The Factory Floor

Shalvenay

00:00

ah.

Mithrandir24601

How's things going with you?

Shalvenay

alright here.

Mithrandir24601

00:17

It just keeps getting more and more phenomenal. One of the best episodes of anything I've ever seen. Fish that are evolving something like feet. sponges that form intricate structures with no explanation of how. The pretty colours of the deep-sea creatures. Just... Wow

Corals that have been living for millennia only to be killed because of overfishing :'(

immortal jellyfish

JDługosz

01:25

Something @JBH posted reminded me of a trip to NASA when I was a kid. I was in the press gallary overlooking the Control Room (seen on TV during Apollo missions) and got to handle samples of the material being used to make the Space Shuttle tiles, and learned that the first shuttle was officially being named Enterprise because of Star Trek fans.

JDługosz

07:37

@Dakacha you’re very enthusiastic — you should join us in [chat] and discuss your project more.

Bellerophon

11:19

@JDługosz You do realise they won't see that message unless they visit chat?

Mithrandir24601

@Bellerophon I'd guess it was a mod superping?..

JDługosz

11:38

@Mithrandir24601 That's right.

@Mithrandir24601 I just saw a commercial. Showing in the U.S. in the spring.

Mithrandir24601

@JDługosz Not quite as good as planet Earth II, but then that's like saying the best film of the year isn't quite as good as the Godfather part I or Shawshank Redemption or something :P

On the other hand episode 2 was... :o

Future Historian

13:25

@FerretCivilization?

A K1.7 - K2.1 civilisation could conquer Earth in how long a timeframe?

Because I am NOT sure if they can conquer Earth in a few days or even a few hours, compared to what I originally planned for two months.

gulps

Ferret Civilization

I would not know, you could say any number.

Future Historian

Well, what is a median estimate?

Future Historian

13:43

@FerretCivilization? Any moderate estimates for the timeframe our conventional armies have before being reduced to guerrillas?

Ferret Civilization

Well no, that would be a story thing with any number for me

Bellerophon

14:07

Is there anything mods cannot do?

Journeyman Geek

yes

Secespitus

14:31

@Bellerophon Accepting answers on questions from other people for example.

Journeyman Geek

or seeing who voted for what

or closing bountied questions (we can refund and close tho ;p)

In fact I would say you got 90% of what we do with 20k

Shalvenay

15:14

hey there @Separatrix

Bellerophon

15:33

Wow, I just reached a new high for internet download speed in my house. 2MB/s.

2

Future Historian

18:03

@FerretCivilization? Well, from a technological and military capabilities standpoint, how long could we have left on average (ignoring military competence of both sides' commanders for a second)?

I am not looking at commanders, since that changes the outcome significantly.

Future Historian

18:21

I am looking at technological and military capabilities as a means of generating an estimate.

I ask because I am on the 21st of August in the timeline document and turns out that the situation across the globe is already very grim.

As in: China nuked its own coastline, Chicago and New Orleans are all nuked, Britain only has the armed forces left operational, Denmark's government fled to Greenland, Switzerland is the only nation left in continental Europe holding on against the Visitors and the Russians already retreated across the Ural Mountains.

As for Africa.........well, Africa is just......dead. Tokyo, and most India have also been overrun, with Pakistan detonating nukes on India just to slow down the Visitors before they reach the Pakistani border (unless Pakistan is being invaded already by that point).

And Brazil is already out of the picture.

Shalvenay

21:08

hey there @Secespitus

Secespitus

Good evening @Shalvenay, How's it going?

Shalvenay

alright here, as for you?

Secespitus

Alright

Shalvenay

still pondering some about the whole "struggle over the weapon" trope, and how someone who's armed with say a knife but is of lesser strength than their opponent can stay out of such situations...

got any thoughts on that one @Secespitus?

Secespitus

I don't know what trope that is

Shalvenay

21:18

ah

Future Historian

@Shalvenay? Remind me again how kinetic strikes are different from nuclear weapons in terms of the effects they unleash, especially with the release of 11 kt of TNT on impact?

