In other news... (humorous news items, etc)

[Роберт]

How much would a Death Star costs? More money than is on Earth many times over.

Just have the Italian Mafia print off a bunch of 100 Trillion Dollar U.S. bonds to pay for it.

[Dauric]

How much would a Death Star costs? More money than is on Earth many times over.

Just have the Italian Mafia print off a bunch of 100 Trillion Dollar U.S. bonds to pay for it.

...

Sith Lord waves hand in front of investor - "These are the high-quality investments you're looking for."

[ShootTheChicken]

Besides, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to convert this into a Death Star.

A battle station that is simultaneously a moon? That would melt some faces.

[Ghostbear]

How much would a Death Star costs?
TL;DR: More money than is on Earth many times over.

Their cost figures for the steel assume that prices would remain constant in a situation where we are able to extract enough of it. I guess the end result would still be "way more money than exists on the Earth", but that seems a bit odd to say immediately after concluding that we do, technically, have the natural wealth to pull it off. Presumably, going by their argument (and assuming we could get a sufficiently good way to transfer those construction materials to space), we have the resources to actually go ahead and build a death star if humanity was willing to go all in for it. Would that not mean that we do have the money for it, since money is just a representation of wealth?

A battle station that is simultaneously a moon? That would melt some faces.

That's no moon, it's a- What? Oh. Damn. Carry on then.

[Djehutynakht]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/0 ... 52766.html


Gamer dies in Internet Cafe. It takes 10 hours for them to notice, only realizing when they come to tell him that his time is up.

Police told the Taipei Times they were disgusted when they arrived at the scene to find other gamers were disinterested in the corpse and wanted to continue playing during the investigation

[Iulus Cofield]

Jesus, how often does that happen? Seems like the third time in the last year.

[Djehutynakht]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Isr ... story.html


A toddler in Israel was recently discovered in his room calmly chewing off the head of an extremely poisonous snake.

[Ibid]

How much would a Death Star costs?
TL;DR: More money than is on Earth many times over.

Their cost figures for the steel assume that prices would remain constant in a situation where we are able to extract enough of it. I guess the end result would still be "way more money than exists on the Earth", but that seems a bit odd to say immediately after concluding that we do, technically, have the natural wealth to pull it off. Presumably, going by their argument (and assuming we could get a sufficiently good way to transfer those construction materials to space), we have the resources to actually go ahead and build a death star if humanity was willing to go all in for it. Would that not mean that we do have the money for it, since money is just a representation of wealth?

You're confusing a stock and a flow. GDP is measured in dollars per year. The cost of all that iron is measured in dollars. Thus, we can estimate how long it would take for the combined GDP of the earth to equal the combined worth of that iron. In this case you're really looking more at money as a unit than you are as a transaction or for it's value.

Of course it would take MORE than 13 000 years, since as you mentioned the cost of iron would go up as demand went up. It would also take less than 800 000 years, since supply would increase as demand went up. You COULD do a full on analysis of it and get a more exact figure, but then you'd be ignoring technological development, which isn't really negligible on those time scales (13 000 years ago we didn't even have agriculture). So it's somewhat irrelevant.

So yes, we "have the money for it", but that doesn't mean we can spend that money right now. Think of it like a mortgage. You'll have the money over your lifetime, but that doesn't mean you can have it right now.

[Ghostbear]

So yes, we "have the money for it", but that doesn't mean we can spend that money right now. Think of it like a mortgage. You'll have the money over your lifetime, but that doesn't mean you can have it right now.

I agree, but I was taking issue with the statement "More money than is on Earth many times over". I did not mean to imply that we could get all that construction material over a short period of time if we wished.

[Carlington]

Kim Jong Un: the rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated, probably.

Wait...There were rumours of Kimg Jong-Un's death?

[Angua]

Man survives for 2 months inside car

This is utterly incredible.

[Dark Avorian]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Israel+toddler+chews+head+snake/6061344/story.html


A toddler in Israel was recently discovered in his room calmly chewing off the head of an extremely poisonous snake.

So how long do we have before the Giants invade?

