My Friday's night ask me a difficult question thread.

[Random_Australian]

Be serious, and no asking about intentionally way-to-arcane things like "What is time like inside the event horizon of a black hole"

But anyway, any problems at all, no matter how difficult. Tortuous life decision? Want to know why someone does/won't do something? Ask me anything!

Or we can just chat. It is fine by me. Also, you are allowed to ask mind-boggling questions, but be aware that the answer will then appear in the next weeks thread.

****NO ASKING FOR MEDICAL ADVICE****

If you don't know what you want to ask, just tell me something you wish for. Simple.

Current record: 89

[MissHoneychurch]

1. Good evening R_A

for me, my day just started. Ok, I am awake already a bit, but my work day started only 1 1/2 hours ago.

What are your plans for the weekend?

[Random_Australian]

4. STUVAC, like all students here.

(STUdy VACation)

[MissHoneychurch]

7. As long as there is no surprise test in math on Monday

:D

Will you ever travel outside Australia? And what continent/country will be your first choice to travel to?

[Random_Australian]

9. I would consider Britain, but no longer America. Other than that, New

Zealand for a holiday or two, but it does not have the employment opportunities I am after.
Definitely somewhere english speaking - I have a LOT of difficulty interpreting facial expression!

But not America any more.

[MissHoneychurch]

14. Would you consider the USA again

after * is not longer pResident?

And - if I may ask - why do you have problems interpreting facial expressions?

[Random_Australian]

18. 1) No, there is a lot more in America that I needs must take exception to

than merely *,

2) Part of brain that interprets faces = way, way below average, in fact, all faces appear blank to me after about 4-6 metres.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. my question...

are you channeling 'dear Abby'?

[Random_Australian]

5. No, and I do not know who 'dear Abby' is.

[Richard Steele]

3. OK, I'll be serious for 2 seconds and ask an honest question.

What is your PERSONAL opinion re: the Native Australians/land ownership issue?

It's not a legal or political question; I don't want the kind of answer
that would involve clicking any links....

I'm just curious about the whole thing, and I'd be very appreciative
to hear the PERSONAL thoughts/opinions of a random Australian.

[Random_Australian]

8. I think, that as a country, where Aboriginal tribes can still show that

they have an unborken link with the land, then that is a good foundation for native title claims.

I think that far more pressing is to solve the myriad of modern day problems that now plague the broken tribes; ten years less life expectancy, cycle of poverty, petrol sniffing and suicide would be the first I would work on; if I could.

I think that the old councils and elders need to be reformed, so that actual indigenous societies can reform as well; guidance from elders os something sorely needed, respect for them too. I think that that is possibly the best mechanism for remedy, not native title; however, apology and a some amountof land reclaimership seems a good measure also.

[Richard Steele]

15. Thanks! I'm gonna go back to "playing the fool" now.

To wit: Is it REALLY true that the toilets flush the OPPOSITE direction down there?
I've always found that prety hard to believe.

C'mon, SERIOUSLY: You hit that handle, and a
little shit/water tornado blasts straight up? :wtf: :rofl:

[Random_Australian]

19. Actaully, the direvtion in which the water spins has more to do with the

basin. Only hurricanes & cyclones are really affected, other things to a lesser extent.

[JVS]

6. What are the key points of the book "How to pick up trashy women"...

a book which Lane Myer's younger brother got in the mail in the movie "Better off dead"?

[Random_Australian]

10. Please read:

"and no asking about intentionally way-to-arcane things "

[wildhorses]

11. how is Naomi and her father?

:hi:

[Random_Australian]

12. I don't know - though the amount of simultaneous enquiries I have had

going was plenty, there is a big thing in Aus about giving away people's personal info.

Driving me insane - but I have one last thingy going.

[wildhorses]

27. what is a thingy?

