Miscellaneous Discussion Thread II

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

A dentist once told me that with practice, he could work on himself, there is just a limited opportunity to practice on oneself.

Not only do I cut my own hair, but I can brush it with a towel

If this worked back then, why is it no longer in use?

In 1915, San Diego was in the midst of a prolonged drought A man named John Hatfield approached them with a deal--I'll fill your biggest reservoir or you don't have to pay me. If it fills, you owe me $10,000 It was a no-lose proposition. Either they got a billion gallons of water for a penny each, or they owe nothing.
On January 1, 1916, the newspapers reported that Hatfield was building a thirty-foot tower near the reservoir and spreading his magical concoction.
Moreno Reservoir could hold an incredible 15 billion gallons of water, but it rarely holds more than five billion. On January 1, it had an estimated two billion.
At first, nothing happened, but on the 5th, a small storm broke out over the reservoir. For a few days, there were intermittent showers, but on January 10th, a downpour hit the entire county and lasted ten days. Streets flooded. Businesses were forced to close, the railroad was flooded and suspended, telephone and telegram wires were swept away, as were some farmhouses and ranches. Livestock was lost
Nearby, the Otay Dam burst, releasing a wall of water that drove 12 miles to the ocean, destroying everything in its path. In the end, dozens of people died, 200 bridges were damaged, and the railroad was out of service for over a month.
The Moreno Dam rose to within inches of its crest, and hundreds were evacuated, anticipating an overflow.
On January 21st, the storm was over, and Hatfield demanded payment. It had been an oral contract and the city refused to pay, claiming the storm was an act of God.

In an emergency hearing, Hatfield was asked to provide proof he had caused the storm, which he obviously couldn't. Three days later, a five-day storm hit the area.
Although Hatfield never got paid for the job, it greatly enhanced his reputation as a rainmaker. He was hired in places from Guatemala to Alaska. He was consulted on reducing London's fog.
For almost fifty years he practiced his secret methods. In 1948, in the midst of another long drought, San Diego hired his closest competitor for the job.
He died in 1958 without sharing the secret that made him the greatest rainmaker of his time.

Quote: billryan

Not only do I cut my own hair, but I can brush it with a towel
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I cut my own hair if I can't get one of the daughters to do it.
They tend to want to cut their own hair, but their self-styling ticks off grandma if there are supposed to be pictures.

Letting them buzz cut my hair now and then is a small price to pay to keep mother-in-law's fuss and bother out of my ears. Fortunately, I don't mind letting my hair look a bit like Don King or a Wooly Willy gone awry.

The big adjustment is always the first big dollop of shampoo.

Looks like ridiculous amounts of rain coming to Southern California. Could be 3"-10". That usually means 20 feet of water somewhere.

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

It's really difficult, takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cutting your own hair is not exactly a earth-shattering new idea, people have been doing it for thousands and tens of thousands of years. My hair looks exactly the same when I do it as it would if I pay the barber $100 to do it. And guess what, I even polish my own shoes. Pretty radical, huh.

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

It's really difficult, takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cutting your own hair is not exactly a earth-shattering new idea, people have been doing it for thousands and tens of thousands of years. My hair looks exactly the same when I do it as it would if I pay the barber $100 to do it. And guess what, I even polish my own shoes. Pretty radical, huh.
link to original post

In the old days most men didn't shave themselves. It was considered dangerous, and I guess it was with a straight razor. Military officers learned it because they were gentlemen and expected to be shaven but at the lower levels they didn't have anyone to wait on them.

When Gillette invented his safety razor in 1901 all that changed and men being clean shaven became expected everywhere. The last president or vice president to have a beard was Charles Fairbanks in 1909 and that would not happen again until 2025.

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

In the old days most men didn't shave themselves. It was considered dangerous, and I guess it was with a straight razor. Military officers learned it because they were gentlemen and expected to be shaven but at the lower levels they didn't have anyone to wait on them.
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One of the English nobleman who discovered King Tut's tomb in the 1920s nicked himself with a rusty straight razor shortly afterwards and died of blood poisoning a week later. It became part of the curse of King Tut's tomb Legend.

