English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

CowperKettle

00:18

Orobanche, commonly known as broomrape, is a genus of almost 200 species of small parasitic herbaceous plants, mostly native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. It is the type genus of the broomrape family Orobanchaceae. == Description == Broomrapes are generally small, only 10–60 centimetres (4–24 inches) tall depending on species. They are best recognized by the yellow- to straw-coloured stems completely lacking chlorophyll, bearing yellow, white, or blue snapdragon-like flowers. The flower shoots are scaly, with a dense terminal spike of 10-20 flowers in most species, although single in one...

Naked broomrape (Orobanche uniflora)

"Who plants a seed begets a bud,
Extract of that same root;
Why marvel at the hectic blood
That flushes this wild fruit?"
(Countee Cullen)

@M.A.R. Don't they try to record videos and photos of every rally attender in Iran? There are big silent guys in plainclothes walking around at almost every demonstration, silently pointing their smartphones here and there, trying to record everyone

It first started in the 2000s

They used digital cameras back then.

jlliagre

00:38

@CowperKettle Italian rape are turnips, in French navets. A navet is also used to name a poor movie, à la "Razzie Awards".

CowperKettle

@jlliagre In Russia, bad movies are sometimes mockingly said of having received the "heavy-branched cranberry tree" prize; from a 19th century joke about a Frenchman who upon returning from Russia tells his relatives how he used to take rest under the heavy reclining boughs of the cranberry tree

Развесистая клюква

Развесистая клюква (или под развесистой клюквой, раскидистая клюква, иногда просто клюква) — идиоматическое выражение, обозначающее вымыслы, ложные стереотипы, искажённые представления, вздорные и нелепые выдумки. Выражение обычно употребляется в язвительно-ироническом смысле, чаще всего о бытующих среди иностранцев домыслах о России и русских: о жизни, культуре, истории, языке и т. п. Идиома содержит в себе оксюморон, который заключается в том, что низкорослый (2—3 см) стелющийся по земле кустик клюквы никак не может быть развесистым. Толковый словарь Ожегова определяет это выражение как ироничное...

Up until this morning I thought that the expression was borrowed from the writings of Alexandre Dumas père, but the article says it's a myth

@Robusto The Butlerian Jihad will save us

Dune: The Butlerian Jihad

Dune: The Butlerian Jihad is a 2002 science fiction novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. It is the first book in the Legends of Dune prequel trilogy, which takes place over 10,000 years before the events of Frank Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel Dune. The series chronicles the fictional Butlerian Jihad, a crusade by the last free humans in the universe against the thinking machines, a violent and dominating force led by the sentient computer Omnius. Dune: The Butlerian Jihad rose to #7 on The New York Times Best Seller list in...

jlliagre

@CowperKettle Hahaha, I'm going to plant cranberries in my garden to enjoy their shade in summer!

CowperKettle

00:53

LOL

Michael Rybkin

01:55

@jlliagre Thank you very much

CowperKettle

02:11

Etymology of the day: diphtheria - coined in 1817 by Pierre Bretonneau using Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra, “prepared hide, leather”) in reference to the tough gray pseudomembrane that forms in the throat.

The origin is uncertain, possibly from Proto-Hellenic *dipʰtʰérā. Related to διψάρα (dipsára, “writing-tablet; piece of leather”) and Mycenaean Greek 𐀇𐁇𐀨 (di-pte-ra).

Compare also Old Persian 𐎮𐎡𐎱𐎡 (di-i-p-i /⁠dipi⁠/), Akkadian 𒁾 (ṭuppu, “tablet, document, letter”) and Sumerian 𒁾 (dub, “tablet”), Sumerian 𒁾𒊬 (dub-sar, “writer, scribe”).

> The term "sapronosis" was coined by the Russian microbiologist Vasiliy Ilyich Terskikh in 1958, who contested the then-widespread idea that pathogenic bacteria could not persist in the environment outside of a host.

What? Up to the 1950s people did not think that bacteria can exist in the soil without being inside a host?

