FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Wish-ga gave me the inspiration for this thread with her "what are you reading?" Thread. Name topics that never cease to fascinate you. If a show comes on about you watch it intensly, if a book is written about it, you buy it/check it out and read it 50 times, etc.

My list is a little ecclectic and looks something like this:

**serial killers---specifically the how and why they do it

**Ancient cultures and monuments---Greece, Rome, Egypt, Aztecs, Maya, Easter Island, etc.

**Atlantis---What was Plato talking about? Did it exist? Where was it, exactly? Will it rise again?

**Aliens---Have we been visited? Did they bring sophiticated knowledge in ancient times that has been forgotten? (ties in with ancient monuments) Is there evidence for aliens in the Bible? Why does the Dogon tribe of Africa know more about the Sirius star system than many modern day astronomers?

**ghosts---Is there such thing? Why are some places widely reported by many to be haunted? What causes it?

**lost gospels---why were some ancient manuscripts deemed heretical by the Coucil of Nicea and banned from the Bible? Are these texts valuable to Christianity even though they were left out?

**war history--specifically American Revolution, American Civil War, World War 2.

**biographies of people that I'm interested in

**anything about animals---if it's on National Geographic, Animal Planet, etc. I'll watch it. I have tons of books too.

**real medical shows--Untold Stories of the ER, Surgery Saved My Life, etc. I'm a medical wonk and I love medical shows (real ones...not fiction)

I could go on probably, but these are my main ones. What are y'all interested in???

---

~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

I'm very interested in just about any kind of science, anything from psychology to astronomy to virology... I'd say I'm most interested in animal-related biological sciences though, hence my major (animal biology). Another one I like is any sort of evolutionary biology, especially evolutionary anthropology.

I don't really like chemistry (particularly stoichiometry) though, but that probably has more to do with the fact that I have an hour and a half long chemistry lecture at 7:30 in the morning with 400 other people, rather than just not liking the subject.

I'm not really interested in anything else besides science. I'm kind of a geek.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Geology and the Ancients..mainly the Greeks

--------------------------
Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

Wow...short lists compared to mine!! Y'all speak up!! What fascinates you??

---

~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Women?

"Party it up, Drink it down"

1.philosophy
2.ethics
3.religion
4.music- origins of instruments, great players etc etc
5.Art- specifically abstract works
6.Astronomy- dont read much about this just play with a telescope once every second night
7.poker- great players different types of players
8.Anything Aquatic
9.photography

---

''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

Well, regarding the subject of extraterrestrial life you mentioned, I personally believe that other planets have at least primitive forms of life. However, I don't think that extraterrestrial organisms have ever "visited" Earth, accidentally or otherwise. Most of the people who claim to have seen UFOs are just a bunch of hicks who had too much to drink.

I believe that Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that has had or currently has life on it, mainly because all the other planets and their moons have environments hostile to complex organic molecules.

But I mean, if you think about, the belief that only Earth has life on seems arrogant and ridiculous. Scientists have already discovered at least 210 extrasolar planets, and those are only ones orbiting the stars closest to us.

There are probably many, many more planets in the universe than there are stars, so I find it difficult to entertain the notion that out of those trillions of planets, not one of them has an environment suitable for life and currently has life.

So yes, I believe that there are probably many planets that have life on them, and that this phenomenon is hardly unique to Earth. Whether that life consists of simple bacteria-like organisms or societies more advanced than our own, I cannot begin to say. But I definitely believe that some form of life is out there.

I don't believe in ghosts or other supernatural beings at all though. They don't have any valid scientific explanation.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I would have to say.

1. History of War (Not just modern, but medieval as well)
2. Religion
3. Archaeology
4. Unexplained Phenomenon

Yes, I do believe in ghosts. I could tell you ghost stories, but no one ever believes me. Whoooooo!
Aliens, Yes, I believe there is other life out there as well but probably nothing as fantastic as Hollywoods portrayals. I think there is probably mostly micro-organisms and things of the sort on other planets. I hope in my lifetime this world finally pools it's resources and puts together a real Star Trek like expedition. (NO I am not a Trekie) though I liked the show.

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

What a cool freakin discussion!!! I would believe ANY ghost story told to me, because I belive that it's real.

As for aliens....it is TOTALLY arrogant on our part to think that we are 'it'. With all the star systems that are being discovered every day....come on people. There IS life out there far beyond us. Does anybody here ever watch "Star Trek"??? It could happen.

---

~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

-History (Wars and revolutions mostly)
-Radiation
-Toxicology
-Fashion (lol)
-Animals


I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Hi,
Paleoclimatology
Volcanology
History, not the dates of when something happened,
but the "Why" it happened.
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

OK, list of subjects that grab my attention intermittently include (but do not for one moment consider this list to be exhaustive, as I'm just looking at the piles of books around me to jog my memory with respect to all the areas of human endeavour I've been involved in):

[1] Computer programming. I trained as an assembly language programmer, and still find the inner workings of microprocessors fascinating. If I had more time on my hands, I'd probably write some cross assemblers on my PC.

[2] 19th century art. Specifically, the art of the High Victorian Dreamers - initially I concentrated on the Pre-Raphaelites (Rossetti, Holman Hunt, Burne-Jones et al) but branched out into Victorian Neoclassicism when I discovered John William Godward and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

[3] Photography. Specificially, close up wildlife photography of creatures such as insects. Which ties in very nicely with ...

[4] Entomology. I'm a member of my regional Entomology Society, and I've been one of the Officers of the Society now for 6 years of my 13-year membership. Coupled with this is an interest in ...

[5] Taxonomy. The business of classifying living things I find utterly fascinating. One of my entomology texts is a classic in this respect, written by a man who was not only a peerless scholar, but also possessed a very risqué sense of humour ... This leads nicely on to ...

[6] Classical Greek. As one of the two languages used in the Linnaean System, and the one I didn't study at school, I find Greek to be a fascinating language, not least because so much of import to so many aspects of human intellectual endeavour, from philosophy to politics to science to literature, was written by the great names of Greek Antiquity - Socrates, Plato, Aristotle were towering geniuses upon whose shoulders Western civilisation stands today. Which brings me on nicely to ...

[7] Philosophy. I was 'hot housed' as a teenager by my eccentric Latin teacher who introduced me to the whole gamut of thought ranging from the pre-Socratics up to Wittgenstein. I still cause people's eyebrows to raise when I mention that I read Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus as a teenager. Which brings me on, via a circuitous route involving Karl Popper, to ...

[8] Physical Sciences. Which are endlessly fascinating. Sometimes I alight upon real gems in my travels, such as the book Landmarks In Total Synthesis, which covers the history and the technology of the manufacture of a range of organic molecules, right the way from Wohler's initial synthesis of urea which launched the discipline of organic chemistry, right the way to the present and the total synthesis of Palytoxin, possibly the most complex molecule to be synthesised from scratch. Throw in general relativity and quantum mechanics and yes, I have a deep, abiding fascination for those topics too, not least because I studied mathematics at university and was introduced to tensor analysis, which is a headache-inducing but oh-so-powerful branch of mathematics that has many applications in physics, for example. Throw into this big melting pot such things as astronomy (from time to time I indulge in a masochistic fit of pursuit of the Keplerian Problem).

[9] Satirical humour. Can't help but enjoy myself in this realm too. Not least because there is much to be satirical about in the world today.

[10] Criminology. Something that pops up intermittently and dovetails with CrazyRed to a certain extent, though I don't restrict myself to murderers - I'm interested to know what makes the criminal mind as a whole tick, not just that particular subset.

[11] 20th century history. With particular focus upon World War II and its aftermath, taking in World War I as a side salad if you like. While the individuals concerned were loathsome in the extreme (not to mention the policies they pursued), the Greek tragedy that was the rise and fall of Nazism remains endlessly fascinating, not least because I am stil puzzling over such questions as how on earth did Hitler manage to succeed to sway a nation of 60 million people to fall in with his madness, and how did the assorted infamous figures of that era do what they did and still live with themselves? Something that will keep scholars busy for centuries to come, I gather ...

[12] Medicine. Again, endlessly fascinating. I'm old enough (just) to remember such television gems as Your Life In Their Hands, plus later programmes such as BBC TV's Horizon series here in the UK (until television broadcasting plummeted to appeal to the lowest common denominator and the quality shows were all replaced by Big Brother and their ilk). One especially fascinating programme I saw involved a journalist who was due to recieve a hip replacement operation, and wondered if it was possible to be awake and conscious while the operation was performed so that he could reassure others having the same operation about what they were about to face. It was riveting television to watch - he lay there, giving a running commentary along with the surgical team as to what was happening, and thanks to the wonders of modern anesthesia, was able to take part in the operation, fully conscious, even watching as the surgeons went to work on his arthritic hip with a hammer and chisel to carve out the new socket! As an important subset, neuroscience is a big area of fascination for me here, because let's face it, the brain is an amazing organ.

[13] Creative Writing. Sadly, not yet published, but working on it ... I spent the best part of 5 years putting together some children's stories in the hope of becoming the next J.K. rowling (still awaiting the big break - sigh) and in that time wrote close on 700,000 words and put together 400 accompanying artworks in PhotoShop. As a sideline I also wrote some short stories in the vein of Dale Brown or Tom Clancy ... which leads me on to ...

[14] Attack Helicopters. For some reason I find helicopter gunships to be just so irresistible. To the point of having five helicopter sims on my PC. A fair chunk of my collected internet video clips feature Apaches and Hokums strutting their stuff. Oh, I have a pic of me sitting in the cockpit of an Apache somewhere by the way ... BIG moment of joy!

OK, will that do for now?


