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Search: Posts Made By: Cosmic Roy
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 16th December 2015, 03:53 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
This is a good point but I'm not sure it's a...

This is a good point but I'm not sure it's a reliable way to discriminate between the hypotheses. No matter how the bluestones (or sarsens for that matter) were brought to the plain, once they were...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 16th December 2015, 03:04 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Thanks for the link, ceptimus. GlennB linked to...

Thanks for the link, ceptimus. GlennB linked to the same paper some way up-thread. As I said then, in the end the review comes down quite clearly against the glacial transport hypothesis.
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 16th December 2015, 03:01 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Of course it's possible that there are depths to...

Of course it's possible that there are depths to the paper that eluded me, but be in no doubt that I have read it multiple times.

From the paper by MPP et al: "The megalith is matched...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 15th December 2015, 04:17 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Thanks for the clarification. The scenario that...

Thanks for the clarification. The scenario that Brian John envisages seems to be one in which an erratic 'train' was deposited at the interface between the Irish Sea Glacier and, I think, the Welsh...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 15th December 2015, 04:02 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Thanks for the information, GlennB. I always...

Thanks for the information, GlennB. I always liked to imagine a fleet of rafts rounding Mumbles Head en route to the Severn Estuary. The notion of an epic task with mysterious purposes is an...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 15th December 2015, 05:51 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Slagging off? I would say criticising. I have...

Slagging off? I would say criticising. I have read the paper and I am not persuaded by it. I have read the book, too.


The authors have claimed that this was actually a quarry. They have not...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 13th December 2015, 04:31 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
If the paper at the heart of this thread is...

If the paper at the heart of this thread is representative of the scientific literature that constitutes the field, then I don't think John's book compares unfavourably. (Actually, having read around...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 13th December 2015, 04:25 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
And I don't think I've claimed that the...

And I don't think I've claimed that the excavation site is a quarry. That's the claim made in the paper, and while I don't deny the claim, I do question the evidence behind it.
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 13th December 2015, 04:23 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I was responding to your statement that the large...

I was responding to your statement that the large prone monolith at Rhos-y-Felin is claimed by the authors to correspond to a recess in the exposure at the same site, when in fact the association is...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 13th December 2015, 03:51 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I think there has been a misunderstanding. It...

I think there has been a misunderstanding. It could be mine, though I don't think so. The recess is claimed to be a match for a buried stump at Stonehenge that might or might not be the same rock...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 11th December 2015, 01:40 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
The suggestion is that the bluestones used in...

The suggestion is that the bluestones used in Stonehenge were deposited by glaciers on or near Salisbury Plain many thousands of years before the monument was constructed.

And I think the oldest...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 11th December 2015, 01:35 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
As I understand it, glaciers reached the middle...

As I understand it, glaciers reached the middle of Gower at the last maximum, and beyond during previous maxima. Yet the only notable erratic seems to be Arthur's Stone, which was incorporated into a...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 11th December 2015, 01:23 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Well that review article from the Proceedings of...

Well that review article from the Proceedings of the British Academy that you linked to started off equivocal but then ended quite opposed to the glacial transport theory, because of a lack of...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 11th December 2015, 09:44 AM
Replies: 148
Views: 20,086
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I rather admire A C Grayling. Bertrand Russell...

I rather admire A C Grayling. Bertrand Russell would have been a good choice while he was alive.
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 11th December 2015, 06:07 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Yes, which is why journals never have to publish...

Yes, which is why journals never have to publish retractions or corrigenda. No, wait, that's not right! :)

Scientific research is indeed written for scientists, with the goal of establishing a...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 10th December 2015, 04:11 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I admit that it is something of an argument from...

I admit that it is something of an argument from incredulity, but only in the sceptical sense in that a claim is not to be accepted without evidence merely because of the identity of the claimant. I...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 10th December 2015, 09:04 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
We need to consider that they might have lugged...

We need to consider that they might have lugged them over glaciers instead. Compromise.
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 10th December 2015, 08:25 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Thanks for the link, GlennB!

Thanks for the link, GlennB!
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 10th December 2015, 06:21 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Apologies for the formatting of that post. I sent...

Apologies for the formatting of that post. I sent it from my phone and I don't think it worked well.
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 10th December 2015, 06:20 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Thanks again for your input, Reality Che*ck.** ...

