The Off Topic Topic

[The Brain]

What is your fancy title then?

Mäster.

[celedhring]

It has a nice ring to it.

[Josquius]

[Syt]

What is your fancy title then?

Mäster.

Of Püppets?

[The Brain]

What is your fancy title then?

Mäster.

Of Püppets?

I can't help thinking of the band Tröjan (meaning "the sweater" in Swedish). Metal af.

[Tonitrus]

I received an email at work recently (it was just advertising some banal digital training opportunity), that started off with "In today's era of Great Power Competition....".

When did we return to the nomenclature of those heady days of the early 20th century? 

[Syt]

I received an email at work recently (it was just advertising some banal digital training opportunity), that started off with "In today's era of Great Power Competition....".

When did we return to the nomenclature of those heady days of the early 20th century? 

But did it refer to countries or tech companies?

[Sheilbh]

This is kind of cool:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/05/ship-hovering-above-sea-cornwall-optical-illusion?CMP=twt_gu&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium#Echobox=1614950710

The effect is an example of an optical illusion known as a superior mirage. Such illusions are reasonably common in the Arctic but can also happen in UK winters when the atmospheric conditions are right, though they are very rare.

The illusion is caused by a meteorological phenomenon called a temperature inversion. Normally, the air temperature drops with increasing altitude, making mountaintops colder than the foothills. But in a temperature inversion, warm air sits on top of a band of colder air, playing havoc with our visual perception. The inversion in Cornwall was caused by chilly air lying over the relatively cold sea with warmer air above.

Because cold air is denser than warm air, it has a higher refractive index. In the case of the "hovering ship", this means light rays coming from the ship are bent downwards as it passes through the colder air, to observers on the shoreline. Having evolved to keep things simple, the human brain is easily fooled. It assumes the light rays from the ship have travelled in a straight line, and so pictures the ship in a higher position than it really is – in this instance, above the sea surface.

[grumbler]

This is kind of cool:

Because cold air is denser than warm air, it has a higher refractive index. In the case of the "hovering ship", this means light rays coming from the ship are bent downwards as it passes through the colder air, to observers on the shoreline. Having evolved to keep things simple, the human brain is easily fooled. It assumes the light rays from the ship have travelled in a straight line, and so pictures the ship in a higher position than it really is – in this instance, above the sea surface.

This explanation makes no sense - we see the effect even when it is in a photograph and there are no "bent light waves" to fool the brain.  What is happening is that light from the ship is refracting as it encounters the boundary between the cold air and the warmer air above it, and so travels a curved arc that makes it appear to be higher than it is.  It's not the brain getting fooled, it is the light waves being refracted.

It is a cool picture, to be sure.

[HVC]

yeah, removing the last two sentences makes the explanation accurate.

[crazy canuck]

"Best" is such an abstract concept.
It's rare there's one absolute unquestionably best person. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit.

That's not my experience at all when it comes to promotions. But of course YMMV.

Yeah, I would say it is rare that there is not an obvious best choice. It is a nice problem to have when that is not true.  But that doesn't happen very often.

[The Brain]

This is kind of cool:

Because cold air is denser than warm air, it has a higher refractive index. In the case of the "hovering ship", this means light rays coming from the ship are bent downwards as it passes through the colder air, to observers on the shoreline. Having evolved to keep things simple, the human brain is easily fooled. It assumes the light rays from the ship have travelled in a straight line, and so pictures the ship in a higher position than it really is – in this instance, above the sea surface.

This explanation makes no sense - we see the effect even when it is in a photograph and there are no "bent light waves" to fool the brain.  What is happening is that light from the ship is refracting as it encounters the boundary between the cold air and the warmer air above it, and so travels a curved arc that makes it appear to be higher than it is.  It's not the brain getting fooled, it is the light waves being refracted.

It is a cool picture, to be sure.

The picture fooled me.

[Duque de Bragança]

What is your fancy title then?

Mäster.

Clarissime Magister Brain/Cerebrum?

[The Brain]

What is your fancy title then?

Mäster.

Clarissime Magister Brain/Cerebrum?

Sure why not.

[Duque de Bragança]

What is your fancy title then?

Mäster.

Clarissime Magister Brain/Cerebrum?

Sure why not.

Just asking to see if university titles in Sweden were as in Wild Strawberries.