BS: When Things Quiet Down....

Subject: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Amos
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:15 PM

If you thought you were finally gonna get a quiet moment, consider this peculiar fact -- we're in a pack, like Marlon Brando in the Wild One, steaming through the cosmos at 600 kilometers for every second we breath...The following dissertation is from the Supercomputing center at this site.

"Precise measurements made by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite launched in late 1989 determined the
spectrum to be exactly characteristic of a blackbody at 2.735 K. The velocity of the satellite about the Earth, the Earth
about the Sun, the Sun about the Galaxy, and the Galaxy through the universe actually makes the temperature seem
slightly hotter (by about one part in 1,000) in the direction of motion rather than away from it. The magnitude of this
effect--the so-called dipole anisotropy--allows astronomers to determine that the Local Group of galaxies is moving at a
speed of about 600 km/sec in a direction that is 45 from the direction of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. Such motion is not
measured relative to the galaxies themselves (the Virgo galaxies have an average velocity of recession of about 1,000
km/sec with respect to the Milky Way system) but relative to a local frame of reference in which the cosmic microwave
background radiation would appear as a perfect Planck spectrum with a single radiation temperature.

The origin of the "peculiar velocity" of 600 km/sec for the Local Group presents an interesting problem. A component of
this velocity may be induced by the gravitational attraction of the excess mass above the cosmological mean represented
by the Virgo cluster; however, it is now believed that the Virgo component is relatively small, at best 200-300 km/sec. A
more important contribution may come from the mass of a "Great Attractor" at a distance of 108 million light-years
connected to the Local Supercluster, but this interpretation is somewhat controversial since much of the supposed
grouping lies behind the obscuration of the plane of the Milky Way. In any case, the generation of the large peculiar
velocity of the Local Group of galaxies probably requires invoking an augmentation in dark matter of the gravitational
attraction of the observable galaxies by a factor of roughly 10."

Regards,

Amos

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:23 PM

1) These guys need to get out more.

2) They also need to lay off the narcotic before they are completely null and void.

3) Will I have to regear the speedometer in my car? What about tire pressure?

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: okthen
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:27 PM

"Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving and revolving at.........."

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:31 PM

Trust me, Amos. Around here, things NEVER slow down.......

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Justa Picker
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:52 PM

Reminds me of an Archie comic I'd read years ago, when Reggie informed Jughead that the earth would be destroyed in 50 million years and Jughead fainted.

After reviving him, they told him again that it wouldn't be for another 50 million years. Jughead, visibly relieved, thanked them and explained the reason he fainted was because he thought Reggie had said "5 milion years".

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Gray Rooster
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:53 PM

You'll cool off if you turn your back to it, so why worry?

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Kim C
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:56 PM

can I have an aspirin please?

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 04:02 PM

Asprin, my butt, Kim, I is doing wine for lunch. Is there a way to de polarize a Shit Magnet?

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: John Hardly
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 04:31 PM

And my dog STILL sticks his head out the window.

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: mousethief
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 04:56 PM

Can *I* aspirin your butt? Huh? Can I?

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: GUEST,cretinous yahoo
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 05:08 PM

I feel faint.

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 05:38 PM

All the GOOD names get taken so FAST.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 05:48 PM

Fiddlebum, I don't get it, but if you want an aspirin, then I reckon I can shove a cat up there for you or something. No guarantee that the cat will purr of course. Matter of fact its likely to scratch your ass all to hell.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Amos
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 06:06 PM

Geeze Louise -- ya try to add a little COSMIC PERSPECTIVE and what do you get -- CAT UP YOUR ASS JOKES!!!!

You guys can't stand the THOUGHT of hurtling through NEKKID SPACE!!! No BALLS, that's what. Me'n Spaw. we'll just take this off line and work out the fate of them their Vir-gos just between us two. Rate we're going, we should be there before we're too limp to do 'em any good, I hope....

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 06:26 PM

Amos, I, for one, am glad for the information. It will make a big difference in my life, I can tell you.

Ebbie

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: mousethief
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 06:28 PM

Well if you boys find a way to stop the earth revolving, rotating, or hurtling through space, you just let us know, okay?

Stepping on the cat's tail did break an enchantment once on Fractured Fairy Tales.

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Rollo
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 06:57 PM

So there is a great attractor passing by a virgo cluster and showing them his planck spectrum...

This seems to me the thesis of the Big Bang is right -

The meaning of evering and all can be reduced to sex!

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 06:57 PM

Linus to Charlie Brown..."Look at all those stars, Charlie Brown...there are millions of them. Doesn't it make you feel small and insignificant?"

