Revoltingly OT: Size of your colon - Page 5

AgentZero · #41 December 2nd, 2005, 10:46 AM

Well, obviously, it won't. If the sun actually goes nova. However, at this point that's just the leading theory. If the sun didn't go nova (which it CAN'T!), but did something else that made the surface of the planet uninhabitable, then an underground city at least gives some of the species a slim chance of survival (and not just humanity, mind you, they've stockpiled the DNA of thousands of other species. Coz cloning is just so easy doncha know). And hey, slim's always better than none.

Wolfman77 · #42 December 2nd, 2005, 12:49 PM

At that point they mightas well have just attached huge rockets to one side of the earth and flown it to another star.

Iv'e never cared for any of those disaster movies, disaster indeed.

Hunpecked · #43 December 2nd, 2005, 06:13 PM

A humongous solar flare would be a slightly more plausible (and survivable) menace than a nova/supernova. Larry Niven used this device in his story "Inconstant Moon".

AgentZero · #44 December 2nd, 2005, 07:09 PM

Yes, well I'm thinking it'll probably end up being something similar, since all these 'disaster movie' writers seem obsessed with happy endings, the concept of having the sun going blooie and killing everyone likely wasn't on their list of possible endings. But I'll probably end up watching the second part to it, if only to assure myself that if talentless hacks like them can get work, then there's still hope for me.

By the way, if anyone has any ideas on getting around writer's block, I and the fans of Hell is for Heroes would much appreciate your sharing. So far I've tried excersize, drink, banging my head against a wall, and a little wink wink nudge nudge. All to no avail. And those are the only cures I know.

narf poit chez BOOM · #45 December 2nd, 2005, 07:43 PM

Mmm...Just start writing?

Suicide Junkie · #46 December 2nd, 2005, 08:11 PM

Play some SE4? Maybe some P&N as a pirate for that small scale focus.

Baron Munchausen · #47 December 2nd, 2005, 10:15 PM

Quote:

dogscoff said:

Quote:

AgentZero said:
And finally, there's a bit where our hero is brought to a massive underground city, designed to support enough people to create the genetic diversity required for the species to survive.

How exactly would burying yourself in an underground city protect you from a supernova? Might as well try to protect yourself from an atom bomb by opening an umbrella...

There is a tendency to think of the star going nova as equal to a huge bomb that would send out a pressure wave destroying everything around it. The mind-boggling amount of energy might well vaporize planets that are too close, but outside a certain radius you are really not looking at a 'shockwave' but something akin to a huge 'solar flare' radiating in all directions. Space is mostly empty after all.

The pressure wave would be reduced at a very high rate just like radiation intensity (Inverse square law and all that: http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResou...sesquare.htm).

Sure, the surface of a planet would be heavily irradiated, and even scoured of its atmosphere. But unless it was very close to the star (like Mercury) the solid body of the planet could probably survive. So the underground city makes some sort of sense. The thing is, the planet would then be dead. How long could a human-managed ecosystem with no 'margin for error' survive? Judging by the examples provided by the history of previous human civilizations, which almost all destroyed themselves through mismanagement of their own natural resources in much more forgiving circumstances, not very long...

Baron Munchausen · #48 December 2nd, 2005, 10:22 PM

Quote:

AgentZero said:
Yes, well I'm thinking it'll probably end up being something similar, since all these 'disaster movie' writers seem obsessed with happy endings, the concept of having the sun going blooie and killing everyone likely wasn't on their list of possible endings. But I'll probably end up watching the second part to it, if only to assure myself that if talentless hacks like them can get work, then there's still hope for me.

By the way, if anyone has any ideas on getting around writer's block, I and the fans of Hell is for Heroes would much appreciate your sharing. So far I've tried excersize, drink, banging my head against a wall, and a little wink wink nudge nudge. All to no avail. And those are the only cures I know.

The thing is, not only is the sun not large enough to go 'nova' but it wouldn't happen on anything like the time scale that we of the "quarterly balance statement culture" can comprehend. It would take billions more years for the sun to build up enough 'ash' (heavier elements than hydrogen and helium) in its core to become unstable.

Re: writer's block

Write something else for a while.

Although I also like the idea of playing a game of SE4, or SE5 if you happen to be a beta tester.

This also exercises your mind in new ways and will help to change those ruts you've fallen into.

Hunpecked · #49 December 2nd, 2005, 10:25 PM

What's the nature of the writer's block?

A. I know what needs to happen, but I don't know how I want to write it, i.e. plot is clear but implementation is hazy.

B. I don't know what I want to happen next, i.e. I'm stuck for a plot.

C. ??

AgentZero · #50 December 3rd, 2005, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Hunpecked said:
What's the nature of the writer's block?

A. I know what needs to happen, but I don't know how I want to write it, i.e. plot is clear but implementation is hazy.

B. I don't know what I want to happen next, i.e. I'm stuck for a plot.

C. ??

C, I guess. I know what needs to happen, and how I want to write it, but when I sit down to write, I just blank. Normally when I write, it just sort of flows, and I usually have a hard time typing fast enough to keep up with my train of thought, but lately, when I try to write, it just feels forced, laboured and just not natural, and I kinda feel like the writing reflects that. Which isn't good.