Fascinating facts

[Carl East]

Found a link to dark matter/dark energy is anyone is interested. In fact the site itself is pretty cool.

http://sciencematters.berkeley.edu/archives/volume1/issue1/story3.php

Interesting stuff ABS.

Carl

 

[Xelebes]

As a member of SETI At Home, I can tell you that the project is worse than looking for a needle in a haystack.

The SETI At Home project is basicly people all over the world downloading Work Units that are processed on their home computers looking for radio signals that are NOT naturally produced. Each work unit is a a couple of seconds of what was recorded from one radiotelescope pointed at one VERY small area of space. All of the WUs now come from the Arecibo Observitory in Puerto Rico. The observatory has a somwhat limited effective field of view and SETI does not get exclusive use of the observitory. Even with the million or so members sifting through the WU's it would take forever just to process what Arecibo sees in one day.

Seti is not looking for a needle in a haystack. It's much worse. SETI is looking for a planet in the universe.

EDIT: Forgot to mention those Work Units are also from a specific frequency band during those few seconds aimed at that tiny spec of space

What tools do you use to analyse the data? Use filters and that sort? I mean, I use audio equipment so I am sure that is one way of analysing the data.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

>
> If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is
>produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
>
>(Now that's more like it!)
>

This is just dead wrong. Science comes to the rescue.

The main combustible gas in flatus is methane, CH4. The heat of combustion of methane is 1196.8 calories/gram. (note that these aren't dieter's calories, which are actually kilocalories. I Kcal=1000 cal)

Let's say you were able to fart 22.4 liters of gas in 24 hours, a rather huge amount. (The normal adult farts about 14 times a day and emits about 0.5 liters of gas. Don;t ask me how I know.) That would equal 1 mole of methane at standard temperature and pressure, or 14 grams worth, which would release 19,148 calories of heat energy. So you might be able to crank out about 20,000 calories a day if the bean supply holds out.

A one-kiloton nuclear device, which is extremely tiny for an atomic bomb, puts out 1 X 10^12 calories of energy, which means you would have to fart 22.4 liters of methane every day for about 137,000 years to provide one kiloton of energy.

Six years and nine months indeed!

Science marches on...

---Zoot

P.S. Do you think I need a life maybe?

 

[amicus]

My research indicates that women only display flatulence 13 times per day.

We both need a life...

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

The normal adult farts about 14 times a day and emits about 0.5 liters of gas. Don;t ask me how I know.

That's funny, I don't fart at all. (the dog did it, honest...)

I don't doubt what Carl said is true; eventually, we will do all those things, assuming we don't blow ourselves up beforehand. But chances are, none of us will be around to see it (unless we also discover a way to greatly lengthen our lifespans). The question is: Do we really want to start mining space asteroids and setting up bases on other planets? I see the positive side fo these things, and the writer inside wants to see us do these things, but I'm not so sure it's fair to... well, nature I guess, for us to carry our ways further into space. Hopefully, when we finally do reach space, a lot of the things that have gone wrong here won't be the issues they are today.

Q_C

 

[amicus]

"...Do we really want to start mining space asteroids and setting up bases on other planets? I see the positive side fo these things, and the writer inside wants to see us do these things, but I'm not so sure it's fair to... well, nature I guess, for us to carry our ways further into space...."

...not fair to nature....sighs amicus...

How can you look at the magnificent works of mankind, the generosity, the humanity, the arts and literature and not wish to inhabit the known universe?

 

[sincerely_helene]

Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

Let's say you were able to fart 22.4 liters of gas in 24 hours, a rather huge amount. (The normal adult farts about 14 times a day and emits about 0.5 liters of gas. Don;t ask me how I know.) That would equal 1 mole of methane at standard temperature and pressure, or 14 grams worth, which would release 19,148 calories of heat energy. So you might be able to crank out about 20,000 calories a day if the bean supply holds out.

A one-kiloton nuclear device, which is extremely tiny for an atomic bomb, puts out 1 X 10^12 calories of energy, which means you would have to fart 22.4 liters of methane every day for about 137,000 years to provide one kiloton of energy.

Six years and nine months indeed!

Science marches on...

---Zoot

P.S. Do you think I need a life maybe?

I'm just glad I wasn't in the lab the day they tested that theory.

 

[cheerful_deviant]

How can you look at the magnificent works of mankind, the generosity, the humanity, the arts and literature and not wish to inhabit the known universe?

Countless wars, descrimination, terrorism, nuclear weapons, biological warfare, serial killers, computer viruses, religous purges... yeah, turn us loose on the Universe.

 

[Carl East]

Re: Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

The question is: Do we really want to start mining space asteroids and setting up bases on other planets?

