notmakani

So, while poking around my computer, I suddenly noticed something that had been there for some time.

With my most recent hardware upgrade, I swapped out motherboards so I could put an Intel i5 in my system. That's great and all, but unfortunately my DVD-ROM ran on an IDE cable, and my new board doesn't have any IDE slots. So, I haven't had a disk device in my computer for a couple months now. Truth be told, I don't miss it- with the internet and flash drives, they're not necessary.

Still, I'm used to having one, which is the reason, I suppose, I didn't notice my computer having a disk drive listed until now. It's there, in my device manager and the My Computer screen. It's listed as a BD-ROM, more specifically, "YZYRAD 8PAZ8HAB SCSI CdRom Device". I've got drivers for it and everything. Slight problem though.

This isn't in my computer. It's not there. I've never owned a Blu-Ray drive, though it would be cool to have one. I double-checked, no disk drive is physically in my computer, even though my computer thinks it has one and can try to read with it. (It fails, but still.)

I'm not too worried, but has this happened to anyone else? My computer has phantom limb syndrome, or something...

I'm sure this has been answered, but I'm not quite sure how to phrase it for a search engine.

So: The speed of light is, theoretically at least, a constant maximum. Nothing can go faster than it- 186,000 miles per second. We know this.

Also, the Earth is moving extremely fast through space. We rotate at about 1,000 mph, we revolve around our sun at about 16,000 mph, the Sun is traveling with the rest of the Orion Arm at about 486,000 mph and the Milky Way is traveling only God knows how fast through the universe. Even taken together, these speeds don't come close to the speed of light, especially since they're in different directions; in fact, it's less than 1/1000th of the speed of light.

And yet, that is a measurable difference. After all, just recently the boys at CERN detected a difference of- what was it, 60 microseconds? in their laser. Given how many lasers are in use right now, pointing in all directions, surely someone would have noticed the difference? And if it is in fact too small to be picked up- maybe that tells us something about how fast the universe is expanding?

Or if it isn't being picked up because there is no change, doesn't that mean that, from an objective point of view, light is travelling faster than the speed of light? (Since the velocities of light and Earth should add, much like a baseball being thrown by a running man except without air resistance)

I've yet to find any discussion on this at all, and it intrigues me. Has anyone else heard anything on this?

Let me explain:

Sometimes- maybe once or twice a month- I'll wake up feeling really smart. Everything is clicking. Solving puzzles and learning things is easy. I'll have random insights on philosophical questions as I work. I'll do three Mandarin lessons in a day and remember every word. Etc.

Now, that's awesome and I'm not complaining- I wish it would happen more, in fact. What I'm wondering is: whenever that happens, I have an odd pain in the front of my head. Not my sinus, but my brain. Why? It's not a bad pain- in fact, it's not entirely unpleasant. I wouldn't mind feeling like that all the time. It's still an odd occurrence, though.

I don't know if anyone would know this... but if anyone does, would you mind sharing? Thank you! :-)

Something just occurred to me.

For basically as long as I can remember, I've had three ridges on my head- one in either corner of my forehead, running back along my skull to join the occipital ridge (the one everyone has, at the back of your skull), and one right in the middle that ends roughly on top of my head.

While I'm not panicked or anything, I have noticed that no one else I know has these ridges. I've asked my parents, but they don't have them. The ridges aren't noticeable as long as I have hair (although I will say I'd make an ugly bald guy)...

Anyone know what they might be from?

...sometimes.

I've been having this problem ever since I was forced to move my internet router into another room. (Apparently you couldn't pick up signal on the other side of the house.) Because I was no longer directly plugged in, I had to go out and buy a wireless adapter for my computer.

Now my problem is, whenever my computer has to think, it freezes. If I watch a video longer than a minute or so? Crash, need to hard reboot. Play a game, whether in-browser, MMO, singleplayer offline, anything? Crash. Listen to music? Crash.

