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We need more of these videos! And whales.
http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Infinite_Improbability_Drive

Hey, they're just addressing the boast in the same language as the original. And although it does seem strange to refer to the Kessel Run in units of distance rather than time when talking about how fast the Millenium Falcon is, maybe for that particular run it's supposedly more a question of distance than speed (sweeping closer to stars without getting torn apart by tidal forces or something). According to Wookipedia, that's pretty much how it has been retconned.

You're on Slashdot and you don't recognize this line?

Besides, the use of distance instead of time has been widely explained:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Parsec

Or, the put it in terrestrial terms, imagine that the Kessel Run has to cross a sea with a giant whirlpool vortex - a more capable ship (or a risk taking captain) can skirt closer to the whilrpool, so a captain could boast that he did the Kessel Run in only 12 leagues while others take the longer way around.

...but is this a step towards a working Thermal Discouragement Beam?

First off, the human-like creatures in star wars are canonically human

Your source is incorrect. It says "Humans were the galaxy's most numerous and politically dominant sentient species with millions of major and minor colonies galaxywide. Believed to have originated on the galactic capital of Coruscant..." but it's supposed to be set "in a galaxy far, far away." Interstellar travel is enough of a stretch, intergalactic is WAY out of bounds. It might have been plausable if set in the Milky Way, but...

Intergalactic travel is certainly implausible, and the Star Wars universe has an interesting sort of reverse deus ex machina preventing most hyperspace travel outside the galaxy. There are, however, certain encroachments from outside the galaxy. Nevertheless, everything in canon indicates that the Star Wars humans are intended to be the same species (or at least, an evolutionary variant) as humans IRL. The connection to Earth is currently unexplained, as I mentioned before.

(sorry for the nerding-out here)

The thing that turned me off about the Ewoks were the cheesy costumes. Honestly, I've seen little kids dressed up for Halloween with better costumes.

I like the ewok costumes, but that's just me.

Don't get me started on how Lucas raped EPIV when they remastered that one. Not only the "Han shot first" bullshit (and Han shooting first was the least of the damage done to that scene; in the theater it cut to outside and you saw smoke and it looked like Greedo had killed Han. Plus adding that Jabba the Hut scene. Glad I still have the original, unraped tape.

Agree :(:(

First off, the human-like creatures in star wars are canonically human

Your source is incorrect. It says "Humans were the galaxy's most numerous and politically dominant sentient species with millions of major and minor colonies galaxywide. Believed to have originated on the galactic capital of Coruscant..." but it's supposed to be set "in a galaxy far, far away." Interstellar travel is enough of a stretch, intergalactic is WAY out of bounds. It might have been plausable if set in the Milky Way, but...

Intergalactic travel is certainly implausible, and the Star Wars universe has an interesting sort of reverse deus ex machina preventing most hyperspace travel outside the galaxy. There are, however, certain encroachments from outside the galaxy. Nevertheless, everything in canon indicates that the Star Wars humans are intended to be the same species (or at least, an evolutionary variant) as humans IRL. The connection to Earth is currently unexplained, as I mentioned before.

(sorry for the nerding-out here)

The thing that turned me off about the Ewoks were the cheesy costumes. Honestly, I've seen little kids dressed up for Halloween with better costumes.

I like the ewok costumes, but that's just me.

Don't get me started on how Lucas raped EPIV when they remastered that one. Not only the "Han shot first" bullshit (and Han shooting first was the least of the damage done to that scene; in the theater it cut to outside and you saw smoke and it looked like Greedo had killed Han. Plus adding that Jabba the Hut scene. Glad I still have the original, unraped tape.

Agree :(:(

Oh please. This geek culture icon has already been thoroughly ruined by the Prequel movies.

It's been my observation that the only ones who share your opinion were children when EPIV came out. I was in my twenties, and about the only difference I saw was the effects and costumes were far better in the prequels.

As an adult watching them, the one that ruined the franchise was EPVI. I mean, Jesus... those midgets in the cheezy bear costumes were REALLY lame. I had to forget just how bad VI was to even watch EPI; if that had come out two years after EPVI I probably wouldn't even have watched it.

IMO, EPIII was excellent, especially the opening scene with the big space battle, and the fight between Obi-Wan and Vader. I see bitching about the "mitichlorians" but you have to remember, these aren't human, they're aliens from another time and another galaxy. That alone demands a HUGE suspension of disbelief -- a race from another galaxy looks exactly like us?? That's harder to swallow than FTL travel.

Woah woah wee-woah woah. First off, the human-like creatures in star wars are canonically human . Theories regarding their connection to earth are diverse, but the connection has not been explained in canon.

