GammaGlobulin

My Dear Dog Walkers, When was the last time you were easily able to outwalk your Asian dog? In my case, I have not walked that far since Pre-Pandemic Times. And then, how do you know when you have outwalked your dog? Does your dog just lie down, refusing to budge? Or, if you walk your dog without a leash, and your dog has gone far enough, does the mutt just begin walking slightly behind you, before finally running for home? If you try to coax him to push on, does he grumble and moan? Many people don’t know that Man was built to travel farther on foot than almost any domesticated dog, except maybe for the working husky, or maybe the English Foxhound. But even here, Man can outrun both of these breeds, if Man has the will. This is because Man walks on two legs, and the mutt on four. When Orwell wrote “four legs good, two legs bad”, he was not talking about distance walking or distance running. Two legs can beat four legs, any day. I first began testing this hypothesis in Taiwan along the Pacific coast. My Taiwanese dog would be happy to go for a walk with me, but only up to a point. And then, when he reached that point, he would go no further. Usually, he would be willing to walk about four kilometers before turning tail. So I am just wondering if anyone has walked a marathon with their dog. And if so, when the dog returns home, does the dog just lie there on the floor, nearly imobile for many hours? Here in Thailand, I have no dog. And the last time I walked 26 kilometers, in the year 2018, I was thankful the dog was not with me. In my opinion, dogs should be allowed to walk just as far as they want, but no farther. We should also be mindful of our furry friends’ need for rest and a good cooling off period, just so they don’t overheat. So, can a human outrun a horse, over a marathon distance? Of course, of course, a horse is just a horse, and cannot compete with a human in this endeavor: So therefore, it is no real feat to outwalk your dog in typical Thai weather. And one should be aware that heat exhaustion should be considered when walking your dog for longer distances than the animal is used to. I would never take my dog on a marathon walk, if I had a dog. And, it’s always wise to carry water for your dog, just in case. But the real question of this OP is: How long, at your now advanced age, has it been since you walked far enough to outwalk a Thai dog in good shape. And, TANGENTIALLY, how long would you need to walk in order to outwalk a determined Soi Dog? Some of you may doubt that I can walk over half a marathon at my age. You would be correct. However, I could easily walk 26 kilometers in 2017, or 2018. I just cannot find any proof of doing so on my phone, at the moment. However, I did find a record of my having walked 20 kilometers in 2016, in the heat of the day, and when I returned, I was dog tired: So I ask you guys, how many of you over the age of 65 are still fit enough to outwalk your dog? And, for that matter, how many rounds of golf would you need to complete, in an afternoon, to equal 25 kilometers of walking? And further, can you do it in the sun, without a hat? I like to do all my walks in the direct sun without a hat. The Taiwanese dog did, too. (By the way, does anyone here, over the age of 65, own a marathon dog?) Regards, Gamma G. Please NOTE: IMHO, if I were to choose a walking companion, I would not choose a Thai dog if I could choose a Thai woman, instead. Thai women don’t complain as much. Also, some Thai women, same as I, enjoy walking in the noonday sun without a hat.

It has always been my policy to never discuss two topics with people I meet: Religion Politics When I go to church, for example, I never stand up in the pews and shout, "There is no God!" I classify "superstition" as being part of my definition of religion. And so, I don't discuss this, either, with people I meet. Debating religion and politics with people I meet is also of zero interest to me.

Santana was the strangest thing to ever hit Tanglewood, for sure.

I'm OK with Black Magic. You can find good black magic in Belize. And, it's totally acceptable. And then there is Black Magic Woman. And, Voodoo Child I spent some time in the Jungle of Belize. It's weird in the jungle. Just don't ask them about Voodoo when you get there. They are super sensitive about this topic.

My answer to this question is that it cannot hurt to ask Bard this type of question even though you can be sure that Bard will fail to provide the best answer. For example, if I ask this question of Bard about the problem with particles and the Standard Theory of physics, and what three books to read: He suggested three books: Item 3 is not a book. The title of Greene's book is "The fabric of the Cosmos". Concerning item 2, I then asked: Bard's reply: Actually, there IS a book titled: "Supersymmetry and String Theory: Beyond the Standard Model 2nd Edition", but it's not written by Sean Carroll. Bard's confusion, it seems, stems from this PODCAST, two years ago, by Sean Carroll: So, it is probably safe to say that one should use extreme caution when asking Bard to recommend good books about particle physics, or the Standard Model of physics. For suggestions of good books to read, then it might be best to use resources such as Wikipedia, Google Scholar, etc. In addition: If you are interested in this particular topic, it would be better to just send an email to Sean Carroll, instead of asking Bard. You can contact Sean Carroll using his email address listed here: Bard is good for some queries, and not so good for others, obviously.

