Science news of the day thread.

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Tero
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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Tero » Fri Dec 03, 2021 12:53 pm

Well, I have that problem with teaching my classes to seniors. There is no basic understanding of biology and chemistry. Especially chemistry produces the reaction that they tune out as of them things with atoms (structure) appears. We have a science special interest group on science that seems to have fizzled out. It is a no cost group to cover some topics. I gave a test talk on Zoom about the immune system. One of them is a retired nurse practitioner and the rest have little bilogy. In my Zoom talk of 20 slides (included Covid vaccine) I asked them to comment or ask for detail. From what I gathered they did not get most of it.

I do not talk this fast, but this sort of thing.


here is a 9 minute version by him https://youtu.be/GIJK3dwCWCw
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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Sean Hayden » Fri Dec 03, 2021 2:31 pm

Have them download pick up a copy of Campbell Biology textbook. --best textbook ever-- If they read that and watch videos like the above they'll get it.

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Joe » Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:32 pm

Scot Dutchy wrote:
Fri Dec 03, 2021 10:32 am
Joe you seem to think size matters as plenty of Americans do. Technique and skills matter as you just have to scale up. You wont admit it will you your dump of a country is useless. Your levies offered no protection to New Orleans and it was only when Arcadis were brought in not as consultants but as main contractors did things improve. Although I am not a fully qualified transport engineer I worked for 25 years in the Traffic and Transport division of my Dutch engineering company as IT consultant and database engineer. We worked very closely with Arcadis in many projects.
We were often called in by various States to look at their infrastructure because it was crumbling and they were hoping for a quick fix which of course there was not. Investment is one of the major problems you have but due to corruption and chumocracy the money seldom reaches the spot required. The Biden package will go the same way.
The Netherlands is acknowledged as a major engineering country when it comes to infrastructure. We also excel at food production and healthcare. Obama came here often to examine our health system as being one of the best in Europe if not the world.
Just shut up about size as it is what you do with it that matters. :smoke:
So you're not an engineer, you're just an IT guy talking out his ass. I'll take Piet Dircke's opinion over yours any day, because you can't offer any evidence to back up your claims, just your opinion. I've seen enough of how you think to know how you get things wrong. After all, you're the guy who called the US Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis a right wing think tank. :coffee:

Size matters. The US has 24K levees because we have so many long rivers that we use for inland transport, and levees, locks, and dams make them usable. I know it's difficult from a small country perspective to understand how working across state lines, the cost of transporting materials, and the effort of lining up equipment and contractors increases with distance, but it does.

From the standpoint of drinking water, our size presents problems the Netherlands doesn't face. Your country is compact and water is close to the people who need it. That's not the case in the US. We move water hundreds of miles, sometimes in canals tunneled through mountains, to the people who need it. My city, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles are examples of this.

This is not simply scaling up as you claim. Size adds another dimension to the project.

The same applies to upgrading our water treatment plants. You lot have 10 water companies that manage your drinking water. We have about 50,000, and they manage waste water as well. Can you see what a bloody mess this creates and how you can't just scale up in a linear fashion?

The same goes for agriculture. Your country has abundant water, and you don't have to move it very far when you need to irrigate. That's not the case in parts of the US, so moving the water is a major factor we face that you don't. Also, while both our countries are big agricultural exporters, the difference in their size presents very different challenges getting the product to port. Remember the rivers we put so much work into here? About sixty percent of our agricultural exports get to port on barges down those rivers.

Image

Size matters and Americans know it, as I've demonstrated.

It's even true in databases, isn't it? :whistle:
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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Tero » Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:13 pm

Sean Hayden wrote:
Fri Dec 03, 2021 2:31 pm
Have them download pick up a copy of Campbell Biology textbook. --best textbook ever-- If they read that and watch videos like the above they'll get it.
I don't have that one. I have a similar college text from 2008. I get these for some 10 dollars in a number of fields at Half Price. I have two biochemistry texts, cell biology etc.
https://esapolitics.blogspot.com
http://esabirdsne.blogspot.com/
Said Peter...what you're requesting just isn't my bag
Said Daemon, who's sorry too, but y'see we didn't have no choice
And our hands they are many and we'd be of one voice
We've come all the way from Wigan to get up and state
Our case for survival before it's too late

Turn stone to bread, said Daemon Duncetan
Turn stone to bread right away...

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Scot Dutchy » Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:15 pm

Joe once again you are talking total crap. Your scale is not of importance. Skill and knowledge are. Size adds nothing only maybe more planning. You think those crappy levies that you build are of importance. They are not but a total plan is.You should have plenty of money for infrastructure but thanks to many factors including corruption and chumocracy it never appears.

WTF are going on about water companies. 10 or 50,000 what does it matter if you get the basis right. You have a massive population but the trouble is you dont pay your taxes. How many of those water companies is efficient? I bet hardly any in comparison to one of our companies. Your country is so corrupt it does not control anything. Probably you dont realise that. There is hardly a bridge or viaduct that does not need replacing because money earmarked for maintenance is never ends up where it should.

Your country is up shit-creek and should be designated a third world country but that is a very hard fact to swallow.
The poverty, education, health care and social services are just some of the huge problems you have along of course with the 1% who are draining the country for every last cent.
"Wat is het een gezellig boel hier".

