Topic: Episode #358

[Trinoc]

Regarding a jet that converts into a rocket above the atmosphere so that the occupants don't all have to have the health of an Olympic athlete, check out Skylon.

At the moment the idea is for it to be an unmanned cargo carrier, partly because not having to worry about crew/passenger lives in the prototype versions makes things so much easier and cheaper. At the talk I went to by Alan Bond a few weeks ago he said it would be feasible to put a habitation pod in the cargo bay, but realistically a passenger version would be a major design revision.

To give you an idea of the projected benefits of a plane like this, they are anticipating a hardware cost of about the same as a jumbo jet, and an initial mission cost of $5 million, as against well over $100 million for disposable craft or the shuttle. And the whole thing is designed to be re-usable after a few days' check-over.

[pandamonium]

Swindler's List! Woo! I'm listening now, but I always get a secret thrill when I hear the title of the segment.

[arthwollipot]

There's been a poker tournament at TAM for many years, organised at the JREF Forums.

[James]

Ya gotta love Evan's dry wit going right over Steve's head (or perhaps he just didn't hear him) at 37mins in;

Steve "I also draw the analogy, which I think is perrrrfect..."

Evan"You did draw it afterall."  lol classic Evan!


Good episode, I thought that Mort Goldman came across as so much more intelligent than he seems to be on Family Guy.

[WC]

Regarding a jet that converts into a rocket above the atmosphere so that the occupants don't all have to have the health of an Olympic athlete, check out Skylon.

That's a very cool concept, but the keyword is concept. They haven't even built their SABRE engine, or anything else for that matter, and can't convince anyone to invest in R&D. Seems like another pipe dream spaceplane which will never be.

[worldslaziestbusker]

Regarding psilocybin and brain activity: is the psychadelia that is my dreaming world a result of similar shut downs in the brain as those described in the recounted discussion with the idealist?

[WeeDavie]

Science or Fiction:

I bet there is a walking cactus that would fit into the description.

The humble bramble does a lot of 'walking'. A single bramble puts out a tendril that moves through the local enviroment. It can then form a rootlet at the end of a long tendril. This then forms into a clone rooted in a new location connected the parent plant via the tendril. The tendril gets broken then the parent plant dies and hey presto the plant has walked to a new location. Add in a bit of selection with plants in poor soil dying off and plants in good soil surviving and you have a plant that 'appears' to walk around the place in search of nutrients.

The BBC life of plants did a great video of it. Fantastic nature photography of plant growth of brambles - The Private Life of Plants - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife

It doesn't show the tendril rooting itself in a new location but I and many other blackberry growers can assure you that they do! restricting blackberries/brambles in the part of the garden you want them to be, is a constant effort.

I sure there must be a cactus that does this type of thing.

[rwh]

The tendril gets broken then the parent plant dies and hey presto the plant has walked to a new location.

Are you implying that if the tendril is broken then the parent plant dies?  Because that's what it sounds like.  Those two things aren't really causally linked though.

-Rob

[Mormegil]

I've always liked the "I could have created the universe 10 minutes ago, and you can't prove me wrong" quip.  Joshie thought it might have originated with Douglas Adams.  Does anyone know if it was Adams who first came up with this?  It wouldn't surprise me, he was a brilliant guy.

I came up with it independently while arguing evolution with a (now Athiest) creationist friend in the 8th grade.  So I'm pretty sure it was me...  Though I did say 5 minutes ago.

[Shadow Of A Doubt]

This was a really great ep this week guys, although I can't put my finger on why. 

[Macaron]

So what was with the gay jibe at the three holocaust deniers (by Joshie), and why did that need to make it to broadcast?

[seaotter]

So what was with the gay jibe at the three holocaust deniers (by Joshie), and why did that need to make it to broadcast?

Definitely made me wince. Damned if you do censor and you're damned if you don't.

[James]

So what was with the gay jibe at the three holocaust deniers (by Joshie), and why did that need to make it to broadcast?

Surely you don't want Steve to censor the podcasts, do you?  I mean edit for time and take out the stammering but if a guest says something, I want to hear it.

Not sure what he meant by it, its usually anti-gay blowhards that are actually closet homosexuals, not so much anti-jew

[seaotter]

Seemed to me that he was using gay as an insult.

[amysrevenge]

I was more getting that it was a misapplication of the homophobe == closet gay meme.

But then, I always try to interpret thing from people I like in the better of possible ways.  It could either be this mistake or it could be bigotry - without further information to confirm either way, I'm going to assume mistake.