Follow-up on that drunk raccoon in VA; apparently, he has a history
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Eric_the_Cerise's recent activity
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Comment on Without looking, do you have a vague idea of your coordinates? in ~talk
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Comment on I fixed my lactose intolerance -- by chugging all the lactose in ~health
Eric_the_Cerise (edited )LinkNot validating this idea, but anecdotally ... I regularly fast for a few days at a time, usually 3-7 days ... and after I start eating again, I am generally lactose intolerant for a week or two,...Not validating this idea, but anecdotally ... I regularly fast for a few days at a time, usually 3-7 days ... and after I start eating again, I am generally lactose intolerant for a week or two, until my intestines remember how to digest the stuff.
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Comment on Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds in ~enviro
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentFWIW, I actually found this report to be somewhat comforting. I am already well in the camp that the tipping point for the AMOC--if it's going to collapse at all--is either too soon for humans to...FWIW, I actually found this report to be somewhat comforting. I am already well in the camp that the tipping point for the AMOC--if it's going to collapse at all--is either too soon for humans to prevent (not technically, but politically), or already actually in the past.
The "good news" (such as it is) from this report is that, even if the tipping point is already behind us, the actual slowdown/shutdown of the AMOC is still, likely, a century or more away. Additionally, whenever it does happen, these models strongly suggest that it will be a slow shutdown (in human terms, at least) of multiple decades ... providing a generational timeframe to adapt.
We have had previous studies and reports suggesting that A) the AMOC could shutdown within the next decade or three, and that B) it could happen extremely fast, potentially in under a decade -- both circumstances that would have been utterly devastating for Europe.
So, IDK what human society will look like a century from now, but I am confident that we will have plenty of other climate- and resource-related catastrophes to deal with long before the AMOC shuts down (if it ever does).
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Comment on Have you ever designed/created a spaceship for fiction, RPGs, etc? How did you do it? in ~creative
Eric_the_Cerise LinkIt might be overkill for your needs, but there was a recently-completed "generation ship" design competition called Project Hyperion, the idea being to design a ship that could get humans (over...It might be overkill for your needs, but there was a recently-completed "generation ship" design competition called Project Hyperion, the idea being to design a ship that could get humans (over the course of multiple generations) to Alpha Centauri or another nearby solar system.
I was fascinated by the whole thing, got lost for a couple of days in the design details -- not just of the winners, but all of the submissions, each of which comes at the challenge from a very different perspective, different philosophy, different foci and priorities, etc. So, lot of cool ideas in there on spaceship design.
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Comment on Reality check: EU Council chat control vote is not a retreat, but a green light for indiscriminate mass surveillance and the end of right to communicate anonymously in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise LinkSide-note: I'm not saying this article is incorrect or dubious or anything ... however, am I the only one who finds the reporting style weird, at the very least, if not downright suspicious? By...Side-note: I'm not saying this article is incorrect or dubious or anything ... however, am I the only one who finds the reporting style weird, at the very least, if not downright suspicious?
By which, I mean ... No author is attributed to the article. That said, it appears that Patrick Breyer wrote it -- it is his website, "patrick-breyer.de", and it looks like everything on the site is his work. And yet, the writing style keeps referring to him(-self?) in the 3rd person, as though some unnamed 3rd party was reporting, after witnessing or investigating the actions of Patrick Breyer.
I may not be explaining it well, and I know that sometimes, single-person sites try to give the impression of being a larger, more communally run organization ... but this one really comes across as sketchy, at least to me.
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Comment on Views on over-posting? in ~tildes
Eric_the_Cerise LinkMoar Space please! I read a lot of space exploration and rocket tech articles ... I should be sharing more of it here, as well. Just at a glance, I see we had 6 space articles in the entire month...Moar Space please!
I read a lot of space exploration and rocket tech articles ... I should be sharing more of it here, as well.
Just at a glance, I see we had 6 space articles in the entire month of November (to date). That seems (to me, at least) extremely low. I would like to be an average of at least one-a-day.
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Comment on EU countries must mutually recognise same-sex marriages, European Court of Justice rules in ~lgbt
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentWho, Tusk? He's good, we like him.Who, Tusk? He's good, we like him.
