Wikipedia says that the little ice age started in 1250 at the earliest, and 1650 at the latest. If the supernova caused it, there was at least a 200 year lag. If you want another coincidence, the Medieval Warm Period peaked during the time of the supernova.
Oddly, there's a quote in the Little Ice Age article from 200 years before the earliest accepted start date (very near the time of the supernova - did the gamma rays precede the visible light photons?) that supposedly predicts the coming cold. That sounds an awful lot like modern-day people claiming a particularly cold day/week/month is evidence against global warming.
Among the earliest references to the coming climate change is an entry in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles dated 1046: "And in this same year after the 2nd of February came the severe winter with frost and snow, and with all kinds of bad weather, so that there was no man alive who could remember so severe a winter as that, both through mortality of men and disease of cattle; both birds and fishes perished through the great cold and hunger.
Part Two: Decibels for Dummies - how to add gain, loss, and EIRP figures.
EIRP is typically measured in Decibels referenced to a standard power level. Decibels are a logarithmic scale that is used to compare different power or voltage levels. For power levels, the decibel ratio is 10 * log (p/p0), where p0 is the reference power. For instance, if I have a 2 Watt transmitter, its power output is approximately 3dBW (decibels referred to 1 Watt), or 33 dBm (decibels referred to 1 mW).
Antenna gain and cable loss are also measured in dB. Antennas are usually referenced to either an isotropic radiator (dBi), or a dipole antenna (dBd). Cable losses are given in dB at a specific frequency.
For example, a 3dBW transmitter connected to a 6 dBi antenna with a cable that has 2 dB loss at the operating frequency yields an EIRP of 3 + 6 - 2 = 7 dBW, or about 5W.
That's funny. Scientific American just had an article about this. Their data suggests current breeder technology could supply the Earth's current needs for 70,000 years given the NEA's conservative estimates of currently available fuel.
According to the NEA, identified uranium resources total 5.5 million metric tons, and an additional 10.5 million metric tons remain undiscovered-a roughly 230-year supply at today's consumption rate in total.
Two technologies could greatly extend the uranium supply itself. Neither is economical now, but both could be in the future if the price of uranium increases substantially. First, the extraction of uranium from seawater would make available 4.5 billion metric tons of uranium-a 60,000-year supply at present rates. Second, fuel-recycling fast-breeder reactors, which generate more fuel than they consume, would use less than 1 percent of the uranium needed for current LWRs. Breeder reactors could match today's nuclear output for 30,000 years using only the NEA-estimated supplies.
Using the seawater-derived fuel plus the NEA estimate of currently-available fuel in breeder reactors gives 8.5 MILLION years of power at current demand.
You're assuming that everything at a particular altitude has the same orbital inclination. Refer to the orbits of the two satellites involved in the collision to see how similar orbital altitudes but wildly different inclinations result in very high speed collisions.
Wasn't the transputer an example of this architecture? I'm old enough to be able to say "Get off my lawn!" and remember when the transputer came out; it caused quite a stir.
You've heard of humidity, right? Something about water in air? 20 Tera-anything multiplied by even a tiny absorption coefficient still adds up to an awful lot of absorption. This graph shows how bad a problem atmospheric absorption can be: water vapor alone can cause 1-10dB of absorption. That's 4 to 18 TW of power being dissipated in the atmosphere. Worst case at 100dB: only 2 kW reaches the ground.
Free software needs real hardware to run on, test on, host the project on, etc. Grants for amazon S3 space or a shot in the arm to sourceforge to bring back/update the compile farm would be nice.
Staffordshire, in England. Stiff upper lip, and all that. Known for it's particularly fierce Sergeants, much like Nepal is known for its Gurkhas, and for its Bull Terriers.
I had an artsy-fartsy photography student come out of the big city and into 'the country', walk across my yard and start taking pictures of my C-Band satellite dish a few years ago. I calmly walked out and asked him why he thought he could just wander on to my property. He of course had no answer, and after giving him a lesson in civics and common courtesy, I let him finish taking his pictures.
If he'd knocked on the door and asked, I would've said yes, and even shown him some other photo-worthy farm machinery nearby. As it was, he only enforced the stereotype of the city slicker that thinks the country doesn't belong to anyone, and no one will mind if they trample about.
