HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: RSPEIRS@130.187.170.178 (RON SPEIRS)
Subject: Re: jokes?
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 22:58:52 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.11

In <262200004@hpopd.pwd.hp.com> mik@hpopd.pwd.hp.com writes:

> And does anyone know what this is:
> 
> 
> 
>                    CH3
>                    |    
>                   / \ / \ / \  
>                  |   |   |   |   CH3
>                 / \ / \ / \ / \ /
>                |   |   |   |   |           
>                 \ / \ / \ / \ /
>                  |   |   |   | 
>                   \ / \ / \ /
>                    |   |   | 
>                   / \ / \ /
>                  CH3
> 
> 
> 
> Its trimethyl-chickenwire

I hesitated to do post this, but after trimethyl-chickenwire, I have to:

What is this:



                              Fe++
                               ||
                               ||
                               C
                              / \
                             /   \
                    Fe++ ===C     C=== Fe++
                            |     |
                            |     |
                    Fe++ ===C     C=== Fe++
                             \   /
                              \ /
                               C
                               ||
                               ||
                              Fe++







A Ferrous Wheel

Ron Speirs, Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: PAPAI@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Jonathan Papai)
Subject: Re: Metrication and "normal usage"
Organization: The Ohio State University
 <1992Oct7.160550.4165@infodev.cam.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 19:14:49 GMT

in  <1992Oct7.160550.4165@infodev.cam.ac.uk> rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)
writes:

>Of course, these are all meters* (i.e., measuring devices), as opposed
>to metres (i.e., measures of length).  Oh what confusion you do
>introduce by rationalising the spelling ;-)
>
>* Yes, I saw micrometer, too.  Do you guys pronounce micrometer and
>micrometre the same way?

	We pronounce micrometre (0.000001 meter) as "micron" with
emphasis on the first syllable.

>--
>Robin (come back John Drummond) Fairbairns       rf@cl.cam.ac.uk
>U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge  CB2 3QG, UK

J.P. "give 2.54 cm and they'll take 1610 meters" Papai
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:3735 alt.folklore.urban:25581
From: hwt@bcarh11a.BNR.CA (Henry Troup)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: "Normal" body temperature
Date: 13 Oct 92 17:12:12 GMT
Reply-To: Henry.Troup@BNR.CA
Distribution: world
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa, Canada

In article <8au5RB13w165w@dogbox.acme.gen.nz>,
dogbowl@dogbox.acme.gen.nz writes:
|>to. If a day is 22C then it is pleasently warm. 0C is damn cold as far
|>as I'm concerned. 35C is OK for low humidity, but uncomfortable above
|>about 85% RH.
|>
|>Just a note from a metric country....

In this metric country, 0C is merely cold. Damn cold is below -20C. 
It's in the Canadian standard for temperatures.  Same place that the
unit of wind chill is defined as the joule per square meter.
                   
Henry Troup - H.Troup@BNR.CA (Canada) - BNR owns but does not share my opinions
	Change your clock, change the battery in your smoke detector(s)
From: klaus@diku.dk (Klaus Ole Kristiansen)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Red mercury
Summary: nuclear weapons
Keywords: mercury antimon oxide
Date: 15 Oct 92 12:09:41 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, U of Copenhagen

Yesterday the radio news mentioned a strange "new" substance,
called red mercury. This part of the program was made by an
English nuclear physisist named Barnaby, who usually provide
the radio news with political comments, or bits about nuclear
weapons.

Red mercury is being smuggled out of Russia, and
sells for US$ 300 000/kg. It's chemical composition is mercury
antimon oxide. According to official sources in western countries,
it is just a hoax. However, some buyers have bought several shipments.

The substance has been mentioned exatly once in accessible scientific
litterature, that was 24 years ago, in an American periodical. (It
did not occur to me while listening, that I might ask the net, so I
did not take notes. Sorry)

The Soviet Union used it for bombs, for rocket fuel and for radar
absorbant paint.

It comes in two forms. Both are red. One is a powder, the other
is a liquid. The liquid is much more expensive than the powder.
It is made from the powder by applying pressure and radiation,
either x-rays or neutrons. It is very dense and very viscous.
It is radioactive, "an element heavier than uranium" has been
added to it.

Liquid red mercury can be used to make a powerful explosive.
Those who sell it claim that it makes making nuclear weapons
much easier. Mr. Barnaby's explanation of how this might work
is this: To get a nuclear explosion, you bring two pieces of
fissionable material together by the use of conventional explosives.
To get a large explosion, you radiate the fissionables with neutrons
just when they come together. If the red mercury contains an
element heavier then uranium, it is (or was that might be?) a
neutron source. If your explosive is also a neutron source,
you kill two birds with one stone, making the process much
simpler.

Does this make any sense at all? Is there any reason that
this alloy should be so expensive? Would it not be as
efficient simply to add some neutron source to whatever
explosive you were planning on using in your a-bomb?

Klaus O K
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: jokes?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 07:03:08 GMT

baylor@nebula.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com writes:
: >
: Good grief! I didn't even think of chemist jokes!
: 
:  C---C---C---O---C---C---C
:  |   |   |       |   |   |
: / \ / \ / \     / \ / \ / \
: 
: Is, of course, the propyl people ether!

You are short a hydrogen on each of the propyl groups.

Bill

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)
Subject: Re: Metrication and "normal usage"
Reply-To: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)
Organization: U of Cambridge, England
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 16:05:50 GMT


In article <1992Oct6.233218.27479@unislc.uucp>, dw@unislc.uucp (Dan
Wright) writes:
|> Robin Fairbairns (rf@cl.cam.ac.uk) wrote:
|> : (Mr. John T Jensen) writes:
|> : |> Everyone but me says 'kiLOMiter' --- I, of course, pronounce
|> : |> it correctly as "KILLomeet'er", as the rules say --- and then have to
|> : |> explain what I mean half the time! 
|> : 
|> : I've taken to making a point of pronouncing the other measure
|> : `milLIMiter' to appropriate loons, in response to this odd piece of
|> : practice.  Where does it come from?
|> 
|> Here's the "usage" entry from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary,
|> copyright (c) 1983:
|> [...]
|>                                   However, the pronunciation of "kilometer"
|> does not parallel that of other metric compounds.  [...]

Does this imply that in America one would (if one ever used the word
at all) say kiLOGramme?

|> I believe North American pronunciation is influenced by words such as:
|> barometer, chronometer, dynamometer, geometer, hydrometer, micrometer,
|> odometer, photometer, radiometer, speedometer, tachometer, and (last but
|> not least with respect to "normal" body temperature), thermometer.

Of course, these are all meters* (i.e., measuring devices), as opposed
to metres (i.e., measures of length).  Oh what confusion you do
introduce by rationalising the spelling ;-)

* Yes, I saw micrometer, too.  Do you guys pronounce micrometer and
micrometre the same way?
--
Robin (come back John Drummond) Fairbairns       rf@cl.cam.ac.uk
U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge  CB2 3QG, UK
From: Robert.T.Warfield@dartmouth.edu (Robert T. Warfield)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Eel Skin Wallets
Date: 13 Oct 92 11:48:50 GMT
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
X-Posted-From: InterNews1.0a6@newshost.dartmouth.edu


 HMM... Mabye thats why my atm card has problems.

  Actually, the wallets are not made from electric eels. Even if they
were, the skin has nothing to do with this effect. I also ran a
gaussmeter over my wallet and it showed up nothing.

**********************************************************************
* Authur, king of the Brittons   * King of the who?                  *
* King of the Brittons!          * Who are the Brittons anyway?      *
* I am, you are, we all are the  *                                   *
* Brittons and I am your king!   * Well, I didn't vote for you.      *
**********************************************************************
Robert T. Warfield@dartmouth.edu
From: peterd@polari.online.com
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Melting Soapbars
Date: 8 Oct 92 15:46:27 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Seattle Online Public Access Unix.  (206) 328-4944 (all lines telebit-equipped)

Has any one else noticed how a bar of soap in the 
shower sort of rounds off at the ends, forming a
sort of ovoid shape; but a bar of soap in the sink
first wears out in the middle. 

Talk about things that make you go "Hmmm..."


