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Ah, you mean the Pear Pad.

But can they survive the reopening of the Medusa Cascade; coinciding with the Earth for unknown reasons, suddenly appearing right by it, and suddenly unknown alien radio transmissions being received repeating the word "EX-TERM-INATE" over and over?

So then it is a cat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson's_Bay_Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Bay_Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartered_company

http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Weyland-Yutani

(ok, the last one not so much)

No, they've made zombies.

Wouldn't that be the communication stones from Stargate lore ?

I'm pretty sure he meant Ion Cannon.

I say we make a Ghola. It's quite simple:

1. Clone John from the tooths DNA.
2. Let him grow to desired age.
3. Awake his original memories by making him endure a terrible psychological trauma. Showing him a current pic of Yoko might do the trick.

Buffout.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Buffout

Careful what you wish for...

Something like this http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Escalator_to_Nowhere

Pretty hard to game emotions...

Be reasonable, now. B.O. Plenty wasn't even one of the main villains in the Dick Tracy series.

motor windings made of rock insulated wire, asteroid derived lubricant, rock circuit boards, etc...

Sounds like the company is run by one of Mr. Slate's descendants.

Back when NASA was more ambitious and had better political support: http://www.islandone.org/MMSG/aasm/
"What follows is a portion of the final report of
a NASA summer study, conducted in 1980 by request of newly-elected President Jimmy Carter at a cost of 11.7 million dollars. The result of the study was a realistic proposal for a self-replicating automated lunar factory system, capable of exponentially increasing productive capacity and, in the long run, exploration of the entire galaxy within a reasonable timeframe. Unfortunately, the proposal was quietly declined with barely a ripple in the press.
    What was once concievable with 1980's technology is now even more practical today. Even if you're just skimming through this document, the potential of this proposed system is undeniable. Please enjoy."

As I said elsewhere:
http://slashdot.org/topic/cloud/the-science-behind-elysium/
"The cheapest way forward may be to create an open source plan for an automated seed that could be sent to an asteroid where it would begin to grow into a space habitat. Then the habitat could duplicate itself by making more seeds. The habitats could create transport spacecraft to land on Earth and solar space satellites to power them on the ground for launching back into space with people on board. So, all it takes is crowd-sourcing and the cost of the first seed and the first launch. Well, of course the first might fail, but by the tenth try it might work. So, it might be doable for only a few billion dollars in real money for materials and the first launches. Testing could be mostly done via simulation."

Related projects I've participated in:
http://www.pdfernhout.net/princeton-graduate-school-plans.html
http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com/oscomak/
http://openvirgle.net/

It may be easier to figure out how humans can live in zero-G by bio-engineering though, compared to spinning big heavy things.
http://tmp2.wikia.com/wiki/Asgard

I also suggest living in liquid with probably "liquid breathing" as an option to prevent muscle wasting and bone loss (since whales do OK by resistance from water):
http://www.oscomak.net/wiki/Liquid_breathing_to_resist_bone_loss

Perhaps they'll call the NSA backdoor Shadowfax?

I know I'm repeating myself since I said it in another comment, but I thought I'd respond directly to you so I could set the record straight: No, it would not break cannon. Not by a long shot.

It might be time for stories to be written about female secret agents, but that doesn't mean the one agent you've written about has to change genders.

Disagree. Yes, 007 should stay male, but Doctor Who is one of the few shows where a gender change could be done very successfully. Unfortunately, I've seen a lot of comments on Slashdot saying "don't give us a woman", but I don't recall the same vitriol comments when the male Starbuck became the female Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica.

BTW, nothing wrong with changing genders and in scifi scenarios where it was already written (lots of Ian Banks books for instance) it's welcome that the character might become female or male.

I'm glad you changed your mind. In the episode "The Doctor's Wife", it was stated that "The Corsair" (a time lord) changed personalities when he / she regenerated as a different gender.

If they introduced a female doctor it would mean at least two years of stories pretty much devoted to aspects and repercussions of the change.

Disagree. That would depend on what the writers and producers wanted. Although they'd have to address it some degree, I would hope they mostly stay away from the subject matter as it has very little to do with the Doctor and his / her story lines.

Even if they choose not to address it there would be an uproar from fans about not addressing it, and there would always be the undercurrent of novelty from it.. hehe, look at us we're edgy because we recast the Doctor as female.

That, I agree with, although the perception of edgy would probably come from the fans. Only if they flaunted the sex of the Doctor in our faces would the edgy come from the writers and producers.