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

It's really difficult, takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cutting your own hair is not exactly a earth-shattering new idea, people have been doing it for thousands and tens of thousands of years. My hair looks exactly the same when I do it as it would if I pay the barber $100 to do it. And guess what, I even polish my own shoes. Pretty radical, huh.
link to original post

wow 100 for a haircut? The barber school.charges 8 and you are helping the student get practice...you could even give them some tips. Can you even see your own shoes to polish them when you are wearing them lol?

Quote: avianrandy

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

It's really difficult, takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cutting your own hair is not exactly a earth-shattering new idea, people have been doing it for thousands and tens of thousands of years. My hair looks exactly the same when I do it as it would if I pay the barber $100 to do it. And guess what, I even polish my own shoes. Pretty radical, huh.
link to original post

wow 100 for a haircut? The barber school.charges 8 and you are helping the student get practice...you could even give them some tips. Can you even see your own shoes to polish them when you are wearing them lol?
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I don't exactly know where you're going with this or why. In answer to your probing question, I'm not your typical obese old guy, I work at keeping my weight under control I can definitely see the tips of my shoes. I eat 1100 calories a day and have for years. I had a doctor's appointment today and the office was filled with morbidly obese old people, I vowed years ago not to become one of them. Thank you for your concern. Oh my gosh, you can almost interpret what you said as a personal insult. But that's not up to me.

Quote: avianrandy

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

It's really difficult, takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cutting your own hair is not exactly a earth-shattering new idea, people have been doing it for thousands and tens of thousands of years. My hair looks exactly the same when I do it as it would if I pay the barber $100 to do it. And guess what, I even polish my own shoes. Pretty radical, huh.
link to original post

wow 100 for a haircut? The barber school.charges 8 and you are helping the student get practice...you could even give them some tips. Can you even see your own shoes to polish them when you are wearing them lol?
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Why the fat joke? Don't you know better?

Quote: EvenBob

[... I had a doctor's appointment today and the office was filled with morbidly obese old people, I vowed years ago not to become one of them...
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That is the kind of vow that seems like it would be at home in some ancient fable... I would not take such a vow!

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

It's really difficult, takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cutting your own hair is not exactly a earth-shattering new idea, people have been doing it for thousands and tens of thousands of years. My hair looks exactly the same when I do it as it would if I pay the barber $100 to do it. And guess what, I even polish my own shoes. Pretty radical, huh.
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$100? Who is your barber??

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

It's really difficult, takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cutting your own hair is not exactly a earth-shattering new idea, people have been doing it for thousands and tens of thousands of years. My hair looks exactly the same when I do it as it would if I pay the barber $100 to do it. And guess what, I even polish my own shoes. Pretty radical, huh.
link to original post

Quote: avianrandy

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: avianrandy

That sounds about like a dentist doing his own dental work. Why don't you let your wife cut your hair evenbob? I couldn't imagine cutting my own hair but to each their own.
link to original post

It's really difficult, takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cutting your own hair is not exactly a earth-shattering new idea, people have been doing it for thousands and tens of thousands of years. My hair looks exactly the same when I do it as it would if I pay the barber $100 to do it. And guess what, I even polish my own shoes. Pretty radical, huh.
link to original post

wow 100 for a haircut? The barber school.charges 8 and you are helping the student get practice...you could even give them some tips. Can you even see your own shoes to polish them when you are wearing them lol?
link to original post

you were the one who brought up the idea of guess what I can even polish my own shoes...pretty radical huh? Where did that come from,? I was just responding in jest as you did. If you were offended I sincerely apologize. I was just responding in the same fashion as you. It could be also taken the same way as you were insulting me in saying you can polish your own shoes. We weren't even talking about shoes...we were talking about haircuts

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quite amusing -
Russia proudly displayed its' first humanoid robot named Aidol
but it fell on its face____________(-:/




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Quote: lilredrooster

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quite amusing -
Russia proudly displayed its' first humanoid robot named Aidol
but it fell on its face____________(-:/

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link to original post

Like how he tried to keep walking while laying on his face.Thats what Robby the
the Robot did in 1958 when I got him for Christmas.

