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A flaw in science fiction. - 11/6/2013 10:26:08 AM   
jlf1961


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Status: offline 		This is serious, just about every book or movie dealing with earth encountering an alien life form, there is always the clue that it is an artificial body because it is "decelerating at one gee."

There in lies the flaw.

One gee is the gravitational constant on the earth, but on a planet with lighter of heavier gravity, it would be different.

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/6/2013 2:47:35 PM   
kiwisub12


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Status: offline 		Well, dah! The writer is from earth, therefore their point of view is earth normal. No problem.................

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/6/2013 2:57:07 PM   
Toysinbabeland


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Status: offline 		Fahrenheit and Celsius or different as well, they both measure out to the same amount, so perhaps at 1 gee is a totally different measurement in their eyes, all three of them.

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/6/2013 4:56:36 PM   
SoulAlloy


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Status: offline 		Sound in space is a common one too...

Though if they're landing on Earth wouldn't the deceleration be one gee anyway? (Though at least one episode of Futurama had a high gravity planet...)

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/6/2013 5:02:16 PM   
MasterCaneman


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Status: offline 		I'm too busy to dig out the formula, but the deceleration is equal to their initial entry velocity when they enter the atmosphere. Some of the older Soviet capsules would go to six Gs coming back in. Humans can usually handle up to 9 for short periods of time.

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/6/2013 5:03:39 PM   
newdmsextoy


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Status: offline 		Does it matter with an inertial damper? After I bought mine, I made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/6/2013 11:42:24 PM   
SoulAlloy


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quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman

I'm too busy to dig out the formula, but the deceleration is equal to their initial entry velocity when they enter the atmosphere. Some of the older Soviet capsules would go to six Gs coming back in. Humans can usually handle up to 9 for short periods of time.


Ah right, I never could wrap my head around physics very well lol (particularly centrifugal force).
So the flaw is they're having a controlled landing? Or just that the writer is using earth terminology for their descent?

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"Better to be a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without" - Confucius

"It'll be alright in the end - if it isn't alright, it's not the end." - unknown

Kinky crossdressing Whovian

Host of the Preston (UK) Munch, 2nd Wednesday each month

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 1:17:01 AM   
garyFLR


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Status: offline 		Let's just watch the film shall we !! Before we all disappear up our own anal black hole .

How come female love interest aliens are always hot to trot? The makers of Babylon 5 certainly gave that alien councillor bird a bit of a face lift, when she fell in love with the captain bloke, after series 1. Didn't they?

Earth centric views on beauty seems to be universal, as with gravity .

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 5:13:07 AM   
SoulAlloy


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quote:

ORIGINAL: garyFLR

Let's just watch the film shall we !! Before we all disappear up our own anal black hole .

How come female love interest aliens are always hot to trot? The makers of Babylon 5 certainly gave that alien councillor bird a bit of a face lift, when she fell in love with the captain bloke, after series 1. Didn't they?

Earth centric views on beauty seems to be universal, as with gravity .


Oh I don't know, I can think of 3 episodes of Red Dwarf where Lister is kissing monstrous aliens, and one where he married one....

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"Better to be a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without" - Confucius

"It'll be alright in the end - if it isn't alright, it's not the end." - unknown

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Host of the Preston (UK) Munch, 2nd Wednesday each month

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 5:23:28 AM   
garyFLR


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Status: offline 		Yes, I remember that one, very nasty!

Was it the Psions in Red Dwarf that tried to suck Lister's brains out, while disguised as the lovely Kochanski?

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 5:40:48 AM   
Zonie63


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quote:

ORIGINAL: garyFLR

Let's just watch the film shall we !! Before we all disappear up our own anal black hole .

How come female love interest aliens are always hot to trot?


Not always...


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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 5:50:15 AM   
jlf1961


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quote:

ORIGINAL: newdmsextoy

Does it matter with an inertial damper? After I bought mine, I made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.



Actually, under the current theory of warp drive, you dont have to be concerned with becoming a smear on the aft bulkhead, since it is space that is warped, i.e contracting in front of the ship, expanding behind it. Basically the ship is traveling at a velocity significantly slower than the speed of light in a bubble of space time.

_____________________________

Boy, it sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don't you think?

You cannot control who comes into your life, but you can control which airlock you throw them out of.

Paranoid Paramilitary Gun Loving Conspiracy Theorist AND EQUAL OPPORTUNI

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 6:42:59 AM   
MasterCaneman


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quote:

ORIGINAL: SoulAlloy


quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman

I'm too busy to dig out the formula, but the deceleration is equal to their initial entry velocity when they enter the atmosphere. Some of the older Soviet capsules would go to six Gs coming back in. Humans can usually handle up to 9 for short periods of time.


