The Random Talk About Nothing Thread

[Mikéy]

So last night while I was at work (I'm at work right now as I'm posting this, yaddayadda) I was daydreaming while doing my repetitive task, and I thought of something to share after I do some GIMP magic whenever I can find time. It's glorious.

Work's boring but paying too, I suppose.

[Fatman X. Jones]

According to scientists at Caltech, there may be a ninth planet in our solar system, and it's not Pluto.



...which I still call bullshit on, Pluto's a planet to me~

[fAB]

Fascinating read. I've always been curious about those elliptical Kuiper orbits.

I used to think the Pluto thing was bullshit too, until I realized how many dwarf planets we actually have in our solar system.

[satoh]

Really the whole reason they threw out Pluto was because of numbers-vanity... They couldn't fathom allowing so many objects to all have the title of 'planet'. One person used the argument that 'there's no way kids are going to sit around and learn about all 400,000 of the things orbiting the sun', which is a faulty logic, because he's assuming anyone actually cared about them that didn't have an astronomy degree BEFOREHAND.

You know we used to have a lot more planets. At one time we officially had 13, with Ceres and Erys among them. They were both deemed too unimportant or small to matter and promptly dismissed. No one I know was even taught about them at all.

One of the arguments about keeping the number of planets in the low digits was that it would be easier to get kids into the science, but I would like to put forth something based on experience with people who aren't looking at things scientifically.... EG: anyone who is a science teacher and only a teacher. Which is most public school instructing representatives btw.
These people only teach the most important things... the things on the curriculum 99% of the time... the things that make it to the curriculum for astronomy are "Things called planet, the sun, and the moon". No other objects are ever discussed unless a student brings it up first, and that's usually handwaved because the public school teacher doesn't know anything about them.

So in fact, by taking away the word planet from pluto, and erys, and ceres, and all the kuiper belt objects... even though astronomers "think they're just as cool if not even more important scientifically, to our understanding of the universe," everyone else sees them as "not important in the least, because [NOT A PLANET]."

And scientists would further argue that we should be trying to root out that marginalizing logic from people's minds... but that too is a failure to comprehend simple human nature.
People don't want a big complicated universe with lots of things way more important than the planets... they want a simple universe they can quote from on queue, and moreover they don;t even want to have to do that. Marginalizing anything that isn't simple and elegant and neatly tied up is just the way human beings are naturally... Science is a method to turn people away from what is considered normal, and make them scientific... which seems to have the effect of making a lot of really intelligent people, forever unrelatable to everyone else and vise versa. (Which is another thing scientists don't comprehend... They don't grasp why so many people find science unapproachable... its not because of science... its because of scientists. Its the very nature of being told "no, you think wrong.")

Getting back to the point. Before Tyson kicked pluto out, there was no scientific definition of a planet. He forced a committee to reach a decision on what constituted a planet and incidentally, pluto didn't fit the bill. Nor did it's much larger rounder cousins inside the belt.(the inciting event for why the meeting was called was in fact the larger, closer orbiting KBO, among other similar objects being discovered around it)

I've not read the full report yet, but I have my doubts as to whether its actually a "planet" by definition, mainly because now there is a definition and its apparently somewhat strict.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say "no it isn't."

As a final note, I'm mildly amused that Tyson has gotten irate about the fact that people only remember him for the one thing he did that he didn't even feel was all that important. If he wants people to get over the fact that he kicked pluto out of the important club, he's gonna have to learn to think like a person again and try to win back their trust, because no one else is going to make the effort to validate him, obviously.

RIP future corpse of NDT, who only ever did one thing that was important and everyone hated it. =P

[avianbeauty98]

i think its facinating that there exist a ninth planet out there somewhere... altough it would take to long for its orbit to travel it here... i first tought that Sedna was the ninth planet, but it looks like Sedna goes with pluto.

omg i love space.. XD

[Bean]

Jan 9, 2016 9:06:38 GMT -5 Bean said:

I've intentionally avoided playing video games for the most part to start my year. It really is time to buckle down more in real life instead of trying to pretend my problems aren't there.

A follow up to this since I haven't made it public on here. I have a part-time job now, so I finally have my own source of income again. I can not tell you how relieved that makes me at the moment, and I hope I'm able to keep going full speed ahead with this. It's just something to get my feet wet for now anyway.

[Fatman X. Jones]

Congrats. Wish I had a job right now, but I'm proud for you. Work hard and make your ethics pay off!

[Mikéy]

I really should have gone for part-time, but I was stupid. Maybe. I'm rich but stupid right now, thanks to over-hours.

I managed to dodge the first draftlist this week after telling Lisa she's tearing me apart I'm starting school this week, so maybe I'll be able to actually go out and get my books for once. During the week it starts. Kinda bad, but good thing they're all online!

[Fatman X. Jones]

So my sister in Texas said she was sending something neat my way for Christmas. Well, it came very late, but it is indeed neat. It's a coffee mug with pits and studs to build your own building block creations on, like LEGO and stuff.

Now, a couple years ago I bought my favorite LEGO set ever, 6866 - Wolverine's Chopper Showdown, which came with a pretty memeworthy Deadpool figure. It also came with a figure I neglected for a while... up until I realized just what I could do with this coffee mug.



Behold, MAGNETO, MASTER of MAGNET! Welcome... TO DINE!

[Bean]

I hope I keep part-time hours myself. I have enough stress at home that I don't want more to worry about when I'm at work. Can't be in two places at once and all that.

[Handlebar-Orion X.]

So for my birthday (which is as of this post,) I got a Mayflash Gamecube to Wii U/PC adapter. This has be excited, because now I can finally game on PC with comfort!

So since I'm pretty sure I already downloaded all I can from Sky Pirate Arcade, what Megaman fan-games and other fan games from other franchises do you recommend? I gotta have something to play besides Goat Simulator and the Legends fan games.

[Bowen Aero]

MegaMan Unlimited is a pretty solid challenge. Got through Normal difficulty as both characters, and they each have their reasons to be played.

[MegaTuga]

As far as MM fangames go, besides Unlimited there's Megaman SFR (Super Fighting Robot), and apparently Megaman Revolution got an update.
I still have to say Megaman 3D: Siege of Megacity. It's the perfect way to alleviate your 3D Megaman thirst.... it even comes with tank-like controls just like Legends, isn't that awesome? XD

[Buster Cannon]

@Handlebar-Orion X.

I haven't played it yet myself, but I've heard really good things about Rockman 4: Minus Infinity.

[Sybillian]

Happy Valentines Day, all! I hope you guys all have a great day to spend with your loved ones.