Fascinating video on YouTube that re-enacts a meeting of the Imperial High Command in Tokyo when it is interrupted with the news that Hiroshima is gone and the hours afterward. Half the command thinks it is a trick, while some refuse to believe it is possible. The video also contains footage that is supposed to be from the first aircraft to fly over the city a few hours later.
Hiroshima was targeted because the American bombing campaign had not hit it and was intact, unlike most Japanese cities, and many government officials had secretly sent their families there to avoid the nightly bombings in the capital.

Quote: lilredrooster

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quite amusing -
Russia proudly displayed its' first humanoid robot named Aidol
but it fell on its face____________(-:/

Wasn't it about five years ago when they showed their first one? It came out and was perfect, too perfect. Under video review you could actually see a person inside the suit. Silly Russians.

Quote: DRich

Quote: lilredrooster

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quite amusing -
Russia proudly displayed its' first humanoid robot named Aidol
but it fell on its face____________(-:/

Wasn't it about five years ago when they showed their first one? It came out and was perfect, too perfect. Under video review you could actually see a person inside the suit. Silly Russians.
link to original post

That was Musk

SOOPOO wanted a Keurig that brews 4 ounces. I have one at home in Buffalo but the cheap machine I bought here doesn’t do less than 6 ounces. So went to Walmart. In the Keurig aisle. Only found one machine that did 4/6/8/12/16. It was $150. More than I wanted to spend but I need my 4 ounces (over ice, some 1/2 and 1/2). I see the display model but can’t find a boxed one for sale. Girl comes to help me and we eventually find one but one corner of the box is smashed in. I don’t think it will affect the machine but I ask the girl if there might be another. She looks at her phone and tells me it’s the last one. She says if I want it she can mark it down. I accept, expecting to save $10 or so. She prints out a new price…. $61…..

I’m wondering if there are unscrupulous Walmart customers that cave in boxes on purpose??

Quote: SOOPOO

SOOPOO wanted a Keurig that brews 4 ounces. I have one at home in Buffalo but the cheap machine I bought here doesn’t do less than 6 ounces. So went to Walmart. In the Keurig aisle. Only found one machine that did 4/6/8/12/16. It was $150. More than I wanted to spend but I need my 4 ounces (over ice, some 1/2 and 1/2). I see the display model but can’t find a boxed one for sale. Girl comes to help me and we eventually find one but one corner of the box is smashed in. I don’t think it will affect the machine but I ask the girl if there might be another. She looks at her phone and tells me it’s the last one. She says if I want it she can mark it down. I accept, expecting to save $10 or so. She prints out a new price…. $61…..

I’m wondering if there are unscrupulous Walmart customers that cave in boxes on purpose??
link to original post

Geno"s uncle and godfather once worked at a big box home improvement retailer. He saw a customer destroy a large bag of mulch or fertilizer or something of a similar size. Said customer then went to Uncle and asked for discount for the damaged package. said uncle said that damaged packages had to go back tot he warehouse for credit. After a mild argument that went nowhere, customer walked away grumbling as he could not benefit from his misdeed. Uncle shipped damage package back to the warehouse, saving his employer 5 or 10 dollars in lost sales revenue.

Quote: SOOPOO

SOOPOO wanted a Keurig that brews 4 ounces. I have one at home in Buffalo but the cheap machine I bought here doesn’t do less than 6 ounces. So went to Walmart. In the Keurig aisle. Only found one machine that did 4/6/8/12/16. It was $150. More than I wanted to spend but I need my 4 ounces (over ice, some 1/2 and 1/2). I see the display model but can’t find a boxed one for sale. Girl comes to help me and we eventually find one but one corner of the box is smashed in. I don’t think it will affect the machine but I ask the girl if there might be another. She looks at her phone and tells me it’s the last one. She says if I want it she can mark it down. I accept, expecting to save $10 or so. She prints out a new price…. $61…..

