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[i2amroy]

I recently learned why they're like that, I just can't remember...

Something to do with a focal point, I think.

Pretty much, the point is to turn your single point source of light into a solid wall of it moving parallel. Here's a pretty good explanation picture:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Sergarr]

Apparently the kilogram conflict has been resolved. I didn't know there was one, but I guess that's good?

There is something special that caught my eyes in that article, though:

There is still scope for upset. The teams have until 1 July 2017 to publish further data before the value of Planck’s constant is fixed. Before this deadline, Ullrich’s team plans to use a new batch of spheres from Russia in experiments that he hopes will lead to even more-certain values for Planck’s constant, but could cause the results to diverge again.

Apparently Planck-precise spheres are being produced somewhere in Russia. 1) russia can into precision 2) I must find out where exactly they do that.

EDIT: Apparently the organization that produces the spheres, Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is based is my home city. I guess that means that I won't need to travel far...

[nenjin]

"Precision engineering" isn't usually a phrase you associate with Russia, yeah.

[Il Palazzo]

Apparently Planck-precise spheres are being produced somewhere in Russia. 1) russia can into precision 2) I must find out where exactly they do that.

I don't quite understand the method they use, but they certainly don't make Planck length-precise spheres. That'd be absurd. It's 10E-35 metres, where an atomic nucleus is on the order of 10E-15 m.
 
They use silicone crystals (the spheres) to determine Avogadro's number, from which they derive the Planck constant.

[NJW2000]

Jeez. First real coursework I've ever done, this is seeming stupidly complex and not-working. GCSE, btw. This isn't going to be a fun few days.

[Sergarr]

Apparently Planck-precise spheres are being produced somewhere in Russia. 1) russia can into precision 2) I must find out where exactly they do that.

I don't quite understand the method they use, but they certainly don't make Planck length-precise spheres. That'd be absurd. It's 10E-35 metres, where an atomic nucleus is on the order of 10E-15 m.
 
They use silicone crystals (the spheres) to determine Avogadro's number, from which they derive the Planck constant.

Still really goddamn precise, given that it's being used on the forefront of metrology. Though, after further search, it seems that this institute only provides the pure Si-28 polycrystal and it is shaped into a sphere by other organizations in Germany and Australia, which seems to contradict the wording of the Nature article, but oh well.

[Neonivek]

I find it weird whenever a writer, who clearly doesn't know the first thing about depression, has a character talk down either a critically depressed or suicidal character.

Because it is always the writer spouting what they find inspiring onto the depressed person... but ALWAYS ALWAYS is some of the worst things you can say to someone in that condition.

Usually amounting to just buck up, yeah life is unfair watcha gonna do about it, then just kill yourself, or Fine then I'll kill you myself or some other BS.

It has been done well... but it is quite unusual when it is done wrong.

Actually I find it funny because in "This War of Mine" the characters with the lowest ability to cheer up others pretty much do EXACTLY that. "Just buck up!"... While the ones great at conversation actually do it proper.

[EnigmaticHat]

My favorite example of this is what i call "Kamina counseling".

Person is suicidal?  Punch them in the face.

[Akura]

Fun fact: A sword is a really bad idea to fix hemorrhoids.

My favorite example of this is what i call "Kamina counseling".

Person is suicidal?  Punch them in the face.

Couldn't hurt. They're already suicidal, you can't really make them worse.

[Neonivek]

Couldn't hurt. They're already suicidal, you can't really make them worse.

>_> uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[BlackFlyme]

My mom took my dice. Apparently it's important that she hold onto them for me.

I am slowly turning back into an infant, it seems.

[i2amroy]

My favorite example of this is what i call "Kamina counseling".

Person is suicidal?  Punch them in the face.

Couldn't hurt. They're already suicidal, you can't really make them worse.

Like many things, there is a gradient of suicidalness. It's totally possible that someone could be suicidal in the "seriously depressed and possible to attempt it" and you could make them upgrade to the "totally going to blow their brains out the minute left alone" status. You can make things worse.

[Teneb]

Third hottest year in the last hundred years. And it's still spring.

In somewhat related news, a lot of insane people spent SIX HOURS (I wish I was making this up) in a supermarket queue to pay for the merchandise.

[Akura]

Third hottest year in the last hundred years. And it's still spring.

And yet, my area is supposed to be getting the worst winter ever according to predictions. Tonight it's going down to around 40°F.

[Helgoland]

And it's still spring.

Wait, what? Oh, you were the guy from Venezuela, right?