Thank you.
Luckily my daughter has said that my body (after the usable parts have been harvested) would be taken to a "body farm" where forensic scientists will be able to experiment with it. Science to the last! Then, when they return the 'ashes', I would like them taken to a creative potter, and made into something artistic that may be handed down the generations. If not artistic, something usefull. If nothing else, a comode. That way I know that I will be visited in the future!
A former ceramics engineer
Let's not judge those who bring in new technology and paradigms. General Larry Skanske (I may have the spelling wrong) lead the Air Force over the introduction of stealth technology, precision guided weapons, and information dominance was known to recieve briefings while appearantly asleep. IF the briefer paused to allow the General to awake, he would reply, "I am listening" His leadership allowed the introduction of technology which has minimized "collateral damage" (read civilians harmed) and entered in the era of smart weapons. [I reserve the title of brillian weapons to those developed after his term of office]
If he appears asleep, judge him (or her) by the decisions, not the actions of the presentations.
Thanks
Yes, gasoline burns, but it is limited to the rate of oxygen supply. Batteries when in an accident will release an acid into the environment, but that is limited. The energy is contained in the state of the lead plates, and does not have a violent reaction. Shorting out a battery, which I have unfortunatly done will be limited by the internal resistance of the cell, resulting in fire, sparks, and melting the battery. [really not a good idea] My understanding is that the electrical energy in a super/ultra capacitor will be instantly released in an accident.
Please do not miss-understand me, I want for electric cars to be available to all, but the safety aspect needs to be clearly worked out.
Thanks
Actually that has been done [getting a cannot launched shell to go into "outer space" by having a rocket assist. And yes, we have a great deal of electronics which are designed for even greater g loadings.
The problems are:
1. It is new. We have comfort with what we have used since WWII.
2. It puts the traditional rocket launch system at risk if you can send mass into low earth orbit for about one one-hundreth of the cost of typical NASA systems.
3. You cannot put animals in it. (But the person who holds the record for the fastest gun in the world says that he is willing to try lawyers.) In a similar sense, you have taken the man out of the space program, and lost a lot of hollywood appeal. Who wants to see robots constructing things in space?
4. Once you build a huge cannon (up to a mile long) you cannot "aim" it. There is one orbit that will be initially used. You would then have to put it into orbit of a different vector once up there, but that would not take anywhere the amount of fuel that a standard rocket launch does.
5. New ecological concerns. Space launch with the chemicals used have sort of been grandfathered into acceptance. Any new system will need to have everything checked. While the cannon launch systems that I have seen have methane as the propellent, there is the huge sound of a firing. You would have to keep all animals at least two miles away from the muzzle so that they would not be hurt. Radars should be able to tell you if there are any birds in the way.
Slashdot Mirror
Thank you. Luckily my daughter has said that my body (after the usable parts have been harvested) would be taken to a "body farm" where forensic scientists will be able to experiment with it. Science to the last! Then, when they return the 'ashes', I would like them taken to a creative potter, and made into something artistic that may be handed down the generations. If not artistic, something usefull. If nothing else, a comode. That way I know that I will be visited in the future! A former ceramics engineer
Let's not judge those who bring in new technology and paradigms. General Larry Skanske (I may have the spelling wrong) lead the Air Force over the introduction of stealth technology, precision guided weapons, and information dominance was known to recieve briefings while appearantly asleep. IF the briefer paused to allow the General to awake, he would reply, "I am listening" His leadership allowed the introduction of technology which has minimized "collateral damage" (read civilians harmed) and entered in the era of smart weapons. [I reserve the title of brillian weapons to those developed after his term of office] If he appears asleep, judge him (or her) by the decisions, not the actions of the presentations. Thanks
Yes, gasoline burns, but it is limited to the rate of oxygen supply. Batteries when in an accident will release an acid into the environment, but that is limited. The energy is contained in the state of the lead plates, and does not have a violent reaction. Shorting out a battery, which I have unfortunatly done will be limited by the internal resistance of the cell, resulting in fire, sparks, and melting the battery. [really not a good idea] My understanding is that the electrical energy in a super/ultra capacitor will be instantly released in an accident. Please do not miss-understand me, I want for electric cars to be available to all, but the safety aspect needs to be clearly worked out. Thanks
Actually that has been done [getting a cannot launched shell to go into "outer space" by having a rocket assist. And yes, we have a great deal of electronics which are designed for even greater g loadings. The problems are: 1. It is new. We have comfort with what we have used since WWII. 2. It puts the traditional rocket launch system at risk if you can send mass into low earth orbit for about one one-hundreth of the cost of typical NASA systems. 3. You cannot put animals in it. (But the person who holds the record for the fastest gun in the world says that he is willing to try lawyers.) In a similar sense, you have taken the man out of the space program, and lost a lot of hollywood appeal. Who wants to see robots constructing things in space? 4. Once you build a huge cannon (up to a mile long) you cannot "aim" it. There is one orbit that will be initially used. You would then have to put it into orbit of a different vector once up there, but that would not take anywhere the amount of fuel that a standard rocket launch does. 5. New ecological concerns. Space launch with the chemicals used have sort of been grandfathered into acceptance. Any new system will need to have everything checked. While the cannon launch systems that I have seen have methane as the propellent, there is the huge sound of a firing. You would have to keep all animals at least two miles away from the muzzle so that they would not be hurt. Radars should be able to tell you if there are any birds in the way.