D16 - Own Research
"Do your own research" is in fact a terrible idea most of the time.
The idea that you should weigh up both sides of an argument sounds like a common sense thing to suggest but if you have different things that deserve different weights and the person who is being asked to weigh up both sides of an argument is either not aware or not trained in the art of the field in question, then that's potentially dangerous.
If you have a headache and someone asks you to take "some" aspirin, then would you be wise to take two tablets and 250mL of water? No! You would be utterly stupid and very possibly dead if you were to take 250g of aspirin to go with your 250mL of water. Munching your way through a cup full of aspirin tablets is obviously not sensible but that sensibility is already informed by not weighing up both sides of an argument. Some things which are beneficial in small doses are objectively dangerous in large quantities. This is the problem with truth and lies. Lies, simply do not deserve any weight, let alone to be given equal value with truths.
If you ask someone to prove an assertion and their reply is to "do your own research" them not only are they refusing to supply you with what they based their opinions on but they are in effect inviting you to tumble down the rabbit hole into Wonderland with them.
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F35 - Skywards
I live in one of the "LGAs of concern" in Western Sydney; which means that the NSW State Government's response to us has been to set up mass vaccination hubs outside the area, put extra Police on the streets, and enforce a curfew. The Federal Health Minister's response to NSW with regards to the "LGAs of concern" has been to deny NSW's requests for assistance and to liaise with the Defence Minister, to put Army helicopters into the skies, and other Air Force planes.
So far during the 38 days of lockdowns, I have seen the Eurocopter Écureuil, Eurocopter Tiger, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, and I can now add a new aircraft to the list of things that I've seen... The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
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G20 - First Aid
I am woefully unqualified to render any kind of medical assistance to anyone other than basic First Aid. You would think that having worked in an abatoir that I would have developed a tolerance to the sight of blood and while that might be true for animals, the sight of human fluids is still incredibly icky to me.
If you are in trouble and I happen to be on the scene, you are probably better off writing your last will and testament, and praying for your eternal salvation because for the most part, I will be utterly useless at ensuring your temporal salvation.
These are the kinds of aids that I can offer:
Lemonade
Mislaid
Milkmaid
Unpaid
Mermaid
Prepaid
Bridesmaid
Chambermaid
Afraid
Plaid
Police raid
Hair braid
Aforesaid
Soothsaid
Underpaid
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I22 - Irregular verbs:
I'm a whistleblower, she's a dobber, he's a Chinese Spy.
I have an independent mind, you are an eccentric, he is round the twist.
I give confidential briefings, you leak, he has been charged under section 2a of the Official Secrets Act.
I'm a Pepper, she's a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?
I live in a purple aeroplane, you live in a lemon flavoured tram, we all live in a yellow submarine.
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AZ21 - Letter Of Complaint
Dear Vauxhall Astra Zeneca,
Some of my friends who are absolute dinguses and wingnuts, believe that the vaccine is part of some global conspiracy to get us connected to 5G with quantum fresh dots or other such.
Since I have been jabbed with your vaccination I have not yet been able to:
- play the piano
- drive a Unimog
- use mental telepathy to go on the internet
- scan my head at the grocery store for discounts
Please advise what I am doing wrong. Or, are these conspiracy theories really a load of twaddle and it's the wolfmans, vampires and skeleton dudes that I should be worried about.
Love, Rollo.
PS: No, that's an unholy army of bin chickens, it's just that the Superb Irises are scavengers.
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T22 - Topology Is The Talk On An Infinitely Malleable Cereal Box
What is a Topologist? Someone who can't tell the difference between their coffee mug and their doughnut.
Topology is that branch of mathematics which looks at the geometrical properties of things and the various spatial relations of things, and it doesn't care about the shape or size of the things.
Topology talks about it being unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of things; which means that what it's really concerned about is things being infinitely stretchy for the purposes of doing maths to things. That's really really useful. It means that topologists can build maps and models of the world and define things in the language of mathematics.
Out here in the real world where we don't need to care that much about maths, it is still really useful to think about the way in which constituent parts are interrelated or arranged. If I want to go from Marayong to literally any other station on the Sydney Trains network, then if I ignore distance and time, then the number of times that I actually need to change trains by switching at a node is either 1 or 0. The train map itself is also a topological marvel as it also mushes together and stretches out the distance between railway stations to provide information about how to use the network. Electric circuit diagrams do exactly the same thing.
What is the topological genus of a human? It's either 5 or 7, depending on whether the fact that I can blow air through my tear ducts indicates that my eyes are orifices.
That is to say, connected to the main (digestive) tube, there are two nostrils, two ears (joined via Eustachian tubes), and two eyes (which may or may not be connected).
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