"My "A" in highschool physics tells me that some resistance had to have been in effect that day - I have yet to ever see any footage, or have had first-hand experience, with disintegrating buildings and structures where there was a steady-state collapse - other than a controlled demolition."
Oh.My.God.
Are you REALLY basing an Appeal To Authority based on...wait for it...your high school physics experience? And footage of controlled demolitions?
Well shit - I guess I'll turn in my degree in Mechanical Engineering, and my degree in Philosophy, because not only is your knowledge of the physical world vastly superior to that of anyone on the planet, but it is impossible to even formulate an argument in your presence.
Ladies And Gentlemen: Chuck Norris is on Slashdot!
So your basic premise is: "I'm smart and they're dumb, and if you don't agree with me you are even dumber than they are. Or you are evil. Which is it?"
Somehow, I don't think you are going to win many arguments that way.
"IMHO, don't get worked up about it. You don't need to cover your home in solar panels and go out and buy the first electric car you can find. But I think everyone should be mindful of their energy use, and try not to be wasteful. Save a little where you can, but don't horribly inconvenience yourself."
You miss the point: in the new religion, we are the sinners, consumption is the sin, Global Warming is Armageddon, and we all need to wear hair shirts and do penance if we are to avoid judgment. And just like in the middle ages, some hair shirts were lined with silk, and indulgences could be bought.
Most conspiracy theories are internally coherent; yours needs a little work. I'd offer some constructive criticism, but I have no idea what you are trying to say.
"Once China's economy is bigger than ours, will China suffer terrorist attacks?"
It might have slipped your notice, but it is already happening. Yeah, right now the Uighurs look like the keystone cops of Islamic terrorism, but at one point so did the Chechens and the Taliban. Now that things are getting less comfortable in Iraq for Al Quaida, I would not be surprised if some of them start showing up in Western China.
And if the Iranians' economic system resembled capitalism, I'd agree. But it doesn't. From Wikipedia:
"Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures.[88] Its economic infrastructure has been improving steadily over the past two decades but continues to be affected by inflation and unemployment.[89] In the early 21st century the service sector contributed the largest percentage of the GDP, followed by industry (mining and manufacturing) and agriculture. In 2006, about 45% of the government's budget came from oil and natural gas revenues, and 31% came from taxes and fees. Government spending contributed to an average annual inflation rate of 14% in the period 2000-2004. Iran has earned $70 billion in foreign exchange reserves mostly (80%) from crude oil exports (2007).[90] In 2007, the GDP was estimated at $206 billion ($852 billion at PPP), or $3,160 per capita ($12,300 at PPP).[23] Iran's official annual growth rate is at 6%.[91] Because of these figures and the country's diversified but small industrial base, the United Nations classifies Iran's economy as semi-developed.[92]"
You do have the gist of it, but for the wrong reasons. Iran's leaders need the income they have now to invest in their interests, which currently do NOT include developing native refining capacity. Perhaps that will change as the Iraqis get more and more pissed about their government, but the mullahs have a very powerful tool - God is on their side.
I am aware of that, which makes their behavior doubly baffling:
1) Why aren't they using petrodollars to develop native refining? 2) Why are they concentrating on developing a notoriously difficult method of generating power(assuming they are not lying about their motives) when there is a simple one there for the asking?
My theory is that the mullahs simply don't give a crap about national energy policy or consumer pricing - they get enough money under the current system to finance whatever they are doing, and if there is gas rationing on the streets? Inshallah.
"when the Iranian atomic program is production-ready and peak oil has hit"
First, that assumes that the Iranians *have* a civilian atomic energy program, which doesn't really appear to be the case. If they were developing a real civilian nuclear program, they could use the massive income they are getting now to just BUY one prepackaged from France or Russia. And yet they haven't - wonder why?
As for peak oil, in ten years you will be saying "in ten years...". I may be wrong, but past history shows that I am more likely to be right than you are - how many times has a date been given for peak oil?
How on earth did you get "the rest of the world distrust Western nations" out of "Overwhelmingly the Chinese people thought that the rest of the world views china "favorably" of "very favorably" ?