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Scot Dutchy » Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:20 pm



Corruption and chumocracy.
"Wat is het een gezellig boel hier".

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Brian Peacock » Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:57 pm

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Joe » Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:01 pm

Scot Dutchy wrote:
Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:15 pm
Joe once again you are talking total crap. Your scale is not of importance. Skill and knowledge are. Size adds nothing only maybe more planning. You think those crappy levies that you build are of importance. They are not but a total plan is.You should have plenty of money for infrastructure but thanks to many factors including corruption and chumocracy it never appears.

WTF are going on about water companies. 10 or 50,000 what does it matter if you get the basis right. You have a massive population but the trouble is you dont pay your taxes. How many of those water companies is efficient? I bet hardly any in comparison to one of our companies. Your country is so corrupt it does not control anything. Probably you dont realise that. There is hardly a bridge or viaduct that does not need replacing because money earmarked for maintenance is never ends up where it should.

Your country is up shit-creek and should be designated a third world country but that is a very hard fact to swallow.
The poverty, education, health care and social services are just some of the huge problems you have along of course with the 1% who are draining the country for every last cent.
Well, thank you for your opinion Scot, but I see that you haven't addressed my points with anything other than raving about the US in broad terms and making the foolish assumption that you know more about my country's troubles than I do.

The difference between 10 and 50,000 companies is simple. There is an exponential increase in interactions that slows things down. The fact that the number of companies in the Netherlands has declined since the 1930's from over 200 suggests a realization of the value of consolidation that you don't share.

As I've told you, your opinion doesn't carry any weight with me. You lack any qualifications to speak to this. The points I'm making are things I've learned over the years from a friend and a family member who were both civil engineers with varied experience, including water infrastructure. Their expertise is relevant.

If you disagree, construct a decent counter argument, although I think peRv's right that you don't know how. I guess I can expect more baseless assertions and ineffectual insults. :coffee:

I notice the only thing you do have relevant experience with, the impact of size on database management, is something you didn't respond to. Guess I'm right about that too. :hehe:
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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Scot Dutchy » Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:21 am

So in other words you think my opinions are not worthless. Thank you and I will ignore all your dribble. For that is what it is dribble. I dont need a counter argument as the facts speak for themselves but of course you ignore them as do many Americans. Insults always show a lack of genuine knowledge.
The ex-pat Americans living here quite soon realise what they have left especially the ones with kids and almost to a man dont want to return. It is a pity you are not aware the mess your country is in. Maybe you should read more about it instead of reading about this country which unless you learn Dutch and understand Dutch society your knowledge is a good as a paper bag in a thunder storm. That can only be achieved by living here. One thing I dont have to do when reading about the US.
"Wat is het een gezellig boel hier".

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Joe » Sat Dec 04, 2021 5:40 pm

Scot Dutchy wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:21 am
So in other words you think my opinions are not worthless. Thank you and I will ignore all your dribble. For that is what it is dribble. I dont need a counter argument as the facts speak for themselves but of course you ignore them as do many Americans.
Insults always show a lack of genuine knowledge.
The ex-pat Americans living here quite soon realise what they have left especially the ones with kids and almost to a man dont want to return. It is a pity you are not aware the mess your country is in. Maybe you should read more about it instead of reading about this country which unless you learn Dutch and understand Dutch society your knowledge is a good as a paper bag in a thunder storm. That can only be achieved by living here. One thing I dont have to do when reading about the US.
If you say so. :coffee:
Scot Dutchy wrote:you cant even build a dyke
Your levies are an engineering laughing stock
your engineers are useless
your dump of a country is useless
Your country is up shit-creek and should be designated a third world country
Have you even been to the US? :bored:

Size maters, as does geography.
Cost overruns in transport infrastructure projects know no geographical limits; overruns are a global phenomenon. Nevertheless, the size of cost overruns varies with location. In the Netherlands, cost overruns appear to be smaller compared to the rest of the world. This paper tests whether Dutch projects perform significantly better in terms of cost overruns than other geographical areas. It is concluded that for road and tunnel projects, the Netherlands performs similarly to the rest of the world. For rail projects, Dutch projects perform considerably better, with projects having significantly lower percentage cost overruns in real terms (11%) compared to projects in other North West European countries (27%) and in other geographical areas (44%). Bridge projects also have considerably smaller cost overruns – 7% in the Netherlands compared with 45% in other NW European countries and 27% in other geographical areas. In explaining cost overruns, geography should therefore clearly be taken into consideration.
This would be a good time to jabber about "fairy data," don't you think? :hehe:
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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Scot Dutchy » Sat Dec 04, 2021 5:58 pm

"Wat is het een gezellig boel hier".

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Scot Dutchy » Sat Dec 04, 2021 6:00 pm

"Wat is het een gezellig boel hier".

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Scot Dutchy » Sat Dec 04, 2021 6:26 pm

"Wat is het een gezellig boel hier".

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Scot Dutchy » Sat Dec 04, 2021 6:35 pm

"Wat is het een gezellig boel hier".

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Re: Science news of the day thread.

Post by Joe » Sat Dec 04, 2021 11:24 pm

Cool goings on in my backyard. The final phase will have a capacity of 500 million gallons per day of ozone treated water.

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Wisdom requires a flexible mind." - Dan Carlin
"If you vote for idiots, idiots will run the country." - Dr. Kori Schake

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