Post Race!

[Niya]

COURAGE WOLF!!!

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Niya]

[Shaggy Hiker]

So far you have only provided one source Sharky that says the average height of U.S. presidents is 180cm (5'11):

http://www.presidenstory.com/stat_tal.php

However as I already outlined, that article does not provide the source data for the average height calculation meaning the reader has to simply believe and trust that the writer is correct and is not artificially inflating the figure. I have already manually calculated the average height of all the U.S. presidents provided by Wiki here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height..._United_States

I originally calculated that the 43 presidents listed had a total collective height of 7536cm or an average of 175cm.
However, I just redid the calculations, to double check my own work, and found that I didn't include one of the presidents to get that number.
So my revised numbers are 7729 cms for the 43 presidents which is an average of 179.74 cms or 5 feet and 10.76 inches.

I found the average height of men in the U.S. here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templa...ound_the_world

The average male height for all Americans 20+ is 176.3 cm (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
White Americans males 20–39 have an average height of 178.9 cm (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)

Which means that the average height of the U.S. presidents is about the average height of white males in the U.S.


Hmmm in this case you are right, after double checking my numbers I did locate an error.

Actually, Bambi, I made almost the same error you did, initially. The president you left out was Lincoln, probably due to a copy/paste quirk from the web page. What I did differently was divide by 42 rather than 43, so my calculation came out to a fraction of an inch lower than the true value. Having corrected my mistake, I came up with the same result that you did.

The difference in the average height of men 20+ vs 20-39 is telling for a couple reasons. The more interesting is that we begin to shrink sometime in our 30s. All the presidents have been old enough to have seen some shrinkage. I wonder whether the reported heights were their maximum, the height when elected, or something else?

[Shaggy Hiker]

However, what is the optimal average height and weight?

Whatever it is, Taft wasn't it.

[homer13j]

shrinkage

I was in the pool!

[FunkyDexter]

You guys may think I'm joking or trolling here

Not at all. You're engaging in a debate on an interesting topic and are putting forward your arguments pretty well. My prior post was really just calling you out on the feigned wide eyed innocence of comments like 'the "objectification of women" whatever that means'. I don't think there can be much debate that the sort of comic book art you were posting objectifies women, it clearly does. The interesting question is whether that's acceptable and where the lines get drawn (no pun intended).

Objectification of both men and women has gone on throughout history. You've only got to look some of the carvings archaeologists have dug up to see that. It's hard to argue that Michael Angelo's David isn't an objectification of the male form. We've been doing it since we first painted on cave walls. Sometimes we call it art, sometimes we call it pornography and deciding which is which can be pretty damn difficult at times.

Personally I didn't find the pictures offensive (although I'm rather disappointed I didn't see the one with the visible nipple - I missed out there) but I'm also aware that whenever I opened post race at work I'd scroll through them pretty quick because I didn't want anyone looking over my shoulder to get the wrong idea. That's probably a pretty good indication that they didn't really belong on a professional forum. In a comic book forum or an art forum, on the other hand, they'd be right at home. So my take would be, cool art, wrong venue.

Of course, this is chit chat and the rules here are a bit looser than the rest of the forum so it's much more of a grey area than if you'd posted them in, say, the database development section. Grey enough, in fact, that myself and other moderators have been in the thread and hadn't felt the need to police it - even if I, at least, was aware that they were "on the line". Fortunately we're blessed with a final arbiter for grey areas... and his name is Brad.

by that definition the entire movie industry is based on objectification

Hell yes!

BTW, where are you from? I'd always assumed you were American but only because I tend to assume that of forum members by default (there's just so damn many Americans on the internet)

[Shaggy Hiker]

When it comes to lines, Niya grades on the curve.

[Shaggy Hiker]

It's hard to argue that Michael Angelo's David isn't an objectification of the male form.

I'm not so sure. If I was David, I'd be feeling a bit short changed. Maybe he was in the pool, too?

[Shaggy Hiker]

BTW, where are you from? I'd always assumed you were American but only because I tend to assume that of forum members by default (there's just so damn many Americans on the internet)

I always assumed that, too, though on this forum...there's clearly no Brita' filter. The forum has British roots, and still a pretty strong British influence.

[szlamany]

...although I'm rather disappointed I didn't see the one with the visible nipple - I missed out there...

Yes - there was visible nipple and a whole lot of "gap" - I was trying to figure out how to hack all this as a member only site but Pay Pal required Brad's home phone # - and I only have his mobile...

Plus I was trying to do it in VB6...

[szlamany]

I'm not so sure. If I was David, I'd be feeling a bit short changed. Maybe he was in the pool, too?

I thought the whole point was that David slayed the "bigger" dude with just his pea-shooter...

A real estate developer in my town has a full-size bronze replica of David in front of his main buildings. The local PTA wanted to stop the day care buses from looping the parking lot.

Opinions are so one-sided...

[szlamany]

Why does the POST's I just made above have "RE: VB6 is DEAD!"????

[KGComputers]

.-- .-- .-- .-.-.- ...- -... ..-. --- .-. ..- -- ... .-.-.- -.-. --- --

[Witis]

Actually, Bambi, I made almost the same error you did, initially. The president you left out was Lincoln, probably due to a copy/paste quirk from the web page. What I did differently was divide by 42 rather than 43, so my calculation came out to a fraction of an inch lower than the true value. Having corrected my mistake, I came up with the same result that you did.

