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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 7, 2012 10:27:41 GMT 10
" but the the greatest threat to sanity must be Psychic TV, broadcast every night on GEM and 4ME"
I have not seen this, not least because my TV watching is completely non random (I have a PC with a couple of internal digital receivers and big hard drives).
I'd like to think that breaches some sort of ACMA guildeline but, let's face, it, it's probably not a LOT worse than some advertorials and current-affairs shows.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 7, 2012 10:40:10 GMT 10
"While we're on sci-fi, is it theoretically possible to capture some of the massive kinetic energy of the earth's motion - either orbital or from rotation?"
Yep. It's called tidal energy.
I gather that somebody's just recently observed a similar wave in the atmosphere, but that would be way too dispersed to be useful.
In a sense, you COULD argue that most of the energy in wind circulation comes from coriolis effects, so it's arguable (if not necessarily defensible) that wind energy is harnessing the earth's rotational energy.
And I think I read somewhere something about a satellite being able to skim energy from the earth's magnetic field (provided that the satellite is moving relative to the earth, obviously).
But to try to directly generate (let's say) electricity by dragging on the movement of the planet through space (and I'd just like to say - think this through before actually DOING it), you'd need something you could use to anchor whatever it is you're dragging with.
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Post by angra on Oct 7, 2012 10:47:29 GMT 10
If you had geo-stationary satellites attached by a long wire to the earth, could you catch of lot of induced electromagnetic energy? Actually space elevators had been worked on as a feasible idea - not quite the same thing, but maybe the induced current could at least power the elevator? spaceelevator.com/
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 7, 2012 11:14:02 GMT 10
This man is a member of the US house of representatives The full version of the video WAS online here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU4B86AL5GoBut was taken down. No explanation why.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 7, 2012 11:20:36 GMT 10
"If you had geo-stationary satellites attached by a long wire to the earth, could you catch of lot of induced electromagnetic energy?"
You could convert some of it into an electrical voltage. That's a long piece of wire (geostationary satellites sit at about 30,000 kms).
The problem is ... I'm not sure how you'd make a circuit out of it. I'm calling on the physicists in the audience for this one, but surely all that would achieve would be create a slightly charged satellite.
The main solvable problem for a space elevator has been the strength/weight ratio for the cable. Make a piece of string long enough, and eventually it will break under its own weight. Carbon nanotubes are, apparently, a possible solution.
After that, the next problems are ... is it worth it, and where/how to build it.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 7, 2012 11:34:34 GMT 10
Looks like NEWS has decided to make lemonade: www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/alan-jones-speech/story-fndo317g-1226489927031Now it's all on the record, it can be discussed. And the smear can go on ... sorry, not a smear, it's "holding the powerful to account". Unless it's tony abbott, of course, who's catholic and has daughters, and therefore can't be criticised. Having read that, though, I think jones is an idiot. He might be good on a microphone, he might have rat cunning, he's got buckets of vanity and drive, but if he believes that crap, he's an idiot.
