Posts by Wzrd1

Re: It may be a dumb question but ...

I rather suspect it was a parallel development.

The rate of spread of any development, be it a new stone tool, bow and arrow or domestication of an animal would have been glacial.

It wasn't until the beginning of the bronze age that communication of new technologies moved at the rate of snail mail.

"Science doesn't really know what's within our own solar system and nobody has the faintest idea about what's out even further. I wish we knew more."

As a US citizen that is rather well self-educated, I consider your view horrifically uneducated.

We DO have a lot of knowledge about our solar system. It's not immense. It's not even tolerable. But, it's decent enough to know what the hell is orbiting our sun.

You obviously missed the recent news of Hubble.

Oops, that is really ancient news.

Are you *really* from Earth?

Your comments suggest either being from the Tea Party or from another stellar system and didn't learn much yet.

"It will start turning into a red giant in approx 5.4 billion years, and will eventually become a white dwarf which will continue for trillions of years before fading to black."

Recheck your numbers. It'll go red giant far sooner. Fade to black about the same time.

At one billion years, the planet will be barren.

Not a lot of time for humans, as so many technological obstacles remain to literally survive and hopefully thrive.

"Damn our pathetically short lifetimes. It'd be truly awesome to be able to witness such an event!"

Erm, not really.

Stellar collision, stellar near-miss and planets thrown away or melted down.

Do you *really* want to play this game?

Re: I'm not a lawyer or an expert but,

There isn't.

It's "guidelines". Some idiots think that that is codified law.

Re: Yes, but...

"Right now I'd trust the N.Koreans and Chinese more than I'd trust the US."

Actually, I trust every nation on this planet equally, including the US.

But then, I'm retired US military and had the treat while preparing a briefing to happen upon automagic transcripts of my own morale call home. All magically scooped up, neatly bundled and packaged for anyone to review (interestingly enough, it was in an obscure location and the logs showed only one view, my own).

We'll suffice it to say that my calls home after were G-rated...

After that, I retired some time later and worked in information security. I learned who was up to what in detail.

So, I trust no one. They're all up to the same game, from "America" (aka every nation on both continents and in between) to the smallest nation that has any decent communications capability.

About the only nation I can say for certain that has no information warfare/espionage capability is Somalia.

Iraq will eventually get an operational unit up, they had a bit of an upset in their government...

Egypt has a program because Israel and Iran have a program.

Even Cuba has a program!

There *is* an upside. Spies keep everyone honest.

Indeed, it was a spy that kept the USSR from firing their ICBM's at the US during an exercise that was rather stupidly planned, due to tensions at the time.

Not championing it, only accepting that which I cannot change, nor can the lot of readers here change.

It pisses me off, but so does government waste. So does having to take a shit when watching a good movie.

It is what it is. It's not going to change.

The only thing we can do is pressure the sensitive spots of our elected officials to ensure our privacy is respected.

Well, a little bit, anyway.

Because, Pandora's box has *long* been open. The information was spoken of before, but not as in depth until Snowden.

The reality is that every nation with decent connectivity does it.

I may not really *like* it, but I have to accept it as a law of the universe at present. I'm not terribly fond of gravity in the morning either, but I respect that law, lest it thump me to the floor and make already angry joints thoroughly enraged.

The reality is, it's long been out there. It's as widespread as people are on the planet. One can only hope to succeed in some reasonable accommodation to one's laws, customs and society.

As for Snowden, I personally met him while I was contracting. He was a prima donna then, he still is.

He violated his NDA. That is what matters. He *could* have approached a sympathetic Congresscritter, he did not even attempt to do so. He instead went to where he could acquire the greatest attention, the foreign media.

Now, many, many nations are responding to an embarrassment, knowing what was going on, but now having to save face.

Meanwhile, the NSA director lied before Congress on national television, but went away unscathed. That tells me that Congress already knew quite well what was about.

I also know that my teams received precise targeting information that could only have been electronically received. I also know that the Taliban wanted cell phone towers shut down at night.

I also know why, as did they. If you don't, you're willfully ignorant.

I have no tolerance for the willfully ignorant. I am up to my balls with them in the tea party here.

But, the reality is, I've yet to have my door knocked on, knocked down, security clearance voided because I am a dirty old man with my wife. I have yet to hear a simmering compliant about my political views, which are across the spectrum, but overall middle of the road (but, worshiping the notion of universal healthcare and *real* respect for equality for all).

