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ComradeWolfe

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Posts posted by ComradeWolfe

    Where there's smoke...

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    Let me guess, you're a Californian too!

    My immediate thought was Washington (where a few weeks ago you could be 100 miles away from the fires and the smoke was still so thick you couldn't see the Sun)... But no, his profile says he's in Jersey (not the old one).

    how do kerbals occupy themselves

    in KSP1 Discussion

    Posted

    It could be contained in a small chamber which can be shaken and has a toggle-able magnet that pulls down the closest side.

    The life support system has an intake for the air scrubbers. Attach a hose to the intake for mild vacuum, then hook it up to a tray with a false bottom made of mesh panel (the stuff in the windows of microwaves). The airflow/suction will hold the die to the mesh panel.

    ---------

    I think they amuse themselves just the same as astronauts here one earth. Books, etc.

    Sleep Paralysis, Fear, and Rationality

    in Science & Spaceflight

    Posted

    Well, it's very simple. I made a giant cardboard cutout of something I found while Googling "shadow creatures", put it in a corner of my room with an alarm clock set for 2am or thereabouts.

    Burned the cardboard cutout the next day.

    Also, here is a thing : http://imgur.com/VKknLgs

    Honestly, that's the only link on this thread that is even remotely scary to me. Most appear silly, even... And yet I can see how for anyone who experiences sleep paralysis or has been "visited", any of these images could be beyond terrifying.

    My Christian view is that some of the more interactive / "present" intruders may well be demonic interference. However, that kind of talk seems unpopular at this venue. From an evolutionary view, I wonder if natural selection would permit sleep paralysis as a way to re-enforce a vigilant "you are always vulnerable, you must always be on guard" mentality?

    ---

    Also, why did you undertake such an experiment and what did you intend to accomplish?

    A theory on why we probably haven't received signals from aliens

    in Science & Spaceflight

    Posted

    Except I disagree with only looking at Earth-like watery worlds around 300K with 1 atmosphere of surface pressure, etc. I feel like it'd be wiser to consider any object that exhibits anomalous chemistry or emissions (e.g. Earth is green despite being made of gray rocks, and its atmosphere is full of O2).

    This begs the question of what we are looking at. Currently, we have no way to detect such anomalous worlds so we just look for planets in general. I do agree that if we later can detect an anomaly, we should check up on it even if it doesn't fit the normal criteria for life.

    That said, I still think the basic physical nature of the universe means it's very unlikely that we'll find any life that follows rules vastly different (chemically speaking) from what's at home.

    The Elcano Challenge : Ground-based circumnavigation

    in KSP1 Challenges & Mission ideas

    Posted

    Normally, when I look at the images of a circumnavigation I'm looking at the parts and tend to ignore the interface. So, if MJ or KE or any other such non-part or non-physics changing mod is used, I'll normally ignore it. If I listed them as stock but they used such mods, it's more of an oversight on my part but not a hard and fast rule. If you say your vessel is stock and you want to be listed as stock, it really doesn't matter to me. The classification to me is secondary to the completion.
    This makes my day. Thank you.

    A theory on why we probably haven't received signals from aliens

    in Science & Spaceflight

    Posted

    Goldilocks zone, schmoldilocks zone. There might well be creatures on Pluto that think the other planets are way too hot for life, since they can't sustain liquid helium on their surfaces or some such.

    Until we actually find some extraterrestrials, we shouldn't go around assuming they'll have the exact same needs as we do - we, who evolved on this planet and in so doing tailored our needs to match what was available.

    Keep in mind, when life first appeared on Earth, oxygen was a toxic waste product. They would consider today's atmosphere hellish, our Sun too bright, the tides too weak, etc. etc.

    While this is somewhat true, I do think that you underestimate the logic behind scientists' assumptions.

    "Life" is a series of chemical reactions. The thing to remember is that these reactions have to produce something that is self-replicating. The problem is that at low temperatures, these reactions generally don't occur -- atoms happily sit around with other atoms in stable molecules, never bothering to move around and find new buddies for new molecules (which means no self-replication and no life). When temperatures get too hot, the molecules tend to break down in to smaller molecules which are too stable to react with anything else (again, no self-replication and no life). The key thing is finding a temperature range where you can have a big enough variety of molecules to form self-replicating structures and reactions.

    But finding the right temperature range isn't enough. Next you need solvents to facilitate the reactions.

    A good solvent will leave some stable molecules alone to maintain structure, but will dissolve other more reactive molecules so they can react with each other. The laws of physics (and therefore chemistry) provide an amazing compound for the job: Water. Known as the "universal solvent", it facilitates more kinds of chemical reaction than any other known substance.

    So basically, we don't look at "too hot / too cold / needs water" because of the limitations we observe on Earth. We look at it because physics and chemistry tell us these ranges are necessary for matter to arrange itself in to anything fitting our definition of life.

    Sleep Paralysis, Fear, and Rationality

    in Science & Spaceflight

    Posted

    For those who experience it: How does it end? Do you eventually regain control while conscious, or do you fall back asleep and wake up later on?

    Also, I'm curious about the "intruder" images you guys refer to. My own searches of imgur revealed a lone picture of someone dressed as slenderman. Out of respect for the OP's wishes, please don't post any links here but if anyone can enlighten me with pics or a description via PM (the contents of which will remain confidential) I would appreciate it.

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