Jan asks scientists to stop being boring, perhaps with tongue in cheek.
I have met very few boring scientists, as science itself is so interesting that it attracts people with interesting ideas. Non-scientists may find them boring, but that is mainly because they lack the knowledge to understand the science. I do remember two very boring scientists, but they stood out because they were the exception. People with knowledge and ability are rarely boring
One thing which does puzzle me is when people ask for an explanation but then stop the explanation about halfway through the second (or third) sentence, perhaps claiming boredom. No amount of skill in putting things in layman's terms seems to stop this phenomenon; they seem to not want to listen to an explanation which they could understand (at some level) and which they have requested.
I have met very few boring scientists, as science itself is so interesting that it attracts people with interesting ideas. Non-scientists may find them boring, but that is mainly because they lack the knowledge to understand the science. I do remember two very boring scientists, but they stood out because they were the exception. People with knowledge and ability are rarely boring
One thing which does puzzle me is when people ask for an explanation but then stop the explanation about halfway through the second (or third) sentence, perhaps claiming boredom. No amount of skill in putting things in layman's terms seems to stop this phenomenon; they seem to not want to listen to an explanation which they could understand (at some level) and which they have requested.
yes!
friend asked me about how come bits are not just bits.
I stopped for a minute and reflected. there I was, facing the idea of having to explain the notions of recovered clock, PLL etc to a guy who likely won't have the patience to sit through it. then how do you do it? you just don't.
I remember the time (I was 14 I think) when I built this TV "modulator" (that's how they called them) for my ZX Spectrum. took composite as input and provided RF modulated output (we did not have TVs with composite input back then). it had a 1uF electrolytic paralleled with a 1nF mica at the output. I asked my then-guru how come a cap having gross tolerances was paralleled with a 1/1000 one. obviously, he said "well, just build it that way"
I had this friend who was exceptional at math. my sister kinda fell for him the first time they met
made me think "A Beautiful Mind" was in fact more realistic than one would expect
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I think the request of explanation is often based on a spontaneous 'why'-impulse.
But their brains are already working on to many other complicated things, which are rated more important.
like not getting hit by a car
yes it's information overload too.
sometimes I think the notion of "why" is the biggest gift and at the same time biggest curse of human mind.
Ohhh, I got a good one fer ya.
I once read that you have to regularly subject cables to DC...you know, to replace the old electrons, with fresh ones...
I remember spreading that a year or two ago.
You see, electrons have mass and that means they can sink through the atomic lattice of the copper (or silver), forming deposits at the bottom.
Electrons are very light, so their downward velocity is small, but certainly there: Newton's Law of Gravitation says this must be true.
So, the electrons pile up like sand dropping out of water.
Of course, you could just turn the cables over, allowing gravity to reposition them. This, however, introduces its own set of problems when all those electrons move through the atomic lattice, all at once: they would disturb the flow of those electrons moving horizontally in response to the AC signal of music, resulting in a degrading of sound.
The solution here is to create a constant current flow along the cables. This, like stirring the water with sand in, will get the electrons mixed more thoroughly with the lattice, and replace any old/tired ones.
The result is a more homogenous and organic sound, with a touch more low end heft once the old electrons have been replaced.
Buy it now for only £999.99
Chris
Likewise. I am far from being a scientist and I am a software test engineer. I find novel ways to break perfect code.
But I have enjoyed the company of scientists, even when the discussion is way over my head.I recall fondly that I signed up for a woodworking course at a local fine woods store around 1992 or so. I was thoroughly prepared to meet old woodworking pros. As it turned out, it was a large group of professors and scientists, and one Motorola engineer. It was a bit of a surprise but they were genuinely nice and even took a very close look at some items I had produced in my garage that I took to the class. I ended up having a very good time hanging out with them and learning about woodworking.
I can't agree with this. In my opinion interesting people also have to have scepticism in everything. A scientist who purportedly had the most original ideas on quantum physics would immediately be revealed to be the most boring man on earth if he spent more than £10 on an audio cable. Because it would reveal that his curiosity didn't extend beyond a narrow field, and he was prepared to accept any old twaddle another 'expert' fed him. Give me 'Renaissance' people who are curious and sceptical about everything.
That some HiFi reviewers are full of crap.... Was this a randomized, double or triple blind test? Of course not. The reviewer turned off the annoying badge (probably illuminated by an equally annoying blue LED) and said it sounded better. Did the sound quality actually change? Or did the reviewer's perception of the sound quality change because he was no longer distracted by an annoying illuminated logo? Maybe he took a break, turned the logo off, and it sounded better because he wasn't suffering from listening fatigue. Did he try turning the logo back on to see if the sound quality would degrade? Probably not.
I bet the reviewer was really annoyed with this completely useless feature and wanted it gone. What better way to do that than by comparing the sound quality of a mega-buck high-end speaker to that of a stretched plastic bag.
