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Want to Experience Zero G? Stay in Bed

mrogers writes "New Scientist Space is reporting that the health effects of microgravity can be reproduced by staying in bed. Inclining the bed at an angle of 6 degrees with the head at the lower end produces bone and muscle loss, decreases in cardiovascular activity, and reduced capacity to exercise similar to those produced by prolonged spaceflight. (Valeri Polyakov was not available for comment at the time of going to press.)"

12 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Proper Analogy? by JDSalinger · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is this like analogizing dreaming to taking hallucinogens? If so, this is like telling Slashdotters "Want to Experience Sex? Stay in Bed and touch yourself." Obviously, an insufficient "Experience". I suspect the same of the Stay in Bed "Experience". Someone try this and get back to us. -C

  2. or, the results of... by yagu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not to nitpick here, but isn't experiencing Zero Gs quite a different beast than experiencing the effects of Zero Gs (based on the article's somewhat misleading title)?

    I'm pretty sure one of the effects of experiencing true Zero Gs does not include bed sores!

    And, is anyone else sick of the un-"stoppable" macromedia flash ads that suck up cpu and battery life? I see one now on /. from Neumont University... and it's using 50% of my 1.6GHz cpu, and I can't turn it off.... Fuck Neumont! Fuck Flash ads!

    1. Re:or, the results of... by MustardMan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      First - I'm pretty sure the article title was meant to be tongue in cheek

      Second - try firefox with the adblock plugin - it's pretty easy to eliminate flash ads if you put just a TINY bit of effort into it instead of bitching about it on slashdot.

  3. Hmmm sounds like an excuse to me by liliafan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sounds to me like some scientist didn't feel like going into work one day and called in with "Hi boss I can't come in today I am researching the effects of staying in bed and comparing them to the effects of zero gravity", finally someone actually came up with a way to get a grant to just stay in bed......lucky bastard.

    *disclaimer: I read the article this is a joke.

    --
    GeekServ Unix Consulting Services (http://www.geekserv.com)
  4. Amazing! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I tried this out a while ago. The results were truly amazing. I found that I was no longer required to obey the laws of gravity. I simply floated wherever I wanted to go.

  5. The obvious question by Oooskar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Will you experience an increase in bone and muscle mass if you sleep with your head at the higher end?

  6. Define 'available'. by Black+Parrot · · Score: 5, Funny

    > Valeri Polyakov was not available for comment at the time of going to press.

    Actually he was available, but too weak to type a reply to the questions...

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  7. Even better idea! by physicsphairy · · Score: 4, Funny
    Swallow a timed explosive charge, and then with the proper inclination of sleep you can experience all the effects of being in a zero-G and zero-pressure spacelike environment!

    Who's got my grant money?

  8. Or alternately... by GillBates0 · · Score: 3, Funny
    produces bone and muscle loss, decreases in cardiovascular activity, and reduced capacity to exercise similar to those produced by prolonged spaceflight

    ...we could continue our couch potato lifestyles and daily beer drinking rituals to achieve the same effect.

    "No, honey, I'm not being lazy, I'm just trying to experience the effects of microgravity".

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
  9. Groan. by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 4, Funny

    Want to Experience Zero G? Stay in Bed

    I just want to stay in bed, isn't that enough? Keep your science out of my laziness.

  10. Even better, try Adblock Plus instead by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 3, Informative

    Download it here: http://p2.forumforfree.com/adblock-plus-05111-rele ased-vt352-adblockplus.html

    This is truly the reason why I gave up IE and went whole-hog to Firefox. This plugin can be coupled with another, Filterset.G (https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.ph p?id=1136), to get automatic updates of add blocklists. It also supports whitelisting, something the stock Adblock does not. It also blocks flash ads.

    With Adblock Plus and Filterset.G, it's a rare page that I have to view that has any ads on it at all. And it's as easy as loading two plugings. These are the first two things I put into Firefox when I load it.

    Flashblock is great but it only blocks Flash. Adblock Plus does that one better by blocking Flash ads and not other bits of Flash. Highly recommended.

    --
    In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  11. I just tried this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I tilted my bed 6 degrees, but now I keep rolling out. I experience zero-g for a few microseconds before hitting the floor.

    Maybe I need to tilt it the other direction. At least that way my wife will cushion the fall.