-- 
                 Peter D. Hampe, EKA peterd@polari.online.com
Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow. "Its a simple procedure involving Lasers."
                       Will be President for Food.
-- 
                 Peter D. Hampe, EKA peterd@polari.online.com
Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow. "Its a simple procedure involving Lasers."
                       Will be President for Food.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: baylor@nebula.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com
Subject: Re: Metrication and "normal usage"
Reply-To: baylor@nebula.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com
Organization: LMSC, Sunnyvale, California
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 92 17:06:22 GMT

In article <1992Oct7.160550.4165@infodev.cam.ac.uk>, rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns) writes:
>* Yes, I saw micrometer, too.  Do you guys pronounce micrometer and
>micrometre the same way?
>--
>Robin (come back John Drummond) Fairbairns       rf@cl.cam.ac.uk
>U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge  CB2 3QG, UK

Actually, we pronounce the latter "micron."  It saves some confusion &
what's another irregular word-form in English, anyway?
From: lpzssm@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (S. Marshall)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Eel Skin Wallets
Date: 13 Oct 92 16:20:10 GMT
Organization: Cripps Computing Centre, University of Nottingham

In article <1992Oct10.162319.25869@polari> pacific@polari.online.com writes:
>
>    Help!  This one really troubles me.....  Do eel skin wallets
>really erase the magnetic properties of credit cards.  Is this real
>or a hoax?
>
>

As I recall the problem was finally attributed to magnetic clasps
used on a particular make of eelskin wallet, and nothing to do with
the skin itself.

Sam
From: ccohen+@pitt.edu (Caleb N Cohen)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: eel skin wallets
Date: 14 Oct 92 00:42:52 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: ccohen@unixd3.cis.pitt.edu

>>In article<1992Oct10.162319.25869@polari>,pacific@polari.online.com writes..
>>
>>    Help!  This one really troubles me.....  Do eel skin wallets
>>really erase the magnetic properties of credit cards.  Is this real
>>or a hoax?
>> 
>  Multiple replies...

From:

Q: Does anynone know the ftp site for the Rush Limbaugh summaries?

A: They're on deja-vu.aiss.uiuc.edu (128.174.53.10) in the /misc/fun/rush
There's both Postscript and plain ASCII text versions of the summaries
there. Enjoy!

there is also a directory /misc/fun/urban.legends in which is included:

Alt.Folklore.Urban/faq

And in said file, the following line appears:

F. Eelskin wallet demagnetizes bank cards (nope, but magnetic clasp might).

There is no explaination of the answer, but I guess it is true... There is
a lot of other stuff in the directory, give it a look...

Caleb
From: wb8foz@skybridge.SCL.CWRU.Edu (David Lesher)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: noise cancellation
Date: 12 Oct 1992 01:41:41 GMT
Organization: NRK Clinic for habitual NetNews abusers - Beltway Annex
Reply-To: wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu (David Lesher)
NNTP-Posting-Host: skybridge.scl.cwru.edu
Keywords: noise cancellation

Bose and other make active cancelling systems for aircraft.
But I got a demo of a tank system at a AFCEA show. I got a helmet and
stood in a phonebooth. {Dr Who, here we come...} Then they turned on
the artifical tank noise. You could FEEL it saturating you. Every part
of me shook. But I communicated in normal manner with the saleman
standing outside.

I admit it - I was impressed..

--
A host is a host from coast to coast..wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu
& no one will talk to a host that's close..........................
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433
From: mik@hpopd.pwd.hp.com (Mik Butler)
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 16:44:20 GMT
Subject: Re: jokes?
Organization: HP Software Engineering Systems UK
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science

And does anyone know what this is:



                   CH3
                   |    
                  / \ / \ / \  
                 |   |   |   |   CH3
                / \ / \ / \ / \ /
               |   |   |   |   |           
                \ / \ / \ / \ /
                 |   |   |   | 
                  \ / \ / \ /
                   |   |   | 
                  / \ / \ /
                 CH3



Its trimethyl-chickenwire
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: oahvenla@robin.cs.hut.fi (Osma Ahvenlampi)
Subject: Re: o.k. scifi
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, CS lab
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 23:05:20 GMT

In <1992Sep26.120059.14249@news.iastate.edu> glitto@iastate.edu (Scott M Klabacha) writes:
>Are you speaking from experience here? Did you ever swim in water that was
>within a degree or two of freezing? Underwater?

