It of course depends on the time zone you are in. See the UTC in the output? If you are at UTC-6, it will be 6 hours "earlier". UTC-6 happens to be in the U.S. (CST).
If it hits in '36, I'll be 86. I likely won't care one way or another. Besides, civilization as we know it will end at 21:14:07 UTC on Monday, January 18, 2038, so even if the earth doesn't get smacked, we will be in pretty serious trouble.
Maybe someone should start porting civilization to 64 bits.:-)
It would make a terrible science fiction plot because globular cluster M13 (in the constellation Hercules) and Tau Sagittarii (in Sagittarius) are nowhere near each other as you already pointed out. I think we have enough scifi with major plot holes thank you very much.
The Arecibo signal was sent in the direction of M13. There was no mechanism which would make it disappear as soon as it leaves earth, and reappear as soon as it approaches M13. Anything in between would be able to receive it; indeed, the closer to earth, the better the reception. So a space ship half a light year away which happened to be in the same general direction as M13 at that time would have received that signal half a year after it was sent. Also the Wow! signal does not need to have its origin at Tau Sagittarii. Its origin was just at the same direction as Tau Sagittarii. We don't know at what distance it originated.
You forgot some other frightening facts about our species: We drink poison (ethanol) for fun, and we can consume large amounts of it without dying. Indeed, just the evaporation of ethanol from a typical drunk human is enough to kill off a whole species. And while some of us overdo it and damage themselves, for many the only bad effect is a temporarily increased insanity.
During the last hundred revolutions of our planet around its star, we also have installed another terrible defensive weapon: We are covering our planet in microwaves. Many species trying to approach our planet are already killed by that long before they even reach the atmosphere. Yet we not only happily survive that radiation, we even hold emitters close to our heads in order to communicate! Indeed, some time ago we even sent a strong death ray into space, from a place named Arecibo. We actually killed about 2000 civilizations that way. An attempt to fight back got known here as "Wow!" signal. To their great surprise, we took absolutely zero damage from it; had there not been some instrument actively monitoring the microwave radiation, we wouldn't even have noticed it.
We are also incredibly heat resistant. Indeed, our body is constantly heated to temperatures of about 310 Kelvin. We even enjoy temperatures around 300 Kelvin, and sometimes even go into a so-called "Sauna" with temperatures up to about 370 Kelvin not only without suffering any damage, but even enjoying it. Other species would die already at temperatures above 200 Kelvin, if not protected by heat shields.
And what if they don't? What if they are machines, which were explicitly built by some biological, space travelling aliens to stop a war, but unfortunately they forgot to tell the robots that destroying all life was no acceptable way to end war. Analysing the life forms around them, the robots, following only their programmed goal, determined that the only way to end war was to destroy all life, and started doing so. Those robots also were built to multiply themselves (to save production cost). After they eliminated the aliens who built them (and their enemies as well), those robots spread throughout the galaxy, and whenever they find life they also find war, and thus they follow their programmed mission to stop war, which they do by killing all life. And some day they reach Earth...
Well, a corporation will do space mining if the cost is lower than the potential win. This can mean lowered cost, as you write, but it can also mean much higher win. If the prices for certain minerals found in space go sufficiently high, companies will take the risk. Just like now oil reserves which previously were considered not worth is are considered to be used.
So if we start spreading to other worlds, then a spacefaring race that by definition would have spread to other worlds would come to kill us for our spreading to other worlds.
As noble as everyone is trying to make the aliens case sound, it would be as wrong as any other mass genocide has been.
The case of killing us because we're in their way I can understand.
The case of killing us because its a noble thing to do is total bullshit.
Most humans are full of bullshit. There's no reason why aliens should be different. The question is not whether we are a danger to the galaxy, or are more so than the aliens which allegedly want to kill us. The question is whether those aliens could think we are a danger to the galaxy. That thought doesn't have to be more rational than the thoughts of typical humans. Just because the aliens have more powerful technology doesn't mean they are intellectually superior.
