Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2018 7:13:27 GMT -7
Obviously not, but just for the sake of pondering a what-if (and because it's fun)... what would a flat Earth be like? I mean, you never know when you'll be trapped in an elevator with a Flat-Earther, may as well have something to talk about.
For non-space types: No time zones No Daylight Savings Time I could listen to Radio Tokyo on my AM receiver (when west of the Rockies). On a clear day a dude in the Prudential Building could see Tokyo Tower. No tropic or poles. No Tides. No trade winds. Weather and Climate would be radically different. No Great Circle Routes (would have made Lindbergh's flight planning a lot easier). If the Earth's mass remained unchanged, gravity would be a serious [expletive]... gravity really throws a wrench in the Flat-Earth theory, but we'll pretend the Flat-Earther in your elevator does not fathom gravity.
Throw in space and we get really crazy...
A quick DuckDuckgo search pulls up some very odd theories put forward by the Flat-Earthers...
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Sept 30, 2018 8:05:16 GMT -7
Yes - it does seem that they really have to bend over backwards in making up all of the B.S. required to justify their crazy theory! I still love so many people think that Columbus was trying to prove the world was round. Everyone with a decent education back then knew it was round. The only thing in doubt (and most didn't doubt it) was how large the world was. The Greeks were close to the correct circumference - over two thousand years ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EratosthenesColumbus thought the world was smaller and that you could reach "the Indies" (meaning China/Japan/Java etc.) by sailing directly west from Europe. This is why he called the natives of the new world "Indians" - the generic term Europeans used for most people in the Indies...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2018 11:19:27 GMT -7
Well... if we have dug the Panama Canal a little earlier he might have made it.
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Sept 30, 2018 17:39:43 GMT -7
Except that he would have been sailing a lot longer than he expected. He apparently thought the world was about 1/3rd smaller!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2018 18:01:47 GMT -7
At least he was on the right track - he reasoned that the world was round. Eratosthenes beat him to it by something like 1,700 years, and even calculated the circumference of the Earth to within fewer than 100 km of error. That information probably would have helped Mr. Columbus. A guy in 300ish B.C. knew the Earth was round... Modern nut-bars with access to computers refuse to accept it. Skimming through the "Flat Earth Society" web sight - I've been saying for years that the internet should be harder to use... They take the rather unexpected approach of using ancient religions to back up their Science. Not to drag religion into the discussion, it's just rather odd to see people claiming to be founded in science relying on old religious texts to back up their assertions. Here is an example of their FAQ'sCan't you see the Curvature from an Airplane?
No. Even if the Earth was a globe this would be an impossibility. We have testimonies from several pilots saying that no curvature can be seen at Commercial Airline heights. It has been suggested that airplane windows serve to distort the view of passengers and make them believe they see curvature when indeed there is none. This was likely a ploy by early airline companies to sell more tickets.Well... they got me there. As an aircraft mechanic I have had to adjust the Window Altimeters and Window Actuators so that the world only appears curved at very high altitudes. If they are out of adjustment, the Earth seems curved even when you are on the apron or taxiway. Fortunately the Airline industry went to DWCU's (Digital Window Control Units) back in the 1990's (about the time we installed the more efficient chemtrail spray systems). The DWCU's are all solid state and almost never fall out of calibration. This was a great investment by the Airlines as such a high percentage of passengers are actually taking flights so they can see the curvature of the Earth and we absolutely had to protect the illusion in order to remain profitable. I'll never understand humans.
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Oct 1, 2018 16:48:39 GMT -7
At least he was on the right track - he reasoned that the world was round. Eratosthenes beat him to it by something like 1,700 years, and even calculated the circumference of the Earth to within fewer than 100 km of error. That information probably would have helped Mr. Columbus. A guy in 300ish B.C. knew the Earth was round... Modern nut-bars with access to computers refuse to accept it. Skimming through the "Flat Earth Society" web sight - I've been saying for years that the internet should be harder to use... They take the rather unexpected approach of using ancient religions to back up their Science. Not to drag religion into the discussion, it's just rather odd to see people claiming to be founded in science relying on old religious texts to back up their assertions. Here is an example of their FAQ'sCan't you see the Curvature from an Airplane?
No. Even if the Earth was a globe this would be an impossibility. We have testimonies from several pilots saying that no curvature can be seen at Commercial Airline heights. It has been suggested that airplane windows serve to distort the view of passengers and make them believe they see curvature when indeed there is none. This was likely a ploy by early airline companies to sell more tickets.Well... they got me there. As an aircraft mechanic I have had to adjust the Window Altimeters and Window Actuators so that the world only appears curved at very high altitudes. If they are out of adjustment, the Earth seems curved even when you are on the apron or taxiway. Fortunately the Airline industry went to DWCU's (Digital Window Control Units) back in the 1990's (about the time we installed the more efficient chemtrail spray systems). The DWCU's are all solid state and almost never fall out of calibration. This was a great investment by the Airlines as such a high percentage of passengers are actually taking flights so they can see the curvature of the Earth and we absolutely had to protect the illusion in order to remain profitable. I'll never understand humans. Oh - well - when they put it that way...it's so obvious that the world MUST be flat!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2018 17:40:05 GMT -7
LOL!!! I love Bill! The Flat-Earthers do seem to go to some pretty interesting extremes to justify their belief. Think about how gravity would work on a flat Earth. I mean, the center of Gravity would be the center of mass right (assuming a fairly constant density)? So as you walked away from the CG, it would start to feel as though you were walking up hill. Of course... gravity is just a theory.
|
|
|
Post by rabid on Oct 1, 2018 20:43:11 GMT -7
Look up Anaximander (the first scientist). He had this established with rational observation.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 6:00:27 GMT -7
He at least understood that the oceans were convex. Baby steps.
|
|
|
Post by rabid on Oct 2, 2018 10:28:51 GMT -7
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 11:29:33 GMT -7
Hmmm... I'll check the local library.
