Welcomes & Introductions

[Eclogite]

Musically speaking, as of late I've been crazy about Takemitsu, and the cyclical Bach obsession has come back full force.

Welcome to the forum. My interests don't seem to intersect with yours in most places, although I often wonder why anyone bothered to compose any more music after Bach had done his work.

[BioWizard]

Hi Scruffy. Hope you enjoy your stay. Acousitics (and music) has been on my to do list, but I haven't had time to pursue it in any capacity yet. Maybe you can start a thread m and teach me some things at some point. Welcome aboard.

[Braininvat]

Scruffy, I look forward to all your posts. I'm an amateur jazz composer and pianist, also like a wide range of classical, so anything you toss out on music theory or acoustics will be welcome and perhaps get dormant synapses firing. And both you and Mitchell seem to have nuanced and well-researched reconciliations of spiritual faith and analytic philosophy, something I've never gotten very far with and look forward to learning more about.

[Scruffy Nerf Herder]

Hi Scruffy. Hope you enjoy your stay. Acousitics (and music) has been on my to do list, but I haven't had time to pursue it in any capacity yet. Maybe you can start a thread m and teach me some things at some point. Welcome aboard.

Scruffy, I look forward to all your posts. I'm an amateur jazz composer and pianist, also like a wide range of classical, so anything you toss out on music theory or acoustics will be welcome and perhaps get dormant synapses firing. And both you and Mitchell seem to have nuanced and well-researched reconciliations of spiritual faith and analytic philosophy, something I've never gotten very far with and look forward to learning more about.

You had only to ask, I've already a couple of presentations that I worked up in the past as a starting point for music theory discussion; took me only a few minutes to get them up once I saw your interest here. We also can discuss the reverb effect, pitch being none other than a derivation of subliminal rhythms, the relationship between overtones, partials, and timbre, or whatever else you desire as it pertains to acoustics.

[lichen]

Hello, forum members.

My name is Brent, but I've taken "lichen" as my handle. Lichen is an amazing expression of life: animals and plants living in a community that benefits all other life, creating new opportunities by its cooperation. Modest and powerful. Inspirational and optimistic.

I am a software developer by trade. I currently write mobile software for Apple devices. I work for an e-commerce and online shopping company. No, not the obvious one. As a socialist-leaning person with a distaste for unbridled consumerism, it is a bit of a sacrifice, perhaps even hypocritical. But it's a good company, full of great people. While our values aren't really aligned, they aren't at odds, either. Usually.

It's actually pretty hard to find a software company that isn't elbows deep into the greasy side of commerce, especially in Toronto, where I live. Toronto is a city full of media companies. And finance companies. And post-secondary institutions which teach media and finance. Oh, lots of medical jobs, too, but I've never been that interested in that. And government. But I like my city for its geography, and its culture. Although it's growing too fast, now, and changing drastically. And I like my country for its politics and its public health care, and its not being a global superpower.

I've always been curious, creative, and ultimately a thinker about many topics. I'm interested in "why", but more often, "how".

I'm really interested in how the human civilization, and I myself, can do great things with more knowledge. That includes a lot of science and technology. I don't think we can do great things without exploiting more energy, and larger and more sophisticated social structures. Perhaps that's a simplistic assumption. Maybe I just like to think in those terms. Maybe I read too much science fiction. Or too much Hacker News.

I'm highly opposed to the social driver to accumulate wealth. And yet I'm to some degree under its influence, as I try to save money and acquire capital in order to start my own software business, or otherwise achieve enough financial independence to enable creative independence. Unless of course I can find sympathetic collaborators or investors.

I have memories from the 1970s, but no earlier.

[NoShips]

Hi, my name's Colin and I'm an... oops, wrong meeting

From Scotland, but been based in Taiwan since around the late Tang Dynasty, squandering my youth, middle age, and looking forward to blowing my autumn years too.

No qualifications in anything (unless climbing Mount Kinabalu in Sabah counts), but do enjoy reading a lot, mainly phil of science, mind, and language in that order. Nuts about travel, especially places no one in their right mind goes to.

Kinda antisocial -- prefer cats, tarsiers, coconut crabs, and badgers, but, hey, who doesn't?

Pleased to be in the company of such splendid sticklebacks, I mean people. Looking forward to the intercourse.

Willing to work for Peking duck.

P.S. This is where the name comes from: (used to laugh over this with someone special. Sigh!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esxPp8stiSc

[zetreque]

P.S. This is where the name comes from: (used to laugh over this with someone special. Sigh!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esxPp8stiSc

hahahaha

Wonders about your use of the words "used to" after watching the end of that skit.

[NoShips]

LOL

No, my untimely demise has nothing to do with Scottish lighthouse keepers :)

[JaneD]

Not good at intros. JaneD is not my real name :) Interests in science primarily zoology related with touch of symbiotic relationships. No formal training in these matters, just personal curiosity/experiences.