Of course the most probable situation is that there are no aliens who could even reach us, let alone destroy us.
Well, maybe we are soon to find some yet unknown to us law of physics which allows to travel through the galaxy (via hyperspace, warp drive, star gate, whatever). Given our current state of science, they know we will soon find it (maybe traces of it can be found in the energy range of the LHC). An alien attack already assumes that such a way to travel has to exist (otherwise, how would the aliens get to here in order to destroy us?). So they destroy us before we find it, because they know that afterwards the won't be able to any more.
Well, maybe the aliens already have been at most 1.5 light years from us. Why? Well, in 1974 we sent a message. In 1977, we received a signal which could have been a message. Isn't it likely that it was meant as an answer to our message? This also explains why we never received another signal: We didn't answer to this one, so the aliens concluded we are no longer interested.
OK, the Wow! signal came from the wrong direction (i.e. not the one we sent into), but that's easily explained: It was a lesser space ship which got the message. They told their master ship about the signal, and that master ship then sent the answer. Which implies that they have been even closer, because you have to factor in the time the message to the master ship needed.
OK, I admit the more likely explanation is that both signals are completely unrelated to each other, and the Wow! signal was just from a natural cause. But at least, it would be a nice theory for a science fiction plot.
Do you have any indication for increased radiation in the actual products (apart from wild guesses a la "there must be radiation in them, after all it's in Fukushima!!!1eleven")? After all, the raw materials they are producing it from are most likely not from Fukushima (and if they are, it doesn't matter where the factory is anyway).
Slashdot Mirror
Unfortunately you still have that virus. It posts Spam for fake AV on Slashdot.
Yes. But it is presented as one. That's the point.
Yes: It gives material for many Slashdot discussions. :-)
Did you notice the "at least until recently" clause there in my first sentence? It's only 3 words in, so I would hope so.
Hmmm ...
"at" - 1
"least" - 2
"until" - 3
"recently" - 4
How difficult is it to copy paste?
Paste is very difficult to copy.
Oops, I now notice that the OP also had "UTC" in his time estimate ...
It of course depends on the time zone you are in. See the UTC in the output? If you are at UTC-6, it will be 6 hours "earlier". UTC-6 happens to be in the U.S. (CST).
If it hits in '36, I'll be 86. I likely won't care one way or another. Besides, civilization as we know it will end at 21:14:07 UTC on Monday, January 18, 2038, so even if the earth doesn't get smacked, we will be in pretty serious trouble.
Maybe someone should start porting civilization to 64 bits. :-)
Of course, as long as there's no propulsion, everything in space is in free fall (at least in good approximation).
However I'm pretty sure that the number given is its mass, not the weight it has in the gravitational field of the sun.
It is one thing saying it's a great achievement for a 13 year old. It's a completely different thing saying it's a solar power breakthrough.
Sou you are the one responsible for the demise of the Usenet! :-)
Maybe the moderator was that 7th grader ...
The Arecibo signal was sent in the direction of M13. There was no mechanism which would make it disappear as soon as it leaves earth, and reappear as soon as it approaches M13. Anything in between would be able to receive it; indeed, the closer to earth, the better the reception. So a space ship half a light year away which happened to be in the same general direction as M13 at that time would have received that signal half a year after it was sent. Also the Wow! signal does not need to have its origin at Tau Sagittarii. Its origin was just at the same direction as Tau Sagittarii. We don't know at what distance it originated.
You forgot some other frightening facts about our species: We drink poison (ethanol) for fun, and we can consume large amounts of it without dying. Indeed, just the evaporation of ethanol from a typical drunk human is enough to kill off a whole species. And while some of us overdo it and damage themselves, for many the only bad effect is a temporarily increased insanity.
