Clearing up some common misconceptions.

[renegade7]

Programming isn't very math intensive...a lot more logic and problem solving...IDK about others, but to me it's like a big puzzle. But due to the amount of logic and equations involved, the sort of person who is good at math is usually good at programming...but really, I haven't used anything in programming beyond 2nd year algebra.

Maybe I'm being pretentious but I just want to throw out there that while you are right and programming is no where near as math intensive as people seem to think, every now and then you do need higher math. I worked on a remake of asteroids not too long ago, that required the unit circle and physics equations, both of which are above Algebra 2. Also I wanted to get a ball to bounce off of a circle correctly, doing that required calculus to determine the tangent line of the circle, with a bunch of trigonometry and vectors to reflect it off that line. I only bring this up because I had to go apologize to my Calc teacher, since I had said previously that the practical applications of calculus simply never come up in real life.

Again, I'm not saying your wrong, because you are right. It's just that every now and then a situation does come up. I still haven't found a use for integrals though...

Also, gravity is F'ing weak (compared to the other forces at least). Not sure I have actually see that as something misconstrued, but it seems like it might be just because it is one of those things.

If memory serves me correctly (which it doesn't), the gravitational constant is 6.67E-12, while the electro-magnetic constant is 9E9, so while that doesn't necessarily mean that gravity is stronger than E&M, that's just sort of an example of how much bigger it is. Also, while I am not really familiar with the Strong / Weak Nuclear Forces, my understanding was that the Weak one prevents electrons from colliding with the nucleus of their atom, (meaning it is stronger than the E&M force pulling the two together) and the Strong force keeps the nucleus of an atom in place (meaning it is also stronger than the E&M force pushing the particles apart). From that I would say that gravity is the weakest, though again, I've only taken 2 Physics classes, I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Well I did the unit circle in Algebra 2 and algebraic physics in the same year (so 10th grade for me). Calculus physics I'm doing this year (12th grade). I was really talking about my curriculum which may be a bit different.

Also gravity is by far the weakest of the fundamental forces. The strong and weak nuclear forces are far more powerful, despite only acting in ranges of femtometers (10 ^-15 power, or 0.000000000000001 meters).

 

[DJ_DEnM]

Something I was thinking based on experience:
Listen to music from other countries: Cultural
Listen to music from Japan: OTAKU NERD DESU DESU! ******! etc...

Seriously. The fuck? Bullshit. I can listen to music from wherever the fuck I want and not get judged by it.

 

[SwimmingRock]

Just because someone is a furry does not mean they think some dogs are sexy

Swear to God, that had never even occurred to me. I couldn't help but laugh thinking you were making a joke. Rest of your post made it clear you were serious. You have my sympathies, if that's genuinely the level of stupid you deal with irl.

OT: How about just the national one: we Dutch are not a nation of potheads, as some people seem to think. Several studies have been done with slightly varying results, but the general idea is that amongst the 15+/18+ (depending on study) population, the percentage of potsmokers ranges from 5 to 8 percent. This puts us way the hell below the US. Please stop assuming that just because I'm Dutch, I love getting high and have lots of stories about getting high.

EDIT: Oh, yeah. Holland also isn't a national eugenics experiment. The next time somebody in a foreign country implies I must not know what a black person is, because I'm Dutch, I will deck the ************.

Captcha: get well. Thanks, man. This flu's been a pain for several days now. Good to know the machine overlords are taking a personal interest. Means I'm less likely to be terminated when the robots revolt.

 

[370999]

Something I was thinking based on experience:
Listen to music from other countries: Cultural
Listen to music from Japan: OTAKU NERD DESU DESU! ******! etc...

Seriously. The fuck? Bullshit. I can listen to music from wherever the fuck I want and not get judged by it.

You serious? Their is nothing you can do, nothing, and not get judged for it. That's how society works.