Ah right, I never could wrap my head around physics very well lol (particularly centrifugal force).
So the flaw is they're having a controlled landing? Or just that the writer is using earth terminology for their descent?


Writers are kind of stuck in using terminology their audience can grok, I'm afraid. In order to get around the tedium of describing the operation, many use the 'flash-forward' technique to keep the story moving along. The one thing that any inhabitants of this universe have to contend with is the physics of the universe, and here's where McGuffins come in handy for explaining away how they accomplish things difficult or impossible for us to do now.

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The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. ~ Sun Tzu

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 6:46:14 AM   
Toysinbabeland


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quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961


quote:

ORIGINAL: newdmsextoy

Does it matter with an inertial damper? After I bought mine, I made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.



Actually, under the current theory of warp drive, you dont have to be concerned with becoming a smear on the aft bulkhead, since it is space that is warped, i.e contracting in front of the ship, expanding behind it. Basically the ship is traveling at a velocity significantly slower than the speed of light in a bubble of space time.




Oooh bubbles...now there's some physics. http://youtu.be/Qc0FCb5-6Cg


Wrong link...

New one:
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/11/science/la-sci-bubbles-20130511



< Message edited by Toysinbabeland -- 11/7/2013 6:48:25 AM >

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 6:50:13 AM   
Toysinbabeland


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Status: offline 		My tablet sucks. *stabs tablet*

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 7:15:57 AM   
jlf1961


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Toysinbabeland

My tablet sucks. *stabs tablet*



Tablets were predicted by Arthur C. Clarke in 2001 A Space Odyssey.

Some people claim the cell phone was predicted in the Star Trek communicator (The Original Series) however I disagree, that was clearly a device that one did not need to dial.

My opinion is the cell phone was predicted by the TV show "Get Smart" with his shoe phone, a device that clearly had to be dialed.

Now, giving Blade Runner as a timeline, we should be living in perpetual darkness and ran, or at least LA should be, we should have flying cars, and off world colonies in other star systems. Tyrell Corp should have been operating now for some years, having made the previous models to the Nexus 6 series.

A this point, this ties in with another thread Whatever happened to.....??

_____________________________

Boy, it sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don't you think?

You cannot control who comes into your life, but you can control which airlock you throw them out of.

Paranoid Paramilitary Gun Loving Conspiracy Theorist AND EQUAL OPPORTUNI

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/7/2013 10:30:56 AM   
SoulAlloy


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From: Preston, UK
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quote:

ORIGINAL: garyFLR

Yes, I remember that one, very nasty!

Was it the Psions in Red Dwarf that tried to suck Lister's brains out, while disguised as the lovely Kochanski?


'Twas the Psirens yes, though the one who got closest was disguised as Pete Tranter's Sister (I know too much of this episode lol)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

Now, giving Blade Runner as a timeline, we should be living in perpetual darkness and ran, or at least LA should be, we should have flying cars, and off world colonies in other star systems. Tyrell Corp should have been operating now for some years, having made the previous models to the Nexus 6 series.

A this point, this ties in with another thread Whatever happened to.....??


I prefer to link it to Back to the Future, flying cars in two years

_____________________________

"Better to be a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without" - Confucius

"It'll be alright in the end - if it isn't alright, it's not the end." - unknown

Kinky crossdressing Whovian

Host of the Preston (UK) Munch, 2nd Wednesday each month

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/9/2013 1:46:33 AM   
garyFLR


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quote:

ORIGINAL: SoulAlloy


quote:

ORIGINAL: garyFLR

Yes, I remember that one, very nasty!

Was it the Psions in Red Dwarf that tried to suck Lister's brains out, while disguised as the lovely Kochanski?


'Twas the Psirens yes, though the one who got closest was disguised as Pete Tranter's Sister (I know too much of this episode lol)




SoulAlloy, I've suddenly become very attracted to you, I don't know why .


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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/9/2013 1:48:52 AM   
garyFLR


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Zonie63


quote:

ORIGINAL: garyFLR

Let's just watch the film shall we !! Before we all disappear up our own anal black hole .

How come female love interest aliens are always hot to trot?


Not always...




Okay Zonie, what's wrong with this lovely lady?


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Chairman of the Lady TNDommeK Appreciation Society, in celebration of all things Ducklippery & Luxuriant :-D.

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RE: A flaw in science fiction. - 11/9/2013 3:47:18 AM   
Zonie63


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quote:

ORIGINAL: garyFLR

Okay Zonie, what's wrong with this lovely lady?



Well, nothing, except that one night with her, and you won't live to see morning.

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