[geeks] Re: [rescue] It's official, the U.S. is screwed for 4 more years

[Phil Stracchino]

On Sat, Nov 06, 2004 at 11:51:54AM -0800, Francisco Javier Mesa-Martinez wrote:
> On Sat, 06 Nov 2004 17:37:54 +0000
>  wa2egp at att.net wrote:
> >I teach science.  I like science because it doesn't 
> >matter who you 
> >are, if you fall out of the window, you'll hit the 
> >sidewalk at the same 
> >speed. (heh, heh)
> 
> If we lived in vacuum that would be true, sadly we have 
> air resistance to drag down the fall of "wider" people 
> assuming that they are falling belly down. :)

Actually, the square-cube law means they have more mass per unit surface
area, hence -- all other things being equal -- higher terminal velocity
in free fall....  so they'll hit first.  ;)


Side note:  Am I the only one who snorts in contempt and disgust at the
scene at the beginning of ${RECENT_BOND_MOVIE} in which Bond's gataway
airplane goes off the edge of a dam generator house without him, he
dives off the edge after it, *free-falling* in pursuit of his *power
diving* airplane, and *CATCHES UP TO IT*?  And not only that, but does
so in time to climb in and pull it out of its dive before it slams into
the bottom of the canyon?

I don't know what the laws of physics are on whatever planet that's
supposed to have taken place on, but that would have had to be one HELL
of a high dam.[1]  I mean, sure, it's James Stud^H^H^H^HBond 007, apply
limited suspension of disbelief and all that, but c'mon, guys make some
effort to try and make it REMOTELY plausible.  That would have been a
much better scene if he'd just had to leap for the wing strut as it went
off the edge, then climb into the cockpit to grab the controls and pull
it out, without the Superman gig.


[1]  My recollection is that sequence lasted about 30 seconds.  Even if
the maximum speed the plane attained was only about 200mph, which is
within reach for an average human "tucked in" and falling cleanly
head-first, the canyon would have to be a minimum of around 9,000 feet
deep.  Even the Grand Canyon ain't that deep, folks, we're talking
*Valles Marineris* here.


-- 
  ========== Fight Back!  It may not be just YOUR life at risk. ==========
  alaric at caerllewys.net : phil-stracchino at earthlink.net : phil at novylen.net
   phil stracchino : unix ronin : renaissance man : mystic zen biker geek
     2000 CBR929RR, 1991 VFR750F3 (foully murdered), 1986 VF500F (sold)
           Linux Now!  ...Friends don't let friends use Microsoft.