The many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XVII

[PlutonianEmpire]

For large, space-faring civilizations that encompass many star systems, how many space stations, big or small, might a typical homeworld have in orbit around it?

 

[Cutlass]

That's going to be a big "it depends". And what it depends on mostly is the design philosophy of the civ. Some might build a single huge facility. Others might build many smaller ones. And it will also depend on what their needs are. So you really don't have enough information at this point to say.

If you were writing a story about this, you could do just about anything, so long as it's consistent with the other parts of the story.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Which courses are most likely to have more than one textbook used?

 

[PeteAtoms]

Which courses are most likely to have more than one textbook used?

Depends on the professor more than the course itself, in my experience. Certain history or english classes maybe.

 

[Gamemaster77]

Is there any type of camera that is integrated into a helmet? It doesn't have to be perfectly hidden although that would be preferable. Just something that doesn't look like a camera taped to the side or on top. It should also, be fairly durable, not breaking from the helmet rolling or something.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Would it be contradictory to say that a sci-fi race/civ as a whole was predatory, but were really nice people down at the individual level?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Would it be contradictory to say that a sci-fi race/civ as a whole was predatory, but were really nice people down at the individual level?

Are you talking about humans?

 

[cardgame]

Would it be contradictory to say that a sci-fi race/civ as a whole was predatory, but were really nice people down at the individual level?

Not necessarily, but you'd have to word it a particular way.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Are you talking about humans?

Not necessarily.

 

[Cutlass]

Would it be contradictory to say that a sci-fi race/civ as a whole was predatory, but were really nice people down at the individual level?

It's been done. I don't recall exactly how it was said, but what I think I recall was part of the Moorecock Eternal Champion cycle.

"I'm sure they're kind to their wives and children and treat their pets well, but we still cannot coexist with them" or something like that.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

It's been done. I don't recall exactly how it was said, but what I think I recall was part of the Moorecock Eternal Champion cycle.

"I'm sure they're kind to their wives and children and treat their pets well, but we still cannot coexist with them" or something like that.

*Snickers*

Subliminal messaging?

 

[Cutlass]

Too lazy to look up the correct spelling


Micheal Morecock

 

[Arakhor]

Heheh. Ellrick would be proud!

 

[Traitorfish]

College question: For a couple of the classes I'm doing, I've been given a list of "Indicative Reading", which I've never encountered before. Everything else I've done (and the other class that I'm doing) had a couple of required texts which you bought, and a longer list that you looked up at the library when they were relevant, but these lists are about four to six long, so I'm not really sure if I'm meant to regard them as one or the other. Any ideas?

 

[Cutlass]

I'd say ask the professor or assistant that question. May be unique to his way of thinking.

 

[Traitorfish]

I'd say ask the professor or assistant that question. May be unique to his way of thinking.

I guess. It was just that it was on the public listing for the classes (biff baff, in case it helps), so I was wondering if it was something that I should have picked up on by now that I've somehow missed.

 

[Cutlass]

It's been years since I was in school, and in the USA, not Britain, but I've never heard the term

 

[Uncle Anton]

Gamemaster77: Is there any type of camera that is integrated into a helmet? It doesn't have to be perfectly hidden although that would be preferable. Just something that doesn't look like a camera taped to the side or on top. It should also, be fairly durable, not breaking from the helmet rolling or something.

Sure it's technically plausible, but why would you want to?

Most military kit is designed to be modular and as interchangeable as possible so that maintenance and logistics is easier. Generally this would involve less of making a helmet that a camera is integrated into and more of make a mounting bracket that can easily accommodate a hardened milspec camera attachment, the theory being that if you want to discard the weight (optics can be heavier than you think, affect balance and cause headaches) you can.

Helmet cameras have been deployed in-theatre in combat for a while now.

The other issue of course in terms of "hiding the camera" would be a matter of how small you want the camera to be. Obviously the smaller the camera with the higher performance requirements, the more expensive the kit. You may find such requirements might not be able to be fulfilled at a cost acceptable to the organisation wanting to use it. But if this is involving a game or otherwise fictional setting, just use techno-babble based fluff to get around the realities to create the story effects you want. Works for Star Trek

 

[NiRv4n4]

Who was it that said something along the lines of "A nation is only as rich as its poorest citizen"?

 

[Eat_Up_Martha]

College question: For a couple of the classes I'm doing, I've been given a list of "Indicative Reading", which I've never encountered before. Everything else I've done (and the other class that I'm doing) had a couple of required texts which you bought, and a longer list that you looked up at the library when they were relevant, but these lists are about four to six long, so I'm not really sure if I'm meant to regard them as one or the other. Any ideas?

In my experience the required reading was rarely used and the optional readings were pretty much never even mentioned. Of course, you may be attending a higher-quality institution than I ever did but my advice would be to leave them alone until the prof indicates that they'll be used.