:shrug:

[Random_Australian]

28. A doovakickey. (Read: I have a plan going on but I won't say what)

[wildhorses]

44. good luck with your plan...I am sending some powerful mojo

your way to help tilt things in your favor *crosses fingers and twitches nose*
:hug:

[Random_Australian]

45. Shit! Part one just came back failure, time to restart!

Edit: and I know just the source. (Glad I have so many email addresses now)

[wildhorses]

47. that's the way...

good luck, mate...(did I say that right, or should I say matey?)

[Random_Australian]

48. Depends where you are from 'from' but mate, or more properly

pronounced 'mayte' is O.K.

[NMMNG]

13. Why do some people seem to thrive on hate?

:cry:

[Random_Australian]

16. Actually, there are two mechanisms I know about so far (more to come,

I think)

The first is a coupling of incomprehension and the thought that they do, in fact, comprehend, which leads to people doing actions which appear to another (esp. one who does understand) to be contrary to their actions (however, not to them. This is also dangerous, as this is a belief, and the subconscious will go to great lengths to avoid having the mind hurt (cognitive dissonance IIRC, is that which is to be avoided)

The second mechanism is just a socio-cultural directed learning process. Express opinion that(authority figure likes) >>>> get rewarded. Soon becomes independent of reward, and {IF} ( some group trait) is percieved to be something that can remove anything associated with reward, then heuristics just tacks on a "can remove that which I perceive to be good" label to the group. Finally, the removal of reward, at any time, (as in, anything going wrong) will be explained as the fault of that characteristic of the target group when the person does not want to accept some other explanation; finally, the heuristic is used automatically to process reward/punishment states, esp. as perceived in others (due to the placement of self outside the group).

In other words, after a while, gays cause Katrina.

When you meet otherwise moderate persons who express some extreme belief, then it is likely that the first mechanism is dominating; if a person is a complete whacko, then the second is the more dominant. Those are the two I found so far, more soon perhaps. But these are fairly encompassing and accurate.

Outliers exlcluded as always.

[NMMNG]

20. You're definitely going to ace that Psych class

:thumbsup:

[Random_Australian]

22. Nope, I don't think so, that stuff is just my personal mumbling, not

something assesable.

[NMMNG]

24. But it shows application of knowledge you learned in class

and likely elsewhere. You obviously have a good grasp of the subject.

[Random_Australian]

26. Ok, for most of it, especially scientific method. I am concerned, however,

about Subject Matter and Methodology, because our lecturer is completely wrong all the time, so I have to learn all this wrong stuff, which is difficult. I also need to brush up on my applied psych and neuroscience.

[JVS]

17. Because you suck!

:P

[NMMNG]

21. My kind doesn't do that sort of thing

:rofl:

[Random_Australian]

23. ...

:o
:wow:






























:rofl::thumbsup:

[JVS]

25. Your kind?

Westcoasters?

[NMMNG]

29. Vegetarians

;-)
Lesbians

[Random_Australian]

38. JVS = Jovial Venturing SUCKHOLE.

Ok, I admit that is what JVS-UCKHOLE stands for.

[riona]

30. Why does

dark roasted coffee have less acid? What does extra roasting have to do with removing acid?

[Random_Australian]

33. Well, though I do not know the specific chemistry per se, I will say that

'acid' here, while correlated to the strictly chemical sense, is not, in coffee lexicon, the same as H+ dissociation.

Now, to the meat of it:
The 'acidity' decreases for two reasons:
A) Apparent decrease in acidity from the breakdown of large compounds that are interpreted by the drinker as acid - however these are not actually acids; and
B) Real decrease in acidity: Moving H-Bonds can change a lot of chemical properties. (eg. 1-hydroxy benzene 2-methyl actetate vs 4-hydroxy benzene 1methyl acetate) and so can breaking up large compounds. (which is done in heating)

Both of these work through decomposition on heating. Then the chances of the large molecules reforming are the same as an egg unfrying. (Both utilise large proteins, after all)

[riona]

34. So, it is basically heat

I shall crown you "Random_A, the Human Magic 8-Ball."
:applause:

[Random_Australian]

36. I left out the technical bits.

It is all stats anyway...... (that is why it does not completely dissappear)

What property do you ascribe when you say "the Human Magic 8-Ball"

[riona]

39. From the Manufacturer

"The Magic 8 Ball has an anwer for everything!"
:think:

[LaurenG]

31. Scientifically explain what happens between people

when they are attracted to each other. (not a sex question)

What causes the chemical reaction between them?

