A man goes to a psychiatrist. To start things off, the psychiatrist suggests they start with a Rorschach test. He holds up the first picture and asks the man what he sees.
“A man and a woman making love in a park,” the man replies.
The psychiatrist holds up the second picture and asks the man what he sees. “A man and a woman making love in a boat.”
He holds up the third picture. “A man and a woman making love at the beach.” This goes on for the rest of the set of pictures; the man says he sees a man and a woman making love in every one of the pictures.
At the end of the test, the psychiatrist looks over his notes and says, “It looks like you have a preoccupation with sex.”
And the man replies, “Well, you’re the one with the dirty pictures.”
gettingfreesays
I don’t know if this observation has ever been posted but…
If xians think it is a sign that jeebus is god and to be worshiped because he sometimes appears on toast, irons, etc. couldn’t the argument be made that really it is human anatomy that should be worshiped because it appears in nature much, much more frequently?
IaMoLsays
It’s cliched, but I’m reminded of Weston and O’Keefe. So when will Cuttlefish write his ode to vulva-like flora?
Root parasite, so I guess that won’t be in the trade anytime soon. One of these days I gotta see those weird bits of southern Africa. There are lots of plants from, the fynbos and the coast in gardens and public spots in California, but put them together where they come from and there’s yer alien landscape without leaving the planet.
I’ve seen Hydnora in the bush (as it were) in Namaqualand, though I’ve never caught the flowers in such good shape. They’re stupendously weird plants. The subterranean stems and fruits look very HR Giger-ish, and are edible, but acrid-tasting and apparently better cooked.
Antiochus Epiphanessays
Parasitic plants RAWK…incidentally Hydnora africana and other members of the family are ancient holoparasites deriving all photosynthates, water and minerals from host plants. They don’t have leaves, roots, or functional chloroplasts. A close relative H. triceps may complete its entire lifecycle without ever emerging from the surfece of the soil.
Who needs mathematical proofs when Excel will tell you 838?
Susansays
PZ. Everything is not about your penis!
IaMoLsays
PZ. Everything is not about your penis!
No… this time it’s about a vulva.
Cuttlefish, OMsays
Oh, underused powers
Of beautiful flowers;
They tantalize, tempt, and entice,
Whether insect or human,
When flowers are bloomin’
There’s something that makes us look twice.
The curves I adore, kids,
I oft find in orchids
(Such flowers are dear to our hearts)
It’s not quite the same in
A pistil or stamen
But sometimes, it seems, parts is parts.
In just the right lighting
It’s rather exciting
When beautiful form follows function
In plant pollination
Or *our* fornication
When parts can perform in conjunction
That such an attraction
Creates a reaction
Is fact that a blind man could see
You might think me crazy–
I’m off to find Daisy
To ask if she’ll just let me bee.
Cuttlefish, OMsays
Dammit. I meant to dedicate that to IaMoL @ #14.
IaMoLsays
Ah, you rose to the occasion, Cuttlefish. Excellent as always. Impressive – you really are artfully endowed.
Legolas @20:
I’m not a mathematician, but this seems to work for me:
A number satisfies the following:
N = 1 mod 3
= 3 mod 5
= 5 mod 7
= 6 mod 8.
Thus,
N+2 = 0 mod 3
= 0 mod 5
= 0 mod 7
= 0 mod 8.
3, 5, 7, and 8 are relatively prime, which means that N+2 = 0 mod (3*5*7*8) = 0 mod 840. Therefore, the lowest (>0) number that satisfies your conditions is 838.
Now, if this were a homework problem assigned to you, you’re a bad person for asking the interwebs instead of solving it yourself.
waynerobinson4says
The first thing I thought of was the vocal cords in the human larynx. I don’t see what the fuss is about. Admittedly whenever I see the Rorschach ink blot tests, what they most strongly remind me of are ink blots.
On an unrelated topic, who scheduled PZ Myers to be talking at 5 pm on Saturday at the Atheists’ Conference in Melbourne? It cuts into the serious drinking time before the dinner. It gets even worse; AC Grayling is scheduled to be talking at 4 pm, so that means there will be two quiet mild-mannered speakers in a row.
It’s clear. The lowest possible 3 digit number is “100”. ;-)
He didn’t say what is the lowest three digit number that satisfies the distractor criteria. :-)
R.
woozysays
I’m not a mathematician, but this seems to work for me:
Dang! I am a mathematician (albeit a lapsed and defrocked one) and your answer is far more elegant and straight forward than mine. Which figured:
x = b mod m => x = b + k*n mod(m*n)
so x = 1 mod 3 => x = 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 mod 15 while
x = 3 mod 15 => x = 3, 8, 13 mod 15
so x = 13 mod 15.
