Oh, cool.  Learn something new.  Thanks.

Someone has a gun.  They're shooting.  Would you drive TOWARDS them...or AWAY from them?

I do have to concede that there are numerous states where someone might well decide to shoot back.  

Which is why almost the entire discussion is completely off base.  

Microscope and arthroscope don't use mirrors, AFAIK.  Optical microscope has a lens.  Endoscopes generally use fiber optics, I believe.

A plane mirror reflects incident light.  Using one to see around corners doesn't change this, and doesn't change the power definition.  It shouldn't require a power stunt...why?  A skill roll of SOME type, to get a good view w/o being noticed, ok...but it has nothing to do with the power in question.

A parabolic reflector...light coming in parallel to the axis of the parabaloid gets concentrated at the focal point of the paraboloid.  On its own, that doesn't give you a weapon.  It's not working like the classic magnifying glass igniting paper trick.  (We'll use the nicer form...not the one the Bad Kids did....)  A reflecting telescope includes a small mirror at the focal point, which reflects the light from the mirror to the eyepiece.  For a weapons system?  The parabolic mirror is generally used to improve collimation, thereby improving concentration...same energy level, smaller beam diameter...which means more power applied at the spot.  

Yeah, you could use a parabolic mirror like a lens...concentrate sunlight and use that to do damage...but this is VERY tricky.  Both have fixed focal lengths...the point at which all the beams intercept.  Too short, they haven't converged.  Further, they diverge.  It isn't exactly practical.

I thought you might have a point;  July '24 is pretty fast.  That said, a cornerstone here is that USC and UCLA are gone.  The media rights deal expires at that time, and without them, what are any such rights worth?  Especially with the fact that the Pac 12 Network has BOMBED...worse than a DCEU movie.  They are giving notice.  Their date is when the conference's existing structure collapses anyway.

The Pac 12 might try to scream, but it's also plausible their new state simply means they have no basis to scream.

Also found this tidbit:

https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/lists/colorado-athletic-director-abruptly-leaves-pac-12-media-day-after-george-kliavkoff-presser/?taid=64bef481e6315400010b8cdd&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

How utterly 50's..............

You should be ashamed you can be ashamed....

Hey, Stratego was a cool game.  Maybe because the guy I played that, and some other strategy games against, thought he was really good...but was VERY predictable.  In Stratego, his moves gave away his positioning strategy.  In some others, he never recognized the key tactics.

Prosecutors have added new charges in the Trump documents case...altering/destroying evidence, and basically a conspiracy charge to do so.  It's about getting video recordings deleted.  They also charge a worker who allegedly took part in this.  There's also a new Espionage Act count related to a presentation of a classified war plan to a group in New Jersey.

1 hour ago, Cygnia said:

Prominent Racehorse Trainer Sentenced Over Drugging Scheme

Where there is money, there will be cheating.

7 hours ago, Logan D. Hurricanes said:

Naked woman armed with gun opens fire at passing cars on busy NorCal bridge

From the story:
 

Quote

She was taken to the hospital for a physical and psychiatric evaluation and remains on a 72-hour hold at the hospital.

"While we know that this is someone experiencing a mental health crisis, we also have a crime scene that we need to handle because there are rounds that have been fired. We need to process that scene," Barclay said.

Not that this makes anyone anywhere near the scene feel any better...

48 minutes ago, Hermit said:

 

This makes me so angry I could spit.

It makes me angry, and depressed...because I'm totally not surprised by it.  That is very depressing.

3 hours ago, Pariah said:

 

Oh, it gets better: Jason Whitlock Doesn't Believe LeBron and Bronny James Took COVID Vaccine

 

Dueling conspiracy theories? Woo-hoo!

Only if you think Whitlock has 2 functioning brain cells.  From his time on ESPN, I'd say that's questionable.

36 minutes ago, Logan D. Hurricanes said:

Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

Hey, I'm seeing a honkin' big class action lawsuit...altho proving individual claims might be tricky due to lack of evidence.  Unless people kept the emails cancelling their service calls, who's to say it happened?  

This might get very messy with the Feds too.

