Out of the Blue

We are temporarily stranded in the Blue Tower due to the weather. We're not snowed in, we're iced in. Freezing rain started overnight, and while it continues to come down wet, it's forming ice on the ground. There are a few cars going by, but you have to be extra daring (and maybe a few other adjectives) to risk the roads as they ice up. Luckily there's nothing we need that badly, so we'll just wait this out. And we have week 18 football and swans walking around on the frozen pond to watch, so we have no shortage of entertainment to distract us.

Icy Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Brunch Link

Stories

Science
Thanks Max.

Media

Follow-ups

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24.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 11, 2022, 16:34
24.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 11, 2022, 16:34
Jan 11, 2022, 16:34
 
Saw it was coming on in the guide, didn't have much going on so I figured what the hell. Perhaps not the worst film I have watched, but definitely not really worth the time.

A movie where the Earth experiences a non-terrestrial invasion and you learn virtually nothing about the invaders, the status of most of the world, or whether the human race will or won't survive. I always wonder on things like this how the money meeting went. Who listened to the pitch for that movie and said, "Yes, I will provide money to make this movie" and why did they say it. (I assume it was because they were idiots and thought they would make money, but yeah...)
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
23.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 11, 2022, 15:16
23.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 11, 2022, 15:16
Jan 11, 2022, 15:16
 
I'm too scared to ask how you even came across such a fine gem. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/revolt_2017
"I expect death to be nothingness and by removing from me all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism." Isaac Asimov
Avatar 58135
22.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 11, 2022, 14:23
22.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 11, 2022, 14:23
Jan 11, 2022, 14:23
 
Speaking of bad sci-fi movies, I wasted 87 minutes watching a movie called "Revolt" this morning. Do yourself a favor, don't make the same mistake.
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
21.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 10, 2022, 14:05
21.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 10, 2022, 14:05
Jan 10, 2022, 14:05
 
RedEye9 wrote on Jan 9, 2022, 19:09:
I can't find the Twilight Zone episode that fits that description.
There is a movie from 1969 that fits the description. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064519/ Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
The European Space Exploration Council sends two astronauts to explore a planet similar to the Earth but located on the opposite side of the sun.
One major difference that'll make tact happy, they mention it is over 100 million miles from earth.

I remember that movie. A Gerry Anderson production, with miniature work in the same style as UFO and Space 1999. Interesting plot. The other Earth is absolutely identical except everything is a mirror image.
"Turns out I’m 'woke.' All along, I thought I was just compassionate, kind, and good at history. "
Avatar 22380
20.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 10, 2022, 08:39
20.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 10, 2022, 08:39
Jan 10, 2022, 08:39
 
Blue wrote on Jan 10, 2022, 08:36:
I don't think I actually root for other teams. There are some I like better than others (dislike less?). The Bills qualify as likeable for me, but the Jets don't.
The only good thing about the Jets is a childhood story of one of my sisters referring to the team as "the airplanes".
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
19.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 10, 2022, 08:36
19.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 10, 2022, 08:36
Jan 10, 2022, 08:36
 
Cutter wrote on Jan 9, 2022, 18:22:
Hey Blue, as a native New Yorker will you root for the Jets or Bills if you can't for the Giants?

Actually I'm curious if other sports fans here will do that for their state - where they have two or more teams - as a fallback team. So long as your state wins, so to speak, because you sure don't want XYZ state to win.
I don't think I actually root for other teams. There are some I like better than others (dislike less?). The Bills qualify as likeable for me, but the Jets don't.
Stephen "Blue" Heaslip
Blue's News Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, El Presidente for Life
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18.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 10, 2022, 08:30
18.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 10, 2022, 08:30
Jan 10, 2022, 08:30
 
Armengar wrote on Jan 10, 2022, 03:07:
for distances in ancient times, look up Eratosthenes.

