What Is All This? A few questions

[CopperZepher 0]

1. Do dogs really only see black and white?

2. Why don't clocks and watches that display seconds go 59, 0, 1 instead of 59, 60, 1?

3. Why are DVD-R's heavier than CD-R's?

4. If there are DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW, is there CD+R/RW and CD-R/RW?

5. Why is it illegal to steal Satellite TV? If the satellite shoots TV signals onto your property, and they don't come to take it back, isn't it yours?

6. Do twinkies really take almost forever to decompose?

7. Is there really a working sleeper hold? If so, who knows how to do it ?

 

Notice from cmatcmextra:

Moving from What is..?

Edited September 5, 2005 by cmatcmextra (see edit history)

[beeseven 0]

A couple of these are pretty easy to answer, actually.

 

1. Do dogs really only see black and white?

Yes, they lack the cones of the eye that allow for color vision at higher light levels. Interestingly, humans can't see color at low light either. The rods, which regulate low-light vision, don't do anything about color. This is why when there is less light things appear to be grayscale.

 

2. Why don't clocks and watches that display seconds go 59, 0, 1 instead of 59, 60, 1?

Time is easier to work with when it starts at 0. For example, let's say years B.C. are negative numbers and A.D. are positive. If the first year A.D. was 0, then it would go ... -2, -1, 0, 1, 2 ..., but it was started at 1, so it's ... -2, -1, 1, 2. It's a bit counter-intuitive. Also if the first year were 0, then there wouldn't have been any confusion about whether the year 2000 was the start of the millenium or not (it wasn't, it was actually 2001 because there was no year 0). Starting with 0 just makes more sense. Also the Mayans used a base 60 (sexagesimal) system (which was adopted for short time periods and a couple other things), and any base starts with 0 and ends with the base number - 1.

 

3. Why are DVD-R's heavier than CD-R's?

Don't know.

 

4. If there are DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW, is there CD+R/RW and CD-R/RW?

Don't know the difference between -R/RW and +R/RW, but yes, there are CD-Rs and CD-RWs.

 

5. Why is it illegal to steal Satellite TV? If the satellite shoots TV signals onto your property, and they don't come to take it back, isn't it yours?

I'd assume it's because most people can't use the raw signals, so it doesn't matter if they go there if they can't watch them. Also something about paying for goods and services.

 

6. Do twinkies really take almost forever to decompose?

Possible, but I kind of doubt it. They are basically just bread and whipped cream.

 

7. Is there really a working sleeper hold? If so, who knows how to do it biggrin.gif ?

Considering Wikipedia tells you how to do it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeper_hold), I'd think so. As for the second part of your question, I do now

[hacker 0]

WHY THE <<removed>> YOU W-ANT TO KNOW?

Notice from BuffaloHELP:

I have a potty mouth. I deserve to be banned from this forum for trying to bypass censors. But instead I would like to be disabled from posting for 7 days while I take a cold shower.

Edited September 6, 2005 by BuffaloHELP (see edit history)

[beeseven 0]

First, apparently I was wrong about the dogs. They don't lack cones, they just have very few and can only see blueish-violet and yellow (http://vetmed.illinois.edu/animal-care/pet-health-columns/?OLDPETCOLID=116).Second, hacker, why did you censor bypass "want"? O_o

[BuffaloHelp 24]

I also wanted to reply and add to beeseven that

 

2. Why don't clocks and watches that display seconds go 59, 0, 1? instead of 59, 60, 1?

The digit 0 (zero) discovery changed the world when it was introduced in to decimal form in all subjects (math, chemistry, physics, culture, history and even in psychological perspective). Before zero, Roman numerals were used to tell the time. So if you see that old watch with I ~ XII that's how Romans used to tell the time. But along the way (I don't know when but around late 1880's) the discovery of quartz crystal proved that the design of 1 minute took exactly 6,000,000 pulses (knowing that 100,000 pulse was a single cycle of quartz, which is 1/60th). This was the first time 60 seconds were introduced to a watch/clock. So everyone agreed that the time will start with o'clock or zero standard time. By the way, back then to count the passing time, they used d = n + 1 where d = delta (difference), n = the final number - the first number. For example, if you wanted to count 1 thru 5, it would be 5 - 1 = 4 --> +1 = 5 things. Well with zero, it's 5 - 0 = 5. So psychologically and mathematically it made sense to use zero as the starting digit.

 

3. Why are DVD-R's heavier than CD-R's?

This is for several reasons but mainly for the stability. DVD's contain much more compressed information therefore, in order for a device to uncompress, it needs to read it faster for the smooth "play back." DVD discs also use special layers of dye to make the data to last longer. And with the addition of heavier protective coat these all make a single DVD disc heavier than CD-R.

 

4. If there are DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW, is there CD+R/RW and CD-R/RW?

No. DVD+ and DVD- are actually different formats. They both are 4.7GB (the definition of original DVD--digital versatile disc) DVD- format was the original compatible format that Hollywood had used. It was not supposed to be released to the general public due to fear of copy protection compromise. Then few companies like Mitsubishi, Philips, Ricoh, Sony and Yamaha got together and created DVD+ format (a.k.a. DVD+RW Alliance) to utilize the huge potential in single disc with 4.7GB (now DVD+RW DL). And someone felt that he/she just shot him/her self in the foot--so the DVD- format came up with a way to release DVD- technology without Hollywood taking the bit. This is the infamous DVD digital copy protection code.

 

5. Why is it illegal to steal Satellite TV? If the satellite shoots TV signals onto your property, and they don't come to take it back, isn't it yours?

It's the same reason hopping onto someone else's wireless signal without paying, the same reason getting the regular CATV without paying for it etc. The whole illegal aspect comes from a person willingly purchasing the descrambler or the hacking box/card. Since it is premeditated it is illegal. There's no such thing as, "well I didn't know it was illegal, it's not my box" would work in the court of law

 

6. Do twinkies really take almost forever to decompose?

The cream filling contains something called, hydrocarbon--a substance very close to a rocket fuel. Yes that's right, a rocket fuel. Have you seen gasoline going bad? Sure, but it may take about few hundred years...

 

7. Is there really a working sleeper hold? If so, who knows how to do it ?

182336[/snapback]

Yes. If a sleeper hold isn't done correctly you can break the vocal box and kill that person by suffocating. The releasing time is very important to sleeper hold (choke hold). The basic principle is to cut the oxygen to the body just long enough to trick the brain to shut down--sleep--and then release the grip. Another method is to press the nerve ending located just below the 3 & 4 vertebrae. This causes sudden stop of blood flow and the blood back flows to the heart rendering a short oxygen deprivation. Again, it takes years to learn. Edited September 6, 2005 by BuffaloHELP (see edit history)