PakledHostage

I heard that one of the SpaceX technicians who last worked on the rocket is missing his Galaxy Note 7...

I realise that this thread is a bit long in the tooth but I didn't want to start a new one on the same topic. I found this NASA website detailing the path of totality for the August 21st 2017 total eclipse in the US: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html Obviously excitement is building already, a year in advance. I had trouble finding a hotel room when I tried to book one earlier this evening. Almost everything is booked up already in the town where I am hoping to view it from...

I don't spend as much time on the forums as I used to but I thought I would share this video with you all anyway: Vsauce: How The Earth Moves I really liked how they did the "trip of a lifetime" bit at the end.

Knows what? That Interstellar is marginally better than Gravity? But I agree that Europa Report is surprisingly good. I'll have to look for Moon.

I looked at it through my sextant. Indeed, it looked like a black dot. An interesting black dot, but just a black dot none the less.

I imagine that precedents established in aviation would be relevant. Autoflight systems have existed for decades, yet the pilot in command is still always the human pilot. The autopilot is just a tool that the human pilot uses to operate the aircraft. People being people, some will certainly get up to shenanigans while their car's auto drive system is manoeuvering their vehicle. Even so, I imagine that the legal responsibility for how the vehicle is operated (including the expectation that the human not be up to something in the back seat and could take over from the machine at any time) would remain with the driver.

So far it is much ado about nothing... The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center isnt showing any activity currently. According to them, it won't peak until after sunrise tomorrow morning (November 3rd) in North America. They tend to be more reliable with their forecasts than the University of Fairbanks website.

Water would have been my vote. It is a lot of fun and looks great in both its solid and liquid forms. It is also pretty fundamental to all life as we know it.

Reminds me of this song: https://youtu.be/crIk87-mPzY

No, think like an overzealous cop... Everyone's trying to steal IP. Even if all they want to do is listen to their music or watch a video on something other than a crappy little screen or using some crappy headphones, you won't allow it because they're certainly going to exploit that ability for illegal purposes!

Weird... My phone updated itself to 5.1.1 the other day and I didn't notice any differences in the UI?

No, you're probably right. People have strong opinions on this subject. I will say this much though: I've migrated all of my Apple stuff to Android because I've lost patience for their "It just works" philosophy... Somewhere along the way the correct inflection on that slogan was lost. The correct inflection is "it JUST works", as in "it JUST BARELY works"... I like my Android phone, tablet and how they both connect effortlessly with my home entertainment system via my ChromeCast.

Most alcohol just puts me to sleep. Tequila, on the other hand, is an effective emetic.

Seriously? They had to do a Snopes article on that one? The fact that our current calendar has only been in use for about 430 years wasn't a clue? Or that Halloween is always on the 31st of October, so couldn't ever fall on a Friday the 13th wasn't an even bigger one? People's gullibility never ceases to amaze me... ...Speaking of which, did you know that the word "gullibility" isn't in the dictionary?...

Very nice. What kind of intervalometer are you using? Have you ever seen the one from TriggerTrap? They're a UK company, for what it is worth. They make an app for iOS and Android phones and a dongle that connects the audio jack on your phone with your camera's shutter release jack. I mention it because you might be interested in it for the exposure ramping capabilities that it gives you. And it is, like, an order of magnitude cheaper than similarly featured intervalometers from camera OEMs.

I thought for a moment that you were going to say that Natalie wasn't available because she's going to see The Martian...

Google is getting in on the act too, celebrating today's announcement with a Google Doodle:

Thanks. The astronomy app on my phone tells me that the one on the left is probably 44 Psc and the one on the top is probably HD 1367.

And from Canada: Not my best picture ever. I didn't bring a tripod so I had to bump up the ISO as high as it would go to yield a passable shot. The eclipse was about 15 minutes past maximum when I took it.

Only in Hogtown... And then only at TIFF, according to IMDB. Places like Cowtown have to wait like everyone else. Update: Even NASA is jumping on the bandwagon:

Not my best ever image but some here may find it interesting: I've posted it on these forums before but it was a couple years ago so probably nobody remembers. I took it out the window of an airplane. The bright area at the right side of the image is the wing tip.

Please show me where I ever said he was. I actually think he's a nut. And how could you possibly know what I know about the opinions of experts in the field and who I regard as an expert?

Ha ha! Ha ha! Ha... Heh? Oh, what, you weren't joking? That is the most ridiculous post I've seen on here in a long time... I could have sworn you were joking. Here's a hint: If you are going to make an ad hominem attack on someone for their lack of research, maybe do a little research yourself first? "The singularity" may not be imminent, but that certainly doesn't put it in the same category as fairy tales. And if you've done "research" that supports your position that it is in the category, please share some of your references with us so that we don't have to just take you at your word.

Fixed that for you. And while I agree with you that there were definitely better ways to handle this situation, we aren't talking about web vigilantism here (at least I wasn't when I started the thread). I agree with you that most web vigilantism is anything but angelic. That said, I don't think that there is anything wrong with a few prominent people who are in positions to help set things right to step up and try to do so. You may certainly choose to cynically dismiss their efforts as being nothing more than "the appearance of kings at the end of the play", but I am not so jaded. I prefer to believe that there is good in most people, no matter their position in society.

I don't think anyone here is suggesting that this sort of injustice is a good thing, but you've got to admit that there is a pretty good silver lining in this young man's cloud. And to suggest that the response is only a circus is overly cynical, IMHO. People are very likely reaching out because they can empathize with him. Maybe they see a bit of themselves in him and it makes the injustice (and the desire to help set it right) all the more profound. I am glad that there has been such an outpouring of support for Ahmed, and I hope he gets to take advantage of some of the opportunities that he is being given. Hopefully it will broaden his horizons and show him that not everyone is as narrow minded as the people in his school.