TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）
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@Gribnit said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Wonder if "animal fiber" would fly.
If the animal is a bird, yes
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@Gribnit said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@anotherusername yeah, I use starch to refer to any complex carbohydrate, although it's rather wildly inappropriate for structural ones. As soon as that bug has a test I'll fix it.
I was actually surprised to find out the monomer was a sugar.
I would guess, without doing any further research, that when it comes to structural fibers it's probably more convenient (simpler and/or less costly in terms of energy and resources) to manufacture sugar-based polymers (such as cellulose or chitin) than it is to manufacture protein-based polymers (such as keratin).
Wonder if "animal fiber" would fly.
That would be keratin.
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@anotherusername said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Chitin is a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine. N-acetylglucosamine is a derivative of glucose, and does not fit the definition of an amino acid.
...
It is a complex carbohydrate (polysaccharide), which makes it similar to a starch. However, starch is a polymer chain of glucose. So chitin is not truly a starch, unless you are using "starch" generally to refer to any complex carbohydrate.But it has an amine group, so it's not strictly a carbohydrate, either. It's not a starch; it's not a protein; it's somewhere in the middle.
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@anotherusername said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Wonder if "animal fiber" would fly.
That would be keratin.
"insect fiber" then? I'm looking for something workably inaccurate - close enough to not force an objection but far enough to seriously jangle the nerves.
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@HardwareGeek Nope, that's still a carbohydrate. It's called an amino sugar.
I'll expand that: It has got the characteristic ring structure of sugars in its polymeric conformation so pretty much any (bio)chemist will still chuck that one firmly into the carbohydrate territory.
And not even remotely close into the protein section - it's missing the carboxyl-group for that (which would also have to be adjacent to the amino group).
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@Gribnit said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@anotherusername said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Wonder if "animal fiber" would fly.
That would be keratin.
"insect fiber" then? I'm looking for something workably inaccurate - close enough to not force an objection but far enough to seriously jangle the nerves.
Lobster fiber.
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@anotherusername Does it stick to magnet fibers?
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@hungrier No, or I'd go fishing for lobster with a big magnet.
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TIL that a bunch of Britons were not only crazy enough to build a steam locomotive pretty much from scratch and then drive it to 100 MPH to see if any bits would fall off (it didn't, even if they had a breakdown some months ago).
Now they're building an even bigger one...
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TIL that the original US Bill of Rights draft contained a clause prohibiting compulsory military service.
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@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
TIL that the original US Bill of Rights draft contained a clause prohibiting compulsory military service.
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@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
draft
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@pie_flavor the draft prohibited the draft. I wasn't aiming for that pun, but here, you can have it.
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@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
TIL that the original US Bill of Rights draft contained a clause prohibiting compulsory military service.
I think they were more concerned about people being conscripted for military service without pay. And/or that it might be done at the whim of some army captain who's passing through. And/or that the term of such service might be relatively indefinite.
You, over there. You look like you're able bodied, and the guy who pushes our cannon just died of dysentery. Congratulations, the job's all yours. And the pay? Don't worry about the pay... you'll have a rifle, uniform, three meals a day, and a thin pillow at night, what more could a soldier even want?
As it is now, it is understood that compulsory military service could be necessary, but in order for it to take place, Congress would have to pass a draft bill, and the President would have to sign it. Then, the draft would be carried out fairly; people would be formally drafted, not just shanghai'd in the middle of the night. Once drafted, they'd have a fixed length of service, and they'd be paid for their time.
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@brie
Or that it could be bought off, leaving only poor in conscription
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@brie said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
TIL that the original US Bill of Rights draft contained a clause prohibiting compulsory military service.
I think they were more concerned about people being conscripted for military service without pay.