I’m wondering if there are unscrupulous Walmart customers that cave in boxes on purpose??
link to original post

When I was a kid remember a friends mother would dent cans at the grocery store when shopping and then get a discount on them.

It appears that a group of short-term BC owner ssold almost 30,000 of them in the last month, most at a loss of about $20,000 each. I hope it wasn't working stiffs.
Long-term owners sold almost 800,000. That is much higher than usual, but it did hit an all-time high over $125,000, so those sales seem more like profit-taking than short-term panic.

BC is in the bear zone, dropping 30% from its ATH
Buying opportunity or the start of the stampede?

I'm not sure if it means much for the overall card market, but a 1914 Babe Ruth card recently sold for $ 3.2 million at auction. The former owner got his ass handed to him as he paid over seven million for the card a couple of years ago. Rumor was that the buyer at the time had cashed in on Bitcoin.

It took over 36 ounces of gold to buy a Bitcoin earlier this summer. Now it would take 23..
That's an almost 40% drop in relative value on the two leading alternatives to the dollar.

Zillow is reporting 53% of homes lost value last year, with the worst declines in the West and South.
Zillow reports 90% of homes in Las Vegas have dropped, as have 87% of houses in Phoenix. Things were no better in Florida, where close to 90% of dwellings in Jacksonville dropped.
Thanks to a significant run-up in appreciation, most homes remain in positive territory; however, fewer buyers and rising mortgage rates are creating a tough market. With rates above six percent, first-time buyers are not rushing into the market, and average days on the market are approaching record territory.

As it is mid-November, the chances of any more hundred-degree days seem small
Tucson has had 78 days of triple digits, way down from 2024's 112 days.

seen this jacket on TV tonight on pawn stars. A jacket made from black jack table felt at Caesars from the 80's. They said it would be a hard sell. Not sure what the over,/,under 13 pays even money side bets were. A bet I never heard of on blackjack. So apparently you could guess whether you or the dealer total fist two cards would be over or under 13 and get paid even money if you are right. I guess if it exactly 13 you lose. Would ace and a 2 be considered a 3 or a 13?

Quote: billryan

Zillow is reporting 53% of homes lost value last year, with the worst declines in the West and South.
Zillow reports 90% of homes in Las Vegas have dropped, as have 87% of houses in Phoenix. Things were no better in Florida, where close to 90% of dwellings in Jacksonville dropped.
Thanks to a significant run-up in appreciation, most homes remain in positive territory; however, fewer buyers and rising mortgage rates are creating a tough market. With rates above six percent, first-time buyers are not rushing into the market, and average days on the market are approaching record territory.
link to original post

Houses on sale! This is why I've been waiting a bit to buy.

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: billryan

Zillow is reporting 53% of homes lost value last year, with the worst declines in the West and South.
Zillow reports 90% of homes in Las Vegas have dropped, as have 87% of houses in Phoenix. Things were no better in Florida, where close to 90% of dwellings in Jacksonville dropped.
Thanks to a significant run-up in appreciation, most homes remain in positive territory; however, fewer buyers and rising mortgage rates are creating a tough market. With rates above six percent, first-time buyers are not rushing into the market, and average days on the market are approaching record territory.
link to original post

Houses on sale! This is why I've been waiting a bit to buy.
link to original post

I always find it amazing that real estate was not considered a great investment until after World War II. If you bought a house in 1900 and lived in it for 40 years till 1940 it was really not worth more than what inflation added to it. So when you sold it you really didn't make any money. It wasn't until the 1970s that real estate started to out distance inflation that it became a good investment. I remember those times very well it was right around when I moved to California and people were going crazy buying property in the San Francisco area where I lived. People were literally getting rich in just a few years buying and selling property.