Charlie Brown ponders a moment.."No", he says,"I'm already so small and insignificant, that it doesn't affect me at all"

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Rollo
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 06:58 PM

yth <---- cut out and insert above in "evering"

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Rollo
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 07:08 PM

Read the post, made my occasional joke, clicked some other posts, but one question does not leave my head...

DOES THIS KNOWLEDGE MAKE OUR LIVE ANY BETTER? IS THERE ANY USE FOR THESE FACTS?

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Amos
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 07:19 PM

Depends on your scale and scope, Mister Rollo. As Faraday said to Queen Victoria (I believe) when she asked of what possible use his early experiments in electromagnetism could be, "Madam, of what use is a new baby?".

Recognizing that the most exciting andf promising horizons are almost always outside the scope of practical concerns, often needing extensive time before they can be reduced to practice, I like to keep my eyes open and my imagination ready. As my grammaw always said, "A man's reach shopuld exceed his grasp, or what's a Meta for?"

Regards,

A

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Justa Picker
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 07:25 PM

Grandma was right Amos.

I find it interesting that probably about 80% of all the technology we'll use in this century hasn't even been invented yet!

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Dave Wynn
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 07:34 PM

87% of all statistics are made up on the spur of the moment.This worries me because that leaves 13% that are researched.

Or did I just make that up on the spur of the moment?

Spot

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Amos
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 07:38 PM

Spot, ever since the Internet began, there's been an old saw based on a New Yorker cartoon: "On the Internet, nobody KNOWS you're a dog!". The drawing shows an Airedale with his paws up on a keyboard, explaiing things to a seated beagle who is learning enthusiastically.

But, see.... with that handle of yours...(sigh)...now you gone and ruint evvything! :>))

A

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 07:39 PM

.....awferchrissakes.................

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Giac
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 07:50 PM

And, when we get to the Great Attractor, will we slam into it, or will it just gobble us up? Huh? Huh?

SCHLURRRRRP, to the 10th power.

Now, that sucks.

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 09:23 PM

Well, "Stop the World I Want to Get Off" has already been written, but I bet Amos and Spaw would put a new slant on it. Keeping the title as is of course.

*G*

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Amos
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 10:07 PM

If you're not hip to strange attractors, they are a term used to describe a mathematical point in fractal mathematics and chaos theory -- a number in graph-space toward which a series of non-linear oscillations seems to be gravitating, so to speak. In an ordinary penduluum, the attractor is predictably along the centerline of swing, because the periods and intervals are described by known formula and we can tell what the oscillations will center around and where the rest point will eventually be.

So the Great Attractor is probably a hypothetical point established by extrapolating the "dark matter" component of unexplained gravitic acceleration of the system (described on the link page above) and mathematically describing it as where a point source would be if the trends were to be attributed to a point source.

What is important is that the sum total of the un-explained accelerations which contribute to the 600 km/sec figure are a factor of 10 times the known sources>/i>.

Regards,

A

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: rangeroger
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 10:51 PM

While we hurtle through space at this breakneck speed,the scientists here on earth have managed to slow the speed of light down to 38 MPH.

rr

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Pete M
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 11:08 PM

Hi Amos, not sure the allusions to strange attractors is valid. The Great attractor is a postulated gravitaional source which would explain the anomolous realtive motions of and within the local group of galaxies. Anomolous that is in terms of the motion predicted by current models of cosmic evolution. The volume and hence mass of so called dark matter within the universe has been a point of argument for years and is critical in determining if the universe is open or closed with reference to an expansion from a singularity. The interesting thing or at least one interesting thing about the great attractor is not the mass which would be required to exert the observed behaviour but that it has to be in relatively concentrated area. I understand that it has been postulated that the attractor is in fact a singulatity (black hole) and that there is observational evidence of behaviour that supports this, but until we get a long enough stick to give it a damn good poke, no one knows for sure.

Pete M

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Katcina
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 11:18 PM

I certainly hope you're not holding your breath waiting for things to quiet down Amos. It ain't ever gonna happen.

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 11:18 PM

Well guys, I don't know who is right here, but I am sure that even at 38 MPH, the speed of light is still faster than rangerroger's 60 year old Jeep. If I can be of more help, let me know as I do have some experience in exerting mass in holes.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: rangeroger
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 11:46 PM

Spaw, the jeep can do 2C. See my post in Bad Roger thread.

rr

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 11:54 PM

But in 3D does it have to be in OD to make 2C?

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 12:19 AM

Hi, spaw. Hi Amos. See ya both, and raise you one moon each.......yaaaaa daaa! Hydrocodone running ahead by 50% on this track........Diagonoses lagging behind and on the rail......whoo ya, Split Rib and Mama Lupus coming on strong........Hyrocodone ahead by a nose........