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Comment on Peter Watts on Margaret Atwood and the hierarchy of contempt (2003) in ~books
Eric_the_Cerise LinkFor the past few weeks, I've actually been contemplating a closely-related question on my own. And that is, if a story is set in the future (of something akin to the Real World -- ie, not...For the past few weeks, I've actually been contemplating a closely-related question on my own. And that is, if a story is set in the future (of something akin to the Real World -- ie, not obviously Fantasy), does that automatically mean it is sci-fi? I'm still pondering it, though I'm leaning towards 'no'.
So, I had to look this guy up, Peter Watts, to see if I should actually care about his opinion ... I guess I should; he's got credentials.
I'm inclined to believe that there is some fuzzy line between speculative fiction and "real" sci-fi ... and I would also agree that Atwood is way over at one end of that fuzzy line. Much of her work that she wants to call speculative, I--and most people--would call sci-fi.
So, nutshell ... the guy has a point.
But also, to paraphrase, "methinks the sci-fi guy doth protest too much" ... rather like he's trying really hard to justify and validate his own chosen genre. At the very least, his diatribe here irritates me a lot more than Atwood's over-broad labeling of speculative fiction.
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Comment on Google must double AI serving capacity every six months to meet demand in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise LinkThere is, potentially, a big difference between "Google must do XYZ" and "Google Leadership tells its employees that it must do XYZ". The headline proclaims the first one, but the article clearly...There is, potentially, a big difference between "Google must do XYZ" and "Google Leadership tells its employees that it must do XYZ". The headline proclaims the first one, but the article clearly shows it is the latter.
A bit of a nitpick, but I still think it's relevant.
Others have already remarked upon "how much of this 'demand' is self-inflicted". I would add to that discussion, "how much of it is self-fulfilling/wishful thinking"?
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Comment on US President Donald Trump calls Democrat video to troops 'seditious behaviour, punishable by death' in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentI'm sure it has nothing to do with a 5-billion-dollar lawsuit...I'm sure it has nothing to do with a 5-billion-dollar lawsuit...
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Comment on Blue Origin reveals a super-heavy variant of its New Glenn rocket that is taller than a Saturn V in ~space
Eric_the_Cerise Link Parent70 tons to LEO is very respectable; as things stand currently, it would be second only to the SLS. But also important is New Glenn's crazy large payload fairings. The current "7x2" version has 7m...70 tons to LEO is very respectable; as things stand currently, it would be second only to the SLS.
But also important is New Glenn's crazy large payload fairings. The current "7x2" version has 7m diameter fairings, which--I believe--are already the largest in the industry, and the "9x4" version is slated to use 8.7m fairings. That's hard to compare directly to Starship, since that (probably?) will use bay doors instead of fairings ... but Starship is 9m diameter, so payload capacity should be comparable, maybe even a bit better for NG, given that fairings tend to allow for larger (or at least, easier) payload deployment.
But most important is, all of this is still just vaporware. Designs for both systems keeps changing, and ultimately, all that really counts is what either can actually get off a launchpad.
Oh, here's another article that talks a bit more about the NG specifications.
Addendum: 70 tons to LEO would only be half of the Saturn V's capacity (which could put 140 ton into LEO) ... but again, it's still very respectable, and yeah, easily enough put a lander on the Moon.
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So, NPR fixed their RSS ... it seems to work globally again
This is really just a follow-up update to my old post, Did NPR just shut down support for RSS?, but that post is a week old and I wanted to make sure this update gets eyes on it. I heard back from...
This is really just a follow-up update to my old post, Did NPR just shut down support for RSS?, but that post is a week old and I wanted to make sure this update gets eyes on it.
I heard back from NPR this morning, and they indicated that this was not a policy decision, but an issue that they have now fixed. NPR RSS links once again work outside of the US/Canada.
Passingly curious how this kind of thing happens accidentally ... any informed guesses? My best guess is that they intentionally geoblocked something else, and it accidentally got extended to the RSS.