If they were, they would've written "no one shall be compelled to render military service in person without pay", not just "render military service in person", period. Look at the 5th Amendment: it says "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation". They wouldn't have explicitly stated "without just compensation" if it was already implied. And there's no reason why it would be implied in case of conscription but not in case of eminent domain. Ergo - they most likely wanted to ban all conscription, not just unpaid conscription.
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@brie It's like eminent domain for your life!
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@Gąska eh oh. At least we established some checks and balances to constrain the executive, amirite?
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@Luhmann said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@brie
Or that it could be bought off, leaving only poor in conscriptionUnfortunately, that's still a concern.
@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Ergo - they most likely wanted to ban all conscription, not just unpaid conscription.
They most likely considered banning all conscription, and then decided against it. Since, you know, they evidently had it in an early draft of the Bill of Rights, but they decided to take it out before actually passing those amendments. Instead, they set up restrictions on how and when conscription could happen.
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@brie what are you even arguing right now? You sound like you oppose what I said, but you said exactly the same thing I said.
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@Gąska gee it seems like a modulation on the degree of concern to me sherrif
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@Gąska What I'm saying is, they probably did originally consider banning all conscription, but upon considering it, they realized that it might be necessary in some extreme cases, and instead they just limited it to make sure that it couldn't be abused.
What they were opposed to at the beginning probably wasn't conscription per se, I don't think, but rather, it was the abuse of it that they had observed in the British army.
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@brie said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gąska What I'm saying is, they probably did originally consider banning all conscription, but upon considering it, they realized that it might be necessary in some extreme cases, and instead they just limited it to make sure that it couldn't be abused.
I'm really not seeing that. I have two data points: in August 1789, they wanted to ban conscription wholesale; and in September 1789, they decided not to put any limitations on conscription at all. I've yet to see anything that would suggest they've considered any sort of intermediate solution, such as only allowing conscription under condition of fair compensation.
What they were opposed to at the beginning probably wasn't conscription per se, I don't think, but rather, it was the abuse of it that they had observed in the British army.
The contents of the draft suggests they were opposed to any conscription whatsoever - as this is exactly what they've written. Which is also in line with the well documented belief of many initial congressmen and senators that a standing army shouldn't exist at all.
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@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
I have two data points
you have been offered some more
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@Gribnit was I? I'm not seeing any links or citations.
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@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gribnit was I? I'm not seeing any links or citations.
Do you ever have that dream where you're in university and you've not worn any clothes? Are you having it right now? Specifically the university bit, not the clothes.
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@Gribnit I see you're enjoying your Christmas Eve's 12 mercury blends.
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@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
I'm really not seeing that. I have two data points: in August 1789, they wanted to ban conscription wholesale; and in September 1789, they decided not to put any limitations on conscription at all. I've yet to see anything that would suggest they've considered any sort of intermediate solution, such as only allowing conscription under condition of fair compensation.
These were the same people who also set up how a draft would work, I assume?
They had concerns about conscription, considered banning it, then decided not to. And by some coincidence, we also ended up with restrictions on conscription which seemed to address some of the problems with the way the British forces conscripted people. I admit that I am presuming their intentions, but it seems pretty straightforward to assume that these things were related and not coincidental.
The contents of the draft suggests they were opposed to any conscription whatsoever - as this is exactly what they've written. Which is also in line with the well documented belief of many initial congressmen and senators that a standing army shouldn't exist at all.
Actually it would be the opposite of the belief that a standing army shouldn't exist at all. Without any standing army, an army must needs be conscripted if hostilities should arise.
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@brie said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Actually it would be the opposite of the belief that a standing army shouldn't exist at all. Without any standing army, an army must needs be conscripted if hostilities should arise.
That's what the militia was for.
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@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gribnit I see you're enjoying your Christmas Eve's 12 mercury blends.
Well, I thought it was funny.
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@pie_flavor I told you, or you told me, or whatever, the problem is that I do not target communication whatsoever. My condolences.
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@Gribnit said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@pie_flavor I told you, the problem is that I do not target communication whatsoever. My condolences.
what?