Rephrase that to "how seriously the NCAA can really be taken" and I'll agree wholeheartedly.

SC breaking news:  the Big 12 conference presidents voted tonight to accept Colorado as a new member.  Unless the terms are onerous...either joining, or leaving the Pac 12...I think we can safely assume it's a completely done deal.  Colorado saying No, at this point, would blow everyone's mind.  

The detail is when it happens.  I assume they can't bail this year...the football schedule, for sure, is locked up.  

The Pac 12 football title...bet on anyone but SC or UCLA.  I'd include Colorado in there, but after 1-11, who would bet on them anyway?  Unless the conference finishes imploding in the next month or so...which could happen.  But if not?  The remaining teams will have a LOVELY motivation.  

PAYBACK.

Had their first album on CD, not sure when it disappeared.  MIGHT have digitized it first...I know I did that with several CDs before cleaning house a bit....

Northwestern's administration announces steps in response to the hazing crisis.  Every team will have mandatory anti-hazing training every year, there'll be a zero tolerance policy, and they're reviewing reporting procedures.

You recall....or Google recalls for you?  Either way...yep.  But...not applicable.  Euthanasia can only be performed on something living.

Ahh, Asia.  Masters of the excess known as stadium rock.  The band you loved but would NEVER admit to listening to.

Yeah, but Coach Prime's goal...Colorado recruiting out of Texas and Florida???  Let's take another Asia song...

Wildest dreams
Wildest dreams
Wildest dreams
Wildest dreams
Fly away...

No, not in this world
No, not in the next
No, not in my wildest dreams

Besides, it's old news.  

Oh the UNIVERSITY!!!  OK, that's a little different...the players left months ago.  (47 of em...in the spring window alone.)

The Pac 12 is a dead man walking;  the WAC and Mountain West are still probably considered little league conferences.  Not sure that the Pac 12 of the last 5 years is *that* much better in the major sports, but WAC/MWC have even worse image problems.  Big 10 is bloated.  I'm not sure the Big 12 will really have great cred in its new alignment...at least not in football.

ESPN is reporting meetings are scheduled for tomorrow...and suggesting the move may be announced tomorrow.  Finebaum minced no words...if Colorado leaves, "you might as well give [the Pac 12] last rites."  

Plus, I also saw an article that Musk's graphic may be too generic to be trademarkable.

And the Daily Beast is reporting:

a)  Musk insinuates Bronny James' cardiac incident could be related to being vaccinated

b)  Fact checking statements about the tweet were quickly removed 

Antagonize LeBron?  About a VERY!!!!! sensitive personal issue???  Beyond the irresponsible nature of the tweet, beyond the hypocrisy in removing the fact checking...LeBron is still a significant brand in his own right.  The companies Musk is trying to draw back to his platform as advertisers, will consider this another sign that they can't trust Musk.

The man is the world's champion at sticking his foot in his mouth.

Someone called a bomb threat into the Kansas Jayhawks football facility Monday.

A few hours later, one of the players on the team was arrested for it.

Kid, what were you thinking?  Because if you did this?  You just destroyed your chances at...well, pretty much anything good in life.  He's facing felony charges that carry 31 to 136 months in prison, altho fines and supervised probation are possible too.  Even at that, it's a felony record.

Elsewhere...Jim Harbaugh is about to be suspended.  Sporting News lists such egregious violations as too many coaches on the field during practice and unauthorized video observation of practice.  But the big one??  Misleading investigators about another potential violation.  This one...oh my, it's so bad.

He bought cheeseburgers for a few recruits.

The shame!!!!  The PERFIDY!!!

The punishment for this?   4 game suspension.  That's ok, it's probably better if he doesn't coach the games he'll be suspended for, they'd be bad for his health.  They're 4 total cupcakes...East Carolina, UNLV, Bowling Green, and Rutgers...all in Ann Arbor.  

Wow, that'll really deter other coaches......

Cheeseburgers, in a day of NIL.  And 4 meaningless game suspensions.  The NCAA shows again its irrelevance.

Like Watson has a solid postseason track record?  And Burrow?  It'll be even more ridiculous.