Quote: avianrandy

seen this jacket on TV tonight on pawn stars. A jacket made from black jack table felt at Caesars from the 80's. They said it would be a hard sell. Not sure what the over,/,under 13 pays even money side bets were. A bet I never heard of on blackjack. So apparently you could guess whether you or the dealer total fist two cards would be over or under 13 and get paid even money if you are right. I guess if it exactly 13 you lose. Would ace and a 2 be considered a 3 or a 13?
link to original post

avianrandy,

From https://bj21.com/glossary:

Quote:

Over/under. Two side bets that can be made in blackjack. In the over bet, the player is wagering that his two card total will be less than 13. In the under bet, the player is wagering that his total will be more than 13. In either case, if the total is exactly 13 the player loses. Aces count as one in considering the card totals.

Oops! I just noticed the Glossary has them.backwards: the Over bet wins on totals over 13; the Under on totals under 13.

This sidebet was very susceptible to card counting, so it is nearly extinct.

Dog Hand

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details on how money is laundered at Vegas casinos - from the link:


"The schemes to move illicit money at Vegas casinos traced back to a simple problem: High-rolling gamblers from China — WHO ARE KNOWN TO DROP UP TO A MILLION DOLLARS ON A SINGLE HAND OF BLACKJACK — were having problems accessing their funds in the US.


How Chinese gamblers get illicit US cash to use at casinos

When big-money Chinese gamblers can't get enough American cash to use at casinos because of Chinese government restrictions, they sometimes turn to a black market for the money. Here's how middlemen in the US convert money from drug cartels and other illicit businesses into cash for them:

An “underground banker” drives around Las Vegas collecting money from customers who may have earned cash from illicit means – ranging from drug cartels to prostitution rings

The underground banker pays them back for the cash by transferring the same amount, minus his fee, to a Chinese bank account, circumventing US safeguards.

A high stakes Chinese gambler arrives in Vegas, but he has a problem: He legally can’t bring more than $50,000 annually into the U.S. under Chinese law, and needs more to gamble.

The casino wants the gambler's business. So a casino host calls the underground banker and asks him to bring cash, according to US authorities.

In a private room at the casino, the underground banker gives cash to the high-stakes Chinese gambler.

The Chinese gambler pays the underground banker back, plus a fee, by transferring Chinese money to a Chinese bank account — again evading US scrutiny.

The gambler takes that cash, which may have started with drug cartels, prostitutes and other illicit businesses, and turns it into chips at the casino."


https://archive.ph/rwhkG#selection-3111.0-3139.151

Does an American casino have any obligation to help enforce Chinese law?

Quote: billryan

Does an American casino have any obligation to help enforce Chinese law?
link to original post

No, but in the above scenario a casino host helped a patron avoid a CTR in the US. That's the trouble right there, it doesn't matter what transaction was going on in another country or in which country. Although it being balanced in certain countries could make it much worse. What if the transfer in the US represented a halawa transfer in Pakistan with somebody who did terrorism that killed an American? Having a financial link to something like that will put you on a list you sure don't want to be on.

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: billryan

Does an American casino have any obligation to help enforce Chinese law?
link to original post

No, but in the above scenario a casino host helped a patron avoid a CTR in the US. That's the trouble right there, it doesn't matter what transaction was going on in another country or in which country. Although it being balanced in certain countries could make it much worse. What if the transfer in the US represented a halawa transfer in Pakistan with somebody who did terrorism that killed an American? Having a financial link to something like that will put you on a list you sure don't want to be on.
link to original post

I suspect the casino is using an independent host who connects the two parties, and making a private room available for a private transaction is a courtesy to a valued guest. It's made more sinister by referring to the underground banker.
Wasn't Bitcoin supposed to alleviate these situations?

