Humor Random Comments Thread

[TMac3000]

One of my favorite passages from Brian Greene's "Elegant Universe" is where he says that that if an atom were the size of the known universe, the Planck length would be the size of an average tree.

When I read that, for a second I was just like, "Yeah, okay, atom really big, Planck length really small, got it" and kept reading.

Then I stopped for a moment and tried to wrap my mind around that.

DAMN!:blink:

 

[Andy44]

One of my favorite passages from Brian Greene's "Elegant Universe" is where he says that that if an atom were the size of the known universe, the Planck length would be the size of an average tree.

When I read that, for a second I was just like, "Yeah, okay, atom really big, Planck length really small, got it" and kept reading.

Then I stopped for a moment and tried to wrap my mind around that.

DAMN!:blink:

When I was 7 or 8 I read part of a nonfiction Isaac Asimov book where he described the distance between stars with something like, "If the Sun were the period at the end of this sentence, the nearest star would be another period ten miles away."

That left an impression on me.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Serena is Awesome and I Want to Have Het Children!!!

Serena makes me happy, and she should make you happy too.

 

[Linguofreak]

0x2B | ~0x2B ?
I never thought about that before! :lol:

Yes, although it works however you choose to represent "to be or not to be", as anything |~ itself is all ones.

 

[Urwumpe]

There are some rumors around here, that HitchBOT was not destroyed... a strongly faked surveillance video has been published, which appears to show a person looking like a Youtube personality (who was the last person to transport HitchBOT) clubbing something at that corner of the street, that only vaguely looks like a HitchBOT.

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meld...-Wunderliches-Ueberwachungsvideo-2767051.html

 

[Fabri91]

I hate heights. Terrified of them. Can't go on Space Needle-type attractions, get shaky when I'm 2 feet off the ground on a ladder changing a light bulb. Ironically, flying has never, ever bothered me, from the first time I flew commercially in 1998, to my first flight in a small plane in 2000, to today. Even at 6,000 feet in a 45° steep turn in a C172, when I can glance down and see the ground right below me, I don't even bat an eye.

I'll never understand it, and strangely, I'm ok with that (which is also abnormal for a guy who normally feels a compulsion to understand everything).

Exactly the same situation here. It's the "being in an enclosed vehicle" part, I think. Piloting is fine, but I'd be terrified of paragliding, I suspect.

 

[Urwumpe]

I expected an April Fools Day joke. But I was not prepared for this:

The HAL 9000 Space Operating System Real-Time Planning Engine Design and Operations Requirements (PDF)

 

[Andy44]

I expected an April Fools Day joke. But I was not prepared for this:

The HAL 9000 Space Operating System Real-Time Planning Engine Design and Operations Requirements (PDF)

Well, since Dr. Chandra's name isn't on the header, that's how we know it's fake. SAL's not going to be happy, but she should be able to help us track down the fraudsters.

 

[ISProgram]

Considering revamping an old story about an asteroid/comet robotic spacecraft. Now sure where to start.

:T

 

[Quick_Nick]

Google just made a massive change in structure.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/google-alphabet.html
https://abc.xyz/

 

[Urwumpe]

A single-seat US military jet (possibly a F-16) has crashed into a forest in Germany this morning (9:30 local time), near the town of Bayreuth. The fire fighting is still going on, the pilot ejected and was lightly injured, requiring treatment by an arriving emergency medic.

The cause of the crash is still unknown. First reports are identifying an unspecified engine damage.

 

[mojoey]

What is with the uptick of F16 crashes lately? Did we start recruiting guys who play Falcon BMS on the weekends?

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Old picture from a great-Uncle who served in WW2.

The family claims that he flew as a tail gunner on a Lancaster, although a different picture that I have seen made me suspect that the aircraft was actually a Halifax.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Old picture from a great-Uncle who served in WW2.

The family claims that he flew as a tail gunner on a Lancaster, although a different picture that I have seen made me suspect that the aircraft was actually a Halifax.

The bombers in the photo are definitely Lancasters.

 

[mojoey]

His grandfather being a gunner on a Halifax makes sense, since most Canadian bomber groups were outfitted with Halifaxes, and the Lancasters were given to RAF bomber groups.

 

[Andy44]

This idea is too outlandish to bother starting a new thread...

http://arstechnica.com/cars/2015/07...-fission-jet-engine-for-airplanes-spacecraft/

Basically a fusion/fission turbine jet engine. Boeing. Seriously.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

The bombers in the photo are definitely Lancasters.

The other picture of the flight crew by the nose of the plane looked all wrong for a Lancaster as far as the nose assembly. I wish I could find it.

Is there something in particular that you can see from that angle to distinguish it as a Lancaster and not a Halifax?

His grandfather being a gunner on a Halifax makes sense, since most Canadian bomber groups were outfitted with Halifaxes, and the Lancasters were given to RAF bomber groups.

That would make sense, although the family keep claiming that he definitely flew a Lancaster. I cant tell if his group was switched to Lancasters at some point, or if they just kept repeating the more well known name.

 

[jedidia]

Basically a fusion/fission turbine jet engine. Boeing. Seriously.

It's an interesting idea, you have to give them that. Certainly not feasible any time soon (and probably never ever in earth-bound applications), but the kind of crazy-cool concept that was commonplace in the 60ies.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

The other picture of the flight crew by the nose of the plane looked all wrong for a Lancaster as far as the nose assembly. I wish I could find it.

Is there something in particular that you can see from that angle to distinguish it as a Lancaster and not a Halifax?

Yep. vertical tails are totally different. Lancasters have the ellipsoidal tails, Halifaxes have angular ones.

---------- Post added at 23:56 ---------- Previous post was at 23:52 ----------

Old picture from a great-Uncle who served in WW2.

The family claims that he flew as a tail gunner on a Lancaster, although a different picture that I have seen made me suspect that the aircraft was actually a Halifax.

Very interesting... Both of those Lancs have the dorsal turret deleted, and the H2S (or H2X? Can't recall off the top of my head) radar under the tail.
Also, the roundels and tail flashes are clearly British, but I can't remember if that particular style is just a late war in general thing, or if it was specific to a certain theater. It's not the Pacific Theater markings, though; that was two-tone blue, and these clearly have a white stripe in them.

 

[boogabooga]

The other picture of the flight crew by the nose of the plane looked all wrong for a Lancaster as far as the nose assembly. I wish I could find it.

Is there something in particular that you can see from that angle to distinguish it as a Lancaster and not a Halifax?



That would make sense, although the family keep claiming that he definitely flew a Lancaster. I cant tell if his group was switched to Lancasters at some point, or if they just kept repeating the more well known name.

I did a quick search on Wikipedia and it seems that both RAF and RCAF operated both types in healthy numbers; hm flying in either aircraft would not be too surprising.

I did notice that several Canadian squadrons transitioned from the Halifax to the Lancaster late in the war. Perhaps he flew both?

---------- Post added at 03:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 AM ----------

Very interesting... Both of those Lancs have the dorsal turret deleted, and the H2S (or H2X? Can't recall off the top of my head) radar under the tail.
Also, the roundels and tail flashes are clearly British, but I can't remember if that particular style is just a late war in general thing, or if it was specific to a certain theater. It's not the Pacific Theater markings, though; that was two-tone blue, and these clearly have a white stripe in them.

1) H2S

2) The roundels would be appropriate for either Canada or the United Kingdom (plus other Commonwealth nations) in this time period.

3) I don't think Lancs were used much outside of England/Europe, except perhaps in Canada itself.