late Posted August 19, 2019 Share #1 Posted August 19, 2019 There was a recent thread where people were talking about the Universe being perfect. Or something like that. Our closest neighbor is the Centauri system. Mess doesn't begin to describe it, it's chaos. The multiple suns keep things roiled up. About 40 light years away is the closest system we might colonise. But it's on a planet close to a dwarf star. That means high levels of radiation. It's desirable only in the sense it's close by galactic standards. Compared to the Earth saying it sucks doesn't begin to describe it. Jupiter and Saturn are synced up. If they ever fall out of sync, Jupiter will go back to beating the crap out of us. Might even encourage one of the inner planets to park itself at a 7-11. Which would not be a good day. A big supernova could kill a civilisation in it's neighborhood. Say, did you know there was a star that could supernova not that far away? Of course, if all that's pedestrian, our galaxy is going to run into another galaxy. That could be a mess, if your in the wrong place at the wrong time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted August 19, 2019 Share #2 Posted August 19, 2019 Things are exactly as they are supposed to be: “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?” Sorry, it’s what immediately came to mind. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Further Posted August 19, 2019 Share #3 Posted August 19, 2019 Got a broom ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted August 20, 2019 2 hours ago, Zealot said: Things are exactly as they are supposed to be: That's what the dinosaurs said. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffJim Posted August 20, 2019 Share #5 Posted August 20, 2019 2 hours ago, Zealot said: Things are exactly as they are supposed to be: “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?” Sorry, it’s what immediately came to mind. That’s awesome. Guessing from the rhetorical devices it’s from Job? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share #6 Posted August 20, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted August 20, 2019 Share #7 Posted August 20, 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WR_104 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted August 20, 2019 Share #8 Posted August 20, 2019 8 minutes ago, jdc2000 said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WR_104 It refers to a chance supernova in a couple hundred thousand years, maybe. I am good shape now but will likely be dead by then anyway.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted August 20, 2019 Share #9 Posted August 20, 2019 "Dans ce meilleur des mondes possibles, tout est au mieux." ... Professor Pangloss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share #10 Posted August 20, 2019 2 hours ago, Zephyr said: It refers to a chance supernova in a couple hundred thousand years, maybe. I am good shape now but will likely be dead by then anyway.... Point is, the Universe is almost unimaginably hostile to life. Aside from having more ways to kill you than you know how to die, the odds are about a zillion to one a system is capable of supporting life long enough to develop a civilisation to begin with. Which makes our suicidal tendencies cosmically ironic. We have something valuable beyond our ability to understand it's value, much less calculate it. And what we do is wipe it off the face of the Earth, probably making ourselves extinct in the process. Close enough to infinitely stupid as to make no never mind. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted August 20, 2019 Share #11 Posted August 20, 2019 So I should stop contributing to my 401(k) then? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted August 20, 2019 Share #12 Posted August 20, 2019 6 hours ago, BuffJim said: That’s awesome. Guessing from the rhetorical devices it’s from Job? Yep. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share #13 Posted August 20, 2019 2 hours ago, Prophet Zacharia said: So I should stop contributing to my 401(k) then? Your call. I was responding to Panglossian sentiments I've seen here (Thanks to Page for reminding me of Voltaire) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoseySusan Posted August 20, 2019 Share #14 Posted August 20, 2019 I think about the distant future with some awe similar to the distant past. At some point in time, procreation began and eventually resulted in my own existence. And then in my children. And all of us. It happened hella long time ago. What will our planet look like thousands of years into the future when my dna has traveled via offspring across time and place? It’s humbling. My matter becoming motes in a sunbeam shining through some translucent opening. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12string Posted August 20, 2019 Share #15 Posted August 20, 2019 9 minutes ago, roadsue said: My matter becoming motes in a sunbeam shining through some translucent opening. Many years ago, a friend of mine was handling a vial of moon dust on loan from NASA. He dropped it. Luckily, he had another matching vial, so he swept it all up and put it in the new vial (don't tell your friends at NASA). Originally, he felt bad that he included a bunch of earth dust, it was no longer pure moon dust. Until, thinking about the laws of matter, that earth dust and moon dust all originated somewhere else in the universe anyway. Could have been skin flakes from some prehistoric man, turned to energy, bounced around the universe, back to dust, some on the moon, some on his lab floor..... Those motes in your sunbeam just could be a distant relative Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted August 20, 2019 Share #16 Posted August 20, 2019 1 hour ago, 12string said: Many years ago, a friend of mine was handling a vial of moon dust on loan from NASA. He dropped it. Luckily, he had another matching vial, so he swept it all up and put it in the new vial (don't tell your friends at NASA). Originally, he felt bad that he included a bunch of earth dust, it was no longer pure moon dust. Until, thinking about the laws of matter, that earth dust and moon dust all originated somewhere else in the universe anyway. Could have been skin flakes from some prehistoric man, turned to energy, bounced around the universe, back to dust, some on the moon, some on his lab floor..... Those motes in your sunbeam just could be a distant relative That's ok given the age of the solar system. Moon dust scratched from the surface of the moon probably didn't originate from there either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoseySusan Posted August 20, 2019 Share #17 Posted August 20, 2019 The moon is made from earth stuff, but it was a really long time before this age of humanity. So, probably no human cellular matter in moon dust. There may have been a previous age of sentient life caught up in the creation of the early universe. Neither confirmed nor denied... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted August 20, 2019 Share #18 Posted August 20, 2019 Galaxy, universe, what ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onbike1939 Posted August 20, 2019 Share #19 Posted August 20, 2019 19 hours ago, late said: There was a recent thread where people were talking about the Universe being perfect. Or something like that. Our closest neighbor is the Centauri system. Mess doesn't begin to describe it, it's chaos. The multiple suns keep things roiled up. About 40 light years away is the closest system we might colonise. But it's on a planet close to a dwarf star. That means high levels of radiation. It's desirable only in the sense it's close by galactic standards. Compared to the Earth saying it sucks doesn't begin to describe it. Jupiter and Saturn are synced up. If they ever fall out of sync, Jupiter will go back to beating the crap out of us. Might even encourage one of the inner planets to park itself at a 7-11. Which would not be a good day. A big supernova could kill a civilisation in it's neighborhood. Say, did you know there was a star that could supernova not that far away? Of course, if all that's pedestrian, our galaxy is going to run into another galaxy. That could be a mess, if your in the wrong place at the wrong time. How very, very, dare you. You have already been told in P&R that the whole Universe is perfect and that this is indicative that it has been created by God. Now do not come into this unsullied place with your pessimistic and outlandish ideas so get thee hence back to P&R where this sort of things belongs......bloody trouble-maker. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted August 20, 2019 Share #20 Posted August 20, 2019 44 minutes ago, roadsue said: There may have been a previous age of sentient life caught up in the creation of the early universe. Neither confirmed nor denied... @RalphWaldoMooseworth might remember... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted August 20, 2019 Share #21 Posted August 20, 2019 2 minutes ago, Kzoo said: @RalphWaldoMooseworth might remember... Nominated. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share #22 Posted August 20, 2019 40 minutes ago, onbike1939 said: How very, very, dare you. You have already been told in P&R that the whole Universe is perfect and that this is indicative that it has been created by God. Now do not come into this unsullied place with your pessimistic and outlandish ideas so get thee hence back to P&R where this sort of things belongs......bloody trouble-maker. May a Space rock land on your petunias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted August 20, 2019 Share #23 Posted August 20, 2019 3 hours ago, Kzoo said: @RalphWaldoMooseworth might remember... My memory is horribibble. Although usually the long term is the best, but that was just TOO long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted August 21, 2019 Share #24 Posted August 21, 2019 21 hours ago, onbike1939 said: How very, very, dare you. You have already been told in P&R that the whole Universe is perfect and that this is indicative that it has been created by God. Now do not come into this unsullied place with your pessimistic and outlandish ideas so get thee hence back to P&R where this sort of things belongs......bloody trouble-maker. ...word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share #25 Posted August 21, 2019 1 hour ago, Page Turner said: ...word. Not the last, not the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted August 21, 2019 Share #26 Posted August 21, 2019 Don't worry. We humans will destroy ourselves long before Jupiter, the Sun, etc. go crazy. And we've got plenty of other problems right here on Earth now to worry about - just ask Randy Newman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted August 22, 2019 Share #27 Posted August 22, 2019 It's still too late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late Posted August 22, 2019 Author Share #28 Posted August 22, 2019 5 hours ago, maddmaxx said: It's still too late. But not for the kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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