fraughtGYRE's recent activity
-
Comment on Deep in the Swedish forest lies one of Europe's hopes for a spaceport that can ultimately compete with the United States, China and Russia in ~space
-
Comment on Could a space traveler accelerate at 1g forever? in ~space
fraughtGYRE Link ParentThat's really coolThat's really cool
-
Comment on SpaceX's Starship completes successful test flight after a year of mishaps in ~space
fraughtGYRE Link ParentUnbelievable how much punishment the upper stage took yet made it ll the way to flip and landing burn. Great result.Unbelievable how much punishment the upper stage took yet made it ll the way to flip and landing burn. Great result.
-
Comment on Could a space traveler accelerate at 1g forever? in ~space
fraughtGYRE Link ParentI really love that book. Sitting on my shelf right now actually! I've read it three or four times, it's a great way to spend some time. I looked into the mechanism as described and from what I...I really love that book. Sitting on my shelf right now actually! I've read it three or four times, it's a great way to spend some time. I looked into the mechanism as described and from what I understand it doesn't really work because accelerating particles to move them out of the way causes them to emit radiation (I think this is called Bremsstrahlung) and this radiation will slow you down.
-
Comment on Could a space traveler accelerate at 1g forever? in ~space
fraughtGYRE Link ParentMy idea with the CMB was along this line - if you were travelling through a truly empty cosmic void with literally no dust or gas at all just for the sake of the argument - eventually even just...My idea with the CMB was along this line - if you were travelling through a truly empty cosmic void with literally no dust or gas at all just for the sake of the argument - eventually even just the light emitted from the CMB, some of the lowest energy stuff in existence, would be able to stop you from accelerating further.
-
Comment on Could a space traveler accelerate at 1g forever? in ~space
fraughtGYRE (edited )LinkMy answer is actually no: even assuming a magic fuel source, there is an important aspect to consider, which is that you are travelling though the universe and the universe is full of stuff, like...My answer is actually no: even assuming a magic fuel source, there is an important aspect to consider, which is that you are travelling though the universe and the universe is full of stuff, like hydrogen atoms. At this speed you would be basically forcing them to undergo nuclear fusion with the front of your spacecraft which is going to exert a backwards force. I think (not entirely sure) that at a really stupendous fraction of the speed of light even the radiation pressure from the (highly blueshifted) cosmic microwave background might be enough to overcome the forward force of your engine.
Look at xkcd's Relativistic Baseball - this is in Earth's atmosphere but infinite acceleration would probably be enough to make it relevant to the vacuum of space.
-
Comment on In the future all food will be cooked in a microwave, and if you can’t deal with that then you need to get out of the kitchen in ~tech
fraughtGYRE Link ParentNo Google responses for that word! How exciting.trifficultation
No Google responses for that word! How exciting.
-
Comment on The future of forums is lies, I guess in ~tech
fraughtGYRE Link ParentYes, exactly. I always missed those threads so decided to reach out directly. I wonder which method of joining has brought more people on, it has to be peer-to-peer invites, surely?Yes, exactly. I always missed those threads so decided to reach out directly. I wonder which method of joining has brought more people on, it has to be peer-to-peer invites, surely?
-
Comment on The future of forums is lies, I guess in ~tech
fraughtGYRE Link ParentIndeed, although the difference with Tildes might be that it requires a bit more manual effort. My other interest was because, looking back, I wonder how "AI-like" my application, or others, have...Indeed, although the difference with Tildes might be that it requires a bit more manual effort. My other interest was because, looking back, I wonder how "AI-like" my application, or others, have come off.
-
Comment on The future of forums is lies, I guess in ~tech
fraughtGYRE LinkI hope I'm not bothering you @Deimos ... have you received any applications to Tildes that you felt were AI written?I hope I'm not bothering you @Deimos ... have you received any applications to Tildes that you felt were AI written?
-
Comment on The rise of Whatever in ~tech
fraughtGYRE LinkOh... oh no. I just realized I can count my "regular" websites on one hand. At least, the websites I visit for the purpose of experiencing the Web, rather than for work or as another part of my...You would see more than four websites in a day.
