Considernig the processes going on are completely different from the kind in hydrogen fusion bombs, I'd say the worst explosion is from overheating and overpressurizing of the chamber - something like a handgrenade.
In any case, if there were an explosion, it has been shown that outrunning the shockwave would be a cinch.
It's only a matter of time, perhaps 10 or 20 years, until a grad student or third world scientist will be able to easily engineer his own deadly plague virus
How do we prepare for this or prevent this?
The same way we should be preparing for any major world disaster: self-sufficient off-world colonies.
Or, how about creating viruses in legitimate labs right now so that the legitimate grad students and third world scientists (out-sourcing, you know?) will have enough knowledge later to develop vaccines? Now there's a thought.
Some people saw some glaring similarities between the original Stargate and Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
- Brilliant linguist has goofy theory and is reviled by the scientific community. - Senior citizen contacts scientist to reveal that his theory was right all along. - Scientist brought along as expert advisor for military expedition based on aforementioned theory. - Strange world reached via a twisting tunnel. - Scientist teased and tormented by expedition members. - Expedition utterly reliant on scientist for salvation. - Military expedition has a secret adgenda. - Scientist falls for beautiful native. - Glowing eyes. - A symbol like an upper-case lambda features prominantly in the promotional material for each movie.
There are probably more I'm forgetting and of course the differences are significant, but it is very suspicious.
I've looked at it this way for years: Say there happened to be a race of creatures that lived on the nucleus of an atom, held to their home by, say electromagnetism. Electromagnetism is their dominant force. They know about the strong and weak forces, but they know nothing about gravity. This race has developed the ability to look out into "space" and they can see lots of other atoms, all of which obey the laws with which they are familiar. Looking out further, they see huge groups of atoms (electrically neutral objects, such as, say rocks) that behave in ways that are contrary to the laws of electromagnetism. If they followed our path, they might be forced to posit the existance of invisible charges or Dark Charges that are responsible for the movement of these objects.
Now, we happen to know that electrically neutral objects obey gravity, but when we look out and see large groups of objects acting contrary to gravity, it never occurs to us to theorize the existence of a force that we don't experience in our regime.
Maybe there are forces "above" gravity, just as gravity is above electromagnetism.
I first heard about this book when the author was interviewed on NPR. It was just like a normal interview with callers and everything, but the callers were actors pretending to be slime molds, or wasps, or birds or whatever asking her for advice. Really hilarious.
they offer some insight to the topics in the article, and some ways we should... handle (Niven) if the situation arises.
If achieving immortality means that we have to become a race of congenital vegitarian cowards who are fiends for ten-decimal-point accuracy, perhaps we should pass.
I know this will never get a response, but I have to post on general principles.
In that observer's perfectly valid reference frame, he would have no way to reach the conclusion that the sun disappeared at the same time. Simultaneity of cause and effect doesn't (can't) exist.
One of the results of special relativity is that no effect can happen simultaneously with its cause, or even sooner than a signal travelling at c would allow. If the sun dissappeared and the earth was flung away at the same time in our frame, an observer travelling toward earth at high speed would see, in his frame, the earth flung away BEFORE anything happened to the sun which is nonsensical.
Exactly. As my brother pointed out to me (probably when I was complaining about the fact that Glamdring wasn't glowing when Sting was) there's no such thing as a continuity error in a fantasy movie. It's all due to magic.
The grey goo nonsense is overblown and a nonissue. If this sort of calamity were possible, then it would have already happened in nature because some form of bacteria would have done it by now. THEY are capable of breaking down rock and other materials into building blocks to replicate themselves. THEY are autonomous and have their own energy supply.
That doesn't make any sense. Nanobot != microbe. Microbes are part of a food chain, they can starve, they're not intelligent, they require a narrow range of environments, and they're slow. Theoretically (IANAN) it's possible to create nanobots that are not edible, receive power from the sun or some other virtually-unlimited source, coordinate via a central computer or their own onboard ones, are virtually indestructable, and work quickly.
Slashdot Mirror
Considernig the processes going on are completely different from the kind in hydrogen fusion bombs, I'd say the worst explosion is from overheating and overpressurizing of the chamber - something like a handgrenade.
In any case, if there were an explosion, it has been shown that outrunning the shockwave would be a cinch.
It's only a matter of time, perhaps 10 or 20 years, until a grad student or third world scientist will be able to easily engineer his own deadly plague virus
How do we prepare for this or prevent this?
The same way we should be preparing for any major world disaster: self-sufficient off-world colonies.
