The main article is slashdotted but the Washington Post article suggested googling "Sampsonia Way Pittsburgh" and I don't see anything artsy. I did find two guys having a sword fight at the corner of Sampsonia Way and Federal St. though...
Good job! You just got Slashdot banned in Thailand. I hope you are proud of yourself.
To Thai Authorities: Stormwatch is over there! Get him!
Seriously, I agree. These regulations are ridiculous.
I know. Of all the great movies humanity has produced in the last 100 years -- The Godfather, The Wizard of Oz, The Shawshank Redemption, Casablanca, for example -- we beam this piece of drivel into space?!? I can't think of a more sure fire way for humanity to commit planetary suicide than exposing other civilizations to Keanu Reeves. They will make a special trip out here just to prevent us from making more Keanu Reeves movies.
But you forgot, CC, apparently the rest of the Cassini forgets that ISS exists when it comes to Titan. If they remembered we exist, they would know that we have mapped 85% of the surface (or thereabouts).
Turn them into nice juicy steaks?
Seriously, I never get PETA people. When I see them protesting in front of a KFC, that just makes me want some fried chicken.
Once again, ESA has discovered something we have know about for years now:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7039/full/nature03561.html
First, they discover water ice on Mars...
The paper itself is quite interesting actually. I don't understand why the press outreach for ESA needs to come up with claims like "Mars Polar Cap Mystery Solved."
That's what I was think. Meh. Maybe it is just my mentality to do what protesters say not to do, but I bought this yesterday morning. I'm the kind of person who gets a hankering for chicken when I see a PETA protest in front of a KFC (though that could just be because I particularly don't like PETA).
You, umm, do realize Cassini is a joint project between NASA and ESA, the European Space Agency...
If you are going to troll, at least TRY to get your facts straight... oh, wait...
Yeah, but the people Columbus would have recruited for his voyages would know full well that the earth was spherical. Anyone who lives near or works on the sea would know this. Again, Columbus' problem was convincing people that the Earth was smaller than the Ancient Greeks thought it was. Would you go on an ocean voyage, on a rickety boat (let's not pretend that the Santa Maria was some grand, big ship), with the potential for not seeing land for 6 months (roughly how long it would take to get from Spain to Japan)?
Maybe if you didn't live near the sea or were ever near one, you might think the Earth was flat. But then again, your whole world had maybe a 5-10 mile radius, and didn't care. And Columbus wasn't recruiting these people to be sailors.
Because Columbus has to be made to look right. Otherwise, he looks more like the Flat-earthers if you actually suggest that his argument was that Earth was smaller than everyone else knew it was and that the Atlantic Ocean could be reasonably traversed between Europe and Asia.
The flat-earth idea was just a Enlightenment era concept to make people who lived in the Middle Ages look ignorant (as opposed to other low hanging fruit like religious wars, but then the Thirty-Years War was too recent).
No, crude oil has not been confirmed as a major surface component. The confirmation of surface liquids on Titan (in lakes previously observed by the ISS and RADAR instruments) demonstrate the presence of liquid natural gas, not crude oil.
So would I. But alas, we have three imaging instruments at Saturn/Titan on-board Cassini that can image the surface. RADAR can sense the surface at around 300 m/pixel, but only in thin noodle strips and of course, using SAR, not reflected sunlight like what you see with your eyes.
VIMS can see the surface at better than 500 m/pixel, but only on very small postage stamps of the surface during each flyby (and only those flybys when VIMS is prime at closest approach, like during T38). The rest of the time, VIMS images are at much coarser resolution (~10-40 km/pixel). And don't forget that their detector is only 64x64 pixels in size (hardly "high-definition"). VIMS can see at 256 wavelengths simultaneously, but only a handful actually see the surface of Titan due to the haze and methane. VIMS, unlike RADAR, can't see topography unless there is a very tall mountain or depression and the resolution is near its best. The other problem is that Titan's surface is pretty contrasty, so brightness differences can often mimic topographic shading, hampering interpretation (that's the problem with VIMS' so-called "Titan Sierras" announced a couple of years ago).
ISS (note: my job is to work on ISS images of Titan) can see the surface using one of its filters at 938 nm. It can see the surface fairly well at this wavelength, but the view is generally pretty blurry due to the haze and methane. Because ISS has far more pixels than the VIMS detector (1 MP vs. 4064 pixels), various processing techniques can be applied to the ISS images to vastly improve them so that geologic interpretations can be made. But, like the VIMS images, ISS can't see topographic shading.
Leavenworth is actually a very nice town. I lived there for 13 years or so. I never met any murder/rapist types while living in Leavenworth, though I did know my fair share of idiots.
