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#1
Laid Back Lounge / Re: What's on your mind today?
Last post by billy rubin - Today at 02:12:04 PMlunar phases. its third quarter right now, so the waning moon is visible high in the southern sky during the day.
but the full moon in the souther n sky at midnight is always way low. the culmination is at a distictly lower angle for that phase
i had always casually thought that the moons orbit was in the ecliptic, but have paid more attention recently and have noticed that it followed a completely different path across the sky. so clearly its in a different plane.
i wonder why. the tidal forces from the earth drag on the moon enough to stabilize its rotation so that it stays in synch and only shows one side to the earths surface, although it wobbles. that wobbling was a real revelation to me when i learned of it. anyway, i would have suspected that the tides would have pulled its orbit into something more symmetrical with the sun.
unless the orbit is affected more by the axis of rotation than the ecliptic? but if thats the case the orbit wouldnt oscillate, unless its an average of the earth and the sun? i dunno. the moon has always confused me, trying to predict where its going to be
but the full moon in the souther n sky at midnight is always way low. the culmination is at a distictly lower angle for that phase
i had always casually thought that the moons orbit was in the ecliptic, but have paid more attention recently and have noticed that it followed a completely different path across the sky. so clearly its in a different plane.
i wonder why. the tidal forces from the earth drag on the moon enough to stabilize its rotation so that it stays in synch and only shows one side to the earths surface, although it wobbles. that wobbling was a real revelation to me when i learned of it. anyway, i would have suspected that the tides would have pulled its orbit into something more symmetrical with the sun.
unless the orbit is affected more by the axis of rotation than the ecliptic? but if thats the case the orbit wouldnt oscillate, unless its an average of the earth and the sun? i dunno. the moon has always confused me, trying to predict where its going to be
#2
Laid Back Lounge / Re: Petrol head thread!!!
Last post by billy rubin - Today at 07:33:25 AMouch
#3
Politics / Re: Duke of Bullshit: "The" Do...
Last post by Tom62 - Today at 07:24:14 AMDon't like Kamala Harris. She was terrible as prosecutor and didn't achieve anything as vice president. Nobody ever voted for her to become the presidential nominee. That the media now presents her as a competent person smells horrible fake to me.
#4
Laid Back Lounge / Re: Petrol head thread!!!
Last post by Recusant - Today at 12:45:55 AMStill picking up scars; I salute you Icarus! 
#5
Laid Back Lounge / Re: Petrol head thread!!!
Last post by Icarus - July 26, 2024, 11:42:36 PMSpeaking of leg injury, here is my tale of woe. The genius who removed the stock exhaust from the TR5 had attached twin pipes with stubby mufflers. The left hand muffler interfered with the kickstand and the stand would not fully retract. OK, he used a torch or something to bend the kickstand shaft into a new position. The bike now leaned over precariously when parked.
I was pushing the bike back inside my garage and foolishly left the kickstand down. The pad at the end of the shaft gouged the back of my right leg........... about three liters worth of blood and 21 stitches at the hospital emergency room. Alright I lied about the blood loss, only about half a liter which is more than is comfortable. The 21 stitches are real. I am scheduled to have the stitches removed this coming Monday.
I was pushing the bike back inside my garage and foolishly left the kickstand down. The pad at the end of the shaft gouged the back of my right leg........... about three liters worth of blood and 21 stitches at the hospital emergency room. Alright I lied about the blood loss, only about half a liter which is more than is comfortable. The 21 stitches are real. I am scheduled to have the stitches removed this coming Monday.
#6
Laid Back Lounge / Re: Petrol head thread!!!
Last post by Icarus - July 26, 2024, 11:28:54 PMThe kicks starter can be lengthened with a hack saw and a few inches of metal added. Ugly perhaps but better than a broken leg.
Last time I hurt my leg was while trying to crank a 175 Honda single. My racing buddy had jacked the compression up to about 400 to one. That damned thing caused me to use some extremely foul language. Spart retard for starting would have been useful.
Last time I hurt my leg was while trying to crank a 175 Honda single. My racing buddy had jacked the compression up to about 400 to one. That damned thing caused me to use some extremely foul language. Spart retard for starting would have been useful.
