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Neat in theory, but in practice ineffective. Those who might read multiple large exerpts from a book would actually seek out the source.

Do as you wish, however I doubt this will have the effect you want here.


Yes, the Titin example is completely ridiculous. On the one hand, the protein Titin is one of the longest sequences. However you can form a 'word' out of any protein or DNA (or other macromolecue or polymer) this way.

The key problem for me is that you would never refer to any polypeptide this way in a sentence. It would be like referring to a piece of software by concatenating its source code into one long 'word'. Meaningless.


That's not a word that's a polypeptide sequence. How and why did that get entered into Wikitionary to begin with? It doesn't belong there.

Next up will they start recording the corresponding DNA sequences as "words" that are a synonym?


> "army trucks are rolling down the Royal Mile"

Apart from anything else, where are they rolling 'down' from? The castle? I mean I know it's technically a castle, but it's not like there are a bunch of troops there just waiting to spring on Holyrood, no?


DATELINE 1PM - ARTILLERY FIRE HEARD OVER EDINBURGH

Aka, the one o'clock gun, which locals ignore entirely as it's every single day but always surprises a tourist: https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/see-and-do/highlights/one-o... . There is actually a small barracks on the site as well, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redford_Barracks ; the city as a whole contains a few more barracks for various units, including a signals unit conveniently located near the main telephone exchange.


Redford Barracks is quite a bit out from the centre of Edinburgh - hardly "on the site"?

.. correct, a good old fashioned non-AI mis-googling error. The castle barracks is the "New Barracks", so called because it was built in 1799, and I saw the blocky stonework construction and went "close enough". Sources are a bit vague on how currently used it is. https://edinburghtourist.co.uk/questions/who-lives-edinburgh...

Parts of Edinburgh Castle are still used by the army - I doubt there are many trucks or squaddies based there though:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Castle#Military_role


Yeah, fair point. I was just not sure if they have enough troops to take the parliament in any meaningful sense (not that this stuff should really be taken seriously).

Of course, if there are pipers involved, then everyone better watch out ...


The poisions?

Buphanidrine : https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Buphanidrine

and

Epibuphanisine https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/substance/349793761

which are nearly identical compounds (it seems) except for one having an additional -OMe (Methylether) group. Looks like they are https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crinine (s)

From the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boophone_disticha plant.


> having an effect akin to that of scopolamine

The motion sickness patch? Gives "just shoot me" a new meaning in 6,000 BC


That is not the only effect of scopolamine. It's a very potent deliriant. In Colombia it has been used by attackers (referred to as "devil's breath", blown into the face) to cause amnesia and a very docile state (a victim might be walked to an ATM, forced to empty their accounts, and not remember a thing. Or worse). It can cause some extreme types of hallucinations.

Is there a verified case? There is a similar urban legend here in Argentina, sometimes the steal your money, sometimes a kidney, ...

There was a NYT article[0] and a few others the last few years

[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/world/americas/colombia-d...


From your comment:

> referred to as "devil's breath", blown into the face

I've read similar reports in email chains in the 2000. Like the guy that touched a piece of paper and a few seconds later collapsed. I think that some local newspaper even published it, without evidence.

From the NYT article:

> She carried it from a restaurant counter to their table. He had two spoonfuls, Mr. Valdez, 31, said. “And that’s the last thing I remember.”

> He drank a pink soda, he said in a video, and later awoke to find his wallet and phone gone.

> One 42-year-old man from New York recalled being drugged by a Tinder date who served him a rum and coke that he said knocked him out for 24 hours.

These case makes more sense. There are a few recent similar cases here, and many buildings have security cameras on the front door, so they get a nice video of the escaping thieves.


Yah I think there's a lot of urban legend around the stuff. I know a few people who have used it (well, Brugmansia plants that contain it anyways) as part of their apprenticeships (Amazonian plant medicine, in conjunction with ayahuasca) in a more controlled manner and even then they have some wild stories about it (waking up naked in the jungle, covered in scratches with no memory etc). It lasts a looong time.

> 6,000 BC

58,000 BC


6000 decades BC

I love 'Avril 14th', I had not connected it before to Satie (who I've only just heard of, my poor musical background knowledge). I see the similarities in the balance of sweetness and dissonance (I suppose).

A friend told me a story about Satie, that they found two pianos in his appartement, one stacked on the other, with unpaid bills tossed on the top. Seems very RDJ-like (or v.v.).


