GammaGlobulin

Doubling Time Exponential Growth is Amazing. We are bound to expand until our resources are depleted. Or... Maybe we will go out with a BANG? Children today have no feel for the effects of human population growth. Only we old guys might have an inkling.

It is best, at least I have found it so for me, never to tally up how much one spends during any given period of time. To do so is both shocking and worrying. I subscribe to the local ethos which is to never plan for tomorrow, and to never worry about what one does not plan for. Almost everybody runs out of money at one time or another. Best to wait for that day to arrive, and then begin to worry.

If it's fame and fortune that is one's sole motivation for writing and publishing, then maybe best to write another "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test", but tweaked for the present generation of non-reading, almost illiterate, simpletons. Tom Wolfe (died 2018, RIP) was a heck of a writer, in that he was able to capture the feel of the culture of an entire generation. But then, he was a Yaley who dressed up as a dandy in white suits all the time. And so, what more could one expect?

Glad to hear that you caught the bug, .... finally!!!!

Speaking of "muck", I have always felt that we humans have not yet fully raised ourselves out of the swamp. And now, with AI on the horizon, perhaps we never shall.

Clearly, at least to me it is clear, you are becoming the forum's Chemistry Consultant in Residence, willingly or unwillingly, as the case may be. I have an important, pertinent, and On-Topic question concerning the ways in which “hard water” affects plumbing fixtures and other metal parts that come into contact for prolonged periods with this bane of our on-the-homefront existence. Question: From a detailed chemical-reaction perspective, how, exactly, does hard water cause plumbing fixtures, metal pipes, tubing inside water heaters, and the like, to deteriorate and degrade much more rapidly than would otherwise be the case. In replying to my question, please feel free to use your skills with the LaTeX editor to add the appropriate chemical equations. And, please do not tell me that you are not good with LaTeX, because I would not believe you if you did. Here in Thailand, many people are not aware of just how hard water affects their pipes, and probably lose money due to their ignorance about a few simple chemical equations. Why would a water tap suddenly fall off the pipe, for example, and flood a house, even if it had not been used for ages? Could such a thing be caused by ghosts? Or, is there some sort of chemistry at work? I bet that your informed answer will prove quite valuable to many who are reading this topic about hard water. I am sure of it. Please Note: LaTeX is a magnificent piece of software for doing text editing of Math and Science text. LaTeX is FUN to use!!! And, using LaTeX, one can produce a result which is completely ready for publishing in any science journal. And this is why I know you know your LaTeX.

ABSOLUTELY, he is. Congrats to him, on this, by the way!

This is what's wrong with the world, these days, among a few other things. I would have wished to see the culture preserved rather than dismantled. Football has become the new opium of the masses, and I refuse to be drawn in by either religion or football. Football, and the reporting of football, should be banned on the BBC.

This, below pictured, is a piano. But, have you ever seen a Loooooonger one? There must be something wrong with the video's ASPECT RATIO, here? András Schiff is even better than...The Ghoul! Leeds was once such a great city. I used to read old novels which mentioned it. Now, Leeds is all about football, a sign of our declining times. God do I ever detest football! And American football is even worse, by a hair.

So then.... Is the instrument shown in The Collection (1976 Drama) a harpsichord or a piano (UTUBE 33:25)? And, for that matter, what is this: (https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/whats-the-difference-between-a-harpsichord-and-a-piano/) Interesting, right?

Should anyone, these days, be wondering what made Olivier so special, then maybe no need to look any further than this: Magnificent!

While watching "The Collection", please be on the lookout for the BEAUTIFUL harpsichord (33:25). I think it must be a harpsichord and not a piano. As you know, JS Bach wrote almost exclusively for the harpsichord and NOT the piano, which was, at the time, a newfangled thing.

