[Gallium]

Originally Posted by devildog2067

Ok, ok! It was a terrible example!

I liked the previous one a lot better, but the guy I was responding to seemed to have ignored it. I'll repeat it here, I guess:

If I ask you to build a speaker that will let me hear your voice from 100 meters away, that's something we know how to do.

If I then ask for a speaker that will let me hear your voice from 10 miles away... well, that's an engineering challenge, but fundamentally all it would take is a really really big speaker and some good waveguide design.

If I ask for a speaker that will let me hear you on the Moon... it can't be done. Sound physically does not work that way. No amount of can-do attitude can make it happen.

Some limitations are physics. Some are engineering. Sometimes we're confused about which is which. But there *are* some fundamental physics limitations that cannot be overcome simply by building better machines.

Now I don't even have a high school diploma, but you gotta realize I know a thing or two about transducers. You don't NEED a transducer to generate sound. You need a transducer to ...uh, transduce from electrical energy to particle motion.

Of course, the frequency of sounds that would be reproducible on the moon would be very limited, but if a medium can transmit energy for that wavelength, sound will and can occur.

[RonS]

I'd rather the human race became extinct because we tried exploring the universe and found something we couldn't handle that have it become extinct because we confined ourselves to one planet out of cowardice, shortsightedness and lack of ambition.

The human race needs to get off its ass and explore. I can see smoke from my neighbors chimney, it's time to move on.

[Altaris]

Originally Posted by RonS

I'd rather the human race became extinct because we tried exploring the universe and found something we couldn't handle that have it become extinct because we confined ourselves to one planet out of cowardice, shortsightedness and lack of ambition.

The human race needs to get off its ass and explore. I can see smoke from my neighbors chimney, it's time to move on.

I totally agree. With the scared mentality we would be still stuck in the caves, fearful of the lions, tigers, and bears that might be waiting for us. And saying, how about we solve the problems in our cave tribe first, before we go explore the open lands.

[inthefrey]

Originally Posted by devildog2067

Ok, ok! It was a terrible example!

I liked the previous one a lot better, but the guy I was responding to seemed to have ignored it. I'll repeat it here, I guess:

If I ask you to build a speaker that will let me hear your voice from 100 meters away, that's something we know how to do.

If I then ask for a speaker that will let me hear your voice from 10 miles away... well, that's an engineering challenge, but fundamentally all it would take is a really really big speaker and some good waveguide design.


If I ask for a speaker that will let me hear you on the Moon... it can't be done. Sound physically does not work that way. No amount of can-do attitude can make it happen.

Some limitations are physics. Some are engineering. Sometimes we're confused about which is which. But there *are* some fundamental physics limitations that cannot be overcome simply by building better machines.

I didn't ignore it! I thought it was an excellent example or challenge if you will.

On an science/physics/engineering note: I read where we've overcome the need to cryo-freeze a MASER to get it to work - Basically room-temp, solid-state MASER.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19281566

I also read where you guys are planning the "next" machine, the "Higgs Factory", and that funding for it will be a little tough in this economy.

Good luck!

[Altaris]

Originally Posted by ArtificialGrape

A universe full of matter can be open (expand forever), closed (expand, stop, collapse (Big Crunch)), or flat (expand, slow down, but never quite stop).

The evidence now supports that our universe is a flat universe. Lawrence Krass' original 2009 "A Universe from Nothing" lecture has been pulled down from YouTube, but he followed it up with a book, and here is a later lecture on it (not sure why the player is not embedding right now).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CO&h...&v=YUe0_4rdj0U

-ArtificialGrape

AG,
Are you talking about this one?

'A Universe From Nothing' by Lawrence Krauss - YouTube

'A Universe From Nothing' by Lawrence Krauss - YouTube

That is weird, I can't find the original version of it that I had bookmarked either. Not sure why they would remove that. It had a ton of views.

[ArtificialGrape]

Originally Posted by Altaris

AG,
Are you talking about this one?
'A Universe From Nothing' by Lawrence Krauss - YouTube

That is weird, I can't find the original version of it that I had bookmarked either. Not sure why they would remove that. It had a ton of views.

Yes, cool, thanks. The location I had bookmarked now shows "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim"

-ArtificialGrape

[Angry Fist]

Originally Posted by Gallium

Now I don't even have a high school diploma, but you gotta realize I know a thing or two about transducers. You don't NEED a transducer to generate sound. You need a transducer to ...uh, transduce from electrical energy to particle motion.

Of course, the frequency of sounds that would be reproducible on the moon would be very limited, but if a medium can transmit energy for that wavelength, sound will and can occur.

I need to trandsduece a sound... I don't know about the waves, or the length, but I'm pretty sure they taper off at one end. There are trillions of particles involved, and they overwhelmingly constitute the nature of this post.