That is genius work as he would have had zero ways of proving his theory. There wasnt even a complete map of the world.
Yes, his efforts were mentioned in the article I looked at. He was a man ahead of his time. However, the 1761 work was the first estimate which was statistically accurate.
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
17.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 10, 2022, 08:10
17.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 10, 2022, 08:10
Jan 10, 2022, 08:10
 
Got my Moderna booster shot today.. had an interesting talk with the people at the checkout.. apparently I was the first to mention to them that their booking system is completely borked (no free appointments for 3+ months!) and they were shocked to hear that, since they clearly were not booked out and I was there with no appointment and basically 6th in line. Note. It was a center with capacity to output 900 people per hour.

So yeah, apparently the covidiots in my area are booking vaccination dates and don't go there... man... what the hell
Avatar 54727
16.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 10, 2022, 03:07
16.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 10, 2022, 03:07
Jan 10, 2022, 03:07
 
for distances in ancient times, look up Eratosthenes.

That is genius work as he would have had zero ways of proving his theory. There wasnt even a complete map of the world.
Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
15.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 20:42
15.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 20:42
Jan 9, 2022, 20:42
 
Bob Saget dead at 65. What a bummer.
"Just take a look around you, what do you see? Pain, suffering, and misery." -Black Sabbath, Killing Yourself to Live.

“Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains” -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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14.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 19:56
Enahs
 
14.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 19:56
Jan 9, 2022, 19:56
 Enahs
 
1badmf wrote on Jan 9, 2022, 19:31:
RedEye9 wrote on Jan 9, 2022, 19:09:
I can't find the Twilight Zone episode that fits that description.
There is a movie from 1969 that fits the description. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064519/ Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
The European Space Exploration Council sends two astronauts to explore a planet similar to the Earth but located on the opposite side of the sun.
One major difference that'll make tact happy, they mention it is over 100 million miles from earth.

still not nearly far enough. a planet on the other side of earth's orbit would necessarily be 93M miles x2, or 186 million miles.
Unless my math sucks, 186 million is "over 100 million", so...they were correct if the quote is correct.
I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.
- W. C. Fields
Avatar 15513
13.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 19:31
13.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 19:31
Jan 9, 2022, 19:31
 
RedEye9 wrote on Jan 9, 2022, 19:09:
I can't find the Twilight Zone episode that fits that description.
There is a movie from 1969 that fits the description. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064519/ Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
The European Space Exploration Council sends two astronauts to explore a planet similar to the Earth but located on the opposite side of the sun.
One major difference that'll make tact happy, they mention it is over 100 million miles from earth.

still not nearly far enough. a planet on the other side of earth's orbit would necessarily be 93M miles x2, or 186 million miles.
12.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 19:09
12.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 19:09
Jan 9, 2022, 19:09
 
I can't find the Twilight Zone episode that fits that description.
There is a movie from 1969 that fits the description. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064519/ Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
The European Space Exploration Council sends two astronauts to explore a planet similar to the Earth but located on the opposite side of the sun.
One major difference that'll make tact happy, they mention it is over 100 million miles from earth.
"I expect death to be nothingness and by removing from me all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism." Isaac Asimov
Avatar 58135
11.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 18:43
11.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 18:43
Jan 9, 2022, 18:43
 
WaltSee wrote on Jan 9, 2022, 15:07:
One of the episodes dealt with a planet on the same orbital path as the Earth, except for being on the opposite side of the sun, so we'd never see it. The Air Force was putting together a crew to fly to the Earth twin in a new experimental rocket plane of some kind, and the show kept mentioning the planet being the incredible distance of one million miles from Earth! (This is all IIRC, so pardons if it isn't precisely right!) Back then, late '50's early 60's, "a million miles away" seemed like a mind-numbing astrological concept, as it would be a few years before we'd start talking about a light year being six trillion miles, etc. And now Webb will be peering back in time from a million miles from Earth!...;) The progress made in the last sixty+ years is astounding when I think about it.

First, The Twilight Zone was and is a great show. I still will watch an episode or two when I see it in the guide. Second, I remember learning the Earth was 93 million miles from the Sun at a very young age. But then I did have an interest in astronomy. This got me wondering when humans might have first calculated that distance, a quick Google found this:

In 1761... Jerome Lalande collected all the data and computed the first accurate distance to the Sun: 153 million kilometers, good to within three percent of the true value!