Suspicious

(from Wikipedia)

From Ancient Greek σαπρός (saprós, “putrid”).

From σήψ (sḗps, “putrefying sore”). The alternation between η and α has suggested PIE origin (possible roots: Proto-Indo-European *tweh₂p-, *tyeh₂p- or *Kyeh₂p- (last option chosen by LIV)), though a zero grade -ih₂- would not actually yield Proto-Greek -ya-. Beekes rejects relation to Lithuanian siupti (“to putrefy”) or Sanskrit क्याकु (kyāku, “fungus”).

Oh. Sepsis.

CowperKettle

02:48

tchrist

03:52

> We live among evergreen trees, and as the wind gets stronger, I would have to calculate how the psithurism of air flowing through pine needles at increasing speeds shrinks the aural neighborhood.

< ψιθύρισμα, ψιθυρισμός

A word for those who have grown weary of the more pedestrian susurration.

> 1848 There is the continuous whisper in psithurisma. —L. Hunt, Jar of Honey 61
1856 A murmurous laughter of mocking winds arose at times, and rustled on, and died away into the psithurisma of Theocritus. —J. E. Cooke, Last of Foresters xxxii. 192
1871 Do you not hear the musical psithurism of the feathered foliage? —M. Collins, Secret of Long Life ii. 12
1883 The popularity of our new hexameter with simple readers who know little of the Homeric roll, the Sicilian psithurisma, or Virgil’s liquid flow, has been demonstrated. —Century Magazine October 932/2

Word Matters, episode 8: A Collection of Obscure Words That Are Pretty Much Useless

They're just being pissy because people used to study Greek and Latin.

> AMMON: Yeah. Jentacular, it’s perfect. For other obscure words, I wouldn’t call it useless but they’re not coming up that often, but I was just thinking about this one today. Psithurism. Spelled with a P. It is defined as “a whispering sound, as of wind among leaves.”

EMILY: That is a nice one.

AMMON: It’s such a pretty word. We should leave jumentous and nidorosity behind and let’s just all think about psithurism.

Vikas

04:14

@M.A.R. MCV: 96.3 fL, HCT 35.0 %. I have no idea what it means. Neither do nearby doctors here.

Google search says MCV is normal. HCT is lower than normal.

> Doctors associate anemia with several health conditions, including:

Nutrient deficiency: A person may lack adequate amounts of vitamin B12, folate, or iron.

One other serious reason is kidney disease. I hope I don't have that.

I don't think I'm eating too less folate or iron. B12 I would suspect.

I'll monitor it for a few days.

tchrist

04:43

@jlliagre Perché stavo solo scherzando, soprattutto sulla parola tabù. :)

SmokeDetector

04:58

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword in body, bad phone number in body, bad phone number in title, phone number detected in title, potentially bad keyword in title (384): Khiwasara rupee c us to m er care toll free number ((+91))9777364825// )))+91((9777364825/=callg‭ by Sauat Kumar‭ on english.SE

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword in answer, bad phone number in answer (188): Khiwasara rupee c us to m er care toll free number ((+91))9777364825// )))+91((9777364825/=callg‭ by Sauat Kumar‭ on english.SE

tchrist

05:10

-1

A: Why can't a full stop be used to end titles and section headings?

It's actually not entirely accurate to say that a full stop (also known as a period) can never be used to end titles and section headings in English. However, there's a strong preference to avoid them in most cases due to several factors: Conciseness and Readability: Titles and section headings...

-1

A: Origin of “best-in-class”

While the exact origin and first use of the phrase "best-in-class" is difficult to pinpoint, there is evidence of its commonly wide usage as early as the mid-20th century. Here's what we know: Early Evidence: The earliest documented use found in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is from a 1958 ...

0

A: Is saying "probably apocryphal" acceptable?

Yes, saying "probably apocryphal" is acceptable and idiomatic English. Here's a breakdown of its meaning and usage: Apocryphal: This word means "of doubtful authenticity; legendary or of questionable origin." Probably: This adverb indicates "likely or most likely to be true." Therefore, "probably...

