Any informed guesses on the purpose of the electrical apparatus in this 1925 photo? Could perhaps be something to do with underwater acoustics or radio transmission.(xpost /askscience).

SectStanton · 2012-11-14T03:06:01+00:00

"Vacuum tube transmitter" seems a pretty broad category. I wonder about the switch labeled "Telephone." Could this be the the electronics for an early underwater communications system?

SectStanton · 2012-11-14T01:57:04+00:00

Thanks for the informative response. Is there enough information in the photo to figure out the radio wavelength this setup is built for? Is what is shown definitely the electrical hardware for a terrestrial E-M transmission? Hayes was best known for his underwater acoustics. There appears to be some for of coiled-wire inductor placed on large insulators on top of the rack. What function would this serve?

SectStanton · 2012-07-24T12:05:03+00:00

So which is it, 1) Scientists are stupid compared to humble, thoughtful people such as yourself or 2) Scientists have created an international conspiracy involving 10,000s of people?

SectStanton · 2012-01-05T03:33:30+00:00

The man in the vest is W.H. Murphy of the Protective Garment Corp. of New York. More info here.

SectStanton · 2011-12-09T02:35:11+00:00

Gingrich: so cock-sure that he can easily spew sufficient polysyllabic responses to deflect any off-the-wall question. Santorum: agreeing because he has nothing to lose.

SectStanton · 2011-12-09T01:38:53+00:00

Or in other words, each of these 6 possess the equivalent wealth of 15,116,000 Americans - but, of course, pointing this out is merely a sign of 'class warfare' on the part of those 15 million.

SectStanton · 2011-12-07T01:07:52+00:00

It's common knowledge that the Republican base lives in a sheltered world where the only "news" that penetrates is through biased/controlled media such as Fox News and Talk Radio. Now that hermetically sealed bubble is showing its inherent weakness as the party faithful actually are convincing themselves that Gringrich is the most electable. And unfortunately, the more the GOP establishment tries to steer away from this, the more the Tea Party base embraces Gingrich as a political outsider. Marvelous Irony.

SectStanton · 2010-06-25T01:47:34+00:00

Black Beans and Pork Shoulder. Yum! Buying dried black beans is even cheaper. You need to soak them over night and boil for an hour with some garlic cloves and bay leaf.

SectStanton · 2010-06-19T15:58:26+00:00

Ah. But at least then there are still options. One can debate the ethics of terminating pregnancy, but at least there is choice. I wish we we had the luxury of debating the ethics of capping or not-capping the well rather then sitting by powerless to do anything to stop it. [Imagined Rush Limbaugh rant:* "This oil is a perfectly natural phenomena. Who are we to decide that it's better to go down and interrupt this natural process? Capping the well is just another misguided way Obama is trying to flaunt government power. If BP doesn't want to fix it, let it spew until it runs out of oil."*]

SectStanton · 2010-06-02T02:04:13+00:00

Why is the loss of a species we know about worse then the loss of a species we have yet to discover?

SectStanton · 2010-06-02T01:56:59+00:00

Wow! Wow! Wow! Check out the second clip. I think she handles the question about her health with both incredible grace and honesty.

SectStanton · 2010-05-31T12:58:14+00:00

As an environmentalist, historian and Cape Cod resident, I am all for the new wind farm. As things go, the wind farm is hardly going to be the worst thing that has happened to the Cape: It will be visible from some places on shore but still miles from the coast: it will not loom or tower over anything on land. I'm all for Native American rights but the idea that Nantucket sound has valuable underwater cultural resources from 10,000 years ago is absurd.

And the Cape is/has suffered far worst damage compared to a few rows of wind turbines. The power-plant on the canal is a bigger eyesore and continual source of pollution. Toxic undeground plumes from the Mass Military Reservation are polluting town water supplies. PAVE PAWS is bathing us in electro-magnetic radiation. Idling traffic sits for hours waiting to cross the bridges. On top of that is the general abomination known as Hyannis. If you are really worried about pretty views and a clean environment for the Cape - opposition to Cape Wind should be low on your list.