The fact is Quiet_Cool we don't have a choice, all the things I mentioned will happen one day. I think you have a valid point though, so I sincerely hope that we have learnt from past mistakes before venturing out into deep space.

As a species though, we are using up our resorces far too quickly. It might be hard to imagine right now, but people will one day (in the not too distant future) be booking a holiday on the moon. Or applying for a mining position on Mars, and in another 150 years some of us will even be moving to Mars after it's been terraformed.

These are the things you and I are going to miss, even if we slow down the aging process. That sucks. lol

Carl

 

[Carl East]

Did you know that we will soon be able to own cars that can fly? Think I'm nuts? Then take a look at this:

http://travel.howstuffworks.com/flying-car.htm

I hope this happens, because it will revolutionize travel as we know it today. Just think, no more traffic jams. No more having to consider working close to home, because at three hundred miles an hour it'll always be local. And it'll be fully automatic.

Exciting future isn't it?

Carl

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Re: Re: Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

The fact is Quiet_Cool we don't have a choice, all the things I mentioned will happen one day. I think you have a valid point though, so I sincerely hope that we have learnt from past mistakes before venturing out into deep space.

As a species though, we are using up our resorces far too quickly. It might be hard to imagine right now, but people will one day (in the not too distant future) be booking a holiday on the moon. Or applying for a mining position on Mars, and in another 150 years some of us will even be moving to Mars after it's been terraformed.

These are the things you and I are going to miss, even if we slow down the aging process. That sucks. lol

Carl

Personally, I don't buy it, not at our present level of technology, and not with what I see in the forseeable future.

The idea of the manned exploration of space might just very well be an idea whose time has come and gone. In fact, there seems to be something almost quaint about the idea of traveling to other planets. I mean, what for? Robots can give us all the information we might want at a fraction of the cost, and there are no foreseeable economic benefits. Mining asteroids just wouldn't pay, not even if they were made of solid gold, and what's the point of having a moon base or a base on Mars? Who's going to pay for it if there's no return on their investment?

Most people don;t seem to realize that the US mission to the moon wasn't really about science. Since Kennedy, the idea was to use the moon as the ulimate high ground to launch missiles against the USSR. That's why the US put so much money and effort into it: we had to beat the Russians. We certainly didn't do it out of a lust for science. Once we found we could launch missiles from satellites we forgot about it. The space shuttle was designed specifically to put military satellites in orbit. All that stuff about studying ants in zero gravity was just bull-flop.

Sure it would be nice to stand on Mars, I suppose, but who's going to pay for it? And why?

Personally, I think the future will probably tend towards virtual realities. We'll send our instruments into space and be able to sense everything they do, but our bodies will stay here. The idea of manned space travel already seems to me like a quaint, twentieth-century idea, like the idea of atomic-powered cars or building a bridge to Europe.

And at the risk of being an entirely wet blanket, I have t say that the idea of flying cars has been around since the 50's. Can you imagine what it would be like if all the cars on the roads today were airborne? Can you wrap your mind around a three-dimensional traffic jam?

---dr.M.

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

All that stuff about studying ants in zero gravity was just bull-flop.

Mab., I appreciate your clarity and thinking. The above post called to mind the 'root of evil' thread and my thought that it is power (and the money required). If space exploration could provide real political power the U.S. wouldn't think twice about pumping money into it. As it is now all the talk of advancing science is a very flimsy scrim.

Perdita

 

[Carl East]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

Personally, I don't buy it, not at our present level of technology, and not with what I see in the forseeable future.


---dr.M.

I can nether prove nor disprove anything that I've said in this thread, because it's all about time. But I do believe that these things will come about, and only time will tell.

As for the flying car, check this out dr.

http://www.moller.com/skycar/

Carl

 

[Evil Alpaca]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

I can nether prove nor disprove anything that I've said in this thread, because it's all about time. But I do believe that these things will come about, and only time will tell.

As for the flying car, check this out dr.

http://www.moller.com/skycar/

Carl

I completely believe that a flying car is "possible," which from a usability standpoint is a far cry from "practical." But damn it, I want a jet pack!

 

[Quiet_Cool]

"...Do we really want to start mining space asteroids and setting up bases on other planets? I see the positive side fo these things, and the writer inside wants to see us do these things, but I'm not so sure it's fair to... well, nature I guess, for us to carry our ways further into space...."

...not fair to nature....sighs amicus...

How can you look at the magnificent works of mankind, the generosity, the humanity, the arts and literature and not wish to inhabit the known universe?