#7
Laid Back Lounge / Re: Petrol head thread!!!
Last post by billy rubin - July 26, 2024, 10:33:26 PMfor the last six weeks or so ive been taking the triumph bonneville to work.
we have two cars in the shop, and i leave the decrepit minivan for the wife and son, and take the old motorcycle to work in the predawn. not a problem except for the wildlife. i generally see two or three whitetails, some of whom jump into the road in front of me, and also a pair of red fox pups which choose the last minute to dive across the road.
i love riding the motorcycle, because i am not getting any younger, and every day you dont ride a motorcycle is a day of your life you will never get back. but my motorcycle is some fifty two years old, and i would like to have a backup.
my new motorcycle is only twenty seven years old, but it pukedits oil through the rocker box breather the other day so its parked until i figure out why.
this weekend ill see if i can figure out why the 1969 BSA has low oil pressure. if i can solve that problem ill have another option.
else its the 1970 norton, which is quite reliable but has a short kickstart lever, and my right knee is not what it used to be. race-version longer levers are available, but theyre 175 quid
we have two cars in the shop, and i leave the decrepit minivan for the wife and son, and take the old motorcycle to work in the predawn. not a problem except for the wildlife. i generally see two or three whitetails, some of whom jump into the road in front of me, and also a pair of red fox pups which choose the last minute to dive across the road.
i love riding the motorcycle, because i am not getting any younger, and every day you dont ride a motorcycle is a day of your life you will never get back. but my motorcycle is some fifty two years old, and i would like to have a backup.
my new motorcycle is only twenty seven years old, but it pukedits oil through the rocker box breather the other day so its parked until i figure out why.
this weekend ill see if i can figure out why the 1969 BSA has low oil pressure. if i can solve that problem ill have another option.
else its the 1970 norton, which is quite reliable but has a short kickstart lever, and my right knee is not what it used to be. race-version longer levers are available, but theyre 175 quid
#8
Politics / Re: Duke of Bullshit: "The" Do...
Last post by billy rubin - July 26, 2024, 02:28:50 PMi was ready to give up.
but it may actually be okay.
too early to tell still
but it may actually be okay.
too early to tell still
#9
Life As An Atheist / Re: What might make me change ...
Last post by zorkan - July 26, 2024, 01:10:45 PMQuote from: Tank on July 24, 2024, 07:44:18 AMWhat might make me change my mind about the existence of god(s)?
1. Unequivocal evidence* of a Supernatural Realm.
2. Repeatable, reliable and robust laws of behaviour for elements of said Supernatural Realm in the same way that gravity has repeatable, reliable and robust laws of behaviour.
"God" is only a name tag to describe what we don't know, the gaps in our knowledge which need to be filled in some way.
What we do know or have at least a work-in-progress is called science.
What we don't know is called god.
Example: We know that the universe works primarily off mathematics, but we don't have a complete mathematical bible. If we did we might have a theory of everything that would in turn reveal if a creator must exist or there is no need for one.
Quote3. That 'part' of the Supernatural Realm is conscious of the Universe as we perceive it to be.I partly only understand what you say.
4. That 'part' created the Universe that we perceive.
5. That 'part' interacted with the Universe we perceive in a systematic and structured manner.
Quote6. All of the above is open to free examination from full disclosure of methods and sources that are independently scrutinised and corroborated by impartial people, organisations and systems.
This would get my attention if it were all in place, documented and verifiable. Until then I will disregard the unsupported claims of religions about their god(s).
Religion can only work off faith. That's because as yet there is no evidence to prove the existence or non-existence of god(s).
I suspect that most people in their life will think of something like Pascal's Wager.
People in their fragility do appear to want a belief that their whole life hasn't all been in vain and an afterlife awaits.
Even science gets in on the act with the idea there could be many copies of you out there. When you die here on earth there will still be a "you" somewhere.
#10
Politics / Re: Duke of Bullshit: "The" Do...
Last post by Tank - July 26, 2024, 01:04:58 PMThis really is getting exciting as opposed to horrrifying 