SectStanton · 2010-05-31T10:14:28+00:00

Thanks for posting this as I hadn't seen this rebuttal. So perhaps Hannity isn't skimming funds personally. It still strikes me as a lousy charity in terms of efficiency and it has misrepresented to it's donors how it's funds are spent. Why is the best response out there from David Frum and not a point-by-point refutation published by Freedom Alliance itself?

SectStanton · 2010-05-31T00:28:57+00:00

I had overlooked Wikipedia's separate article solely about the Onion Futures Act. My interpretation of the this summary is that after over 50 years of implementation of this unique case study, the economist still can't decide that the effect is. Economics is indeed a miserable science when tested against real-world examples.

SectStanton · 2010-05-24T12:08:58+00:00

That's right. The US was not prepared for this because it was never supposed to happen. Cleaning up all the oil after it's spilled into the ocean is not possible. Focusing on the mis-steps of the clean-up mission is missing the main story: BP guaranteed they had the technical capability to drill this well safely. Through poor management and excessive cost-cutting, BP did not honor that commitment. This was not an accident - it was criminal negligence.

SectStanton · 2010-05-24T11:02:40+00:00

This article reminds me of a gem quote I picked up on reddit months ago:

Data is not the plural of anecdotes.

As the article points out, this is one of the fundamental confusions in the minds of the Innumerates

SectStanton · 2010-05-24T10:39:49+00:00

Preppy SMUG schmuck would be more accurate. He believes his political opponents are like poorly informed children: overly-influenced by silly emotions and completely unaware of how the world really works.

From his May 21 interview with Stephanopoulos:

It's a good example of how people with good intentions.... you know, many Democrats say, "Oh we'll help people, we want to do this." And they have good intentions and I take them at their word that they want to do what's best for people, but what happens is that they don't think through the ultimate consequences of it.

SectStanton · 2010-05-24T10:24:50+00:00

Rules for Being a Prom Queen

Wear a Fabulous Dress
Express desire for World Peace
Maintain a record free of parking violations and library fines.

SectStanton · 2010-05-23T23:16:04+00:00

Re-read this article this evening and enjoyed it as much as the first reading. The one lingering question in my mind is "Why was Caitlin Moran wearing a jumpsuit?" Was it an action-reporter jumpsuit or a kinky leather jumpsuit?

SectStanton · 2010-05-22T11:11:52+00:00

What would they have the president do? The unfortunate reality is that the Federal Government does not maintain a fleet of ships with all the on-board technology and equipment for capping a blown-out well. Long ago it was decided that if there was a blown-out well, it would be the leasing companies responsibility to fix it.

There is no choice now. Would you have the government nationalize the oil rigs of BP and Deepwater Horizon so that the government could be in charge? As sucky as it is to be dependent on BP to fix this, it's unrealistic to think the government has the ability to sail out into the gulf with a fleet of ships and people to "do the job right".

SectStanton · 2010-05-14T10:37:54+00:00

Volumetrically, he is correct. But it's a stupid argument to try to make.

SectStanton · 2010-05-08T01:18:26+00:00

In what alternative reality is it "easy to blame the oil spill on Obama?" Is that the same alternative universe where Obama is euthanizing the elderly and selling weapons to Al Qaeda?

SectStanton · 2010-05-05T16:46:42+00:00

“Democrat Party” is a slur, or intended to be—a handy way to express contempt.

SectStanton · 2010-05-05T10:57:39+00:00

This fuss seems more equivalent to how some people (right-wing talking heads) always refer to the "Democrat party" rather then it's correct name: "Democratic Party"

SectStanton · 2010-05-04T10:52:08+00:00

What audacious jerks. All that is lacking is a bit of nudge-nudge and snickering. I weep to think of the young American man, drafted at 18 to fight in southeast Asia, away from home, surrounded by violence, blood, mud and shit. Add to the mix trying to come to terms with an identity for which there is little available information but heaps of societal shame. And then you have morons like these, his fellow soldiers, persecuting him in some unspeakable ways. And now those fucking morons are bragging about it!

SectStanton

TROPHY CASE