Thanks again for your input, Reality Che*ck.**

There are reasons for my reservations.***

1. The supposed wedgehole is 7 cm across*. I'm not an archeologist, so one could *fairly say that I'm...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 9th December 2015, 04:27 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
And everyone else who posted, too-- thanks!

And everyone else who posted, too-- thanks!
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 9th December 2015, 04:24 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Thanks for the interesting response, Reality...

Thanks for the interesting response, Reality Check.

You said that the archeologists have definitely found a bluestone quarry (whether or not it can be linked to Stonehenge), but I'm not sure that...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 8th December 2015, 04:18 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 23,570
Posted By Cosmic Roy
The source of Stonehenge's 'bluestones'

I would love to know what you all think of this.

It seems to be widely accepted that the so-called bluestones at Stonehenge were transported deliberately from sites in the Preseli Hills in...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 27th October 2015, 10:43 AM
Replies: 114
Views: 11,056
Posted By Cosmic Roy
If you're reading this thread, you might be...

If you're reading this thread, you might be interested in the latest episode of BBC Radio 4's Analysis programme, which is called Killing Cows.
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 17th October 2015, 11:53 AM
Replies: 114
Views: 11,056
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Seriously? Surely you don't think it's foolish to...

Seriously? Surely you don't think it's foolish to make a distinction between different kind of creature, do you? Do bacteria deserve the same ethical consideration as, say, dogs? Humans?

Perhaps...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 2nd January 2014, 06:17 AM
Replies: 24
Views: 1,477
Posted By Cosmic Roy
The authors of this recent book claim that...

The authors of this recent book claim that centuries of cultural pressure have caused a tendency to greater intelligence among Ashkenazi Jews.
...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 13th June 2013, 10:18 PM
Replies: 15
Views: 1,188
Posted By Cosmic Roy
If anyone's still interested in this (and how...

If anyone's still interested in this (and how could you not be?), a recent episode of the BBC Radio 4 science programme, Frontiers, covered the subject beautifully. It's possible that the iplayer...
Forum: History, Literature, and the Arts 12th June 2013, 10:26 PM
Replies: 119
Views: 6,526
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Perhaps it's against the rules of the thread to...

Perhaps it's against the rules of the thread to suggest an entire paragraph, but I have to opt for War of the Worlds by H G Wells. The abridged version voiced by Richard Burton in Jeff Wayne's...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 12th March 2013, 01:05 PM
Replies: 729
Views: 19,906
Posted By Cosmic Roy
It seems to me like you're deciding the moral and...

It seems to me like you're deciding the moral and immoral uses of animals by fiat. Why is killing an animal for food (when alternative sources of nutrition are easy to come by) acceptable utility...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 12th March 2013, 05:28 AM
Replies: 729
Views: 19,906
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Does this mean it's morally acceptable to kill...

Does this mean it's morally acceptable to kill and eat humans who lack the capability to socialise and interact with me? Can I eat the irreversibly brain-damaged, perhaps?
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 25th January 2013, 04:20 PM
Replies: 80
Views: 5,132
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Dudalb, I imagine that most vegans choose not to...

Dudalb, I imagine that most vegans choose not to eat foods derived from animals precisely because they consider such to be morally wrong. If you knew of a person who was committing (in your eyes) an...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 15th January 2012, 09:56 AM
Replies: 8
Views: 744
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Thanks for your responses. I thought that...

Thanks for your responses. I thought that perhaps it was to allay fears on the part of the Church that allowing religious content in civil ceremonies would remove the impetus for some religiously...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 10th January 2012, 12:07 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 744
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Religion in British civil marriage ceremonies

The preamble
I'm getting married later this year, and a few days ago my fiancee and I had a meeting with the registrar to sign a document confirming that we're not related, already married, etc. At...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 15th September 2011, 11:19 AM
Replies: 229
Views: 23,365
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Thanks for your replies, Tim Thompson and The...

Thanks for your replies, Tim Thompson and The Don. I was aware of the transmutation of atmospheric nitrogen to C14, but I didn't realise that nitrogen could be present in such significant quantities...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 13th September 2011, 10:52 PM
Replies: 229
Views: 23,365
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I'm curious, does anyone know the decay pathway...

I'm curious, does anyone know the decay pathway that turns some atoms of C12 into C14? I can understand how atmospheric C14 might be incorporated into coal due to weathering and biological action,...
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 30th June 2011, 12:24 PM
Replies: 11
Views: 1,333
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I don't have anything substantial to add here,...

