What grinds my gears…

[KEW]

It's only a matter of time before we see the hand-wound, ceramic/glass adult vibrating toy. All natural, no plastic, and no batteries. Consider it the steam punk version of the original vibrator from the Rubber Novelty Products of Los Angeles.

I've already retrofitted my bedroom with a ceiling mounted belt drive system. Not only does it keep the EMF out of the room, but it gives me a quick read on whether a woman is a keeper when I show her my bedroom! It also makes a compelling argument for her to get a fresh wax job.

Different work tools, but same concept:

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I am wary of heating leftovers in Styrofoam containers where the styrofoam has melted from the food getting too hot. Should I be concerned? I have no science for this, but surely don't like the smell of the gases released from Styrofoam.

You are definitely should not nuke Styrofoam in fact you shouldn't even use it to hold warm food or drinks. It does not go very good for your health in long term. This one is not old wives tales, unless you consider Harvard as one

http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic967858.files/PolystyreneFactSheets.pdf
Important bit:

Polystyrene food containers leach the toxin Styrene when they come into contact
with warm food or drink, alcohol, oils and acidic foods causing human contamination
and posing a health risk to people.

and this:
http://www.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/styrene.html

 

[its phillip]

I am wary of heating leftovers in Styrofoam containers where the styrofoam has melted from the food getting too hot. Should I be concerned? I have no science for this, but surely don't like the smell of the gases released from Styrofoam.

I never heat anything in styrofoam containers.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'm glad to know there might be options for razor blades. I'll look into them.
Old wives tales was my first reaction too. But I was surprised by the clearly powerful emotions that accompanied these highly questionable ideas.

Despite the similarity of the words "radiation" and "radioactive", the electromagnetic waves involved with microwave ovens are not at all like the "radiation" from nuclear decay. It's exactly the same as radar waves. And yes, microwave ovens are shielded so no one in the kitchen is exposed to radar waves while using the ovens.

Lack of knowledge and education creates confusion and fear over obvious things. People used to fear lighting and thunder - thought to be acts of god for example.
Speaking of radiation - technically any light is a form of radiation

 

[KEW]

People used to fear lighting and thunder - thought to be acts of god for example.

You can make some serious bucks if you can convince the insurance companies and court system that they aren't!

 

[Chu Gai]

Here's a deal on the earlier mentioned Dorcos. Cheap enough to try.

 

[herbu]

Here's a deal on the earlier mentioned Dorcos. Cheap enough to try.

Thanks. Ordered it. We'll see. Cheap.

 

[herbu]

As for the evils of microwaves, lots of people are scientifically illiterate. Humanity is doomed.

See my new signature. Evolution... It didn't work for everybody.

 

[slipperybidness]

As for the evils of microwaves, lots of people are scientifically illiterate. Humanity is doomed.

Well, MOST people are scientifically illiterate!

Start talking science and technical terms, and eyes start glazing over.

You ever asked a real scientist about some of their work? Often, it's tough to get them to shut up about it if anyone shows interest in their little niche of scientific research.

To be fair, science isn't learned in a week. It takes many years to truly start to understand and appreciate this topic, and it absolutely pulls from other fields like mathematics and even maintenance and "going with your gut" sometimes.

It takes a very special type of person to dedicate themselves to the love of science. And, if you don't have the love for science then you will not succeed in this field (just like every other field).

 

[shadyJ]

Well, MOST people are scientifically illiterate!

Start talking science and technical terms, and eyes start glazing over.

You ever asked a real scientist about some of their work? Often, it's tough to get them to shut up about it if anyone shows interest in their little niche of scientific research.

To be fair, science isn't learned in a week. It takes many years to truly start to understand and appreciate this topic, and it absolutely pulls from other fields like mathematics and even maintenance and "going with your gut" sometimes.

It takes a very special type of person to dedicate themselves to the love of science. And, if you don't have the love for science then you will not succeed in this field (just like every other field).

I am not even talking about technical stuff, I am talking about basic principles, such as ideas tested through experimentation. Stuff like peer reviewed, reproducible results, or theories that make testable predictions. Most people are scientifically illiterate, but they shouldn't be, and this will be the destruction of our dumb species. I guess it's too much to expect an animal that is 95% chimpanzee to attain that level of enlightenment.

 

[Swerd]

Well, MOST people are scientifically illiterate!

Start talking science and technical terms, and eyes start glazing over.

I guess I became familiar with the eyes glazing over response a long time ago. (I'm a biochemist and work in cancer research – trust me – you really don't want to know more.)

Yes, people aren't born understanding science. They do have to learn it.

What really ground my gears and got me to post this rant thread was something else. It wasn't getting the eyes glazing response, nor getting a brief lecture from the ignorati about the evils and dangers of microwaves (I did hear these words "you're a scientist, so you should know about this"), but the realization that I was talking to people who were otherwise educated and literate but numerically illiterate. If I said anything with numbers in it, it was like I was speaking to them in an unknown foreign language.