>Both the character in 'The Abyss' and the one in _Sphere_ entered the water
>far enough below the ocean surface that the water should have been just over
>32 degrees (I wish I had _Sphere_ with me...I have this nagging doubt in my
>mind that the water was even that warm; I'm thinking it might have been even
>colder [and still not frozen] due to the pressure). The character in _Sphere_
>entered the water to rescue another character; the effort nearly proved to be
>fatal. The character in 'The Abyss' made a much more extended trip (more than
>a minute long)...and left the water with no ill effects. It ain't right.

Keep in mind that water is densest at 4 degrees Celsius (whatever that is in
Fahrenheit, 38 maybe..), and so at the bottom (or very deep, like 'The Abyss')
the water very likely is 4 degrees Celsius. Cold enough, so it doesn't really
affect your point. Another point: Supposing the time spent in that dive scene
and the temperature of the water were negligible, how did they stand the
pressure? I may be confusing 'The Abyss' and _Leviathan_ somewhat, as I saw
them both very close to each other, so correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they
use some kind of special pressure suits in the beginning?
Should see them again, I have a very fuzzy picture of the details in both
movies...

>   gLITTOfERN
>glitto@iastate.edu
--
Osma Ahvenlampi  -  oahvenla@robin.cs.hut.fi
Disclaimer: My facts are always definitive. If any stated above seem wrong, 
            blame the reality you live in.
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:3688 alt.folklore.urban:25082
From: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Metrication and "normal usage"
Date: 7 Oct 1992 19:25:19 GMT
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera
Reply-To: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol1.gps.caltech.edu

In article <1992Oct7.160550.4165@infodev.cam.ac.uk>, rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns) writes:
=* Yes, I saw micrometer, too.  Do you guys pronounce micrometer and
=micrometre the same way?

Actually, we tend to pronounce micrometer "micron."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: ingles@engin.umich.edu (Ray Ingles)
Subject: Women, Men, and G Forces
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 22:40:40 EDT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor

 I had heard (and it is written into a lot of science fiction) that
women handle high g-forces better then men do, on average. I was
wondering...
 
 1) Is this true?

 2) Are there references to studies and such that support this?

Sincerely,

Ray Ingles                  || The above opinions are probably
                            || not those of the University of
ingles@engin.umich.edu      || Michigan. Yet.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Subject: Re: Eel Skin Wallets
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:32:48 GMT

In article <1992Oct10.162319.25869@polari>, pacific@polari.online.com writes...

>    Help!  This one really troubles me.....  Do eel skin wallets
>really erase the magnetic properties of credit cards.  Is this real
>or a hoax?

This has been discussed on alt.folklore.urban a few times.  Credit cards
often do go bad in an eelskin wallet, but it is because these wallets
usually have magnetic clasps, and _these_ damage the cards, not the eelskin
itself.

-Mike
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: ccuppern@s.psych.uiuc.edu (Cyndi Cuppernell)
Subject: Re: Metrication and "normal usage"
Organization: UIUC Department of Psychology
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 05:40:31 GMT

barth@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (barth.richards) writes:

>No, kilometer (ki-LOM-uh-ter) is the only one that has an odd US
>pronounciation.  The pronounciation of all the other metric terms
seems
>to be basically the same as in other English-speaking countries.

