Badger

Phil Launchbury wrote:
> In article <13beg05h0l8ab52@news.supernews.com>, Simian wrote:
>> Pip Luscher wrote:
>>
>>> 'It's a.... baby!'
>>> He's called Thomas [1].
>>> He started off all right but seems to be getting:
>>> a) more wakeful
>>> b) more pukeful
>>> c) more wriggly
>>> d) more demanding of attention
>>> e) louder
>>> f) heavier.
>> They all do that sir.
>
> And all good reasons for avoiding them if at all possible..

And they just get worse as they get older.

--
Rick
NT650V (still)
TWA#11 BREast#6 BOTAFOT#139

Simian

Champ wrote:

> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:36:37 -0000, "Simian"
> <simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> wrote:
>
> > Pip Luscher wrote:
> >
> >> 'It's a.... baby!'
> >> He's called Thomas [1].
> >> He started off all right but seems to be getting:
> >> a) more wakeful
> >> b) more pukeful
> >> c) more wriggly
> >> d) more demanding of attention
> >> e) louder
> >> f) heavier.
>
> > They all do that sir.
>
> Have you got yours yet?

Still waiting for delivery. Another 6 weeks-ish, apparently.

--
"I dunno, I never met the chick."

Champ

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:01:33 -0000, "Simian"
<simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> wrote:

>Champ wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:36:37 -0000, "Simian"
>> <simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> wrote:
>>
>> > Pip Luscher wrote:
>> >
>> >> 'It's a.... baby!'
>> >> He's called Thomas [1].
>> >> He started off all right but seems to be getting:
>> >> a) more wakeful
>> >> b) more pukeful
>> >> c) more wriggly
>> >> d) more demanding of attention
>> >> e) louder
>> >> f) heavier.
>>
>> > They all do that sir.
>>
>> Have you got yours yet?
>
>Still waiting for delivery. Another 6 weeks-ish, apparently.

Sheesh. One more thing about parenthood I'm not cut out for - the
leads times are ridiculous!
--
Champ

ZX10R | GPz750turbo | GSX-R 600 racer
My advice as your attorney is to buy a motorcycle
To email me, neal at my domain should work.

Pip Luscher

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:08:28 GMT, "platypus"
<monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>darsy wrote:
>> On Aug 5, 10:01 pm, "platypus" <monotr...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.
>>
>> and that's "The Nine Billion Names of God", right?
>
>Yup.

It's the only bit of the short story I recall.

--
-Pip

Lady Nina

On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 21:37:31 GMT, Pip Luscher
<pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.co.uk> wrote:

>On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 20:57:11 +0100, Lady Nina <spamtrap2@ntlworld.com>
>wrote:

>>So what sort did you get? Obviously the standard screaming and puking
>>variety.
>
>'It's a.... baby!'
>
>He's called Thomas [1].
>
>He started off all right but seems to be getting:
>a) more wakeful
>b) more pukeful
>c) more wriggly
>d) more demanding of attention
>e) louder
>f) heavier.

They all do that sir.
--
Lady Nina
chuckling

Simian

Champ wrote:

> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:01:33 -0000, "Simian"
> <simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> wrote:
>
> > Champ wrote:
> >
> >> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:36:37 -0000, "Simian"
> >> <simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> > Pip Luscher wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> 'It's a.... baby!'
> >> >> He's called Thomas [1].
> >> >> He started off all right but seems to be getting:
> >> >> a) more wakeful
> >> >> b) more pukeful
> >> >> c) more wriggly
> >> >> d) more demanding of attention
> >> >> e) louder
> >> >> f) heavier.
> >>
> >> > They all do that sir.
> >>
> >> Have you got yours yet?
> >
> > Still waiting for delivery. Another 6 weeks-ish, apparently.
>
> Sheesh. One more thing about parenthood I'm not cut out for - the
> leads times are ridiculous!

Spares are meant to be a nightmare too.


--
"I dunno, I never met the chick."

Champ

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:08:28 GMT, "platypus"
<monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>darsy wrote:
>> On Aug 5, 10:01 pm, "platypus" <monotr...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.
>>
>> and that's "The Nine Billion Names of God", right?
>
>Yup. And if you know the story, you'll know why I used it.

Yebbut. There are estimated to be some 10^21 stars in the universe.
If they were going out slowly enough for Chuck to perceive them going
out (let's say at the rate of a million a second), then it'd still
take around 3 million years for the universe to end.

I wouldn't lose any sleep.
--
Champ

ZX10R | GPz750turbo | GSX-R 600 racer
My advice as your attorney is to buy a motorcycle
To email me, neal at my domain should work.

deadmail@burnt.org.uk

Champ <neal@champ.org.uk> wrote in message
<t6oeb3deg75mg7r262fqj502afujq4f0i8@4ax.com>:

>Sheesh. One more thing about parenthood I'm not cut out for - the
>leads times are ridiculous!

Trust me, they arrive too soon; whatever the quoted lead time.
--
K75RT, K1100LT, ZXR750H1, 5TA.

"We created it, let's take it over"

Grimly Curmudgeon

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Simian"
<simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> saying something like:

>> >> Have you got yours yet?
>> >
>> > Still waiting for delivery. Another 6 weeks-ish, apparently.
>>
>> Sheesh. One more thing about parenthood I'm not cut out for - the
>> leads times are ridiculous!
>
>Spares are meant to be a nightmare too.

No problem shortly - cloning licences will be granted. Struck me the
other day - how will a child feel once he/she knows they were only
conceived to provide spares for their sibling?
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

Teach a man to fish and he and his pikey mates will have the
river cleaned out in a day.

Ace

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:39:00 +0100, Grimly Curmudgeon
<grimly4REMOVE@REMOVEgmail.com> wrote:

>We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
>drugs began to take hold. I remember "Simian"
><simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> saying something like:
>
>>> >> Have you got yours yet?
>>> >
>>> > Still waiting for delivery. Another 6 weeks-ish, apparently.
>>>
>>> Sheesh. One more thing about parenthood I'm not cut out for - the
>>> leads times are ridiculous!
>>
>>Spares are meant to be a nightmare too.
>
>No problem shortly - cloning licences will be granted.

But then you have to maintain an entire spare unit, and deal with any
problems that may arise in it.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

platypus

Champ wrote:
> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:08:28 GMT, "platypus"
> <monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> darsy wrote:
>>> On Aug 5, 10:01 pm, "platypus" <monotr...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.
>>>
>>> and that's "The Nine Billion Names of God", right?
>>
>> Yup. And if you know the story, you'll know why I used it.
>
> Yebbut. There are estimated to be some 10^21 stars in the universe.
> If they were going out slowly enough for Chuck to perceive them going
> out (let's say at the rate of a million a second), then it'd still
> take around 3 million years for the universe to end.

With an omniscient god, he'll know exactly when to turn out the stars so
that they apparently disappear at the right moment. So, if Sirius is 8.6
light years away, he'd shut it down 8.6 years early. Fomalhaut is 25 ly
away, so it would need to be shut down at 25 years early. Not too
difficult, and if anyone can get PM/critical path stuff right, it'll be god.

Either that, or it's an instantaneous way of annihilation, propagated from
the edges of the universe, about to snap shut on ground zero. The reason
the starlight is fading out is it not just that the stars no longer exist,
but the light travelling from them is also being annihilated at the
wavefront.

> I wouldn't lose any sleep.

Of course not: you would be non-existent.

--
platypus

somewhere to go for the night

Champ

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:30:45 GMT, "platypus"
<monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>Champ wrote:
>> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:08:28 GMT, "platypus"
>> <monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> darsy wrote:
>>>> On Aug 5, 10:01 pm, "platypus" <monotr...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.
>>>>
>>>> and that's "The Nine Billion Names of God", right?
>>>
>>> Yup. And if you know the story, you'll know why I used it.
>>
>> Yebbut. There are estimated to be some 10^21 stars in the universe.
>> If they were going out slowly enough for Chuck to perceive them going
>> out (let's say at the rate of a million a second), then it'd still
>> take around 3 million years for the universe to end.
>
>With an omniscient god, he'll know exactly when to turn out the stars so
>that they apparently disappear at the right moment. So, if Sirius is 8.6
>light years away, he'd shut it down 8.6 years early. Fomalhaut is 25 ly
>away, so it would need to be shut down at 25 years early. Not too
>difficult, and if anyone can get PM/critical path stuff right, it'll be god.

Well, this raises a couple of issues:

1. My point is that the stars were going out in 'real time' as
percieved by Chuck. So, no matter where He was turning them off, He
was doing it slowly enough for Chuck to see it. Which means, to turn
the whole lot off, would take some finite time.
2. Bear says he's pretty good at PM/critical path stuff, which makes
me question whether god would be any good. The alternative
is...unpalatable.


--
Champ
I don't know, but I been told, you never slow down, you never get old
ZX10R | GPz750turbo | GSX-R600 (race)
neal at champ dot org dot uk

Pip

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:45:34 +0100, Champ <news@champ.org.uk> wrote:

>On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:30:45 GMT, "platypus"
><monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>>With an omniscient god, he'll know exactly when to turn out the stars so
>>that they apparently disappear at the right moment. So, if Sirius is 8.6
>>light years away, he'd shut it down 8.6 years early. Fomalhaut is 25 ly
>>away, so it would need to be shut down at 25 years early. Not too
>>difficult, and if anyone can get PM/critical path stuff right, it'll be god.

>2. Bear says he's pretty good at PM/critical path stuff, which makes
>me question whether god would be any good. The alternative
>is...unpalatable.

God - the deity formerly known as Prince 2.

--
Pip: B12

platypus

Champ wrote:
> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:30:45 GMT, "platypus"
> <monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Champ wrote:
>>> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:08:28 GMT, "platypus"
>>> <monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>> darsy wrote:
>>>>> On Aug 5, 10:01 pm, "platypus" <monotr...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.
>>>>>
>>>>> and that's "The Nine Billion Names of God", right?
>>>>
>>>> Yup. And if you know the story, you'll know why I used it.
>>>
>>> Yebbut. There are estimated to be some 10^21 stars in the universe.
>>> If they were going out slowly enough for Chuck to perceive them
>>> going out (let's say at the rate of a million a second), then it'd
>>> still take around 3 million years for the universe to end.
>>
>> With an omniscient god, he'll know exactly when to turn out the
>> stars so that they apparently disappear at the right moment. So, if
>> Sirius is 8.6 light years away, he'd shut it down 8.6 years early.
>> Fomalhaut is 25 ly away, so it would need to be shut down at 25
>> years early. Not too difficult, and if anyone can get PM/critical
>> path stuff right, it'll be god.
>
> Well, this raises a couple of issues:
>
> 1. My point is that the stars were going out in 'real time' as
> percieved by Chuck. So, no matter where He was turning them off, He
> was doing it slowly enough for Chuck to see it. Which means, to turn
> the whole lot off, would take some finite time.

That's the omniscient bit: god knows where and when the nine billionth name
will be popping out. So, he knows how far in advance to turn off the stars.
So, Fomalhaut would have been turned off 25 years in advance. 25 years
later, the light stops arriving at Earth.

When you look into the night sky, you look into the past. We see Fomalhaut
as it was 25 years ago. We see the Andromeda galaxy as it was 2,500,000
years ago. So, if the god in question chooses to be bound by Newtonian
physics, the actual shutdown effect will be a project almost as big as
constructing the universe in the first place. Which would look pretty good
on the CV...

> 2. Bear says he's pretty good at PM/critical path stuff, which makes
> me question whether god would be any good. The alternative
> is...unpalatable.

It is, I agree, a bit hard to swallow.

--
platypus

somewhere to go for the night

Lady Nina

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:45:37 GMT, "platypus"
<monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>When you look into the night sky, you look into the past.

"each star we see in the sky is a sun like our own, beginning to die"

That's the next hour of music sorted.
--
Lady Nina
under the weather

Des

platypus <monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> That's the omniscient bit: god knows where and when the nine billionth
> name will be popping out. So, he knows how far in advance to turn off
> the stars. So, Fomalhaut would have been turned off 25 years in advance.
> 25 years later, the light stops arriving at Earth.
>
> When you look into the night sky, you look into the past. We see
> Fomalhaut as it was 25 years ago. We see the Andromeda galaxy as it was
> 2,500,000 years ago. So, if the god in question chooses to be bound by
> Newtonian physics, the actual shutdown effect will be a project almost as
> big as constructing the universe in the first place. Which would look
> pretty good on the CV...

Well as He is responsible for the creation of the laws of physics, one
could assume that He can also invalidate them whenever He chooses..

D.
--
des | 'trop d'la balle, j'kiffe grave!'
BMW K100-LT

Grimly Curmudgeon

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Ace <seesig@virgin.net> saying
something like:

>>No problem shortly - cloning licences will be granted.
>
>But then you have to maintain an entire spare unit, and deal with any
>problems that may arise in it.

Ebay beckons.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

Teach a man to fish and he and his pikey mates will have the
river cleaned out in a day.

Champ

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:45:37 GMT, "platypus"
<monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>> 1. My point is that the stars were going out in 'real time' as
>> percieved by Chuck. So, no matter where He was turning them off, He
>> was doing it slowly enough for Chuck to see it. Which means, to turn
>> the whole lot off, would take some finite time.
>
>That's the omniscient bit: god knows where and when the nine billionth name
>will be popping out. So, he knows how far in advance to turn off the stars.
>So, Fomalhaut would have been turned off 25 years in advance. 25 years
>later, the light stops arriving at Earth.
>
>When you look into the night sky, you look into the past. We see Fomalhaut
>as it was 25 years ago. We see the Andromeda galaxy as it was 2,500,000
>years ago. So, if the god in question chooses to be bound by Newtonian
>physics, the actual shutdown effect will be a project almost as big as
>constructing the universe in the first place. Which would look pretty good
>on the CV...

Imagine you're a member of a highly civilised and advanced culture in
the Andromeda system. Minding your business, and god turns out the
stars because of what some tibetan monks are going to do in 2.5M years
in the future!
--
Champ

ZX10R | GPz750turbo | GSX-R 600 racer
My advice as your attorney is to buy a motorcycle
To email me, neal at my domain should work.

Pip Luscher

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:30:33 +0100, Champ <neal@champ.org.uk> wrote:

>Imagine you're a member of a highly civilised and advanced culture in
>the Andromeda system. Minding your business, and god turns out the
>stars because of what some tibetan monks are going to do in 2.5M years
>in the future!

There was a sci-fi short story along those lines, too. An
archaeological expedition discover a civilisation that had been
supernova'd so that a star could shine...

--
-Pip

Pip Luscher

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:39:00 +0100, Grimly Curmudgeon
<grimly4REMOVE@REMOVEgmail.com> wrote:

>We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
>drugs began to take hold. I remember "Simian"
><simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> saying something like:
>
>>> >> Have you got yours yet?
>>> >
>>> > Still waiting for delivery. Another 6 weeks-ish, apparently.
>>>
>>> Sheesh. One more thing about parenthood I'm not cut out for - the
>>> leads times are ridiculous!
>>
>>Spares are meant to be a nightmare too.
>
>No problem shortly - cloning licences will be granted. Struck me the
>other day - how will a child feel once he/she knows they were only
>conceived to provide spares for their sibling?