Regarding the movies - EPVI is a personal favorite of mine, though I will concede that many fans (especially those who were adults when EPVI was released) are turned off by the Ewoks. I also enjoyed some scenes in EPIII, specifically the ones you mention. There were actually scenes in all three of the prequels that were well done and thoroughly enjoyable (ref. DM vs. QGJ in EPI). The primary complaints, especially from the more "hard-core" fanbase are with silly plot and lore related changes that were made for seemingly no good reason. Also, casting for some critical characters was worse-than-terrible (e.g. Anakin).

They must have Leonardo's Workshop built.

http://civilization.wikia.com/wiki/Leonardo's_Workshop

No. It means it's made of Naquadah: http://stargate.wikia.com/wiki/Naquadah_asteroid

We just need to add a voice now!

Good Decision!

DIe Die Die!

http://borderlands.wikia.com/wiki/Shotgun_1340

I've had couple of generations, and our current model for my wife's use is an X301.

Your wife flies an X-301? That is totally badass!

BAH! Fiddling small change.

http://cnc.wikia.com/wiki/Prism_Tank

completely gutted

What, changing a few lines of dialogue to make the transition from book to screen easier? That's gutting?

Adding some scenes that tell the backstory of the Oakenshields? That's gutting?

Bringing in some canon characters to make the story a better prequel to LOTR, entirely consistent with the canon of the milieu? That's gutting?

The only element that was out of place was having Azog gallavant all over the place chasing Thorin, but still, the basic conflict is entirely consistent with canon.

None of it is "gutting."

And if you've read all the various versions of Tolkien's tales like Turin and Beren&Luthien published in books like Lost Tales I and II, then you know that Tolkien himself "gutted" his stories far more than Jackson & Co. did.

If you really know works, then you will recognize how much respect the writers paid the source material, and would stop bitching that it's not a stenographic word-for-word translation from novel to screenplay.

What you're describing sounds a lot like the Geth!

"Radiation shielding is hard, its not impossible."

Good points. Freeman Dyson says much the same, and does some calculations showing that in one of his essays, where he says, adjusted for inflation, the costs to go from Europe to the Americas was on the order of what it would cost now to go into space. Remember, many people coming over to the "colonies" came as indentured servants who had to work off their travel for seven years. So, as a ballpark figure, let's guesstimate that person was giving up US$100K per year for inflation-adjusted wages (people typically worked six days a week and fourteen hours a day back then), and that's US$700,000 as an indenture. So, the move to North America was not that cheap for many.

On radiation shielding, see Marshall Savage's "The Millennial Project" where he suggests simply having two layers of transparent plastic with six feet of water between them. We could get the water in space from asteroids or comets (or launch the water from the earth or the moon via mass driver). Radiation problem solved.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Millennial_Project:_Colonizing_the_Galaxy_in_Eight_Easy_Steps
http://tmp2.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Other ideas from the Carter Administration:
http://www.islandone.org/MMSG/aasm/

Read James P. Hogan's "Voyage from Yesteryear" and "The Two Faces of Tomorrow" for some realistic hard sci-fi set in habitats.
http://www.jamesphogan.com/books/info.php?titleID=29&cmd=summary
http://www.baenebooks.com/chapters/0671878484/0671878484.htm

More ideas:
http://www.openvirgle.net/

All that said though, I would point out that the same sorts of technologies we need to live in space (such as near 100% recycling, healthier materials to be around, improved agriculture, portable doctoring and a better understanding of human nutrition and health, flexible manufacturing, improved governing processes for small communities, accessible digital libraries, improved conflict resolution skills, and so on), are mostly the *same* things we need to make Spaceship Earth work for everybody. So, overall, there is no deep conflict between an interest in space habitats and trying to make the Earth a better place.

So we can't make a levitating version so we go big and spiky?

It's actually Kree.

Says the guy who insists the entire blame for the current fiscal clusterfuck lies on the shoulders of half the government, while apparently believing that the other half are completely innocent patsies.

It does appear to be the case that the blame is not (currently) distributed equally. As best as I can tell, Republicans are trying to negotiate a compromise without making any concessions whatsoever. Democrats are not blameless, but at the moment they do seem more reasonable.

Right, and "seem" is the important word here. In reality, if you can ignore the media hype and study voting records, you'll learn that D and R are two sides of the same coin, and actually have many confluent goals, the continued erosion of rights and freedoms being paramount.

It's Daes Dae'mar, pure and simple.

There are no innocents here

With regards to American politics, no truer statement has ever been spoken.

