@Andrew Bates: The body's postural control systems are fully adequate to figure this out. It wouldn't take long for a human being to learn to walk with a weight attached to one side of the body. Now extrapolate that to a weight that has the ability to support itself, will walk with you, and knows what you're thinking.…

@wileecoyote: I was thinking space walrus. Somebody needs to shop a couple of tusks on the upper left bit.

I see this helping to some degree, but it could also create a lot of muscle imbalance. For instance, when you bend forward at the waist, you bear the weight of your torso with your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. In a suit like this in zero-g, it looks like the force vector will continue to pull along the axis of…

@Dreamwriter: They have to keep it in a near-vacuum, otherwise oxidation and other reactions will change the mass of the cylinder. Even in a specialized chamber, there will be some mass change over time. Also, as stated below, every time you handle it, it changes the mass, no matter how careful you are. That's why…

Sometimes kids' rules are the best way. The American representative should just lick the damn thing. Everyone knows that when you lick something, it's yours.

@Dodge2002: For triplets it goes good, evil, and neutral. For a long time I thought I was the neutral triplet, but it turns out I'm the good one. It's complicated.

Got a letter from the government the other day.

@iidebaser: This.

Great soundtracking on all this dude's videos. The bridge launcher is equally sweet, albeit in its own methodical and patriotic way:

"Is it made of carbon-based polymers?"

Everybody: It doesn't go into the stomach. It doesn't get digested. The CSF simply drains down into the abdominal cavity, where it trickles around the abdominal organs (more or less) and gets absorbed. Repeat: The fluid does not enter the digestive tract.

If you're not pressed for time, you can UV-sterilize water with nothing but a clear plastic bottle and the sun. It's a technique that's been known for years.

@Mako: Veterinarian here. The answer is no, there would not be much danger to a healthy dog (or cat) unless you were able to instantaneously transport him from sea level to 8000 feet elevation or more. Their hemoglobin is similar to ours, and hence their red blood cells bind oxygen in such a way that the saturation of…