And so on.
I figured I ought to have a way to solve
x = 13 mod 15 && x = 5 mod 7 hence x = 103 mod 105 without having to list all the options.
*sigh* I *am* getting old.
But, okay, now that I’ve woken up. How about this?
What’s the smallest positive integer that if you divide by 2 you get remainder 1, You divide by 3 you get remainder 2, You divide by 5 you get remainder 3, by 7 you get 4? and by 11 you get remainder 5?
woozysays
D’oh. Here’s a kookie solution!
x is three digits so x = abc.
x = 3 mod 5 so c = 3 or 8.
x = 6 mod 8 so x is even so c is even so c = 8.
x = 1 mod 3 so a + b + 8 = 3n + 1 so b = 3m – a -1
(e.g. if a = 1 then b = 1, 4 or 7 and so on)
since x = ab8 = 6 mod 8 then ab2 is divisable by 8. That means ab2 is divisible by 4 so b2 is divisible by 4 so b is odd. b2 is divisible by 8 is a is even (so a even => b = 3 mod 4) but not if a is odd (so a odd implies b = 1 mod 4)
ab8 = 5 mod 7 means ab3 = 0 mod 7 means a(b+1)0 = 0 mod 7 means a(b+1) is divisble by 7. (in other words ab = 06, 13, 20 … 62, 69, …
Putting those all together we get:
a = 1 => b = 1, 4, 7. a odd => b = 1 mod 4 so b = 1. but 12 isn’t div by 7.
a = 2 => b = 0, 3, 6, 9. a even => b = 3 mod 4 so b = 3. but 24 isn’t div by 7.
a = 3 => b = 2, 5, 8. a odd => b = 5 but 36 isn’t div by 7.
a = 4 => b = 1, 4 7. b even => b = 7 but 48 isn’t div by 7.
a = 5 => b = 0 mod 3. a odd => b = 9 but 60 isn’t div by 7.
a = 6 => b = 2 mod 3. a even => b = 5 but 66 isn’t div by seven.
a = 7 => b = 1 mod 3. a odd => b = 1 but 72 isn’t div by seven.
a = 8 => b = 0 mod 3. a even => b = 3 *and* 84 *is* div by 7.
Dr. Matt @ 24: Hydnora has been cultivated outside of South Africa, at least once…
Holy moly. Thank you! And it took ~only~ six years to show up. I wonder if that colony? farm? patch? still exists down in Claremont.
There’s been some chat on the California native-plants listserv about trying to grow Castilleja, and that’s just partially root-parasitic. The Ruth Bancroft garden has some E. caput-medusae; I wonder if anyone there might get interested in propagating any Hydnora.I wonder if it’s even possible to import (or export) fresh seeds nowadays.
Carlquist got around some. We have his book on Hawai’ian plants somewhere here in the office.
@waynerobinson4 and PZ – surely this hall where you’re having the talk will allow you to drink inside it?
In my experience most conference centres do if you ask nicely. You can make a game of it. Skull whever PZ says a bad word about creationists.
Krystalline Apostatesays
I can’t figure out why my mouth is watering….?
https://me.yahoo.com/wmdkitty#83021says
Om Nom Nom Nom Nom….?
Rorschachsays
On an unrelated topic, who scheduled PZ Myers to be talking at 5 pm on Saturday at the Atheists’ Conference in Melbourne? It cuts into the serious drinking time before the dinner. It gets even worse; AC Grayling is scheduled to be talking at 4 pm
Even worse, Ima gonna have to hurry up a local mountain after Russell Blackford’s talk, hand the spawn his birthday prezzies, and be back by 4pm now !! Very bad planning indeed ! As to the beer time thing, it’s always beer time mate, I don’t see the issue here…:-)
#43…Do you mean that it was growing at Rancho Santa Anna? I was there not long ago, and if I had known that there was some about, I would have asked to see it. I have been to southern Africa many times, but never saw Hydnora,
This makes me sad.
mikeybear69says
marie-annick wrote:
It also smells like a carcass. A flower that evolved to smell like rotting flesh to attract carrion beetles. More evidence for ID !
According to Wikipedia it smells of faeces! I’d like someone intelligent to explain that design.
Nepenthesays
Only if by “inviting” you mean terrifying.
Signed,
One Squicked Dyke
phhhtsays
Oh my my
Oh hell yes
Honey put on
your party dress
Antiochus @ 49:Do you mean that it was growing at Rancho Santa Anna?
Carlquist grew it out at his home garden in Claremont. It’s too late just now to remember if that became Rancho Santa Anna BG but I hadn’t thought so.