So, if the episode did use "one million miles" it was pretty sloppy of them. The distance was well known by the time television was invented. That said, I've heard other bad stats like this in sci-fi movies/shows. I'm always very disappointed and a bit annoyed when I hear something I immediately recognize as completely wrong.
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
10.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 18:22
10.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 18:22
Jan 9, 2022, 18:22
 
Hey Blue, as a native New Yorker will you root for the Jets or Bills if you can't for the Giants?

Actually I'm curious if other sports fans here will do that for their state - where they have two or more teams - as a fallback team. So long as your state wins, so to speak, because you sure don't want XYZ state to win.
"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip." - Henny Youngman
9.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 18:13
9.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 18:13
Jan 9, 2022, 18:13
 
I feel ya', Blue. That storm came through here yesterday, starting around noon. I knew it was coming so I made sure to complete the one errand I had around 9 am, and didn't go out the rest of the day.
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
8.
 
Your attention didn’t collapse. It was stolen
Jan 9, 2022, 17:24
8.
Your attention didn’t collapse. It was stolen Jan 9, 2022, 17:24
Jan 9, 2022, 17:24
 
This article explains exactly what I've been feeling for 10 years now, but couldn't quite put my finger on.

If you feel like you can't focus as much as before and you thought it was only age ( despite being younger than the age at which this kind of thing can happen ) , turns out it might be something entirely different playing tricks on you.

Fascinating read.

Edit: Seems like this article is simply an excerpt from a book by Johann Hari called "Stolen Focus".

Here's an interview with the author about the book.

This comment was edited on Jan 9, 2022, 18:18.
7.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 16:48
7.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 16:48
Jan 9, 2022, 16:48
 
fakespyder wrote on Jan 9, 2022, 16:08:
Cyprus reportedly discovers a Covid variant that combines omicron and delta.
No, damn it. Just no!

Birds are real, a US government agency wants to assure you. Bird is the word, Peter Griffin wants to assure you

Bird-house!

Everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A well a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A well a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjpHUXqHfCI&ab_channel=MehrLicht%21[

Cthulhu
Kittens!
Avatar 8692
6.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 16:08
6.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 16:08
Jan 9, 2022, 16:08
 
Cyprus reportedly discovers a Covid variant that combines omicron and delta.
No, damn it. Just no!

Birds are real, a US government agency wants to assure you. Bird is the word, Peter Griffin wants to assure you

Bird-house!
Avatar 58853
5.
 
Re: OotB: Icy You
Jan 9, 2022, 15:07
5.
Re: OotB: Icy You Jan 9, 2022, 15:07
Jan 9, 2022, 15:07
 
Webb telescope is absolutely mind-boggling..;) What an achievement. The sheer amount of both national and International cooperation and partnerships it took to put the telescope into space was such a vast project that it is difficult to describe, if not to believe! Many theories will fall, and several will be verified, no question, during Webb's service!

A funny anecdote came to mind when I learned that WEBB's final position would be in a tight orbit around a fixed point at L2--a million miles from Earth. Back in the 60's one of my favorite programs growing up was Rod Serling's Twilight Zone--we'd never miss an episode every Friday night!...;) It was thrilling stuff for me and my friends at the time. One of the episodes dealt with a planet on the same orbital path as the Earth, except for being on the opposite side of the sun, so we'd never see it. The Air Force was putting together a crew to fly to the Earth twin in a new experimental rocket plane of some kind, and the show kept mentioning the planet being the incredible distance of one million miles from Earth! (This is all IIRC, so pardons if it isn't precisely right!) Back then, late '50's early 60's, "a million miles away" seemed like a mind-numbing astrological concept, as it would be a few years before we'd start talking about a light year being six trillion miles, etc. And now Webb will be peering back in time from a million miles from Earth!...;) The progress made in the last sixty+ years is astounding when I think about it.
It is well known that I cannot err--and so, if you should happen across an error in anything I have written you can be absolutely sure that *I* did not write it!...;)
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