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Post by angra on Oct 7, 2012 11:42:11 GMT 10
re. space elevators and generating electricity from a tethered satellite. Might be possible on the moon, considering the lower gravity. The moon does also have a weak magnetic field, and apparently has an atmosphere of sorts caused by floating moondust freed from the surface by electrostatic repulsion, which leads to this rather lovely poetic description from the Wikipedia entry"The moondust atmosphere might also gather itself into a sort of diaphanous wind." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_field_of_the_Moon
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Post by angra on Oct 7, 2012 12:14:46 GMT 10
'Big Ideas - Farmers vs Miners'. A pretty good debate about CSG - on ABC 24 now. Well-reasoned and informative speakers. No name calling or personal attacks. Just good old fashioned polite argument about a very important issue.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 7, 2012 13:15:58 GMT 10
A good interview www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-07/abbott-fair-game-despite-public-plea-from-wife/4299704When sat alongside the actual statements of our ministers, the oppo's lot do, every so often, seem slightly hysterical. Stephen conroy gets a lot of stick, but check out the interviews he does with ZDNet's "Twisted Wire" show and he comes across as a pretty well-informed, thoroughly sensible minister. The reality is entirely at odds with the shrieking from the press. The cock-ups in their first term were not unusual. Some of us remember the "cabinet du jour" era in howard's first term, the travel rorts scandals and the closure of DAS in retaliation. The screwups which came to light later in their rule were set in train during that first term.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 9, 2012 18:44:05 GMT 10
Just looking at the context of this "ignorant botch" comment. Here's the exchange: Slipper Brough on vex news | Read | What's vex news? | Sent | I just finished watching all of today's action and watched again the Sophie Mirabella video. Im surprise you're not front page of the SCD already. "Peter Slipper responsible for carbon tax". All it took was the swing of 1 vote and u could have been roasted. Such a controversial decision from where I sit. Did u worry about that? | Sent | Not at all. The govt "ways had the numbers and not a controversial decision at all. While Sophie has been criticised, my decision has not been to any extent. My job as Speaker is to apply the Standing Orders without fear or favour. Look at vex news on Sophie | Read | Ok I'll check it out this morning. I know there's a job to be done, it just seemed like the most important day we've seen in parliament for a very long time | Sent | She should have behaved | Read | Yes i agree she did push it too far. But did she do it because you're mates or she's just an ignorant botch? | Sent | Bright though she loses the plot! Perhaps as you say "an ignorant botch" | Read |
Just something to ponder. I still don't think the shell-less thing is a hanging offense. It's embarrassing, sure. And I can't imagine that the ladies will be lining up for a dance, but it was a (genuinely) private comment that was published for reasons yet to be determined (none of which had the sender's best interests at heart). It wasn't said to any women, it wasn't meant to be heard by any women, as far as we know his bizarre hangups have never been cited in any rudeness towards, or mistreatment of, women. MPs who are swooning and fainting over it are perhaps feigning a slightly more closeted upbringing than is perhaps believable.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 9, 2012 19:07:56 GMT 10
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Post by angra on Oct 10, 2012 7:10:11 GMT 10
One great line from Gillard about Abbott- "''I will not be lectured about sexism or misogyny by this man. If he wants to know what sexism looks like in the House of Representatives, he doesn't need a motion, he needs a mirror.''
Worthy of Keating.
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Post by angra on Oct 10, 2012 7:24:20 GMT 10
There may be more to the Slipper saga than has so far been revealed, but the emails seem pretty trite. Sure offensive, but they were private and made to one person. How many of us have not said something in an email, later regretted, but which looks pretty bad taken at face value? Likewise things said in the heat of the moment over the phone, or in a pub conversation? I know I have.
The problem is that email (/social media comments/SMS etc) are not now treated as mere throw-aways, but as permanent evidence that can hang around for a long time.
Our off-the-cuff conversation has now become set in stone for which we may be damned years later.
So think carefully, dear readers, before you commit your words to that sulky, vengeful and unforgetting monster, the matrix.
I'm off to the pub to talk dangerously about sex, religion and politics. I trust they don't have CCTV with sound recording.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Oct 10, 2012 8:03:55 GMT 10
I don't think slipper's strange hangups need to be too strongly defended, but I hope that in, let's say, 10 years we can look back and scratch our heads and wonder how it was that a parliamentary speaker was forced to resign over some private SMSs that described girl bits in terms adolescent.
I see parallels with the clinton impeachment. They went after him over dodgy property deals and just kept digging until they found something sufficiently embarrassing that he couldn't defend himself, then they held a vote on it.
Don't confuse this with me defending slipper. He is what he is (that's me avoiding being sued - I'm more specific in person), and I don't like his legal chances. But nothing that has happened in the last however-many months has been about principle - it's just numbers and politics. His accuser isn't going to be any more welcome at liberal party functions than labor ones.
Now ... I wonder how long it's going to take before we hear claims that MPs have been using rude words? This seems to be a race to the bottom, so nothing should surprise us now.
Meanwhile, hats off to the PM for actually succeeding with any sort of legislative agenda under the current circumstances. Any bozo can get the job done with a healthy majority, strong party discipline and easy economic conditions. This one's managed it in the middle of a cyclone, with half of her party trying to sink the ship.
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Post by angra on Oct 10, 2012 8:09:52 GMT 10
Funny thing - wasn't Slipper a Liberal? and a senior whip for Howard?
This seems to have been forgotten in the feeding frenzy.
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