Dear Friends, Do you recall what British TV used to be? British TV was once a gift to the whole world. Here is just one exemplar of what I am referring to: “Laurence Olivier Presents”, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Olivier_Presents I’m talking about decent SYNTACTIC COMPLEXITY in the script! I’m talking about something fit for the Upper Crust, and don’t be ashamed if you side with the upper classes, My Friends. Here, I am not speaking of pretentiousness in the least, but just a bit of intellectual stimulation which has now become a rare commodity. Why has British TV become so dumbed down since 1976? I believe that this circumstance is directly attributable to the Americans, and their 1976 Bicentennial Celebration of the American Revolution, and the dumb-dumping of good tea into the Boston Harbor. When the British witnessed the dumping of so much good tea into the sea, this became just a step too far, and British TV began its long decline resultantly. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then maybe watch this number from Laurance Olivier Presents: Now do you see what I’m driving at? I wish I could now return to 1976, and then travel to London, and never leave. I once had the opportunity to remain in England, but chose to return to the US where I spent my university years. It was a toss up at the time, because I had toyed with the idea of engaging in studies at the University of East Anglia, after reading some old novels, back then. I would have made this post longer, as usual, but this morning I am feeling a bit petered out. Regards, Gamma G. Please Note: As a true Anglophile, I do not blame the British for becoming a bit miffed at the sight of so much wantonly wasted tea in the sea. Note2: Here in Thailand, instead of Leo, why not try a Gin and Tonic while watching via UTUBE all of the dramas uploaded on Laurence Olivier Presents? No doubt, your better half will love these too, maybe even better than Thai Soaps; she might find them!

Please refer to the mother who most helped you achieve your academic goals in Science. How did she influence you most.

POWER dominates us all. AND, if one wishes to better understand POWER, in the family, in the village, and in society, then one should spend significant time studying "Kinship Terminology", which is the KEY to understanding power relationships. By Kinship Terminology, I am referring, in the case of passa Thai, to Pi, Nong, etc.

My Friends, CONCERNING Richard Smalley’s tribute to his mother published on his website at Rice University… Only a few short years before Richard Smalley, so sadly and prematurely, kicked off this planet, just to rise up again to Saturn, where he now spends his (10-hour-34-minute) days with Kurt Vonnegut, I read one of the most impactful tributes to MOTHERHOOD that I have ever read. And I read it, not on Reddit, but on Smalley’s personal website, hosted by Rice University. Unfortunately, this tribute, originally posted over 20 years ago, is now unlocatable by me. Instead, I will post a very shortened excerpt of his originally published thoughts about MOTHERHOOD which I found on some Nobel-Prize-related site. After reading the two below-quoted paragraphs Smalley wrote about his mother’s contribution to his career in science, copied from nobelprize.org, what are your thoughts about MOTHERHOOD? Richard Errett Smalley was an American chemist who was the Gene and Norman Hackerman Professor of Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy at Rice University. Born: June 6, 1943, Akron, Ohio, United States Died: October 28, 2005, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States Education: Princeton University (1973), Princeton (1973), MORE Awards: Nobel Prize in Chemistry, John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium Notable student: Lihong V. Wang Books: Bucky Balls, Fullerenes, and the Future: An Oral History Interview with Professor Richard E. Smalley, January 22, 2000 Known for: buckminsterfullerene And…Just One of Smalley’s students: https://www.mede.caltech.edu/people/lvw ============ Here is what Smalley had to say about MOTHERHOOD: “My interest in Science had many roots. Some came from my mother as she finished her B.A. Degree studies in college while I was in my early teens. She fell in love with science, particularly as a result of classes on the Foundations of Physical Science taught by a magnificent mathematics professor at the University of Kansas City, Dr. Norman N. Royall, Jr. I was infected by this professor second hand, through hundreds of hours of conversations