[SlyReaper]

Of course it would take MORE than 13 000 years, since as you mentioned the cost of iron would go up as demand went up.

It's never that straight-forward though, because supply would increase to satisfy the demand. As entrepreneurs notice the price of steel rising, they'll want a piece of the pie and so will start producing the stuff. They'll start competing with each other and possibly start over-producing the stuff. The price may actually go down; it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the sharp increase in the price of steel would be followed by a crash. It's not like we've never seen boom-and-bust before.

That said, why are we assuming the Death Star is made of steel? You'd think a galaxy-spanning empire would have access to more advanced materials than steel. I wonder if a Death Star made of steel would actually implode under its own gravity.

[Angua]

wrong thread

continue discussion about death star - though I think someone suriving for 2 months in a car under snow is more impressive.

[addams]

Man survives for 2 months inside car

This is utterly incredible.

Snow is scary. I am afraid of it. Ice is the really scary part of phases of water.

I have heard that it can be tamed. That poor man. He may be snow phobic, now.

[SlyReaper]

Scientists create proper nanobots straight out of science-fiction.

Living in the future is brilliant.

[Plasma Man]

That is very cool. The big problem of dealing with cancer is finding a way to target only cancerous cells, this could be a good way around that.

[Ibid]

Of course it would take MORE than 13 000 years, since as you mentioned the cost of iron would go up as demand went up.

It's never that straight-forward though, because supply would increase to satisfy the demand. As entrepreneurs notice the price of steel rising, they'll want a piece of the pie and so will start producing the stuff. They'll start competing with each other and possibly start over-producing the stuff. The price may actually go down; it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the sharp increase in the price of steel would be followed by a crash. It's not like we've never seen boom-and-bust before.

That said, why are we assuming the Death Star is made of steel? You'd think a galaxy-spanning empire would have access to more advanced materials than steel. I wonder if a Death Star made of steel would actually implode under its own gravity.

Given the demand level we're talking about, over-producing the stuff isn't really an option. We're talking about an excessively inelastic demand here. Boom-and-bust is a pretty specific phenomenon, and in particular the type you're describing requires a "shoulder" in the demand function (where it goes from inelastic to elastic very quickly), or to overshoot the demand level of an excessively inelastic demand. The possibility of producers managing to produce so much iron that it's excessive for a death star is not likely enough to warrent concern.

So yes, we "have the money for it", but that doesn't mean we can spend that money right now. Think of it like a mortgage. You'll have the money over your lifetime, but that doesn't mean you can have it right now.

I agree, but I was taking issue with the statement "More money than is on Earth many times over". I did not mean to imply that we could get all that construction material over a short period of time if we wished.

Money being used to measure natural wealth is...a tricky concept. If the statement is "more than the natural resources of the earth", then you're right, the sentence is wrong. If it's "more than the combined money base/money aggregates of the world", then the statement makes perfect sense. Even moreso, if they mean "More than the total value of world production in all good, if we traded at current prices for iron" which from context is likely what they meant, it's a little bit ambiguous what exactly that means, but under any interpretation it's still true.

Scientists create proper nanobots straight out of science-fiction.

Living in the future is brilliant.

Oh! I think I knew someone who was researching that! More from the biophysics working on some of the parameters of the packet rather than the more practical design and implementation, but still!

[Adacore]

Jesus, how often does that happen? Seems like the third time in the last year.

I think Taiwan is broadly similar to South Korea in this, so I'll give some context. There are a lot of PC rooms here - probably an average of 3-4 per block in cities. For most guys (and some girls) between the ages of about 10 and 25, a significant fraction - frequently the majority - of their free time is spent in PC rooms playing games*. With that many people doing it, it's not really surprising that you have a couple of deaths every year (especially for people with pre-existing conditions, like the heart problem reported in this case).

*This is anecdotal, but all my english-teacher friends out here tell me that if they ask their students what they did at the weekend, the answer is almost always 'PC room'.

[Nylonathatep]

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/artic ... ntist?bn=1

Funny enough.. http://xkcd.com/231/ suddenly makes more sense!