I don't have anything substantial to add here, sorry, but this reminds me of something that's puzzled me for a while.

In 1607, much of the land on either side of the Bristol Channel suffered...
Forum: History, Literature, and the Arts 24th May 2011, 12:13 PM
Replies: 245
Views: 12,087
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I suggest Brian Aldiss's Helliconia trilogy, and...

I suggest Brian Aldiss's Helliconia trilogy, and everything that came after Arthur C Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama.
Forum: USA Politics 21st October 2010, 10:13 AM
Replies: 155
Views: 7,365
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I don't think that that particular line was in...

I don't think that that particular line was in the clip on the OP link. At one point, though, one of the commentators put on a funny voice in order to pretend to be a palaeontologist, which I found...
Forum: USA Politics 21st October 2010, 08:11 AM
Replies: 155
Views: 7,365
Posted By Cosmic Roy
This suggests the question, is there anything...

This suggests the question, is there anything you'd think twice about accepting even if it was the creator the universe himself who claimed it? I think I'd have to press for evidence if god tried to...
Forum: USA Politics 21st October 2010, 07:22 AM
Replies: 155
Views: 7,365
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Hi mhaze. Which claim in the OP is negated by...

Hi mhaze. Which claim in the OP is negated by listening to the entire clip - that Beck denies evolution or that he's bottomed out?
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 20th October 2010, 05:25 AM
Replies: 124
Views: 5,801
Posted By Cosmic Roy
It does a bit. Even within the long periods of...

It does a bit. Even within the long periods of generally steady polarity there are temporary excursions. (Obligatory Wikipedia link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_excursion))
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 14th October 2010, 01:12 AM
Replies: 124
Views: 7,549
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Apparently a member of the rescue team did throw...

Apparently a member of the rescue team did throw a grenade after all. How horrible.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/13/linda-norgrove-us-commando-disciplinary
Forum: Science, Mathematics, Medicine, and Technology 10th October 2010, 05:05 AM
Replies: 86
Views: 4,264
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Is this just a knee-jerk dismissal because it's...

Is this just a knee-jerk dismissal because it's on the arXiv, or have you looked at the paper? I'm no physicist, but I know that of the authors, at least Vlatko Vedral is well respected.
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 8th October 2010, 08:18 AM
Replies: 217
Views: 7,372
Posted By Cosmic Roy
It seems to me like a strange way to spend one's...

It seems to me like a strange way to spend one's time, but I try not to pronounce on the worthiness of people's hobbies - or lack thereof.



It sounds like we follow broadly similar...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 8th October 2010, 02:22 AM
Replies: 55
Views: 2,431
Posted By Cosmic Roy
But you're in Bristol, UK, right? It's naive, I...

But you're in Bristol, UK, right? It's naive, I suppose, but I didn't know that religious feeling was strong enough anywhere here to dissolve friendships.
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 7th October 2010, 10:11 AM
Replies: 217
Views: 7,372
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I understand that. And in one respect I agree: I...

I understand that. And in one respect I agree: I am a vegetarian precisely because I do consider killing some animals to be a significant act. (I say 'some' because I also acknowledge that the...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 7th October 2010, 08:13 AM
Replies: 217
Views: 7,372
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Phrost, for a while you seemed to be singling out...

Phrost, for a while you seemed to be singling out the killing of an animal as the sole activity that one needs to be willing to do to earn your acceptance as a morally legitimate meat-eater. I took...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 1st October 2010, 12:46 PM
Replies: 217
Views: 7,372
Posted By Cosmic Roy
No, it's not hard to understand at all - when you...

No, it's not hard to understand at all - when you apply the principle broadly to include vegetable harvesting and monetary gifts. But that's not what you seemed to be saying earlier. Earlier you...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 1st October 2010, 08:26 AM
Replies: 217
Views: 7,372
Posted By Cosmic Roy
I understand why you'd find this distasteful from...

I understand why you'd find this distasteful from a sporting point of view, but from an ethical standpoint, to me, shooting an animal that you've tracked yourself for days seems no different from...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 1st October 2010, 12:49 AM
Replies: 217
Views: 7,372
Posted By Cosmic Roy
Phrost, you might acknowledge that your mention...

Phrost, you might acknowledge that your mention of a sliding scale occurred after my question about killing mosquitoes. How thoroughly must I read a thread before I can anticipate unposted comments?...
Showing results 1 to 50 of 226

 
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