Still, if we could figure it out back in 600 BC, why does it escape so many people in the computer age?
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Oct 2, 2018 13:03:36 GMT -7
Okay - Anaximander was MUCH smarter than average back then, in fact, had he been born the modern era - he probably would going to Stockholm to pick up a prize for something...
Most people seem to want to belong to some kind of clique in these days. Some join a garden club, or get involved in sports or the like and some... those truly SPECIAL people... join groups that believe in ridiculous conspiracies or just refuse to except the obvious truth because "it's cooler" to be in THIS group, rather than follow the crowd of boring normal people.
At least, that's my theory of what drives people to be stupid...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2018 8:40:38 GMT -7
What I find most interesting is the mental contortions required to make the Flat Earth theory "work". If these cats spent some of this misguided mental energy in a more productive way, they might really come up with some cool theories...
The other interesting aspect is imagining what life on a flat Earth would be like. All rivers would run towards the center of the map. The atmosphere would get thinner as one traveled away from center, so the Tree Line would be a Tree Ring. Tall trees would tend to point Centerward. The Earth would be very geologically active since it would be trying to pull itself into a spheroid. I keep thinking that weather would be completely insane - like a permanent hurricane at the geographic center of the planet. No complex life could form on such a world. It would be a crazy Hell.
But the Flat-Earthers don't believe in Gravity, which fixes(?) a whole slew of issues... but without gravity dropping a feather or a led ball on your toe would feel the same. Actually, I've seen them discuss pressure difference as the force that pushes stuff "down". So a piece of flat cardboard sheet would fall faster than a steel ball of the same mass. For pressure differential to be the cause of downward force, the atmosphere would have to get thicker as one gained altitude. I can honestly say that is not the case - for a lot of easily observable reasons (at least in a Cessna 172, Grumman AA1, or similar aircraft - or a hot air balloon).
I wonder what they see as the advantage to the Flat Earth theory.
|
|
|
Post by trynda1701 on Oct 3, 2018 9:15:13 GMT -7
Mental gymnastics aside, I can recommend, for an entertaining read, the book "Can you Speak Venusian?: A Guide to Independent Thinkers" by Patrick Moore. It is complete tosh, of course. But it will give you a look at a pre-internet view of a more eccentric look at 'Flat Earthers' and other 'independent thinkers'!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2018 4:57:23 GMT -7
The point of the thread was a bit of an easy mental exercise - If the world were actually flat, what would it be like to live upon it? We all know it can't happen, but it can be fun to engage one's imagination once in a while (it's one reason why we play games like ST:STCS, after all).
|
|
|
Post by JAFisher44 on Oct 7, 2018 11:25:12 GMT -7
I have removed two posts because they were completely irrelevant to the topic of the thread. I have also modified another post because part of it was a response to a deleted post and was not relevant once the first post was gone.
|
|
|
Post by rabid on Oct 7, 2018 11:26:06 GMT -7
Hmmm... I'll check the local library. Still, if we could figure it out back in 600 BC, why does it escape so many people in the computer age? And this is the question of the ages...
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Oct 14, 2018 19:14:45 GMT -7
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2018 19:30:40 GMT -7
He used a steam-powered "rocket" to get to 6,000 ft. Not even close to high enough. It would have been easier, cheaper, and safer to go to 6,000 ft in a Cessna.
I guess I can understand the anti-science snobbery (somewhat), but these guys are making some messed up claims.
|
|
|
Post by edgeworthy on Oct 15, 2018 6:21:21 GMT -7
Has someone told them that the internet is supposed to be about the free exchange of ideas (and every kind of Porn imaginable, apparently); however, that's become increasingly hard to find. (Not the Porn obviously there's a super-abundance of that, the open minded ideas bit!)
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2018 8:59:38 GMT -7
Has someone told them that the internet is supposed to be about the free exchange of ideas (and every kind of Porn imaginable, apparently); however, that's become increasingly hard to find. (Not the Porn obviously there's a super-abundance of that, the open minded ideas bit!) I can't disagree with that. They actually have a nice website [ LINK]. I guess even people who don't get that the Earth is round and that we really have been to space can figure out the internet... So... Porn and Crazy Theories; that's what the internet is all about. And no matter how crazy an idea might be, there is are people who believe it, and people who make porn about it. I just want to lock the Flat Earthers in a room with the Solar Warden [ LINK] [ LINK] guys and see what happens.
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Oct 16, 2018 19:26:36 GMT -7
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2018 2:15:42 GMT -7
That was a very good read. Thanks!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2018 17:49:16 GMT -7
So which is more odd...
Flat Earth or Hollow Earth
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Oct 22, 2018 19:28:44 GMT -7
Well - both are faulty - but, Flat Earth is just plain STUPID! (The Earth is hollow, in a few spots so...kinda right?)
|
|