at my mother’s knees. It was from my mother that I first learned of Archimedes, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Darwin. We spent hours together collecting single-celled organisms from a local pond and watching them with a microscope she had received as a gift from my father. Mostly we talked and read together. From her I learned the wonder of ideas and the beauty of Nature (and music, painting, sculpture, and architecture). From my father I learned to build things, to take them apart, and to fix mechanical and electrical equipment in general. I spent vast hours in a woodworking shop he maintained in the basement of our house, building gadgets, working both with my father and alone, often late into the night. My mother taught me mechanical drawing so that I could be more systematic in my design work, and I continued in drafting classes throughout my 4 years in high school. This play with building, fixing, and designing was my favorite activity throughout my childhood, and was a wonderful preparation for my later career as an experimentalist working on the frontiers of chemistry and physics.”* “My mother’s youngest sibling, Dr. Sara Jane Rhoads, was one of the first women in the United States to ever reach the rank of full Professor of Chemistry. After earning her Ph.D. in 1949 with William von Eggers Doering, who was then at Columbia University, she devoted her life to teaching and research in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Wyoming. She received the Garvan Medal of the American Chemical Society in 1982 for her contributions to physical organic chemistry, particularly in the study of the Cope and Claisen rearrangements. She was the only scientist in our extended family and was one of the brightest and, in general, one of the most impressive human beings I have ever met. She was my hero. I used to call her, lovingly, “The Colossus of Rhoads”. Her example was a major factor that led me to go into chemistry, rather than physics or engineering. One of the most enjoyable memories of my early life was the summer (1961) I spent working in her organic chemistry laboratory at the University of Wyoming. It was at her suggestion that I decided to attend Hope College that fall in Holland, Michigan. Hope had then (and still has now) one of the finest undergraduate programs in chemistry in the United States.”* (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1996/smalley/biographical/) Smalley’s original tribute to his mother, posted on his Rice University page, as I recall when I first read it before Y2K, was much longer, and much more informative concerning what Smalley considered to be his mother’s greatest gifts to him. But still, after reading just these two paragraphs written by Smalley, what are your thoughts about the Chemistry of Motherhood? Regards, As Ever…. Gamma Please Note: There is no need, maybe, to criticize Smalley as a scientist, nor to mention that he inexplicably became a Creationist in later life, maybe in reaction to his fatal cancer. Everybody knows that Faith and Science do not mix. Second Note: I guess there is also no need to broach old topics about motherhood such as those related to the film, "Mommie Dearest", or even the existence of more modern "Chinese Tiger Moms", etc. Today is a Sunday, for pity's sake. Also, concerning spiritualism and faith and Smalley’s alleged conversion to belief in creationism, if true, I think I have already covered this in the first paragraph above by my mention of his reported existence on Saturn after his death. In the end, there is only the Scientific Method to be relied upon. In the beginning, there is only motherhood, a result of our biology. I just hope that I do not need to explain to anybody what this topic is about, because you just gotta read the two quoted paragraphs to make things crystal clear for yourselves. *(Although I never use bold text, in this case, Smalley’s beautiful words about his mother inspired me to use darker text to highlight his impactful thoughts about MOTHERHOOD. Also, Smalley is a Nobel, and so his quotations should be printed using bolder text.) The study of the Natural Sciences, including Chemistry, at the highest level, is HARD, Baby! Climbing Everest, by comparison, is a piece of cake, fit for nitwits, signifying NOTHING. ===== Last Note: Concerning Smalley and Creationist beliefs, I would like to think that his battle with a fatal cancer makes this a moot issue. And that further, Smalley may have gotten slightly off the beaten track of science, just due to his horrific battle. Chok-Di_!!!