[mrstrau]

In my opinion there has to be other life. I think about this all the time...everytime I worry about money or my job or the future...in the end it's all sort of insignificant in the face of it all..but at the same time, it's all we've got, so we might as well do something.

We float around on a speck of sand traveling thousands of miles per hour around a sun, which is just one of billions of other stars in the universe. I think its something like the closest star to us is 16.8 Billion light years away from us. That means we'd have to travel for 16.8 billion years, AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, to get there. I'm not a scientist, or a space travel expert, but I'm pretty sure its near impossible, since its damn difficult to get anything with any amount of mass to travel that fast. Then there is the whole issue of a Human being's life span...

We are a part of just one galaxy that is a part of millions of others which make up the universe..which is probably apart of some other crazy ****. If we can study certain "laws" that seem to act the same way in our galaxy, such as what carbon based life forms need to survive, i.e. food, water, shelter, etc, then its very possible that other life forms out there are also carbon based, and may even look something like us.

Who knows? That's the beauty of it all. I may be an idealist, but if human beings started worrying less about money and who believes in what god and which country has the most stuff, and started worrying about humanity as a whole, pooling the worlds resources, maybe one day we could find out whats out there.

But we're irrational and violent. Oh well, gives me a reason to carry a gun.

[Rabbi]

Originally Posted by mrstrau

In my opinion there has to be other life. I think about this all the time...everytime I worry about money or my job or the future...in the end it's all sort of insignificant in the face of it all..but at the same time, it's all we've got, so we might as well do something.

We float around on a speck of sand traveling thousands of miles per hour around a sun, which is just one of billions of other stars in the universe. I think its something like the closest star to us is 16.8 Billion light years away from us. That means we'd have to travel for 16.8 billion years, AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, to get there. I'm not a scientist, or a space travel expert, but I'm pretty sure its near impossible, since its damn difficult to get anything with any amount of mass to travel that fast. Then there is the whole issue of a Human being's life span...

We are a part of just one galaxy that is a part of millions of others which make up the universe..which is probably apart of some other crazy ****. If we can study certain "laws" that seem to act the same way in our galaxy, such as what carbon based life forms need to survive, i.e. food, water, shelter, etc, then its very possible that other life forms out there are also carbon based, and may even look something like us.

Who knows? That's the beauty of it all. I may be an idealist, but if human beings started worrying less about money and who believes in what god and which country has the most stuff, and started worrying about humanity as a whole, pooling the worlds resources, maybe one day we could find out whats out there.

But we're irrational and violent. Oh well, gives me a reason to carry a gun.

There is up to a septillion stars, billion is a drop in the bucket.

The closest star is 4.3 light years away (four point three)

BTW, it is worrying about money and who has the most stuff that has created societies that can start to understand this stuff. I will never understand how people (Americians in particular) dont get this.

[mrstrau]

Originally Posted by Rabbi

There is up to a septillion stars, billion is a drop in the bucket.

The closest star is 4.3 light years away (four point three)

BTW, it is worrying about money and who has the most stuff that has created societies that can start to understand this stuff. I will never understand how people (Americians in particular) dont get this.

Right, as I said, I'm not a scientist or an expert on the Universe, I'm a history geek instead. Still, 4.3 light years away is ridiculously far away, and I'm not sure if it's possible we even are able to travel that far in our lifetime.

And I understand it would take millions in research and development, as well as many years, to reach a stage where we are capable of that level of "Space Exploration".

But when you consider the challenges our planet faces: failing global economy, dwindling finite resources, damage to our planet caused by pollution and economic development, I sometimes wish we would worry more about "humanity" rather than just America, or Britain, or Botswana, or whatever.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is if we were more in this together, we may reach that stage much faster. Stephen Hawking himself said we as a species will probably have to expand outward into space in the next 1,000 years or we're pretty much screwed.

But again, I'm a bit of an Idealist I suppose.

[Rabbi]

Originally Posted by mrstrau

Right, as I said, I'm not a scientist or an expert on the Universe, I'm a history geek instead. Still, 4.3 light years away is ridiculously far away, and I'm not sure if it's possible we even are able to travel that far in our lifetime.

And I understand it would take millions in research and development, as well as many years, to reach a stage where we are capable of that level of "Space Exploration".

But when you consider the challenges our planet faces: failing global economy, dwindling finite resources, damage to our planet caused by pollution and economic development, I sometimes wish we would worry more about "humanity" rather than just America, or Britain, or Botswana, or whatever.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is if we were more in this together, we may reach that stage much faster. Stephen Hawking himself said we as a species will probably have to expand outward into space in the next 1,000 years or we're pretty much screwed.

But again, I'm a bit of an Idealist I suppose.

I think you are flat out wrong.

What holds us back is people who dont add much draining the resources (be they real or intellectual) of those who do great things.

Idealism destroys/keeps from every happenening, human advances while greed marches us forward.