[Random_Australian]

35. "chemical reaction" - chemical it is not. (not exactly, anyway)

The attraction occurs in each individually, but following similar (genetic influenced) parameters;

#1 Assessment of group finds person who looks good^ (nothing too serious is felt)
#1 Contacts said person. (Person #2)
#2 Makes same assessment. #1 shows off if he/she can.
#2 comes to same conclusion.
#1 & 2 attempt to find out what the other thinks on the subject. If the person seems to think like them, then they will be reassured enough that feeling something deeper will not harm them (a lot of emotion is disallowed usually, on the basis that we are vulnerable, more on that if you ask)

That step can take a LONG time, each time the person is rewarded, they will allow themselves a little more emotional commitment. When they do that, to minimise risks, they try to make themselves more like the person, see their point of view, not judge them as harshly socially et cetera.

That repeats. Many times. Many things affect how fast what changes where. MANY things.

Finally, once the two have convinced themselves that the other is not going to hurt them, the attraction stage moves on to the love stage, and the calculations go beyond any ability on my part to calculate.

There are many more mechanisms. This is a common one.

^Is what the person is looking for. Anything from someone to talk to (friendship) to a potential casual mate (one night stand) but usually something in between. There are a LOT of mechanisms by which we all do this, and guys, rather famously, have it wired directly into a very old, very controlling, very primal bit of the brain.

[tjwmason]

32. To what extent

was the rise of antinomianism, developing from ultra-Calvinism, responsible for the rise of capitalism?

[Random_Australian]

37. Only insofar as it made people think. When they do that, operation

stat algorithms take over. Capitalism was born from a combination of the world misunderstood (but not too far from the truth) and the desire to gain rewards which is something we all learn.

[Mutley]

40. Why did my computer dump the old file folders in My Documents?

:cry:

I had stuff in there I need. Not to mention stuff I want. All gone. :grr:

[Random_Australian]

41. It was programmed to.

[Mutley]

42. Even Word documents, and stuff like that?

Why?

And how can I make it stop?

I've got, I had, great essays and short fiction in there which will never be seen again.

[Random_Australian]

43. A timeout then. I am not really a computer person, but my advice is

to rightclick, select all, copy, and then paste somewhere else.

AND THEN SCAN FOR VIRUSES.

[taterguy]

46. why can't I bring myself to delete emails from exes?

[Random_Australian]

49. Hmmm, my initial thought is that your brain has not 'unwired'

(physically got rid of) the systems that it had set up for loving exes.

With the correct emotional attachment, this means that undoing these would hurt you again.

As with anyone, your subconscious is unthinkingly loyal, and won't allow you to get hurt like that (in other words, you still can't quite accept that they are not coming back). Your subconscious is what gives you your will, your self-control, and it won't give you it when you know that you will use it for causing that harm. So, it means that as much as you consciously want to, you cannot physically do it.

However, many times, (eg when you start dating again) a person can be no longer afraid to lose that person, and have no trouble with it.

However, there are exceptions to that, and plenty of them.

Does that answer your question?

[Gold Metal Flake]

50. Is there any hope in controlling the Cane toad, or is it a lost cause?

[Random_Australian]

51. Moot, I'm afraid. It is spreading, and by property of the spread,evolution

has been sped up considerably, however, biotechnology may do something it will have no defense against.

So, it is something as yet indecided.

[Random_Australian]

52. ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED LATER

Goodnight!

[Random_Australian]

53. I'm back! Morning! Feel free to ask more!

[Random_Australian]

54. Kicky Um!

[Random_Australian]

55. Kickitey duus!

[Random_Australian]

56. Kicksky tres! (Will respond but will let it sink after this)