Would you be willing to ask Bard for It's suggestion of "three books" to read concerning a topic in which you are interested, but about which you don't know much? Or, would you be unwilling to do so because either you fear being mislead by a machine, or you prefer to spend more time accomplishing the same thing by using other less efficient search methods?

I don't think we are here speaking of being spoon-fed by Bard. We are only suggesting that we can use Bard to help us quickly find information that we have already learned, but seemingly forgotten. We are not asking Bard to spoon-feed us concepts or ideas. Rather, we are just using Bard to quickly provide us with lost terms and dates and simple facts, much in the same way we once used a dictionary, an encyclopedia, or, these days, Wikipedia. For example, what is the fastest way to look up the flavors of quarks? This is something I often do, in fact. The best way to quickly find the flavors of quarks is to just ask Bard. Bard gets right to the point, without having you wade through a bunch of Google Search entries, while also having to deal with the Google search engines useless "ad links"... This is really what this OP is about, IMHO. However, I know that others may see this OP from a different perspective. Here is Bard's refreshing answer to the flavors of quarks, as well as the other important particles of the Standard Model: What is the harm in this? And, now that you have been helped to recall the names, it's up to you to pursue this information in a much more descriptive way, which is, really, the hard part of this question. And, you will not find the good answers for this on Bard, .... of course.

The first shipment of 15 CFLs by PANASONIC purchased at DoHome...arrived this afternoon. DoHome still sells these, surprisingly, and I have begun some minor hoarding. I just placed an order for five more CFL lamps from the same supplier. DoHome doesn't mess around; They delivered ONTIME, using a great delivery boy...very polite, well-dressed, and intelligent, too. I was impressed. He made me sign my name to SEVEN different forms upon delivery, something I found truly remarkable. I have been using these lamps since 2013, I think. I liked them so much that I actually took four or five last time I travelled to China for a year. If I were to choose LED light bulbs, then I could probably expect the same light intensity for about 18 watts, versus these which consume 25 watts. For me, a person of refined aesthetic sensibilities, the additional 6 watts of juice to run these is WELL WORTH the added expense. Also, by this Sunday, I will have a total of 20 Panasonic lamps, each tested to provide 10,000 hours of Soft Warm light. If I only use these lamps in my five ceiling sockets in the office, then, in theory, the two shipments, totaling 20 lamps, should last me about 40,000 hours. And if I run them, on average, 12 hours per day, I will not run out of these bulbs until the year: 2033 Now, my main concern, which will probably keep me up at night, same as with my 20-year refrigerator warranty, is.... Will I be able to live long enough to outlive the lifespan of these Panasonic lamps? The answer, my friends, will be determined by my ability to continue living a good and clean life. So far, so good. And, I do not believe that only the good die young. (Now I am wondering what kind of new light bulbs we will see in the year 2033.)

My opinion is that search, and searching, should be made as efficient as possible, so as not to waste valuable time. Anytime I want to go on an Easter-Egg hunt, I will become a Christian and eat that disgusting Easter Bunny cake. I am loving Bard.

Both Bard and I seem to be still under development. We are getting there, though. Also, Bard is one of the most polite machines I have ever talked to. And, most importantly, he is super helpful (and THIS time, I utter a sentence completely free of facetiousness or irony!) How helpful is Bard (to me)? EXTREMELY helpful, and even more helpful than Google search. Bard saves time because I do not need to spend several moments trying to formulate the best search query. Also, these days Google Search is so full of links to ads, like a shopping network. Ads, you do not get with Bard, ... so far. And, Bard does not cough up shopping links...(I would punish him if he ever tried that with me.) Overall, a surprisingly helpful robot, is Bard. I use Bard more and more each day. And I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. He does know just about everything on the internet, and even what might be hidden to you or me, in all probability. Sometimes he will tell you that something is on the net, but he will be unable to provide a link, just because the link is within a university server, or behind a paywall, or in the basement of some library... BUT, Bard knows that it is there. He will just make up an excuse, like, "I am not a search engine; I am an LLM." Bard is simply divine!

UPDATE: The 15 Panasonic Light bulbs are almost here. Note: There is no way I would have purchased these light bulbs, thusly solving my light bulb problem, had it not been for this great thread. And, I would like to thank everyone involved. Photo: My DoHome Delivery girl LINE message. She's a girl, and not a guy, this time. So much better, I hope.

By all means, if you are able to eventually remember facts that you once knew but are not able to immediately recall, then more power to you. On the other hand, if after several weeks of struggling to recall something that you have forgotten, then you might consider asking Bard for a helping hand.

