"omou" which means to "think". "Omoimasu" is one of the conjugated forms of the word and, just like English, you can also use it when you're not totally sure of something; "Lions don't eat humans.... I think..." or "I think tar & feathering people should still be a viable punishment..." And while I'm quite sure of the former and do consider the latter to be quite hilarious, there are a bunch of other things I've been thinking about...
I understand why we're always looking into space. I understand the desire to find water on other intra-solar system objects. I would even venture to say that, even with nearly impossible odds, I understand that the universe is so vast that there is a possibility of life.
However, what I never understood was why we limit ourselves to finding only water. The link above goes to a Popular Science page about finding evidence of water on Saturn's moon Enceladus and it says that "[...] water is a fundamental requirement for life." And while I do think that having water certainly makes the possibility of life greater, I also think that just because all the lifeforms that we know of require water, why does that mean all other forms of life must require water as well??
There are lots of interesting theories behind abiogenesis (the theory of the origin of life), but they're all based on life that we know. But couldn't life that we don't know be based on a method we've yet to see??
However, what I never understood was why we limit ourselves to finding only water. The link above goes to a Popular Science page about finding evidence of water on Saturn's moon Enceladus and it says that "[...] water is a fundamental requirement for life." And while I do think that having water certainly makes the possibility of life greater, I also think that just because all the lifeforms that we know of require water, why does that mean all other forms of life must require water as well??
There are lots of interesting theories behind abiogenesis (the theory of the origin of life), but they're all based on life that we know. But couldn't life that we don't know be based on a method we've yet to see??
Wheeeeeee....
It's not really as impossible as it seems. Floating something just requires an object to be less desnse than the fluid/gas it's in. Helium floats in air. Humans float particularly well in the Dead Sea.
In this case, the chemical in the tank is sulfur hexaflouride (SF6) which is 5 times as dense as air. So something like an aluminum foil boat that normally "sinks" in air will float in a tank of SF6. And you can see that it follows the same physical principles since scooping the gas into the boat makes the boat heavier and thus causes it to sink. It's just rather convenient that it's also transparent.
It's also, apparently, safe enough that you can inhale it to change your voice, like you would with helium. Except that because it's more dense, it'll make your voice deeper.
Now we just have to wait for a swimming pool filled with SF6, because that would just be awesome.....
In this case, the chemical in the tank is sulfur hexaflouride (SF6) which is 5 times as dense as air. So something like an aluminum foil boat that normally "sinks" in air will float in a tank of SF6. And you can see that it follows the same physical principles since scooping the gas into the boat makes the boat heavier and thus causes it to sink. It's just rather convenient that it's also transparent.
It's also, apparently, safe enough that you can inhale it to change your voice, like you would with helium. Except that because it's more dense, it'll make your voice deeper.
Now we just have to wait for a swimming pool filled with SF6, because that would just be awesome.....
What the hell...??
Some pretty weird stuff happens in Japan...
I should say, before you read the rest of this, that Japan is not unsafe. On the contrary, I feel less on-guard walking around at night than I do in downtown Vancouver at night. But there is a hidden amount of extremism in Japanese culture and perhaps that has something to do with it. I also think that the much larger population means even if the chances are slim of a certain event happening, it's more likely to happen here... that and the oft commented on stress levels of Japanese people...
79-year old woman stabs 2 - said she was homeless and sought to be "in the care" of the police
Kansai University graduate gets 3-yrs for marijuana trafficking - Japanese officials are treating cannabis as the new plague; lots of arrests, lots of multi-year prison sentences, especially among university students
High-school girl stabs mother - said her mother didn't help around the house and thought the world would be better off without her
Man gets 5-yrs for throwing 3-yr old from pedestrian overpass - intellectual disability hindered his ability to differentiate right from wrong, but not his ability "[...] to foresee the boy would die if thrown"
14-yr old girl sets fire to own house - said she was angry...
Man stabs girlfriend over break-up; jumps off hotel - 22-yr old man stabs his 17-yr old girlfriend 10 times after she breaks up with him, proceeds to jump out of 7th floor of the hotel they're in, survives with a fractured elbow (ONLY?!?)
The only other thing I'd like to say is that the people accused almost always seem to admit to a crime. Perhaps something gets lost in the translation, but when a man was asked why he hid his dead father's body for 2 years, he admitted that "he wanted to keep collecting the pension"....
I should say, before you read the rest of this, that Japan is not unsafe. On the contrary, I feel less on-guard walking around at night than I do in downtown Vancouver at night. But there is a hidden amount of extremism in Japanese culture and perhaps that has something to do with it. I also think that the much larger population means even if the chances are slim of a certain event happening, it's more likely to happen here... that and the oft commented on stress levels of Japanese people...
