JoeSchmuckatelli

Looking at those - I'm guessing that once researchers get a detailed look at the sea-floor, they'll discover the eruption was largely from the main body of the submerged caldera - rather than the cinder-cone crater between the two islands. (The top-left photo shows the reef south of the two islands which is the southern edge of the submerged caldera) Given that parts of the two islands survive but the reef is evidently gone - my guess is that the eruption centered between the islands and the reef.

Are you saying the cat, eating the rat, is unethical? Is the lion that eats a wounded gnu unethical? I certainly do not feel unethical when I eat a slice of beef. On the other hand, if someone handed me a lab-grown burger... I'm gonna feel a bit queasy about it! This is my predjudice. I agree. I also refuse to give up on 'my fellow man' I do... and yet I also recognize that empiricism is prevalent. Oddly, a great part of my rationalism in my later years arises because of lessons learned from my empirical youth! (What's the old saying? "The wise man learns from other's mistakes, the average man from his own, and the fool never learns?") I had to experience stuff for myself, which I like to think gives me a bit of empathy for those who, likewise, want to see the proof in the pudding. Very interesting that you bring up this truth. I've been watching a cool program recently about the First Peoples. Largely focused on human migration from Africa... and how 'modern' humans leaving Africa ran into already existing populations of cousin-species occupying Europe and Asia. A common thread in this series is 'The Explorer'. What factor drives some people to look at the hills on the horizon and wonder 'what is on the other side?' - while others (so many others) look to those same hills and just find comfort knowing their world is bounded by protecting high ground? I've always been one of the 'what's over there' people... and yet the community I've settled in (and am raising my children in) is generationally stagnant. To the extent that my wife can trace her ancestors in this state back to the early 1700s (must be understood from the American perspective to appreciate). My kids go to school with children whose great-grandparents went to the same school - some have relatives who attended the school in the late 1800s. That is bizarre to me. My people going back 4 generations wandered from state to state, with each successive generation living distant from the prior. So my kids live in a dichotomy... One parent with deep roots, another with none... and their friends think my kids are odd because their dad comes from a different state! All of which is to say that I am painfully aware how common is the 'follow the common choice' phenomena. It is deep and comforting and frankly, in some cases, mandatory if you want to participate in society. The 'pressure to fit in' is subtle and pervasive - which is what I've been trying to communicate to folks here: when the 'common' desire is for less pollution, it will be almost impossible to justify continued pollution. It's why I have pointed out the clear skies pictures from India and China as a factor that has phenomenal potential to have those societies create their own groundswell of consumer demand for a cleaner and healthier environment. I mean, the alternative is being nanny-nagged by rich Americans... and I'm sure you know quite well how that goes over!

Cats fed vegetable proteins die. @SunlitZelkova - so long as China perceives itself as 'behind' the West or India feels threatened by China or pressured by the West there is virtually zero chance of either of the two largest population centers shifting dramatically over to expensive less polluting technologies in the near future. Not that neither are completely ignoring less polluting tech - but we are talking dramatic shifts. Even if you could get the respective governments to take a harsh stance against coal and really push industrial pollution reduction - there is a broader problem: There are 1.88 cars/household in the US. There are 0.41 cars / household in China and 0.23 in India. No-one in China or India want to 'settle for less' than 'what everyone else has' (mind you, humans only ever look 'up' while making this comparison). While China has its density in the east and is highly urban making mass transit functional, India's population is spread out across the subcontinent - much like America's. So to think that an economically growing India is going to 'skip' the symbolism, convenience and sheer benefits of car ownership out of altruistic concern about global warming is a bit aspirational. (China's urban density and the annoyance of finding a good parking spot may make car ownership less 'necessary' for the middle class than elsewhere, much like America's Urban Millennial... OTOH like those folks may turn out to be just delayed gratification). Point being - you need the population to demand and accept change to expect change.* Until and unless the consumer is both demanding cleaner energy and cleaner products and willing to delay gratification across the globe... we're not going to see a dramatic improvement in less polluting tech being the norm. ... Drive around California and Teslas / other hybrid or electric vehicles are ubiquitous. Every bit as common as Toyota Hylanders (the soccer-mom car of choice in the Midwest). In other words, less polluting is a luxury item. A status symbol. ** Not saying 'we are doomed' - rather... People need to see 'less polluting' (which equals more expensive and thus slower development) as 'in their best interest' ... And currently - saving the planet ranks below 'need the new i-thingy' * ** ... Note: my point not anything negative about either China or India, rather its about human nature and self interest. The specific vs the diffuse. If getting a car makes my wife happy and means that I can easily get to a better job and my kids have cool shoes - I'm getting a car.