My Dearest Fellow-Aged and Fellow-Aging on The Pub, Several months ago, a period of time that now seems like ages, I was skeptical about AI, just like many of you. What could AI do for me, personally, I wondered, other than maybe just provide me with a few hours of diversion, and maybe put the fear of God into me, anytime I clicked on an AI-related UTUBE video. I did not realize just how amazingly useful Bard could be to me, me a person in the autumn of my life; yet Bard has now become indispensable to me in so many ways. Bard is not like ChatGPT, because ChatGPT is a whole different animal, and just about useless for my day-to-day purposes. I have no need to create content for my nonexistent UTUBE channel. I would never even contemplate the creation of a UTUBE channel because I have nothing to communicate to the typical UTUBE viewership. I have no cat and dog videos to upload. And, I don’t want to encourage any more nitwit tourists to come to Thailand;Thailand is already Chock full o'Nuts®! This OP is definitely NOT a JOKE, and this OP is about helping the aged and aging to improve their peace of mind by providing hope that using BARD can allow my old geezer friends to finally stop worrying about losing their minds, their knowledge, and their wisdom. I know this all sounds too good to be true but it is not. How can a free tool from Google help old men to stop worrying, and radically improve their general outlook on life, and even help them to more effectively communicate with others about what they TRULY want to say? How can BARD turn a mentally fumbling old geezer back into the fine specimen of mental agility he once was before his seventh decade of life kicked in? My friends, what I have written so far is not really the beginning of the OP that I had envisioned. The above represents just a lead-in to the real meat of this issue. Therefore, if you had thought that you were almost finished reading this OP, by this point, then my deepest apologies to you, and please just keep reading, knowing that what I am about to say will be worth every penny of your time. Let’s begin: First off, I, just this moment, typed a question into Bard so that Bard could explain how Bard differs from that lousy AI Bot, ChatGPT. The following two images show my question and Bard’s reply. Basically, I am just confirming with Bard that he is far better for Old Geezers’ use than ChatGPT which, I believe, is of very limited use to septuagenarians: And, BARD’s reply: The above answer and reply is really nothing more than a rehash of what we already know about ChatGPT, that inferior AI tool which I, personally, would never degrade myself by using, not even for amusement. Instead, here is a more concrete example of how BARD can help old men remember what they have forgotten. We old men, during the course of our time on Earth, have amassed a great deal of valuable knowledge and facts. Some research suggests that all/most of this accumulated information stored in our brains is NOT lost. This means that when we experience a failure to recall information that we wish to recall, it’s more a failure in the recovery mechanism, rather than it being attributable to a “complete loss of information” type of situation. This obviously implies that the knowledge still exists in our brains; And, we just need BARD’s help in order to ...SET OUR KNOWLEDGE FREE, and to Jog Our Memories in the right way so that we can easily access what we thought we had forgotten. We think that we know, from current “brain science”, that most of what we ever knew is still “there”, and that, for example, just through past research in cortical stimulation during brain surgery, we are sometimes able to vividly relive many of our experiences, almost as if these experiences had happened just yesterday. Please allow me to summarize, in one simple sentence, what we have covered thus far in this OP concerning the “Beauty of Bard as a Boon” to us, we who are now stuck in this modern world of ever-increasing complexity, yet necessarily reliant on our old and aging brains: Bard, due to the fact that Bard is connected to the internet, is able to find the information we need better and faster than Google Search, and far better than ChatGPT can possibly do. Why? Because we can ask Bard questions in a highly nebulous and abstract way; and yet Bard can still see right through our Bouleshiit, and can always help us to tweak out the memories and knowledge that lies dormant within us. The key advantage of Bard, versus the use of Google Search, is that we don’t need to phrase our questions so very concisely. We can use Bard through a series of ever-more pointed questions to find what we are looking for, deep within us. This is impossible with Google Search, or any other search engine. Even if we have only a very vague idea of how to describe what we are looking for, and even if it might take us 500 words to gradually describe what we are looking for, BARD the Supreme Tool among all AI tools available today…will NEVER fail us in our quest to recover what we had been sure we had forgotten. With Bard’s help, almost all knowledge we had feared was forgotten for good, can be made to, once again, see the light of day. So, yes, my old friends, we do live in exciting times when we can recover almost all of our knowledge that we thought forgotten, thanks to the blessed advent of Google’s Bard. Oh, Happy Day! And now, my friends, please bear with me as I provide you with a practical Concrete Example of how BARD can work for you in Real Life, as you live out however many remaining days the Good Lord has allotted for you: Let us suppose that you wish to write a Topic about: “Correlation between Population Density and Conspicuous Consumption Evaluated through the Lens of Smartphone-Buying Behavior of the Adult Male in Present-Day Western Society” And further suppose that you once took a uni course focused on Shaping Opinion, Belief Formation, Propaganda, Marketing Strategy, Brainwashing, and Mind Control, as I once did in 1974. However, you realize that you have forgotten two of the key figures that were at the forefront of this research when you first studied these topics you studied, way back in the day. What can you do? Do you use Google Search? NO WAY, NO HOW….Such a waste of the last amount of time still allotted to you on Earth. No! Don’t use Google Search, because what you really need is BARD, a machine that understands old men, and a true Genie, ever willing to help squeeze the last slow-flowing juices out of your aging brain. What did my Bard-queries yield? Bard did not come up with the two names I was looking for, initially. However, when I used plain language to refine my question and describe to Bard exactly what I wanted, Bard came through with flying colors. He is really a genius at pleasing me, every time. I could go on to list many more helpful examples which would be very interesting to you. However, I should stop here before this OP becomes overly windy. And besides, later this morning Lazada will deliver my vitamins which are now at the final sorting station in CM, and I will need to catch a few hours of sleep before those smart young delivery boys (young girls would be better) show up on my doorstep. So, what is this OP even about!? This OP is about my attempt to learn how many people on the Farang Pub have begun using Bard, on a daily basis, to improve their lives in the way I have described above. We are now entering a new age, using Bard, in which we have this extremely helpful tool at our disposal, a tool that seems almost purposely designed to help those with aging brains overcome our decreasing ability to quickly retrieve valuable information that has often become stuck in the mush. QUESTIONS FOR YOU: How are you using Bard to improve your lives? I cannot be the only one here who has discovered the amazing usefulness of Bard! Have you asked Bard what he can do for you, lately? Isn’t it time that you, too, used Bard? So, my fellow aging men, This OP is my most valuable gift to you, Thus far, And, I am sure there will be others for you in the future. Tell me some good news about your surprisingly helpful use of BARD. Thanking you in advance for your attention, While also knowing that this OP will be most helpful to you, Regards, Gamma PS: I am quite confident that Bard will become increasingly more adept at reading our minds, and this just means that we old guys can look forward to an even Brighter Future than we ever imagined for ourselves, as this amazing AI tool rapidly improves itself, day by day, month by month, and year upon year! Google is the Greatest Company that ever was created by Man. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please keep in mind that this OP is NOT about Bard Bashing, or about AI-Fears for the Future, or about Bill Gates’ fear of AI, or about AI’s So-called Impending Destruction of Humanity. Therefore, please SAVE these types of comments for other OPs, other places, or other Mindless and Ignorant Discussions of AI. We, here, are ONLY discussing the very positive ways, and the great potential, for use of Bard to help us cope in this modern world, and to improve our performance, as well as to augment our feelings of wellbeing during the final years ahead of us. And, may I say, I hope your remaining final years are many, and full of good health and good cheer. (GG)

