We’re back! And I’m going back to the well with the Empire Strike Back. Could a Hoth-like world exist? What about Cloud City? And what’s the deal with the Force anyway? Find out below.
Michael Siegel
Michael Siegel is an astronomer living in Pennsylvania. He blogs at his own site, and has written a novel.
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on From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’Isaac! Over here!!! Isaac, you left the comment "lol. I have no memory of writing this" in your "Bet… on From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’Were you really not aware until this point that sometimes politicians tell untruths in the process o…
on From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’At least we now know. on From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’Like I said, stuff you might find distasteful to witness. on From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’But we've already established that that would have been a lie. So (2).
on Between Nagorno-Karabakh and a Hard Placelol. I have no memory of writing this
on Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024In 2018, the legal sports betting industry in the US had a revenue of 430 million. Last year, it had… on From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’No, I actually believe that it would have been possible for her to get elected. She'd have had to do… on From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’So (2). on Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024In today's episode of every accusation is a confession, the GOP is sure as hell looking for a way to…
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on Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024
Is the flat tire on the cart holding the neutral particle beam accelerator a subtle dig?
Given the acceleration rates for the vessels — look at those turns! — and the amount of normal mass that could be stored in a TIE fighter’s volume, what’s the estimate for the power required? Gigawatts? Terawatts? Petawatts? Does a sane person want to be anywhere in the vicinity of a source for that? (I admit to certain prejudices. I’m not entirely sure I want to stand next to, for gasoline station values of next to, the electric currents charging a 150 kWh battery in five minutes.)
Given FTL, causality violations clearly don’t matter. Presumably conservation of energy and momentum also fail. All sorts of psychic sh*t is suddenly allowable. An interesting question is building a self-consistent form of magic, and why early wizards didn’t accidentally destroy the universe.
Balanced. Audio. Levels.
Well done, I enjoyed it greatly :^)Report
This is a great way to focus on things that I, at least, have never thought about.
I would have assumed that the Tauntauns had been moved to Hoth.
I would have assumed that the asteroid hungry worm had been nothing more than a sci-fi trope.
I would have assumed that Cloud City was a fanciful way to set up a dinner party.
I suppose that, now, I could assume that Tauntauns had families in caves (much like kittens would). Though I still have no idea what they eat.
I now assume that the worm was part of a planet that had been death starred and was now saying “WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT” between attempts to eat stuff like the millennium falcon.
I will still think that Cloud City was something fanciful. Surely there was a better planet within a tank of gas.Report
Though I still have no idea what they eat.
Exactly. A very large animal with a high metabolism. What sort of metabolism? Where’s the rest of the food chain to support that? It’s a problem for all ice worlds, as opposed to temperate worlds with partial glaciation where life can adapt to some of the conditions.
Star Trek TOS did an episode with a creature with a silicone-based metabolism that could live in conditions fatal to humans. The most interesting part of that one was that its mind was similar enough that Spock could mind meld with it. “Whoa,” I thought at the time, “Lots of implications about the nature of mind there.” Of course, they did nothing with that.Report
Should have added that Poul Anderson did a Flandry story with an entire ecology based on a 50/50 water/methanol blend that had evolved as a world cooled. That would have been quite comfortable on Hoth, given access to the crust for other elements. But there were adapted plants, small animals, etc — an entire ecosystem. OTOH, a Tauntaun based on 50/50 water/methanol would not have been able to tolerate the conditions inside the rebel base.
And of course pine beetle larva throughout much of the West synthesize glycerol so that they can survive well below freezing temperatures. A good portion of habitat damage from climate change here is that we no longer get sufficiently long sufficiently cold snaps in the mountains to kill the beetle larva.Report
Love this series… thanks so much! I quickly checked your archives and didn’t see a breakdown of “The Martian.” Have you done one for that? I love the book and enjoy the movie… would be curious to see a breakdown of the science there. Thanks!Report