Random Questions Thread

That is actually really useful.

Planetary travel times are enormously complicated in practice, particularly because it depends a lot of when you leave and which path you take.

In real life, spacecraft are launched during very specific time periods in order to take advantage of favorable trajectories with gravity assists, etc.

Real spacecraft do. Real spacecraft are also stretching their fuel supplies to make a burn that lasts twenty minutes. As might be guessed from the constant acceleration, this is not a real spacecraft beholden to normal fuel requirements but soft-sci-fi fusion torch madness.

edited 11th Jul '14 12:57:38 AM by Night

I suppose one question is if the formulae you used included the deceleration burn in the calculations, or you'd end up zipping by way too fast to do any good.

Ironically, the second calculator DeMarquise linked has modes for both intercept and flipping.

What kind of insects and bugs live in North Korea?

Im trying to investigate about them, but I can't find anything other than, you know, North Korea being North Korea.

edited 11th Jul '14 10:55:04 AM by Tomodachi

Hello, Wikipedia.

"The number of insects in the Korean Peninsula is estimated at about 12,300 species."

Hmmm... I suppose I will look in South Korea wildlife then.

See the way that these kids in the front row are sitting?◊ Is there a specific way to describe that in prose?

I would call that "half lotus", but they are really just sitting on the floor with crossed legs.(?)

edited 11th Jul '14 3:47:28 PM by m8e

Also, "Indian style" or "tailor fashion", or "tailor's seat". I've always understood "Half-lotus" to mean that one foot is pulled up into the crook of the other knee, same as in Lotus. What makes it "half"-lotus is that both feet aren't.

Compare: Lotus◊;

Half-lotus◊

and Tailor seat

Based on the first two images, shouldn't the last one be the non-lotus? :P

Isn't it just "sitting cross-legged"? It doesn't look to me to be a special pose, but rather just one way in which one may sometimes sit.

Yeah, 'cross-legged' is the way that I've been describing it, but the other names you guys have given don't evoke the slightly juvenile connotations that I often give characters when they're sitting like that. So, yeah. Thanks, everyone.

I'm writing a review. I want to know something, how many years does it take to be a police detective?

The character i'm reviewing is supposed to be 32 years old, and had a daughter at the age of 17. I'm having some doubt with this, for some reason, as the backstory of her working her ass to be with the police while trying to maintain her daughter, seems pretty cool, but also inconsistent.

edited 12th Jul '14 2:15:50 AM by Tomodachi

I am not seeing any inconsistency there - just a Teen Pregnancy, and having children to keep for doesn't preclude anyone from seeking job prospects (even if it can sometimes act as an obstacle).

I don't think it's inconsistent either...but doesn't law enforcement department do background check on the applicants? Teen Pregnancy sounds a bit disadvantageous.

Nah, it really isn't. It's not against the law or anything, and if she shows that she's fought through it to give both her kid and herself a good life, it could even work as a point in her favor.

Point.

I suppose you guys are right. A shame this woman is just a minor character with no relevance to the plot. The story about her sounds way too interesting.

Thanks!!

edited 12th Jul '14 6:29:45 AM by Tomodachi

Humanity discovers FTL travel in 2054, current population aligns with what we're projecting 9 billion or so give or take a few hundred million or billion in the extreme cases)

So assuming a golden age of peace, an expansionist mindset, and suitable colonies and habitat, would the human population being 48-54 billion in 100 years be reasonable and realistic?

edited 12th Jul '14 11:35:07 AM by TacticalFox88

I believe it's a realistic guess considering the added prosperity, though I would suggest trying this out too if you want realistic numbers.

edited 12th Jul '14 11:40:11 AM by electronic-tragedy

Okay, I may be misunderstanding, but, in general, doesn't an increase in the overall intelligence and prosperity of a society has a NEGATIVE effect on the population growth rate? Look at the more-developed nations like America or any of the European nations in comparison to, say, Niger.

That is because increased well-being (and better health and lower child mortality) result in lower birthrates and higher intelligence (by whatever means you measure it). See also here - any other link is not well demonstrated.

Well it's kind of Hand Waved that the United Human Government is giving extreme tax incentives to couples who have four or more children, because they know it's a mathematical certainty that any alien civilization will very likely outnumber them. That's the reason for the increase.