I also hold an incredibly dim view of libertarianism, socialism, communism for its goal of achieving socialism, pure capitalism, pure any system. Reality is much more complex than stupid systems we devise as a single way of doing things.

Regrettably, people are stupid as a group.

Really large groups come to become a government.

People distrust that which is different, it is a survival instinct.

Hence, governments distrust that which is different.

Stupidity reigns.

Welcome to the real world.

Where being *really* smart doesn't pay off very well.

But, being a village idiot can get you on international TV (See Sarah Palin).

Good night all. It's a quarter hour since I turned into a pumpkin again.

I have to get up early and give a reading from The Book of Threats to a nursing home administrator, whose home is not bothering to properly care for my father during his rehabilitation.

The Reading will include much of legal jargon, codified law, various abandonment laws, etc. It shan't be pleasant for any concerned, but it most certainly is necessary.

As an example, I picked him up to take him to dialysis today. They lost his slippers upon admission x1 day. He apparently, per nurses report, was sitting in a wheelchair for 40 hours out of the previous 48 hours, as he refused to lay down and sleep. His feet would not fit into his shoes, due to CHF and his sitting for such an insane amount of time in a wheelchair (they refuse to let him use a walker to move about, in spite of his ability to do so). They lost three pairs of pants I sent with him.

No, the Reading will include a dire threat as well.

Utter ruin for the facility, its owner company, its stockholders, the staff, yeah unto the seventh generation shalt it be thus.

Because, my lawyers are far better than their lawyers are. And they are my clients, as well as representatives.

Sorry, had to vent.

But not much.

Damned futhermuckers.

Re: "all three repeated earlier denials...

Well, a contract is a contract.

Re: Oops - completely missed the point when I clicked on the article...

"No that's a Sandra Bullock movie."

Actually, I considered that one incredibly cute.

Dumber than a bag of hammers on space and physics terms, but cute nonetheless.

See dumber than a bag of hammers and wonder why it didn't get preserved in my video collection.

Re: I tried to call Stephen Hawking to complain about this...

Bad taste would be that the answering machine communicated at 30 baud at best.

Re: You would think

Many years ago, I asked my instructor what to do if the reserve failed to deploy after a main failure.

He deadpanned, "Climb back up and get another."

The shame of it was, I was using parachutes made by the lowest government bidder.

Re: Missing the point

"We won't mention US beer between prohibition and the 1990s, there's no good explanation for that."

Sure there is. All of the quality brew masters departed the land for nations where they were permitted to earn a living.

Re: Missing the point

"I drink beer because it tastes good, not just because it has ethanol in it."

I drink distilled spirits because they have ethanol in them.

I drink coffee because it has caffeine in it.

I drink various teas because they taste good, I get my caffeine from my coffee.

"Sure, the occasional hangover is pretty much guaranteed,..."

Bleh. Try hydrating when drinking. The majority of hangover symptoms are due to dehydration.

Dehydration is a bigger deal with alcohol, as it dilutes alcohol and its metabolites, as well as provides the proper isotonic balance for your body.

While the body may tolerate some degree of dehydration normally, alcohol, like many other toxic substances, which intoxicating substances are by nature in larger does, exacerbates the problem and hence, symptoms.

Re: I knew something was up…

"I've heard Japan a lot on 10m lately, and normally 10m for me is very quiet."

Maybe it's the x-ray events. We've been averaging one every other day for the past week or so.

Re: Interesting...

"I guess it's like having a really long flexible magnet. You could bend it so each pole is closer or freely able to move relative to the other. Would that give a similar effect in a small scale?"

Not quite. The sun's magnetic field is really, really complex. What is generally considered north and south is somewhat like our Earth's magnetic field is, a consensus of tangles that approximate something like a bar magnet, but only really approximate it.

Google sun magnetic field, then look at images.

Re: It's simple really...

"Don't need a rocket scientist for that one."

Dunno about that one, a rocket scientist would be able to calculate the impetus created by any such jets. :)

Re: Erm...

Possibly.

I'm more thinking it got spun by an impact that fractured the asteroid, permitting sunlight to warm volatiles beneath the surface that normally would not have been heated.

I'd go take pictures and gather samples, but some Doctor stole my transportation...

Re: So...

"which is correct of course, just think of sharks, no wait, think of tigers, um, no... lions."

Ever been bitten by a rabbit?

