@nyrath@spacey.space
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

nyrath

@nyrath@spacey.space

Star map and Atomic Rocket geek. The hard-science SF writer's tech support. The website is at
http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/

Refugee from the decline and fall of Google Plus.

In my long and misspent youth I did the artwork for various TTWG such as Ogre, WarpWar, GEV and such.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

Teyrnon, to scifi
@Teyrnon@dice.camp avatar

How bad does spending 10,000 years in perfect stasis look on a resume?

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@Teyrnon

Ask Professor Jameson

nyrath, to random
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

Well this is embarrassing.

I've never been a fan of Doctor Who, since is only marginally science fiction. But I just watched the first two episodes of Series 14, and I rather enjoyed them.

[1] I personally like scifi that if it cannot be scientifically accurate, is at least internally self consistent. E.g. the history of baby station.

[2] I am fond of movies and shows where the characters are nonplussed by absurd things that go shambling by. E.g. the goblin ship.

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@steinarb

When I was a little boy I had a crush on companion Sarah Jane Smith

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

The stepping-on-a-butterfly bit was hysterical!

astronomerritt, to random
@astronomerritt@hachyderm.io avatar

Does anyone cook with lard any more? Lard was sort of ever-present when I was a kid, but I was raised by my grandparents so I don't know what aspects were really out-of-date, which were normal, and which were just, well, poverty.

I can tell you that my grandmother's idea of a curry would have most folk recoiling...

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@astronomerritt @michael_w_busch

From Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

"Know what was for my tea last night? Beef dripping sandwiches!”

This did not have the expected response from the two bachelors.

“Cor!” said Nobby.

“Real beef dripping?” said Carrot. “The kind with the little crunchy bits on top? And shiny blobs of fat? The best bit is when you stick the knife in and crack the fat and all the browny gold stuff bubbles up...”

thisnorthernboy, to scifi
@thisnorthernboy@mstdn.social avatar

Interstellar Craft.

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@thisnorthernboy

You are having more fun with Blender 3d than a human being should be allowed to have...

nyrath, to random
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT)

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/flexible-levitation-on-a-track-float/

LavenderPawprints, to Cat
@LavenderPawprints@fwoof.space avatar

So #cat question for #CatsOfMastodon.

We have three cats, two of whom are my girlfriend's.

We're both cat people and absolutely love our kids, but we've got two problems that are going to cost us a small fortune when we move out of our current residence.

Two out of three cats have a thing about destroying our crappily made plastic horizontal blinds. At this point we're going to have to replace them all if we expect to get our deposit back. The other problem is the using doorframes as scratch posts.

Our oldest generally has never been destructive and she doesn't have claws, (not my choice,) so I know it's the younger two.

I was wondering if any cat lovers had any ways that we could try to stop this abuse of our home?

We're both blind/low vision so catching them in the act is very difficult, especially if we're not home or asleep, obviously.

Thanks in advanced. 🐾🐾

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@LavenderPawprints

I hope this helps

https://www.jacksongalaxy.com/blogs/news/how-to-stop-your-cats-from-scratching-furniture

nyrath, to random
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

https://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/how-we-do-it/systems/exobiology-extant-life-surveyor-eels/

nyrath, (edited )
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@eldadoinquieto

It depends upon your opinion of snakes...

But form follows function.

nyrath, to random
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

https://phys.org/news/2024-05-dark-main-rival-theory-dead.html

nyrath, to random
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

https://www.leonarddavid.com/spotlight-on-sunlight-shy-cold-traps-on-the-moon-new-research/

nyrath, to random
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

When I was a little boy, living in Caribou Maine, my family was helping some friends one night. As we walked home in the snow, the entire night sky lit up like being inside a psychedelic neon cathedral. And I mean entire, horizon to horizon. Incredibly bright too.

Decades later I researched this and discovered it was an aurora courtesy of a massive solar flare shaped like a seahorse.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_1972_solar_storms

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@jockr

Maybe no snow, but I do remember it being very very cold.

steinarb, to random
@steinarb@mastodon.social avatar

@nyrath Seen this one? https://gizmodo.com/nasa-pulsed-plasma-rocket-advanced-concept-mars-1851463831

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@steinarb

I saw the article, but haven't gotten it on my website yet.

I do have the prior version, the Pulsed Fission Fusion engine

https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist3.php#puff

image/jpeg

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@isaackuo @steinarb

Just because the two propulsion systems in question are pulse type, they could have totally different mechanisms for generating the pulses.

If you check the "on this page" table of contents you'll see about 10 pulse engines.

https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist3.php

nyrath, to random
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-contractor-warns-boeing-valves

nyrath, to random
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

Because of Burnside's Zeroth Law of space combat:

Science fiction fans relate more to human beings than to silicon chips.

https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/crew.php#gottahavecrew

image/jpeg

nyrath, (edited )
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@shig

There is actually something written earlier. In 1942.
The Wabbler by Murray Leinster

Synopsis: An artificially intelligent weapon's story, told from the point of view of the weapon.

https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46584

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@shig

If anybody is interested in reading The Wabbler by Murray Leinster, it can be found online here

https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v30n02_1942-10_dtsg0318/page/n84/mode/1up

ZachWeinersmith, to random
@ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social avatar

Question whose premise may be faulty:

Why is it that in Chinese calligraphy, it seems to have always been impressionistic, with quick pretty strokes, whereas with Latin scripts the calligraphy, even when it's swoopy and fancy, is highly controlled? Is this inherent to pictographic vs alphabet calligraphy or is it random cultural stuff, or are their actually just forms of calligraphy I haven't found?

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@ZachWeinersmith

I am just speculating here, but perhaps it is caused by the difference between brush calligraphy and pen calligraphy?

Hcobb, to random
@Hcobb@spacey.space avatar

@nyrath What's the proper size for the hero ship in a movie, TV series or RPG?
99% of the crew of the Enterprise seem to do nothing ever, not even react to the half-human.
In the three Star Wars movies the Millennium Falcon seems more a setting for interludes rather than part of the plot. As soon as the rookie gets the keys to an X-wing he's outta there. (In diapers?)
Traveller has two types of ships, depending on the types of missions the gamers are in to. With few if any NPC crewmembers.

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@Hcobb

The Millennium Falcon is more of a transport ferrying the characters to their next adventure.

The Enterprise is also a ferry, but in addition there could be a plot base on members of the 300-odd crew. Sort of like the TV show "Wagon Train".

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@Hcobb

Notes on hero crews in scifi

https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/crew.php#id--Example_Crews

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image/jpeg
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cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

5/8: When writing technical or scientific detail, how much is plausible vs imagined?

Correctly depicting the background details in an SF/F story makes the utterly imaginary conceit at the heart of the story more plausible—it gains believability by being presented in a realistic context. (The best present-setting SF should leave you unsure how much, if any of it is imaginary.)

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@Hcobb @cstross

And how well does voice rec work when you have a head-cold or hay fever?

benhencke, to random
@benhencke@leds.social avatar

Pouring one out for all the artists trying to make a living

nyrath,
@nyrath@spacey.space avatar

@benhencke

Interesting coincidence in these consecutive posts

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