Title: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: terranus on February 03, 2011, 05:17:59 PM
Post by: terranus on February 03, 2011, 05:17:59 PM
QuoteIn just a year of peering out at a small slice of the galaxy, the Kepler telescope has discovered 1,235 possible planets outside our solar system. Amazingly, 54 of them are seemingly in the zone that could be hospitable to life â€" that is, not too hot or too cold, Kepler chief scientist William Borucki said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110203/ap_on_sc/us_sci_alien_planets
Pretty cool stuff...I've always been fascinated by the discovery of new exoplanets and the possibility of finding an alien world with life on it. Not sure if the government would ever allow such a discovery to be made public though. But if it ever was, the discovery of alien life would no doubt be the greatest discovery in my generation's lifetime.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: Tank on February 04, 2011, 09:09:10 PM
Post by: Tank on February 04, 2011, 09:09:10 PM
I heard about this 6 planet system while I was driving to college. It's amazing to think what will be discovered while I'm still around and even more amazing to think what my kids will see. I wonder what little Lennon, 10 weeks old today, will see in his lifetime.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: joeactor on February 04, 2011, 10:42:07 PM
Post by: joeactor on February 04, 2011, 10:42:07 PM
... yeah, pretty cool stuff. Can't believe how much has changed in my lifetime.
Tech comes and goes (anyone still using a modem???), but the new science discoveries continue to astound!
(need some pictures of our new alien pals)
Tech comes and goes (anyone still using a modem???), but the new science discoveries continue to astound!
(need some pictures of our new alien pals)
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: Ultima22689 on February 04, 2011, 11:17:41 PM
Post by: Ultima22689 on February 04, 2011, 11:17:41 PM
Indeed, gotta love science man. Think about how much the world has changed from 1980 to 2010, imagine what will come from the next 30 years. People don't think about it but the future is here now. All those wild advances that movies portray are being made right now or have already been made.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: KDbeads on February 05, 2011, 12:22:28 AM
Post by: KDbeads on February 05, 2011, 12:22:28 AM
Quote from: "joeactor"(anyone still using a modem???)
Uhmmmm... define modem? Cause I just spent a half hour trying to reset my dsl modem/network box thingy so I could get back online
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: Thumpalumpacus on February 05, 2011, 06:06:55 AM
Post by: Thumpalumpacus on February 05, 2011, 06:06:55 AM
I cheered when I heard this news.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: karadan on February 17, 2011, 10:31:45 AM
Post by: karadan on February 17, 2011, 10:31:45 AM
Quote from: "Tank"I heard about this 6 planet system while I was driving to college. It's amazing to think what will be discovered while I'm still around and even more amazing to think what my kids will see. I wonder what little Lennon, 10 weeks old today, will see in his lifetime.
Hopefully lots of exciting discoveries and the solutions to global problems.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: karadan on February 17, 2011, 10:46:38 AM
Post by: karadan on February 17, 2011, 10:46:38 AM
Quote from: "Ultima22689"Indeed, gotta love science man. Think about how much the world has changed from 1980 to 2010, imagine what will come from the next 30 years. People don't think about it but the future is here now. All those wild advances that movies portray are being made right now or have already been made.
Yep. I remember being blown away when a show called Tomorrow's World said: "One day we will be able to speak to someone on the other side of the world with a device which fits in your pocket!"
I also like how films tend to over-estimate advances. According to Back to the Future 2, we'll have flying cars and hover boards in four years!
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 17, 2011, 03:29:43 PM
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 17, 2011, 03:29:43 PM
Visiting these planets for short stays would certainly be possible within the next hundred or so years, but inhabiting them, who knows how much longer.
Let's hope we don't destroy ourselves with nuclear war before then.
Let's hope we don't destroy ourselves with nuclear war before then.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: karadan on February 17, 2011, 04:15:28 PM
Post by: karadan on February 17, 2011, 04:15:28 PM
Quote from: "ForTheLoveOfAll"Visiting these planets for short stays would certainly be possible within the next hundred or so years, but inhabiting them, who knows how much longer.
