Inventing This is about the process of invention. I don't claim that anything mentioned here is original, although I did think of two of the examples independently - big deal!Inventing by *coshipi
Invention and development really occur in several stages. The first three in my list are entirely mind games.
(1) The initial idea.
Example (a) Enhanced radiation weapon. A bomb that kills by radiation, without a huge blast that destroys property.
Example (b) Space lift (elevator). A lift cable dangling from a geostationary satellite, up which lifts can climb, thereby dramatically reducing the energy required to reach space.
Example (c) Heavier than air flying machine. A mec
Receiving stolen goods We'd invited some friends round for a meal.Receiving stolen goods by *coshipi
"Are these your own potatoes?"
What the question really was about was whether we'd grown the potatoes ourselves, or bought them from the shop. But having as I do a penchant for wilful misinterpretation and a willingness to lie transparently for the sake of a laugh, I answered,
"No, I stole them."
We had in fact bought them in the shop. We hadn't harvested our own yet.
Today our lunch was vegetable curry and rice. All the vegetables were from our own garden – potatoes, French beans, shallots, fenugreek leaves and chillies. But the rice was stolen. Well, okay, from the shop really. We'd paid
Economics again - Discounting Discounting is an important topic in economics. Any economic prediction looking more than a year or two into the future is completely dependent on it.Economics again - Discounting by *coshipi
It's nothing to do with discounts offered by traders trying to persuade you to buy something!
The idea is that costs in the future are less important than costs today, and that benefits in the future are worth less than benefits today. The logic is that if I can delay some spending for a few years, I can earn interest on the money for a few years – or avoid paying out interest for a few years, if I'm borrowing the money. Likewise, if I'm not going to get the benefits for a few years, the
Sta.sh
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from *
