Re: Blowhards gonna blow.

1

The point of talking is beauty? What?


Posted by: Vance Maverick | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 5:57 PM
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2

"You're standing on my foot."


Posted by: Blume | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 6:05 PM
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3

The sound of my voice is beautiful even when I say ugly things, so I'm not sure how to proceed.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 6:29 PM
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4

Switch to singing Sigur Ros songs, Neb, or possibly giving dramatic readings of the Codex Seraphianianus.


Posted by: snarkout | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 6:39 PM
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5

How much of what I say is beaufitul?


Posted by: Princeton Irony Lady | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 6:44 PM
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6

"You're standing on my foot neck."


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 7:17 PM
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7

Ooh! Another BIL story. I'd been dating Jammies for three years before the younger one spoke directly to me. His first words were "You're sitting on the remote."


Posted by: heebie-heebie | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 7:21 PM
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8

It was three years before he wanted to change the channel.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 7:46 PM
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9

Was it beautiful?


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 12-23-12 7:46 PM
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10

I also hate sentiment, but I am fond of neb and HG.


Posted by: text | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 7:57 AM
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11

"Open your mouth only if you want to communicate something that cannot be communicated by silence."


Posted by: rob.helpy.chalk | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 8:55 AM
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12

"Or humming."


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 9:13 AM
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13

THAT'S WHAT HE SAID.


Posted by: OPINIONATED EDGAR BERGEN | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 10:07 AM
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14

||

Question for engineering and physics types.

While wrapping Joey's xmas gifts, I commented that a pair of nun-chucks would deliver less force than a solid staff that was just as long as the two halves of the nun-chucks plus the chain, because the chain would absorb a lot of the energy of the blow.

Molly says that the nun-chucks would actually deliver more force than nun-chucks, because they would be traveling faster. She compared them to a whip, which is even more flexible, and has an end that winds up breaking the sound barrier.

I'm right, right?

|>


Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 10:51 AM
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Molly says that the nun-chucks would actually deliver more force than nun-chucks

Almost certainly incorrect!


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 10:52 AM
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16

How much nun could a nun-chuck chuck if a nun-chuck could chuck nuns?


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 10:55 AM
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17

How many nuns, essear.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 10:58 AM
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18

You're going to get your balls crushed regardless.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 10:58 AM
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19

For lunch, I had deviled eggs, brie, shrimp, and York peppermint patties. I'm trying to see if I can get gout.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:02 AM
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Given the widespread development of the flail for threshing, I bet the bars-and-chain are more efficient in some way. Also, in my (comical) wing chun practices, it takes a lot of strength to swing a pole-arm very fast but it's not effortful at all to bruise yourself or a tree even with rattan nunchucks.

The chain gives the energy you put into it back, if you hit something, helpy-chalk.


Posted by: clew | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:18 AM
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21

Wait a minute, you're giving Joey nun-chucks for xmas? There's no way this ends well.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:22 AM
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re: 14

I can't speak for the physics of it, but with a cane if you know how to use it, you can get some serious speed up at the tip. They make an ominous whistling noise when delivered with the right whip-like motion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFqh4IKSA64


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:22 AM
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23

It's worth clicking through if you've not seen canne de combat. It's amazingly fast and athletic.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:24 AM
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14: Molly is correct, allowing for correcting your sentence. It's easy enough to do the experiments yourself though, only I suggest waiting until the ERs aren't so crowded.


Posted by: Biohazard | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:28 AM
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We're giving Joey these soft foam nun chuck like things. Which Rob pointed out that he will nonetheless hit his sister with and they will then go in time out. But they will at least not hurt his sister. You have to be careful when searching for nun chucks on line that you get the toy and/or costume kind and not the martial arts kind.

Also, I'm right. Right?


Posted by: Molly | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:31 AM
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You have to be careful when searching for nun chucks on line that you get the toy and/or costume kind and not the martial arts kind.

This summer I bought my brother's boys (five and four) short swords and little shields from here. There's only occasionally bouts of tears from getting cracked in the head, nuts, whatever.


Posted by: gswift | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:55 AM
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27

Molly -- I think (a) you're right and (b) sister should get a wiffle naginata.