Another reply here had a link to a study about how humans almost died out 70k years ago. Boring, but linked to THAT was a theory that the reason men generally live *shorter* lives than women was polygamy. According to the theory, having multiple reproductive partners (a harem) tends to produce larger, stronger, but more short lived males: since it takes a lot of strength to fend off the other males from taking your harem, but it happens eventually anyway, so why live a long life?
Combined with this study, one comes to the conclusion that studs outlive wimps, but women outlive them all.
"Especially when the whining about "shenanigans" comes from countries that produced, for example, Marion Jones..."
The difference is, when Marion Jones' deception was discovered, her medals were stripped and she was brought up on criminal charges. I think everyone in the US would be perfectly happy if China followed the same procedure.
Oh, wait - it's the Chinese government ITSELF that is performing the deception. Well there it is - absolutely no difference in the US and Chinese Olympic programs.
Does Norway just breed "smug", or is it in the water or something?
The William H Zimmer nuclear plant was 97% complete when it became apparent that the plant owner and construction contractor had so screwed up the construction documentation that it would have taken as much money to recreate the documentation as it took to build the plant. From Wikipedia:
"Originally expected to cost $230 million, when the cost estimate soared to at least $3.4 billion the decision was made in 1984 to convert the plant. (Regulatory delays and high interest rates also contributed to the cost increase.)
The constructor, the Henry J. Kaiser Company, had never built a nuclear power plant before (or since). And the primary owner, Cincinnati Gas and Electric, did its own procurement, awarding contracts for equipment, e.g., for hundreds of valves, with inadequate specifications or QA requirements. Piping welds were not adequately radiographed.
Sargent & Lundy was the Architect/Engineering firm.
An ex-Navy admiral was hired to bring the plant on-line, and Bechtel was retained to nuclear-qualify the plant. However, Bechtel came in with an estimate of over $1.5 billion (to add to $ 1.7 billion already spent) to adequately complete the plant.
The conversion to coal-fired generation cost just over $1 billion, starting in 1987 and completed in 1991. It was the world's first nuclear-to-coal power plant conversion."
Just because the blueprints for Apollo exist doesn't mean that you can recreate the Apollo program. Lets just talk computers alone - where are you going to get flight control computers from 1969? Answer: nowhere - they don't exist. It doesn't matter if my TI calculator has more computing power; the cost to convert my calculator to recreate the function of the flight computer, test it, and rate it, would likely be far more expensive than just building a new one.
"Does China even know how much of a fool they look to the rest of the world with their stance on human rights, privacy and now even this, cheating at the very Olympic games that are supposed to be showing how superior they are?"
In actuality, no. They took a recent poll that showed that
a) the Chinese people were quite happy with the direction their government is taking, and b) Overwhelmingly the Chinese people thought that the rest of the world views china "favorably" of "very favorably".
Some of this explains the seeming disconnect between the Chinese actions and their astonishment at the world's reaction. It's already turning into nationalism. That, along with the excess of young men in the country, is going to lead to interesting times for China and the world in the next few years.
When you consider that the movie simply CANNOT meet the expectations of the diehard fans, perhaps not releasing it at all would be better? If they release it, fans will bitch loudly for a month and then it will be over. Whereas, if it is stuck in a vault somewhere, fans will have *year* of speculation, online arguments, "leaked" footage, and overall mental masturbation to occupy them.
Sucker. Firearms are very strictly defined under most state laws, and paintball/BB/pellet guns are NOT in that classification. Why didn't they arrest you? Because they couldn't - they just wanted to shut up the neighbor lady.
Slashdot Mirror
"Another big reason large buildings tend to fall straight down is that is the direction gravity is pulling them."
Bullshit - Gravity is just a theory, just like Evolution.
"My "A" in highschool physics tells me that some resistance had to have been in effect that day - I have yet to ever see any footage, or have had first-hand experience, with disintegrating buildings and structures where there was a steady-state collapse - other than a controlled demolition."
Oh.My.God.
Are you REALLY basing an Appeal To Authority based on...wait for it...your high school physics experience? And footage of controlled demolitions?