You maybe right. So I will be more direct. One reason to spend the money to go somewhere else is because even if we solve the problem of global warming, there will likely be another environmental crisis that we will have to deal with (and sure more after that). At some point, the solution maybe just to leave. Some may volunteer simply because they are sick and tired of dealing with the environmental problems on Earth.
I do, and that's why I have learned not to trust someone who can't put actual results into a PowerPoint presentation.
I also don't trust someone who doesn't get satire.
Not environmental ostriches, I would just prefer not to drink Al Gore's Koolaid.
But I am so happy you are so optimistic about the cost estimates for moving individuals to Venus in 2075. If you have a plan to get people there for so cheap a cost, I would love to hear it.
BTW, no car (gotta love public transportation and bicycles, wait, you mean I have to love Al Gore to ride the bus/ride a bike to work?), my electric bill is quite cheap actually, and who needs to fly when I chat with my mother over a webcam every week...
Because at some point, environmentalists will tell us that sneezing screws up the mating cycle of dung beetles and will demand that we cut mucus production by 75% by 2075 (unless you live in China and India). That's the point where a good chunk of my fellow terrestrials will say, "Screw this, I'm moving somewhere else." Venus wouldn't be my first choice, but to each their own.
No, I will not give over it. It isn't just about Pluto. It is the idea that the IAU has effectively cut off any possibility that additional planets can be discovered since even planets the size of Earth can't clear their orbital zones once you get past 50 AU or so. It is the idea that Jupiter and Earth are the same type of object, but Earth and Eris aren't.
So during these three years in which this definition is in place, I will still consider Pluto, Eris, and *shiver* Makemake planets. Unlike some folks in the IAU, numbers with more than one digit don't scare me.
LOL, actually, I just realized how negative my comment sounded. Personally, I have nothing wrong with them getting into the alternative energy market. It makes perfect sense for them to diversify their companies, particularly since the market seems to be pushing more and more for alternative energy sources.
The point I was trying to combat was that the commercials by oil companies lately, focusing on their work on alternative energies, were some kind of sham to make themselves look good. While they are certainly looking for a certain amount of PR karma, I think they are also trying to condition consumers into the idea that when they look for alternative energy, they should look to the oil companies. That while you will be getting your gasoline from ExxonMobile today, tomorrow you will get your hydrogen for your fuel cell cars from the same company. And as others have said, to rid people's minds of the idea that you can get these alternative power sources from local co-ops (or the like).
I don't think it is so much a plow to make oil look more "green," but for the oil companies to position themselves to be the ones who provide the alternative energy sources. If we switch to wind energy, they will run the turbines. If we switch to solar, they will run the solar panel farms. Why get rich off just one energy source, when you can monopolize others.
Slashdot Mirror
The main article is slashdotted but the Washington Post article suggested googling "Sampsonia Way Pittsburgh" and I don't see anything artsy. I did find two guys having a sword fight at the corner of Sampsonia Way and Federal St. though...
Good job! You just got Slashdot banned in Thailand. I hope you are proud of yourself. To Thai Authorities: Stormwatch is over there! Get him! Seriously, I agree. These regulations are ridiculous.
I know. Of all the great movies humanity has produced in the last 100 years -- The Godfather, The Wizard of Oz, The Shawshank Redemption, Casablanca, for example -- we beam this piece of drivel into space?!? I can't think of a more sure fire way for humanity to commit planetary suicide than exposing other civilizations to Keanu Reeves. They will make a special trip out here just to prevent us from making more Keanu Reeves movies.
But you forgot, CC, apparently the rest of the Cassini forgets that ISS exists when it comes to Titan. If they remembered we exist, they would know that we have mapped 85% of the surface (or thereabouts).
And it isn't insightful if it is non-sense. So it is a wash.
Turn them into nice juicy steaks? Seriously, I never get PETA people. When I see them protesting in front of a KFC, that just makes me want some fried chicken.
Once again, ESA has discovered something we have know about for years now: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7039/full/nature03561.html First, they discover water ice on Mars... The paper itself is quite interesting actually. I don't understand why the press outreach for ESA needs to come up with claims like "Mars Polar Cap Mystery Solved."
That's what I was think. Meh. Maybe it is just my mentality to do what protesters say not to do, but I bought this yesterday morning. I'm the kind of person who gets a hankering for chicken when I see a PETA protest in front of a KFC (though that could just be because I particularly don't like PETA).
Typical fucking Americans.
You, umm, do realize Cassini is a joint project between NASA and ESA, the European Space Agency... If you are going to troll, at least TRY to get your facts straight... oh, wait...
Maybe if you didn't live near the sea or were ever near one, you might think the Earth was flat. But then again, your whole world had maybe a 5-10 mile radius, and didn't care. And Columbus wasn't recruiting these people to be sailors.