Quote: billryan

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: billryan

Does an American casino have any obligation to help enforce Chinese law?
link to original post

No, but in the above scenario a casino host helped a patron avoid a CTR in the US. That's the trouble right there, it doesn't matter what transaction was going on in another country or in which country. Although it being balanced in certain countries could make it much worse. What if the transfer in the US represented a halawa transfer in Pakistan with somebody who did terrorism that killed an American? Having a financial link to something like that will put you on a list you sure don't want to be on.
link to original post

I suspect the casino is using an independent host who connects the two parties, and making a private room available for a private transaction is a courtesy to a valued guest. It's made more sinister by referring to the underground banker.
Wasn't Bitcoin supposed to alleviate these situations?
link to original post

Bitcoin can, and may well be used for the international part of the transfer, but that's an extra step. If casinos accepted Bitcoin in large amounts it would. But in this case, the cash itself went directly from a drug or skin operation on the east side to a casino on the Strip. This is risky business for the gambler. The "banker" is seen meeting with a known drug dealer or worse, then he crosses town and is seen meeting with a gambler in a casino, and then the gambler is playing with a mountain of cash, may have residue on it, the casino didn't give it to him and he didn't declare it entering the country. I sure wouldn't want to trade places with that guy.

The gambler is playing with cash. He has no obligation to explain where it came from. Who is going to ask him about it? Perhaps he has some splaining to do when he gets to China but that is his problem. As long as he doesn't leave the country with suitcases of undeclared cash I don't see an issue.
Alternative banking doesn't always equal money laundering.
For many years, a construction worker could walk into my family's bar, cash his check, and have them send $95 to their family in Ireland.
My Uncle would charge 3% to cash the check and $5 to send the money. He'd call a bar in Ireland, and the bartender would give the family member $95, knowing my Uncle had the money. Someone wanting to send money the other way did the same thing. There were thousands of these unlicensed money transfer operations, and they only stopped when legal transfers got cheap and competitive.

Quote: billryan

It took over 36 ounces of gold to buy a Bitcoin earlier this summer. Now it would take 23..
That's an almost 40% drop in relative value on the two leading alternatives to the dollar.
link to original post

Yes, but in the last two years BTC is up about 400% and gold is only up about 200%.

Looking backwards tells you nothing about where it will be in the future.

Will gold or BTC appreciate more in the next 12 months.

Today BTC is $92,773
Today Gold is $4,071 an ounce.

I don't own either but if I was a speculator I would guess BTC will be up more than gold one year from now.

With today's younger investors, a year is a lifetime. Bitcoin has outperformed gold in the past. It may do so in the future, but it didn't this year. With a negative return for the year, it has not been a good investment this year. Stocks beat it, Precious Metals beat it, many sectors topped it.
If you live in Vegas, own a house and invested heavily in Bitcoin, it wasn't a good year for your portfolio.

The Colombian government has announced it is beginning to remove items from the legendary treasure ship San Jose.
Spanish colonial records have often proved inaccurate, but it is believed that roughly $17 billion in gold was being shipped back to Spain when it sank. The British Navy has always claimed to have sunk her in 1708 and that the gold belongs to them as spoils of war, while Spain maintains the ship was sunk in a storm and still belongs to them. Colombia claims the wreck is in its waters and belongs entirely to it.
The wreck was first discovered by an American diving company nearly thirty-five years ago, but the find has been tied up in court since then. Recently, a tribe of Bolivian natives entered the fray, claiming the gold was stolen from their ancestors, as the Spanish enslaved them and made them mine the gold.
While the gold may have a melt value of seventeen billion, shipwreck coins usually sell on the collectors' market for several times the gold value. However, this would saturate the market unless sales are spread out over many years.
The most valuable shipwreck that has been "mined" is the Atocha. It is estimated that the ship holds in excess of a billion dollars, but after twenty years, a little less than 400 million has been recovered. Coins from the Atocha initially sold at 10X gold, but recent sales are closer to 2X.

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I'm always amazed when I think about this
I'll know I'll never truly understand it
maybe nobody does

synopsis from Google:

"there are trillions of planets and stars in the universe, with estimates suggesting there are more stars than grains of sand on Earth. Astronomers estimate there are up to 2 trillion galaxies, and most stars are believed to have at least one planet, leading to an unimaginably large number of planets overall. 