Grew up on a small hobby farm, meaning too small to make a living so dad worked day job. Surrounded by variety of neighbors which included life long farmers (multi-generational) to college professors to doctors and teachers, all of whom sparked curiosity about my surroundings.

[Faradave]

JaneD,

Welcome! Nice to have you with us. My parents were doctor & dentist. We grew up in farm country and the six children ran a produce stand and sizable garden. We also supplied a collection of restaurants and local markets. Lots of work but kept us mostly out of trouble.

Hope you enjoy SPCF.

[ronjanec]

Welcome Jane!

I used to be a traveling salesman, and one of my customers also had a hobby farm. He and his family invited me over for dinner one time, and that was quite the experience for a big city boy like myself to actually see close up how a farm operates.

And one of the companies my business used to represent also employed a lady who ran a dairy farm: I would sometimes talk to her very early in the morning long after she had already finished milking her cows!

[JaneD]

JaneD,

Welcome! Nice to have you with us. My parents were both doctor & dentist. We grew up in farm country and the six children ran a produce stand and sizable garden. We also supplied a collection of restaurants and local markets. Lots of work but kept us mostly out of trouble.

Hope you enjoy SPCF.

Yep! we did corn and tomato's. Teamed up with a neighbor and mom grew stuff she was really good at, and the neighbor grew stuff we didn't, and we would trade between the families. We got chickens and eggs from them, we supplied them with pork - they had their own beef.

[JaneD]

Welcome Jane!

I used to be a traveling salesman, and one of my customers also had a hobby farm. He and his family invited me over for dinner one time, and that was quite the experience for a big city boy like myself to actually see close up how a farm operates.

And one of the companies my business used to represent also employed a lady who ran a dairy farm: I would sometimes talk to her very early in the morning long after she had already finished milking her cows!

The farm to the west of us was a 3rd generation century farm and it was dairy. That is a LOT of work! They switched to crop farm about 20 years ago and recently began organic dairy. 4th generation now.

[ronjanec]

I can imagine. I think she used get up and milk the cows around 4am, and then go to work at the office until at least 5pm! Talk about being hard working right?

I used to stop and eat breakfast sometimes in the smallest towns all dressed up in a really nice suit, and the farmers would all be sitting at the same table kidding me about "Hey city boy wacha doing here?" They were the nicest people.

We really lost something important in our society when we switched over from an agrarian lifestyle and work, to a living in the city lifestyle and work.

[Braininvat]

Welcome, Jane. I had some life sciences training back in the day, and still try to keep up in some areas. We had a thread a while back (gone dormant, but can be revived, as dormant threads often are) on symbiosis.....

http://sciencechatforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=22249

If you look around the Biology forum, you may find other threads of interest. The past couple months, posting here seems to have narrowed down a bit to either theoretical physics or the current political turbulence, so I'm hoping new members (and old ones, too) can direct the chats back to other areas of science. Please let the search function be your friend, too.

[JaneD]

Welcome, Jane. I had some life sciences training back in the day, and still try to keep up in some areas. We had a thread a while back (gone dormant, but can be revived, as dormant threads often are) on symbiosis.....

http://sciencechatforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=22249

If you look around the Biology forum, you may find other threads of interest. The past couple months, posting here seems to have narrowed down a bit to either theoretical physics or the current political turbulence, so I'm hoping new members (and old ones, too) can direct the chats back to other areas of science. Please let the search function be your friend, too.

Thanks for the link.

Black Hills are great, been there a few times, mostly southern portion. Badlands, Buffalo Gap (south side), Custer, Wind cave (great park), and Iron Mountain! Still haven't seen my first Black footed ferret and only dead rattlers (so far). May take another trip there in August - not for sturgis :)

[Dave_Oblad]

Hi JaneD,

Welcome to the Forums!

My Father grew up on a Farm and Mother was a big City girl. I was raised in the suburbs. Lived most of my life in SoCal and moving to Tucson in a few months.

Father said I had it easy living 4 blocks from school, while he had to ride a bike 20 miles, in the snow, and uphill in both directions.. lol.

Since I'm semi-retired (and widowed.. no kids) and I don't get out much, this is my home away from home. Some really great friendly people hang their hats here on a regular basis. So I'm hoping you take your shoes off and sit a spell with us.

You can tell from the post count, in the upper right corner of a post, that most of us don't have any lives to speak of.. Ok guys.. I'm just kidding.

So again.. Welcome!

Best wishes,
Dave :^)

[steve67j]

Hello all,

Let tell you a little about myself. I'm a semi retired 67 yearold man. my interest are all over the place with major interst in space and acient cities and fossels.

[Faradave]

Welcome Steve,

This is a good place to get questions answered. As you've found the Welcome section of the Lounge, I assume you can find your way around. If you're not sure, start a thread in Anything Science and someone will point you in the right direction. Just scroll to the bottom and click "New Topic" to do so.

You're also welcome to post in any ongoing discussions or use the Quick Search feature in the banner above this thread to see what's been covered in the past.