My biggest fear, unfortunately, is not theft, but liability if some trespasser breaks a leg.
An employee of a retail establishment can ask you to leave, and if you don't, you can be charged with trespass. That seems to fit the bill. Just being in the store isn't trespass, but being in the store after being asked to leave is.
As I posted previously, using Gd148 as an alpha only RTG will result in no radiation outside the sphere itself. Alphas cannot penetrate the outer layer of your skin or a piece of paper effectively, must less metal cladding.
Not for a a couple kg of Gadolinium 148. Pop a chunk of that on the surface and down, down it'll go. According to this fascinating article on alpha particle energy in medicine, a 0.2 kg cube of Gd148 can produce approximately 120W. A 2 kg block would produce 1200W of power and be scorching hot for most of it's almost 75 year half life. What makes it even sexier is that its a pure alpha emitter - safe as can be to humans unless ingested/inhaled. Its only decay product is a stable isotope of Samarium.
To blow what? The atmosphere is about 1% as dense as the Earth's, so it'd have to be one heckuva [huge|heavy|powerhog] fan. Additionally, the dust is very fine and clings to the solar panels via electrostatic charge, making it nearly impossible to dislodge.
You'll probably not get any other serious replies, so here I go.
At least in my experience, the use of the unit 'ton' is most often encountered when dealing with some sort of profession that deals in things by weight. The average citizen really has no benchmark as to how much a ton of anything is, so laypeople use pounds. Large trucks and cranes are rated in tons, and scrap iron dealers, lumberjacks, etc use tons, but you don't normally hear it in everyday conversation. Interestingly, our roadway load limit signs are in tons, unless the limit is low or would require a fraction of a ton, I assume.
As long as this puppy and these guys are in operation, I doubt the aliens will miss us, although the information content of radar beams may call our intelligence into question!
They told us all about the scale pattern, how old it is, etc, but didn't answer the main question: What color was it? Did this species die out because it was blond, or was it a hot-blooded redhead? I gots to know.
The Iridium Satellites are not only comm sats, they're the source of a visible phenomenon known as Iridium Flares. They're actually quite cool, and you can freak people out by getting them to watch the patch of sky in which the flare is going to occur and then waving your hand and saying, "Let There Be Light!" or some equally prophetic tripe. You can get predictions Here.
Slashdot Mirror
So the Supremes didn't say "Stop [bundling secretly patented technology] in the Naaaame of Love"?
Wikipedia says that the little ice age started in 1250 at the earliest, and 1650 at the latest. If the supernova caused it, there was at least a 200 year lag. If you want another coincidence, the Medieval Warm Period peaked during the time of the supernova.
Oddly, there's a quote in the Little Ice Age article from 200 years before the earliest accepted start date (very near the time of the supernova - did the gamma rays precede the visible light photons?) that supposedly predicts the coming cold. That sounds an awful lot like modern-day people claiming a particularly cold day/week/month is evidence against global warming.
Part Two: Decibels for Dummies - how to add gain, loss, and EIRP figures.
EIRP is typically measured in Decibels referenced to a standard power level. Decibels are a logarithmic scale that is used to compare different power or voltage levels. For power levels, the decibel ratio is 10 * log (p/p0), where p0 is the reference power. For instance, if I have a 2 Watt transmitter, its power output is approximately 3dBW (decibels referred to 1 Watt), or 33 dBm (decibels referred to 1 mW).
Antenna gain and cable loss are also measured in dB. Antennas are usually referenced to either an isotropic radiator (dBi), or a dipole antenna (dBd). Cable losses are given in dB at a specific frequency.
For example, a 3dBW transmitter connected to a 6 dBi antenna with a cable that has 2 dB loss at the operating frequency yields an EIRP of 3 + 6 - 2 = 7 dBW, or about 5W.
Using the seawater-derived fuel plus the NEA estimate of currently-available fuel in breeder reactors gives 8.5 MILLION years of power at current demand.
You're assuming that everything at a particular altitude has the same orbital inclination. Refer to the orbits of the two satellites involved in the collision to see how similar orbital altitudes but wildly different inclinations result in very high speed collisions.
Indeed, and your lunch egress.