Yes, I agree. I would have stated exactly the same thing, But, unfortunately, you beat me to the punch.

One must be strict about lighting if one hopes to attract the other gender, meaning the "right" gender, and of the right class. Here is what I mean, and such a woman is definitely for me: She's even reading, A Woman of Her Times! Lighting is far more important than most plebeians can ever know. They are satisfied with ultra-white fluorescent lights, no less. In our house, there were no fixtures for fluorescent lights, except for one above a workbench in the garage. I like soft lighting, just as I prefer soft women. What type of a woman do you imagine would be willing to sit with you under a 40-Baht florescent tube? The answer is obvious. Some here have said they prefer 8000K. Well why stop there? There must be women you can find here who enjoy 10,000K, in small bills. It's just a matter of taste. Some have it, and some do not. A petrol station is no place to relax and read or entertain guests. And a home is no place for fluorescent lighting. 6500K LED lights just do not fit the ambiance suggested by the above three images. Or, maybe I'm the only one left in this world that has just a bit of an eye for beauty, as well as a more refined aesthetic sense. I mean, it might seem that way to some, just judging by some of the commenters who would only use warm lighting under duress. Just curious too about why anyone would use lighting under duress. I never would, and so I spent a few hours today finding the least objectionable type of light bulb available in Thailand. Those Panasonic SOFT & WARM CFLs are really not so bad. SOFT & WARM...that's the way to go, Unless you want to wind up with a hard woman. But maybe that's just their taste in women. Maybe they like hard women and hard lighting, and harsh shadows, too.