[RoccoR]

Re: Welcomes & Introductions
Good Day Steve67

I am glad you said this. I could have written this about myself.

Hello all,

Let tell you a little about myself. I'm a semi retired 67 yearold man. my interest are all over the place with major interst in space and acient cities and fossels.

(MUSING)

I too have similar interests in cosmology, the basic level of physics and breakthroughs that describe the wonders of the universe. While I'm only moderately interested in paleontology; interested in the more discoveries in archaeology; especially Egypt, the Middle East and across to the Far East.

Anyway, it appears we share some common interests.

Very Sincerely,
R

[Eclogite]

Welcome to Steve67j and to RoccoR.

[Sivad]

Hi everybody, I've been browsing the forum for about a week and it seems to be a polite, informed, and thoughtful community so I thought I'd give it a go. I work in political media, mainly as an editor but I also contribute opinion and analysis occasionally, so I do have a strong interest in political philosophy. Big picture-wise I'm philosophically conflicted, I don't have any metaphysical commitments and intellectually I'm skeptical of everything, but at heart I want to believe in all big good things like God and moral realism. I try to be very open minded, and while I take in a lot of philosophy outside of politics I don't have any positions that I really advocate for or defend. I guess I have more questions than answers, but I think that's what philosophy should be really, not answering questions but finding better questions or conjectures to explore and play with. Anyway, that gives you a rough idea of where I'm coming from and I look forward to interacting with all of you on the forum, cheers!

[Watson]

Hi Savid,
I have been away from here for a long while, so it feels a bit weird to be welcoming you. But I know others would welcome you eventually, so no point making you wait. Welcome, nice to meet you.

[Braininvat]

Welcome, Sivad. I like your approach of "more questions than answers." Intellectual honesty always welcome! And the political theory forum can use new blood....so long as no one starts spilling it. Cheers.

[Infinite_Observer]

Hello everyone and I am excited to join and expand my knowledge! I have been reading through tons of posts and subjects over the last 4 or 5 days and finally decided to make it official. I admit I am a highschool drop out and probably wont hold a candle to any of you in any kind of debate but I have always craved the consumption of knowledge and like to think of my self as a person of above average intellect (perhaps just a byproduct of my friends and social circle). I really look forward to learning as much as I can from each of you, and very excited to find this forum. I hope to contribute eventually but after reading your posts I find it doubtful hehehe!

[Watson]

Hi, and welcome.

[Braininvat]

Hello everyone and I am excited to join and expand my knowledge! I have been reading through tons of posts and subjects over the last 4 or 5 days and finally decided to make it official. I admit I am a highschool drop out and probably wont hold a candle to any of you in any kind of debate but I have always craved the consumption of knowledge and like to think of my self as a person of above average intellect (perhaps just a byproduct of my friends and social circle). I really look forward to learning as much as I can from each of you, and very excited to find this forum. I hope to contribute eventually but after reading your posts I find it doubtful hehehe!

Hi, Infinite! If you have an active and inquiring mind, completing high school would be a great first step towards crafting yourself a life that really challenges that mind. It may be boring, you may be learning more on your own, but that sillly little slip of paper they give you at graduation means you can later go to college and join a community of people who share your passion for scientific learning and philosophic exploration. It also means you might have a shot at a job more interesting than washing cars or flipping burgers, maybe something where your intellectual interests can find some real application. Be wary of the seductive attractions of easy gratification. No matter how tempting your friends make that look, there is greater happiness to be found through hard work and perseverance. College is not about just getting paid more - it's really more about (IMHO) finding an avocation that you will enjoy and will bring out the best in you. And, again, meeting people who share your passions and encourage you to grow.

It's easy to be a web dilletante. Really mastering an area of knowledge takes determination and hard work. The last thing you want, on your deathbed, is to be regretting that you didn't go all out. Good luck.

[zetreque]

High school can be challenging depending on the situation or person. The system doesn't always fit a person's learning style. I love learning but hated HS. It took me a few years but I found a learning environment where it worked for me. Now I have a degree and a wonderful job as a scientist.

When the time is right, look into finishing HS and trying college (at any age).

[Watson]

Well I meant Hi...school and that other stuff. Now just welcome seems so inadequate.

[Infinite_Observer]

Well I am almost 28 now so my only option would be a GED. Luckily money is not an issue I managed to get a decent job making prescription eyeglass lenses at an optical manufacturing lab so money is not an issue. I mainly learn as much as I can for self gratification rather than for a future career, however I would not mind getting some sort of scientific career. I would happily get my G.E.D and enroll in college right now if it were free however I find it much easier to learn on the internet and from wonderful folks like you, and is free to boot! I may not have money issue but I still hate to spend. Thought of purchasing some chemistry lab equipment to start learning and being able to actually practice, however where I live the cops would bust down my door thinking I was operating a meth lab hehehe. I appreciate all your welcomes!