Origin of the cosmos?

[Boojatta]

Poll question: Origin of the cosmos?

[phantom power]

1. What is Latin for "The universe exists because it poll-tested well" ?

[northoftheborder]

2. Sorry, my Latin classes were 50 years ago.

[Boojatta]

3. The exact phrase "Ex nihilo nihil fit" is a well-known Latin saying.

Any search engine should give an English translation along with a discussion.

After that, it's not very difficult to figure out the second poll answer option.

[zipplewrath]

7. I think you misspelled universum

None the less, the energy/mass relationship suggests that it isn't necessary for nothing to come from nothing, merely that a conversion from energy to mass occur.

[JuniperLea]

8. Sorry... I have this curse... everything reminds me of a song...

Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'
You gotta have somethin'
If you wanna be with me
Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'
You gotta have somethin'
If you wanna be with me

I'm not tryin' to be your hero
'Cause that zero is too cold for me, Brrr
I'm not tryin' to be your highness
'Cause that minus is too low to see, yeah

Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'
And I'm not stuffin'
Believe you me
Don't you remember I told ya
I'm a soldier in the war on poverty, yeah
Yes, I am

[rug]

19. You need to replace universus with omnis.

[Boojatta]

24. How long would it take you to translate this ...

Psychological reactions to a proposed law.

Proposed law: Deliberately punish one who is known to merely resemble a particular criminal.

For example, there are video images of a bank robber. Someone whose face superficially resembles the face in the video images could be given some degree of official punishment.

I'm not talking about mistaken identity. Before the punishment is imposed, the authorities reach the conclusion that the person who superficially resembles the criminal definitely isn't the criminal. In fact, it could be exactly the same evidence that allows people to observe a superficial resemblance that also allows for the conclusion that the person who superficially resembles the criminal isn't the criminal.

I have gathered a small amount of non-scientific, anecdotal evidence on DU suggesting that such a law might be unpopular with the general voting public. From a scientific point of view, how can this unpopularity be explained? (I admit that at this moment it's merely hypothetical unpopularity and not confirmed unpopularity.) Can the unpopularity be anything but an emotional response based on personal preferences, akin to a song that is commercially unsuccessful because it doesn't pander to popular tastes?

... into Latin?

[ZombieHorde]

4. Other, to be posted in this thread.

I don't know.

[gater]

5. Can you define "nothing" for me first?

[JuniperLea]

6. Carl Sagan? PBS?

:D


That's the oldest question in the book... I hope you find the answer... when you do, please share!

:hi:

[MineralMan]

9. Other. I don't know about every Cosmo, but

Cosmo Topper originated in a novel by Thorne Smith, followed by a 1937 film, and continued in an old television series about a man, Cosmo Topper and his lovely, but scatterbrained wife Clara, who had two ghosts, George and Marion Kerby, who inhabited his house with him and vexed him severely, while being quite amusing. Their martini-drinking dog, Neil, added to the hijinks. Cosmo Topper was the only one who could see the ghosts, adding to the confusion, since he was often caught speaking to them by others.

In the film, which also starred Cary Grant as one of the ghosts, Cosmo was played by Roland Young. Leo G. Carrol played Cosmo in the two-season television series.

The name of Neil, the dog, is a common trivia question. Neil was a St. Bernard.

Thank you for your attention to this lesson in ancient history.

For further information, see:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029682/

[MineralMan]

10. Another Cosmo appeared in the Jerry Seinfeld show,

one Cosmo Kramer, if I have the spelling correct.

Together, they make up the singing duo, The Cosmos. Not really, but now you know the origin of The Cosmos.

[Boojatta]

11. Under the circumstances, do you consider it likely that people in general ...

... or petronius in particular is going to call you a Boojattaite?

[MineralMan]

14. Well, I'm not certain at all what you mean. I shall have to

rest in the shade of that tree over there and ponder your question for a bit. I'll get back to you.

[MineralMan]

17. I am sorry, but I will not be able to answer your question until

I receive my Official Boojatta Decoder Ring. I sent you the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda boxtops some time ago, but have not received the promised decoder ring yet. Once I receive my Official Boojatta Decoder Ring, I will, of course, be able to properly understand your posts and will be able to answer more thoroughly. I must say that I am quite disappointed in the services of your company. I printed my name and address in large block letters, as requested on the order forum, so I'm at a loss to understand your failure to fulfill my order.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[Boojatta]

21. "I sent you the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda boxtops some time ago"

We didn't receive the boxtops. Did you use registered mail?

[MineralMan]

23. That's what they all say, you know. "We did not receive the

boxtops." A likely story.

[rrneck]

25. You'll robably be dissapointed.

"Son of a bitch! A lousy stinking commercial!?"

[Myrina]

12. To Quote Quai Gonn Jinn: There's always a bigger fish.

The origin of the cosmos is that biggest fish. Or Quai Gonn. You decide. :P

[Warpy]

13. I grow mine from seeds.

[MineralMan]

15. A capital answer. However, it does raise the question:

Which came first, the Cosmos or the seeds?

[Warpy]

16. Burpee's

The package came first.

:evilgrin:

[MineralMan]

18. Very well, then. Thank you.

[dimbear]

20. Think of the big bang

as the narrow spot in the hourglass which divides the universe we live in from the negaverse, which stretches out in negative time just as we stretch into positive time, although the nomenclature is arbitrary.

Your question resembles the question 'where does an infinite straight line begin?.' Doesn't. It just goes on. Like the beat.

[Boojatta]

22. Welcome to DU, dimbear!

:toast:

I feel uncomfortable identifying you with a name that includes the word "dim." Is there any chance that you and MineralMan could swap usernames?

[dimbear]

26. thanks! and not to worry......

every so often I make a fluff that makes that name fit like a glove.

[LAGC]

27. I have a hard time grasping the notion that the universe came from nothing.

I think, far more likely, energy and matter have always existed in some form, and there are vast areas outside of our observable universe that sprang forth our particular universe into existence.

I mean, if you can believe God always existed and created the universe, why not simple energy/matter without a consciousness instead? It doesn't make sense that complexity can suddenly arise out of nothing, but if there always was a low-level "something" (without beginning) then maybe that explains it.

Maybe science will be able to peek beyond the beginning of our universe someday and find out.

[Nihil]

28. Other: Ex nihilo nihil unfit

I really need to get some exercise.

:toast: