Worn Out

@mdavidford Scientists define dark energy as "smooth, uniform and repulsive on a cosmic scale", I don't know about the first two but the third criterion seems to indicate that we might have found it...

I thought the standard model couldn't account for dark energy though?

@Nigel Garage Ah, there it is. As with all the other dozen plus personae he has employed, the "I'm the courteous voice of reason" facade starts to fade as he finds nobody agrees with him about pretty much anything. If we follow the standard model he'll be banned within a fortnight.

@Rendel Harris No, a lever is one of the six classical simple machines defined during the Renaissance (the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw). It only becomes mechanised when simple machines are combined. For the want of a better source according to wikipedia "the six classical simple machines are not mechanised on their own. They are fundamental mechanical devices that use human or natural physical force—such as pushing, pulling, or gravity—rather than motors, engines, or automated power sources to function". For example a pair of pliers is a classical simple machine. A pair of pliers functions as a double first-order lever joined at a central pivot point (the fulcrum). A hand held mechanical automatic wire stripper that involves levers interacting with other levers is mechanised though. And a bicycle is definitely not a classical simple machine either: it is a compound machine that joins many simple machines together to make work easier.

I made a distinction between utility cycling, leisure cycling, and meaningful journeys in a previous article. A distinction clearly lost on you Clem.

Motorised, not mechanised. Very good, you got me. Broken clock and all that. Still, pub bore wouldn't have been able to interject if I had written it correctly, would he?

Oh soo sad!

@Pub bike Fair point, but if you use a lever to do something then in adding your force plus a fulcrum it becomes a mechanized process, no?

@Rendel Harris It also seems unlikely that the late Mr. Hitchens would have so badly confused a lack of regulation with a lack of enforcement.

@Rendel Harris There is a nuance here: yes a bicycle is a mechanised machine due to its complexity but not all machines are mechanised e.g. simple levers, hand tools etc.