~Tom
Everything? I find scepticism in everything is often a sign of ignorance. Sadly, modern 'education' seems to inculcate this into impressionable youngsters: they are taught to question everything but not to learn and understand things first. This later makes them easy prey for snake oil merchants (in all areas of life) while at the same time quite resistant to truth; they end up sincerely believing that facts are merely a matter of personal opinion. They can also believe that as information is available online they don't have to learn it; this leaves them unable to think coherently as thought requires some raw material to work on. I don't blame youngsters for this; I blame those who teach them. (This is an anti-teacher rant!).CopperTop said:
Ask questions, yes. Probe the edges of what is known, and what is assumed. Don't believe what people say just because of who said it - no 'gurus'. Don't just follow the herd.
Skepticism is a very useful light to illuminate many things, but must be balanced with an understanding of what is established knowledge in a particular field. Be skeptical always when considering advertising claims, investment advice from a seller of investments, that which cannot be questioned and must be accepted on faith, the glory of being lucky in gambling and that Nigerian officials want to share unclaimed millions with you if you will pay the taxes.
At the other end of the spectrum is, for example, the 2nd Law, which has such enormous weight of evidence and inescapability that skepticism is properly aimed at any claim or phenomenon that tries to evade its shackles. Scientists and we humbler engineers necessarily use that which is established knowledge (f=m*a, V=I*r, etc.) to sift information. The trick is to find balance in the middle and not confuse theory with established knowledge.
At the other end of the spectrum is, for example, the 2nd Law, which has such enormous weight of evidence and inescapability that skepticism is properly aimed at any claim or phenomenon that tries to evade its shackles. Scientists and we humbler engineers necessarily use that which is established knowledge (f=m*a, V=I*r, etc.) to sift information. The trick is to find balance in the middle and not confuse theory with established knowledge.
Just follow your instincts, if you still have any. Every man is a particular phenomenon, just be yourself, being wrong or right is not that important. And if that leads you to a troubled life and possible personal doom well... you are ****** anyways no matter what you do or think. Organic life is a very insecure business.
Every man is a particular phenomenon, just be yourself, being wrong or right is not that important. And if that leads you to a troubled life and possible personal doom well... you are ****** anyways no matter what you do or think. Organic life is a very insecure business.those motivational books got to you, eh?
IME, instincts get us into trouble, most of the times.
while I agree that in order to have a significant chance to reach a goal one should just "do their thing", it's not instinct that should lead us. there was a nice article on the subject, I'll try to look for it.
LE: here it is: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/dec/22/how-dispel-your-illusions/?pagination=false
and a quote:
Cognitive illusions are the main theme of his book. A cognitive illusion is a false belief that we intuitively accept as true. The illusion of validity is a false belief in the reliability of our own judgment. The interviewers sincerely believed that they could predict the performance of recruits after talking with them for fifteen minutes. Even after the interviewers had seen the statistical evidence that their belief was an illusion, they still could not help believing it. Kahneman confesses that he himself still experiences the illusion of validity, after fifty years of warning other people against it. He cannot escape the illusion that his own intuitive judgments are trustworthy.
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knee-slapper? how? what's that got to do with... anything? did you read the replies, especially mine where I say that at least some of the non-audio EEs are close minded?
Oh man this is gonna get us into deep, deep territory. I'd rather not go there because I'm only here for fun, but just to be polite and answer my questioners:
Mr push pull - do not to believe everything you read (attached photo).
DF96 - Our instincts keep us alive, if your instincts are messed up you're done. Enough said. And as for right or wrong ....yeah better do your job right than wrong. I was talking about not caring much if I'm right or wrong to the world. Just do your thing.
Mr push pull - do not to believe everything you read (attached photo).
DF96 - Our instincts keep us alive, if your instincts are messed up you're done. Enough said. And as for right or wrong ....yeah better do your job right than wrong. I was talking about not caring much if I'm right or wrong to the world. Just do your thing.
here's a story for you.
I've met some "Zen" types in real life. they're full of quotes from motivational books. some make up their own and seem original. the funniest part is when you get to know them better and you get to understand that it's just words
IMO instinct is becoming and obsoleted part of the human mind. damn it, even love has very clearly-defined rules and most relationships that just "follow their instinct" don't last
not even talking about engineering, if it isn't obvious.and no, I don't believe everything I read
nobody was talking about staying alive, why are you changing the subject?
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You don't think a pin-headed techno-dweeb with an overinflated ego is funny? They're the kind who insist all amplifiers sound identical to each other, for instance.
Remember CD? Philips was going to introduce it as a 14 bit format as a lower audio quality version of the LP. Sony got on board, convinced Philips to boost the standard to 16 bit, created a massive 'Perfect Sound Forever' advertising campaign to push it, and that's all millions of morons needed to start crawling out of the woodwork insisting it was the best thing ever sonically.
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