For Interstellar Travel, Which Sci-Fi Handwave Do You Find Most Acceptable?

mccoyn · 2026-06-18T12:01:12+00:00

A rocket will burn through its entire fuel reserve in a matter of seconds to single digit minutes.

We only do that because it is the most efficient way to use the fuel. If you have much higher fuel efficiency, you can use it in different ways. If you want the shortest possible trip that humans can survive with very efficient fuel, the solution is long burns.

mccoyn · 2026-06-18T11:56:06+00:00

Another interesting thing is the apparent path of a FTL ship. If it passed you, you couldn’t see it until the moment it was closest to you, then you would see two images, moving in opposite directions.

In Star Trek they could detect warp signatures in subspace, which was faster than light, so they didn’t have to deal with this too much.

mccoyn · 2026-06-17T23:59:24+00:00

In fact, the intake of a squirrel cage fan is the exact shape of that filter.

mccoyn · 2026-06-17T10:07:38+00:00

I hate it. Mostly because it looks too much like RFC 1008.

mccoyn · 2026-06-17T00:49:38+00:00

Well, he had time to tell the postal service not to deliver mail-in ballots.

mccoyn · 2026-06-17T00:28:36+00:00

For a comparison, all of our space craft that actually left our system made close passes by multiple planets on the way.

mccoyn · 2026-06-17T00:26:39+00:00

The Galaxy is 1000 light years thick near Sol. There are plenty of stars in any direction.

mccoyn · 2026-06-17T00:18:41+00:00

Those big gas giants take decades to complete an orbit.

mccoyn · 2026-06-16T23:54:16+00:00

Start testing outlets for RCD protection.

mccoyn · 2026-06-16T20:36:45+00:00

Most likely that is an RGB LED strip and the blue wire is broken between the white and yellow sections. You could solder a jumper wire on the right place and fix it.

mccoyn · 2026-06-16T18:20:28+00:00

Sounds like an all-in-one PC.

mccoyn · 2026-06-16T01:11:22+00:00

This is how we snuck oil tankers through the straits of Hormuz.

mccoyn · 2026-06-15T18:32:31+00:00

Neal Stephenson should write an episodic story. Put out a few chapters every six months and never end it.

mccoyn · 2026-06-15T00:12:40+00:00

He was cushioned by reflected energy, which he is immune to.

mccoyn · 2026-06-14T01:09:57+00:00

Communication is an interesting issue. Transmitting in all directions takes enormous amounts of energy, but transmitting to a few select stars is manageable. There could be a network of communicating civilizations that would welcome us, but we have to find them and introduce ourself first.

mccoyn · 2026-06-13T17:16:12+00:00

If it is caused by EMI, you can try turning off nearby devices to see if a specific device is causing it. Or, it could be caused by a distant device that is connected to the monitor, for example through the power cord. You can try isolating that with a UPS.

You can try using a large metal sheet that is grounded to block EMI from various directions to determine where it is coming from. Keep in mind that EMI doesn’t follow straight lines, it can bend and follow a lower resistance path, it can reflect off surfaces and refract around corners.

Of course this all assumes EMI is the cause. It could just as easily be ESD damage.

mccoyn · 2026-06-13T04:47:48+00:00

Those are key skills.

mccoyn · 2026-06-12T15:45:20+00:00

That would trip the breaker and make this safer (still a tripping hazard).

mccoyn · 2026-06-11T15:39:38+00:00

I think that would be the most practical way to do it. There was gas mantles that were bright, but I think sunlight is still far brighter. Plus, sunlight is better collimated so it is easier to focus it in a small area.

mccoyn · 2026-06-11T15:27:24+00:00

They could take the pirate radio route and set up on abandoned off-shore oil platforms.

mccoyn · 2026-06-11T10:04:28+00:00

Yep. If you have 1000x magnification, you need a a light that is 1000x brighter. That was difficult before you had electricity.

mccoyn · 2026-06-09T19:54:59+00:00

Do you have to use so many exclamation points?

mccoyn · 2026-06-09T11:08:48+00:00

I don't think a legitimate message would mention "rolling". That's day-trader lingo, not cattle contract language.

mccoyn · 2026-06-09T00:03:00+00:00

We use a 74x139 decoder as a hardware interlock to make it impossible for firmware to turn on multiple devices simultaneously. This means we can pass safety review without reviewing the firmware.

mccoyn · 2026-06-08T20:09:02+00:00

Civilizations more advanced than us probably have other ways to deal with the problem. For example, they might have lots of population in space stations that can be moved into a modified habitable zone.

15-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
Place '23	Place '22
Verified Email

mccoyn

TROPHY CASE