[BoomFrog]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Israel+toddler+chews+head+snake/6061344/story.html


A toddler in Israel was recently discovered in his room calmly chewing off the head of an extremely poisonous snake.

This article totally lacks context, this is actually just the Mossad initiation test. It only made the news because Aleeyan beat the record for the youngest recruit by 46 days. A record previously held by Michael Harari who bite the head off of a viper when two years and three months old.

[Iulus Cofield]

Indiana Republican spends five minutes on Google, determines Girl Scouts to be irreligious, communist, feminist, lesbians in an unholy alliance with Planned Parenthood

He must have happened upon girlscoutsarethedevil.tk

[Radical_Initiator]

Indiana Republican spends five minutes on Google, determines Girl Scouts to be irreligious, communist, feminist, lesbians in an unholy alliance with Planned Parenthood

He must have happened upon girlscoutsarethedevil.tk

That is excellent crazy. Thank you for bringing it up, Iulus.

[Diadem]

As proof, Morris notes that the "radically pro-abortion" Michelle Obama is honorary president of Girl Scouts of America, which "should give each of us reason to pause before our individual or collective endorsement of the organization."

Awesome.

Even worse, he wrote, only three of the 50 role models promoted by the Girl Scouts have even "a briefly-mentioned religious background."
"All the rest are feminists, lesbians, or Communists," he wrote.

Feminists, lesbians or communists can't be religious, of course.

I'm kind of curious what that list of 50 role models is though. They must be pretty cool.

[Rodion Raskolnikov]

After learning all this, he wrote, he pulled his two daughters out of the Girl Scouts and instead put them in American Heritage Girls Little Flowers, a parent-run group best described as a center for recovering Girl Scouts.

This cannot be serious. Please tell me this article was copy-and-pasted from The Onion.

[Felstaff]

Given the tone of the article, I think I can safely say that the article writer's tongue is firmly entrenched in his cheek.

[Angua]

Have you read the republican's letter though? http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120220/BLOGS01/120229962/-1/blogs

There are such gems as

A Girl Scouts of America training program last year used the Planned Parenthood sex education pamphlet "Happy, Healthy, and Hot." The pamphlet instructs young girls not to think of sex as "just about vaginal or anal intercourse." "There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!" it states. Although individual Girl Scout troops are not forced to follow this curriculum, many do. Liberal progressive troop-leaders will indoctrinate the girls in their troop according to the principles of Planned Parenthood, making Bishop Conley's warning true.

[Xeio]

After learning all this, he wrote, he pulled his two daughters out of the Girl Scouts and instead put them in American Heritage Girls Little Flowers, a parent-run group best described as a center for recovering Girl Scouts.

This cannot be serious. Please tell me this article was copy-and-pasted from The Onion.

Yea, I was wondering if that was supposed to be "self described" or if the article writer was crazy...

[PeteP]

Have you read the republican's letter though? http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120220/BLOGS01/120229962/-1/blogs

There are such gems as

A Girl Scouts of America training program last year used the Planned Parenthood sex education pamphlet "Happy, Healthy, and Hot." The pamphlet instructs young girls not to think of sex as "just about vaginal or anal intercourse." "There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!" it states. Although individual Girl Scout troops are not forced to follow this curriculum, many do. Liberal progressive troop-leaders will indoctrinate the girls in their troop according to the principles of Planned Parenthood, making Bishop Conley's warning true.

Is "There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!" supposed to be an example of the horrible stuff they teach the girls? I know his circles are probably quite sex negative, but couldn't he find something which sounds at least a bit shocking?

[Dauric]

Have you read the republican's letter though? http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120220/BLOGS01/120229962/-1/blogs

There are such gems as

A Girl Scouts of America training program last year used the Planned Parenthood sex education pamphlet "Happy, Healthy, and Hot." The pamphlet instructs young girls not to think of sex as "just about vaginal or anal intercourse." "There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!" it states. Although individual Girl Scout troops are not forced to follow this curriculum, many do. Liberal progressive troop-leaders will indoctrinate the girls in their troop according to the principles of Planned Parenthood, making Bishop Conley's warning true.

