So, I've got a few moderation points to dole out, and I don't like digging through ancient conversations to find recipients. So I thought, why not inject some new conversation into the forums and make a game out of it?

The rules are simple: try and amuse me (or any other karma-giver) enough to give you points. So it's just like normal, except without the pretense of real conversation or topics!

I think that the only rule I'd like to impose on this is that the ruling caste of Sentient Citruses (Citrae? ;) should be exempt from being modded up in here. And potentially there should be no downmodding unless someone's just being a really huge 'tard. I mean exceptionally more than usual levels of idiocy, here.

So... who wants my karma?

Hmmm... I'm confused. My understanding was that you could only moderate forums you hadn't recently posted in. So doesn't that mean that you can't mod any of these posts up?

Damn. If I'm wrong, I'll be modded -1, Stupid. Should have kept my damn mouth shut.

"There's Krusty! Krusty, say something funny!"
"Ooh, er, um ..."

Kudos to anyone who can be amusing on demand, I say. Well, kudos and karma, obviously. I think I and my fart jokes will just wait quietly over here in the wings.

In Response to Deathalicious (#12337):

You can mod in any forum regardless of posting. However, you cannot mod in a discussion if you've ever posted in that discussion. So, details aside, you are correct: he cannot actually moderate any post in the "amuse me enough to make me mod you" contest.

In Response to mea37 (#12342):

Ironic isn't it? He's been arround here more than long enough to know that. Of course, if someone would get around to writing that FAQ it wouldn't be an issue...

I came to thinking while laying dreaming in the middle of my bed. Why is it considered that a black hole be a point in space and not an object of actual size and importance? After all we must consider that a black hole earns its infamous name from the fact that it is matter so dense that its gravity alone forbids light from escaping. Why is it proposterous (sp?) to think that the black hole is not an actual point but may quite possibly be like a planet, although quite rounder (since the gravity is strong enough to hold back light, one would think it would compress all other matter to a thin layer spreading across its entire surface completely, or atleast, near so) and less welcoming of life? After all, we have already defined the mass and density required for a star to become a black hole, and for that reason why can we not say the black hole has dimensions? We certainly cannot see the dimensions of a black hole, but science has long taught us that much exists that cannot be seen. Furhtermore, if the gravity of a black hole is so powerful as to prevent the escape of light, would it not make sense that it could cause matter to collide with matter at a speed so great as to break it down into its very basics? Not atoms, not neutrons, nor protons, nor electrons. If its force of gravity is strong enough, would it not make sense that it would tear even quarks apart? And what, than, pray tell, is left when quarks have been split? If we assume that the force of gravity of the black hole approaches infinity, than we have to assume the force acting to tear apart smaller and smaller particles of matter also approaches infinity. In which case, I am led to believe matter is than converted to energy, and kittens = pop tarts.

Well.. I was amused.

In Response to Phobos (#12347):

Well, I have a number of points.

First off, turning matter into energy is , ahem, as easy as pie. We do it all the time. And in some ways, we do the opposite - turn energy into matter - all the time as well. One of the main mechanisms for all of our biological activity is the continual breakdown and reassembly of adenosine triphosphate (excuse the spelling - I'm not a cellular biologist, but I play one on the Internet). The breaking of the triple phosphate bond releases energy into our systems, which we must then replenish from the food we eat. Also, everytime you light a match, you're turning matter into energy - but thankfully very very inefficiently.

And, while the common conception of a black hole is that it is a "point" object - a singularity in space - there are theories that disagree with that. String theory postulates that black holes contain a specific type and form of a string or a brane at the core. This would not be a point, but an object with a surface of some dimensionality.

In addition, there's a very interesting theory (and I guess I must have borrowed from someone the copy of "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity" that I read about it in, as I don't seem to have it) that proves some results about the entropy of a black hole in relationship to the surface of it's event horizon. In fact what this theory says is that the entropy of a black hole is exactly equal to the area of the event horizon. This is a really really interesting result because of a related result from Information Theory that the entropy (or randomness) of a signal or thing is directly equal to the amount of information that thing contains. So the bigger a black hole is, the more information it represents.

But, sort of more germane to what you're talking about is the whole notion of the event horizon in the first place. What the event horizon is, is the surface that irrevocably separates us from seeing the "inside" of a black hole. It's the original line in the sand - you cross this, and you won't come back - the thing that light can't escape from. And fundamentally, if we can't get light back, we can't know ANYTHING beyond that line.

So we'll never be able to measure anything past the event horizon. Consequently, we can never know anything about the interior of a black hole. Which means we might as well believe that inside a black hole, kittens DO equal pop-tarts, because we'll never be able to prove otherwise!

Also, from a very real and practical sense, black holes have an actual size and importance that is inversely proportional to the distance from you.

In Response to zamphir (#12348):

Wow. Although, I was kidding, and really, was only building up to the kittens = pop-tarts theorem, I wish there were more people like you around in real life so I could have more intelligent conversations! Unfortunately my professor does not seem all too amused with my many, many questions regarding various theories of Astrophysics.

Boy will he be angry when we get to Special Relativity, I've been preparing for a few weeks now.

First off, turning matter into energy is , ahem, as easy as pie.

Isn't that technically considered energy conversion? i.e. kinetic -> potential -> chemical, etc.