Or, how about creating viruses in legitimate labs right now so that the legitimate grad students and third world scientists (out-sourcing, you know?) will have enough knowledge later to develop vaccines? Now there's a thought.
This circle is now complete.
Some people saw some glaring similarities between the original Stargate and Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
- Brilliant linguist has goofy theory and is reviled by the scientific community.
- Senior citizen contacts scientist to reveal that his theory was right all along.
- Scientist brought along as expert advisor for military expedition based on aforementioned theory.
- Strange world reached via a twisting tunnel.
- Scientist teased and tormented by expedition members.
- Expedition utterly reliant on scientist for salvation.
- Military expedition has a secret adgenda.
- Scientist falls for beautiful native.
- Glowing eyes.
- A symbol like an upper-case lambda features prominantly in the promotional material for each movie.
There are probably more I'm forgetting and of course the differences are significant, but it is very suspicious.
fallout was usually just disappointment among fans
No way, the first Fallout was great! The second one was way too buggy, though, and I'm not just talking about the ants and the radscorpions.
Alright, who keeps modding this "joke" funny?
I've looked at it this way for years: Say there happened to be a race of creatures that lived on the nucleus of an atom, held to their home by, say electromagnetism. Electromagnetism is their dominant force. They know about the strong and weak forces, but they know nothing about gravity. This race has developed the ability to look out into "space" and they can see lots of other atoms, all of which obey the laws with which they are familiar. Looking out further, they see huge groups of atoms (electrically neutral objects, such as, say rocks) that behave in ways that are contrary to the laws of electromagnetism. If they followed our path, they might be forced to posit the existance of invisible charges or Dark Charges that are responsible for the movement of these objects.
Now, we happen to know that electrically neutral objects obey gravity, but when we look out and see large groups of objects acting contrary to gravity, it never occurs to us to theorize the existence of a force that we don't experience in our regime.
Maybe there are forces "above" gravity, just as gravity is above electromagnetism.
"Done playing Halo"? You lost me.
Please stop. This joke gets exponentially funnier every time it's made and I'm worried that it won't belong before no other jokes are funny anymore.
These jokes just never get old.
... or they'll have a psychotic episode.
Artificial gravity?
We've been tampering with life forever and no one has complained.
Perhaps this is because those who would most like to complain have already been stung to death by swarms of human-bred killer bees.
Nice reference. A reference to "Inconstant Moon" might be appropriate about now, too.
I first heard about this book when the author was interviewed on NPR. It was just like a normal interview with callers and everything, but the callers were actors pretending to be slime molds, or wasps, or birds or whatever asking her for advice. Really hilarious.
He probably spelled "library" with one R again, poor bloody bastard.
If achieving immortality means that we have to become a race of congenital vegitarian cowards who are fiends for ten-decimal-point accuracy, perhaps we should pass.
I know this will never get a response, but I have to post on general principles.
In that observer's perfectly valid reference frame, he would have no way to reach the conclusion that the sun disappeared at the same time. Simultaneity of cause and effect doesn't (can't) exist.
One of the results of special relativity is that no effect can happen simultaneously with its cause, or even sooner than a signal travelling at c would allow. If the sun dissappeared and the earth was flung away at the same time in our frame, an observer travelling toward earth at high speed would see, in his frame, the earth flung away BEFORE anything happened to the sun which is nonsensical.
One of the best things about the game is the incentive to get new players to join.
Exactly. As my brother pointed out to me (probably when I was complaining about the fact that Glamdring wasn't glowing when Sting was) there's no such thing as a continuity error in a fantasy movie. It's all due to magic.
It's "no one" not "noone".
into which anyone can put a page of his two cents for some fee (I think $500)
"Hi, I'd like to add my two cents."
"Very good, sir, but first we'll just need you to add 49,998 additional cents."
The grey goo nonsense is overblown and a nonissue. If this sort of calamity were possible, then it would have already happened in nature because some form of bacteria would have done it by now. THEY are capable of breaking down rock and other materials into building blocks to replicate themselves. THEY are autonomous and have their own energy supply.
That doesn't make any sense. Nanobot != microbe. Microbes are part of a food chain, they can starve, they're not intelligent, they require a narrow range of environments, and they're slow. Theoretically (IANAN) it's possible to create nanobots that are not edible, receive power from the sun or some other virtually-unlimited source, coordinate via a central computer or their own onboard ones, are virtually indestructable, and work quickly.
What then?
Love that flick.
"Aaaaaargh! I should- I should crush you to g'run dust."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to step on your... whatever that is."
"It'll be a slaughter!"
"That's the spirit!"
"No, MY slaughter!"