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Comment on A rare GM EV1 saved from the crusher is going to be driveable again in ~transport
Eric_the_Cerise LinkI'm still bitter about this. I still won't buy a GM, 20+ years after I learned about the fate of the EV1 (long predating the documentary...).I'm still bitter about this. I still won't buy a GM, 20+ years after I learned about the fate of the EV1 (long predating the documentary...).
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A rare GM EV1 saved from the crusher is going to be driveable again
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Comment on AGI and Fermi's Paradox in ~science
Eric_the_Cerise LinkI see many issues with this sequence, but just to start with ... Step 1 is not certain (our current model of the Universe is still pretty dicey, and it seems to change pretty much every time we...I see many issues with this sequence, but just to start with ...
Step 1 is not certain (our current model of the Universe is still pretty dicey, and it seems to change pretty much every time we launch a new telescope), and
Step 2 is incorrect (per the link provided, all land-based mammal life might be wiped out ... but that just makes room for the evolution of advanced intelligence in a wide variety of other categories of life on Earth).
and, etc.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentSee, I was picturing American police dogs ... "Okay, Fred, you bite his throat while I disembowel him".See, I was picturing American police dogs ... "Okay, Fred, you bite his throat while I disembowel him".
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Comment on Blue Origin sticks first New Glenn rocket landing and launches NASA spacecraft in ~space
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentShout out to Rocket Lab, the New Zealand startup that built the Mars satellites launched on this mission ... and that has the most original-looking new "partially reusable" medium-lift rocket (the...Shout out to Rocket Lab, the New Zealand startup that built the Mars satellites launched on this mission ... and that has the most original-looking new "partially reusable" medium-lift rocket (the Neutron ) launch coming up in a few months
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Comment on Blue Origin sticks first New Glenn rocket landing and launches NASA spacecraft in ~space
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentBoth. I have many (I think, valid) arguments in favor of space exploration. We first learned about Climate Change thanks to studying Mars. The "Blue Marble" and "Earthrise" photos did more for...Just because it would be cool, or do you think it would be useful?
Both.
I have many (I think, valid) arguments in favor of space exploration. We first learned about Climate Change thanks to studying Mars. The "Blue Marble" and "Earthrise" photos did more for environmental preservation than 40 years of IPCC reports.
But ultimately, I'm a child of the Apollo program, and that giant spinning space station in 2001, and I want that future we were promised.
And yeah, Isaacman may actually turn out to be a decent NASA Admin, but he's also a TechBro buddy of Musk's, and so, if he does get the job (which is pretty much a foregone conclusion, considering all the backbone we've seen out of Congressional Republicans of late), then yeah, SpaceX will be getting a lot of business that might be better served elsewhere.
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Comment on Blue Origin sticks first New Glenn rocket landing and launches NASA spacecraft in ~space
Eric_the_Cerise LinkAssorted rambling pro-v-con space exploration thoughts. I hate being in the position of rooting for "Billionaire X over Billionaire Y". That said, I feel like Musk is now well into the "actually...Assorted rambling pro-v-con space exploration thoughts.
I hate being in the position of rooting for "Billionaire X over Billionaire Y". That said, I feel like Musk is now well into the "actually clinically insane" category, while Bezos remains "generic evil billionaire" material, and so I guess that means I'm pro-Bezos.
Seeing humans establish a permanent lunar base/colony remains a high priority for me. Up until a year ago, I was also still solidly in the "US over China" camp. These days ... I just don't know any more. Trump building a lunar base would be quickly followed by the US aggressively militarizing the Moon. Would China do the same? IDK, probably.
Shrug. Sigh. I still want to see humans living in space.
All of which is to say, I hope Blue Origin gets the contract to land people on the Moon, and I think, given a legitimate opportunity to try, they would get people there faster (and frankly, probably safer) than SpaceX. However, with Trump's recent re-appointment of Isaacman to NASA Administrator, the near-future is probably going to be all-SpaceX all-the-time.
Latitude, yes, within 4-5 degrees.
Longitude, no; pretty sure I'm "something-" east, and I feel like I could guess fairly closely from having looked it up at some point, but I might be close, or I might be 50+ degrees off (w/o re-checking now).
Edit: I just checked ... I was off on latitude by < 1/2 a degree, off on longitude by ~40 degrees.
So, at least I know what I don't know.