Roger, wilco, over and out.

My best advice, but only if you live in an unattached house, is to call a local insect exterminator that routinely deals with eradication of termites. Once they spray around the outside of your house for termite protection, I can almost guarantee that you will never see another cockroach in your house, for at least a year. This has been my experience.

OK…Forging Ahead with our Exploration of Butterfly Behavior on this OP: Do you believe that the Evolutionary (adaptive variation) Functional Morphology of the Butterfly Proboscis Influences Flower Selection? Some of you, but only some, may be gratified to learn that the morphology of the butterfly proboscis does influence flower selection. Please save these thoughts of self-gratification for later. Because first, I would like to show a few examples of butterfly PROBOSCIDES (And, I just hope that some of you guys still recall my good advice about learning Greek and Latin roots using ANKI. Are you, by now, making gung-ho, 工合, progress?). Below you will see a few illustrations of the butterfly/moth proboscis, and do pay attention to the differences in morphology evident here: Hoping that you get yours straightened out, if need be, I would like to remind everyone that somewhere, somehow, there is a flower for every proboscis. And, as the good book says, try not to spill your seed on the ground before you find your flower.

Such a relief. I had been fearful of becoming emotionally attached to it. Now, having read your comment, and knowing that it will die soon, I feel ever so much better.

Dear Friends, For the past week, maybe 10 days now, I have been watching the same black butterfly flit around my garden for no observable logical reason. This butterfly flits from one side of the garden to the other side of the garden, yet never seems to have a detectable goal or purpose This butterfly is so beautiful, black with intricate, almost jewel-like, multicolored patterns on its wings. He flies and flies, sometimes a few minutes at a time, and then suddenly lands on a stone where he rests. And then, almost too soon for me to appreciate his beauty, up he goes, zooming around, tirelessly beating his wings to beat the band, not knowing why. Etymologically speaking, "why", I ask myself, almost a dozen times a day. The butterfly does not seem to be feeding. Neither does it seem to be having much fun, flying around in such a solitary way. I have heard it said that the butterfly loves to drink nectar, if sweet, from flowers. And some say that the butterfly is a picky nectar-drinker. Yet, as for this beautiful butterfly in my garden, I have, so far, never seen him drink, not even one drop of nectar from any flower. And, as far as I know, there are no flowers in my garden. And so, the obvious question of this topic is whether or not the behavior of my garden’s butterfly is an apt analogue for the behavior of guys we sometimes see in places like Pattaya? And why, for example, do some butterflies, such as the Monarch Butterfly, fly thousands of miles just to find what they’re looking for. This seems to me like such a waste of energy. We know that Nature, especially from an energy perspective, is never wasteful. Otherwise, the Theory of Evolution and adaptation due to natural selection would easily be proven wrong. In this Topic, we are mostly concerned with butterfly behavior as an analog for human behavior, as observed in our gardens. And, what are the important lessons we humans can learn from our butterfly friends, as well as our human-friends, down south. Regards, Gamma Important Note: I have already vetted this OP with Google’s Bard. Bard has thoughtfully provided me with some enlightening and incisive comments, some of which I had not originally considered before composing this OP. Of course, I will not “QUOTE” Bard in the body of this OP, simply because I do not wish to create another boring, so-called “Wall of Text”, which is always depressing and unhelpful, not to mention absolutely annoying. Still, for the more inquisitive readers among us, I have created a PDF file which I will attach to this OP, for entertainment purposes only. Again, best regards to all, and… Chok-Di_!!! (By the way: Bard now calls me Gamma. He really tickles my funny bone. And, he stated that he enjoyed reading my forum-post. Bard is a real flatterer. Encouragingly, Bard ends his critique by telling me to “Keep up the good work!”.) BARD's OP Butterfly Reply.pdf

Unlike you, my main concern about engaging in any academic writing is that I worry readers will consider my efforts to be a parody of academic writing. I do not feel let down due to the ending of a creative process, as you. I feel let down upon completion of my work due to my expectation of the potential negative reaction of the reader. Still, I LOVE Parody. So, maybe I'm still good.

Speaking to your comment, I very much prefer the youth of China, and I appreciate any opportunity to teach Chinese youth, for free. Interestingly, there is no need to teach Chinese kids that: Wisdom is Not for Sale. They understand this important truth at a very early age. Why? My best guess is that the impact of the Cultural Revolution in China still remains an open wound in the common culture of China. During the Cultural Revolution, important core beliefs, as well as musical instruments, fine art, and even Family, were smashed/blown to smithereens, while the Red Guard roamed the Middle Kingdom and rode roughshod over all values the Chinese People still hold holy. These days, Chinese parents know the importance of wisdom. Their children do, as well. And, when a Chinese child reads the Russian folktale, The Good Peasant's Son, there is no need to explain this concept. This is why I love to teach children from China. Please Note: Just for any parties here who wish further edification concerning the concept of WISDOM as analyzed through the lens of the use of folktales, interculturally, I highly recommend the attached article written by Abu Fanani, S.S., M. Pd., which also discusses the use of a revised version of The Good Peasant's Son. I am sure you will find it not only edifying, but also most entertaining, as did I. Abu Fanani_Wisdom as motif in folktales the Good Peasant’s Son.pdf

Normally, when I come to these shores, I anticipate seeing what I would classify mostly as polite and light hearted banter about fun topics of interest. However, just judging from the previous comment, it's possible that this discussion is about to get serious. If we are about to get serious here, then I am absolutely up for that, too. Serious is good. I like serious.

Why, ... It must have been nothing more than confirmation bias, now that you mention it. But.... I actually DO agree with your thinking, seemingly implied here, that there are no more ""Great writers" among us". I would argue that there are no more Great Writers. I would argue that there are no more Great Composers. Fortunately, we still have Great Chefs. For how long we will continue to have Great Chefs, is not yet known, and this might depend somewhat upon the continued proliferation of Fast-Food Joints.