Now _that's_ a good idea; I wish I'd thought of it - Folding@NSA.
Wasn't the transputer an example of this architecture? I'm old enough to be able to say "Get off my lawn!" and remember when the transputer came out; it caused quite a stir.
You've heard of humidity, right? Something about water in air? 20 Tera-anything multiplied by even a tiny absorption coefficient still adds up to an awful lot of absorption. This graph shows how bad a problem atmospheric absorption can be: water vapor alone can cause 1-10dB of absorption. That's 4 to 18 TW of power being dissipated in the atmosphere. Worst case at 100dB: only 2 kW reaches the ground.
Free software needs real hardware to run on, test on, host the project on, etc. Grants for amazon S3 space or a shot in the arm to sourceforge to bring back/update the compile farm would be nice.
Just don't buy them from China - they might have dangerous lead in the paint. 8-)
Staffordshire, in England. Stiff upper lip, and all that. Known for it's particularly fierce Sergeants, much like Nepal is known for its Gurkhas, and for its Bull Terriers.
But taking a digital snapshot [rip] of a CD is?
I had an artsy-fartsy photography student come out of the big city and into 'the country', walk across my yard and start taking pictures of my C-Band satellite dish a few years ago. I calmly walked out and asked him why he thought he could just wander on to my property. He of course had no answer, and after giving him a lesson in civics and common courtesy, I let him finish taking his pictures.
If he'd knocked on the door and asked, I would've said yes, and even shown him some other photo-worthy farm machinery nearby. As it was, he only enforced the stereotype of the city slicker that thinks the country doesn't belong to anyone, and no one will mind if they trample about.
My biggest fear, unfortunately, is not theft, but liability if some trespasser breaks a leg.
An employee of a retail establishment can ask you to leave, and if you don't, you can be charged with trespass. That seems to fit the bill. Just being in the store isn't trespass, but being in the store after being asked to leave is.
As I posted previously, using Gd148 as an alpha only RTG will result in no radiation outside the sphere itself. Alphas cannot penetrate the outer layer of your skin or a piece of paper effectively, must less metal cladding.
Not for a a couple kg of Gadolinium 148. Pop a chunk of that on the surface and down, down it'll go. According to this fascinating article on alpha particle energy in medicine, a 0.2 kg cube of Gd148 can produce approximately 120W. A 2 kg block would produce 1200W of power and be scorching hot for most of it's almost 75 year half life. What makes it even sexier is that its a pure alpha emitter - safe as can be to humans unless ingested/inhaled. Its only decay product is a stable isotope of Samarium.
To blow what? The atmosphere is about 1% as dense as the Earth's, so it'd have to be one heckuva [huge|heavy|powerhog] fan. Additionally, the dust is very fine and clings to the solar panels via electrostatic charge, making it nearly impossible to dislodge.
Gracenote was accused of stealing the work of millions from CDDB.
..because as we all learned from Bugs Bunny, "Therrr'es no La Brrrea Tarrr Pits in Scotland!". And since their find is not Scottish, it must be CRAP!
You'll probably not get any other serious replies, so here I go.
At least in my experience, the use of the unit 'ton' is most often encountered when dealing with some sort of profession that deals in things by weight. The average citizen really has no benchmark as to how much a ton of anything is, so laypeople use pounds. Large trucks and cranes are rated in tons, and scrap iron dealers, lumberjacks, etc use tons, but you don't normally hear it in everyday conversation. Interestingly, our roadway load limit signs are in tons, unless the limit is low or would require a fraction of a ton, I assume.
As long as this puppy and these guys are in operation, I doubt the aliens will miss us, although the information content of radar beams may call our intelligence into question!
They told us all about the scale pattern, how old it is, etc, but didn't answer the main question: What color was it? Did this species die out because it was blond, or was it a hot-blooded redhead? I gots to know.
The Iridium Satellites are not only comm sats, they're the source of a visible phenomenon known as Iridium Flares. They're actually quite cool, and you can freak people out by getting them to watch the patch of sky in which the flare is going to occur and then waving your hand and saying, "Let There Be Light!" or some equally prophetic tripe. You can get predictions Here.
I didn't mean Luna, I meant either Titan or Europa; whichever is more 'interesting' from a new science point of view.