Do you understand how small we are?

[Lion Hearted Man]

Here's an interesting Wiki entry on Parsec with some of the numbers spelled out.
Parsec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But can you make a Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs? Didn't think so.

(It always baffled me why Lucas used a unit of length instead of time for that one...)

 

[USincognito]

But can you make a Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs? Didn't think so.

(It always baffled me why Lucas used a unit of length instead of time for that one...)

I'm pretty sure it didn't grate on me when I first saw Star Wars, but it did for a bit after I learned what a parsec was. Over time I made peace with it because it sounds so cool and Harrison Ford delivers that line so well.

That said, yeah, Lucas took a lot of liberties with science in his space opera, but that's one that could have been fixed an not changed the movie one iota.

 

[TheReasoner]

But can you make a Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs? Didn't think so.

(It always baffled me why Lucas used a unit of length instead of time for that one...)

I can see that. The thing is that he WAS talking about distance. He ran the millennium falcon very close to a cluster of black holes apparently. Cutting a few parsecs off the total distance.

He found a shortcut. A daring-do one.

Now, I'm not a starwars fan. I found this here: Kessel Run - Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki

 

[Supreme]

We are SO small. So small we cannot comprehend it. I love learning about stuff like this.

I remember a pastor came to our church once, and gave us a powerpoint. It showed the Earth in comparison to the (what looked like) a HUGE Sun, then a TINY Sun next to a big star, then that big star next to a star ten times its size, and so on.

By the end, Earth wouldn't even look a fraction of an electron, let alone a proton.

 

[Chesterton]

I think the universe is just the right size. A nice cozy little place. Nice temperatures and lovely scenery, too. I'd recommend it to anyone.

 

[AV1611VET]

I think the universe is just the right size. A nice cozy little place. Nice temperatures and lovely scenery, too. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Some people get off on the earth being so small, until you step on their ego, then you see the earth can't be big enough.

 

[DontTreadOnMike]

Not sure about my own stance on hell's existence for human beings, but I have though of it this way:

If a road sign warns you of a cliff edge, whose fault is it if you disregard it and drive off the cliff?
The road makers since they allowed such features?
The geology, for having cliffs?
Gravity for pulling you to your death?

Or your own, for disregarding a warning concerning a real danger. One which is dangerous because of basic laws of nature.

I don't know, it could be a warning akin to 'don't jump off a skyscraper'. Not because the warner wishes to be lauded or because he wants to punish those who do not heed the warning, but because nature's nature.
So the way I see it this warning could be more effective in the guise of a religion which emphasizes the good aspects man needs in order to avoid such consequences. You know, love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, patience, peace... And yes, I know many "Christians" are more into defending their property rights or their nation's supremacy or even their own infallibility in a most narcissistic fashion. But to be honest I don't consider that even remotely close to the example Jesus set down.

Just another angle to throw into those considerations concerning this particular topic.

I get that God is holy and just and so we can't be with Him if we don't accept his salvation. That's fine. But wouldn't a God who loves us even though we reject him just let our souls be annihilated after death for not accepting him? Eternal torture for 80 years of not worshiping an invisible being is not something a loving God would do in my mind. I'm not saying he has to let us in to heaven, nonexistence would suffice. That way He can still be holy and just while at the same time none of his children who he loves so much have to be burned in eternal hellfire....forever.

 

[DontTreadOnMike]

I think the universe is just the right size. A nice cozy little place. Nice temperatures and lovely scenery, too. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Nice temperatures? The universe is 3 degrees above absolute zero (if you exclude proportionately insignificant regions of burning gas we call "stars")

Speaking of that, it was a major scientific discovery when they realized space is slightly warmer than absolute zero. The reasons for it are quite interesting.

 

[Lion Hearted Man]

I can see that. The thing is that he WAS talking about distance. He ran the millennium falcon very close to a cluster of black holes apparently. Cutting a few parsecs off the total distance.

He found a shortcut. A daring-do one.