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@pie_flavor said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gribnit said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@pie_flavor I told you, the problem is that I do not target communication whatsoever. My condolences.
what?
On the getting that. Condolences. It's a bad sign.
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@brie said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
I'm really not seeing that. I have two data points: in August 1789, they wanted to ban conscription wholesale; and in September 1789, they decided not to put any limitations on conscription at all. I've yet to see anything that would suggest they've considered any sort of intermediate solution, such as only allowing conscription under condition of fair compensation.
These were the same people who also set up how a draft would work, I assume?
Draft wasn't a thing in USA until the Civil War. And by that time, most (if not all) of signatories of Bill of Rights were dead.
I admit that I am presuming their intentions
Then stop doing that. Citation or GTFO.
The contents of the draft suggests they were opposed to any conscription whatsoever - as this is exactly what they've written. Which is also in line with the well documented belief of many initial congressmen and senators that a standing army shouldn't exist at all.
Actually it would be the opposite of the belief that a standing army shouldn't exist at all. Without any standing army, an army must needs be conscripted if hostilities should arise.
I'm not convinced of your logic. But it's all a
point because the Confederacy lost the war and the federal government can do whatever they want.
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@pie_flavor said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gribnit said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@pie_flavor I told you, the problem is that I do not target communication whatsoever. My condolences.
what?
“I respond to a random post by responding on another random post.”
FTFG
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@M_Adams said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@pie_flavor said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gribnit said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@pie_flavor I told you, the problem is that I do not target communication whatsoever. My condolences.
what?
“I respond to a random post by responding on another random post.”
FTFG
Shh! Don't reveal his secrets! The entertainment value becomes lessened in the understanding!
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@Tsaukpaetra It's fine, that's not what I was doing.
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@Gribnit said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Tsaukpaetra It's fine, that's not what I was doing.
But, if attention is directed toward that direction, the magic is dissoluted. We don't want that!
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@Tsaukpaetra
... don't panic, but...The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemarby Edgar Allan Poe
(published 1845)Of course I shall not pretend to consider it any matter for wonder, that the extraordinary case of M. Valdemar has excited discussion. It would have been a miracle had it not -- especially under the circumstances. Through the desire of all parties concerned, to keep the affair from the public, at least for the present, or until we had farther opportunities for investigation -- through our endeavors to effect this -- a garbled or exaggerated account made its way into society, and became the source of many unpleasant misrepresentations; and, very naturally, of a great deal of disbelief.
It is now rendered necessary that I give the facts -- as far as I comprehend them myself. They are, succinctly, these:
My attention, for the last three years, had been repeatedly drawn to the subject of Mesmerism; and, about nine months ago, it occurred to me, quite suddenly, that in the series of experiments made hitherto, there had been a very remarkable and most unaccountable omission: no person had as yet been mesmerized in articulo mortis. It remained to be seen, first, whether, in such condition, there existed in the patient any susceptibility to the magnetic influence; secondly, whether, if any existed, it was impaired or increased by the condition; thirdly, to what extent, or for how long a period, the encroachments of Death might be arrested by the process. There were other points to be ascertained, but these most excited my curiosity -- the last in especial, from the immensely important character of its consequences.
In looking around me for some subject by whose means I might test these particulars, I was brought to think of my friend, M. Ernest Valdemar, the well-known compiler of the "Bibliotheca Forensica," and author (under the nom de plume of Issachar Marx) of the Polish versions of "Wallenstein" and "Gargantua." M. Valdemar, who has resided principally at Harlem, N. Y., since the year 1839, is (or was) particularly noticeable for the extreme spareness of his person -- his lower limbs much resembling those of John Randolph; and, also, for the whiteness of his whiskers, in violent contrast to the blackness of his hair -- the latter, in consequence, being very generally mistaken for a wig. His temperament was markedly nervous, and rendered him a good subject for mesmeric experiment. On two or three occasions I had put him to sleep with little difficulty, but was disappointed in other results which his peculiar constitution had naturally led me to anticipate. His will was at no period positively, or thoroughly, under my control, and in regard to clairvoyance, I could accomplish with him nothing to be relied upon. I always attributed my failure at these points to the disordered state of his health. For some months previous to my becoming acquainted with him, his physicians had declared him in a confirmed phthisis. It was his custom, indeed, to speak calmly of his approaching dissolution, as of a matter neither to be avoided nor regretted.
When the ideas to which I have alluded first occurred to me, it was of course very natural that I should think of M. Valdemar. I knew the steady philosophy of the man too well to apprehend any scruples from him; and he had no relatives in America who would be likely to interfere. I spoke to him frankly upon the subject; and, to my surprise, his interest seemed vividly excited. I say to my surprise; for, although he had always yielded his person freely to my experiments, he had never before given me any tokens of sympathy with what I did. His disease was of that character which would admit of exact calculation in respect to the epoch of its termination in death; and it was finally arranged between us that he would send for me about twenty-four hours before the period announced by his physicians as that of his decease.
It is now rather more than seven months since I received, from M. Valdemar himself, the subjoined note:
"MY DEAR P___,
You may as well come now. D___ and F___ are agreed that I cannot hold out beyond to-morrow midnight; and I think they have hit the time very nearly.
VALDEMAR."I received this note within half an hour after it was written, and in fifteen minutes more I was in the dying man's chamber. I had not seen him for ten days, and was appalled by the fearful alteration which the brief interval had wrought in him. His face wore a leaden hue; the eyes were utterly lustreless; and the emaciation was so extreme, that the skin had been broken through by the cheek-bones. His expectoration was excessive. The pulse was barely perceptible. He retained, nevertheless, in a very remarkable manner, both his mental power and a certain degree of physical strength. He spoke with distinctness -- took some palliative medicines without aid -- and, when I entered the room, was occupied in penciling memoranda in a pocket-book. He was propped up in the bed by pillows. Doctors D___ and F___ were in attendance.
After pressing Valdemar's hand, I took these gentlemen aside, and obtained from them a minute account of the patient's condition. The left lung had been for eighteen months in a semi-osseous or cartilaginous state, and was, of course, entirely useless for all purposes of vitality. The right, in its upper portion, was also partially, if not thoroughly, ossified, while the lower region was merely a mass of purulent tubercles, running one into another. Several extensive perforations existed; and, at one point, permanent adhesion to the ribs had taken place. These appearances in the right lobe were of comparatively recent date. The ossification had proceeded with very unusual rapidity; no sign of it had discovered a month before, and the adhesion had only been observed during the three previous days. Independently of the phthisis, the patient was suspected of aneurism of the aorta; but on this point the osseous symptoms rendered an exact diagnosis impossible. It was the opinion of both physicians that M. Valdemar would die about midnight on the morrow (Sunday.) It was then seven o'clock on Saturday evening.
On quitting the invalid's bed-side to hold conversation with myself, Doctors D___ and F___ had bidden him a final farewell. It had not been their intention to return; but, at my request, they agreed to look in upon the patient about ten the next night.
When they had gone, I spoke freely with M. Valdemar on the subject of his approaching dissolution, as well as, more particularly, of the experiment proposed. He still professed himself quite willing and even anxious to have it made, and urged me to commence it at once. A male and a female nurse were in attendance; but I did not feel myself altogether at liberty to engage in a task of this character with no more reliable witnesses than these people, in case of sudden accident, might prove. I therefore postponed operations until about eight the next night, when the arrival of a medical student, with whom I had some acquaintance, (Mr. Theodore L___l,) relieved me from farther embarrassment. It had been my design, originally, to wait for the physicians; but I was induced to proceed, first, by the urgent entreaties of M. Valdemar, and secondly, by my conviction that I had not a moment to lose, as he was evidently sinking fast.