Is "There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!" supposed to be an example of the horrible stuff they teach the girls? I know his circles are probably quite sex negative, but couldn't he find something which sounds at least bit shocking?

To the social conservative "Sex is Bad" crowd that -is- shocking. God made Tab P to go in slot V, putting it in slot A voids the warranty.

[Zamfir]

Some slots do genuinely void the warranty though, both of your parts and of the slot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorwerk_(company)#Trivia

[Diadem]

To the social conservative "Sex is Bad" crowd that -is- shocking. God made Tab P to go in slot V, putting it in slot A voids the warranty.

What about sex? It's defective! It's never built to really last.
What about your Gods? They're defective! They forgot the warranty.

[Steax]

Some slots do genuinely void the warranty though, both of your parts and of the slot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorwerk_(company)#Trivia

I'm going to copy that verbatim here, just because it's so hilarious out of context.

In 1985, Vorwerk sued the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), which had published on its Btx page an excerpt from a 1978 dissertation on “Penis Injuries When Masturbating with Vacuum Cleaners” that explicitly referred to the Kobold brand. Vorwerk feared for its reputation and brought an injunction according to which CCC would have to pay a penalty of 500,000 DM for any violation. When the dissertation supervisor and someone affected by the problem described introduced themselves to Vorwerk, they were able to convince the company of the seriousness of the source and Vorwerk withdrew its suit. In Germany, Vorwerk has been strongly associated with door-to-door sales at least since the launch of direct distribution of the Kobold vacuum cleaner. In his 1999 documentary film, Die Blume der Hausfrau, which achieved some success in German repertory cinemas, director Dominik Wessely portrayed the work of the Vorwerk sales advisers.

[AvatarIII]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Israel+toddler+chews+head+snake/6061344/story.html


A toddler in Israel was recently discovered in his room calmly chewing off the head of an extremely poisonous snake.

there's no such thing as a poisonous snake, venemous, yes, but poisonous no.
the difference being, it's perfectly safe to injest venom, but not poison, venom must be administered intravenously.

[TheSoberPirate]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Israel+toddler+chews+head+snake/6061344/story.html


A toddler in Israel was recently discovered in his room calmly chewing off the head of an extremely poisonous snake.

there's no such thing as a poisonous snake, venemous, yes, but poisonous no.
the difference being, it's perfectly safe to injest venom, but not poison, venom must be administered intravenously.

Fun fact: this is true for snakes because their venom is modified saliva. Generally, all the dangerous compounds are enzymes so they just become denatured by stomach acid.

Of course, the only expert quoted in the article doesn't even think the snake in question was actually venomous. But why should we let facts get in the way of a good story?

[Lostdreams]

After learning all this, he wrote, he pulled his two daughters out of the Girl Scouts and instead put them in American Heritage Girls Little Flowers, a parent-run group best described as a center for recovering Girl Scouts.

Those cookies are pretty addicting. I can only imagine the temptation to sample the product you're pushing must be pretty great and I'm certain many a scout is now buying box after box for personal use.

[Shivahn]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Israel+toddler+chews+head+snake/6061344/story.html


A toddler in Israel was recently discovered in his room calmly chewing off the head of an extremely poisonous snake.

there's no such thing as a poisonous snake, venemous, yes, but poisonous no.
the difference being, it's perfectly safe to injest venom, but not poison, venom must be administered intravenously.

That's not strictly true: there are many venoms that are also toxic when ingested. The only venoms which are safe to ingest are those that aren't also toxic then.

Also, while "venomous" has a pretty clear and distinct meaning, "poison" is generally far less rigorously defined.

[userxp]

Good news everyone! Adobe Flash for Linux will now only work on Chrome. I can finally stop upgrading that shit.

[Randomizer]

But I don't want Chrome. I have Opera for my non-Firefox needs. :(

[userxp]

Oh I was not defending Chrome (I use Opera too). I just don't like Flash, and now that I can finally watch Youtube without it, I am hoping that it becomes deprecated in most platforms.