Michael C

The Milky Way has spiral limbs. We live in one of them.

Does the view we can see with the naked eye of the Milky Way include the limb we are in? Is it another limb(s) too?

On a documentary, I see soft pieces of flax, it enters a machine and comes out as a continuous strand of material. They talk about twisting fibres together but how would twisting permanently interlock these pieces into one long strand? Wouldn't it just unravel?

New Scientist (20th Feb 2010) has an article about old cave drawings which look like hand sign language; it has me wondering about which gestures people might create spontaneously and be identical to those used all over the globe - and just how spontaneous gestures are: are they all learned without us noticing? eg. to describe a booming explosion by launching one's hands outwards.

Something like:

makeface("pic1.jpg", "pic2.jpg", "pic3.jpg", "output1.jpg")

I do not want a manual tool but something I can code to run a huge batch. Thank you.

including: clay, glass, cotton, cement, and also a list of fundamental machine parts such as pulleys?

A friend wants to go from Brazil (Sao Paulo state) to England and wonders if there is a boat cheaper than a plane or that does a more interesting trip and is affordable.

Thank you.

Since Iphone Safari does not do a form upload of an image [currently in Sept 2008], I want to send photos, as soon as they are taken, by ftp, to my site, where they could be handled by my server.

I want a book with minimal speculation, lots of references, and simple writing. I want some layman's astronomy in it mentioning the moon, sun, Venus, and some constellations.

I want comparisons between world religions.

I know King Louis wanted 4 x 10,000km [equator to North pole] but why not say the Earth circumference is 10,000 units and build a denary measurement system from that? It makes more sense instinctively.

My friend says that, at the end, there is a street sign which adds credence to his belief that everyone in the street is covering up the facts - but maybe the director shows the viewer the sign, and he remains oblivious.

What movie is that? It might be black and white.

It was suggested that the previous hot water tank had lower pressure than the mains pressure of a combination boiler. So, the higher pressure has damaged a valve. Does that seem a reasonable explanation? Could the plumber have predicted this happening?

I don't have a discount card of any kind.

If I did buy a discount card, it would only be used on that day - and I don't know the cost of one or where to buy one.

Can answers consider if Battery storage of electricity happens or if the movement directly heats the water?