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So I'm gone. in Blades of Exile
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Saturday, April 9 2005 08:57 Profile Homepage #14
quote:
Thuryl- I know what a bagel sandwich is, I just didn't get the joke.
Unless I am much mistaken, he was making reference to an old Desp slogan involving bagel sandwiches...

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Universe in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Saturday, April 9 2005 04:36 Profile Homepage #101
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

Dammit, Jim, I'm a physicist, not an oncologist.

I believe, though, that the crucial feature of a tumor is that it manages to fill itself with blood vessels that connect to the rest of the network, so that its interior cells get supplied with oxygen. Without that nasty capability, a mere mass of cells could not keep on growing, because the inner ones would starve and die.

So since the universe does not seem to have any blood vessels, or anything like them, I'd say the tumor model is a bit off.
Since this has turned into the topic where we all show off our scientific knowledge, I may as well say that there are actually 6 features that nearly all types of malignant tumour must have:

* Sustained angiogenesis (blood vessel formation) -- the one you mentioned. Each cell has to be within a certain distance of capillaries in order to receive enough nutrients to keep growing. Cells more than a millimetre or so from the nearest capillary bed don't grow very well.

* Growth signal self-sufficiency. All animal cells ordinarily need external signals in order to survive and grow (mostly in the form of proteins or other hormones, either circulating in the blood or secreted by nearby cells). Normally, the cells of tissue from an adult organism receive only enough growth factors to keep the tissue in a steady state, and the signal will be turned down further if excessive growth of that tissue type occurs. Certain mutations allow a cell to proliferate even in the absence of growth factors.

* Resistance to growth-limiting signals. This is pretty much the same deal as above (signals that limit growth are produced, and more are produced when the tissue overgrows), but the actual molecules involved are different so two separate genetic mutations are normally required to confer both, which is why this gets its own category.

* Ability to proliferate indefinitely. Certain internal processes such as telomere shortening set inherent limits on the number of times most cells can divide before they become "senescent", stop dividing and eventually die. However, some genetic mutations allow these limits to be bypassed. If this explanation sounds like a bit of a handwave, that's because it is; the processes underlying cell senescence are relatively poorly understood.

* Resistance to cell death signals. Normally, damaged DNA and abnormal protein expression can be detected by various mechanisms involving both the cell itself and other cells, and signalling pathways are activated that cause the cell to die.

* Ability to invade and spread through tissue. This often involves the production of enzymes that break down the extracellular proteins that normally hold cells in place.

Of course, in non-solid tumours such as the leukaemias and lymphomas, a couple of these factors aren't applicable.

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My BoE Page
Bandwagons are fun!
Roots
Hunted!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
SOS kelandon BAHSSIKAVA emergency! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Saturday, April 9 2005 04:16 Profile Homepage #6
Note to self: when making scenario, do as TM does and set impenetrable door difficulties to 9999, not 200.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Universe in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 22:46 Profile Homepage #99
quote:
Weak acid and strong acids don't differ in corrosiveness. What you are thinking of is molarity.
Depends on what it's corroding. Human tissue isn't strongly acidic or alkaline, so a strong acid will damage it more severely than a weak one. With a metal or base, though, a weak acid will work almost as well as a strong one, although probably more slowly.

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My BoE Page
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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
SOS kelandon BAHSSIKAVA emergency! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 22:10 Profile Homepage #3
...

How, exactly, did you get out of the Catacombs?

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Nutrient for Minds in Geneforge Series
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 22:09 Profile Homepage #7
If that was a joke, I'm not laughing.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Nutrient for Minds in Geneforge
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 22:09 Profile Homepage #7
If that was a joke, I'm not laughing.

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My BoE Page
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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
And today is a very special day... in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 18:13 Profile Homepage #30
Uh, if you take that sentence apart a little, I believe "the latter" meant "not".

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My BoE Page
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AvDialogue v0.8 BETA released (this is the good one, folks!) in Blades of Avernum Editor
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 17:59 Profile Homepage #10
Yep, the site's down. It's been 5 months since it was first posted, after all.

[ Friday, April 08, 2005 18:01: Message edited by: Levitating Netherlander ]

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
AvDialogue v0.8 BETA released (this is the good one, folks!) in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 17:59 Profile Homepage #10
Yep, the site's down. It's been 5 months since it was first posted, after all.

[ Friday, April 08, 2005 18:01: Message edited by: Levitating Netherlander ]

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Universe in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 15:53 Profile Homepage #96
quote:
Originally written by Imban:

Midknight Warrior> Lava and strong acid can both be fatal to humans when applied to their skin, but this does not mean that lava is a strong acid.
Actually, the sulphates in lava decompose to sulphur dioxide at high temperatures and react with water vapour in the air to produce sulphuric acid, so your example is poor, even if your point is good. :P

[ Friday, April 08, 2005 15:54: Message edited by: Levitating Netherlander ]

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My BoE Page
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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Finally! I beat AC3! in Blades of Exile
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 15:43 Profile Homepage #1
quote:
After Kunnislutz, I try to take out Lucivius. I am stopped by his irritating barriers. I try to pick up Tiberius and he says he is too tired. I try looking back into the Lucivius's castle, and the game seems to think that I have Grimly along?
What am I supposed to do to pick him back up?
I'm pretty sure that by continuing along that conversation path and asking about the right things, you're eventually given the opportunity to tell him something to the effect that fighting Lucivius would be a perfect way to die. Do so and he'll join you.

