party where he read a long poem which he had 
memorized "as a picture" some years earlier. He said he had found it in 
an old newspaper in the city library. He did not remember exactly where. My 
wife and I said that he should write it down, and he said this would be quite
some work. I have no information about the time required for memorizing.

Photographic memory is not only a good thing to have. It appears 
sometimes to be coupled with mental aberrations such as autism.

Rolf Manne
Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, Norway
e-mail Rolf.Manne@uib.no
From: st17y@rosie.uh.edu (Belding, Troy C.)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Phony SCIFI on TV an
Date: 6 Nov 92 04:02:00 GMT
Organization: University of Houston
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <566.2AF8E534@mechanic.Fidonet.org>, Lauren.Podolak@mechanic.Fidonet.org (Lauren Podolak) writes...
>GVN>One of the worst uses of Science knowledge is the visible
>GVN>phasor beams. We shouldn't be able to see it if its some
>GVN>kind of directed energy beam.  Yes-No?
> 
>Frankly the beams move much too slowly........But at least its one
>continuous beam until the person firing lets go of the trigger.  Alot of
>SciFi flick have the chunk beams which are utterly ridiculous.


No so ridiculous when you think of a pumped laser, such as a N-yag or 
ruby crystal laser.  Although it is fast, it would still seem to 
strobe or flicker because of the way the eye picks up light.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll get a life when it is proven          Troy C. Belding
and substantiated to be better             ST17Y@JETSON.UH.EDU
than what I am currently                   HSSM@MENUDO.UH.EDU
experiencing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: vince@cadence.com (Vince Gibboni)
Subject: Re: Daylight Savings Time--Why?
Organization: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 19:32:27 GMT

rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns) writes:
>
> I've never been entirely sure why such a Southerly country as the USA
> should want daylight saving time. Sunrise and sunset times just don't 
> vary in the USA as much as they do here.
>

        True, but I think we're much more sensitive to differences between
    day/night light levels here, as (unlike England) it is often actually 
    very much brighter here in the daytime than it is at night.

--
    "Good night, Wesley. Good work. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."
        - The Dread Pirate Roberts

Disclaimer: I have the world's wonkiest newsfeed.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: 2 questions re Newton's Laws of Motion
From: chem@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca
Date: 7 NOV 92 22:36:11 CST
Organization: University of Winnipeg

Hi. You know the tablecloth trick where the person pulls the
tablecloth from under a fancy place setting and all the plates
stay in place?  How is that related to inertia of the plates?
I mean the person is still exerting a force on the system by pulling
the tablecloth? Also, is it only the force of friction that demands
that the person pull the tablecloth out really fast?

Secondly, a neat trick is to take a piece of looseleaf paper and
put it on top of a textbook (make sure the paper doesn't hang out over
the book's face).  Then drop the system and the paper does not separate
out and up from the book.  How come?

Thanks for any info. Cheers, Marsh
Internet:  chem@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca
From: tmm@sdd.hp.com (Tim McDonough)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Photographic Memory
Date: 12 Nov 1992 14:55:36 -0800
Organization: Hewlett Packard, San Diego Division
Distribution: alt
NNTP-Posting-Host: hpsdl210.sdd.hp.com

How 'bout the classic line.....

"I have a photographic memory...."

"It just hasn't been developed yet!"

                           -Tim
-- 
Hewlett Packard - SPR                                  Timothy M. McDonough
16399 W. Bernardo Drive        (619) 989-0120          1350 N. Esc. Blvd. #40
San Diego, CA 92127            tmm@sdd.hp.com          Escondido, CA 92026-2520
(619) 592-8657              uunet!sdd.hp.com!tmm       (619) 489-7863
From: davison@unity.ncsu.edu (John Davison)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: A Call for More Scientific Truth in Product Warning Labels
Date: 11 Nov 92 21:02:00 GMT
Distribution: alt
Organization: North Carolina State University Project Unity

this was initially published in the Jan/Feb, 1991 issue of the _Journal of
Irreproducible Results_

In keeping with this journal's fine standards, the table of contents is wrong...

published by: 
Blackwell Scientific Publications, Inc
Three Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02412

Well worth the $15/yr cost to subscribe!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 John_Davison@ncsu.edu   |  "When a politician gets an idea, he usually 
NCSU College of Textiles |   gets it wrong."
 Student Computing Lab   |
      DoD # 0476         |        The Fifth Rule of Politics
    (919) 515-6601       |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.scuba
From: ketil@ii.uib.no (Ketil M. Malde)
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
Reply-To: ketil@ii.uib.no
Organization: student of numerical analysis at the University of Bergen, Norway
	<BxM483.HEp@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>
	<1992Nov13.190025.6323@digi.lonestar.org>
Date: 16 Nov 92 01:47:03

>>>>> On 13 Nov 92 19:00:25 GMT, lvogt@digi.lonestar.org (Lee Vogt) said:


>Nitrogen narcosis usually occurs at depths around 300 feet, or (at 30 ft to
>the atm) a pressure change of ten atmospheres.

	Lee> I beg to differ on this point.  I recently completed a
	Lee> class in recreational SCUBA-diving (PADI program) and
	Lee> nitrogen narcosis was mentioned as typically occuring at
	Lee> around 100 feet, if memory serves me properly.  In any
	Lee> case, as the depth limit for recreational SCUBA is 130 ft
	Lee> maximum and nitrogen narcosis is mentioned as a hazard in
	Lee> the course-book, the statement that 'nitrogen narcosis
	Lee> usually occurs ... around 300 feet' is in error.

Not really, as you'd certainly notice it at 300 feet as well. :-)
However, I think it's very individual how disposed you are to
n2-narcosis, I've been told this varies with general health and
fitness and probably other factors as well.

	Lee> Also, at 300 feet, the pressure would be 11 atmospheres, one atm/30 feet
	Lee> (roughly) *plus the one atm of pressure at the surface*.  Always forgot to
	Lee> add that one in myself, too...

Yup, good point.

--
 = Ketil Malde                     In real life:  ketil@ii.uib.no =
 = Nuke the whales!                    Honk if you love unicorns! =
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:3951 sci.misc:1775 rec.arts.startrek.tech:6042
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
From: comjohn@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz (Mr. John T Jensen)
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 23:02:15 GMT
Organization: University of Auckland, New Zealand.

>Nitrogen narcosis is caused by the air pressure being high enough to start
>forming laughing gas.

A Scientific American article some years back (alas I have no reference at
hand) disagrees with this.  It was on the mechanisms of anaesthetics
(gaseous ones) and indicated, if I remember correctly, that the reason
nitrous oxide AND nitrogen at sufficient partial pressure cause narcosis was
not chemical at all but physical, having something to do with the sizes of
the molecules involved.  But it indicated that nitrogen did its work without
combining into any other molecules.

Of course I may be remembering it all wrong!  You have been warned.

jj

John Thayer Jensen                      64 9 373 7599 ext. 7543
Commerce Computer Services              64 9 373 7437 (FAX)
Auckland University                     jt.jensen@aukuni.ac.nz
Private Bag 92019
AUCKLAND
New Zealand
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech