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[orb]

Argh, no monotype font, simplifying this a bit...

Test 1234567890 iiIIWM

Test 1234567890 iiIIWM

Both [font=monospace] and [code] look like monospaced for me (but they will use different monospaced typefaces on different OSes and browsers, also with exactly "Monotype" typeface being used on some Linuxes, if not "Liberation Mono" or "Bitstream Vera Sans Mono", while "Courier New" being the default on Windows). :shrug:

 

[Artlav]

Quite boring if you ask me.

Speaking of boring, i just read that Watts Bar is the only reactor in the world that is used for producing commercial He-3 at the moment, the previous sources being the aging of nuclear weapons.
That stuff goes for $17000 or so per gram.

Is that something a typical worker at the plant knows about?

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Oh yes. We all know about it.

As far as operations and maintenance it makes little to no impact. We just have some extra equipment here and there.

 

[Artlav]

On a random note, who here have heard of something called a "starbow"?

The new story in Spaceway involves slower-than-light interstellar flight, so i've been adding relativity effects recently.
A naive implementation of the doppler shift yields a colorful effect of the stars contracting into a rainbow-like pattern ahead of the ship. A pretty sight, described in many an old school sci-fi story.

Sadly, some research later it turned not to be real - a relativistically doppler shifted blackbody would still be a blackbody, only with a different temperature.
The result is dimmer stars behind, and brighter and bluer stars ahead, no rainbows.

As one article's author put it, "We hope that this presentation will spell the end of the `starbow`. At the same time we regret its demise. We have nothing so poetic to offer as its replacement, only better physics."

This being a game, i'm considering leaving it as an option.
What do you think?


At 0.9c, looking mostly forwards.

Starbow version:

Real version:

Standing still reference:

At 0.5c, looking left, with the galaxy behind for emphasis.

Starbow version:

Real version:

Standing still reference:

 

[jedidia]

The new story in Spaceway involves slower-than-light interstellar flight, so i've been adding relativity effects recently.

ohhhhhh... picture me intruiged!

This being a game, i'm considering leaving it as an option.
What do you think?

Options? always a good thing!

 

[Andy44]

:sigh: Why does the universe keep raining on our sci fi parade?

 

[Artlav]

:sigh: Why does the universe keep raining on our sci fi parade?

Oh, but things are not all bad.
Contemplate - what would happen if you were headed towards the galactic north at 0.8c ?

I call this the starsmile.

 

[mojoey]

Oh hon hon hon.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I went up against a Dunkerque yesterday, if you can get out of her firing arc she's an easy enough takedown.

The Scharnhorst is tricky though, she's fast but I managed to set her on fire. Kept her burning.

 

[Urwumpe]

Who designed a battleship without heavy artillery covering the aft ark? :blink:

 

[mojoey]

France. Because why not.

 

[Urwumpe]

France. Because why not.

Because it limits the tactics a lot. The secondary artillery can only scratch the paint of a WW2 battleship, so you are forced to retreat in zig-zag if you want to make sure your opponent has no easy time without also having to avoid your fire.

And you need to retreat at times to make sure you are not getting into a battle in unfavorable conditions for you.

The Nelson class had the same limitation, but it worked well enough against an already crippled Bismarck.

 

[mojoey]

I believe this article should shed some light on the situation:

http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-035.htm

Particularly this passage:

Meanwhile, the junior designers do everything from designing bulkheads and bunk spaces to working out where the bilge pumps will be. The role of the Senior Designers here is to supervise the work and ensure that no idiotic mistakes are made. The Chief Designer supervises the Senior Designers. In passing, one bad problem that the RN had in the 1930s was inadequate numbers of Senior Designers. This meant that work wasn't properly supervised and bad mistakes were made. The Dido class cruisers were regarded as a particularly bad case of this effect. There were many features of their design which would not have been allowed had proper supervision been possible. The final details of weapons, etc., selection takes place during this process and is largely driven by it.

 

[Urwumpe]

I believe this article should shed some light on the situation:

http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-035.htm

Particularly this passage:

Wonders! It WORKS. It’s actually QUITE GOOD. The design is now converted to a Spring Style (so called after the sketches used for Ladies Fashions) which shows people what the ship will actually look like. This is a worked out design; she'll trim right and the maths works. Proudly, the design team shows their labors to a meeting of the Admiralty and representatives of the fleet. And wait for the applause.
It isn't long in coming. Tributes to their expertise descend from all quarters "Call that a ship?", "My God what do we pay people like you for?", "My three year old daughter could do better than that", "Your daughter - my dog could do better - and does, on the carpet every morning." "Are these people mad?" At this point, the Chief Designer's head starts to rotate around on his shoulders, green steam comes out of his ears and, possessed by the spirit of Jackie Fisher he starts screaming "Speed is Armor; Speed is Armor." Sadly, his deputy carries him away to a darkened room far from the sea.
[...]

At the end comes the great day when the new battleship enters the fleet. The commissioning ceremony is held, the crew bring the ship to life and commentators pass their judgment on the new class "a sad day for the Empire," "Anyone can see how useless she is," "What were they thinking of?" "One look at a picture in Jane’s and I can that tell the German Ships are far better." "Why don't we fire these idiots and give the jobs to the shipyards?" "If they can design 200 ton corvettes armed with 18 inch guns for the export market, why can't we have them?"
The Chief Designer ambles away sadly, keeping a sharp lookout for Admiralty officers with potato-baking forks and decides he needs another holiday. That’s when the next project gets launched......

Translate this to software development and you'll get an idea, how my work sounds like. Especially the reactions of the Chief Designer have my fullest sympathy. I need another holiday as well (and the last one is only one real-time week ago, though it feels like three 30-day sprints.).

 

[jedidia]

Translate this to software development and you'll get an idea, how my work sounds like. Especially the reactions of the Chief Designer have my fullest sympathy. I need another holiday as well (and the last one is only one real-time week ago, though it feels like three 30-day sprints.).

That's essentially why I don't aspire to a carreer in this field... I'll be happy just writing code, thank you!

 

[Urwumpe]

That's essentially why I don't aspire to a carreer in this field... I'll be happy just writing code, thank you!

:lol: Well, looking back, I will never want to miss all the experiences I made in the past 18 years of professional software development. Even the bad experiences. They only made me better.

 

[Fabri91]

Hah, I made it into one of the latest E newsletters!

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/284099-Newsletter-138

Scroll to the "Horizon Highlights" section, to be precise.

 

[Pipcard]

I just finished watching Planetes, great series.

 

[Urwumpe]

On this day, 70 years ago, the USA official abandoned the Morgenthau plan and moved towards economic reconstruction of Western Germany.

He serves me, but still serves me in confusion;
I will soon lead him into clarity.
A gardener knows, one day this young green tree
Will blossom and bear fruit in rich profusion.

In sheer historic irony, today was also announced that the German net exports of 8% exceed those of China again. One step closer to our goal to kill international capitalism from within.

Part of that power which would
Do evil constantly and constantly does good;
[. . .]
I am the spirit of perpetual negation.

:lol:

I just finished watching Planetes, great series.

I can only agree. But don't watch the German version of it. Never. Its sickening. :facepalm:

 

[Linguofreak]

Because it limits the tactics a lot. The secondary artillery can only scratch the paint of a WW2 battleship, so you are forced to retreat in zig-zag if you want to make sure your opponent has no easy time without also having to avoid your fire.

It also made the ship lighter for a given armament and level of protection by shortening the citadel, which allowed more weight to be devoted to propulsion.