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

To sum it up... What makes people tick. Why would someone think/act/feel that way? I am also a voyeur - like watching real life accounts.

For that reason I like the following subjects;

Love reading biographies

Religion, real life experiences not dry explorations,Shows like 'compass' (Australia)

Documentaries on other cultures, real life experiences of migrants etc (SBS, special broadcasting service in Australia)

Personal experiences like in "Australian Story" (on ABC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation), people's wartime experiences (I have migrant history in my family so other's experiences connect me to a common experience)

Anything on criminal minds - what makes 'em tick (I notice this is on the list here and the reading list for many, many people. Perhaps it has taken over the 'murder mystery' novel genre of past days. We modern ones like the extra zing that it is real events)

Watching interactions between people, hence the appeal of what are perceived as 'trashy' reality shows such as the where the mum/dad switch and go to live with a very different family in various incarnations on that theme... or the Edwardian House/1940's House etc

Homecooks!!!! Love people who are passionate about food. Love reading aobut people who speak so lovingly about food and when it conjures all the cultural nuances it is heavenly!!!!!!! Like watching adept homecooks on tv too. (if you want to find some commonality or learn about another culture ask about the foods they enjoy, it is an 'in' to all sorts of cultural beliefs and traditions)

Life of the artist behind the great works (authors, fine arts, architects, musicians, composers etc)

Kudos for crazyred for making such an interesting thread...

I can't think of any more at this stage... will keep you up to date.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

I didn't start doing research on any subject until two years ago. My major subjects of interest are limited to ichthyology, marine biology, ecology, and WWII.

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Apologetics - "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15) It's really interesting to see how logic and reason play out in terms of religion. Not that I believe what I do on the sole basis of being able to prove it, more like I want to be able to provide answers to questions people ask... and put to rest the notion that faith is completely blind and unsupported by reason.

Theology - what different people believe and where the differences and similarities are. I really like C.S. Lewis! Also want to get ahold of Pascal's Pensees and some Kirkegaard...

Technology - new developments and advancements whether it be medicine, nanotechnology, space exploration, or what have you...

Ecology - how natural systems interact, especially unsual things like symbioses.

Animals - behavior, natural histories, etc.

The last two fit my major (wildlife) really well!

><>

Know what else fascinates me? That some threads take off and others die in the water.... interesting.

Not this one of course... it is a champion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Thanks wish-ga!!! I thought that this thread would be totally thought provoking. You inspired me with the "book reading" thread. I just thought it would be TOTALLY interesting to see what the FP members were fascinated by....my list is endless. How 'bout the rest of y'all???

---

~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Re: life in the universe. Odds are that there is life spread all throughout the universe. Odds are, I believe, that there is also intelligent life out there. Odds are that we'll never encounter it, because we're just too far away, or a hundred other factors that would prevent us from encountering it.

Just think: every time you hear about a supernova being seen for the first time, that could mean that some super advanced civilization on a planet near the star in question has been wiped out by intense radiation, never to resurface. Asteroid and comet collisions could have wiped out others. There's just so much going against two advanced civilizations lasting long enough to 1.) develop technology advanced enough to make deep space travel possible on their own, and 2.) having the development of this technology occur at roughly the same time, as to make it possible for us to cross paths. I don't see it happening, but I'm open to anyone convincing me otherwise

---

Back in the saddle!

The Bible (and it's application thereof). Cause it's so hard!

Ancient civilizations............ cause there is so much lost there.

Atlantis is included.........as another post mentioned.

Animals

Of course, viewing beautiful fish tanks.

And other fascinations seem to come & go............. just like this site. I'm here now, but tomorrow.............. who knows?

Well............I can't get out of here without at least ONE comment

I believe in a lot of things. I'm not one of those that need proof.

This is a tough one to narrow down. First I gotta shout out to Calil for Satirical Humor, thats awesome. I'm fascinated by people's uses of sarcasm myself.

I'm fascinated by...

Learning. What you know over the course of life is a downward slope. The more you learn, the less you come to realize, that you really know.

Yellowstone National Park - how the 'plumbing' works throughout the lower and upper gyser basins.

Alligators - Love em, they are amazing creatures

Louisiana Coastal Erosion - One of those nation-changing yet never talked about issues.

Paleoclimatology and Dinosaurs - fun stuff!

New Orleans - Rich history, beautiful city, amazing people. To get on a soap box, if anyone out there reads this, please guys, do what you can to help, if you see any where to donate or want to know how to help, just get ahold of me, and please keep spreading awareness. Its bad. These are good people and they need someone to help them out.

For anyone planning a trip...hell yeah! The parts of New Orleans any visitor would be in, are up and rockin, trust me, I spend a lot of time in and around em, so come on down!

Hmm...I got distracted from my list...

Oh, women. I love women and will forever be fascinated by them.

Music - the form and flow and structure of music, dating back to gregorian transcription into modern form...but mainly that of jazz styles.