Part of the problem some individuals have is often people who say they like Japanese music are referring to J-pop or more specifically J-pop covers of anime intros. Not saying you do this but for some people I do then sigh inwardly a tad, I mean it's not that important and I won't lose sleep over it.

 

[Saulkar]

I was thinking about setting some things straight about furries but I would rather just have you follow this link. And click on Episode 105: The Furry.

http://www.spacecast.com/fanboyconfessional.aspx

 

[michael87cn]

That tap water is good for you... its not.

That bottled water is better than tap water: look on the bottle... "source: public water supply".

That all fat people overeat. Some don't get any exercise and the calories add up slowly over time. (paraplegics can attest to this). I know some people will say "then exercise you fatty!" yet, they themselves don't, and maintain their slimmer bodies by under eating. *without realizing it. Truth is it can be taxing to exercise if you lead a busy life with a full time job and a family to look after. Not justifying the laziness - merely pointing out that no one is perfect. Fat people have to wear their problem for everyone to see - smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts and perverts can hide their vices and remain safe from unjustified scorn.

That science is infallible.. when its actually just well structured in the 5 senses. The best magic trick can fool the eyes, but in the end its not real. What am I saying? Don't put so much trust in science, after all... it was devised by people. Nothing made by people endures or remains constant, everyone that people touch or make corrupts, or falls apart. What was truth 50 years ago becomes fiction.

That public religion* and popular religion* are the only kinds that exist, when in fact they're the wool pulled over your eyes.

*Public religion being those held in public buildings that pay governments royalties (money in changed hands so that people may worship . . .)

*Popular religion is that which you see on TV in the Movies or in churches.

If these are the only bits you know of religion you will of course think that people are crazy.

One more.... that the bible is an american/european book. That it can be read at face value just because its been 'translated', when in reality you have to understand figures of speech and cultural themes of the era it was written in. . .look at our own figures of speech and ask yourself if they will be understood by anyone 500 years from now, let alone thousands.

One example? The vengueful God you hear people complain about in the Old Testament? Actually satan. The people at the time had no knowledge of satan, only God and when referencing a miraculous event, would declare "The LORD" did it. Which Lord?

That God is anything but love. (hey, if people can say how much they hate God/religious people, I can freely say good things).

 

[KefkaCultist]

Just because someone is a furry does not mean they think some dogs are sexy

Swear to God, that had never even occurred to me. I couldn't help but laugh thinking you were making a joke. Rest of your post made it clear you were serious. You have my sympathies, if that's genuinely the level of stupid you deal with irl.

I can confirm that we have to put up with some pretty ignorant crap such as being accused of bestiality. I've also been chastised because apparently being a furry means I'm a pervert who goes around humping every living and non-living thing in sight... -_-

 

[GeneralFungi]

The term 'Eskimo' actually translates to 'Eater of Raw Meat.' It's not a huge deal, and I have not met someone from up North that got insulted when someone asked if 'they were an Eskimo', but depending on which region they come from they have different names. If they live in north Russia they are known as Yupik, and if they live in upper Canada they are known as Inuit.

Though I don't think it really matters to anyone at this point.






There is actually a difference between a Pixie and a Fairy. Fairies were extremely shy creatures that only approach certain people, while Pixies are extremely small elf life people.

And Pixies are complete and total assholes.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The Big Bang =/= Evolution =/= Abiogenesis. To anyone who starts a debate in one and turns it into another thinking they are the same: Do your M****r-f*****g homework before you start the debate. Please.

Argh, yes.

We didn't go to Iraq because of 9/11... We went to Afghanistan because of 9/11, and are still there... Everytime I see one of those '# of people dead on 9/11 vs # of people who died in IRAQ...'. They are mutually exclusive...

We went into Afghan to wage war on the Taliban for harbouring Al-Q... America responded to the attack on home soil, and everyone followed due to the calling of Article 5 in the NATO pact.

Iraq was a war against the Saddam Regime, due to the breaking of multiple embargo's set by the UN after the first gulf war. It was to remove the regime, not the terrorists...