[mrstrau]

Originally Posted by Rabbi

What holds us back is people who dont add much draining the resources (be they real or intellectual) of those who do great things.

Your grammar is confusing here; I'm not quite sure what you mean.

Either way, there is no such thing as absolute truth, especially when it comes to the larger pictures such as the global socioeconomic crisis or space exploration.

We are but mere mortals.

Anyway, at the risk of getting into an argument on the internet, which can degenerate into HERPA DERPA DERP, I will agree to disagree, if that's okay with you.

Best,
mrstrau

[Rabbi]

Originally Posted by mrstrau

Your grammar is confusing here; I'm not quite sure what you mean.

Either way, there is no such thing as absolute truth, especially when it comes to the larger pictures such as the global socioeconomic crisis or space exploration.

We are but mere mortals.

Anyway, at the risk of getting into an argument on the internet, which can degenerate into HERPA DERPA DERP, I will agree to disagree, if that's okay with you.

Best,
mrstrau

People who produce, being forced to take care of those who WONT, while the government collects a vig and sets the rules for themselves holds us back more than anything else.

You cant raise the bottom by placing a cap on the top. Not all mortals are the same.

[475-480]

Exactly.

Sean

Originally Posted by Reyn

If he is all knowing he doesn't need a plan B.

[Glocksanity]

Originally Posted by Rabbi

Not all mortals are the same.

That's what I have been trying to say. Some are Reptilian! And those Reptilians are spiritually regressive, and that is what is holding humanity back!!

[Rabbi]

Originally Posted by Glocksanity

That's what I have been trying to say. Some are Reptilian! And those Reptilians are spiritually regressive, and that is what is holding humanity back!!

I ate unicorn for lunch today. By tomorrow I shall lay pipe made of pure glitter wrapped in lemon scented doilies.

Onward to Camelot!

[RayB]

Originally Posted by devildog2067

Ok, ok! It was a terrible example!

I liked the previous one a lot better, but the guy I was responding to seemed to have ignored it. I'll repeat it here, I guess...

I didn't ignore it. I understood it and agreed.

As to the shovel on Mars, my greater point was that we'd already been there and did that—twice. *

Now, I made my point a bit playfully, so as to have a little fun with you, because I'd assumed that was still possible.

In any case, were I to assign you a nickname, I wouldn't choose WrongwayWon...

--Ray

* For a lander at the poles, I'd send an auger; unless you don't think that's possible!

[RayB]

Do individual light particles—i.e., photons—have a spin to them?

In other words, if I could capture individual photons coming towards me, with some kind of advanced imaging system, would I detect a spin on each one, like a bullet fired from a rifled barrel, or a well-thrown pass with a football?

Would this observed spin be consistently clockwise from my point of view, or counter clockwise?

--Ray

[17119jfkioe]

Originally Posted by RayB

Do individual light particles—i.e., photons—have a spin to them?

In other words, if I could capture individual photons coming towards me, with some kind of advanced imaging system, would I detect a spin on each one, like a bullet fired from a rifled barrel, or a well-thrown pass with a football?

Would this observed spin be consistently clockwise from my point of view, or counter clockwise?

--Ray

They do spin a little. Weird stuff

[tantrix]

Originally Posted by mrstrau

Stephen Hawking himself said we as a species will probably have to expand outward into space in the next 1,000 years or we're pretty much screwed.

In before someone comes in and tries to prove Stephen Hawking wrong.

[RayB]

Originally Posted by 17119jfkioe

They do spin a little. Weird stuff

Okay, but do they always spin like a bullet fired from a rifled barrel, with say, a right-hand or left-hand twist?

--Ray

[devildog2067]

Originally Posted by RayB

Do individual light particles—i.e., photons—have a spin to them?

They "have spin" in the sense that they have quantum angular momentum.

They don't "have spin" in the sense that they're not "spinning."

Turns out that on the quantum level, a thing can have angular momentum even if it doesn't have a physical size.

[RayB]

Originally Posted by devildog2067

They "have spin" in the sense that they have quantum angular momentum.

They don't "have spin" in the sense that they're not "spinning."

Turns out that on the quantum level, a thing can have angular momentum even if it doesn't have a physical size.

Is there a direction to that angular momentum, say, like a right-hand twist on an incoming bullet? Or is it random?

--Ray

[dwhite53]

Somewhere, across untold billions of light years of space, on another gun forum, the members are discussing the same thing.

All the Best,
D. White

[Johnspark]

Originally Posted by dwhite53

Somewhere, across untold billions of light years of space, on another gun forum, the members are discussing the same thing.

All the Best,
D. White

Nope, they're still stuck between 9mm and .45.

We, on the other hand, have learned to rise above our latent cro magnon instincts and are firmly in agreement on the fact that...wait what? Did someone just yell "Freebird" again.

Damn it, I was on a roll too!