Please downvote what looks to be our newest GenAI plagiarist.

That will block him from spamming us.

Remember what happened to the little Dutch boy who stuck his finger in the dike to stop the flood: he drowned.

Dannyu NDos

What about flagging them?

tchrist

05:28

You mean red flags, or just attention flags?

They already have attention flags. But it takes many hours of paperwork for a moderator to do anything about GenAI posts.

Each one.

It probably isn't really appropriate to red-flag them with Spam or Rude/Abusive flags even though that will deleted them eventually. But I know that sometimes people have done that with these.

Downvotes will probably be enough for an answer-ban.

It takes longer with answers than with questions, IIRC.

Dannyu NDos

I don't have 125 rep to downvote anything, so sorry.

M.A.R.

05:48

@CowperKettle nah I don't think so. Someone raises a stink, cops come, and in more violent cases beat everyone up.

I suppose the Iranian regime relies on its supporters to rat people out, but Russia wants to be sure

M.A.R.

06:19

@YaakovTzir: they obviously want to conquer the whole planet, as your blog says. They have an overpopulation of cardinals, so I think the evidence is clear. — Dolphin 613 Motorboat 10 hours ago

@tchrist won't I trigger the reversal script?

DV'd two for now

Vikas

06:56

@M.A.R. @CowperKettle today it's confirmed by blood test that I'm indeed D and B12 deficient. I'm not fully sure how that report is reliable though. I'm thinking to get it tested from one more different lab and then start treatment.

Vikas

07:13

They sent my blood sample to Delhi NCR for testing. I'm not sure if that would give one accurate report.

M.A.R.

11:27

@Vikas retesting isn't necessary. If your diet is mostly vegetarian, B12 deficiency is expected. I would recommend stocking up on folate and B12

CowperKettle

@Vikas I'm sorry to hear that! What are youre levels?

I want to buy "sensor gloves" to work with my smartphone outside in cold weather - but I'm unsure whether they are worth the price. Maybe they only allow rude operations - making a call, and are unfit for finer movements needed for working in Telegram and with a map navigation apps - I work a lot with a map navigation app, and I need the gloves to make the screen as sensitive as it is with hands

Ah, in English they are touchscreen gloves, the sensor gloves term is a Russian thing

A transformer vault

Vikas

12:58

@CowperKettle According to that report, D = 5.2 ng/mL

B12 = 82 pg/mL

I'm not sure my B12 is severely low or just low

D seems severely low

It also confirms it's anemia

CowperKettle

@Vikas 13 nmol/L, this is low. You should keep it at about 30 to 60 nmol/L

Not tragically low, but still quite low

Vikas

@CowperKettle I'll need to convert it to that unit?

CowperKettle

My mom had 9 nmol/L, this was serious

@Vikas It's just the common unit here in Russia :)

Luckily it's very easy to replenish your vit D

Vikas

@CowperKettle OK. Is it same or different from ng/mL?

@CowperKettle My fear is, if I go to doctor he will tell: Oh you have anemia let's eat some Iron tablets.

My iron levels shows normal.

CowperKettle

@Vikas There are online conversion tools: scymed.com/en/smnxtb/tbcbmvb1.htm

I don't know about B12 levels, I never read about them..

Vikas

13:10

@CowperKettle Thanks

CowperKettle

But B12 here in Russia is extremely cheap. You can buy a ton per buck

I make two injections a month, there's a carton with some glass ampoules lying around

Because I take methylfolate, I want to make sure that I do not develop covert B12 deficiency. Methylfolate may mask the symptoms when taken in large doses.

Vikas

I am having slight vibration in my left feet bottom. And sometimes mild pain in different parts of body, like spasms.

And mild headache is constant during the day.

If I need better doctors, I will have to go to Delhi. I'm not comfortable with that.

Other option is some other doctors in nearby city.

@CowperKettle Yeah it shows just around that.

