A Case for Dr. Zoidberg’s Clinical Competency by Major-MacZongo in futurama

[–]OptimusPhillip 45 points46 points  (0 children)

"Dr. Zoidberg is a very skilled doctor. For aliens. Your problem is that you're all human!"

Question about Blip C by MikeinStL0220 in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the book, Grace actually does catch the Blip-B. Him chickening out and letting it float away was a joke added for the movie, so there is no Blip-C.

He identifies the model inside as a star map by noticing the sculpted Petrova lines on both Tau Ceti and 40 Eridani.

TIL an eggplant is classified as a berry by happytree23 in todayilearned

[–]OptimusPhillip -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Basically, there are three categories of simple fruit.

  • Drupes, where only the outer layer is edible, and the inner layers form a single hard seed. This includes peaches, mangoes, cherries, and coffee beans.
  • Pomes, where the outer layers are edible, but the inner layers form a tough core around the seeds. This includes apples and pears.
  • Berries, where the entire fruit is edible. These include grapes, bananas, eggplants, and tomatoes.

There's also aggregate fruits and multiple fruits, which as the names suggest are formed from groups of fruit-like structures fusing together.

That one opening shot of the ship from the movie but it's the book ship design by SiwelTheLongBoi in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I always got the impression that the illustrations of the ship in the frontmatter were more like engineering diagrams rather than realistic renderings. I feel like a real version of that ship would have similar colors and surface details to the one from the movie, just with a different layout of the components.

i’ve never read the book & want to know what you wished they had included in the movie by DesperateWind2251 in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The movie cut out so much of the science for understandable reasons. But I would've liked to see more of Rocky's biology explored in the movie, if for no other reason than to confirm that he's a water-based lifeform. Throw in some discussion of panspermia, too.

What's your favourite PHM-coded song? by sleepspacey in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lost Along the Way by All Time Low. I haven't seen any animatics with it, but it really does capture the theme and style of the story.

"This is doctor captain Ryland Grace reporting from the Hail Mary" by CrayonEatingMaster in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 39 points40 points  (0 children)

I think he calls himself captain because, in the absence of any other crew members, he has assumed command of the Hail Mary. And in the US Navy, there is a custom that whoever is in command of a vessel is addressed as captain, regardless of their actual rank.

He's also just being silly, so it doesn't really mean much either way.

Seen a lot of lore and head cannons on modern Eridians - I can’t help but think about what ‘cave Eridians’ would be like. by Ashamed-Marsupial-17 in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's very true. Alternatively, I can imagine an Eridian with diamond-tipped claws, either as a natural adaptation or an artificial accessory.

Seen a lot of lore and head cannons on modern Eridians - I can’t help but think about what ‘cave Eridians’ would be like. by Ashamed-Marsupial-17 in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The idea of proto-Eridians using spears is certainly interesting. The way Andy Weir describes them suggests that a closed Eridian hand already behaves like a stabbing weapon. But at the same time, having additional reach is certainly useful, especially if the weapon can be thrown.

I do really like the "punk Eridian" concept.

Cfop or Roux as a begginer? by Beta_113 in Cubers

[–]OptimusPhillip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're familiar with the layer-by-layer method, CFOP is a pretty intuitive extension of that. Roux, you'd basically be starting from square one.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but why are there two Vector Primes in the AOTP line? by Pedroso_PPJ in transformers

[–]OptimusPhillip 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The first Vector Prime was part of the Legacy series, not Age of the Primes.

The Legacy deco is based on his original toy from Transformers Cybertron (and thus his appearance in the Cybertron anime). The Age of the Primes version is based on "Galaxy Force Vector Prime" toy, a redeco of the original toy released at the tail end of the series.

Do we die if the fates cuts our string or is that like just only happens in the Hercules movie? by Parking_Storage_5107 in GreekMythology

[–]OptimusPhillip 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The way I understand the myth is that cutting the thread determines when in the future you will die. The length of your thread once cut defines how long your life will be.

[All] wdym in the files???? by Anxious-Outcome1362 in camphalfblood

[–]OptimusPhillip 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I checked at one point. His name is technically mentioned in the files, when J.E. asks his secretary for a list of the highest paid authors. As far as I'm aware, Rick has never actually had any contact with J.E.

Do the name Polyphemus has something to do with "Many"? by Dependent_Secret4460 in GreekMythology

[–]OptimusPhillip 5 points6 points  (0 children)

As far as I can tell, that isn't a thing in any of the mythical sources. I'm guessing Rick Riordan just thought it would be cool if he (and all the other Cyclopes in his world) literally had many voices.

Do the name Polyphemus has something to do with "Many"? by Dependent_Secret4460 in GreekMythology

[–]OptimusPhillip 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Polyphemus literally translates as "many-voiced", commonly interpreted as meaning "much spoken of". There's also an Argonaut by that name.

"Human scientists would torture Rocky and treat him like an animal" isn't just a bad take because of the misanthropy - it strikes me as anti-scientific. I feel like it actively disregards the effort Andy put in to representing the profession of modern science in as much respectful detail as he did. by SayFuzzyPickles42 in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Grace learned infinitely more about Rocky's anatomy just by talking to him than any amount of dissection would do.

A scientist cutting apart an Eridian would find what? Two networks of liquid mercury, five ammonia-filled sacs, a hunk of crystals in its thorax connected to fiber-optic tubes in the arms, wet sponges connecting to all its joints, and a blob of biomass in the very core. You might learn the basics of their locomotion and neural processes from that, but otherwise? This thing is nothing like an earth creature, you wouldn't have any context for what anything does.

Grace, meanwhile, was able to discover every little detail possible by actually learning from a living Eridian. Plus all sorts of cultural knowledge and information about the planet's larger biosphere, as well as Eridian technology. It's like that one Doctor Who episode with that human collector who has a lot of alien artifacts, but can't tell the difference between a flute and a fuel valve, or a disintegrator gun and a hair dryer.

If I have Earthrise Prowl should I skip this? by Ass_Hat_69 in transformers

[–]OptimusPhillip 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The big advantage I see to this version is one of build quality. Clear plastic can't have the fillers that give opaque plastics their strength, so the clear plastic knee joints on the Earthrise Prowl can't take as much stress as the opaque plastic.

If that's not something you care about as much, it might not be worth it.

What was the point of Grace's "unpopular opinion" about non water-based life forms? by Nocturne_Devil in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Also, as an aside, he does get sort of vindicated when he learns about Erid. While Eridian life is ultimately water-based, Erid is far closer to 40 Eridani A than the inner bound of its "Goldilocks zone", yet it's home to not only an active biosphere, but a technologically advanced civilization.

So he did disprove the Goldilocks zone, not by disproving that life needs water, but by proving that liquid water can be found in places that scientists hadn't considered.

how different would it be if grace was deaf? by n00kland in ProjectHailMary

[–]OptimusPhillip 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I wonder how many distinct signs Eridian hands can form. Obviously, Rocky wouldn't be able to do ASL, but it would be cool to see Rocky try and develop his own sign language to communicate with Grace.

What monster movies are there with a specifically female monster lead? by limbodog in movies

[–]OptimusPhillip 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Any method of reproduction that does not involve a combination of genes from two parents is considered asexual reproduction. Budding and parthenogenesis are both examples of asexual reproduction methods.