But here's one I have wondered about for years now.  I have heard
nurses refer to a centimeter as a "SONtimeter", when talking.  And
the nurses I heard saying this probably didn't know each other, so
I doubt they got it from each other.  I don't think I ever saw them
try to spell it.  Has anyone else heard this?  Or better yet, does
anyone know of a possible source for this way of saying it?  How
do the French say it?-- 
                 
         ________________________________
         |                              |
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         |                              |
         |         PLEASE USE           |
         |       ALTERNATE ROUTE        |
         |                              |
         | (ccuppern@s.psych.uiuc.edu)  |
         |______________________________|
                                           
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)
Subject: Re: Metrication and "normal usage"
Reply-To: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)
Organization: U of Cambridge, England
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 16:10:39 GMT


In article <1992Oct07.005020.10624@ozrout.uucp>, grenade@ozrout.uucp
(Kate McDonnell) writes:
|> John T Jensen writes:
|> >Likewise, everyone
|> >uses km/h (rather, the barbarism 'kay' as in 'wow, man, he was going
140 kay
|> >when he hit the power pole!') because the road signs are in km/h, the speed
|> >limits likewise.
|> 
|> Yes, but km/h doesn't have an obvious pronunciation, does it?
|> 
|> I have friends who call this "klicks" - "I was going seventy
|> klicks". Where does this usage come from? It seems a pretty
|> sensible one to me.

I first encountered it in SciFi (oh NO), meaning, as I then thought,
kiloparsecs (not ANOTHER kilo-word).  If that's what it's supposed to
mean, you friends are obviously boasting (rather wildly ;-).
--
Robin (come back John Drummond) Fairbairns       rf@cl.cam.ac.uk
U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge  CB2 3QG, UK
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: ccuppern@s.psych.uiuc.edu (Cyndi Cuppernell)
Subject: cancel that request!
Organization: UIUC Department of Psychology
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 01:45:47 GMT

Never mind my request for a copy of the science experiments you can
do with kids.  One generous viewer has already obliged.
-- 
                 
         ________________________________
         |                              |
         |          WARNING             |
         |                              |
         |   .sig UNDER CONSTRUCTION    |
         |                              |
         |         PLEASE USE           |
         |       ALTERNATE ROUTE        |
         |                              |
         | (ccuppern@s.psych.uiuc.edu)  |
         |______________________________|
                                           
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:3680 alt.folklore.urban:25027
From: perry@Unify.Com (Perry Clarke)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: "Normal" body temperature
Keywords: n
Date: 7 Oct 92 01:50:55 GMT
Organization: Unify Corporation

dw@unislc.uucp (Dan Wright) wrote:
>98.6 F was not chosen because it converts to the round figure of 37 C.
>The dogma that "normal" is 98.6 was established by Carl Wunderlich in
>1868.  He published a paper reporting 98.6 as the average body temperature
>of more than 25,000 healthy adults.  His data included more than one
>million measurements.  His effort was even more remarkable because the
>thermometers of his day took 15-20 minutes to come to the right reading,
>and had to be read while still in place (in the armpit).  His
>investigation of body temperature was one of just a few in history.
>Many medical texts still cite Wunderlich's study.
>
>[stuff deleted]

I'm a sucker for running to good ol' "bc" when figures like this are quoted.

The above data translates into an absolute minimum of 43 years of solid
armpit measuring (15 minutes per, 16 hours a day, 360 days a year).  Was there
a team of dedicated experts sharing the work or was Wunderlich an unusually
focused individual?

Perry "Actually, mine is 310.16'" Clarke

--
Perry Clarke                   perry@unify.com                 (916) 928 6287
Unify Corporation, Sacramento, CA                   I speak only for Me, Inc.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
From: jhb@maths.su.oz.au (John Brownie)
Subject: Re: Metrication and "normal usage"
Organization: School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 03:00:58 GMT

dw@unislc.uucp (Dan Wright) writes:

>I believe North American pronunciation is influenced by words such as:
>barometer, chronometer, dynamometer, geometer, hydrometer, micrometer,
>odometer, photometer, radiometer, speedometer, tachometer, and (last but
>not least with respect to "normal" body temperature), thermometer.

Which, of course, raises the question of how you differentiate
micrometer (the instrument for measuring small lengths) from micrometer
(one millionth of a meter), using American spellings.  As you will
notice from the list above, all of the terms are measuring devices,
which gives a dubious source of analogy!
--
John Brownie
School of Mathematics and Statistics   |    Wycliffe Bible Translators
University of Sydney NSW 2006          |    Graham Rd
Internet: jhb@maths.su.oz.au           |    Kangaroo Ground Vic 3097 AUSTRALIA
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:3745 alt.folklore.urban:25632