Well shit - I guess I'll turn in my degree in Mechanical Engineering, and my degree in Philosophy, because not only is your knowledge of the physical world vastly superior to that of anyone on the planet, but it is impossible to even formulate an argument in your presence.
Ladies And Gentlemen: Chuck Norris is on Slashdot!
So your basic premise is: "I'm smart and they're dumb, and if you don't agree with me you are even dumber than they are. Or you are evil. Which is it?"
Somehow, I don't think you are going to win many arguments that way.
"cray paper"?
I believe you mean "crepe paper", unless therer is something REALLY new in the world of supercomputing.
You are aware that, per TFA, this IS basically the same parachute system as on Apollo.
"IMHO, don't get worked up about it. You don't need to cover your home in solar panels and go out and buy the first electric car you can find. But I think everyone should be mindful of their energy use, and try not to be wasteful. Save a little where you can, but don't horribly inconvenience yourself."
You miss the point: in the new religion, we are the sinners, consumption is the sin, Global Warming is Armageddon, and we all need to wear hair shirts and do penance if we are to avoid judgment. And just like in the middle ages, some hair shirts were lined with silk, and indulgences could be bought.
For that matter, they still make buggy whips.
Although for a slightly different market:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_animal_roleplay#BDSM_ponyplay
You forgot "And they get paid more than me! Waaaahhhhh!!"
Ummm, what?
Most conspiracy theories are internally coherent; yours needs a little work. I'd offer some constructive criticism, but I have no idea what you are trying to say.
"Once China's economy is bigger than ours, will China suffer terrorist attacks?"
It might have slipped your notice, but it is already happening. Yeah, right now the Uighurs look like the keystone cops of Islamic terrorism, but at one point so did the Chechens and the Taliban. Now that things are getting less comfortable in Iraq for Al Quaida, I would not be surprised if some of them start showing up in Western China.
"It's called capitalism."
And if the Iranians' economic system resembled capitalism, I'd agree. But it doesn't. From Wikipedia:
"Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures.[88] Its economic infrastructure has been improving steadily over the past two decades but continues to be affected by inflation and unemployment.[89] In the early 21st century the service sector contributed the largest percentage of the GDP, followed by industry (mining and manufacturing) and agriculture. In 2006, about 45% of the government's budget came from oil and natural gas revenues, and 31% came from taxes and fees. Government spending contributed to an average annual inflation rate of 14% in the period 2000-2004. Iran has earned $70 billion in foreign exchange reserves mostly (80%) from crude oil exports (2007).[90] In 2007, the GDP was estimated at $206 billion ($852 billion at PPP), or $3,160 per capita ($12,300 at PPP).[23] Iran's official annual growth rate is at 6%.[91] Because of these figures and the country's diversified but small industrial base, the United Nations classifies Iran's economy as semi-developed.[92]"
You do have the gist of it, but for the wrong reasons. Iran's leaders need the income they have now to invest in their interests, which currently do NOT include developing native refining capacity. Perhaps that will change as the Iraqis get more and more pissed about their government, but the mullahs have a very powerful tool - God is on their side.
I am aware of that, which makes their behavior doubly baffling:
1) Why aren't they using petrodollars to develop native refining?
2) Why are they concentrating on developing a notoriously difficult method of generating power(assuming they are not lying about their motives) when there is a simple one there for the asking?
My theory is that the mullahs simply don't give a crap about national energy policy or consumer pricing - they get enough money under the current system to finance whatever they are doing, and if there is gas rationing on the streets? Inshallah.
"when the Iranian atomic program is production-ready and peak oil has hit"
First, that assumes that the Iranians *have* a civilian atomic energy program, which doesn't really appear to be the case. If they were developing a real civilian nuclear program, they could use the massive income they are getting now to just BUY one prepackaged from France or Russia. And yet they haven't - wonder why?
As for peak oil, in ten years you will be saying "in ten years...". I may be wrong, but past history shows that I am more likely to be right than you are - how many times has a date been given for peak oil?
"Oil costs the Iranians just as much as everyone else."
How, exactly, is that? If they use it internally, the shipping costs are much lower than buying off the world market.
"My name is Xavier Zachary Quincy. How does this help me?"