For what it's worth, the appropriate wiki seems to think the Corsair exercised control over gender by choosing what to regenerate as, hence suggesting it's technically possible.

That being said, however, I'm inclined to agree that it doesn't seem like something that would align well with the Doctor's established personality and would be better served via a spin-off or successor character.

In The Five Doctors, The Master is offered another cycle of regenerations in exchange for his help. It's not clear whether he's given them, but the fact that he accepts indicates that he at least believes that this is within the High Council's power to grant. It's also implied in The Brain of Morbius that the limit on regenerations is arbitrary and imposed so that Time Lord society won't suffer the same kind of stagnation as the Sisterhood of Karn.

I think the gender issue is really a non-issue. Good writers could make a plausible explanation (though some fans will still complain) and a compelling character.

Considering that both Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi played supporting characters on the show before taking The Doctor role, I'm sure we could find some past supporting female actors up to the task. My suggestions in order of preference:

1. Raquel Cassidy (Miranda Cleaves in "The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People")
2. Helen McCrory (Rosanna Calvierri in "Vampires of Venice")
3. Sophie Okonedo (Liz 10 in "The Beast Below")
4. Amara Karan (Rita in "The God Complex")

BTW, does anyone remember the campaign for a female Boba Fett? The site is gone, but here it is on the Wayback Machine.

I think the gender issue is really a non-issue. Good writers could make a plausible explanation (though some fans will still complain) and a compelling character.

Considering that both Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi played supporting characters on the show before taking The Doctor role, I'm sure we could find some past supporting female actors up to the task. My suggestions in order of preference:

1. Raquel Cassidy (Miranda Cleaves in "The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People")
2. Helen McCrory (Rosanna Calvierri in "Vampires of Venice")
3. Sophie Okonedo (Liz 10 in "The Beast Below")
4. Amara Karan (Rita in "The God Complex")

BTW, does anyone remember the campaign for a female Boba Fett? The site is gone, but here it is on the Wayback Machine.

I think the gender issue is really a non-issue. Good writers could make a plausible explanation (though some fans will still complain) and a compelling character.

Considering that both Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi played supporting characters on the show before taking The Doctor role, I'm sure we could find some past supporting female actors up to the task. My suggestions in order of preference:

1. Raquel Cassidy (Miranda Cleaves in "The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People")
2. Helen McCrory (Rosanna Calvierri in "Vampires of Venice")
3. Sophie Okonedo (Liz 10 in "The Beast Below")
4. Amara Karan (Rita in "The God Complex")

BTW, does anyone remember the campaign for a female Boba Fett? The site is gone, but here it is on the Wayback Machine.

I think the gender issue is really a non-issue. Good writers could make a plausible explanation (though some fans will still complain) and a compelling character.

Considering that both Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi played supporting characters on the show before taking The Doctor role, I'm sure we could find some past supporting female actors up to the task. My suggestions in order of preference:

1. Raquel Cassidy (Miranda Cleaves in "The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People")
2. Helen McCrory (Rosanna Calvierri in "Vampires of Venice")
3. Sophie Okonedo (Liz 10 in "The Beast Below")
4. Amara Karan (Rita in "The God Complex")

BTW, does anyone remember the campaign for a female Boba Fett? The site is gone, but here it is on the Wayback Machine.

Maggie has already appeared in Who, though... http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Helen_A

Later statements by Russell T Davies suggest this was likely a joke - http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Death_of_the_Doctor_(TV_story)#Time_Lords

Which should be obvious to anyone who's seen the scene in question (the Doctor in fact claims that he can regenerate "507" times). A throw-away line in the middle of an adventure. Now he's on his eleventh (or is it twelfth) life, he's probably anxious to avoid discussion of his mortality.

Unless you are going to make the time lords all capable of changing sex

Meet the Corsair Also, Romana was at least once capable of choosing what she would regenerate into (though I don't think that got mentioned again since) - so I guess that if the Doctor wanted to regenerate as a woman, he could.

the character's 13th regeneration could be his last

Okay, first, the article means his TWELFTH regeneration, his thirteenth INCARNATION. Secondly, it's already canon that doctors can regenerate far more than twelve times.

Fans had already figured out that it's 39,5 North on April 10th 13291.

Randall Munroe is unique because he combines skill in the arts, knowledge, humor and accessibility. In each of these areas separately he might not stand out (for the first two, consider map-making and infographics).

What is the "Moment?" How did it simultaneously destroy both the Timelords and the Daleks?