You might have to do something else first, though; I'm not sure.

[ Friday, April 08, 2005 15:44: Message edited by: Levitating Netherlander ]

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
So I'm gone. in Blades of Exile
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 15:38 Profile Homepage #11
IMAGE(http://www.landolakes.com/images/recipes/8341_r.jpg)
Here's an image that actually works.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Two years to the day. in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 15:12 Profile Homepage #78
Krill actually consists of several different species, although when people say "krill" they're usually thinking of the Antarctic krill in particular.

Anyway, if we're talking about the Antarctic krill in particular, you may or may not be right. The human biomass is about 300 million metric tonnes, whereas Antarctic krill biomass is estimated as 100 to 800 million metric tonnes. In any case, we certainly beat every other land animal.

[ Friday, April 08, 2005 15:19: Message edited by: Levitating Netherlander ]

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My BoE Page
Bandwagons are fun!
Roots
Hunted!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Universe in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 15:09 Profile Homepage #94
quote:
Originally written by imho:

so, the best definiton for singularity is basically something where there is neither time, nor space?
cool

it is like before the universe appeared.
maybe our universe is the result of, lets say, the "explosion" of a singularity? what about that?
It sure did, at least as far as we can tell. If you read a few books about cosmology, you'll find a lot of them talk about the "Big Bang singularity".

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My BoE Page
Bandwagons are fun!
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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Do you think there is a Hell? in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 15:04 Profile Homepage #142
quote:
Oh, pshaw. Time is just another dimension, a direction of movement. There's nothing special about it, any more than there is something special about up or down, left or right.

It's not totally impossible for something to exist outside of four-dimensional space (how would we be able to say that?), but it's pretty hard to conceptualize.
It's easy enough as long as you're willing to add an additional timelike dimension; a kind of "meta-time" that takes priority over our time. By analogy, consider the process of writing a book. The book has a timeline in which events happen in a certain order, but by existing in "real" time outside the system we're able to alter things occuring at any point in book-time.

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My BoE Page
Bandwagons are fun!
Roots
Hunted!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Phaedra in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 05:04 Profile Homepage #33
This debate over the alleged sexual habits of a fictional character is growing decreasingly hilarious and increasingly unsettling.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Can't start Blades of Avernum in Tech Support
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Friday, April 8 2005 05:00 Profile Homepage #2
It'd help us narrow down the problem if we knew what operating system you were using.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
help me in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Thursday, April 7 2005 23:37 Profile Homepage #32
What do you mean, "climb"? What are you trying to climb and where?

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Phaedra in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Thursday, April 7 2005 23:31 Profile Homepage #28
quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Just for reference, Phaedra's personality and sexuality will become considerably more significant in the sequel, and the choice of graphic as a method of characterization will make more sense to balance out the lack of realism.
Considering the sequel is apparently destined to take place largely in slith lands, that leads to mental images I'm not sure I want to contemplate. O_o

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Nine Variations Port Released! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Thursday, April 7 2005 19:04 Profile Homepage #2
Bug report: the Special Item isn't taken away at the end of each variation.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Do you think there is a Hell? in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Thursday, April 7 2005 17:48 Profile Homepage #136
I rather like Hume's argument against miracles. A miracle, by definition, is something that can't happen. Once something has happened it's no longer miraculous. The fact that we don't know how or why it happened is beside the point.

(Yes, I'm aware Hume's argument is more elaborate than that, but that's the basic fallback part of it.)

[ Thursday, April 07, 2005 17:48: Message edited by: Levitating Netherlander ]

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My BoE Page
Bandwagons are fun!
Roots
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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Two years to the day. in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Thursday, April 7 2005 17:43 Profile Homepage #76
Well, for one thing, the human species has a greater total biomass than any other species on Earth. Whether that counts as "success" is another matter.

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My BoE Page
Bandwagons are fun!
Roots
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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
help me in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Thursday, April 7 2005 06:33 Profile Homepage #30
You can create a new character in some towns. In VoDT, I think you can do so in Fort Talrus.

There are also NPCs that can join your party, but only for the duration of specific scenarios.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
New Abortion Laws in General
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Thursday, April 7 2005 02:56 Profile Homepage #272
quote:
2. By unscientific veiw, I assume you mean that neither of us really knows if an embryo is a person.
Or perhaps both of you know whether the embryo is a person, but your knowledge doesn't match up with his because you're working off different definitions of "person".

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My BoE Page
Bandwagons are fun!
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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00

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