The whole issue of risk & probability is not simple, but people who cannot understand the difference between 1% (one-in-a-hundred) and one-in-a-million really get me frustrated. You simply cannot talk about risk these days without numbers.

 

[slipperybidness]

The whole issue of risk & probability is not simple, but people who cannot understand the difference between 1% (one-in-a-hundred) and one-in-a-million really get me frustrated. You simply cannot talk about risk these days without numbers.

You make a very valid point! In fact when you boil it all down, risk = numbers!

Statistics is an incredibly powerful branch of mathematics!!!

We have SPC 6Sigma black belts working here, I just finished discussing data with a black belt for the last hour. His title is "Statistical Process Control Champion". I am working towards a 6Sigma Greenbelt myself.

Manufacturing--Statistics let us know when a process is "out of control" and tells us that the variation in product is normal or special case variation and tells us when we need to react. It also tells us what level of risk is involved and what level of risk is acceptable.

Insurance--Actuaries get paid BIG BUCKS to crunch numbers all day and determine risks.

Quantum Mechanics--It is almost entirely based on statistics and the Schrodinger Equation

When I want to make changes to processes, I always look for the low-risk/high-reward areas, and use stats to figure out where that is.

 

[Alex2507]

a brief lecture from the ignorati

My favorite was you trying to explain to me that fiber glass does not cause brain cancer.

 

[Swerd]

My favorite was you trying to explain to me that fiber glass does not cause brain cancer.

Well… what do I know? Since no one knows what causes brain cancer, how can I be sure what doesn't cause it?

I suppose anything is possible if you stuff enough fiber glass up your nose .

 

[Alex2507]

if you stuff enough fiber glass up your nose .

I'm almost there.

 

[herbu]

Statistics is an incredibly powerful branch of mathematics... SPC 6Sigma black belt...tells us that the variation in product is normal or special case

Ahhh... The good old days. Now you're in my wheelhouse. And I can tell you from experience that savvy execs learned to make friends w/ us Quality guys.

When "the needs of the business" conflicted w/ traditional Quality requirements, those savvy execs knew who to approach for "statistical validation" of their decision.

It was really kind of funny. The truth is that normal Quality requirements are for normal situations. Extraordinary situations can call for extraordinary actions. It was surprising how many people didn't understand that, and had to be convinced with statistics they also didn't understand.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Pretty sad update, but my new status is apparently nothing - I mean nothing's grinds my gears since my coffee grinder decided to give up and instead of producing very finely ground coffee, it only produces lots of noise. I guess it didn't like running on tweaked extra fine settings.
Will have to survive on crappy or outsourced coffee for a week or so... should've paid for faster delivery....

Ordered new grinder - https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/rancilio-rocky-coffee-grinder
Got my as Open box and with 10% off. Total wallet damage $270.

 

[Swerd]

Pretty sad update, but my new status is apparently nothing - I mean nothing's grinds my gears since my coffee grinder decided to give up and instead of producing very finely ground coffee, it only produces lots of noise. I guess it didn't like running on tweaked extra fine settings.
Will have to survive on crappy or outsourced coffee for a week or so... should've paid for faster delivery....

Ordered new grinder - https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/rancilio-rocky-coffee-grinder
Got my as Open box and with 10% off. Total wallet damage $270.

Sorry to hear that. It should be a new thread… What Grinds My Beans.

 

[Swerd]

Ahhh... The good old days. Now you're in my wheelhouse. And I can tell you from experience that savvy execs learned to make friends w/ us Quality guys.

When "the needs of the business" conflicted w/ traditional Quality requirements, those savvy execs knew who to approach for "statistical validation" of their decision.

It was really kind of funny. The truth is that normal Quality requirements are for normal situations. Extraordinary situations can call for extraordinary actions. It was surprising how many people didn't understand that, and had to be convinced with statistics they also didn't understand.

I'm not in QC, but I have a sort of similar story about the abuse of statistics. Scientists are often trained that "if you want it done right, do it yourself". For most of us, statistics are a major exception to that rule.

Once inexpensive statistics software packages became available to anyone with a PC, the abuse of statistics started to increase. Just because you had some DIY software didn't mean you actually understood what statistical analysis methods were appropriate and which ones were not.

Years ago, I had a lab technician, who eventually went back to school to get a degree in public health. She took a statistics course, and the instructor used published scientific papers to illustrate how NOT to use statistics. One of the examples was a paper by a guy down the hall from me. I always thought he was a slick operator who couldn't be trusted. When my old lab tech emailed me about it, I got a big smile. Now, I always go ask a real statistician.

 

[Steve81]

Simple answers on both counts probably:

But why is there such a bewildering variety of razor blades?

Companies need something new to stay relevant/appear ahead of the curve. Something like a Mach 3 doesn't really distinguish itself vs store brand razors on the shelves any more.

what’s the deal with shunning microwave ovens ?

People fear what they don't understand. It's a truism that applies to many wonders of the modern age: microwaves, vaccines, cell phones, nuclear power, etc. Never mind that you get a larger dose of radiation from flying cross country than you do from an x-ray.