The Moment. Not really canon. I prefer to think that it's mostly meant in a metaphorical sense - "the Doctor possesses the moment" to mean that he has control of the situation, but in some sort of Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey way that also makes it some kind of physical, tangible object...

In other words, it was yet another thing RTD slipped in just because it sounded cool and mysterious, which someone else has gone and ruined by writing a backstory for.

psst!
You're not supposed to find out what's in your bowl of brown.

http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/The_Krabby_Patty_That_Ate_Bikini_Bottom

At least according to the abstract of the research paper (couldn't read the paper itself) if Earth is brought into the hot moist athmosphere state, that state would maintain itself. From the abstract (emphasis mine):

Therefore, a steam atmosphere induced by such a runaway greenhouse may be a stable state for a planet receiving a similar amount of solar radiation as Earth today. Avoiding a runaway greenhouse on Earth requires that the atmosphere is subsaturated with water, and that the albedo effect of clouds exceeds their greenhouse effect. A runaway greenhouse could in theory be triggered by increased greenhouse forcing, but anthropogenic emissions are probably insufficient.

So we will probably not manage to terraform Earth into Venus just by continuing CO2 emissions. But maybe if the Vogons help a bit ....

Partial CO2 pressure has been much, much higher in the past and a stable, permanent runaway steam atmosphere has not occurred on earth.

CO2 alarmists pointing to Venus as a warning seem to forget that it is much closer to that big furnace, and that its composition, among other parameters, is widely different.

Fearing that earth could shortly turn into Venus is as silly as fearing that it would become a second Jupiter.

Amazing that you have time to think of anything else, actually.

I read your post imagining it was being spoken using Vizzini's voice. Much more amusing that way.

At least according to the abstract of the research paper (couldn't read the paper itself) if Earth is brought into the hot moist athmosphere state, that state would maintain itself. From the abstract (emphasis mine):

Therefore, a steam atmosphere induced by such a runaway greenhouse may be a stable state for a planet receiving a similar amount of solar radiation as Earth today. Avoiding a runaway greenhouse on Earth requires that the atmosphere is subsaturated with water, and that the albedo effect of clouds exceeds their greenhouse effect. A runaway greenhouse could in theory be triggered by increased greenhouse forcing, but anthropogenic emissions are probably insufficient.

So we will probably not manage to terraform Earth into Venus just by continuing CO2 emissions. But maybe if the Vogons help a bit ....

Wiki
Replay

Oh wait, I think there's a typo in there somewhere -- sorry.

I think you mean, "Robo-Dr. Acula!" (Video)

First, woosh. Second, hope this helps you:
http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Room_23

The phrase is based on Buddhism if that's really relevant.

It didn't work out well in Lord Parker's 'Oliday.

Someone already rebooted Star Control II. It was called Mass Effect. :)

I'm kidding, but seriously, go play Mass Effect 1 and compare it to SC2. There are a LOT of similarities there.

For starters, check this out:

http://aliens.wikia.com/wiki/Ur-Quan_Kzer-Za
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Thorian

Heck, the thorian's mind controlled minions are even referred to as "thralls"

Someone already rebooted Star Control II. It was called Mass Effect. :)

I'm kidding, but seriously, go play Mass Effect 1 and compare it to SC2. There are a LOT of similarities there.

For starters, check this out:

http://aliens.wikia.com/wiki/Ur-Quan_Kzer-Za
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Thorian

Heck, the thorian's mind controlled minions are even referred to as "thralls"

So art imitating life, or life imitating art? Just saw the Futurama episode Forty percent leadbelly in which Bender takes a 2-D photo of a guitar, and gets it duplicated by a 3-D printer. Seems we are in the future already!

I thought Frank Grimes elecfrocuted himself years ago. Poor Grimey.

The potato people. GP meant to type ATMOS.

Yeah, I mean ever since Fire Emblem: Awakening has come out I haven't used Firefox.

(for those who don't understand the reference, http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/Chrom )

So we built a computer that figured out the answer. Now we just need to build an even bigger computer to figure out the question!

HOLY SHIT you just blew my mind. I've been doing Machine learning for a while now, but I just took it for granted and it never occurred to me that learning the model is in fact learning the answer to a question that is often too complex for humans to grasp.

All hail Douglas Adams, our prophet and saviour!

So we built a computer that figured out the answer. Now we just need to build an even bigger computer to figure out the question!

I think they will find that an analysis of the genetic code will reveal a message: I'm being held prisoner in a ungaberry pie factory owned by the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance. Send help!

But unlike most children, the machine's scores were very uneven across different portions of the test.

That's not a bug, that's the beta version of GPP.