Uhm. If I understand correctly, you are saying that some people are pretending to like his music because it is over the top and showy rather than actually good or enjoyable?

While it is possible these fake enjoyers exist, I'm fairly certain a lot of fans of Mr Twin's work like it in a straightforward sense of most music appreciation.

Personally, 'Vordhosbn', 'Windowlicker', 'Rhubarb'... etc are all great tracks. Are there some that I don't get on with? Sure, of course. However I can speak for myself when saying I'm not listening to the music performatively. At least, not much!


I'm an example, in fact I've loved his music since the 90s and never played it for friends because I always assumed they wouldn't like it. And I'm definitely not being performative for myself. It was a bit surprising to me that his music became kind of legendary recently.

We need to put his music in the right historical context. In the time his early works were released he was truly different. I don't like his music, but I appreciate it, artistically. I like his art, I guess.

I believe you, but is that not a strange position to take on music? Appreciating it artistically, but not liking listening to it?

Am I right in saying you like the _idea_ behind the music rather than the music itself? That's almost as strange to me as people who do not listen to music at all - it's fine, of course! They are your ears, and you can do what you like with them :)

shrug Different people are different, I suppose.


No it's not strange. As someone who enjoys playing music I have heard a lot of music that doesn't suite my particular tastes, but appreciated the artistic talent of the people creating it because I truly believe they are talented. If you dig below the surface level you can find plenty to appreciate about how something is created, even if the product isn't for you.

You can find something to like about a lot of things. I also enjoy watching videos about wristwatch repairs and seeing the construction of them. However, I do not want one and would never wear one.


Even some AFX fans have the opinion that the stuff on Drukqs is "style over substance".

To be fair, he was kinda forced to release it following a leak, wasn't he?

About as powerful a quote as "Even some Beatles fans think X album is 'style over substance'."

Who cares? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to crank up Vordhobsn and write some code.


Funny you should say that. I was reminded of Paracelcus who had the idea 'Only the dose makes the poison'. He was thinking that low doses of poisonous substances could be curative ... similar to this idea of using chlorine dioxide, with the crucial point here being the amount that is safe is tiny.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_dioxide#Safety_issues... the EPA "has set a maximum level of 0.8 mg/L for chlorine dioxide in drinking water", which is certainly much higher than the amounts in MMS.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_Mineral_Supplement (for example) - "Following a May 2010 advisory which indicated that MMS exceeds tolerable levels of sodium chlorite by a factor of 200".

Summarising, the idea of toxicity of chemicals and dosage was first explored by an alchemist (Paracelcus) in the 1500s, which is the 16th C. - so yes, 17th C. medics might have been able to point out how crazy this all is, let alone 21st C. people of any kind.

It's been 500 years, people.


Also, if you bought an album, that meant getting some tracks you liked, and some you did not. Oddly enough I bought Suzanne Vega's self-titled album with 'Cracked' on it (off a guy in a stall off Brick Lane, only a fiver), and some of them are fantastic some slightly less so. Some albums I own I turn off one or two of the tracks as they are rubbish, but that was slightly more difficult if you had to fast-forward past them on a tape.

That said I listen to a lot of music on youtube, and it's a rare case where the dreaded 'algorithm' actually works to recommend things I had not heard before. I'm pretty sure that's where I learned of Unkle (UNKLE?) - who I _should_ have heard back in the day, but somehow never did.

(Incidentally, I found 'Daughter' recently, a UK band that is similar in tone to Suzanne Vega. Possibly also Heather Nova, although a bit more dreamy.)


> UNKLE

I was a huge DJ Shadow fan as a teen, getting as many albums, mixes and singles as I could find online.

DJ Shadow was involved in the production of UNKLE's first album Psyence Fiction. I recently discovered that there was an intro mix that wasn't on most CD copies of the album that has DJ Shadow mashing ~70 tracks together in just over 2 minutes.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=oRwnUM10mf4


>Psyence Fiction

Its kinda crazy, I loved that album in the 2000's, but hadn't really listened to it in about a decade until youtube brought it up again recently.


> “I’ll sue you,” the door said as the first screw fell out. Joe Chip said, “I’ve never been sued by a door. But I guess I can live through it.”

From Ubik


That scene is exactly what I had in mind :-)

Such a wonderful book.


One of my favorite PKD novels. Thanks for the reminder of it!


You get Flubber?


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