That's no moon...

GamePlayer · Post by **GamePlayer** » 13 Mar 2008 21:01

It's a Death Star? Not really, but the media needs a good opening to hook you in.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080310/ ... trikeearth

An interesting read once you get past all the silliness. I'd never heard of space pinwheels until now. Very sick, as the kidlets say!

orald · Post by **orald** » 13 Mar 2008 21:13

I can see Al Gore preaching how we're all to blame for this by polluting the Sagittarius constellation...while he's living in a big mansion full of cars last time I heard.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 14 Mar 2008 13:46

Haven't read Diaspora by Greg Egan, GP?

IIRC he uses a neutron binary to similar effect.

(Orald...did a bit of a Fantomas on that one, huh?

)

GamePlayer · Post by **GamePlayer** » 14 Mar 2008 13:50

Nope, I haven't. It's an interesting concept that I've never heard described in that manner before.

orald · Post by **orald** » 14 Mar 2008 15:57

SandChigger wrote:(Orald...did a bit of a Fantomas on that one, huh? )

Say what?

Fantômas · Post by **Fantômas** » 14 Mar 2008 17:44

orald wrote:
SandChigger wrote:(Orald...did a bit of a Fantomas on that one, huh? )
Say what?

Say....what?

Pls. elaborate.

Rakis · Post by **Rakis** » 15 Mar 2008 00:33

orald wrote:
SandChigger wrote:(Orald...did a bit of a Fantomas on that one, huh? )
Say what?

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 15 Mar 2008 03:39

I meant that, to me at least, it didn't make enough sense to even register as witty, let alone funny.

I'm not a rabid supporter of Al Gore (and, frankly, having no children and not believing in reincarnation, I really don't give a fuck what happens to the environment after I'm gone...let the human race reap what it sows), but I have grown weary of the pointless cheap shots.

That's all.

orald · Post by **orald** » 15 Mar 2008 08:40

I just hate hypocretes, that's all.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 15 Mar 2008 09:19

Well, yeah, who doesn't?

I just didn't see the relevance of slagging him off here.

The article does, however, emphasize one of my pet points: If the human race is to survive, it needs to get off its lazy, complacent arse and off this one little planet.

The universe is not a warm, fuzzy-cuddly friendly place. And there's no Big Sky Daddy (or Mommy) out there going to save us if we fuck up or something bad threatens us. We are on our own.

Sorry...just my 2 yen.

orald · Post by **orald** » 15 Mar 2008 10:00

SandChigger wrote:Well, yeah, who doesn't?

I just didn't see the relevance of slagging him off here.

I think it's in the end of the article that one of the wiz-kids extraordinare blurts something about global-warming being more serious a threat than this Heavenly Spiral of Doom.
How many times can they shove that thing up our collective asses?

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 15 Mar 2008 12:00

And you disagree with that assessment of relative threat because...???

Climatology is not my field...and I assume it's not yours, either. I certainly haven't read any journal papers in the area (and assume...etc), so basically all I know is what gets filtered through the media and what I've read online. I'm keeping an open mind. Are you?

People don't want to give up things they've gotten used to having. (And that includes oil and other companies and their profits.) I drive to work because public transport would be a colossal pain in the arse and I'd probably have to move closer to the uni, which I don't want to do. (I hate the city where it's located.) I'm just as selfish as any of the naysayers, but I'm not going to argue with the scientists, claim to know more than the people who study the thing.

But seriously, it's all academic to me. I figure I've got another quarter of a century if "lucky". Climate-wise things probably aren't going to get that much worse in so short a period. After that, why should I care, really?

Even if the doomsayers are right, will the hate (or pain?) of future generations hurt or touch me in any way? I think not. So why should I care?

orald · Post by **orald** » 15 Mar 2008 12:23

SandChigger wrote:And you disagree with that assessment of relative threat because...???

Did I say I disagree anywhere?

Like I said, my problem is with them(and politicians) shoving it everywhere.
Also, I hate Gore, he's an ass.

I'm still waiting for that ex-NY governor guy to join a church and preach us unwashed masses about the wrongs of infidelity.

SandChigger wrote:But seriously, it's all academic to me. I figure I've got another quarter of a century if "lucky".

How little do you know...
Tick tock...goes the clock...

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 16 Mar 2008 02:01

orald wrote:How little do you know...
Tick tock...goes the clock...

I'm not bothered, either way. I mean, after nearly half a century, I'm pretty bored, to be honest.

If I'm wrong and there is some sort of afterlife, it'll be an interesting adventure.

If I'm right it'll be

Post by **Freakzilla** » 16 Mar 2008 03:06

Worrying about things like that is wasted effort. My wife and kids were freaking out the other night durring the storms and tornados. What do you want me to do, sit by the window and wait for it? The way I see it, you're either going ot die in a natural disaster or you're not. You may as well worry about being hit by an asteroid. Bunch of "Chicken Littles" I tell ya.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 16 Mar 2008 05:15

"Half the population is below average intelligence."

"You're going to die in a natural disaster or you're not."

I really love the way you dichotomize the world and Life, Freak.

orald · Post by **orald** » 16 Mar 2008 05:30

Ya, Freak, Besides, some could consider death a coup-de-grace(sp?) anyway, with life being so full of shit and Dune prequels.

So, uh, if anyone wants euthenasia, I'm here to help you out of your sorrows(yes, I'm looking at you, P&B).

orald · Post by **orald** » 16 Mar 2008 05:33

SandChigger wrote:"Half the population is below average intelligence."
...

I really love the way you dichotomize the world and Life, Freak.

Well, that's kinda wrong, since it wouldn't be the average intelligence if half the population was below it. Population intelligence is a bell-shaped curve.

I'm a nitpicking bastard, sue me.

Post by **Freakzilla** » 16 Mar 2008 07:42

I don't care what shape your curve is, half the points are below average.

Since a bell curve is the same on both sides, it simply doubles your set of numbers.

Average is still average.

Post by **Freakzilla** » 16 Mar 2008 08:11

SandChigger wrote:"Half the population is below average intelligence."

"You're going to die in a natural disaster or you're not."

I really love the way you dichotomize the world and Life, Freak.

I just try to look at the bigger picture.

I wonder it there is a correlation between IQ and people who die in tornados?

orald · Post by **orald** » 16 Mar 2008 08:49

Ah, NVM, I was confused by something.

Post by **Freakzilla** » 16 Mar 2008 09:05

orald wrote:Ah, NVM, I was confused by something.

OK, we know where you are on the curve.

orald · Post by **orald** » 16 Mar 2008 09:10

Remember that "tick tock" message I gave Chigger? Guess who's also getting it...

*'Twas bad semantics and lack of concentration I tell ya

*

To explain what I meant, I considered the "average" not being a single line, but several. As in not the actual mathematical defenition or whatever...If you view people you'll see most fall inbetween lines that we call "average", though this does seem to be bad mathematics now that I think of it. What I meant was not the peak of the curve, but a whole region to both sides of it.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 16 Mar 2008 09:47

What's kinda sad about it, though, is that it's necessarily true and always will be, even if the population grows smarter over time.

Oh well....

Fantômas · Post by **Fantômas** » 17 Apr 2008 11:48

SandChigger wrote:If I'm wrong and there is some sort of afterlife, it'll be an interesting adventure.

If I'm right it'll be

Your name must appear in The Book of Life.

Food for thought.