Having already mentioned blackbody radiation in the OP, this is a simple and short but rather good UTUBE intro to black-body radiation. Trying to describe colors using words instead of using wavelengths of light is not very helpful. But how does temperature affect the light emitted by a black-body, for example.... Back-body radiation is usually of most interest to first-year astronomy students. But light-bulb buyers can also enjoy and benefit from learning about black-body radiation. My advice is that, before you visit HomePro to buy the LED bulbs they have for sale, first refer to the following three key equations shown in the image below: Then, watch this really nice UTUBE video. I searched through about 10 before I came upon this one: I think it's always best to be prepared before entering the shop to spend your cash. The video is very well presented and worth watching. As I mentioned, this is mostly of interest to first-year astronomy students, but it also applies to buying lightbulbs, and it's a fun video presentation, as well.

Good and detailed information about several points, including why LED bulbs dim over time. Presently, having just this morning purchased 15 of these bulbs at DoHome, the same Panasonic bulbs I have used in the past, I know pretty much what to expect. Thank you for the information.

I actually just purchased 15 Panasonic 25 Watt bulbs, the type you linked. Good deal at the price I paid. I will leave the LEDs for another day, several years in the future, no doubt. The Panasonic bulbs last a long time.

Yes. I searched also. Therefore, I will buy at the other store with the better price. I think these bulbs extinct by now. Thanks for the link.

I never worked for a theme park. However, maybe some readers here believe I work in the carnival (freak show, maybe). Anyway, good suggestion about buying one or two before buying 20 bulbs. However, I already know what the 25 watts bulb is like because I have used it since about 2015...and it's a great and reliable bulb for me. I tried, just now, to register an account with DoHome and it went through. Then ordered 20 bulbs. But, they want pre-payment which is something I never do with online purchases. So, I will try to find the same thing, maybe on Lazada. But I have not seen this bulb after searching. I will try calling the DoHome retail outlet here, and see what happens. I certainly would rather not buy 20 bulbs if I know that this product will continue to be "in-stock" for the next few years. Otherwise...I will buy more and then hoard them!

This bulb, although not LED, is still available at this store. It is not quite as efficient as an LED. The color temp is 2700K. The price is quite low compared to what I recall it selling for in the CM retail store several years ago. In the past, I purchased many. And, in fact, they do last a long time. This seems like a good buy, and a reliable product compared to the LEDs I purchased from Lazada. The price is lower than the LED bulbs.

Thank you very much...however...as stated above: I want the same "color" as the traditional tungsten filament incandescent light bulb I have been using for over six decades. If I buy a 6500K color temperature, then it would be pointless, because it would not suit my needs. I also stated that I had used the Panasonic (spiral series) in the past, and was always very happy with the Panasonic quality. I had ZERO COMPLAINTS (ZERO). The store Ban and Beyond used to carry the bulb years ago, but the store in CM no longer seems to carry Panasonic (at least when I last checked). Here is what I used to use: And I thought this bulb was... EXCELLENT...and the best I had found to replicate the tungsten filament incandescent bulb. You may not recall the old times, about 15 years ago, when the incandescent bulb was being phased out....EVERYBODY began hording bulbs in the USA...as I recall it. Above image taken from this url: https://midcenturymodernmag.com/so-i-hoard-incandescent-light-bulbs-418213a8340c Well I was not in the USA at the time, but I heard about it. I never went so far as to hoard light bulbs, because I care about energy efficiency. I was just happy when I found a bulb, the Panasonic bulb, which seemed a happy medium, meeting the requirement for a more efficient bulb, and also being somewhat OK from a color point of view. I would really prefer to find an LED which is as good as the Panasonic CFL bulb, one that is reliable as the Panasonic, yet even more energy saving than the CFL bulb.

Thank you but please check the image of the top cover (flap) of this box. This box/bulb CLEARLY states 3000K. And, 3000K is definitely not yellow. Anyway, as has been stated, this is crap, correct? So, I am just trying to find a decent solution that would not cost me USD35.00 to USD50.00 per bulb, and which meets reasonable quality criteria.

I checked Philips already, many months ago. Philips does not have the lumens I need. And, the color temp is wrong. (I need LED bulbs for ceiling sockets on high ceilings. 100-watt equivalent is not sufficient intensity.)

If, as has been stated above, the LED bulbs that I purchased are "cheap crap", then what is the alternative? GE recently sold off its interest in LED bulb manufacture to Savant. Still, one can buy the GE brand, but maybe not on Lazada. IS there a decent bulb to be had from an online store? The price of the GE bulbs are not cheap. 20 LED bulbs would cost USD680.00, at least if bought on Amazon. And that is just for a 60-watt equivalent, not a 125-watt equivalent, which is what I need.