In Response to zamphir (#12348):

Also, everytime you light a match, you're turning matter into energy - but thankfully very very inefficiently.

I did not realize that this was a nuclear reaction. Silly me, I just thought that the breaking of chemical bonds resulted in a release of potential energy that was converted into kinetic energy. Perhaps like an exothermic chemical reaction. Knowing that I am destroying matter, I will be more careful lighting matches in the future, as we could soon be out of matter entirely. Apparently this holds true for my digestive system as well. And looking at my gut, that sure as hell is not working out. Of course, e=mc^2 so I guess that my gut could solve a few energy crises.

Also, from a very real and practical sense, black holes have an actual size and importance that is inversely proportional to the distance from you.

ahem. 1/(r^2).

Tadow. HDYLMN?

In Response to deerboy (#12353):

I did not realize that this was a nuclear reaction.
I'm not a chemical or nuclear engineer either.

Would you buy the release of photons from excited electrons as an everyday example of turning matter into energy?

ahem. 1/(r^2).
Oh, sure, in the technical sense. But, from a REAL AND PRACTICAL sense, the closer a black hole gets to me, the more I care about it.

Tadow.

Is that a word?

HDYLMN?
What is this, your license plate? Sure, I'll believe Sentient Citrus, but "Handy Lemon"? WTF? Does it come over to your house and make repairs for you?

In Response to zamphir (#12356):

I think it is "How Do You Like Me Now" and so tadow is good because it rhymes.... good being purely within the context of choosing a word to lead in an acronym of limited use.

With regard to the photons... Loosely speaking an electron dropping an energy level gives off quanta of energy in the form of a photon. This energy is not a reduction in the mass of the electron though.

For nuclear reactions ya gots to "Watch The Skees!!!"

In Response to zamphir (#12356):

Oh, sure, in the technical sense. But, from a REAL AND PRACTICAL sense, the closer a black hole gets to me, the more I care about it.

When did you start caring about real and practical? Just for once, I want to see you take your licks like a man, instead of this www.whah.crap. I mean, a factor of 1/r or the principle of the conservation of mass is more important than a spelling misteak. Reminds me about something a seamstress told me about her husband tending the fields.

IFYMITA.

In Response to zamphir (#12356):

Would you buy the release of photons from excited electrons as an everyday example of turning matter into energy?

Nope. Turning matter into energy would necessarily involve a loss of mass, which excited electrons do not do. Other than the wonderful world of "atomic power" I can't think of any real world examples.

Cheers,
Graham

In Response to zamphir (#12348):

I'm not a cellular biologist, but I play one on the Internet

Do you get a good sound of it? Is there an .mp3 knocking about?

In Response to deerboy (#12358):

Just for once, I want to see you take your licks like a man
I thought you didn't swing that way?

Well, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's not my bag.

www.whah.crap
Piss off. If you missed the part where I admited I was wrong, it's not my fault.

When did you start caring about real and practical
Umm. Always. Again, if you missed that, it's not my fault.

And piss off.

IFYMITA.
So is this your license plate?

Is it just me, or is anyone else amused by the fact that the only people modded up so far are already sentient citrus?

Cheers,
Graham

In Response to albionsoft (#12369):

the only people modded up so far are already sentient citrus

Well, you sentients are just so darn witty. I'm sure the n00bs with mod points can't help themselves but mod you up.

In Response to zamphir (#12348):

Well, I have a number of points.

Thanks for breaking that post down and using paragraphs. [goats.com] As much as I wanted to put my pedantry, and useless knowledge of quantum physics, to work (since this is about the only place I can do such things) I just couldn't get through the whole thing.

In Response to zamphir (#12367):

There you go. I knew you had a nerve somewhere in there. Can I call you Sega? No, that's not right. You have so many buttons to push, but there is no obvious benefit to doing so. Maybe I should call you Intellivision.

On another note, I am working on some new chat roon acronyms, hoping to see one of them catch on. Rather than rolling on the floor, IFYMITA refers to maternal units, copulation, and an uncomfortable place. Please send 5 cents each time you use it. It would make a nice license plate, though. Time to move to Virginia.

In Response to deerboy (#12375):

What's a "chat room"?

Is that where you go trolling for little boys, to show them that cardboard box you call "Neverland East"?

Have you considered taking up bowling?

In Response to albionsoft (#12369):

How do you think we got to this level?

Cream always rises to the top, assuming that your milk is unhomogenized of course.

Anyone here happen to be an expert on angular dynamics?

Damn you angular dynamics, I hate you so.

In Response to zamphir (#12367):

Wow.

Zamphir modded as -1, Stupid.

My cup runneth over.

In Response to albionsoft (#12369):

Well, I'm a mere Advanced Pedant, and I got modded up. This may have happened after you posted, though.

...

Phillip?

In Response to Dynedain (#12378):

Cream always rises to the top

I thought the fat and yukky stuff rose to the top and needed to be skimmed it off? Of course even the thought of things rising, falling and the need for homogenization in my beverage is why I'm not a dairy man myself. Go Captain Soy!

In Response to mea37 (#12342):

Yes, I've been foiled by my own hubris. And I still have have so much love to give!

Er. Points. So many points to give.

Well, I'll be handing out the points to the deserving in less deserving posts by the same user, I guess.