Posts: 26,593
Threads: 2,111
Joined: Feb 2005
Reputation:
13
Two for "Fenspace Infinities"
07-14-2009, 02:35 AM
Images of http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w285 ... t/Mars.jpg]Blue Mars and http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w285 ... therea.jpg]Blue Venus.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Posts: 2,232
Threads: 169
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
1
The Blue Mars pic is also used in the terraforming article on Wiki.
...that has very little to do with anything, just thought I'd point it out.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
Posts: 8,933
Threads: 386
Joined: May 2006
Reputation:
3
Very cool. With any luck, the Sol system of Fenspace will be a very nice spot in the Milky Way. (^_^)
Posts: 26,593
Threads: 2,111
Joined: Feb 2005
Reputation:
13
I see the Blue Venus image is also used in WikiPedia's "Terraforming" article.
As is an image of Blue Mercury. [size=smaller](No, not the Aluminium Studios AMV of that name...)[/size]
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Posts: 8,933
Threads: 386
Joined: May 2006
Reputation:
3
A Blue Mercury? That'd be pretty tough to pull off - You'd need a killer sun-shield to begin with, and pretty much all the water off Europa. (Though
that might be overdoing it, you could probably use all of Europa's water to quench Mars, Venus, and Mercury all in one go.)
Posts: 28,140
Threads: 2,301
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
21
Beyond the Reach Even of Handwavium...
08-13-2009, 03:33 AM
Hubble Ultra Deep Field -- in 3-D
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Posts: 3,315
Threads: 306
Joined: Feb 2004
Reputation:
0
[Keanu] Whoa [/keanu]
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
Posts: 8,933
Threads: 386
Joined: May 2006
Reputation:
3
"Whoa" indeed, but while the rest of me is struck into silence by the sheer awe, my adventurous side popped up and said, "... ... ... Onward,
James!"
Posts: 3,315
Threads: 306
Joined: Feb 2004
Reputation:
0
A potential "ubiquitous" class of fencar:
The "Extra Terrestrial Vehicle"
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
Posts: 28,140
Threads: 2,301
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
21
Holy cow, is that street legal? Because if it is, I want one.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Posts: 3,315
Threads: 306
Joined: Feb 2004
Reputation:
0
Street legal in Florida for sure. It depends on whether or not your state allows cameras instead of mirrors, as the $40K "Turnkeys" use three cameras instead of mirrors.
If you're of a mechanical bent, and already have a Chevy Aveo donor vehicle, you can get the parts to "do-it-yourself" for around $20K.
The turnkeys get 40+ mpg from the builder, IIRC. And... the car was originally designed for an aborted George Lucas movie.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
Posts: 26,593
Threads: 2,111
Joined: Feb 2005
Reputation:
13
Gullwing doors. (Mmmmm... gullwing doors...)
Teardrop-shaped body, reminiscent of the cars from UFO while not copying them.
Shiny.
Only $10,000 for a body kit.
Yep, it's a given: Travaux de moteur « route aux étoiles » will be selling them as of 2010. Un-handwaved; the customer has to do that him-, her-, or itself so that the resulting AI is friendly to the owner.
(No prize for guessing who owns RAÉ through a couple of dummy coprorations, considering what the name translates to.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Posts: 3,315
Threads: 306
Joined: Feb 2004
Reputation:
0
Vulpine Fury probably has the Fen VIN-equivalent 0002 or summat. Given his own troubles with creating 'Wave AIs, he probably contracted someone who tends
to get good results to wave a few of them and interviewed the resulting AIs to get a good "working relationship."
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
Posts: 26,593
Threads: 2,111
Joined: Feb 2005
Reputation:
13
I recall somebody said "abandoned space station" in a ship writeup...
08-19-2009, 02:32 PM
Well, now there's a possibility of actually finding one. Or, at least, there will be.