I can browse the web and download things just fine, and for some reason the game Civilization 4 doesn't make my computer crash. Other than that, this sucks. I took the first wireless router (a Belkin G Wireless) back and bought a more expensive one (Belkin N), theorizing that you get what you pay for. No luck. I did this again, this time buying a totally different brand (Linksys something). Still nothing.

When I totally disconnect the wireless stuff and uninstall, my computer no longer freezes... but then I have no internet. Which sucks. I've updated all my drivers, even my BIOS and motherboard. I thoroughly cleaned out my computer, even applying new thermal paste to the CPU. Nada. And I can't call for technical support, because I built this computer from parts.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Prayers? Thanks.

So I had made a wrong turn on a freeway, and I got off at an onramp to turn around and go the other way down the freeway. It was late at night, and the intersection was poorly lit (the streetlight was out), so I failed to see the fact that my lane, the left turn lane, ended about 20 feet before the other two lanes. It didn't exactly stop, it just had a big "KEEP CLEAR" painted on it. I saw this too late and hit my brakes fairly hard in order to stop, but I still went in I'd say between 3 and 5 inches past the line drawn. Before I know it, two bright flashes illuminate the night.

So, this seriously sucks. I'm not sure if they'll get me for running the red light or not. I really hope not, as running a red in that area is a minimum $431 fee. I'm not saying I'm totally innocent- I did roll into the "KEEP CLEAR" area- but I DID NOT run the red. Do you think they'll notice that I was totally stopped, or will they charge me as if I had ran the red? Will they take into account the fact that I couldn't see the writing?

I'm hoping this might just go away. I really, really can't afford this ticket- I'm a volunteer minister. That takes up most of my time, and I'm unpaid. Thanks in advance.

Last night I had a... very disturbing dream. I remember it in great detail, as it freaked me out. I won't give all the details, but here's a synopsis:

There's a girl I've had a crush on for a couple years IRL. I'm a minister, so I'm not into the whole sex-before-marriage thing, and I'm 17, so I'm too young for marriage, so I've never seriously considered dating her.

Anyway, we're having some sort of party for her in this backwoods town somewhere in South America. It's the town's religious custom to, every so often, have a person sacrifice some part of his or her body to some god or other they have. However, this year/decade/whatever's candidate has somehow died. The high priest, or someone, decides to let my crush pick who loses what as a replacement- apparently it's in honor of her party. She chooses me, and she chooses for me to lose my genitals.

The town has apparently done this before, for they offer her a choice of what to lose: one testicle, both testicles, both testicles and scrotum, or everything including the penis and pubic hair. She goes for everything and grins at me. So I'm grabbed from behind and put on this altar, and while I can't see it happening, I can feel every second of it (this isn't unusual, I've felt pain in dreams before). Dear God, it was the creepiest thing ever. It felt like my junk actually went dead- I couldn't feel it anymore, as if it really had been removed. In my dream, I looked, and they hadn't even left a scar- nothing left at all. Apparently my crush had to lose something too, since I saw them cutting off one of her nipples.

At this point I woke up, shaking uncontrollably and heart pounding harder than it does when I'm in the gym. (In fact, my hands are shaking a bit as I type this.) I'm not sure I can look at her again, I'm so shaken up by this dream. What in God's name could it mean? Or does it mean anything? I don't normally remember my dreams this vividly, so I get the feeling my subconscious is trying to tell me something.

Last friday I brought my parents to Gamestop to buy a video game package- an Xbox 360, two controllers, and three games- one of them Halo 3. (They've decided to become gamers in their old age.) Everything works fine, except Halo 3. It refuses to load up any map. It goes very slowly from 1% to 29% loaded, then stops and resets to 0%. It tries a few times, then informs me I failed to load.

Every single map does this, including campaign mode. And the best part is, I can't just take it back to Gamestop and get a new disc because my mom threw out the reciept. -_-

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?

So I have an odd situation. I'm thinking about joining a group of friends who go and play Woodsball for a solid weekend (like 3 days straight) a few times a year because, frankly, it sounds awesome. To that end, I have a few questions.