If it gets that bad, we will probably end up going the route of the Quarians where we will always use sealed full-body suits. Unfortunate but we will survive.

They do have plenty of basic brick sets available. This isn't including the multitude of pink and blue brick boxes you see in many toy aisles. Granted they don't get the same amount of shelf space as LotR or Star Wars but they are there and if they aren't, you can order them directly from the Lego online store.

There's also the extensive Creator line which are models (with alternate builds) built from basic bricks.

They do have plenty of basic brick sets available. This isn't including the multitude of pink and blue brick boxes you see in many toy aisles. Granted they don't get the same amount of shelf space as LotR or Star Wars but they are there and if they aren't, you can order them directly from the Lego online store.

There's also the extensive Creator line which are models (with alternate builds) built from basic bricks.

They do have plenty of basic brick sets available. This isn't including the multitude of pink and blue brick boxes you see in many toy aisles. Granted they don't get the same amount of shelf space as LotR or Star Wars but they are there and if they aren't, you can order them directly from the Lego online store.

There's also the extensive Creator line which are models (with alternate builds) built from basic bricks.

Quasi-periodic tiling of magnetic spin axii?

"Axii"?

Perhaps you meant "axes" (ahk-sees). See also: Irregular plurals from Latin and Greek.

Sorry, don't mean to be pedantic, but made-up plurals are a pet peeve.

</rant>

http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_7_Famicom http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_8_Famicom

http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_7_Famicom http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_8_Famicom

Yep sorry I should have been more specific, the Hobbit. You can add George Orwell to that list. Its not the only content that has been taken out of the public domain though. Its crazy what is and is not, its pretty hard to find out for sure for some works.

http://www.mediabistro.com/appnewser/supreme-court-rules-for-copyright-on-old-foreign-titles_b19551?red=en

Was removed bo a forgien rights holder in 1994. The most recent movie had to be liscened and royalties payed to I'm guessing Tolkien Enterprises

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth_Enterprises

http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Middle-Earth_Enterprises

As near as I can tell thats who ultimately recieves the roylaties and liscences the work. Middle Earth Enterprises has held the rights to the books since it was sold to them (see details in the 2cnd link)

Maybe we can build an artificial intelligence that will synthesize some organics, send them to Tau Ceti V, let them evolve for four decades, and take over our faster-than-light ship.

Maybe we can build an artificial intelligence that will synthesize some organics, send them to Tau Ceti V, let them evolve for four decades, and take over our faster-than-light ship.

"Additionally, anonymous people tend to act like jackasses online, so their costs are bound to be higher."

Anonymous people maybe slightly more likely to act like "jackasses" online, however, pseudonymous people, and those using their real names, also act like right dickheads as well. It's not really a good reason to remove anonymity.

There are many more reasons to not require real names. Political activists (especially in repressive locations) really don't want to use their real name; people with "unusual" hobbies or opinions may not want their "real life" identity connected with discussions online; etc. etc. etc.

See also: My Name Is Me and Who is harmed by a "Real Names" policy?.

Maybe not, but I'm thinking poster was referring to the Galactic Republic Senate (or at least I hope so)

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Senate

Next thing you know, you'll start telling me Versalife is setting up shop in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district. Just put down the Dragon's Tooth sword and step away from the conspiracy theories.

You're likely upset because times are tough. Why? Because some joker decided to sell oil in exchange for Euros. That joker is dead now, returned to a hole after they found him in one. A war was started over that, an unpopular war. And those that use Euros and wanted to see them gain value took that message to heart. The US is afraid of losing the dollar's dominance. So seeing a weakness, they started dabbling in non-dollar trade routes, but not until some years later, when it appeared the dollar was weak.

Meanwhile, the US was heading that off at the pass. The dollar only looked weak as a byproduct of the design of the plan to maintain dominance. The US government and the Fed were pushing banks to loan money to risky investors. "Buy homes you can't afford! Loan money you don't have! Here, we'll set up a pseudo-governmental corporation to absorb the fallout!" And so it was. Homes were bought. Loans were given. And the fallout came. Foreclosures. "Too big to fail". The bailouts, oh, the bailouts.

The world economy tanked under the stress. The banks were "saved" from the mess they caused at the government's direction by the government's bailouts. Meanwhile, the Euro is dying. Greece is in full-on meltdown. Spain and Italy aren't doing so hot. Even France and Germany are hurting. And next up, China is tasting the pain of defying the dollar, seeing double-digit year-over-year productivity losses and factory shutdowns.