The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/19/almaz_reborn/]Soviet military-surplus manned spacecraft to fly again
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Posts: 26,593
Threads: 2,111
Joined: Feb 2005
Reputation:
13
Drop stuff on stuff
08-22-2009, 08:03 PM
No animations, but at least it's good for the physics: http://janus.astro.umd.edu/astro/impact/]Solar System Collisions
(I have yet to get an ice meteor / cometary nucleus to actually land on Venus; they usually end up breaking up in the atmosphere. Earth is easy to hit, OTOH...)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Posts: 28,140
Threads: 2,301
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
21
If you hit on a combo that shatters planets nicely, you'll find a cute easter egg when you splat Mars...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Posts: 8,933
Threads: 386
Joined: May 2006
Reputation:
3
Iron Asteroid, 2000 Km in size, 58 Km/s.
Yeah, I went for broke.
Posts: 26,593
Threads: 2,111
Joined: Feb 2005
Reputation:
13
Quote: If you hit on a combo that shatters planets nicely, you'll find a cute easter egg when you splat Mars...
Plug the same numbers into the simulator, select Earth (not the "land only" option) or Venus instead of Mars, and scroll down on the results page for more planet-specific easter-eggs.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Posts: 28,140
Threads: 2,301
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
21
Someplace to Visit and Watch The Fireworks...
08-28-2009, 01:39 AM
Astronomers find planet locked in a death spiral into its sun.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Posts: 8,933
Threads: 386
Joined: May 2006
Reputation:
3
Funky... Too bad it's too damn massive to save, and too damn close to the primary to do anything useful with. Not to mention the insanely fast orbit - less
than 24 hours!
Posts: 28,140
Threads: 2,301
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
21
Oddly, I feel compelled to say http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placet_(planet)]"Placet is a crazy place."
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Posts: 26,593
Threads: 2,111
Joined: Feb 2005
Reputation:
13
Three links for the price of one!
08-29-2009, 05:35 PM
1) You're lost somewhere in the Solar System. You've taken photos of the stars. You never took Astronomy 101, so you have no idea what's in those photos. You send them to http://astrometry.net/]astrometry.net. They tell you what you're looking at. You use those to establish a rough idea of where you are, and you send out a distress call.
2) You're a Gearhead. You're getting married. Where's the ceremony? http://shibuya246.com/2009/08/26/odaiba-gundam-wedding/]Here, of course.
3) You're either an android or a Super; either way, you've used The Jason's ideas and the Trekkies' toys to give yourself Paper User powers. You don't have a ship, but you've got plenty of paper, a small drive, a small life-support module, and some handwavium. http://papercommander.solsector.net/index.htm]You've got a ship, after all.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Posts: 4,953
Threads: 196
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
2
Quote: Bob Schroeck wrote:
If you hit on a combo that shatters planets nicely, you'll find a cute easter egg when you splat Mars...
Heh, cute.
I was also amused when i started hucking rocks at the moon. Crater depths greater than the moon's diameter ensued. 
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
Posts: 4,953
Threads: 196
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
2
A recent LJ post from Gryphon set me to giggling and thinking Fenspacey thoughts.
Quote:I remain, and expect I always will remain, hugely entertained by the way the Soviets handled their first space flight. I mean, we had half the damn Navy out there waiting to retrieve the Mercury astronauts at the ends of their flights, right? Not the Russians! The Vostok cosmonauts got to parachute out of their capsules into the middle of the great Soviet countryside, and then... well, then hitchhike back to base, more or less.
No, seriously, Yuri Gagarin landed in a field near some farmers who had no idea who the hell he was, since the government hadn't announced beforehand that they were going to be doing any such thing that day, and, well, here's how he described what happened next: "When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!"
How awesome is that? "Hello! I've just made the first manned space flight in human history, CAN I USE YOUR PHONE".
Imagine that phone call, for that matter. "Hello? Comrade Khrushchev? It's me! Yuri! Hey, guess where I am?"
The whole thing just had such... panache. Low-rent panache, yes, but that was the kind of panache the Soviets did best.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
Posts: 8,933
Threads: 386
Joined: May 2006
Reputation:
3
*Chuckles* What can we say? Americans lost -that- sense of adventure back in the frontier days.
|