Posted by: clew | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 12:54 PM
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28

I'm with Molly on the nunchucks vs. staff issue. The whole point of nunchucks is to store energy before tolchoking your sister. A staff does not have the same capability, or at least to the same extent.


Posted by: togolosh | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:14 PM
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29

Clew, Togolosh,

Hmph.

Now I'm realizing I don't understand how things work. How does the chain store energy? Is it like a spring? If you twirl the nun-chucks around multiple times, do they store more energy?


Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:20 PM
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30

From the link in 26:

To guarantee your order is received in time for the holidays, please have your order placed by 12/16/09.

That just seems to demand an awful lot of advanced planning.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:22 PM
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31

I doubt you one can strike with nunchucks more than, say, twice standard club velocity. And even if that's not the case, it would have to be a very fast strike to make one chuck deliver the same impulse as a club held by a rigid arm. We need experimental evidence.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:23 PM
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32

The energy stored by spinning is limited by your hand speed and the amount siphoned off by arm motion.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:30 PM
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33

If you stop actively spinning them, I bet they don't continue for mor than a couple of revolutions.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:32 PM
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34

A spring would be more complicated even. I think this is what is going on --

Imagine a staff vs a 2-section stick-rope-stick nunchaku. Same total mass, length. Grab each at one end, swing with a given speed.

This is hard with the staff because the far end has to be moving very fast, and accelerating a mass over a distance is work. If you put the same amount of force into the near end of the nunchaku, when you start, only the close end is moving fast; the loose stick is dragged along behind. Then when you snap the close end to where you want it, all that energy gets sent up the chain to the other stick, so when the other stick hits whatever it finally hits, it has concentrated most of the energy you put into the whole thing. Ow.


Posted by: clew | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:34 PM
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35

tl;dr -- Blowhards gonna blow.

31.last is right. Face-off between Molly and rob! Tourney of seven buffets! Use foam weapons!

...And put it on YouTube, it's a sad old earth.


Posted by: clew | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:36 PM
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36

My sense is that the free end of the nunchuck can be made to spin far faster than the end of a staff can be swung, since the velocity is built up over multiple revolutions. The staff, OTOH, must build up all it's velocity over merely the course of a half rotation or so. I suppose that a tricksy staff twirler could make multiple revolutions, but as I understand it we're talking about kids in the 4-9 year old range. Maybe get sister (whose name I have forgotten) a staff and let her train up; loose the kids on each other and see who ends up the worst concussion. For science.


Posted by: togolosh | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 1:43 PM
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37

34 is exactly the sort of explanation I was hoping for. Thanks.


Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 2:09 PM
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38

Someone who was way less than beautiful than silence was the A-train conductor on the way home. I actually took a field recording because it was like that "Least Desired Song" thing, Human Voice Edition. Every possible thing that could be annoying about human speech was in evidence.


Posted by: | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 2:42 PM
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39

Le 38, c'est moi.


Posted by: Mister Smearcase | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 2:43 PM
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40

Clearly, the Okinawans would have been better off using lawn darts. Then they wouldn't be part of anyone's damned empire!


Posted by: Natilo Paennim | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 3:47 PM
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41

I'm with clew in 34: Absent the spinning tricks, nunchucks are really funny-looking whips.


Posted by: Biohazard | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 4:10 PM
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42

Yes. I'm thinking fly casting, where the tip of the line moves (like a whip) at supersonic speeds if you're not careful. As clew says, the trick lies in what happens when you stop your hand movement, and all that energy makes its way out towards the tip. So. Has anyone built a nunchuck with a springy handle, top put some real snap into the "cast"?

And Happy Christmas one and all, hahaha
hohohoh


Posted by: Nworb Werdna | Link to this comment | 12-24-12 11:43 PM
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43

I think an actual spring would slow down the strike (as energy went into extending the spring) and then pull it without my control (as the spring retracted). Doesn't seem like an improvement for nunchucks. Might be for threshing; corn pounders sprung on saplings are a thing.

The building my lab is in has flails and winnowing-baskets in the decorations.


Posted by: clew | Link to this comment | 12-26-12 12:48 AM
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