The lessons:
1) You don't use anything but US Federal Reserve Notes to do business around the world, especially when you're selling oil.
2) You don't set up trade routes without permission from the 800 lb. gorilla.
3) The US pulls strings. You might unravel if they pull yours. Do what you're told.

Rothschilds and Rockefellers are the least of everyone's worries. Schemers are about, and the old monied interests aren't necessarily the ones in control. Rockefellers won this round. Rothschilds lost.

"But what if... what if there was someone else, and they wanted to see both sides lose?"

The problem of waste storage is the main objection to nuclear power. Some of our leaders don't want that problem to be solved (either by Yucca or by breeder reactors), because they don't want that objection to be overcome.

Never mind that nuclear power is the ultimate in green energy (no CO2 emissions, etc.); they oppose nuclear power in all forms. (Maybe they had proto-hippie parents who filled their minds with tales of glowing three-eyed fish.) If it's not an anemically low-energy-density source that can never hope to meet the needs of an energy-intensive civilization -- i.e., if it's not wind or solar -- it doesn't meet their definition of green.

Reminded of the following from: http://familyguy.wikia.com/wiki/Herbert

"In the last scene of the episode, he turns on the TV to an announcement of the Little League World Series. He perks up and responds: "Jackpot!""

Can you imagine if something were advertised to a pedophile which encouraged him or her to act on his or her impulses?

or is the Hyrdrospanner next?

We outgrew numbers, or got tired of them. Remember Windows 2000? It begot XP, Vista and Seven. There, thes even has been a hat tip to the old numeric days, but not the year motif that came briefly with 95 and 98.

Anyways, around the same days when I was just barely managing to learn the novelty that are Ubuntu's codenames, I recall that the Android SDK was not very clear on codenames. I think the GUI had something about targets being versions 6 and 7, or maybe 8, but I had no idea what that meant in terms of features. A number doesn't provide a strong mental cue to keep you clued --codewords have *personality.* Well, they do not... but you must realize there's a reason why nobody names their children by order of "activation" like Dragonball androids.

Oops. X2011

But can she program A Happy Vertical People Transporter?
http://hitchhikersguidetoearth.wikia.com/wiki/Sirius_Cybernetics_Corporation

Call it trolling if you want, but seriously... where the hell are the damn consonants?

You could say the same thing about "Wii". Both Y and W are semivowels. On the other hand, you could look at "PS2" and "PSP" and ask where the vowels are. Or you could look at the Xbox 360 and see where Microsoft allegedly stole the name.

http://tmp2.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com/oscomak/

I agree risks have increased. We need to think bigger than just the risks though. At the same time, we need to think different on Earth: http://anwot.org/

Problem is, most people are still enmeshed in "scarcity" thinking -- even with the tools of abundance at their fingertips. So, rather than build solutions, we build drones to fight over the problems.

Please, just leave it there.

what moron in the 70s or 80s thought of F4 ?

Was it those vertical Function keys from the 70s that it was at the bottom so easy to hit?

ALT-ESC makes more logical sense.

Whats the history of ALT-F4 hmmmm

wiki? http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Alt_%2BF4

True, but the perception filter was first mentioned after DNA died.

The Tardis wiki page has some interesting things to say about this, including that Life, the Universe and Everything was at first supposed to be a Doctor Who serial. The plot becomes wibbly-wobbly.

Windtraps could also work using condensation techniques like refrigeration, or a regenerative moisture absorber. Of course, those techniques require power.

If you work with this material you might be able to create something more like Stillsuits.

The material wicks sweat into tubes with one way valves. Normal walking motion compresses the tubes causing the system to act as a pump. Add a filtration system, and you're in business.

We're not there yet, but these people are making science fiction into science fact.

The correct Dune reference is, of course, the windtrap.

I hereby dub this "Ark B inversion syndrome"

Google to the rescue!

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Bioga

Bioga - the third spell on the Poison Magic Materia, after Bio and Bio 2. It takes 20,000 AP to master, costs 80 MP to cast, has a base spell power equal to 4.25x the base magic damage, and has a 72% chance of inflicting Poison

I'm not sure how much base magic damage a nuclear power station does for example, but it sounds like you could definitely use a bunch of Biogas to power stuff.

I was thinking of A figurehead from an 18th century sailing ship. Or maybe they found some 5 airplanes.

Special effects, check. What else?

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Kandyman

The new era hasn't sunk nearly as low as the originals did.

"Full Conversion Cyborgs" like the ones from R.I.F.T.S or maybe like Robocop are totally possible, just so long as you don't mind amputating your precious body parts.

Check out this dog that was prepared for full conversion as part of a Russian scientific experiment: Russian Dog Experiment