Now, I'm not a starwars fan. I found this here: Kessel Run - Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki

Haha yeah I saw that before I posted. Star Wars fanatics will force that line to make sense

 

[Chesterton]

Nice temperatures? The universe is 3 degrees above absolute zero (if you exclude proportionately insignificant regions of burning gas we call "stars")

Speaking of that, it was a major scientific discovery when they realized space is slightly warmer than absolute zero. The reasons for it are quite interesting.

You're wrong, the universe is 76 degrees (F) this afternoon. Very nice.

 

[AV1611VET]

You're wrong, the universe is 76 degrees (F) this afternoon. Very nice.

Well, it's a good thing -- because if the weather was terrible, I'm sure scientists, who like to exclude all things Biblical and sacred, would then go and blame the bad weather on what they call either the Christ Child (El Nino), or His sister (La Nina).

They want our Bibles out of their schools -- they can keep their [blasphemous] clipboards out of our sacred territory.

 

[TerranceL]

Now, I'm not a starwars fan.

Supreme can we get a ban here? This is just over the top.

 

[DontTreadOnMike]

You're wrong, the universe is 76 degrees (F) this afternoon. Very nice.

Judging by the density of beer molecules in my pantry, the universe must be full of Stone Pale Ale as well.

 

[DontTreadOnMike]

Well, it's a good thing -- because if the weather was terrible, I'm sure scientists, who like to exclude all things Biblical and sacred, would then go and blame the bad weather on what they call either the Christ Child (El Nino), or His sister (La Nina).

They want our Bibles out of their schools -- they can keep their [blasphemous] clipboards out of our sacred territory.

I think you're stretching your analogies. You usually have some good zingers but this one isn't one of them

 

[sandwiches]

I think the universe is just the right size. A nice cozy little place. Nice temperatures and lovely scenery, too. I'd recommend it to anyone.

I wouldn't recommend 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999% of the universe to anyone. It's empty, cold, hostile to life, and boring to look at to boot.

 

[sandwiches]

I think you're stretching your analogies. You usually have some good zingers but this one isn't one of them

I have to agree. He's usually much better but this one was kinda lame.

 

[TheReasoner]

Supreme can we get a ban here? This is just over the top.

I guess I should have added "I prefer Star Trek"?

 

[Lion Hearted Man]

I guess I should have added "I prefer Star Trek"?

NERD!

*counts items of star wars memorabilia at desk, grows pale*

 

[TheReasoner]

NERD!

*counts items of star wars memorabilia at desk, grows pale*

And proud of it!
I play D&D, and just finished a set of Magic the Gathering game with a friend who was over. Last night I arranged a LAN for the student organization for nanotechnology master students and let's see.... Whatelseisparticularlygeeky.... I regularly visit xkcd, I know my way around the windows registry and use mac os for it's UNIX core as much as for it's no-hassle GUI. Plus, when I write anything worth reading, be that letters, CVs, applications, papers, articles... Whatever, I use LaTeX. Ohyeah. And if I draw something in my papers, graphs, figures charts... I use tikz. (GUI? For graphics processing? How quaint!)

Then again, I suppose it's enough to say "I study nanotechnology. Come on! Let's discuss electron microscopy and quantum effects!"

Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" might well have been written about me.

 

[Lion Hearted Man]

And proud of it!
I play D&D, and just finished a set of Magic the Gathering game with a friend who was over. Last night I arranged a LAN for the student organization for nanotechnology master students and let's see.... Whatelseisparticularlygeeky.... I regularly visit xkcd, I know my way around the windows registry and use mac os for it's UNIX core as much as for it's no-hassle GUI. Plus, when I write anything worth reading, be that letters, CVs, applications, papers, articles... Whatever, I use LaTeX. Ohyeah. And if I draw something in my papers, graphs, figures charts... I use tikz. (GUI? For graphics processing? How quaint!)

Then again, I suppose it's enough to say "I study nanotechnology. Come on! Let's discuss electron microscopy and quantum effects!"

Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" might well have been written about me.

Nice. I recently bought a box of Star Wars CCG cards (like Magic, except Star Wars) in a bout of nostalgia because me and my brother use to play and collect when we were kids haha. But I'm a biology nerd, not a technology nerd. I'd rather discuss and dissect pancreases!