Because Columbus has to be made to look right. Otherwise, he looks more like the Flat-earthers if you actually suggest that his argument was that Earth was smaller than everyone else knew it was and that the Atlantic Ocean could be reasonably traversed between Europe and Asia. The flat-earth idea was just a Enlightenment era concept to make people who lived in the Middle Ages look ignorant (as opposed to other low hanging fruit like religious wars, but then the Thirty-Years War was too recent).
No, crude oil has not been confirmed as a major surface component. The confirmation of surface liquids on Titan (in lakes previously observed by the ISS and RADAR instruments) demonstrate the presence of liquid natural gas, not crude oil.
That should be around 20,000 sq. km (though it probably actually a bit smaller, close to 16,000 sq. km.
Oh, due to the atmospheric scattering, ISS' top resolution is usually around 1-2 km, even if the pixel scale is better than that.
VIMS can see the surface at better than 500 m/pixel, but only on very small postage stamps of the surface during each flyby (and only those flybys when VIMS is prime at closest approach, like during T38). The rest of the time, VIMS images are at much coarser resolution (~10-40 km/pixel). And don't forget that their detector is only 64x64 pixels in size (hardly "high-definition"). VIMS can see at 256 wavelengths simultaneously, but only a handful actually see the surface of Titan due to the haze and methane. VIMS, unlike RADAR, can't see topography unless there is a very tall mountain or depression and the resolution is near its best. The other problem is that Titan's surface is pretty contrasty, so brightness differences can often mimic topographic shading, hampering interpretation (that's the problem with VIMS' so-called "Titan Sierras" announced a couple of years ago).
ISS (note: my job is to work on ISS images of Titan) can see the surface using one of its filters at 938 nm. It can see the surface fairly well at this wavelength, but the view is generally pretty blurry due to the haze and methane. Because ISS has far more pixels than the VIMS detector (1 MP vs. 4064 pixels), various processing techniques can be applied to the ISS images to vastly improve them so that geologic interpretations can be made. But, like the VIMS images, ISS can't see topographic shading.
There is the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary...
I would love to see the stairs that span half a continent. But thanks for trying.
You maybe right. So I will be more direct. One reason to spend the money to go somewhere else is because even if we solve the problem of global warming, there will likely be another environmental crisis that we will have to deal with (and sure more after that). At some point, the solution maybe just to leave. Some may volunteer simply because they are sick and tired of dealing with the environmental problems on Earth.
I do, and that's why I have learned not to trust someone who can't put actual results into a PowerPoint presentation. I also don't trust someone who doesn't get satire.
Not environmental ostriches, I would just prefer not to drink Al Gore's Koolaid. But I am so happy you are so optimistic about the cost estimates for moving individuals to Venus in 2075. If you have a plan to get people there for so cheap a cost, I would love to hear it. BTW, no car (gotta love public transportation and bicycles, wait, you mean I have to love Al Gore to ride the bus/ride a bike to work?), my electric bill is quite cheap actually, and who needs to fly when I chat with my mother over a webcam every week...
Because at some point, environmentalists will tell us that sneezing screws up the mating cycle of dung beetles and will demand that we cut mucus production by 75% by 2075 (unless you live in China and India). That's the point where a good chunk of my fellow terrestrials will say, "Screw this, I'm moving somewhere else." Venus wouldn't be my first choice, but to each their own.
No, I will not give over it. It isn't just about Pluto. It is the idea that the IAU has effectively cut off any possibility that additional planets can be discovered since even planets the size of Earth can't clear their orbital zones once you get past 50 AU or so. It is the idea that Jupiter and Earth are the same type of object, but Earth and Eris aren't. So during these three years in which this definition is in place, I will still consider Pluto, Eris, and *shiver* Makemake planets. Unlike some folks in the IAU, numbers with more than one digit don't scare me.
LOL, actually, I just realized how negative my comment sounded. Personally, I have nothing wrong with them getting into the alternative energy market. It makes perfect sense for them to diversify their companies, particularly since the market seems to be pushing more and more for alternative energy sources. The point I was trying to combat was that the commercials by oil companies lately, focusing on their work on alternative energies, were some kind of sham to make themselves look good. While they are certainly looking for a certain amount of PR karma, I think they are also trying to condition consumers into the idea that when they look for alternative energy, they should look to the oil companies. That while you will be getting your gasoline from ExxonMobile today, tomorrow you will get your hydrogen for your fuel cell cars from the same company. And as others have said, to rid people's minds of the idea that you can get these alternative power sources from local co-ops (or the like).
His point is to use wind to replace natural gas power plants, then use natural gas to fuel our vehicles.
I don't think it is so much a plow to make oil look more "green," but for the oil companies to position themselves to be the ones who provide the alternative energy sources. If we switch to wind energy, they will run the turbines. If we switch to solar, they will run the solar panel farms. Why get rich off just one energy source, when you can monopolize others.