Shalvenay

my best description is: "two folks get into a fight but there's only one weapon, so the fight centers around control over that weapon vs just beating the living daylights out of each other"

Future Historian

Because I am thinking: how many of them are needed to send enough soot, ash and dust into the atmosphere for some slight climate change-inducing effects?

Because Discord sources and this site’s sources confuse me.

Shalvenay

@FutureHistorian ah. a kinetic strike is going to be delivering more of that 11kt as kinetic energy to the impacted target (which'll translate into a ground shockwave I reckon) more vs. thermal energy or in an aerial shockwave

at least, that's how I understand it

Future Historian

But would the demolished infrastructure not have some things go on fire?

Besides, this thing is going at Mach 25 on impact. The amount of ionised particles around the rod itself should have caused something.

Wait, would they cause something on impact?

Shalvenay

21:22

yes, there would be some fires in demolished buildings and such, and I suspect there will be ignition of combustible structures in close proximity, but the thermal effects will be a fair bit more localized

Future Historian

Still, multiply that by dozens.

One rod may have them localised, but 40,000 of them?!

Are you sure about that?

Shalvenay

remember that 40,000 is pretty spread around. it also depends on how your targets are built

Future Historian

After all: if you are targeting a MAJOR CITY + multiple rods fall on the target city and metropolitan area, then we have a problem.

Then again, they also target most fighter-hosting air bases and nuclear missile silos so........

Shalvenay

@Secespitus did you catch my desc of the trope? (it might have gotten lost in the shuffle)

Future Historian

Then again, some of them will still hit major cities.

So, @Shalvenay? 36,000 of those rods impact major cities = ???????

Secespitus

21:26

@Shalvenay Nope, sorry. I don't know which situations.

Shalvenay

6 mins ago, by Shalvenay

my best description is: "two folks get into a fight but there's only one weapon, so the fight centers around control over that weapon vs just beating the living daylights out of each other"

@FutureHistorian mostly depends on where in the city you target. targeting city centers isn't actually going to start that much on fire -- lower fuel loads + sturdier buildings in some regards. targeting residential areas is going to yield much more fire

Secespitus

@Shalvenay Strength is not really a problem if you are the one with a knife. Or if nobody has the knife at the start, because than it's a matter of speed to get the weapon.

Future Historian

It is spread out all over metropolitan areas anyway.

The city proper, the urban area AND the metropolitian area all get rods to the face when targeting a major city.

Shalvenay

@Secespitus nods yeah, that's what I've been told by a couple folks -- I'm trying to get a 2nd opinion on the tactics the knife-wielder could use to keep the strongman off their back so to speak

Secespitus

@Shalvenay That strongman won't be alive for long if the weaker knife holder is the one with the experience when it comes tofighting with a knife

Shalvenay

21:29

@FutureHistorian right. so...I'd expect scattered conflagrations and "pockets" of destruction across the city. the portion of the 11kt that gets put into the ground is largely wasted

@Secespitus aye, true.

Future Historian

Still, would they be enough to cause climate change-inducing issues?

Or would the nuclear strikes undertaken during the Invasion do that?

By pesky humans?

Shalvenay

@FutureHistorian probably more the fault of the nukes than the rods

Future Historian

Oh.

Shalvenay

the nukes are going to be more efficient at launching soot into the upper atmosphere, which is where the climate change comes from

Future Historian

I wonder how many it would take to detonate just to cause a nightmare situation.

Shalvenay

21:31

that's...hard to tell

Future Historian

Well, China’s entire coastline, New Orleans, Chicago, and possibly New Delhi are nuked. I am thinking of adding Boston and New York into the mix.

