Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT 2071-75 (Dec. 5-9, 2011)
Mr_Rose:
--- Quote from: AnAverageWriter on 09 Dec 2011, 10:29 ---
--- Quote from: akronnick on 09 Dec 2011, 08:06 ---No instrument, tool or machine has ever matched the capability of two eyes, two hands and a brain
--- End quote ---
People who believe in human exceptionalism are the bane of technological progress. We aren't that damned special!
--- End quote ---
It's not exceptionalism to say that a pair of trained geologists in space suits could get the entire cumulative mission totals of data collected by Spirit and Opportunity together in somewhat under four hours once they landed. Then go back and take another look at the really interesting stuff.
Perhaps you might be able to get the same amount of work done with a robot that weighed as much as the geologists and all their life support gear and their 'home base' too, but I still haven't seen a robot capable of taking 2m cores in even the "wouldn't it be awesome if" proposals. If you want to design it, go ahead.
Actually, it occurs to me that you could get even more done with just rovers if you had a dude or two on the surface with them where communication, and more importantly piloting, weren't subject to significant lightspeed lag.
RE: Jupiter—>Lucifer conversion; yeah, outside of supertech or smashing all the outer planets together, it probably is a bit teeny to ignite without some sort of artificial sustainer. Still, Mad Science shall always find a way!
Is it cold in here?:
--- Quote from: AnAverageWriter on 09 Dec 2011, 10:29 ---I can safely say that your scientist quote comes from someone that deserves to be slapped across the face, soundly and repeatedly until he can no longer influence an argument in any meaningful way.
--- End quote ---
It's from the principal investigator for the Mars rovers. Actually, what he said was that a field geologist could do it in 45 seconds.
AnAverageWriter:
--- Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 09 Dec 2011, 12:50 ---It's from the principal investigator for the Mars rovers. Actually, what he said was that a field geologist could do it in 45 seconds.
--- End quote ---
Would explain why we're trying to study Mars with the equivalent of an Extendo-Glove on an RC car with a BAE Systems chip, while wasting billions on the side trying to figure out how to get shrimp to run on a space treadmill. I knew NASA was in trouble...
--- Quote from: Mr_Rose on 09 Dec 2011, 12:39 ---It's not exceptionalism to say that a pair of trained geologists in space suits could get the entire cumulative mission totals of data collected by Spirit and Opportunity together in somewhat under four hours once they landed.
--- End quote ---
It IS, however, exceptionalism to claim that "No instrument, tool or machine has ever matched the capability of two eyes, two hands and a brain". It's arrogance, the kind of stuff that makes idiots sing about John Henry and his "victory" over a digging machine.
--- Quote from: Mr_Rose on 09 Dec 2011, 12:39 ---I still haven't seen a robot capable of taking 2m cores in even the "wouldn't it be awesome if" proposals. If you want to design it, go ahead.
--- End quote ---
http://www.honeybeerobotics.com/product-examples/drill
"The 1-2m depth regime is at the heart of Honeybee Robotics' drilling research and development program. Experimentation in this regime both informs upon near-horizon surface drilling tools and lays the groundwork for the deeper flight drills of the future. Through the testing of several prototype drills in the 1-2m regime, Honeybee has amassed an unparalleled body of knowledge on the science and engineering of planetary drilling."
Ain't nothin special about us Ugly Bags Of Mostly Water, except for an overinflated sense of importance in the grand scheme of things.
MillionDollar Belt Sander:
--- Quote from: Border Reiver on 09 Dec 2011, 08:25 ---And now for your test, please indicate how it is used in the following phrase: "F*ck! The f*cking f*ucker is f*ucking well F*cked!"
--- End quote ---
F* off, F*er! :x
<---US Naval Reserve.
That is the correct answer, BTW
dj_soo:
i get the impression that marten might actually mess this up by playing *too* cool.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version