Let's hope we don't destroy ourselves with nuclear war before then.
Unless some groundbreaking and inconceivable technology (no one predicted the internet) happens within the next few hundred years, we will not see humans travel to other planets. The distances are just too great.
Five hundred years would be a more reasonable figure i think.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 18, 2011, 01:08:59 PM
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 18, 2011, 01:08:59 PM
Quote from: "karadan"The thing about technology is that currently, unless we're looking ten years or so into the future, it's impossible to imagine what sort of technical leaps we will make in the next hundred or so years. I mean, really, who in the year 1900 would've been able to imagine what we have now? If, perchance, technology improves as rapidly this century as it did in the last (It probably wont, but it might.) who knows. But you're right. It'll take a long time either way, no doubt.Quote from: "ForTheLoveOfAll"Visiting these planets for short stays would certainly be possible within the next hundred or so years, but inhabiting them, who knows how much longer.
Let's hope we don't destroy ourselves with nuclear war before then.
Unless some groundbreaking and inconceivable technology (no one predicted the internet) happens within the next few hundred years, we will not see humans travel to other planets. The distances are just too great.
Five hundred years would be a more reasonable figure i think.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: Ultima22689 on February 19, 2011, 04:51:30 PM
Post by: Ultima22689 on February 19, 2011, 04:51:30 PM
http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-ac ... ng-returns (http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returns)
We will see far more advancement this century than in the 20th, since 2000 we've already seen a stupid amount of advances.
We will see far more advancement this century than in the 20th, since 2000 we've already seen a stupid amount of advances.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 19, 2011, 07:12:57 PM
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 19, 2011, 07:12:57 PM
Quote from: "Ultima22689"http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returnsHell yes.
We will see far more advancement this century than in the 20th, since 2000 we've already seen a stupid amount of advances.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: terranus on February 20, 2011, 06:33:09 PM
Post by: terranus on February 20, 2011, 06:33:09 PM
Quote from: "Ultima22689"http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returns
We will see far more advancement this century than in the 20th, since 2000 we've already seen a stupid amount of advances.
Advances schmadvances. :drool It's happening.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: Ultima22689 on February 20, 2011, 08:03:18 PM
Post by: Ultima22689 on February 20, 2011, 08:03:18 PM
Quote from: "terranus"Quote from: "Ultima22689"http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returns
We will see far more advancement this century than in the 20th, since 2000 we've already seen a stupid amount of advances.
Advances schmadvances. :drool It's happening.
Maybe in the US, in other countries like China, India and many countries of the EU, education and IQ are steady and/or rising.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: terranus on February 22, 2011, 12:58:29 AM
Post by: terranus on February 22, 2011, 12:58:29 AM
Quote from: "Ultima22689"Quote from: "terranus"Quote from: "Ultima22689"http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returns
We will see far more advancement this century than in the 20th, since 2000 we've already seen a stupid amount of advances.
Advances schmadvances. :drool It's happening.
Maybe in the US, in other countries like China, India and many countries of the EU, education and IQ are steady and/or rising.
True, we have reached a point of near stagnation here in the States, whereas other countries have not. But whats to stop other countries from reaching a point of stagnation like the US?
