Somebody is making a new statement on how to interpret quantum mechanics.
Argh.
This has the potential to be even worse than the neutrino speed measurements. Quantum mechanics always brings out the cranks who believe that they fully understand modern particle physics based on some vague memories of cultural references that in turn were based on media reports, which were in turn based on long since discredited interpretations of experiments done in the 1950s.
If this starts getting picked up by the media, only one strategy will save you from stupid opinions.
If somebody you know starts saying "Hey, did you hear about that researcher who said...", you must scream, punch them in the face, then run away.
10 most recent
Fri, Nov. 18th, 2011, 08:50 pm
Escape.
Wed, Nov. 16th, 2011, 02:19 pm
Bulbous.
I'm writing this mostly as a reminder for myself. Hooray, livejournal has been demoted to a memo system!
The MAKS spaceplane has three characteristics:
innovative
ambitious
spectacularly ugly
The MAKS spaceplane has three characteristics:
innovative
ambitious
spectacularly ugly
Sun, Oct. 23rd, 2011, 11:29 am
Improvement.
video of Soyuz rollout procedure at Kourou
A few years ago, I complained that rollout of rockets from Kourou didn't have enough awesome when compared to Baikonur or Cape Canaveral. They have now corrected this flaw. All they needed was some russian tech and a decent soundtrack.
A few years ago, I complained that rollout of rockets from Kourou didn't have enough awesome when compared to Baikonur or Cape Canaveral. They have now corrected this flaw. All they needed was some russian tech and a decent soundtrack.
Fri, Oct. 14th, 2011, 09:39 pm
Directional.
https://www.kulula.com/styles/default/i
Yes.
This is the right way to design flight livery.
Yes.
This is the right way to design flight livery.
Fri, Sep. 2nd, 2011, 06:33 pm
Scare.
I can recommend going to see Apollo 18 if you are enough of a space geek to be willing to sit through a rather uninspired horror film in order to see Apollo hardware.
Excellent setting: +30 bonus points
Cheap shock tactics: -10 points
Uninteresting monster: -10 points
Excellent setting: +30 bonus points
Cheap shock tactics: -10 points
Uninteresting monster: -10 points
Sun, Aug. 28th, 2011, 06:13 pm
Restaurant.
Act 2, Scene 2
*brother wanders through the restaurant greeting guests*
Brother: Are you having a good time?
Geb and Other Guest together: Oh yes!
*brother wanders off further down the table*
Geb (quiet): Are we having a good time?
Other Guest (quiet): No. It's been a complete debacle.
*brother wanders through the restaurant greeting guests*
Brother: Are you having a good time?
Geb and Other Guest together: Oh yes!
*brother wanders off further down the table*
Geb (quiet): Are we having a good time?
Other Guest (quiet): No. It's been a complete debacle.
Sun, Aug. 28th, 2011, 11:21 am
Wedding.
My brother is now married.
In practical terms, from my point of view what this means is that I spent an evening stuck in a room full of family, small children and gits during the wedding reception.
(If by some unlikely chance, my cousin's boyfriend is reading this, I count you as family, not a git.)
I have not yet started thinking of my brother's new in-laws as family.
In practical terms, from my point of view what this means is that I spent an evening stuck in a room full of family, small children and gits during the wedding reception.
(If by some unlikely chance, my cousin's boyfriend is reading this, I count you as family, not a git.)
I have not yet started thinking of my brother's new in-laws as family.
Mon, Aug. 15th, 2011, 01:37 pm
Stranded.
Two links to things I thought were interesting. Recommended reading.
Firstly, the flags of all nations graded A-F. It's surprisingly funny. I'm both impressed and amused that somebody cares so much about this.
Secondly, The Martian (it's the third story on that index, scroll down a little way.)
From now on I'm going to claim this story as being the official Geb-Approved example of why hard sci-fi is better than soft. A setting works so much better if the author clearly understands what happens in their creation, knows how it works, and has tried to make it consistent. If the characters in a story are able to dismantle their gear and rebuild individual components for a radically different use than their original purpose, then you have good sci-fi. If one of those components is duct tape, then you have brilliant sci-fi.
Firstly, the flags of all nations graded A-F. It's surprisingly funny. I'm both impressed and amused that somebody cares so much about this.
Secondly, The Martian (it's the third story on that index, scroll down a little way.)
From now on I'm going to claim this story as being the official Geb-Approved example of why hard sci-fi is better than soft. A setting works so much better if the author clearly understands what happens in their creation, knows how it works, and has tried to make it consistent. If the characters in a story are able to dismantle their gear and rebuild individual components for a radically different use than their original purpose, then you have good sci-fi. If one of those components is duct tape, then you have brilliant sci-fi.
Fri, Jul. 15th, 2011, 02:33 pm
Kerbal.
Kerbal Space Program
I approve of this game.
The developer intends to make a moderately deep management/simulator game with all sorts of missions and objectives, but that's not what the game is at the moment. What you get right now is a big pile of cheap crappy rocket bits that you can assemble, three astronauts to place in your creations, and a planet to send them flying around. (or a planet to crash them into in a spectacular explosion - it happens frequently)
The interface is about as basic as it is possible to get and still allow you to fly from ground to orbit. You get a speedometer, an altimeter, and an artificial horizon attitude indicator. There is nothing else to help you.
The challenge is to design a rocket that will avoid blowing itself up, have enough thrust to get off the ground in the first place, supply enough energy to get into orbit, apply that energy rapidly enough to overcome aerodynamic friction and gravity drag, make sure that most of the energy goes into delta-V for the upper stage and not just bouncing fuel tanks up and down...
It's simpler than it sounds. You can, of course, just throw bits together and keep trying until you find something that works.
The maneuvering controls are a bit crap though.
A successful mission looks something like this:
WTF-01 shortly after takeoff
The upper stage of the WTF-01 in orbit.
Capsule return after a deorbit burn.
A somewhat less successful mission might look something like this:
"No, that won't work."
*boom*
"I told you so."
I approve of this game.
The developer intends to make a moderately deep management/simulator game with all sorts of missions and objectives, but that's not what the game is at the moment. What you get right now is a big pile of cheap crappy rocket bits that you can assemble, three astronauts to place in your creations, and a planet to send them flying around. (or a planet to crash them into in a spectacular explosion - it happens frequently)
The interface is about as basic as it is possible to get and still allow you to fly from ground to orbit. You get a speedometer, an altimeter, and an artificial horizon attitude indicator. There is nothing else to help you.
The challenge is to design a rocket that will avoid blowing itself up, have enough thrust to get off the ground in the first place, supply enough energy to get into orbit, apply that energy rapidly enough to overcome aerodynamic friction and gravity drag, make sure that most of the energy goes into delta-V for the upper stage and not just bouncing fuel tanks up and down...
It's simpler than it sounds. You can, of course, just throw bits together and keep trying until you find something that works.
The maneuvering controls are a bit crap though.
A successful mission looks something like this:
WTF-01 shortly after takeoff
The upper stage of the WTF-01 in orbit.
Capsule return after a deorbit burn.
A somewhat less successful mission might look something like this:
"No, that won't work."
*boom*
"I told you so."
Fri, Jul. 8th, 2011, 04:46 pm
Summary.
If there's any single statement that can summarise the history of the space shuttle system, it is "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
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