# I, genius, have had an epiphany. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 4, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341 "2008-01-04T23:16:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/41 "2008-01-06T02:16:17Z")
[QUOTE=Glazer] Lacking the full million of course. Gee don’t you know anything about goverment grants? [/QUOTE] Pay no attention to this guy; he doesn’t even have a PhD. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/42 "2008-01-06T02:16:49Z")
[QUOTE=shijinn] cite? [/QUOTE] I saw the movie! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/43 "2008-01-06T10:40:19Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] I saw the movie! [/QUOTE] I saw the Made For TV Film of The Week on Oxygen. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/44 "2008-01-06T10:56:54Z")
Quantum Mechanic: The glass is either full or empty. Half way is mere statistics. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/45 "2008-01-06T10:58:14Z")
The glass is insufficiently engineered to hold the given amount of liquid. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/46 "2008-01-06T16:42:39Z")
There _is_ no glass; there is only your perception of reality. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/47 "2008-01-06T17:02:41Z")
If you freeze the liquid _in_ the glass, you have to re-start pondering the question from square one. If you _boil_ the liquid… ---
**Author:** ![enigm4tic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@enigm4tic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigm4tic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/48 "2008-01-06T17:42:09Z")
Frat Boy: Get me a new beer! (Alternatively: well it looked full before the head settled!) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/49 "2008-01-06T17:43:47Z")
[QUOTE=Pochacco] I prefer the engineer’s answer: The glass isn’t half-empty or half-full. The glass is TOO BIG. [/QUOTE] This produced in me a musing of the perfect engineer’s glass: one that shrinks as the fluid within is drunk. I then imagined what this process would look like. I think I’m high now. :eek: Gonna go lie down. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/50 "2008-01-06T19:11:36Z")
Don’t know if it was an accurate quote, but [Lt. Dieter Dengler](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Dengler) as played by Christian Bale in [Rescue Dawn](http://imdb.com/title/tt0462504/) was said to have offered this advice to his camarades, “When something is empty, fill it. When something is full, empty it.". Seems like the Buddhist philosophy of the glass. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/51 "2008-01-06T19:56:26Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] That’s Heisenberg. I think it is, anyway. [/QUOTE] There’s no way to be certain. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/52 "2008-01-06T20:35:44Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] I cite the old engineer’s ten percent slide rule approximation. [/QUOTE] Slide rule.. Why not the abacus rule. You will confuse the young uns with that reference. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/53 "2008-01-06T21:56:08Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Slide rule.. Why not the abacus rule. You will confuse the young uns with that reference. [/QUOTE] You know, I did forget about the kiddies. [Lookie here!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_rule) While you’re giggling, think about what was developed using this thing. 😛 That being said, good riddance. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/54 "2008-01-06T22:09:01Z")
Wait, why can’t the glass be half full and half empty? All we have to do is define full as being the part with the liquid, and the empty as the part without liquid. Also, what if the jello was in the glass? “I have a bowl half full of jello! No it’s half empty! Oh shut up and eat your jello!” Haha that’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/55 "2008-01-07T01:20:13Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Wait, why can’t the glass be half full and half empty? All we have to do is define full as being the part with the liquid, and the empty as the part without liquid. Also, what if the jello was in the glass? “I have a bowl half full of jello! No it’s half empty! Oh shut up and eat your jello!” Haha that’s funny. [/QUOTE] Clearly, you’ve become unhinged by the whole discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/56 "2008-01-07T01:24:28Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] I, genius, have had an epiphany. [/QUOTE] Yeah, well…I have a nickel! So there. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/57 "2008-01-07T02:31:08Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Yeah, well…I have a nickel! So there. [/QUOTE] If it’s shiny, I’m jealous. Otherwise, “Thbbbt!” Hey! We should ask Bill. About the half thing I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341/58 "2008-01-07T09:02:54Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Wait, why can’t the glass be half full and half empty? All we have to do is define full as being the part with the liquid, and the empty as the part without liquid. [/QUOTE] But then, the part with the liquid is by definition _entirely full_ and the part without is _entirely empty_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-genius-have-had-an-epiphany/432341.md?page=2)