Universe Factory

Universe Factory - Medium: The Ambush Part 2

posted on November 26, 2017 by Secespitus

“Llum de tarda” by Joan SorollaSilence. For a few moments there is nothing. Nothing to see. Nothing to smell. Nothing to hear. Not even the arrow flying through the air, straight towards me. No sound from the archer who must have drawn the bow. There is not enough time to get away. Reflexively I start to take a step back. Due to the magic I used to enhance my senses time seems to stretch, and …

5

Future Historian

22:05

Calculating the destruction of New Orleans, Hong Kong + all of China’s coastal cities, Seattle, Boston, New Delhi, Chicago, and Manchester with the yield of the warheads combined resulting in.........35.599 Mt of TNT detonated? Well, that is not SO bad. Is it?

Bellerophon

@Shalvenay Would it not be easier for the strong person to beat up the weaker one without bothering with trying to get the knife?

Future Historian

@Shalvenay? Is a megatonnage of 36 Mt going to cause climate change-inducing side effects with those cities being targeted?

Or not enough?

Shalvenay

yeah, but that puts them at more risk of getting knifed if they aren't trying to do something about that and the physically weaker fighter can take advantage

@FutureHistorian definitely too small.

Future Historian

breathes a sigh of relief

Ferret Civilization

22:33

Ha, had to ask that question again to be really really sure there @FutureHistorian

Shalvenay

22:58

hey there @JoeBloggs and @FerretCivilization

Ferret Civilization

Hi Shalvenay!

Shalvenay

how're things going?

Ferret Civilization

Going, you?

Shalvenay

23:21

alright here, and hey there @SCPilot

SCPilot

Hi! How's everything?

Shalvenay

alright here, as for you?

SCPilot

Same here.

Anyone ready for Christmas? Got your decorations up?

Oh btw, @Shalvenay:

Here is something about dragons and flying:

Apparently, dragons can crashland too.

Shalvenay

@SCPilot NYET. having USB device class selection difficulties :P (more seriously, no -- just going to do something very basic this year. in other holiday plans: headlines say Santa Slain By Angry Elves -- Enslavement Attempt Failed -- News at 11)

@SCPilot apparently, that dragon hit a power line :P

SCPilot

Um..........I guess someone would prefer the holidays came without headaches.

Actually, it was carrying four people in two bags of holding. But she still felt the weight. Plus, I think she's out of shape.

But I got my decorations up just before Thanksgiving.

Shalvenay

23:32

@SCPilot hahaha, overweight and out of balance is no way to fly! I think that dragon had a wee bit of an aft C.G problem on her hands, no?

SCPilot

Thinks....Yep. that makes sense.

Plus, the artist is known for his slapstick humor at times.

Anyhow, I thought about the legal system of the Verrisirs, and theirs is more of an inquisitorial court system than an adversarial court system (like ours is).

Inquisitorial system

An inquisitorial system is a legal system where the court or a part of the court is actively involved in investigating the facts of the case, as opposed to an adversarial system where the role of the court is primarily that of an impartial referee between the prosecution and the defense. Inquisitorial systems are used primarily in countries with civil legal systems as opposed to common law systems. Countries using common law, including the United States, may use an inquisitorial system for summary hearings in the case of misdemeanors such as minor traffic violations. The distinction between an...

Shalvenay

asrs.arc.nasa.gov/publications/callback/cb_291.htm

@SCPilot ah. it's definitely a very different way of operating -- I personally have my reservations about attaching punishment to inquisitorial proceedings. however, they do have a use in that an inquisitorial proceeding style is excellent for fact-finding investigations where no liability or punishment can be allowed to attach (NTSB, for ex.)

SCPilot

Nods

Shalvenay

@SCPilot -- the link's for you btw re: trying to fly while overweight and/or out of balance xD

SCPilot

I did show some fans that link, and boy was there a firestorm! They pretty much said that it was not relevant and it just merely gravity and physics.

Ferret Civilization

23:41

Physics, pretty broad and all encompassing eh, ha. Just give them the flat "What."

SCPilot

lol!

SCPilot

23:57

Anyhow, that's one of the reasons why the British created the Black Legend (which was pretty much British propaganda to destroy Spain's image, since 1) Spain and Britain were fighting a lot and 2) Britain was Protestant and Spain was Catholic.

Unfortunately, the Black Legend came back around hundreds of years later and bit every Christian in the butt!

Transcript for