These are different... they should stop being confused!

Erm...the official reason for the invasion of Iraq changed. It started off as them harbouring Al-Qaeda, and moves towards war began immediately after 9/11. Then it went to the WMDs in 45 minutes, then regime change.

If it wasn't for 9/11 the US in general and the Bush administration in particular wouldn't have gotten the support they did for the war, you can say it was because of 9/11 in that way.

...

Oh, people who think "radical feminist" means "feminist I don't like". Radical feminism is a clearly defined subset of feminism.

 

[Deathmageddon]

Disclaimer: US politics

I was talking to a democrat I'd known for a few years about Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan, and he was totally against it, just because the idea came from a Republican's mouth. Now, the US tax code SUUUUCKS. It punishes individuals with higher annual income: at 100,000 a year, almost 50% is taxable, compared to 10-20% for someone who makes minimum wage. It has a bunch of loopholes for people who can afford a dozen lawyers and CPAs to file a return for them. not only that, but your state refund is taxable, and there's an alternative minimum tax for those who are eligible for too many deductions. Plus, simply compiling information for and filing your mandatory, yearly tax return costs about 30 cents for every dollar of your refund (mind you, the refund is YOUR money that the government wrongly took). Finally, most Americans don't even know what they're doing when they file a return.

So tell me, how is a 9% flat tax any worse than THAT?!

PS - the tax rates that manufacturers and retailers pay on their goods are sky high, around 50%.

 

[Dogstile]

And on a more personal note:

2) If I'm being sarcastic and snide towards you, this means I like you and consider you a friend. If I don't, or am neutral, you won't get a single harsh word out of me. This is often an issue for people I've just met.

This, so damn hard. I have had so many people who don't get that i'm being sarcastic because i'm having a good time and sarcasm/some form of humour is definitely a good sign. If I hate someone, I usually don't say anything unless they decide to have a go at me about it. In which case I will use all that fun practise of me being sarcastic to very, very good use.

Also a common misconception, I have a hoodie. The hood is up. This is because my head gets cold. In fact, the reason I am currently sporting a full beard, long hair and hobo clothes look is because hobo's know how to dress pretty damn warm. When summer hits, i'll be clean shaven and i'll start wearing loose fit clothes again.

This goes out to all the little pricks who decide to harass me on the way home because they think i'm uneducated, to weak to defend myself and easily mugged. Getting tired of having to throw them across the street to get em to move.

 

[columbianbacon]

My personal favourite:

The difference between Acronyms and Initialisms

An initialism is a series of letters used together to refer to a longer string of words. For example:

CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)
SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle)
MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game)

An acronym is essentially an initialism BUT the difference is that you can pronounce the letters as a word. For example:

SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Aparatus)
LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation)

Enjoy your dose of useless knowledge!

MMORPG is an acronym! How many of us, honestly, now say Mumorpaga when we see MMORPG?

 

[Quiet Stranger]

That tap water is good for you... its not.

That bottled water is better than tap water: look on the bottle... "source: public water supply".

That all fat people overeat. Some don't get any exercise and the calories add up slowly over time. (paraplegics can attest to this). I know some people will say "then exercise you fatty!" yet, they themselves don't, and maintain their slimmer bodies by under eating. *without realizing it. Truth is it can be taxing to exercise if you lead a busy life with a full time job and a family to look after. Not justifying the laziness - merely pointing out that no one is perfect. Fat people have to wear their problem for everyone to see - smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts and perverts can hide their vices and remain safe from unjustified scorn.

That science is infallible.. when its actually just well structured in the 5 senses. The best magic trick can fool the eyes, but in the end its not real. What am I saying? Don't put so much trust in science, after all... it was devised by people. Nothing made by people endures or remains constant, everyone that people touch or make corrupts, or falls apart. What was truth 50 years ago becomes fiction.

That public religion* and popular religion* are the only kinds that exist, when in fact they're the wool pulled over your eyes.