But I think my low blood counts is because of B12 only.

Only a good doctor can tell.

M.A.R.

13:55

@Vikas oh wow.

@Vikas Iron deficiency anemia is common in women, not men. Men with iron deficiency anemia usually have some sort of unexplained bleeding, or an even more dangerous condition.

Hence it's important that we sufficiently explain why a male patient is anemic.

Your MCV is not very high, so I think you should start on 1 mg of folate every day and a vit B12 IM injection every week for a couple of weeks.

And cripes do something about those D levels. For at least 6 weeks, take one of those 50,000 IU vit D pearls once a week. Then retest.

@CowperKettle NGL sounds like one of those fancy things I don't need

And besides haven't we established Russia is too Russia for electronics?

CowperKettle

@M.A.R. NGL gloves? I'll look them up

M.A.R.

@Vikas spasms, tingling and headaches are very nonspecific symptoms, so I can't give much of an advice. Vit D deficiency can cause tingling and headaches.

@CowperKettle NGL = Not Gonna Lie

Do you even internet

CowperKettle

NGL, I don't

M.A.R.

NGL neither do I.

I feel like one of the Amish when people talk about their FB or Instagram accounts.

I don't have either of those.

Nor a Twitter account.

I did make one a while back but then forgot its password

Oh, wait. They actually required my phone for the second login, and that's when I flipped the bird

CowperKettle

Twitter suprisingly is great for science information. I fine-tuned my feed so I get amazing discoveries posted by neuroscientists themselves

Bitta Moghaddam is on Twitter

M.A.R.

14:06

Maybe neuroscientists are suspiciously optimistic

CowperKettle

M.A.R.

Neuroscientists are like the mathematicians of medical sciences. Overly obsessed about one theory or another.

Sometimes it feels religious honestly.

CowperKettle

M.A.R.

I had a CD player. I used it so much I think it just gave up on me

This PC I'm using (the pharmacy's) has a CD slot. Yeah it looks as old as you would think.

Not like those hunchback monitors, but the next best thing.

Vikas

@M.A.R. Actually my MCV is 101 I think. The one I told yesterday was little old report. My Hemoglobin dropped to 10.8.

@M.A.R. I'm desperate to find a good doctor.

M.A.R.

14:14

@Vikas I think the bar for finding a doctor who knows how to treat anemia is not very high.

The difference would be a good doctor will have more experience and adequately rule out possible underlying causes.

@Vikas Yeah so do that. Any reason you don't want to take iron supplements?

Did you experience abdominal side effects from using them before?

Vikas

@M.A.R. I'm not sure. It is showing in between recommend values in my report. So I guess it won't fix the hemoglobin?

@M.A.R. I took them decades ago last time.

M.A.R.

@Vikas Interpreting iron levels is not that easy. What are your BUN and SCr?

TIBC?

Ferritin?

Vikas

@M.A.R. I'll let you know in some time.

@M.A.R. There was some "Ferene" method mentioned on report.

M.A.R.

Sure. Either way a few iron pills couldn't hurt either, as long as your GI tract is okay with it

Vikas

@M.A.R. This is why I need good doctor 😂 And that's why I want to get tested once again from another lab.

@M.A.R. I've been eating iron rich food. But I haven't eaten much dairy products in last 3 years. Ate only yogurt that was also not consistent.

M.A.R.

14:22

@Vikas Doctors prescribe the tests, the lab only performs them.

Vikas

But I think my quality of life can now be improved if I fix these issues. I'd no longer comment "I'm lazy" in this chat room every month.

M.A.R.

@Vikas That's what they used to measure iron levels. I'm talking about other items in the tests

@Vikas Well my quality of life is okay but I'm still lazy

@Vikas Yogurt and milk are great sources of calcium, vit D, not so much.

Vikas

@M.A.R. Also experienced doctor will tell me right amount of supplements.

@M.A.R. I know it doesn't even contain D. (home made yogurt)

But from what I've read it contains some B12.

