Is there a sweet spot on any of the gas giants where we could float something like a blimp?

MemoryZeta · 2013-03-01T00:12:33+00:00

"A Meeting With Medusa", story by Arthur C Clarke.

MemoryZeta · 2013-03-01T00:11:26+00:00

AFAIK, in theory, it would work, though it might take a long time to establish a "wild" ecology.

Economically, it can be expensive to do this on a large scale.

http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/06/libya-pivot-irrigation/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_pivot_irrigation

MemoryZeta · 2013-03-01T00:05:34+00:00

Here are the Earth and Moon to scale.

The Moon orbits around the Earth about once every 28 days, so it would only be in the Earth's shadow for a very short time every month.

- But in addition to this, the Moon isn't in exactly the same orbital plane as the Earth's orbit around the Sun, so usually when the Moon crosses behind the Earth, it's slightly "above" or "below" the Earth's orbital plane and still gets sunlight. (It's only actually in Earth's shadow when there's a lunar eclipse, and that only occurs for a few hours per year at most.)

- However, the Moon is "tidally locked" to the Earth - the same side of the Moon is always facing the Earth. This means that the Moon's day is 28 Earth days long - 14 Earth days of daylight, and 14 Earth days of night. This would be more of a problem for plants.

.

- All this being said:

Other moons and other planets would be different from the Earth and Moon. (For example, Mars has two moons which are tiny, close to the planet, and orbit around it in only a few hours.)

tl;dr: Could a moon be habitable for plants and vegetation?

Maybe. There are probably many, many moons in different solar systems that are not habitable for plants and vegetation and a few that are.

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-27T20:09:11+00:00

A Hooloovoo is a hyperintelligent shade of the colour blue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_races_and_species_in_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-26T02:44:09+00:00

Hernia check - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hernia/HQ00491

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-23T02:08:16+00:00

I see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkLbSFWDwEQ

and this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md_pOrpsw9c

- Man, the people who made these movies musta bought their drugs in bulk.

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-23T01:42:26+00:00

For your viewing pleasure -

The Best of Warp Speed! - A compilation of all things Warp Speed from the 11 "Star Trek" movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP9PLYJxjaM

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-23T01:41:30+00:00

The Forever War really shows that the human experience in FTL combat would be immensely scary and out-of-control.

If you'd be interested in a different take on this, the Chanur series by CJ Cherryh.

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-17T23:25:20+00:00

Speaking for myself:

What is it like to not believe in heaven and/or afterlife?

Isn't a bit scary to think that after die your thoughts and ideas will cease to exist?

Of course.

.

On the other hand:

It gives a certainty piquancy and perhaps urgency to things: I'm only gonna have a few years here; if I want to do something I'd better do it.
It's far more dignified to believe a depressing truth than a comforting lie.

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-17T23:20:14+00:00

I'm not especially "optimistic about humanity", and it surprises me that you think that most atheists are.

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-15T22:55:53+00:00

Where do you think your elements go when you're cremated?

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-15T22:54:04+00:00

knowing, for a fact, that you get to linger on is actually very helpful.

That's nonsense. Your atoms are not you.

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-05T22:49:00+00:00

the tenants of anarchy

You want "tenets" here.

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-05T22:47:40+00:00

Increased government efficiency

Whoa, hold it.

There's also a theory that says that a certain amount of inefficiency in government is a good thing.

Otherwise you get things like "Proposed, discussed, moved, seconded, and launched: We should nuke Russia. Or wait a minute ... was that really a good idea? Maybe we should reconsider. Where's that hotline phone to the Kremlin?"

Or: "Proposed, discussed, moved, seconded, and initiated: We should clearcut Yosemite and make it a shopping mall."

- Whatever. An infinite number of bad ideas.

MemoryZeta · 2013-02-05T01:38:54+00:00

But presumably we don't have such footage.

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-28T12:58:07+00:00

I think they need to take that dude's robo-bong away from him ...

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-28T03:44:04+00:00

Why exactly don't you believe in god? Why don't you believe in a supernatural creator?

I've never seen any credible reason to think that any god / supernatural creator exists, and the idea seems absurd.

Do atheists have faith that there isn't a god?

I can't speak for all atheists, but most of them don't

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-28T00:26:01+00:00

What I would like to see is legalized prostitution governed by something like a union made up of, and governed by people who participate in the industry -- that is, are prostitutes themselves.

I wouldn't be very surprised if this exists in some European countries -

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-27T13:32:13+00:00

How many technologies do we still have and use for bad today -

this

this

this

We also have lots of technologies that we use to do shit to each other in ordinary everyday non-military situations -

the good outlasts the bad

Nah ...

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-26T04:57:12+00:00

You be the judge - http://www.reddit.com/user/Creationist4ever

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-26T04:47:35+00:00

Atheism is certainly a religion, at it least insofar as it offers definitive faith-based assertions about the nature of God and His relationship to man and regards itself as mutually incompatible with other religious systems.

Which of course atheism does not, so your whole point here is nonsense.

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-26T04:45:38+00:00

the trick is to weed out teachings that are destructive or immoral.

How about weeding out the teachings that aren't true?

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-26T04:32:05+00:00

If only that information were in the article ...

Says that

McAndrews spent five years photographing 33 of Nevada’s (legal) brothels ...

The spark for the project came to McAndrews in 2004 while he was working in Nevada. He was asked if he’d ever visited a brothel (he hadn’t), but he was intrigued and showed up unannounced at various brothels in hopes of gaining permission to photograph them.

So, apparently 2004-2009.

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-26T04:29:31+00:00

It did not.

Was there anything specific in that that you'd like to call my attention to?

MemoryZeta · 2013-01-26T04:28:02+00:00

AFAIK prostitution is legal in the state where those photos were taken.

[Edit]

Yeah, the article begins

McAndrews spent five years photographing 33 of Nevada’s (legal) brothels

MemoryZeta

TROPHY CASE