The other part of this insanity is the ripple effect it'll have downmarket.  This is the current state:
https://overthecap.com/position/quarterback

We need to go down a ways, as of course the big contracts are recent signings.  Cousins and Tannehill are too old to be looking at big raises.  Goff?  If the Lions are respectable?  Geno Smith and Jimmy G. will probably be too old to really cash in, as their contracts still have 3 seasons.  Jordan Love's 'only' pulling $13M...he's got 2 years now to show if he can cut it.  If he's halfway decent, tho...$30M?  

The insanity will show when Trevor Lawrence's rookie deal runs out.

The Braves may simply see things that say he might be able to do better, OUTSIDE of Coors.

There's also a chicken and egg problem...are the pitchers just bad, or is some of it less than great coaching?  I always looked at the D'backs...Scherzer never did anything in Arizona.  Corbin could never get it together.  The list of pitchers the D'backs quit on, is pretty stunning.  So maybe that's some of the case with the Rockies.

17 minutes ago, death tribble said:

Somehow this makes me happy

The world is indeed coming to an end.........................

VERY scary stuff.  I remember Gathers as well.  Bias...that one, cocaine was considered a major factor.  Reggie Lewis' case was...contentious, to say the least.  I remember when that one happened, too...and the very first thought I had was, oh man...Celtics again.  Drugs again???  I hope not!!!  But that question was never clearly resolved.

USC had a separate incident last summer, with another freshman recruit.  Another cardiac event.  The kid came back to play, but his season was strongly curtailed as the team medical and training staff kept a VERY!! close eye on things, as they absolutely should.  The details matter in terms of how things will go moving forward, but the careful, methodical approach can be safely assumed, particularly given that Bronny has SUCH a massive profile.  

We'll all start with hoping Bronny's health is the top priority...which suggests there's no way he can be NBA-ready for 24-25.  Makes ya wonder if LeBron will structure things to be a part-time player for THAT season, at a MUCH lower salary, so he can conceivably play in 25-26.

From the recipes I saw, the caramelization is one of the big features of the recipe.

1 hour ago, slikmar said:

The problem is, MLB set rules to help the game get in motion away from the 3 true outcomes (strikeouts, walks, HRs) and its working, but that means we have a whole generation of players not actually trained for said motion.

I can only partially agree.  Come on...base running 101, you tag up when a ball is caught.  That started in little league.

Much of it?  I don't think it's so much that players haven't been trained to run bases, it's that they're trained to NOT THINK.  To be mindlessly aggressive, throw out every runner, try for every base...even when there's no chance of it working, or a really slim chance.  Even when the situation says NO.

It isn't even the 3 true outcomes.  Heck, I'd bet players never heard of that until quite recently...that's a stat geek's point.  There's indirect applicability, in that hitters were mis-taught for ages.  Always swing for the fences, strikeouts are acceptable as long as you can blast the ball.  Pitchers taught to avoid contact...maybe that's 3 true outcome related, but I'd say blaming 3TO is putting the cart before the horse.  3TO is an attempt to isolate the pitcher-hitter interaction, separate from the defense.

Condensed down:  players are taught skills...not the game.  Second point:  the push to be noticed.  Want to make your all-city little league team?  You have to be good...but you have to stand out.  Same with all-state in HS, or catching a scout's eye.  The summer sports camps, run mostly by the sports gear/shoes companies?  That's where you get those 3, 4, 5 star rankings you hear about ALL the time with football and basketball college recruiting.  You have to stand out.  And of course, you're ALWAYS!!!! taught to give 110%!!!!!  Don't THINK, just GO!!!

In part, because it's not  just narrow aspects of baseball;  it's not just baseball.  What's valued more, a dramatic slam dunk, or adding 10-15% onto your free throw shooting percentage?  In football...sticking the ball out to try for the extra foot...thereby exposing it, and sometimes losing it.  There ARE times to do that...but more where it's wrong.  There are roots deep in the overall culture of sports here.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/25/world/gulf-stream-atlantic-current-collapse-climate-scn-intl/index.html#:~:text=A new study published Tuesday,a giant global conveyor belt.