M.A.R.

Generally south Asian diets are vit D-poor. Taking one 50,000 IU pill every month is what I recommend everyone in the pharmacy that asks about it.

You're deficient though, so you need a higher dose.

Vikas

@M.A.R. You are right. I need someone to guide me properly. Just like you but in my area.

I'm very sure most doctors here don't know how much dose is needed.

They would just prescribe what's available at the pharmacy shop. And in worst case, they would say buy from Amazon.

M.A.R.

14:28

@CowperKettle An informative picture on the dangers of second-hand smoking.

@Vikas Well I've said it in this chat before, distrusting healthcare workers is usually counter-productive even if you're right.

Vikas

I want to go to New Delhi but my parents say go to their favorite doctors.

M.A.R.

I myself have plenty of grievances about MDs who are idiots and who prescribe medications idiotically.

Vikas

My mom suddenly want me to eat more! That's not going to fix it.

M.A.R.

@Vikas You shouldn't overspend but doctors aren't a pair of socks. You don't pick ones whose color you like.

Vikas

@M.A.R. With that much low D level, if I fall down will it break bones?

I think this level has been like that maybe for many many years.

Because I used to work mostly indoor.

M.A.R.

14:35

@Vikas Vit D isn't directly related to that. To see if someone has osteoporosis, there's a special sort of X-ray imaging called bone densitometry, which gives us a FRAX score which I can use to tell you the risk of fracturing your bones if you fall down. Your bones are very likely not brittle now, not yet.

Bones increase in density until the age of 30-35.

Vikas

Well I'm 31. My density is constant.

M.A.R.

The main manifestations of vit D deficiency are depressed mood, tingling, things like that.

And as I've said before, regarding bones, your calcium intake is much more important than vit D.

Mitch

@CowperKettle same, but not neuroscientists.

not -not- neuroscientists.

but

but you know, that's not my main thing

M.A.R.

Vitamin D has other roles in hormonal balances and what not

@Mitch AI ragebait?

Mitch

big worries about selection bias though... it's only people who really want to spit things out to the world that post on twitter.

M.A.R.

14:39

Also you somehow know which medications gain FDA approval before I do.

@Mitch ditto.

Mitch

so there are likely lots of important thought leaders who really just don't do twitter.

M.A.R.

Well I was going in the "it's too optimistic" direction

Mitch

also a lot of the ones that were vocal moved over to bluesky

M.A.R.

Proper breakthroughs actually tend to come without warning

Vikas

@M.A.R. I'm not sure about tingling word actually. But it started happening three four days ago only. It's like very small vibration in bottom of my left foot. Also, I have always felt I've lost interest in everything I used to love and do. But I thought it's because I lost the job in covid. And I also thought maybe I'm no longer young that's why I lost energy.

Mitch

14:40

@M.A.R. You see me man

M.A.R.

Grammarly is getting on my nerves. So what if I don't punctuate sentences

Vikas

Thanks @M.A.R. for the chat.

M.A.R.

@Vikas Well when my dad was vit D deficient he was very irritable, and that noticeably changed after we found out and now he's a devout vit D worshipper and I'm having trouble stopping him from taking too many of those pearls

@Vikas Anytime

Mitch

@M.A.R. Oh... uh... the problem with the 'microblpgging' platforms is that they encourage 'short' thinking. So everything is clickbait, pulling in every direction. But for science topics it's mostly far gone optimists and depths of despair pessimists, few of whom ae actual experts in the field that they're opinionating on.

Vikas

@M.A.R. Irritable is also a sign of D deficiency?

Mitch

14:43

See... I just did it.

M.A.R.

@Vikas can be. Mental disturbances tend to manifest themselves in a variety of ways.

Mitch

I am not a thought leader on internet practices, yet I gave a hard-lined pronouncement on its sociology.

Hopefully you'll be enraged enough, in any direction to reply.

M.A.R.

It's okay because I agree with you. If I didn't I would have been skeptical

Vikas

I am getting irritated this year more I think. But then again I blame myself that maybe I'm not educated enough.