Mr. L___l was so kind as to accede to my desire that he would take notes of all that occurred; and it is from his memoranda that what I now have to relate is, for the most part, either condensed or copied verbatim.
It wanted about five minutes of eight when, taking the patient's hand, I begged him to state, as distinctly as he could, to Mr. L___l, whether he (M. Valdemar,) was entirely willing that I should make the experiment of mesmerizing him in his then condition.
He replied feebly, yet quite audibly, "Yes, I wish to be mesmerized" -- adding immediately afterwards, "I fear you have deferred it too long."
While he spoke thus, I commenced the passes which I had already found most effectual in subduing him. He was evidently influenced with the first lateral stroke of my hand across his forehead; but although I exerted all my powers, no farther perceptible effect was induced until some minutes after ten o'clock, when Doctors D___ and F___ called, according to appointment. I explained to them, in a few words, what I designed, and as they opposed no objection, saying that the patient was already in the death agony, I proceeded without hesitation -- exchanging, however, the lateral passes for downward ones, and directing my gaze entirely into the right eye of the sufferer.
By this time his pulse was imperceptible and his breathing was stertorous, and at intervals of half a minute.
This condition was nearly unaltered for a quarter of an hour. At the expiration of this period, however, a natural although a very deep sigh escaped the bosom of the dying man, and the stertorous breathing ceased -- that is to say, its stertorousness was no longer apparent; the intervals were undiminished. The patient's extremities were of an icy coldness.
At five minutes before eleven, I perceived unequivocal signs of the mesmeric influence. The glassy roll of the eye was changed for that expression of uneasy inward examination which is never seen except in cases of sleep-waking, and which it is quite impossible to mistake. With a few rapid lateral passes I made the lids quiver, as in incipient sleep, and with a few more I closed them altogether. I was not satisfied, however, with this, but continued the manipulations vigorously, and with the fullest exertion of the will, until I had completely stiffened the limbs of the slumberer, after placing them in a seemingly easy position. The legs were at full length; the arms were nearly so, and reposed on the bed at a moderate distance from the loins. The head was very slightly elevated.
When I had accomplished this, it was fully midnight, and I requested the gentlemen present to examine M. Valdemar's condition. After a few experiments, they admitted him to be in an unusually perfect state of mesmeric trance. The curiosity of both the physicians was greatly excited. Dr. D___ resolved at once to remain with the patient all night, while Dr. F___ took leave with a promise to return at daybreak. Mr. L___l and the nurses remained.
We left M. Valdemar entirely undisturbed until about three o'clock in the morning, when I approached him and found him in precisely the same condition as when Dr. F___ went away -- that is to say, he lay in the same position; the pulse was imperceptible; the breathing was gentle (scarcely noticeable, unless through the application of a mirror to the lips;) the eyes were closed naturally; and the limbs were as rigid and as cold as marble. Still, the general appearance was certainly not that of death.
As I approached M. Valdemar I made a kind of half effort to influence his right arm into pursuit of my own, as I passed the latter gently to and fro above his person. In such experiments with this patient, I had never perfectly succeeded before, and assuredly I had little thought of succeeding now; but to my astonishment, his arm very readily, although feebly, followed every direction I assigned it with mine. I determined to hazard a few words of conversation.
"M. Valdemar," I said, "are you asleep?" He made no answer, but I perceived a tremor about the lips, and was thus induced to repeat the question, again and again. At its third repetition, his whole frame was agitated by a very slight shivering; the eye-lids unclosed themselves so far as to display a white line of a ball; the lips moved sluggishly, and from between them, in a barely audible whisper, issued the words:
"Yes; asleep now. Do not wake me! -- let me die so!"
I here felt the limbs and found them as rigid as ever. The right arm, as before, obeyed the direction of my hand. I questioned the sleep-waker again:
"Do you still feel pain in the breast, M. Valdemar?"
The answer now was immediate, but even less audible than before:
"No pain -- I am dying."
I did not think it advisable to disturb him farther just then, and nothing more was said or done until the arrival of Dr. F___, who came a little before sunrise, and expressed unbounded astonishment at finding the patient still alive. After feeling the pulse and applying a mirror to the lips, he requested me to speak to the sleep-waker again. I did so, saying:
"M. Valdemar, do you still sleep?"
As before, some minutes elapsed ere a reply was made; and during the interval the dying man seemed to be collecting his energies to speak. At my fourth repetition of the question, he said very faintly, almost inaudibly:
"Yes; still asleep -- dying."
It was now the opinion, or rather the wish, of the physicians, that M. Valdemar should be suffered to remain undisturbed in his present apparently tranquil condition, until death should supervene -- and this, it was generally agreed, must now take place within a few minutes. I concluded, however, to speak to him once more, and merely repeated my previous question.
While I spoke, there came a marked change over the countenance of the sleep-waker. The eyes rolled themselves slowly open, the pupils disappearing upwardly; the skin generally assumed a cadaverous hue, resembling not so much parchment as white paper; and the circular hectic spots which, hitherto, had been strongly defined in the centre of each cheek, went out at once. I use this expression, because the suddenness of their departure put me in mind of nothing so much as the extinguishment of a candle by a puff of the breath. The upper lip, at the same time, writhed itself away from the teeth, which it had previously covered completely; while the lower jaw fell with an audible jerk, leaving the mouth widely extended, and disclosing in full view the swollen and blackened tongue. I presume that no member of the party then present had been unaccustomed to death-bed horrors; but so hideous beyond conception was the appearance of M. Valdemar at this moment, that there was a general shrinking back from the region of the bed.
I now feel that I have reached a point of this narrative at which every reader will be startled into positive disbelief. It is my business, however, simply to proceed.
There was no longer the faintest sign of vitality in M. Valdemar; and concluding him to be dead, we were consigning him to the charge of the nurses, when a strong vibratory motion was observable in the tongue. This continued for perhaps a minute. At the expiration of this period, there issued from the distended and motionless jaws a voice -- such as it would be madness in me to attempt describing. There are, indeed, two or three epithets which might be considered as applicable to it in part; I might say, for example, that the sound was harsh, and broken and hollow; but the hideous whole is indescribable, for the simple reason that no similar sounds have ever jarred upon the ear of humanity. There were two particulars, nevertheless, which I thought then, and still think, might fairly be stated as characteristic of the intonation -- as well adapted to convey some idea of its unearthly peculiarity. In the first place, the voice seemed to reach our ears -- at least mine -- from a vast distance, or from some deep cavern within the earth. In the second place, it impressed me (I fear, indeed, that it will be impossible to make myself comprehended) as gelatinous or glutinous matters impress the sense of touch.
I have spoken both of "sound" and of "voice." I mean to say that the sound was one of distinct -- of even wonderfully, thrillingly distinct -- syllabification. M. Valdemar spoke -- obviously in reply to the question I had propounded to him a few minutes before. I had asked him, it will be remembered, if he still slept. He now said:
"Yes; -- no; -- I have been sleeping -- and now -- now -- I am dead.
No person present even affected to deny, or attempted to repress, the unutterable, shuddering horror which these few words, thus uttered, were so well calculated to convey. Mr. L___l (the student) swooned. The nurses immediately left the chamber, and could not be induced to return. My own impressions I would not pretend to render intelligible to the reader. For nearly an hour, we busied ourselves, silently -- without the utterance of a word -- in endeavors to revive Mr. L___l. When he came to himself, we addressed ourselves again to an investigation of M. Valdemar's condition.