79-year old woman stabs 2 - said she was homeless and sought to be "in the care" of the police
Kansai University graduate gets 3-yrs for marijuana trafficking - Japanese officials are treating cannabis as the new plague; lots of arrests, lots of multi-year prison sentences, especially among university students
High-school girl stabs mother - said her mother didn't help around the house and thought the world would be better off without her
Man gets 5-yrs for throwing 3-yr old from pedestrian overpass - intellectual disability hindered his ability to differentiate right from wrong, but not his ability "[...] to foresee the boy would die if thrown"
14-yr old girl sets fire to own house - said she was angry...
Man stabs girlfriend over break-up; jumps off hotel - 22-yr old man stabs his 17-yr old girlfriend 10 times after she breaks up with him, proceeds to jump out of 7th floor of the hotel they're in, survives with a fractured elbow (ONLY?!?)
The only other thing I'd like to say is that the people accused almost always seem to admit to a crime. Perhaps something gets lost in the translation, but when a man was asked why he hid his dead father's body for 2 years, he admitted that "he wanted to keep collecting the pension"....
Deserves to be tar & feathered
In Southern California, a Ford dealership manager took out a radio ad in which he proceeded to lash out at the Japanese car industry and the people who buy Japanese cars. He accuses people of not supporting the economy and calls Japanese cars "[...] rice ready, not road ready", whatever the hell that means.....
These kind of comments really get me.
First off, people don't buy Japanese cars for the sake of buying them. They buy them because they're better designed, better built, and competitively priced. The Big 3 are begging for money because for too long they've sold cars that fell apart and looked awful. Build good cars and they will come, as evidenced by the Ford F-150 which sells in droves.
Secondly, lots of Japanese cars sold in America are built IN America, by Americans. Buying those cars supports the people who make them. A lot of these cars are good quality not because of where they're built or who builds them, but how the company manages the production. Lots of Toyota plants in America, for example, win JD Powers Initial Quality awards.
Lastly, while the cars are a problem, the United Auto Workers union doesn't help the Big 3. A lot of their problems are tied down to deals they've worked out with the UAW that's draining their accounts. The Japanese manufacturers are union resistant and, as it turns out, their workers are actually getting paid more when bonuses and overtime are taken into account.
To be fair, American cars of late have been improving. I can name lots of cars from GM, Chrysler, and Ford that I like. I can't, however, name lots that I would spend my money on. The worst is changing the stigma of "American" cars. Lots of people still choose because of the badge, whether it's not buying a great car from an unwanted brand or buying an atrocious wreck from a desired name.
But ultimately, that this guy's business is going down the drains has nothing to do with the import car industry. All the companies are experiencing lower sales, not just American ones. Toyota's cutting production. Honda's even pulled out of Formula 1. It's just that the American manufacturers have been running out of money for so long that the economy is now just twisting the knife even more.
People have a right to be upset if their job is threatened, but that guy.......... spewing racist, ignorant comments is not where to start. Bring on the feathers, I think... =P
These kind of comments really get me.
First off, people don't buy Japanese cars for the sake of buying them. They buy them because they're better designed, better built, and competitively priced. The Big 3 are begging for money because for too long they've sold cars that fell apart and looked awful. Build good cars and they will come, as evidenced by the Ford F-150 which sells in droves.
Secondly, lots of Japanese cars sold in America are built IN America, by Americans. Buying those cars supports the people who make them. A lot of these cars are good quality not because of where they're built or who builds them, but how the company manages the production. Lots of Toyota plants in America, for example, win JD Powers Initial Quality awards.
Lastly, while the cars are a problem, the United Auto Workers union doesn't help the Big 3. A lot of their problems are tied down to deals they've worked out with the UAW that's draining their accounts. The Japanese manufacturers are union resistant and, as it turns out, their workers are actually getting paid more when bonuses and overtime are taken into account.
To be fair, American cars of late have been improving. I can name lots of cars from GM, Chrysler, and Ford that I like. I can't, however, name lots that I would spend my money on. The worst is changing the stigma of "American" cars. Lots of people still choose because of the badge, whether it's not buying a great car from an unwanted brand or buying an atrocious wreck from a desired name.
But ultimately, that this guy's business is going down the drains has nothing to do with the import car industry. All the companies are experiencing lower sales, not just American ones. Toyota's cutting production. Honda's even pulled out of Formula 1. It's just that the American manufacturers have been running out of money for so long that the economy is now just twisting the knife even more.
People have a right to be upset if their job is threatened, but that guy.......... spewing racist, ignorant comments is not where to start. Bring on the feathers, I think... =P
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