Jim Burnell

Specifically, I am using a "Pinnacle TV Center Pro" USB TV tuner in Washington, DC.

A channel scan picked up NBC-4, FOX-5, and ION-66, but not ABC-7, CBS-9, MNT-20, PBS-26, CW-50, or others.

I know those stations are out there, because I can get them on my actual digital TV tuner, and I see them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_st...

I would like to try to add these channels manually.

The PCTV requires me to know the actual frequency in MHz in order to add the channel: 4-1 is 676.250 MHz for example; 5-1 is 604.250 MHz.

Anyone know where I can find a list of the frequencies of the channels that I'm missing? It would be cool if there were a database of this information somewhere, but I am especially interested in the stations in the Washington, DC area.

Thanks!

A friend played this video for me this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a08Cahr_xFg

I totally should know what the melody is, but I can't find the answer on Google. My aging brain keeps saying "I know that, but I can't remember." It will bug me all day if I don't figure it out.

Anyone?

My apartment complex is hosting a "Movie Trivia" day, and all the other questions are really easy. This one has me stumped, though. I can't find the answer on Google, and the only copy of the video I've found on YouTube is only 39 seconds long.

Please only answer if you're SURE of the answer, and if you're the first one to post a link somewhere online to prove it, I'll pick you as best answer.

Why is it that cows are so often the source of humor?

Is it just that they seem so dumb, sitting there all day, chewing on grass, giving milk and waiting to be eaten? Or just that they are ridiculous looking animals?

Think about, for example:

• How many times intelligent cows were the main characters in Far Side cartoons

• The scene from the movie Twister where they had to swerve to avoid flying cows

• The Chik-Fil-A advertising campaign with the cows in sunglasses urging us to "Eat more chikin"?

• The Wendy's commercial where the cow on top of the car steals the little boy's meal?

So, why do you think the cow is so often chosen as the barnyard animal that makes us laugh the most?

Just wondering, for this question:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApDiU...

which answer is the best?

Please feel free to cast your vote too, before it closes. :c)

I am interested to know if, in your opinion, the following pairs of sentences mean the same thing or different things:

1.a) "Don't just sit there!"

1.b) "Just don't sit there!"

2.a) "It's just not an issue."

2.b) "It's not just an issue."

3.a) "I just can't give up."

3.b) "I can't just give up."

4.a) "She's not just another pretty face."

4.b) "She's just not another pretty face."

Please post answers for EACH pair of sentences. If the sentences have the same semantic meaning to you, just post "same". If you feel that the sentences have different meanings, explain the difference in your own words.

If they all seem different to you, but you can think of a better example of a similar pair of sentences that would have the same meaning in your opinion, please post those too.

Also, I would appreciate it if you would be willing to mention where you grew up, as I am curious to know if there are regional differences of opinion about this.

Hey guys.

I know how to make most of the special characters like:

√║∫±÷×°π²≤θⁿ¹ˉ³öφΔΣ ≈

But some people have posted questions that have set operators like:

x ∈ S ∩ T

Does anyone know how to make these characters? I don't see them in the Windows character map.

In honor of Martin Kruskal (http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-kruskal6... and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Kruskal ), whose work on solitons helped create the fiber optic cable, I ask the following:

One of Kruskal's most famous contributions to mathematical literature is called the Kruskal Count, which is, of all things, a card trick. It apparently is related to Markov chains, another thing that I don't really understand.

The Kruskal Count is described in detail in the following paper:

http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/math/pdf/0110/0110143.pd...

10 points to the person who can give the best explanation of how the Kruskal Count card trick works.

A ternary string is a string that is composed of at most three different symbols. 021102 is a ternary string over {0, 1, 2}, and acbabbc is a ternary string over {a, b, c}.

How many strings of length n contain consecutive symbols that are the same?

Examples: abcabc does not qualify, because there are no repeated letters. abccba does, because c repeats itself consecutively.

Last April, I took my first loan ever to pay for an SUV. The inital amount was about $16k at 6.99%. As of today, I have paid it down to just over $12k.

As a present, my parents gave me $10k to pay off the loan (and I'll be paying them back with little to no interest), so I can pay off the loan and still have enough money to feel comfortable.

But, is there any way I can "funnel" this $12k payment that I'm about to make through some payment channel so I can get additional benefits from it?

Specifically, I had hoped to use my Discover or Visa card to make the payment, so that I would get either cash back or flight credits.

However, the bank that holds my loan says I can only use credit cards to make loan payments via a cash advance, and neither of my cards will give me miles or cash back for a cash advance (or for credit checks either).

Does anyone know of a way I could make this work and get extra benefit from my payment (if not via credit cards, some other way)?

Just curious...once you reach a level, can you still "fall back" a level?

I'm going to know the answer after I ask this question, but feel free to answer. ;)

OK, I just screwed this up on my discrete math final.

Make me feel dumb.

"If you choose any 5 numbers, there must be a way to sum the squares of 3 such that the result is evenly divisible by 3."

I get that if you choose any 5 numbers, either at least 3 of them are odd or 3 of them are even.

What I couldn't seem to figure out is how to show that the sum of the squares of 3 even or 3 odd numbers numbers is always divisible by 3....?

*sigh*

Hi. I'm getting ready for a discrete math final on Wednesday, and of all the topics I don't really "grok", chief among them is the principle of inclusion-exclusion and specifically the derivation of the formula for derangements.

I get it at a high level, but I was hoping maybe someone out there with a gift for explaining mathematical concepts well might have a go at trying to simplify the explanation for my benefit.

I'm aware of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derangement, but it's a little too formal for my taste. A link to a friendlier discussion would be great, however.

I would really appreciate it if people would avoid posting flippant answers like "I don't know, look it up" or "you must be deranged to ask such a question". There are lots of other questions out there you can use to get your 2 points.

Thanks in advance!

As long as we're sharing nerdy math jokes, Mr. "square root of 69 equals 8 something", here's another, less dirty one.

Did you know that Halloween = Christmas?

This is because OCT 31 = DEC 25.

(hint, what's another name for writing a number in base 8? base 10?)

OK, I am quite aware that a person can get chlamydia in his or her throat from giving oral sex to a man infected with chlamydia.

What I would like to know is, it possible for someone who has chlamydia in his or her throat to give it to the person on whom he or she gives oral sex?

I am looking for a reliable reference on the net that has the answer to this question, like the CDC. I'm not really interested in answers that aren't backed up by legitimate sources, sorry.