Well, I'm not normally one for screaming about pollution and whatnot, but honestly, why do it? What's so magnificent about taking the things we've done wrong here and ruining other environments. There was a point once, where the American Indians hadn't been exposed to certain viruses that the Europeans were well-prepared for. When the Indians came into contact with them, it was disastrous. Many, many died. How can we take, not just our natural problems, meaning said viruses, plus our pollutions and wars and whatnot and take them into space. Like the others were saying, what's in it for us, except for war purposes? Unless there's a secret ingredient we need to make that flying car?

Q_C

 

[gauchecritic]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

All that stuff about studying ants in zero gravity was just bull-flop.
---dr.M.

But they were space ants.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Remember when NASA was just begging people for ideas for experiments for the space shuttle? We used to sit around and get high and try to think of ideas, like:

--The effects of weightlessness on the preparation of scrambled eggs.

--Doing laundry in outer space.

--Can you teach dogs tricks in outer space?

--Outer space hairdos.

--Can you play dice in zero G's?

We should have sent them the ideas. I might be famous today.

---Zoot

 

[cheerful_deviant]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ok not spacey, but enjoyed these facts

I can nether prove nor disprove anything that I've said in this thread, because it's all about time. But I do believe that these things will come about, and only time will tell.

As for the flying car, check this out dr.

http://www.moller.com/skycar/

Carl

As Doc M pointed out, the idea of everyone flying around in their own flying cars has been around since the 50's.

The company Moller Int. has been around for years, and as of now is the only one that has developed something close to a personal flying car. I visited their site several years ago and just again now and it is interesting to note that very little has apparently changed. They are still trying to produce safe, efficient affordable transportation for everybody and they still haven't done it.

But I did notice that they are now taking deposits on the first batch of M400's, their 4 person flying car, to be delivered in 2006 (maybe). So maybe they are actually making progress.

But if you'll notice, the going price for a new M400 is just south of $1 million (US). So much for affordable.

I don't think Honda and Ford should be to worried yet.

 

[Just-Legal]

It *flies*?

I want one!

 

[Carl East]

Hi guys/gals, I see a lot of interesting things happening with the fuel cell market these days. The Hydrogen car for one, (which, although not quite perfected just yet will have its day some time soon) but the most exciting fuel cell breakthroughs are the little things at the moment. Shortly the humble battery (which hasn't changed much since the 1940's) is to go through a massive jump in power output.

They already have a laptop battery that will last for up to twenty hours, as opposed to the two to four hours you used to get. Portal music players will also greatly benifit from this technology, and it would seem that Japan is leading the way with these devices. This may seem quite minor to some people, until you realise just how valuable extra power can be. Take the recent robots on Mars for instance, they could only operate for so long simply because of the life span of the batteries onboard.

As we all know when there is a breakthrough of this kind, other things follow. So I wonder where it will all lead. I only touched on the hydrogen car, mainly because there are so many ways to go. It has long been a dream of car manufacturers to create a viable electric car, one that would be able to perform as well, if not better, than a standard vehicle. As yet we need another one ot two breakthroughs to make this dream a reality, but it will happen, of that there is no doubt.

Carl

 

[BlackShanglan]

Hmmm. Interesting if true. I was told many years ago by a usually reliable source that the main roadblock to wider use of solar power in homes was the batteries. The cells, he said, had come down a great deal in price and were now fairly efficient, but the batteries were expensive and limited in their storage capacity. If similar advances are being made there, that could be a very hopeful thing.

Shanglan

 

[Carl East]

Um

It is not possible for giant insects to exist. Insects do no have lungs. They absorb oxygen through their outer coverings. Due to the square cube law, a giant insect would die of oxygen starvation within minutes at best.

R. Richard is making a classic mistake here, and it's one that many scientists have made in the past. He's going on what he knows of insects from this planet, and not what may be possible on another. We tend to think that everything out there must be like or similar to us, but I wouldn't mind betting the reality is quite different.

Personally I believe that the universe is teeming with life, and the only reason we may never get to prove it is the distances needed to travel in order to do so.

Carl

 

[rgraham666]

Hey Carl. Long time no see. How are you doing?

 

[Carl East]

Hey Carl. Long time no see. How are you doing?

I'm very happy RG, in fact I've never been happier. I recently went on a seven day cruise to the caribean, and found it to be one of the most relaxing holidays of my life.

How's it going for you guys?

Carl

 

[rgraham666]

I'm very happy RG, in fact I've never been happier. I recently went on a seven day cruise to the caribean, and found it to be one of the most relaxing holidays of my life.

How's it going for you guys?

Carl

So good to hear, Carl.

Me? I'm good. I've had three e-books released in the last year and another one in the works. Headed to Chicago to meet other people from the AH at the end of March.

So things are good.