The observable universe is thought to contain about 2 trillion galaxies, though the total number could be much higher.

Stars per galaxy: Our own Milky Way galaxy has an estimated 100 to 400 billion stars.

Total stars: Based on the number of galaxies and the stars within each one, the total number of stars is estimated to be around \(10^{24}\), or one septillion."

(A septillion is a number equal to (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000), which is 1 followed by 24 zeros)


and a synopsis of the traditional view of most scientists of how it all happened:


"Trillions of stars and planets exist today because of the Big Bang, which created the universe, and the subsequent force of gravity, which pulled matter together to form galaxies, stars, and planets. The first stars, formed from the universe's initial hydrogen and helium, died in supernovae, creating heavier elements. These elements then became the building blocks for new stars and the rocky planets that could form around them from leftover gas and dust.

Formation of the universe and first stars

The Big Bang: The universe began approximately a 13.8 billion years ago in an extremely hot, dense state and has been expanding and cooling ever since.

Gravity's role: As the universe cooled, gravity began to pull the simplest elements (hydrogen and helium) together into vast clouds.

First stars: Within these clouds, gravity caused matter to clump together until it ignited, forming the first stars. These early stars were massive and short-lived.

Formation of new stars and planets:

Supernovae: When the first massive stars died in spectacular supernova explosions, they released heavier elements (everything beyond hydrogen and helium) into space.

New generations of stars: These heavy elements became the "dust" and "gas" that formed new, later generations of stars, like our Sun.

Planetary formation: During the formation of these new stars, a disk of leftover gas and dust formed around the young star.

Accretion: Within this "protoplanetary disk," particles clumped together through collisions, growing into larger planetesimals and eventually, planets. The process is ongoing, with new stars and planets continuing to form today in regions of gas and dust, says the Royal Society of New Zealand.

This marked the end of the radiation-dominated era and the start of the matter-dominated era. "

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Quote: lilredrooster

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I'm always amazed when I think about this
I'll know I'll never truly understand it
maybe nobody does

synopsis from Google:

"there are trillions of planets and stars in the universe, with estimates suggesting there are more stars than grains of sand on Earth. Astronomers estimate there are up to 2 trillion galaxies, and most stars are believed to have at least one planet, leading to an unimaginably large number of planets overall. 

{severly truncated}

Or so the simulation would have us believe. There is zero chance we live in the base reality, so what you see is not what you get.

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link to original post

CJ Carr is twenty years old and the starting Quarterback at Notre Dame. Ten years ago this week, his five-year-old brother died. He has not talked about it, but wrote a fantastic tribute to him.
It's titled "100 Years of Love in Five Years of Living," first appeared in the Players' Tribune, and I think it will go viral.

Not as many raw dominoes but this one looks like something worthy of the Coyote....

Superman #1 comic found in attic last year in California sold for 9 million a couple days ago.

Quote: rxwine

Superman #1 comic found in attic last year in California sold for 9 million a couple days ago.
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It is in incredible shape. It was professionally graded at 9.0 but could easily have gotten a higher grade.
Superman 1 is mostly a reprint of Superman's first appearance in Action 1 and has traditionally sold for less than the Action book.
Condition is everything, and this book appears brand new even though it is 86 years old. Comics are made on a rag-pulp paper, and the paper breaks down almost from the start.

I was watching a video on field artillery and came across what I found to be a fantastic statistic concerning the Battle of the Bulge.
When Hitler assembled the forces for his last-ditch effort to prolong the war, his army stockpiled 120,000 artillery shells.
In defeating them, the Allies fired over three million shells and had another two million on hand.
Every German tank that went into the battle was irreplaceable.
For each US tank that was in the battle, there were five replacements in France, three in transit by ship, and three being built.

In alternative history you can go back and change some of Hitler's mistakes, or imagine Eisenhower misjudged the weather and it was awful on D-day causing failure, and have the war continue on for an extra year.

the Germans should thank their lucky stars this didn't happen. The atomic bombs would have been dropped on them