First off, because (I admit it) I'm a nerd, they've chosen me to be our 'engineer'. I set traps, mines, plan defenses, the like. I already have a few ideas, but what can you all suggest to me as far as ideas? I know how to rig a trip mine/grenade, and I have an idea for an early-warning device (gut one of those cards that make sound and stick paper between the contacts), but frankly I'm a bit intimidated by my role.

Secondly, and perhaps most important, I need gear. From guns to backpacks to a mask, I need it all. But, I'm quite poor. I'd say I have $200 to spend, total, and of course if I can spend less I'd love to (as that's my entertainment budget for a few months). One of my friends says he can machine me a simple bolt-action paintball rifle, so I don't really have to worry about that (though I don't know how good it'll perform). Can you all suggest some things to buy and where to buy them?

Thanks!

For the past five or so week the right side of my scrotum has been very itchy, especially at night for some reason. It's peeling, so I can actually remove sheet-like flakes of dead skin from it (which incidentally makes it itch less).

I remember this happening a number of years ago when I was 13 or so and it went away on its own, but it's... er, getting worse. The itching is spreading up underneath the hair and now I appear to have two small cuts in the side of my scrotum right where the itching is worse.

Most of you will tell me to go to the doctor. Well, I can't. See, I've fallen into a crack in the system and due to a number of legal quirks I am physically unable to have health insurance until September. I can afford it, I want it, but I can't get it.

So, people, can you give me any advice? This is really, really uncomfortable.

This is purely hypothetical and I in no way condone not washing your hands.

That said, who exactly decided that your groin was a filthy hive of germs? I mean, let's assume that all you did was urinate. You didn't get urine on your hands and you've washed recently. What makes that brief (less than a minute, probably) contact with your groin more putrid, more contaminated, than, say, a door handle? Or a handrail? Or thousands of other things most people don't wash their hands after touching?

Okay, so, for the past two years or so I have been going to a friend's house a weekend or two per month. His house is somewhat of a hub for us gamers, as he works for Intel and gets free top-of-the-line computer parts and games. Once there, me and whoever else happens to be there (he has seven computers hooked up to the LAN, two more slots if you care to bring your own, and there are about twenty of us who play there) sit down and play games.

If it's half-decent and came out in the last two years, you can bet seven to nine of us have all sat down and played it together. From TES:Oblivion to Civilization 4 to Call of Duty 4.

The problem is, I've decided to quit playing First Person Shooters. I get very... involved, let's say. More like furious. I have scratch marks on my arms and chest from when I lose. As such, I have decided that it's best for my health to take a break at the least, and possibly just give them up.

And yet, all my friends continue playing them. (continued)

Sorry if the title isn't detailed enough, I couldn't find the exact words.

First off, I am operating under the belief that things don't fall through one another because the negatively charged electrons in atoms repel each other. I could be wrong.

We all know that if you push hard enough on two regular magnets, you can make two poles of the same type touch each other- like two negatives.

Now assume we have two atoms with only one electron shell- let's say helium atoms. The reason two iron magnets can't push through each other, even though they are touching, is because behind the magnet is more layers of magnet. But behind our electron shell is, largely, nothing- and in fact, a positively-charged nucleus, which would grab the electrons.

So given all this, is it theoretically possible for two atoms to in fact travel through each other, or would the magnetism cause them to fuse?

Now, I like music. I listen to it in my car, I even have a few favorite songs. I'll play the radio in the house if there's nothing good on TV. But, for the life of me, I can't imagine why everyone appears to be so deeply into their music.

I mean, seriously. Every day half the people I see (and I see quite a bit of people) have their Ipods or PSPs on and blasting away music in their head as they do everything. I like music, as I've said, but can you really have enough songs that you like that you can play them for 8-10 hours every day and not get sick of them?

I'm not an old geezer or anything (in fact, I'm sixteen), and I'm not trying to put anyone down, but it seems to me that the only reason that anyone would listen to music all the time is because they're terrified of their own thoughts. Most of these people I've talked to about their music say they even listen in their sleep.