Oh, wrong TYPE of teeth. ;)

Besides, the last good evidence I saw, T-Rex wasn't a carnivore, it was a scavenger.

Seriously, I *am* entirely certain that T-Rex *ate*. What is open for interpretation. ;)

But, sharp teeth is relative. Snakes have sharp teeth, as do mice, rabbits, lions, tigers and bears.

Oh, my!

Re: So...

I remember cricket. I sprayed the corner it was chirping from, it stopped. ;)

I'll not even go into US-foreigner nonsense. So short a life, shorter for being a US citizen within the US, so much to rail against...

Re: So...

Now, now. As a lifelong US citizen, born in the US, raised in the US, I have to disagree with your disparagement of US exceptionalism.

The US is chock full of exceptional people. The same exceptional people who we usually load into a short bus to special education.

You *are* correct that religious lunatics spread as fast, if not faster than western expansion. Interestingly enough, the most respected in "the hills" are not men who have a college degree in any form of divinities, but in the "preacher", who is as qualified in religion as the petroleum station attendant in religion or pretty much anything else.

I'll also disagree your your species name. It is obviously correct as pan sapiens americanus, though I'm being generous with the sapiens part in regards to the entire species.

I do agree with the suppression of science in the US. You're spot on.

However, the Earth *is* only 6000 years old or so, from a relativistic perspective, for a sparse few particles throughout the universe. ;)

Even money, far more particles *really* close to an event horizon as well.

Re: So...

"I think this might be just a tiny bit "tongue in cheek", there is a slight difference between clays forming the substrate, confinement and some chemicals for early single cell-like structures to form, and squidging some clay into a man, breathing life into it and sending it on it's way."

True enough, as every clay I've looked at the chemical analysis of had a dearth of iron.

You remember iron, that hemo part of hemoglobin?

Re: IR future

"Low res models from FLIR are now about $1000."

Cool! Are you buying?

(expletives are omitted for both brevity and politeness.)

Barely.

Re: YAY.

"I further predict we will hand over all our gold, frankincense and myrrh for it."

Do you want a laugh?

I personally own all three. It's *so* not happening.

Frankincense works to clear my head on bad days. Myrrh works to keep the wife happy, it smells nice (no clue, personally, I have no sense of smell beyond ammonia or pure alcohol or a few sparse other scents).

The gold is pretty for my wife, so it also stays.

But, I have a nice chunk of old lead pipe I'd happily deliver to the head of anyone wanting to deprive me of domestic tranquility. ;)

Re: Disappointing...

"Here I started reading the article hoping that someone had identified a few candidate stars on the cusp of going supernova (and explaining the new science that meant they could tell)."

Got massive heartburn over the same thing, then this:

"That one outshone all the stars in the sky for a time, causing great excitement for eminent old-time astroboffin Johannes Kepler. "

Erm, Sol was outshined?!

Nope.

This isn't horseshit on rye, served as a sandwich, it's bullshit on rye.

A story that never should have been written, as it's already well established.

Re: If we want get from one side of the galaxy to another..

"Just needs an infinite improbability drive, that's all. :-)"

Bleh, just stretch Planck distance.

Same effect, less bullshit.

Re: I think the more burning question is...

"DrWho could arrive 2 mins before Batman "bridged up"..."

The real question is, would the Doctor and I have an interesting combat session.

I think it would be.

For, we use the same weapon as a primary weapon: Our minds.

I suspect we'd have a mutual tough row to hoe.

Re: Lunar way station first

I'd do a LEO station, geosync station and Lunar station.

Then, a handful of stations orbiting between Mars and us as a resupply point. With emergency spares stored on each to shoot to Mars.

When chicks hatch from their eggs, they call me by name. Cheap, cheap, cheap...

Re: It's only a matter of time. And money.

"Time because technology progresses in pace with people's motivation for getting off this ball. "

People have *never* had motivation for getting off of this ball.

"3D printing, for instance, has solved a lot of the problems..."

Erm, 3D printing requires gravity. No 3D printer exists that operates without requiring gravity and I'm dubious that one could do so. :/

Hopefully, some enterprising engineer will prove me wrong. I'll be the happiest man ever born!

"It might be cost-effective to transport humans out, tho, as the emigrants will sell/leave nearly all they have behind.."

I'd do so in a New York minute. That lasts about as long as one shake in the nuclear world.

I'd miss the grandkids, but they could visit... ;)

I'm sure they'd miss me playing Surly Claus at Christmas.