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: Ultima22689 on February 22, 2011, 09:24:09 AM
Post by: Ultima22689 on February 22, 2011, 09:24:09 AM
Because they don't have money and politics sucking the life out of the education system among other things like the US does. The education system in the US didn't just randomly go bad over time. Stupid legislation has reduced it. Stupid legislation only gets passed for money, once we fix money being in US politics then the US will get back on track. Other countries simply don't have that problem.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 22, 2011, 02:22:50 PM
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 22, 2011, 02:22:50 PM
Quote from: "Ultima22689"Because they don't have money and politics sucking the life out of the education system among other things like the US does. The education system in the US didn't just randomly go bad over time. Stupid legislation has reduced it. Stupid legislation only gets passed for money, once we fix money being in US politics then the US will get back on track. Other countries simply don't have that problem.Personally, I'd like to see the eradication of the monetary system alltogether. It's outdated, and obviously not working. Yes, there has been a terrible stewardship of the resources we have, as well, but it seems like the entire system the world is based upon right now was designed to fail.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: terranus on February 24, 2011, 03:41:41 AM
Post by: terranus on February 24, 2011, 03:41:41 AM
Quote from: "ForTheLoveOfAll"Quote from: "Ultima22689"Because they don't have money and politics sucking the life out of the education system among other things like the US does. The education system in the US didn't just randomly go bad over time. Stupid legislation has reduced it. Stupid legislation only gets passed for money, once we fix money being in US politics then the US will get back on track. Other countries simply don't have that problem.Personally, I'd like to see the eradication of the monetary system alltogether. It's outdated, and obviously not working. Yes, there has been a terrible stewardship of the resources we have, as well, but it seems like the entire system the world is based upon right now was designed to fail.
Definitely Agree. Money is the root of all evil.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: LegendarySandwich on February 24, 2011, 08:39:59 AM
Post by: LegendarySandwich on February 24, 2011, 08:39:59 AM
Isn't the removal of money a Communistic ideal...? How would it work, anyways?
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: karadan on February 24, 2011, 09:27:46 AM
Post by: karadan on February 24, 2011, 09:27:46 AM
Quote from: "terranus"Quote from: "ForTheLoveOfAll"Quote from: "Ultima22689"Because they don't have money and politics sucking the life out of the education system among other things like the US does. The education system in the US didn't just randomly go bad over time. Stupid legislation has reduced it. Stupid legislation only gets passed for money, once we fix money being in US politics then the US will get back on track. Other countries simply don't have that problem.Personally, I'd like to see the eradication of the monetary system alltogether. It's outdated, and obviously not working. Yes, there has been a terrible stewardship of the resources we have, as well, but it seems like the entire system the world is based upon right now was designed to fail.
Definitely Agree. Money is the root of all evil.
Apart from a bartering system (which would fail in today's complicated society) there's no alternative. A utopian society would fail, as has been proven time and time again in communist countries. Humans are too fallible. The only way I can see a moneyless utopia could work, is if we had a symbiotic relationship with incorruptible artificial intelligence.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 24, 2011, 02:16:56 PM
Post by: ForTheLoveOfAll on February 24, 2011, 02:16:56 PM
I'm fond of the idea of a resource based economy.
From what I've read, 90% of the jobs we're doing right now could be replaced by machines.
This, imo, would free humanity up to further our scientific studies, create art much more beautiful than anything we've ever seen or heard before, and formulate new philosophies.
Some days I wish the world would at this very moment turn into something like a dystopian novel. Everything crashes, and we go back to being nomads. Like the Native Americans once were.
This is just a dream of mine, but who knows. One thing is for certain, society as currently set up is a failure.
From what I've read, 90% of the jobs we're doing right now could be replaced by machines.
This, imo, would free humanity up to further our scientific studies, create art much more beautiful than anything we've ever seen or heard before, and formulate new philosophies.
Some days I wish the world would at this very moment turn into something like a dystopian novel. Everything crashes, and we go back to being nomads. Like the Native Americans once were.
This is just a dream of mine, but who knows. One thing is for certain, society as currently set up is a failure.
Title: Re: New potentially habitable exoplanets found.
Post by: terranus on February 27, 2011, 05:22:17 PM
Post by: terranus on February 27, 2011, 05:22:17 PM
Well, think about it. What if money didn't exist, but everyone was required to have a job. Tell me, what do you think the main "currency" would be? Since you wouldn't ever have to "buy" anything, the only motivation to work hard would be to get more time off. Therefore, it is my theory that in a "moneyless" society where everyone was forced to work, the main currency would be sick-days, vacation-days, retirement benefits, etc.
EDIT: sorry, forgot to put
. Not real sure how we got on this little side-topic anyway.
EDIT: sorry, forgot to put
. Not real sure how we got on this little side-topic anyway.