Mitch

@M.A.R. I can't tell if we're past the age of breakthroughs yet or not. There's lots of government assistance to do science the world over, and it produces incremental progress at scale.

Vikas

14:45

One of the biggest thing that upset me this winter was: Winter itself. I felt extra cold even when winter was same as last year.

Mitch

@M.A.R. You forgot a period.

Vikas

@Mitch I'm going to remind you all of yours forgotten ones. Not yet, but some day when I can focus better.

Mitch

@Vikas Lack of focus is a sign of irony deficiency.

or something

Vikas

@Mitch I don't want to hear it before I fix other deficiencies.

@Mitch Too many Instagram reels.

@Mitch Oh that was a joke

Mitch

@Vikas I'm messing with you. I am the worst perpetrator of period and punctuation pejoration.

@Vikas Jinx!

Vikas

14:49

See I can't focus on words

Mitch

Also I couldn't think of a good word for 'making lots of mistakes with' that begins with a 'p', so I just used a random fancy word that does and let God and strained metaphor work it out.

@Vikas Well, at least you got it.

I'm not always... what is the opposite of facetious?

Abstemious?

Polysemous?

Germane?

Probably none of those.

@Vikas Wait... what's an Instagram 'reel'?

Robusto

@Mitch Abstemious and facetious share an interesting characteristic: all five vowels in alphabetical order.

Mitch

@Robusto ergo my using them one after another.

THere are a few more like that but I vaguely remember them as being... not likeable.

ie they may very well be words that do that, but for some vague unspecific inarticulable reason, I just don't like them.

Robusto

@Mitch No! You're not likeable!

M.A.R.

@Mitch I'm sure there is plenty to be had in medicine. Physics? I dunno.

@Mitch I wanna make an inappropriate joke

Robusto

15:04

@Mitch Forget flying cars, where's our cure for cancer?

Mitch

Category:English words that use all vowels in alphabetical order

yep, I don't like any of the others

@M.A.R. Go on.

@Robusto I've seen hints that there might actually be something like that on the horizon.

M.A.R.

@Mitch I'm not gonna fall for that

Mitch

But only for particular kinds of cancer, not the whole thing.

Robusto

Arsenious looks like it's about passé talk-show hosts.

M.A.R.

@Robusto We already have a few

Robusto

15:06

@M.A.R. Cures?

M.A.R.

@Robusto Yes, cures!

Mitch

Also a super vaccine, for the flu and corona viruses and similar virus things.

M.A.R.

@Mitch "Potion of healing" would be convenient.

Robusto

@M.A.R. You can get those in any RPG.

Mitch

@Robusto He's more plus-que-parfait

M.A.R.

15:08

But you can't get any RPGs unless you're in an active warzone with tanks

Robusto

rimshot

M.A.R.

Literally

Robusto

And figuratively.

Mitch

@M.A.R. oh really? 'cure' as in take it and the cancer goes away?

I want a list.

M.A.R.

@Mitch Uh-huh. Well, they're usually not as benign as the word "cure" would make it sound.

Robusto

15:09

If that ever does happen, my son will be out of a job.

I think his tenure is pretty safe, though.

M.A.R.

ATRA cures APL.

Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation tends to cure some angry MM types.

Robusto

@M.A.R. APL is was a programming language.

Mitch

Bone marrow transplants?

M.A.R.

Of course, you need to meet certain criteria to be able to endure the transplant.

@Mitch Aye

Robusto

@M.A.R. So maybe the cure is worse than the disease?

Mitch

15:11

(after radiation killing -all- cancer-producing WBC)

M.A.R.

And to get your body ready for transplant, a very high dose of some chemo drug (melphalan) is needed.

Robusto

All this talk of cancer is making me sick.

Mitch

@M.A.R. That always seemed like bungee jumping off a tall bridge without a bungee cord and planning for a helicopter to swoop in and catch you.

M.A.R.