During the last hundred revolutions of our planet around its star, we also have installed another terrible defensive weapon: We are covering our planet in microwaves. Many species trying to approach our planet are already killed by that long before they even reach the atmosphere. Yet we not only happily survive that radiation, we even hold emitters close to our heads in order to communicate! Indeed, some time ago we even sent a strong death ray into space, from a place named Arecibo. We actually killed about 2000 civilizations that way. An attempt to fight back got known here as "Wow!" signal. To their great surprise, we took absolutely zero damage from it; had there not been some instrument actively monitoring the microwave radiation, we wouldn't even have noticed it.
We are also incredibly heat resistant. Indeed, our body is constantly heated to temperatures of about 310 Kelvin. We even enjoy temperatures around 300 Kelvin, and sometimes even go into a so-called "Sauna" with temperatures up to about 370 Kelvin not only without suffering any damage, but even enjoying it. Other species would die already at temperatures above 200 Kelvin, if not protected by heat shields.
Only as long as that civilization is based on a single planet.
Well, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. The aliens would probably come to the conclusion that the humans are too stupid to be a real danger. :-)
And what if they don't? What if they are machines, which were explicitly built by some biological, space travelling aliens to stop a war, but unfortunately they forgot to tell the robots that destroying all life was no acceptable way to end war. Analysing the life forms around them, the robots, following only their programmed goal, determined that the only way to end war was to destroy all life, and started doing so. Those robots also were built to multiply themselves (to save production cost). After they eliminated the aliens who built them (and their enemies as well), those robots spread throughout the galaxy, and whenever they find life they also find war, and thus they follow their programmed mission to stop war, which they do by killing all life. And some day they reach Earth ...
Well, a corporation will do space mining if the cost is lower than the potential win. This can mean lowered cost, as you write, but it can also mean much higher win. If the prices for certain minerals found in space go sufficiently high, companies will take the risk. Just like now oil reserves which previously were considered not worth is are considered to be used.
I thought they are the mice?
So if we start spreading to other worlds, then a spacefaring race that by definition would have spread to other worlds would come to kill us for our spreading to other worlds.
As noble as everyone is trying to make the aliens case sound, it would be as wrong as any other mass genocide has been.
The case of killing us because we're in their way I can understand.
The case of killing us because its a noble thing to do is total bullshit.
Most humans are full of bullshit. There's no reason why aliens should be different.
The question is not whether we are a danger to the galaxy, or are more so than the aliens which allegedly want to kill us. The question is whether those aliens could think we are a danger to the galaxy. That thought doesn't have to be more rational than the thoughts of typical humans. Just because the aliens have more powerful technology doesn't mean they are intellectually superior.
Of course the most probable situation is that there are no aliens who could even reach us, let alone destroy us.
No, the aliens are intelligent enough not to share knowledge with us.
Well, maybe we are soon to find some yet unknown to us law of physics which allows to travel through the galaxy (via hyperspace, warp drive, star gate, whatever). Given our current state of science, they know we will soon find it (maybe traces of it can be found in the energy range of the LHC). An alien attack already assumes that such a way to travel has to exist (otherwise, how would the aliens get to here in order to destroy us?). So they destroy us before we find it, because they know that afterwards the won't be able to any more.
Well, maybe the aliens already have been at most 1.5 light years from us. Why? Well, in 1974 we sent a message. In 1977, we received a signal which could have been a message. Isn't it likely that it was meant as an answer to our message? This also explains why we never received another signal: We didn't answer to this one, so the aliens concluded we are no longer interested.
OK, the Wow! signal came from the wrong direction (i.e. not the one we sent into), but that's easily explained: It was a lesser space ship which got the message. They told their master ship about the signal, and that master ship then sent the answer. Which implies that they have been even closer, because you have to factor in the time the message to the master ship needed.
OK, I admit the more likely explanation is that both signals are completely unrelated to each other, and the Wow! signal was just from a natural cause. But at least, it would be a nice theory for a science fiction plot.
Do you have any indication for increased radiation in the actual products (apart from wild guesses a la "there must be radiation in them, after all it's in Fukushima!!!1eleven")? After all, the raw materials they are producing it from are most likely not from Fukushima (and if they are, it doesn't matter where the factory is anyway).