*Public religion being those held in public buildings that pay governments royalties (money in changed hands so that people may worship . . .)

*Popular religion is that which you see on TV in the Movies or in churches.

If these are the only bits you know of religion you will of course think that people are crazy.

One more.... that the bible is an american/european book. That it can be read at face value just because its been 'translated', when in reality you have to understand figures of speech and cultural themes of the era it was written in. . .look at our own figures of speech and ask yourself if they will be understood by anyone 500 years from now, let alone thousands.

If tap water isn't necessarily good for me than where can I get good healthy water?

 

[n00beffect]

Okay, then, how about this; defuse your mind, so it doesn't explode, when you read this: Not every person from Eastern Europe, has a strong Russian accent. Yeah, I know!

I mean seriously, no matter who I meet around here, whenever they hear me speak, they do pick-up on my foreigness; however, after I tell them that I am from Eastern Europe, they're like: 'OMG! Your English is so good, how is that even possible?! I mean, shouldn't you be talking like someone fRom motheR Russia, vit a stRong R, and vodka, comRade, old countRy, etc.' And, at first, I fealt like really proud and flattered and all, but lately it's becoming more and more patronizing and tedious, to have to explain the long and arduous process, by wich I learned English. So yes, please stop, thank you.

 

[8bitlove2a03]

Psychology misconceptions or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the mind.

There is more to psychology as a science than talking to people sitting on couches, telling them they wish to bang their mom or dad, and collecting too much money at the end of the hour.

Sigmund Freud's ideas are not of any great import, and are generally wrong.

No, IQ tests are not simple affairs which yield a single score which tells you how smart you are, but that doesn't mean someone with an IQ of 130 is going to be on par with someone whose IQ is 60, and it doesn't give you license to say they are completely worthless or talk about how you have "street smarts."

If you want to take psychology "because it's easy", know that you will be doing math, and you will be learning to understand concepts using statistics.

 

[Vault101]

that everything was better back in the day (particually music)
likleyhood is (from a purely objective veiwpoint).....it actually wasnt

also just because I put somthing in one of those little frames (you know..the stand up ones) does not mean I love it or am obssesed or that its some some sign of a deep emotional attatchment...

I did this with the little "Normandy" picutre I got from my ME3:CE..because I had to do "somthing" with it and it was better than just leaving it lying around

my sister laughed about it as she told my mum

 

[Idlemessiah]

Heres some personally irksome ones.

"Archaeologists just dig around in the dirt looking for gold." - Actually they dig around in the dirt looking for bronze, iron, flint and carbonacous material.

"Archaeology is a pointless waste of time and money." - Cool, guess you won't be going to York any time soon. Also, your new house has collapsed down the Victorian well you didn't know was there.

"So how many dinosaur bones have you dug up?" - Well actually I found the complete articulated skeleton of a velociraptor in my back yard last week!

May sound sarcastic and petty but I've realised a lot of people don't know jack about archaeology and I haven't even finished my degree yet.

 

[Rule Britannia]

The speed/rate of a person's metabolism is the key thing that determines whether or not a person is going to be fat or thin or average.

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG

http://www.cracked.com/article_19296_6-lies-about-human-body-you-learned-in-kindergarten_p2.html

(metabolism plays a small role)

 

[Whoatemysupper]

Drink 8 cups of water a day isn't a literal statement. That figure is accurate, but neglects to mention that the 8 cups can be from ANY source, even the water in food. And often there is quite a bit of water in your food. The figure also varies based on activity and environment.

Your ears are mostly self-cleaning. Plunging a q-tip inside your ear canal is actually bad for your ears natural cleaning cycle (it just jams the grime deeper in). Movements of the jaw slowly push dirt and waste from the inside to the outside of your ear. At most, you only need to swab the outside area of your ear, and even that's not terribly necessary.

Space is not cold.

Because everyone knows that -273°C is awfully warm. I just don't know what you mean by that at all. There is a complete absence of matter in space and the movement of matter creates heat.