After which there's the risk of GVHD (Where since your body is completely depleted of immune cells and the transplanted marrow has some, they start attacking your entire body) which you don't wish on your worst enemy

Mitch

@Robusto We can talk politics if that'll make you feel better.

I'm kidding. I don't want to do that.

Robusto

15:12

@Mitch Brat.

Mitch

@M.A.R. I'd like to not have that happen.

Wait.. my -worst- enemy?

M.A.R.

Well, something much less drastic: Colon or breast cancer tissue detected early hasn't invaded other tissues or lymph nodes. It can be the size of the ball of a ballpoint pen and removing it is usually "curative"

Which emphasizes the importance of screening and early detection.

Mitch

@M.A.R. People make a big deal out of the nuances of 'cure' vs 'treatment' and I think I was hinting at that.

As far as I'm concerned, a little snip or there for colon or skin cancer seems curative to me.

Robusto

Enemies are the worst.

M.A.R.

If you don't detect it, most types of breast cancer are very aggressive, it will quickly metastize to the brain and the bones

Mitch

15:16

@M.A.R. But then there is the concern about over-treatment (like for prostate cancer)

@M.A.R. Holy shit man, let's move on to politics.

less anxiety provoking

Robusto

@M.A.R. How important is English for pharmaceutical science in Iran?

M.A.R.

@Mitch That's because prostate cancer and most brain cancers develop so slowly and so late in life that they don't pose as much as a risk as cancer chemo or other diseases would

Mitch

OK how about the weather then? Weather talk is pretty anodyne.

googles 'greeland ice sheet collapse'

Robusto

@Mitch Wait, where is Mitch and what have you done with him?

Mitch

huh

I wonder what is the phrase that I would use someone were keeping me hostage.

Vikas

15:22

@Mitch In India, it is used by influencers to spread rumors, health tips without any scientific proofs, other misinformation, and unhygienic food videos.

Mitch

I could say most anything and people would say 'Oh that Mitch... always so sarcastic'

M.A.R.

@Robusto Well, any science is properly only conducted in English. In a country like Iran, however, you can get away with very bad English.

Mitch

@Vikas yeah sure but what is this 'reel' thing?

M.A.R.

@Mitch Are you feeling vit D-deficient?

Mitch

What is the mechanism? Is it a sequence of images?

@M.A.R. Not particularly.

Robusto

15:24

Mitch takes lots of Vitamin S. (The S is for sarcasm.)

CowperKettle

This 70-Year-Old Ran a 2:54 Marathon

►

Mitch

That's assuming I have an idea of what the effects of such deficiency are.

And that would be a shaky assumption.

M.A.R.

I think my English is better than even most of my profs that spent some time in England

Mitch

Actually entirely unsupported assumption.

Actually just plain wrong.

M.A.R.

Scientific articles involve a very narrow range of English anyway.

Mitch

15:26

@Robusto There's more vitamin S in my pee than... well, I don't want to say because it would come across as boasting which is unseemly.

Robusto

@M.A.R. I'd say that's probabl an understatement.

M.A.R.

Well I was mostly putting them down rather than trying to boast

Mitch

@M.A.R. cues up Rapper's Delight

which sounds like a sinful ice cream dessert

Vikas

@Mitch Basically Instagram's Tiktok.

@Mitch You swipe endless short videos vertically.

And you can judge each video within milliseconds, whether you want to see it or not.

M.A.R.

And several of the faculty members are among the "top 1% researchers" in the world, which is measured using h-index or citations; the point is they know how to compose an article in a few days.

@Vikas That does sound like the special sort of hypnosis I've seen my friends under when they're scrolling their Instagram feed

Like holy crap mind control would look exactly like that

Mitch

15:32

@Vikas I get it now.

M.A.R.

@Mitch It's kinda depressing since now Skeptics and Politics SEs are filled with stuff about the genocide in Gaza

Mitch

@M.A.R. And it's the dumbest sort of mind control.