I don’t think your chances of meeting it in bloom there would be any better than in southern Africa, anyway. And FWIW I’m all envious that you’ve been there.
woodsongsays
Truly a bizaare plant.
We have a few non-photosynthetic plants native to New York, although all of the ones I’m familiar with are in shades of brown ((beechdrops), yellow (squawroot, pinesap) and white (indian pipe). The bright red is striking! And how many plants do you know of that take a year to form their blossom? Cool!
Of the four plants I listed, three are known parasites (the page on pinesap didn’t mention parasitism, although it may be incomplete). Squawroot is particularly odd-looking…
True Bob says
Looks like someone’s hacky sack split open.
Rorschach says
Now you’ve done it !! If the army of god finds out about this you’re done for, that’ll go straight on to their war map, like the porn shops !
Talk about vagina dentata…:-)
RijkswaanVijanD says
Looks like some wicked voodoo docter had his way with that girl.. Poor little thing:(
https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawm-q_1zh86Qph0hN9O23H8_mB_tHEzWduQ says
Another reason why I’m vag-itarian.
https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawm-q_1zh86Qph0hN9O23H8_mB_tHEzWduQ says
WTF happened to my username? wow.
marie-annick says
It also smells like a carcass. A flower that evolved to smell like rotting flesh to attract carrion beetles. More evidence for ID !
mk says
*bwow-chicka-bwow-bwow*
IaMoL says
Does this come with a facehugger?
https://me.yahoo.com/a/kJEmZysjr8L5fschK1iFgKXEd4YtgUddUC8-#561cc says
No facehugger. It does come, however, with an ample supply of Spice…
daveau says
I know this Wednesday bit is actually innocent, but it’s still NSFW.
and7barton says
At least you wouldn’t have to take it out for a meal first.
A light sprinkling with Baby Bio would likely do the trick.
https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawnDS6EpwWNmvKHch6B8YDRteNL0e08cbu0 says
Reminds me of this old story:
A man goes to a psychiatrist. To start things off, the psychiatrist suggests they start with a Rorschach test. He holds up the first picture and asks the man what he sees.
“A man and a woman making love in a park,” the man replies.
The psychiatrist holds up the second picture and asks the man what he sees. “A man and a woman making love in a boat.”
He holds up the third picture. “A man and a woman making love at the beach.” This goes on for the rest of the set of pictures; the man says he sees a man and a woman making love in every one of the pictures.
At the end of the test, the psychiatrist looks over his notes and says, “It looks like you have a preoccupation with sex.”
And the man replies, “Well, you’re the one with the dirty pictures.”
gettingfree says
I don’t know if this observation has ever been posted but…
If xians think it is a sign that jeebus is god and to be worshiped because he sometimes appears on toast, irons, etc. couldn’t the argument be made that really it is human anatomy that should be worshiped because it appears in nature much, much more frequently?
IaMoL says
It’s cliched, but I’m reminded of Weston and O’Keefe. So when will Cuttlefish write his ode to vulva-like flora?
IaMoL says
my fail. Weston
Thebear says
Is it just me – or is there a certain recurring theme to these weedy wednesdays..?
Athena says
Gettingfree @ 13: Excellent point!
Sili says
It’s just you, Thebear.
To me they’re they’re far more woody.
Glen Davidson says
If so, it’s a wasted message. Not because we won’t worship said anatomy, but because we would anyway.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p
Legolas says
Hey Scientists, try solving this by using mathematical proofs.
A 3 digit number when divided by 3 u get remainder 1, by 5 u get R 3, by 7 u get R 5, by 8 u get R 6. What’s the lowest possible 3 digit number?
https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawncr0FDc8gdl7yJBz0SJ15D0etcTIOtL0s says
Root parasite, so I guess that won’t be in the trade anytime soon. One of these days I gotta see those weird bits of southern Africa. There are lots of plants from, the fynbos and the coast in gardens and public spots in California, but put them together where they come from and there’s yer alien landscape without leaving the planet.
All it needs is Marvin the Martian.
I wonder what the fruit tastes like.
Ron Sullivan
http://toad.faultline.org
Dr. Matt says
I’ve seen Hydnora in the bush (as it were) in Namaqualand, though I’ve never caught the flowers in such good shape. They’re stupendously weird plants. The subterranean stems and fruits look very HR Giger-ish, and are edible, but acrid-tasting and apparently better cooked.
Antiochus Epiphanes says
Parasitic plants RAWK…incidentally Hydnora africana and other members of the family are ancient holoparasites deriving all photosynthates, water and minerals from host plants. They don’t have leaves, roots, or functional chloroplasts. A close relative H. triceps may complete its entire lifecycle without ever emerging from the surfece of the soil.