It remained in all respects as I have last described it, with the exception that the mirror no longer afforded evidence of respiration. An attempt to draw blood from the arm failed. I should mention, too, that this limb was no farther subject to my will. I endeavored in vain to make it follow the direction of my hand. The only real indication, indeed, of the mesmeric influence, was now found in the vibratory movement of the tongue, whenever I addressed M. Valdemar a question. He seemed to be making an effort to reply, but had no longer sufficient volition. To queries put to him by any other person than myself he seemed utterly insensible -- although I endeavored to place each member of the company in mesmeric rapport with him. I believe that I have now related all that is necessary to an understanding of the sleep-waker's state at this epoch. Other nurses were procured; and at ten o'clock I left the house in company with the two physicians and Mr. L___l.
In the afternoon we all called again to see the patient. His condition remained precisely the same. We had now some discussion as to the propriety and feasibility of awakening him; but we had little difficulty in agreeing that no good purpose would be served by so doing. It was evident that, so far, death (or what is usually termed death) had been arrested by the mesmeric process. It seemed clear to us all that to awaken M. Valdemar would be merely to insure his instant, or at least his speedy dissolution.
From this period until the close of last week -- an interval of nearly seven months -- we continued to make daily calls at M. Valdemar's house, accompanied, now and then, by medical and other friends. All this time the sleeper-waker remained exactly as I have last described him. The nurses' attentions were continual.
It was on Friday last that we finally resolved to make the experiment of awakening, or attempting to awaken him; and it is the (perhaps) unfortunate result of this latter experiment which has given rise to so much discussion in private circles -- to so much of what I cannot help thinking unwarranted popular feeling.
For the purpose of relieving M. Valdemar from the mesmeric trance, I made use of the customary passes. These, for a time, were unsuccessful. The first indication of revival was afforded by a partial descent of the iris. It was observed, as especially remarkable, that this lowering of the pupil was accompanied by the profuse out-flowing of a yellowish ichor (from beneath the lids) of a pungent and highly offensive odor.
It was now suggested that I should attempt to influence the patient's arm, as heretofore. I made the attempt and failed. Dr. F___ then intimated a desire to have me put a question. I did so, as follows:
"M. Valdemar, can you explain to us what are your feelings or wishes now?"
There was an instant return of the hectic circles on the cheeks; the tongue quivered, or rather rolled violently in the mouth (although the jaws and lips remained rigid as before;) and at length the same hideous voice which I have already described, broke forth:
"For God's sake! -- quick! -- quick! -- put me to sleep -- or, quick! -- waken me! -- quick! -- I say to you that I am dead!"
I was thoroughly unnerved, and for an instant remained undecided what to do. At first I made an endeavor to re-compose the patient; but, failing in this through total abeyance of the will, I retraced my steps and as earnestly struggled to awaken him. In this attempt I soon saw that I should be successful -- or at least I soon fancied that my success would be complete -- and I am sure that all in the room were prepared to see the patient awaken.
For what really occurred, however, it is quite impossible that any human being could have been prepared.
As I rapidly made the mesmeric passes, amid ejaculations of "dead! dead!" absolutely bursting from the tongue and not from the lips of the sufferer, his whole frame at once -- within the space of a single minute, or even less, shrunk -- crumbled -- absolutely rotted away beneath my hands. Upon the bed, before that whole company, there lay a nearly liquid mass of loathsome -- of detestable putridity.
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@pie_flavor said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
what?
: I didn't see any sources for those claims.
: Are you dreaming that you are in university?
: You're being unintelligent again.
: I got the joke.
: Someone said I don't express my ideas well. I sympathize with you.
: what?
: It must have hurt to try to figure out what I meant. I sympathize. You must be beginning to suffer from "mercury poisoning" like I supposedly do.
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@djls45 said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
where sources are required for everything
Oh. This is what I was missing. Mostly because I'd never make the association between "university" and "sources required" on my own. Because IME this is not how universities work.
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@djls45 Nice summary, but shouldn’t that be “unintelligible”?
e:
Note to self: Go check for mercury poisoning after the holidays.