Oh... oh no. I just realized I can count my "regular" websites on one hand. At least, the websites I visit for the purpose of experiencing the Web, rather than for work or as another part of my life.
I'm trying to think - how would I react if someone told me they eat just 5 foods? Watch 5 shows? Read 5 books? I would feel that they were missing out, and it would be in their interest to expand their options - and it might even benefit me to share that with them. The discovery and comprehension of new things is truly wonderful.
So that is pretty upsetting to realize. Really this is coming to terms with a fundamental issue in how the Web is constructed: websites are incentivized to keep me glued to their content and not browsing for anything new. But browsing is part of the innate wonder of the Web.
Maybe there is something to be done.
-
Comment on <deleted topic> in ~music
fraughtGYRE LinkThis article seems to miss the entire point of the movie...? Fletcher is not supposed to be an arbiter of how music is played, he's not even a neighbour to the idea of music as joy and...This article seems to miss the entire point of the movie...? Fletcher is not supposed to be an arbiter of how music is played, he's not even a neighbour to the idea of music as joy and entertainment. Fletcher's obsession is with three things: control, winning, and a sick and twisted idea of development. There is no room for studying theory in Fletcher's world, no room for collaboration with other students. There is only brutal, exacting perfection in Fletcher's ensemble and performances.
Thus it seems to me that the article is actually aligned with the themes in the movie: the actual nature of jazz, of musical education, of "originality" as the author puts it has been sucked out of Fletcher's musical world. His obsessive and abusive nature has guaranteed that outcome. Nor do I agree with the author's assessment that Andrew demonstrates "chutzpah" in the movie. As a matter of fact, my perspective is the opposite: Andrew has failed himself by falling under Fletcher's spell, in which there is no room for life, for relationships (c.f. Andrew's treatment of his girlfriend), and honestly, no room for true music. The result that Andrew is "ready[]... for a job on television" is, ironically, actually quite accurate. By the conclusion of the movie his father is rightly horrified at the risk Andrew now faces: extreme notoriety and the likelihood of an early death under such a stressful and dangerous regime. Andrew will be a caricature of a jazz artist.
In summary, while the treatment of historical facts and worship of less-than-ideal idols in the jazz realm can be considered marks against the movie, the overarching message of a disconnect between the world of Fletcher and the actual world of jazz is a deliberate point the movie is making.
-
Comment on SpaceX says its Starship rocket broke up mid-flight as debris videos emerge online in ~space
fraughtGYRE LinkBut successfully caught the booster for a second time! I was skeptical, but it looks like this is going to be a valid path forward for reuse and reducing turnaround time. Very exciting.But successfully caught the booster for a second time! I was skeptical, but it looks like this is going to be a valid path forward for reuse and reducing turnaround time. Very exciting.
-
Comment on ‘Unprecedented risk’ to life on Earth: Scientists call for halt on ‘mirror life’ microbe research in ~science
fraughtGYRE Link ParentThe ELI5 is that since "nothing in nature has any way to degrade" these things, these things should also not have any way to degrade nature.The ELI5 is that since "nothing in nature has any way to degrade" these things, these things should also not have any way to degrade nature.
-
Comment on Can we ever detect the graviton? (No, but why not?) in ~science
fraughtGYRE (edited )Link ParentFrom 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!
-
Comment on Weekly Middle East war megathread - week of October 14 in ~news
fraughtGYRE (edited )Link ParentThe 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.
-
Comment on Solar-powered desalination system requires no extra batteries in ~engineering
fraughtGYRE Link ParentI 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.
-
Comment on Starship Launch 5 successfully caught by launch tower in ~space
fraughtGYRE LinkAlso, 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.
-
Comment on Starship Launch 5 successfully caught by launch tower in ~space
fraughtGYRE Link ParentPut 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.
-
Comment on Moving wikis away from Fandom in ~tech
fraughtGYRE LinkVery 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.
Polar orbits are pretty useful for a bunch of stuff, especially Earth observation. And higher latitudes are better, because the sideways velocity from the Earth's rotation is irrelevant (arguably counterproductive) to these orbits, and launching directly into the desired inclination (i.e. north-south) is more efficient. So Europe gets a good spaceport for a large segment of missions and a local site to test their systems.