fraughtGYRE's recent activity

  1. Comment on Can we ever detect the graviton? (No, but why not?) in ~science

    fraughtGYRE
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    From what I understand, the existence of the graviton is a prediction of quantum mechanics, which famously does not play well with the spacetime system described by general relativity. More...

    From what I understand, the existence of the graviton is a prediction of quantum mechanics, which famously does not play well with the spacetime system described by general relativity.

    More particularly, the predictive power of GR breaks down when it comes to systems on very small scales, but high densities and energies. Conditions like this exist around dense astrophysical objects like black holes and neutron stars, and also in the very first few moments following the Big Bang. Because of this, a theory that explains gravity in a different manner than GR that can be applied to these scenarios is highly desirable, and this "quantum gravity" ususally asks for a graviton. One reason for that is because quantum effects (more accurately, the information about the quantum system) are "quantized", or split into discrete packets, with those packets taking the form of particles.

    This is my understanding as an interested layman so I'm happy to be corrected!

    This was a really fascinating article to read as well, and though I agree with the other posters in being unable to follow the chain of derivation, the results are very clear. It never occurred to me that there could be such a stark difference in the detactability of quantum particles, but a distance of 85 orders of magnitude is nothing to sniff at!

    8 votes
  2. Comment on Weekly Middle East war megathread - week of October 14 in ~news

    fraughtGYRE
    (edited )
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    The statement he makes here is at least arguably incorrect. UN peacekeepers were deliberately targeted and murdered during the Rwandan genocide. The largest casualty event was the torture and...

    The statement he makes here is at least arguably incorrect.

    none of them have killed UN employees en masse

    UN peacekeepers were deliberately targeted and murdered during the Rwandan genocide. The largest casualty event was the torture and murder of 10 Belgian peacekeepers who surrendered to Rwandan forces. Whether this counts as "en masse" depends - under the strict definition of "as a group" it certainly qualifies.

    none of them have sent tanks to invade a UN base

    During the Yugoslav wars, Bosnian Serbs supported by Federal Yugoslavia engaged in tank assaults against UN positions. Here I suppose one could argue that there is a degree of separation because the perpetrators were from Republika Srpska rather than the UN member state, though given the degree of support I find it a thin covering at best.

    In both cases the perpetrating states remained UN members.

    The UN is not the world police, it is a forum. Removing members saps legitimacy. Need I remind people of the absolute failure of the League of Nations? Every national departure from a body like the UN disfigures its purpose. No state has ever been expelled from the UN. Even at the height of apartheid, South Africa was simply refused its seat. It is simply an unprecedented and untenable move to make.

    21 votes
  3. Comment on Solar-powered desalination system requires no extra batteries in ~engineering

    fraughtGYRE
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    I feel like with desalination this isn't really an issue, since you can just add minerals back to get an appropriate concentration. Especially given that the brine contains a large amount of...

    I feel like with desalination this isn't really an issue, since you can just add minerals back to get an appropriate concentration. Especially given that the brine contains a large amount of calcium and magnesium that could be potentially extracted to meet this need.

    5 votes
  4. Comment on Starship Launch 5 successfully caught by launch tower in ~space

    fraughtGYRE
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    Also, the re-entry of the Starship upper stage performed better, though still not perfectly: some burnthrough was still evident on at least one of the rear flap hinges. However, they were able to...

    Also, the re-entry of the Starship upper stage performed better, though still not perfectly: some burnthrough was still evident on at least one of the rear flap hinges.

    However, they were able to remain in control and actually landed it next to a buoy they had in the ocean - we got a feed from a camera on the buoy after landing! This is an incredible demonstration of accuracy, especially through the difficulty of damage and the atmosphere itself.

    15 votes
  5. Comment on Starship Launch 5 successfully caught by launch tower in ~space

    fraughtGYRE
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    Put it perfectly. Every thread on SpaceX devolves into vicious attacks that may or may not be warranted, but certainly aren't appropriate in a conversation celebrating and discussing an important...

    I'm honestly just sick of every single thing SpaceX does being hyper-criticized because it's owner is a egotistical hypocritical toolbag. (Turns out most billionaires are, they just don't tweet about it.) SpaceX is legitimately almost single-handedly advancing space technology by decades.

    Put it perfectly. Every thread on SpaceX devolves into vicious attacks that may or may not be warranted, but certainly aren't appropriate in a conversation celebrating and discussing an important achievement.

    In my opinion, that's what the "Post a new topic" button is for.