Botanical Wednesday is the shiz!
Dr. Matt says
Ron – Hydnora has been cultivated outside of South Africa, at least once:
http://www.botany.org/Parasitic_Plants/Hydnora_africana.php
CTC says
Who needs mathematical proofs when Excel will tell you 838?
Susan says
PZ. Everything is not about your penis!
IaMoL says
No… this time it’s about a vulva.
Cuttlefish, OM says
Oh, underused powers
Of beautiful flowers;
They tantalize, tempt, and entice,
Whether insect or human,
When flowers are bloomin’
There’s something that makes us look twice.
The curves I adore, kids,
I oft find in orchids
(Such flowers are dear to our hearts)
It’s not quite the same in
A pistil or stamen
But sometimes, it seems, parts is parts.
In just the right lighting
It’s rather exciting
When beautiful form follows function
In plant pollination
Or *our* fornication
When parts can perform in conjunction
That such an attraction
Creates a reaction
Is fact that a blind man could see
You might think me crazy–
I’m off to find Daisy
To ask if she’ll just let me bee.
Cuttlefish, OM says
Dammit. I meant to dedicate that to IaMoL @ #14.
IaMoL says
Ah, you rose to the occasion, Cuttlefish. Excellent as always. Impressive – you really are artfully endowed.
https://me.yahoo.com/a/ipObIAt_i8j6bSRWKn_f7GhdKfJlmq2pNAI-#35954 says
Legolas @20:
I’m not a mathematician, but this seems to work for me:
A number satisfies the following:
N = 1 mod 3
= 3 mod 5
= 5 mod 7
= 6 mod 8.
Thus,
N+2 = 0 mod 3
= 0 mod 5
= 0 mod 7
= 0 mod 8.
3, 5, 7, and 8 are relatively prime, which means that N+2 = 0 mod (3*5*7*8) = 0 mod 840. Therefore, the lowest (>0) number that satisfies your conditions is 838.
Now, if this were a homework problem assigned to you, you’re a bad person for asking the interwebs instead of solving it yourself.
waynerobinson4 says
The first thing I thought of was the vocal cords in the human larynx. I don’t see what the fuss is about. Admittedly whenever I see the Rorschach ink blot tests, what they most strongly remind me of are ink blots.
On an unrelated topic, who scheduled PZ Myers to be talking at 5 pm on Saturday at the Atheists’ Conference in Melbourne? It cuts into the serious drinking time before the dinner. It gets even worse; AC Grayling is scheduled to be talking at 4 pm, so that means there will be two quiet mild-mannered speakers in a row.
https://me.yahoo.com/a/DhjBEuJ8pt63x6eBKuPx0Jv9_QE-#7c327 says
Cute, but what did they do with the rest of her?
aratina cage of the OM says
*wink* @ #9
PZ Myers says
I think it’s an AAI tradition — they did it in LA, too. I’m always in competition with the beer.
MadScientist says
Should we add another entry for “man trap” in the dictionary?
Knockgoats says
Nice picture, but it somehow seems to be missing something… I know! What it really needs is a cute little button.
https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlEIi5v7mzdbIuLNUa6X1N9WcVRwgkpW4c says
It’s clear. The lowest possible 3 digit number is “100”. ;-)
He didn’t say what is the lowest three digit number that satisfies the distractor criteria. :-)
R.
woozy says
I’m not a mathematician, but this seems to work for me:
Dang! I am a mathematician (albeit a lapsed and defrocked one) and your answer is far more elegant and straight forward than mine. Which figured:
x = b mod m => x = b + k*n mod(m*n)
so x = 1 mod 3 => x = 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 mod 15 while
x = 3 mod 15 => x = 3, 8, 13 mod 15
so x = 13 mod 15.
And so on.
I figured I ought to have a way to solve
x = 13 mod 15 && x = 5 mod 7 hence x = 103 mod 105 without having to list all the options.
*sigh* I *am* getting old.
But, okay, now that I’ve woken up. How about this?
