Also, as you go up, the ambient pressure decreases, which will cause the balloons to expand more. So, yea, you're absolutely right! That's why high altitude balloons start out looking so "under inflated." The following composite image shows the same balloon at different altitudes, increasing as you move to the right.

Filling balloons halfway likely won't displace enough air with helium to compensate for the balloon's weight..... let alone the man below.

That is a good question. There are a couple systems on the airplane that send telemetry data back to Boeing and the airline maintenance center. The aircraft itself and the engines have monitoring systems that report data, but this is designed mainly for maintenance scheduling more than anything. The system sends…

Children,children,children behold!

Everybody says they'd give it all away, something that's far easier to do when you don't have the money.

I think you made a good point [applause], but I had a nut threatening me because he misread a post a made about a handicapped law loophole and thought I was talking about disabled people, he totally lost it. [freaked out face]. I learned my lesson. So better to enclose gestures in brackets, most chat rooms translate…

I know, I was continuing it along. Thus the Dwarf Fortress part.

2 of the most fun things I've done with it so far have been.. Euro Truck Simulator 2.. Which is surreal, checking your mirrors, indicating, trying not to trash other traffic with the stupid trailer. Listening to euro internet radio stations. Heavy goods vehicles are apparently difficult! But it feels very real..

Someone pointed out how much water there is, and his response was, "Does water burn?"

You are correct. The CERN article says, "total length of filaments is astronomical - 5 times to the sun and back with enough left over for a few trips to the moon." And now it's my turn to be Mr. Pendant — "5 times to the sun and back" would be 10 AUs. :)

Yes. And yes. ;-)

That is where the photons from that laser pulse PROBABLY are at the time that image was taken. Thanks, Shroedinger.

Ah, I get what you're saying about the why. I suppose I'm just assuming it would require a large amount of resources or as you mentioned, they are looking for some specific information that you could impart. You just better hope they aren't still running Star Trek re-runs in the future or they'll be wary of…

Me too, and I almost never do that. The gag was so unexpected, and then instantly so obvious.

It's not a really bad idea. I mean, like you said, we literally do not know what human tech will be advanced to in even 200 years. 200 years ago in 1814 we were fucking around with horses as a means of transport, had barely made it to the West Coast of the United States, and the highest technology we had on Earth…

I'm not from Denmark, but I am from Holland, so somewhat close. And yes, compared to what was available in my childhood in the 70's it would at first sight seem that toys have become more gendered. I can't seem to recall there being many pink toys- apart from Barbie, and how I hated her. But I think this is more…

Yeah, you have to wonder whether a technical civilization on such planets would study and explore (and mythologize) space with as much ardor as we have. No constellations. Imagine a sky where the brightest object was M31, our closest galaxy, a faint and fuzzy light—and pointing the first telescopes at it would reveal…

Don't bother. Everyone knows the cake is a lie.

I strongly disagree. As a black man living in America, this is about ALL of us. Those of us that decry tragedy, and those of us who are oblivious. Those of us who are active in trying to change things, and those of us who are complicit in it. Let us not forget; there are white people and people of other races people…