by Christopher Paul on November 21, 2012 First, let me say I can’t even believe there is a whole forum dedicated to space battles. Once you get past that, in the forums is a rather long but fascinating essay on what space combat would be like. The author doesn’t go into science fiction related bits like force fields and whatnot. Rather, he goes talks about the environment, ship design, weapons, combat and defense tactics, and the people – pilots and pirates – that would be involved in inter-solar war. My favorite part of the discussion is how it compares to our modern naval warfare:
A warship will probably basically be a can full of weaponry on top of a big fuel tank, with the crew controlling the thing from a small habitat module. The crew will effectively be command crew; there to tell the machines what to do, not to micromanage the operations of the ship. You’ll probably have a small core crew to fly the ship, a few damage control technicians, and maybe a medic or two. Serving on one will be more like serving on a WWII U-boat than anything else.
Science fiction (and perhaps military) fans will want to read this.
via Sara Pavis who’s covering for Kottke while he’s on vacation.
by Christopher Paul on November 19, 2012 by Christopher Paul on November 17, 2012 Don’t post your cellphone number anywhere or you’re opening yourself up to whatever this person can think up.
via
by Christopher Paul on November 17, 2012 American Psychiatric Association is about to recognize a psychological disorder in children officialy called Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder or, as everyone else calls them, hissy fits. According to Wired, the new disorder is classified as:
“severe recurrent temper outbursts that are grossly out of proportion in intensity or duration to the situation.” … at least three times a week.
Which, as Wired also notes, is just about every child (and many adults). So, if you feel your child is being a brat, you can say it’s not their fault, they suffer from a mental imbalance called immaturity due to being a child.
via Boing Boing
by Christopher Paul on November 16, 2012 Well, it’s not a love potion so much as a nasal spray but researchers found that men in relationships who take a dose of oxytocin – a hormone that promotes bonding – were more likely to become uncomfortable at the advances of another woman. Here’s how they proved it:
The research team singled out the most attractive female among them to approach their male subjects. Each of the 57 men had been administered either oxytocin or a placebo via nasal spray prior to the encounter. The attractive researcher would stand about 24 inches away from the subject, and then move toward and away from them. The men were asked to determine when the attractive researcher was at an “ideal distance” and when she got too close, making them feel “slightly uncomfortable.”
The men confirmed after the experiment was completed that the attractive researcher was, in fact, attractive.
The men who got oxytocin preferred a distance of 4 to 6 inches further than those who got the placebo. The study also showed that the men who got the actual “love drug” didn’t find the woman research less attractive; they were uncomfortable when she got too close.