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@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Because IME this is not how universities work.
I can't remember where I heard it, but someone said that European universities assign a ton of reading material and require pretty much only essays for homework, in contrast to American universities, which assign only a few reading assignments, but have a lot of problems to solve for homework and only a few essays for mostly in-class work. Does that fit your experience?
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@topspin One of the symptoms of mercury poisoning is a lack of intelligence, which I suppose would also result in unintelligibility.
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@djls45 said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Because IME this is not how universities work.
I can't remember where I heard it, but someone said that European universities assign a ton of reading material and require pretty much only essays for homework, in contrast to American universities, which assign only a few reading assignments, but have a lot of problems to solve for homework and only a few essays for mostly in-class work. Does that fit your experience?
The only time I ever had to do an essay was in some stupid philosophy elective, which I promptly quit that moment.
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@Watson said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@brie said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Actually it would be the opposite of the belief that a standing army shouldn't exist at all. Without any standing army, an army must needs be conscripted if hostilities should arise.
That's what the militia was for.
The militia wasn't a standing army. It was literally just anybody who owned guns and knew which end of a gun to point at the enemy. Some of those individuals might voluntarily coalesce into groups of like-minded individuals who were willing to go fight against a common enemy, and call themselves a "militia" group. But without having a conscription to turn them into army regulars and place them under the military chain of command, some of those groups just ended up holding unsanctioned raids on a neighboring state. And that doesn't make them an army... it makes them terrorists.
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@djls45 said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Because IME this is not how universities work.
I can't remember where I heard it, but someone said that European universities assign a ton of reading material and require pretty much only essays for homework, in contrast to American universities, which assign only a few reading assignments, but have a lot of problems to solve for homework and only a few essays for mostly in-class work. Does that fit your experience?
Well, my situation is special in two ways - one, I'm weekend student, and weekend studies work very differently here from daily studies (you have 5x less classes in semester but still graduate in 4 years); and two, I'm majoring in CS, and that means very little reading assignments (in my case - literally zero) and almost all time spent on practical exercises (either programming or solving math problems) - something that isn't even possible to organize in most fields even if they really wanted to.
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@brie said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
They had concerns about conscription, considered banning it, then decided not to. And by some coincidence, we also ended up with restrictions on conscription which seemed to address some of the problems with the way the British forces conscripted people. I admit that I am presuming their intentions, but it seems pretty straightforward to assume that these things were related and not coincidental.
Isn't it funny how you're currently interpreting what they meant to say instead of going for the literal text?
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@djls45 said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@Gąska said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
Because IME this is not how universities work.
I can't remember where I heard it, but someone said that European universities assign a ton of reading material and require pretty much only essays for homework, in contrast to American universities, which assign only a few reading assignments, but have a lot of problems to solve for homework and only a few essays for mostly in-class work. Does that fit your experience?
Not in my experience, no. It also depends on your fields of study. If you're studying literature then you should of course expect to have a ton of reading to do.
Chemistry, on the other hand, is a lot of practical stuff, lectures with mandatory homework/exercises during the course and an exam at the end. Paedagogics may involve an essay, it may involve reading, may involve homework, group work, a presentation, practical exercises or any combination thereof.
Physics is a lot of difficult homework, practical exercises and exams.
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@Rhywden said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
@brie said in TIL （ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｒｋ Ａｒｔｓ ｏｆ ＨＴＭＬ）:
They had concerns about conscription, considered banning it, then decided not to. And by some coincidence, we also ended up with restrictions on conscription which seemed to address some of the problems with the way the British forces conscripted people. I admit that I am presuming their intentions, but it seems pretty straightforward to assume that these things were related and not coincidental.
Isn't it funny how you're currently interpreting what they meant to say instead of going for the literal text?
The literal text says nothing at all about conscription. I guess they didn't care about it.
