Posted on 07/29/2010 12:43:12 PM PDT by decimon
We owe a great deal to semiconductors ... but I kindof like tubes. I downloaded about 2.4G of tube documentation; and, it is really interesting and extremely complex. I think I might make some tubes, just like that Frenchman on YouTube. The trick is the high vacuum.
I've often told people that we don't know enough about physics to say for certain that UFOs can't reach Earth. Our "advanced" technology is just a wee bit over 100 years old; and, only since WWII has it advanced in spectacular ways.
I really don't think we have a clue about the way things REALLY work.
I agree entirely.
And even less of a clue about . . . spiritual dimensions,
n dimensions etc.
Hmmmm....that was somewhere around 1947 wasn't it? Just sayin'...
Have I got it wrong?
And batteries.
Oh, you mean the use of the word “bump” [to describe what is probably a very complex interaction]?
Exactly what I was thinking.
I knew a dork who named his daughter "Altaire", after that computer.
We know that one of the first applications of any new technology springing from this discovery will be in the ever-burgeoning field of pornography; we just don’t know how!
He got extra geek points, since the Altair computer was named after a planet in a Star Trek episode which happened to be rerunning as the inventor of the Altair was sitting around trying to think up a name for it. ;’)
In 2007, Altair became the first star, other than a giant or supergiant star (such as Betelgeuse), to have its surface ts surface features imaged. This feat was achieved by combining the light of four telescopes at Georgia State University's Center for High Resolution Angular Astronomy (CHARA). The results confirmed that Altair is spinning so rapidly on its axis that it is stretched out into an elongated shape. The image of Altair obtained by CHARA also revealed that the amount of distortion and changes in surface temperature at the equator differed from those predicted current theoretical models.
Altair in science fiction
Among many science fiction references to Altair, the planet Altair IV is the scene of the book and film Forbidden Planet. The planets Altair III, IV, and V are mentioned in various episodes of Star Trek. Although no planets have actually yet been detected by astronomers around Altair, extrasolar planet detection remains in its infancy and it remains entirely possible that future studies will reveal that Altair does indeed have a system of worlds. However, the star's relative youthfulness suggests that any life on such worlds would be quite primitive.
Science fiction film and subsequent novel written by W. J. Stuart. Released in 1956, Forbidden Planet was one of the most sophisticated of the pre-Space Age SF films. In it, a human crew journeys to the stars in a spacecraft indistinguishable from a flying saucer, and encounters the still-working artifacts of a long-dead civilization, the Krell. The plot was loosely based on Shakespeare's play The Tempest, with Walter Pidgeon cast in the role of Prospero. The film features a number of spectacular special effects, groundbreaking use of an all-electronic music score, and was the first screen appearance of the famous Robby the Robot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.