    18 votes
  6. Comment on Moving wikis away from Fandom in ~tech

    fraughtGYRE
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    Very chuffed that the League of Legends Wiki is moving away from Fandom. This wiki is incredibly well made and maintained, with info on several related games (LoL, TFT, Wild Rift, and Legends of...

    Very chuffed that the League of Legends Wiki is moving away from Fandom.

    This wiki is incredibly well made and maintained, with info on several related games (LoL, TFT, Wild Rift, and Legends of Runeterra) as well as the lore, updates (patches and beta environment), company communication, and trivia.

    It's an incredibly useful resource for players, and is now officially supported by Riot Games. A big win for the community in my opinion.

    9 votes
  7. Comment on Patent law is broken (USA) and EU (sort of) in ~science

    fraughtGYRE
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    Is this really true? I feel like it is at least over-broad. Patents can cover, for example, manufacturing processes and tool designs that are not inherently obvious from the final product. Using...

    Anything that can be patented can be reverse engineered

    Is this really true? I feel like it is at least over-broad. Patents can cover, for example, manufacturing processes and tool designs that are not inherently obvious from the final product.

    Using CRISPR as an example - if it were somehow kept secret, and only the final product (modified DNA sequences) were made public, how would you go about reverse-engineering that? The only obvious information you have is that there is a new method of modifying DNA that is better than current methods. (I'm not sure if CRISPR leaves obvious biochemical traces behind - for the sake of the argument, let's say it doesn't.)

    2 votes
  8. Comment on Google now only search engine allowed to provide results from Reddit in ~tech

    fraughtGYRE
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    Thank you for the clarification!

    Thank you for the clarification!

    8 votes
  9. Comment on Google now only search engine allowed to provide results from Reddit in ~tech

    fraughtGYRE
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    Wow, that is nothing short of horrible! Is this not a violation of net neutrality? I sadly haven't kept abreast of the FCC's position on the matter, so I'm unclear if this is something they'd take...

    Wow, that is nothing short of horrible!

    Is this not a violation of net neutrality? I sadly haven't kept abreast of the FCC's position on the matter, so I'm unclear if this is something they'd take interest in.

    41 votes
  10. Comment on It's starting to look a lot like... Y2K in ~tech

    fraughtGYRE
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    Presumably sung to the tune of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"..? It has been fascinating to see the ramifications and responses to such a large scale outage. I do wonder what would...

    Presumably sung to the tune of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"..?

    It has been fascinating to see the ramifications and responses to such a large scale outage. I do wonder what would happen in even larger events with less clear resolutions, like a solar flare or massive cyber attack.

    5 votes
  11. Comment on Let's build a playlist! in ~music

    fraughtGYRE
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    The Decembrists - Burial Ground I've been listening to it to excess for over a week now.

    The Decembrists - Burial Ground

    I've been listening to it to excess for over a week now.

    2 votes
  12. Comment on CrowdStrike code update bricking Windows machines around the world in ~tech

    fraughtGYRE
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    I'm just going to drop an "I was here" comment for watching the dress rehearsal to a complete collapse of the Internet, wherever that may yet come from... (let me know if you want your name added XD)

    I'm just going to drop an "I was here" comment for watching the dress rehearsal to a complete collapse of the Internet, wherever that may yet come from... (let me know if you want your name added XD)

    3 votes
  13. Comment on You don’t need a pickup truck, you need a cowboy costume in ~transport

    fraughtGYRE
    Link Parent
    I defintely agree with your post. I think what I was trying to say is that the larger size proves less beneficial than people feel. Even in your example, of a large truck hitting a small car. What...

    I defintely agree with your post.
    I think what I was trying to say is that the larger size proves less beneficial than people feel. Even in your example, of a large truck hitting a small car. What you described in known as "crash misalignment", where the safety features like crumple zones and airbags of cars do not work effectively when the cars are significantly different in size. This is bad for even the driver of the large car, who might get more rollovers due to a less "head-on" and more "under-cutting" collision. Of course, it's even worse for the small car driver.

    And then there's the matter of the arms race, and as @AugustusFerdinand said, of large size encouraging complacency. All of these factors contribute to roads filled with large cars simply being less safe overall, and even the people who purchase large vehicles for the defensive factor are actually not getting the benefit they expect.

    7 votes
  14. Comment on You don’t need a pickup truck, you need a cowboy costume in ~transport

    fraughtGYRE
    Link Parent
    There's also the matter of (perceived) safety in size. People feel safer and more comfortable in larger vehicles, both casually and in respect to thinking about collisions. This in spite of the...

