View Profile: swampyankee - Cosmoquest Forum

Today, 08:40 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread Why still there is no Alien contact ? in Life in Space

People used to think that things like infanticide were unique to humanity. Naturalists have found out that infanticide is not uncommon among many...

889 replies | 47528 view(s)

Today, 06:47 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread Will the gravity of Kepler-62e (1.6 x Earth) be stronger than Earth's? in Space/Astronomy Questions and Answers

There are some models which predict (or try to predict) the mass vs radius relationship of rocky planets. Search around sites like the...

11 replies | 121 view(s)

Today, 05:43 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread Mechanical advantages of rails? in Science and Technology

Because one train, with 150 cars, each carrying 200 tons of something can be controlled by one driver, vs maybe 300 individual road trains, each with...

45 replies | 506 view(s)

Today, 10:03 AM

grapes replied to a thread how do i have all my topics/posts deleted and username removed? in Forum Introductions and Feedback

We try. I can remember one poster who signed his full name to his initial post. The post was high enough quality that I was certain he'd be around...

19 replies | 1080 view(s)

Today, 09:41 AM

swampyankee replied to a thread Possibility of robotic personal care workers? in Science and Technology

Quite a lot of people in nursing homes are competent, but just require constant monitoring due to physical frailty. Managing 24/7 care for a person...

12 replies | 217 view(s)

Today, 08:12 AM

grapes replied to a thread Mechanical advantages of rails? in Science and Technology

It's hard to imagine an alternative steel factory without some sort of rail system--you're not going to shuttle hot ladles back and forth on rubber...

45 replies | 506 view(s)

Yesterday, 09:52 AM

swampyankee replied to a thread Mechanical advantages of rails? in Science and Technology

One route may be like this: your society needs a vehicle to chug around a closed track, so they replace the driver with a guide rail, like on the...

45 replies | 506 view(s)

Yesterday, 09:37 AM

swampyankee replied to a thread Blimps in Science and Technology

Probably would be easier to use hot hydrogen. Hot air balloons work reasonably well on Earth.

29 replies | 315 view(s)

Yesterday, 03:58 AM

grapes started a thread SPF ratings for sunscreens in Small Media at Large

From USA Today today: http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2325341 OK I might believe that SPF ratings are gimmicks, as the article says, but I'm...

5 replies | 106 view(s)

Yesterday, 03:00 AM

grapes replied to a thread Looking for a solid pair of binoculars in Astronomical Observing, Equipment and Accessories

The last two links are the same.

6 replies | 153 view(s)

Yesterday, 01:54 AM

swampyankee replied to a thread Blimps in Science and Technology

Ara Pacis probably got the biggest non-physics "why not": a vacuum blimp offers no advantage in a low-density medium, like air. They do work quite...

29 replies | 315 view(s)

2013-May-19, 06:48 PM

grapes replied to a thread Machines in space in Science and Technology

Nobody else may have mentioned the effect of cosmic rays on computers and digital cameras, but that sure seems like an issue. Modern machines have a...

36 replies | 1793 view(s)

2013-May-19, 03:10 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread Blimps in Science and Technology

All submarines are buoyantly supported, with exactly the same mechanism as one of the putative vacuum blimps. Water is just a trifle denser than...

29 replies | 315 view(s)

2013-May-19, 02:28 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread First signs of decline in IQ? in Science and Technology

In my education classes, we had some discussions about IQ. First, the general modern consensus is that intelligence is a multi-dimensional object,...

63 replies | 1629 view(s)

2013-May-19, 01:37 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread Mechanical advantages of rails? in Science and Technology

Diesels won out because they're more efficient than steam, and require less maintenance.

45 replies | 506 view(s)

2013-May-19, 01:32 PM

swampyankee replied to a poll Poll: What poses more of a threat to our planet? in Astronomy

Pedantically, none of the choices are threats to the planet; they're just threats to us. Well, the asteroid may leave a bit of a scar, as did...

47 replies | 1792 view(s)

2013-May-19, 01:22 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread Blimps in Science and Technology

I was limiting my answer to buoyant lift vehicles operating in gas, and I did include structural fraction as one of the conditions. Expanding the...

29 replies | 315 view(s)

2013-May-19, 12:57 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread Blimps in Science and Technology

If you could make one and it's structural fraction is no worse than a conventional balloon's, yes: vacuum has lower density than hydrogen, so it...

29 replies | 315 view(s)

2013-May-19, 12:32 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread Blimps in Science and Technology

A normal balloon's skin is under tension, so the material's tensile strength is the controlling factor. In a balloon "filled" with vacuum, it's the...

29 replies | 315 view(s)

2013-May-19, 10:12 AM

grapes replied to a thread Mechanical advantages of rails? in Science and Technology

Simple physics and material strength allows one to calculate number of wheels. A single coal car carries a small hill of rock. (...

45 replies | 506 view(s)

2013-May-18, 07:25 PM

swampyankee replied to a thread WHy are movies obsessed with 'Re-boots' in Small Media at Large

Money, and expectation of earning lots of from a product with a known track record. Batman or Spiderman or Superman or X-men movies have a...

53 replies | 605 view(s)

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