The Science Thread

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In German language : An article in the scientific magazine "Spektrum der Wissenschaft" about "manhood" or "manliness" :
The article contains links to scientific studies in English language.

In short, it says that men are more aggressive to defend their "manliness", and to prove that they are manly in general. Because "manliness" is rather a status, and not - in contrast to women - something inherent.
And, with any status, it can be lost as well. Which men try to defend. By showing how manly they are.

»Wie zeigt man, dass man nicht schwach ist? Man verhält sich aggressiv!«

Women don't have this problem, since womenhood is not a status. It is rather something inherent, something that doesn't need to be proven or even gained through a ritual.
Or, at least, that's how I understand this article (it also says that female scientists say that women can indeed lose thrir womanhood, for example, when someone accuses them to be a bad mother).
 
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Interesting. The sun is very active these days, which is why I was able to see the aurora here the other night. (We're normally too far south to see it in Bergen@Norway)

7377b8a5-2220-46e9-a0f2-8a7072cdaa82

Picture from our local newspaper.

It's not as impressive as what I saw when living in the northern part of Norway, but still ... quite pretty.

You may be able to see it elsewhere, but you have to be at at least at 59-60 latitude. If you are, look to the north.

pibbuR who also has seen the midnight sun, which looked very much like the mid-day sun.
 
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That must be an impressive spectacle! Hopefully an appropriate reward for all those long nights and long days.
Are you claiming that is a problem? :)

On a serious note. I lived in the northern part of Norway for 4 years. I didn't mind the eternal night during winter (Actually snow + moon made it not as dark as you might think). Neither was the eternal day during summer a problem. What I did miss was spring. Here in Bergen spring lasts around two months. Watching nature very slowly coming alive again was quite rewarding. Where I lived in the north, spring lasted around two weeks. Snow left us in May, then it was suddenly June and full summer (still usually bad weather, of course).

I remember very well the first time I went to the north to visit my in-laws (hopefully) wannabes. Upcoming wife and I had been out for a walk, came back around 00:30 AM. Neighbours were working in their garden. Others were sitting on the porch drinking coffee. A bit surrealistic for a back then southerner.

pibbuR who actually would like to live up there again.
 
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Are you claiming that is a problem? :)

On a serious note. I lived in the northern part of Norway for 4 years. I didn't mind the eternal night during winter (Actually snow + moon made it not as dark as you might think). Neither was the eternal day during summer a problem. What I did miss was spring. Here in Bergen spring lasts around two months. Watching nature very slowly coming alive again was quite rewarding. Where I lived in the north, spring lasted around two weeks. Snow left us in May, then it was suddenly June and full summer (still usually bad weather, of course).

I remember very well the first time I went to the north to visit my in-laws (hopefully) wannabes. Upcoming wife and I had been out for a walk, came back around 00:30 AM. Neighbours were working in their garden. Others were sitting on the porch drinking coffee. A bit surrealistic for a back then southerner.

pibbuR who actually would like to live up there again.
That seems so surreal. :D

I thought it was a problem for many people. I have a few friends and acquaintances in Sweden who said that lack of daylight and sun was sometimes depressing in winter. I suppose it depends a lot on the environment and the personality?

I think I would like it, but it's hard to say without spending a few years there. Our house is set back from the road, in a patch of wood. The first winter was unsettling because it was completely dark, no streetlight, distant neighbours not quite visible, and snow is rare (it does illuminate a lot, indeed). But now we're accustomed to it, though I admit we keep a couple of lights on outside. And nights aren't so long, it's only 50°N, so about 8 hours of day / night on solstices.
 
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Oh yes. Many people find the dark-time difficult (southerners living up there more than the natives, I presume). Additionally, if you suffer from winter-depression (partially caused by lack of light), it can be really hard.

But not for me.

BTW: We don't have direct sunlight during winter where I live, but that's due to mountains. It doesn't get dark at daytime. But because of this, the area is called "Skyggestranda" ("The Shadow shores").

pibbuR whose third favourite Led Zeppelin tune is "In the Light".
 
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But because of this, the area is called "Skyggestranda" ("The Shadow shores").
So I live on the edge of the Great Plains, but pibbuR gets to live on the Shadow Shores!? That is NOT fair!!
 
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The most boring number at the moment is ... 20,067. At least according to Scientific American (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-most-boring-number-in-the-world-is/).

The article is about numbers with interesting properties and numbers for about we at the moment (apparently) have nothing interesting to say.

The article mentions the book "A Handbook of Integer Sequences" (1973) by Neil Sloane. It contained about 2400 integer sequences. The book was very popular (I assume in a rather small group of people), one reader claiming "There’s the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Handbook of Integer Sequences". If 2400 sequences is not enough for ypou, there is of course an internet source: "Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS)" (https://oeis.org/) which contains 360 000 entries. 20,067 is at the time of writing (Scientific American) not present in any of those series.

pibbuR

PS. One sequence that's missing is the one suggested by the XKCD man: The sequence of integers, inversely sorted. DS.
 
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