    There's also the matter of (perceived) safety in size. People feel safer and more comfortable in larger vehicles, both casually and in respect to thinking about collisions. This in spite of the fact that larger vehicles have worse accident survivability than you might expect due to higher CoGs.

    10 votes
  15. Comment on A new way to self govern - the selection of representatives by lottery in ~society

    fraughtGYRE
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    I do find it slightly funny that we call sortition a "new" method of voting when it was one of the governance methods of ancient Athenian democracy.

    I do find it slightly funny that we call sortition a "new" method of voting when it was one of the governance methods of ancient Athenian democracy.

    1 vote
  16. Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Returning blockier than ever on Friday July 12th (1.21 update) in ~games

    fraughtGYRE
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    Ooh, can we be on a list to be pinged when it goes live? Looking forward to being able to spend more than 5 minutes on it this time haha

    Ooh, can we be on a list to be pinged when it goes live?

    Looking forward to being able to spend more than 5 minutes on it this time haha

    3 votes
  17. Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir in ~books

    fraughtGYRE
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    The funniest thing just happened to me: I got gifted this book for the second time by the same person. They forgot they had previously given it to me - evidently they think I'm the exact audience....

    The funniest thing just happened to me: I got gifted this book for the second time by the same person. They forgot they had previously given it to me - evidently they think I'm the exact audience.

    They're right, of course. I deeply enjoyed the story. I do wish maybe a bit more time had been spent examining the demise of the crewmates and the MCs response to that. The ending was a bit stranger than I had anticipated, with the choice to remain on an alien world. But these are superficial criticisms I think, the arc and contents are very solid.

    I appreciated the "first contact" scene, with both sides using a scientific approach in establishing communications. I think that if humanity ever does come in contact with an alien race we'd be able to use shared scientific concepts as a starting point to be able to understand each other.

    Finally, I was left with some desire to examine the changes on Earth that would come about from the efforts to avoid environmental catastrophe. Nuking most of the Antarctic, among other things, would surely have major political, social, and long-term environmental effects. It reminds me of Ben Bova's series, where the voyagers to an apparently habitable world return after a nearly two-century long voyage to find the ecosphere massively altered and the concomitant changes to society to be difficult to come to grips with. This isn't a main point in that series either, so if anyone can recommend a book where something along those lines is an important plot thread I'd appreciate it.

    4 votes
  18. Comment on Arcane | Season 2 official teaser trailer in ~tv

    fraughtGYRE
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    Yep, the wiki is pretty good for the lore. The main missing ones are for sure Urgot and Renata Glasc, at least for Zaun. We may see Janna and also Zeri, especially as she is closely connected to...

    Yep, the wiki is pretty good for the lore. The main missing ones are for sure Urgot and Renata Glasc, at least for Zaun. We may see Janna and also Zeri, especially as she is closely connected to Ekko. Warwick was pretty clearly teased in this trailer

    One I'm really interested in is

    Spoiler! Orianna, who is a young woman that has had most of her body replaced by hextech due to a progressive illness. It is widely theorized she is Singed's daughter, and it was his genius that kept her alive

    Finally, Viktor's "glorious evolution " should take place this season...

    3 votes
  19. Comment on Arcane | Season 2 official teaser trailer in ~tv

    fraughtGYRE
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    As I said in the League patch notes thread, I'm happy to discuss lore areas Riot might want to make content about in the future, now that they've said the Piltover/Zaun story will conclude with...

    As I said in the League patch notes thread, I'm happy to discuss lore areas Riot might want to make content about in the future, now that they've said the Piltover/Zaun story will conclude with this season.

    In any case, I'm very excited to see how they conclude this storyline, and which game champions from Piltover/Zaun we haven't seen yet might make an appearance.

    3 votes
  20. Comment on League of Legends 14.12 patch notes in ~games

    fraughtGYRE
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    Arcane Season 2 Trailer (maybe worthy of its own topic?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6g2uEjF1s As they say in the trailer, they are concluding the story for Piltover/Zaun, but they plan to...

    Arcane Season 2 Trailer (maybe worthy of its own topic?)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6g2uEjF1s

    As they say in the trailer, they are concluding the story for Piltover/Zaun, but they plan to continue with more projects for other regions of the world. If you aren't familiar with League of Legends world (Runeterra) and the lore therein, there are many more places with interesting stories to tell. I'm pretty well versed in the lore (its one of the main things I like about League in general), so if you have any questions about where they might be headed next feel free to ask.

    6 votes