You were beyond help the moment your parents decided that your name should be unique - just like everybody else.
Why yes, yes I do.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/10/17/scisex117.xml
How on earth did you get "the rest of the world distrust Western nations" out of "Overwhelmingly the Chinese people thought that the rest of the world views china "favorably" of "very favorably" ?
Another reply here had a link to a study about how humans almost died out 70k years ago. Boring, but linked to THAT was a theory that the reason men generally live *shorter* lives than women was polygamy. According to the theory, having multiple reproductive partners (a harem) tends to produce larger, stronger, but more short lived males: since it takes a lot of strength to fend off the other males from taking your harem, but it happens eventually anyway, so why live a long life?
Combined with this study, one comes to the conclusion that studs outlive wimps, but women outlive them all.
Bitches.
Q: Why do married men die sooner than their wives?
A: Because the want to.
"Especially when the whining about "shenanigans" comes from countries that produced, for example, Marion Jones..."
The difference is, when Marion Jones' deception was discovered, her medals were stripped and she was brought up on criminal charges. I think everyone in the US would be perfectly happy if China followed the same procedure.
Oh, wait - it's the Chinese government ITSELF that is performing the deception. Well there it is - absolutely no difference in the US and Chinese Olympic programs.
Does Norway just breed "smug", or is it in the water or something?
The William H Zimmer nuclear plant was 97% complete when it became apparent that the plant owner and construction contractor had so screwed up the construction documentation that it would have taken as much money to recreate the documentation as it took to build the plant. From Wikipedia:
"Originally expected to cost $230 million, when the cost estimate soared to at least $3.4 billion the decision was made in 1984 to convert the plant. (Regulatory delays and high interest rates also contributed to the cost increase.)
The constructor, the Henry J. Kaiser Company, had never built a nuclear power plant before (or since). And the primary owner, Cincinnati Gas and Electric, did its own procurement, awarding contracts for equipment, e.g., for hundreds of valves, with inadequate specifications or QA requirements. Piping welds were not adequately radiographed.
Sargent & Lundy was the Architect/Engineering firm.
An ex-Navy admiral was hired to bring the plant on-line, and Bechtel was retained to nuclear-qualify the plant. However, Bechtel came in with an estimate of over $1.5 billion (to add to $ 1.7 billion already spent) to adequately complete the plant.
The conversion to coal-fired generation cost just over $1 billion, starting in 1987 and completed in 1991. It was the world's first nuclear-to-coal power plant conversion."
Just because the blueprints for Apollo exist doesn't mean that you can recreate the Apollo program. Lets just talk computers alone - where are you going to get flight control computers from 1969? Answer: nowhere - they don't exist. It doesn't matter if my TI calculator has more computing power; the cost to convert my calculator to recreate the function of the flight computer, test it, and rate it, would likely be far more expensive than just building a new one.
"Does China even know how much of a fool they look to the rest of the world with their stance on human rights, privacy and now even this, cheating at the very Olympic games that are supposed to be showing how superior they are?"
In actuality, no. They took a recent poll that showed that
a) the Chinese people were quite happy with the direction their government is taking, and
b) Overwhelmingly the Chinese people thought that the rest of the world views china "favorably" of "very favorably".
Some of this explains the seeming disconnect between the Chinese actions and their astonishment at the world's reaction. It's already turning into nationalism. That, along with the excess of young men in the country, is going to lead to interesting times for China and the world in the next few years.
When you consider that the movie simply CANNOT meet the expectations of the diehard fans, perhaps not releasing it at all would be better? If they release it, fans will bitch loudly for a month and then it will be over. Whereas, if it is stuck in a vault somewhere, fans will have *year* of speculation, online arguments, "leaked" footage, and overall mental masturbation to occupy them.
"You'd most likely have died in infancy from improperly pasteurized milk. Pretty freaking cool, huh?"
Actually, he probably would have been breast fed, and by the time he got to the age of drinking milk, he would have had a quite robust immune system.
Sucker. Firearms are very strictly defined under most state laws, and paintball/BB/pellet guns are NOT in that classification. Why didn't they arrest you? Because they couldn't - they just wanted to shut up the neighbor lady.