Vikas

@M.A.R. I scroll them when I can't focus on anything else. It's mostly waste of time because there are some good content creators but most of videos are click baits and misinformation. And I think they deliberately post health related stuff because they know that's what people are going to watch the more.

Mitch

@M.A.R. How about depression? We could talk about depression.

M.A.R.

@Vikas Well I used to say sardonically that everyone fancies themselves a doctor. Then I figured everyone everywhere fancies themselves everything.

Mitch

15:34

@M.A.R. I think of myself as a circus acrobat.

I mean I think 'Hey -I- could do that'.

Robusto

@Mitch Hey! That's my fantasy!

Mitch

I don't because it's kind of dangerous.

@Robusto I'm just going to jump straight to '... and fools seldom differ'

CowperKettle

@M.A.R. I had a 19" Hitachi CRT monitor, professional series. It was cool, and my cats loved it. I gave it avay for free on Avito, a kind of backyard sale website. A young couple came to take it away, and they were happy. They told me they would hitch a movie player to it

I think it may serve some 20 years more

ham meme

►

Yesterday was the warmest-ever 3rd March in St Petersburg, at 6.8°C, but that's only 0.1 above the previous record of 1957

M.A.R.

@Mitch Yeah one huge and understated reason antidepressants are not as effective as they can be is, from personal experience, lack of adherence. A depressed person is 1) likely to care more about the side effects (namely, heartburn and dyspepsia common with SSRIs), and 2) less likely to really keep track of a medication they don't see immediately improving their mood.

@CowperKettle This brings me back. We did have a 22" Hitachi. Before that Panasonic was a brand commonly encountered in Iran

CowperKettle

I felt better on escitalopram after 4 days.

Vikas

15:48

Dec 9, 2023 at 16:07, by Vikas

I will walk 10 Kms some day just to see what happens. But I guess that will take me 2 to 3 hours with my usual speed.

I'm abandoning my plan for now 😂

CowperKettle

Probably your studies take all the time

M.A.R.

"just to see what happens" Hah I guess that's as good a reason as any

@Vikas How long did each walk take?

If you're walking too slowly the benefits will be minimal, yes.

CowperKettle

I walked 10 km today

M.A.R.

Nice. All work and no play has made me a dull boy.

And the courses this semester are really boring. PharmD doesn't end on a high note.

CowperKettle

And then I rested, and ran some 6 km. And before starting the walk, I walked 4km to the starting point, so in total, 15km of walking + 6km of running, 21km total per 04 March

alphabet

15:52

> Residents in northern Gaza say they are searching rubble and garbage for anything to feed their children, who barely eat one meal a day.

When it happens to raccoons, nobody cares. When it happens to Gazans, people (checks notes) also don't care.

Vikas

@M.A.R. I just checked my history. My last walks were done in December last year. 50 minutes for 2.50 miles. I compared it with my one year old walks. I used to do same in 40 minutes.

I am sure 50 minutes for 2.50 miles is slow. 40 is better. My goal should be 30-35 minutes.

In short, I need to do brisk walk.

CowperKettle

Do you record it with the smartphone?

Vikas

But anyway, I saw some positive effects of walk. I felt mentally better.

@CowperKettle Yeah Adidas app.

M.A.R.

If you're walking to get somewhere, it's certainly better than sitting around all day but not all that beneficial.

CowperKettle

I feel my mood getting better after walks in the park.

@Vikas I'm using Strava

Vikas

15:56

@CowperKettle Yeah I think it definitely helps. Doesn't matter slow or fast walk.

CowperKettle

There are studies showing that people's cortisol levels decrease in parks.

They feel less stressed out

Vikas

@CowperKettle Yeah I know I installed it once.

@CowperKettle Parks here are smaller and crowded. So I avoid them.

CowperKettle

I wonder which has more active users, Strava or Adidas Runtastic

> The popular sports app Strava had more than 100 million users in 195 countries at the end of May 2022. Runtastic from Adidas has as many as 182 million registered users.

Wow, Runtastic is ahead at least in total count

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