What’s the smallest positive integer that if you divide by 2 you get remainder 1, You divide by 3 you get remainder 2, You divide by 5 you get remainder 3, by 7 you get 4? and by 11 you get remainder 5?
woozy says
D’oh. Here’s a kookie solution!
x is three digits so x = abc.
x = 3 mod 5 so c = 3 or 8.
x = 6 mod 8 so x is even so c is even so c = 8.
x = 1 mod 3 so a + b + 8 = 3n + 1 so b = 3m – a -1
(e.g. if a = 1 then b = 1, 4 or 7 and so on)
since x = ab8 = 6 mod 8 then ab2 is divisable by 8. That means ab2 is divisible by 4 so b2 is divisible by 4 so b is odd. b2 is divisible by 8 is a is even (so a even => b = 3 mod 4) but not if a is odd (so a odd implies b = 1 mod 4)
ab8 = 5 mod 7 means ab3 = 0 mod 7 means a(b+1)0 = 0 mod 7 means a(b+1) is divisble by 7. (in other words ab = 06, 13, 20 … 62, 69, …
Putting those all together we get:
a = 1 => b = 1, 4, 7. a odd => b = 1 mod 4 so b = 1. but 12 isn’t div by 7.
a = 2 => b = 0, 3, 6, 9. a even => b = 3 mod 4 so b = 3. but 24 isn’t div by 7.
a = 3 => b = 2, 5, 8. a odd => b = 5 but 36 isn’t div by 7.
a = 4 => b = 1, 4 7. b even => b = 7 but 48 isn’t div by 7.
a = 5 => b = 0 mod 3. a odd => b = 9 but 60 isn’t div by 7.
a = 6 => b = 2 mod 3. a even => b = 5 but 66 isn’t div by seven.
a = 7 => b = 1 mod 3. a odd => b = 1 but 72 isn’t div by seven.
a = 8 => b = 0 mod 3. a even => b = 3 *and* 84 *is* div by 7.
So the answer is 838.
Weird, huh?
ArrantPrac says
@38
What about -999? :P
https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawncr0FDc8gdl7yJBz0SJ15D0etcTIOtL0s says
Dr. Matt @ 24: Hydnora has been cultivated outside of South Africa, at least once…
Holy moly. Thank you! And it took ~only~ six years to show up. I wonder if that colony? farm? patch? still exists down in Claremont.
There’s been some chat on the California native-plants listserv about trying to grow Castilleja, and that’s just partially root-parasitic. The Ruth Bancroft garden has some E. caput-medusae; I wonder if anyone there might get interested in propagating any Hydnora.I wonder if it’s even possible to import (or export) fresh seeds nowadays.
Carlquist got around some. We have his book on Hawai’ian plants somewhere here in the office.
https://me.yahoo.com/a/ZKuoh_EKr8DKldiDVwdQOnXaqkf2#1c033 says
@waynerobinson4 and PZ – surely this hall where you’re having the talk will allow you to drink inside it?
In my experience most conference centres do if you ask nicely. You can make a game of it. Skull whever PZ says a bad word about creationists.
Krystalline Apostate says
I can’t figure out why my mouth is watering….?
https://me.yahoo.com/wmdkitty#83021 says
Om Nom Nom Nom Nom….?
Rorschach says
Even worse, Ima gonna have to hurry up a local mountain after Russell Blackford’s talk, hand the spawn his birthday prezzies, and be back by 4pm now !! Very bad planning indeed ! As to the beer time thing, it’s always beer time mate, I don’t see the issue here…:-)
https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlEIi5v7mzdbIuLNUa6X1N9WcVRwgkpW4c says
@41… cheeky… but correct, damn you! :-)
Antiochus Epiphanes says
#43…Do you mean that it was growing at Rancho Santa Anna? I was there not long ago, and if I had known that there was some about, I would have asked to see it. I have been to southern Africa many times, but never saw Hydnora,
This makes me sad.
mikeybear69 says
marie-annick wrote:
According to Wikipedia it smells of faeces! I’d like someone intelligent to explain that design.
Nepenthe says
Only if by “inviting” you mean terrifying.
Signed,
One Squicked Dyke
phhht says
Oh my my
Oh hell yes
Honey put on
your party dress
https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawncr0FDc8gdl7yJBz0SJ15D0etcTIOtL0s says
Antiochus @ 49:Do you mean that it was growing at Rancho Santa Anna?
Carlquist grew it out at his home garden in Claremont. It’s too late just now to remember if that became Rancho Santa Anna BG but I hadn’t thought so.
I don’t think your chances of meeting it in bloom there would be any better than in southern Africa, anyway. And FWIW I’m all envious that you’ve been there.
woodsong says
Truly a bizaare plant.
We have a few non-photosynthetic plants native to New York, although all of the ones I’m familiar with are in shades of brown ((beechdrops), yellow (squawroot, pinesap) and white (indian pipe). The bright red is striking! And how many plants do you know of that take a year to form their blossom? Cool!
Of the four plants I listed, three are known parasites (the page on pinesap didn’t mention parasitism, although it may be incomplete). Squawroot is particularly odd-looking…