(The red balloon tells you that things are about to get real exciting... real fast)

Speaking of Volcanoes: Floating Stones in the South Pacific: Volcano F is the origin of 'floating stones' (phys.org)

Maldives coral reefs show signs of resilience and recovery – Maldives Independent https://tribunecontentagency.com/article/coral-reefs-are-dying-but-theres-a-tiny-bit-of-good-news-about-what-happens-when-theyre-gone/

People living in volcanic zones enjoy a mixed blessing. Certainly there is danger - but quite often the eruptions actually provide highly fertile soils. https://www.martumsicily.com/volcanic-soils/ https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/why-is-volcanic-soil-so-fertile.html So there can be a short period of hardship - but then a multi-decadal improvement Edit - this, too. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serengeti_volcanic_grasslands#:~:text=The Serengeti volcanic grasslands are an edaphic plant community that,volcano deepened the ash deposits. It's important to note that volcanoes are literally vital for life on this planet - just as they also pose a risk Much of the water and atmosphere we enjoy are the direct result of volcanism, but see also the mass extinction events, such as the Deccan Traps, et.al

I have been watching and waiting - there is not a lot of info yet. As mentioned, it was kind of a small volcanic explosion. Initial reports said that the ejecta only reached 50,000 feet - likely to be a regional event. What I haven't seen yet is a track of the southern jet stream or the ash chemistry - both of which could help assess the impact. This is a pretty good article - again showing that we are in the early stages of learning about the impact https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60009944 (not a science article, btw) This is better: https://theconversation.com/why-the-volcanic-eruption-in-tonga-was-so-violent-and-what-to-expect-next-175035 This is a 2017 article about a previous eruption: https://eos.org/science-updates/new-volcanic-island-unveils-explosive-past

Okay, who here knew there was a 'strange area' above the North Pole? NASA Rocket to Study Mysterious Area Above the North Pole | NASA

Okay - but is 'warp' speed, hyperspace? Like, to move at faster than relativistic 'speeds', are we assuming your craft is still in the normal universe? If your 'warp' technology keeps you in the normal universe, I can see the whole blueshift thing... but if you're 'folding spacetime' or doing something else exotic... what the heck then does that look like?

Well played, sir

Something I did not know: the inner solar system is still chock full of dust. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-s-parker-solar-probe-sees-venus-orbital-dust-ring-in-first-complete-view

I tried a quick google to find what gives off green light when burning and have come up confused: what do we suspect lit up that wasn't supposed to?

When in Rome... FWIW: Cheese is a superfood, regardless of the source.

The thing about the 34 ultrawides is they have the same vertical dimensions as a 27. My HD monitor was a 16:10 and I really did not want to lose the vertical real estate. The 38 ultrawides are pretty good but expensive (or are you looking for a 34" standard monitor? That would be sweet at 4k)

Aluminium metal was unknown. Roman writer Petronius mentioned in his novel Satyricon that an unusual glass had been presented to the emperor: after it was thrown on the pavement, it did not break but only deformed. It was returned to its former shape using a hammer. After learning from the inventor that nobody else knew how to produce this material, the emperor had the inventor executed so that it did not diminish the price of gold.[4 (from Wikipedia)

Under water volcano explodes near Tonga https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/15/asia/tsunami-warning-tonga-volcano-intl-hnk/index.html Satellite video

I concur. Dinnah ferget: midnight snackin!

11.

You will note a whiff of humor and sarcasm and irreverence in both my post and response to @NFUN

Meat. It's not just for breakfast!

Key word was 'forcing'. If someone wants to make an individual choice - more power to them. I don't like mushrooms or fish. My wife does. We've yet to divorce each other over it. I think these numbers are kinda fudged. Our 'arable land' in America is way overproductive due to our agricultural processes. Compare to the 70s when everyone thought that 6 billion people on the planet = mass starvation... and look at the productivity of farmland today compared to then. When you look at the fact that people are taking the numbers from 'we grow this much corn' on an acre and asking how many acres do cattle need (then comparing the fact that we actually feed cattle corn) and then finally saying 'cattle is inefficient'... its kinda silly. Finally - when people say, 'we don't need meat...' Harumph: Meat, Cooked Foods Needed for Early Human Brain | Live Science

One of the driving factors for me was that, even at 'normal' viewing range, I could see the pixels on my 1080p monitor. That bugged me. 4k at 32 has a higher pixel density - and I really don't notice the individual pixels even when I lean in (happens during intense gaming / scenes). If you get higher than 28 inches with anything less than 4k you're going to be seeing pixels. (1440p 32 is roughly equal to 1080 24). In my debates with people on this - many had tried out the OLED 48s as a monitor - which is fine and immersive for movies but overwhelming as a desktop

Which is stupid, too.

Okay - stupid knuckledragger question time... If earth based lasers can shove a sail sat out of the solar system https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.space.com/amp/laser-sail-centering-breakthrough-starshot.html&ved=2ahUKEwiG3KDagrL1AhVUJEQIHcA_BmEQtwJ6BAgHEAE&usg=AOvVaw3wv9Y56_JRSHUz7KcKtZqA Can a nuclear powered space ship shove itself out with onboard lasers?