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 12:29 AM

.........and its Suppository coming up from behind.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 12:40 AM

Methyl is gaining fast, with Understanding Hubby trying hard to catch her on the rail............and there it is, folks, Hydrocodone for the win, Methyl for place,and Diagnoses for show.......Understanding Hubby comes in last once again......let's give a hand for Hubby.....he does give his all, and he does good providing trainers for Diagnoses and Methyl........but it is, after all, Hydrocodone from the RX Stables for the win...........

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 01:06 AM

The quote in Amos' first posting said:

Precise measurements made by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite launched in late 1989 determined the spectrum to be exactly characteristic of a blackbody at 2.735 K.

Sorry for being made of dense matter, but what the hell were the "precise measurments made of? The spectrum of what is being called "characteristically of a blackbody?"

Oh, and I always knew those Virgos were "relatively small." **BG**

kat

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 01:18 AM

Geminis have two though..........

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 01:21 AM

Of everything??? And, do they know how to use them?

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 01:54 AM

Well it requires some interesting, but highly satisfying positions anyway.

Spaw (thread has really gone to hell, huh Amos?)

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Amos
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 02:08 AM

I expect the precise measurements had to do with background radiation -- they have some sort of constant value to compare it to based on calculations derived from Big bang theory, although I don't know the math whatsoever. Work it out! S'a'madda you?

A

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Kim C
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 10:32 AM

I wanted an aspirin because all this intellectual postulation about astronomical physics was making my head hurt. And I already have a cat, thanks. :P

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 04:02 PM

I have two cats and you lostthis poor ignorant writer/Civil War re-enactor withthe whole postulation thing. All I want to know is A) will this raise the price if booze and B) If so, who's buttocks get toasted with a flame thrower for it? Kindest reguards Neil

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Kim C
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 04:39 PM

The price of booze! By golly Neil, I hadn't thought of that... oh heavens, now I need something stronger than an aspirin...

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: annamill
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 05:04 PM

Boy! Do I feel dumb! What the hell are you people talking about??? Did Amos just tell me we are hurtling through space headed toward a black hole?? So?? Is it just our planet, or, the whole universe as we know it?? (our little part of the whole) Can you give me a time?? Should I start packing??? Do we have time for another gathering??

;-) Love, annamill

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Gray Rooster
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 05:07 PM

Couple of things here:

1. The same team that slowed light down to a horse gallop have now stopped it completely.

2. Why worry? The current paranoid thinking in the scientific world (albeit backed by wonderful numbers and brains)is that if we do combine quantum physics with its more banal big brother, the universe will end.

THAT will quiet us down, don't you think?

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Kim C
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 05:18 PM

I'm still stuck at the Virgo cluster of galaxies.

Anyway if we crash into a black hole I hope to be playing my fiddle at the time so I can go into oblivion doing something I really enjoy.

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Amos
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 08:37 PM

Well, it is clear Kim has the rights of the matter. The fact that you are moving at 600 K/sec shouldn't stop you from fiddling, or diddling, or even just dozey-middling if that's where your pleasure lies. But for those who want to get to the bottom of things, the Great Attractor will do as well as any! And what better place to get to the bottom of things than in the Virgo cluster?

Regards,

A.

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 09:58 PM

In other words, what you're saying Amos, is that the cay will fit up Fiddlebum's ass better after we enter the black hole. I think I have it now.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Big Mick
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 10:07 PM

OK fella's...............go over to the window.....................theres a good bunch o' lads...........open it up..........go on........open it up............right......................now THROW THAT FECKIN' CRACKPIPE RIGHT OUT IN THE SNOW..........well done!

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 10:35 PM

Re the spectrum of a blackbody thing - I think most stuff gets sucked in, but some doesn't. Radiation type stuff. They detect and measure it, and if it looks like the stuff that doesn't get sucked into a blackbody, and it's at typical levels, (Well - believed-to-be typical levels. I don't think anyone's proved they're there yet.) it's got the spectrum of a blackbody.

What I want to know is, the spectrum of what? They're saying the spectrum of something is "exactly characteristic of a blackbody" (I think this means "the same as a blackbody" in physics.)

If you think that sounds interesting, you should have heard my astonomy teacher talk about how many rolls of toilet paper it would take to reach the sun. (No, she didn't go all the way to Uranus.)

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Amos
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 10:55 PM

LOL!!! You got it Jer. And the toilet paper starts where, exactly? Einsteinian minds want to know!

Regards,

A

Subject: RE: BS: When Things Quiet Down....
From: Kim C
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 11:57 AM

Oh, Spaw......... (sigh)