I'm just trying to understand these music junkies. Please don't flame me. :)

Now, I like music. I listen to it in my car, I even have a few favorite songs. I'll play the radio in the house if there's nothing good on TV. But, for the life of me, I can't imagine why everyone appears to be so deeply into their music.

I mean, seriously. Every day half the people I see (and I see quite a bit of people) have their Ipods or PSPs on and blasting away music in their head as they do everything. I like music, as I've said, but can you really have enough songs that you like that you can play them for 8-10 hours every day and not get sick of them?

I'm not an old geezer or anything (in fact, I'm sixteen), and I'm not trying to put anyone down, but it seems to me that the only reason that anyone would listen to music all the time is because they're terrified of their own thoughts. Most of these people I've talked to about their music say they even listen in their sleep.

I'm just trying to understand these music junkies. Please don't flame me. :)

Or at least, I think I can't. I'll be 17 in a month, everything else seems normal... I need to shave about one every three days, I'm 6'2", I mean, I seem like a pretty normal guy for this stage of life, except even though I ejaculate, I don't orgasm.

Well, I'm not sure if I can't necessarily, but I don't in wet dreams. It just feels like peeing, but it's definitely an ejaculation. I'm not sure about masturbation, because due to my religious beliefs, I've never done that.

Still, I'm a bit worried. I don't want to go to the doctor, because my parents will have to take me (at least until next year) and then they'll freak out. I would rather avoid that, so I wanted to ask the good people here at Y!A.

Anyone know what to do?

Okay, for as long as I can remember, I've had really big red bumps on my upper arms, thighs, shins, and lower back. I think they're red, at least; they might be red because my skin color is red, or maybe they'd be red anyway.

Right. Anyway, I went to some doctors and they gave me cortizone shots with absolutely no effect, so they said there was nothing they could do. Now, I find out that I might have Keratosis Pilaris. Only one problem- KP is pretty common, but I have never seen anyone with what I have.

It's like I have little shells where my hair follicles should be. Seriously, you can't cut me where the bumps are- it just glances off and scratches me (unless I get stabbed or something, I'm sure). It doesn't break skin.

It's pretty ugly. I can pick them and release the hair inside, but it just grows back. This seems like KP on steiroids, because KP is, according to my research, mostly UNDER the skin, not on top of it.

Could it be something else?

Yeah, I know, the title's really melodramatic.

Anyway, I just came back from this week-long class sponsored by a group called Klemmer. The class is called Teen Leadership. One of the rules we agreed to was no bf/gf stuff.

The problem is, they get you so close and emotionally involved in these people, it's almost impossible to not feel something. And there's my problem.

It's hugely unlikely we'll ever see each other again, It wasn't even much of a relationship... it lasted 7 days, although those were the longest 7 days of my life. But...

If nothing was happening, I could get over this. Time, right? But my parents have informed me that we're going on a week-long camping trip/family reunion tomorrow. We leave at 5 AM. So, I need a way to get over this quickly, even though I don't really want to. I already tried not going on the trip, they said too bad. It kills me that they don't realize what I feel is real. They act like since I'm 16, it's not serious.

Okay, so, I know I'm a late bloomer. I had zero pubic hair until I had turned 15, then it appeared overnight. I'm still kinda small down there, but I understand it grows over time until you're like 20.

So, I'm almost 17 now. I don't masturbate at all, I never have. I have had no wet dreams either, though. I understand they're supposed to come ever6 months or so if you're not having sex, which I'm not... so, uh, yeah. Why?

Ok, so. I am 6 feet tall, 16 years old, 210 pounds. I run two miles most days (if I have time), I lift weights, and I eat about 1800 calories per day. I have been doing this for a good two months now. Why, WHY haven't I lost any weight? It's mostly around my middle, some on my thighs and upper arms, some on my chest. Everywhere else I am very lean (little to no fat). I don't think it's medical, because I asked my doctor and he said "Eat right and exercise more. If that doesn't work, I don't know." (Crappy doctor.)

Who wants to play "Are you smarter than a Kaiser doctor?"