Yep, it turns out that I didn't include Lincoln the first time I did the calculations hence the lower number which I only noticed when I double checked my double check.

The difference in the average height of men 20+ vs 20-39 is telling for a couple reasons. The more interesting is that we begin to shrink sometime in our 30s. All the presidents have been old enough to have seen some shrinkage. I wonder whether the reported heights were their maximum, the height when elected, or something else?

Shrinkage heh. Actually I am more interested in determining the optimal average height for humans as that would assist in determining the optimal height for cybermen. I think the key initial issue is becoming aware that there are problems associated with making cybermen either too small or too large. I imagine that many folk either focus on the tallest or the smallest and completely dismiss those close to the average and their view on average height is probably the same i.e. if they focus on the tallest then they want the average height to grow indefinitely, if they focus on the smallest then they want the average height to shrink indefinitely.

[Witis]

COURAGE WOLF!!!

"Males in most hyena species are larger than females,[19] though the spotted hyena is exceptional, as it is the female of the species that outweighs and dominates the male." Spotted Hyenas are the largest species of hyena and in Zambia the males weigh "on average 67.6 kg (149 lb), and females 69.2 kg." - Wiki
The gray wolf (largest wolf) has "males averaging 43–45 kg (95–99 lb), and females 36–38.5 kg (79–85 lb)." - Wiki
For African wild dogs the "Adults typically weigh 18–36 kilograms (40–79 lb)." males are usually 3–7% larger. -Wiki

Speeds are said to be:
Greyhound...........74 km/h (46 mph)
African wild dog ...71 km/h (44 mph)
Hyena ................60 km/h (37 mph)
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastest_animals

However, this BBC site states that "The 2006 edition of the Guinness Book of Records records the highest speed at which any greyhound has been timed at (in 1994) as 41.83 miles per hour [67.3 kph]."
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-london/plain/A8246225

So there seems to be quite a bit of exaggeration going on re speeds, so be very wary.

Barrk reminds me of a spotted hyena.

[Witis]

"Despite their enormous size, brown bears are extremely fast, having been clocked at speeds of 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour)."
Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.co...ls/brown-bear/

Thus any large brown bear will probably have quite a lot of difficulties against a pack of African wild dogs, wolves, or spotted hyenas. Wiki confirms that "the individual power of the bear against the collective strength of the wolf pack usually results in a long battle for kills or domination". As far as I can tell the brown bears aren't fast enough to catch the faster dogs including hyenas, wolves, and African wild dogs which relegates the bears to scavengers in areas where they both compete, and that means that the bears often follow the dogs around when they are hungry. Smaller female bears are in danger of falling prey to a pack of dogs, although a pack often chooses not to fight the larger male brown bears, even if they are likely to win, as the fight may result in the death or serious injury of one or more members of the pack. However, if a pack of dogs was forced to fight a large male brown bear, where the collective weight of the pack weighed less than or equal to the bear's weight, I would put my money on the dogs.

I have seen some documentaries where the presenter interprets the dogs' refusal to fight large male bears as submission, e.g.

However, I don't agree with the interpretation. The bear in the video is clearly behaving as a scavenger and following the wolves to get some food and the bear is not fast enough to catch and kill any member of the pack. The dogs are clearly the dominant predator frequently taking the female bears and cubs as prey and certainly capable of taking the larger males even though there is a larger risk involved. All the dogs have to do to kill the bear is get one or more of the pack to distract the bear while the rest bite it on the ass.

[Witis]

Whatever it is, Taft wasn't it.

William Howard Taft was 5 ft 11 1⁄2 in 182 cm.

So you reckon 6ft tall and
Based on the Robinson formula (1983), your ideal weight is 164.9 lbs (75 kg)
Based on the Miller formula (1983), your ideal weight is 161.2 lbs (73 kg)
Based on the Devine formula (1974), your ideal weight is 171.1 lbs (77 kg)
Based on the Hamwi formula (1964), your ideal weight is 177.2 lbs (80kg)
Based on the healthy BMI recommendation, your recommended weight is 136.4 lbs - 184.3 lbs (62 -83 kg)

Hmmm at around 80kg that is heavier than cheetahs and hyenas, more like a small bear:
"An adult grizzly living inland in Yukon may weigh as little as 80 kg (180 lb), while an adult coastal brown bear in nearby coastal Alaska living on a steady, nutritious diet of spawning salmon may weigh as much as 680 kg (1,500 lb)." - Wiki

B.T.W. that really did happen to Bear Grylls and his face really did swell that much.

Alternativly the Japanese Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus), weighs "between 60–120 kg for the adult male and 40–100 kg for the adult female".
Louisiana Black Bears are heavier than I thought.

[Witis]

I thought the whole point was that David slayed the "bigger" dude with just his pea-shooter...

Heh, yep.

[FunkyDexter]

Why does the POST's I just made above have "RE: VB6 is DEAD!"????

Whoops, that was probably me. I accidentally posted in VB6 is dead then used my magical modding powers to move the post into here. Guess it changed the title at the same time.

Modding Fail!

[dday9]

I've been sick the past two days.

[dday9]

Throwing up.

[dday9]

Fever.

[dday9]

Sleep.

[dday9]

Blah

[FunkyDexter]

Pressure getting to you, old man?

[dday9]

Nope, I think it was bad steak.

[FunkyDexter]

There's no such thing as bad steak. Steak is always good. Must be Psychosematic.