Wouldn't be cheap: could easily cost an arm and a leg, in fact.

--
-Pip

platypus

Pip Luscher wrote:
> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:30:33 +0100, Champ <neal@champ.org.uk> wrote:
>
>> Imagine you're a member of a highly civilised and advanced culture in
>> the Andromeda system. Minding your business, and god turns out the
>> stars because of what some tibetan monks are going to do in 2.5M
>> years in the future!
>
> There was a sci-fi short story along those lines, too. An
> archaeological expedition discover a civilisation that had been
> supernova'd so that a star could shine...

Arthur C Clarke, "The Star", published about 1955. It was about an
archaeologist/priest who was having big problems faithwise, because a whole
civilisation had been wiped out in order to light up the sky over Bethlehem.

--
platypus

somewhere to go for the night

Pip Luscher

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:24:11 GMT, "platypus"
<monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>Arthur C Clarke, "The Star", published about 1955. It was about an
>archaeologist/priest who was having big problems faithwise, because a whole
>civilisation had been wiped out in order to light up the sky over Bethlehem.

That was the one. I might have guessed that it was another Clarke.

--
-Pip

Grimly Curmudgeon

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Pip Luscher
<pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.com> saying something like:

>Wouldn't be cheap: could easily cost an arm and a leg, in fact.

<apropos of something else>

Saw a Luescher on the box last night in the prog about Telford the
engineer. Do you have rellies near Langholm?
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

Teach a man to fish and he and his pikey mates will have the
river cleaned out in a day.

The Older Gentleman

Pip Luscher <pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:24:11 GMT, "platypus"
> <monotreme@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >Arthur C Clarke, "The Star", published about 1955. It was about an
> >archaeologist/priest who was having big problems faithwise, because a whole
> >civilisation had been wiped out in order to light up the sky over Bethlehem.
>
> That was the one. I might have guessed that it was another Clarke.

One of his best short stories, too.


--
K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60
The bells, the bells.....

Des

Grimly Curmudgeon <grimly4REMOVE@removegmail.com> wrote:
> We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
> drugs began to take hold. I remember "Simian"
> <simian@in_valid.semi-evolved.org> saying something like:
>
>>> >> Have you got yours yet?
>>> >
>>> > Still waiting for delivery. Another 6 weeks-ish, apparently.
>>>
>>> Sheesh. One more thing about parenthood I'm not cut out for - the
>>> leads times are ridiculous!
>>
>>Spares are meant to be a nightmare too.
>
> No problem shortly - cloning licences will be granted. Struck me the
> other day - how will a child feel once he/she knows they were only
> conceived to provide spares for their sibling?

It's already sort of the case in third-world countries, really, isn't it?
Families have six or seven brats to provide for the parents in their old
age, and to ensure that if two or three die, the remainder will still be
able to provide for them ..

D.

--
des | 'trop d'la balle, j'kiffe grave!'
BMW K100-LT

Pip Luscher

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:05:08 +0100, Grimly Curmudgeon
<grimly4REMOVE@REMOVEgmail.com> wrote:

>We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
>drugs began to take hold. I remember Pip Luscher
><pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.com> saying something like:
>
>>Wouldn't be cheap: could easily cost an arm and a leg, in fact.
>
><apropos of something else>
>
>Saw a Luescher on the box last night in the prog about Telford the
>engineer. Do you have rellies near Langholm?

Not that I know of. It's a Swiss name originally.

--
-Pip

Grimly Curmudgeon

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Pip Luscher
<pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.com> saying something like:

>>Saw a Luescher on the box last night in the prog about Telford the
>>engineer. Do you have rellies near Langholm?
>
>Not that I know of. It's a Swiss name originally.

Just wondered, it being a relatively unusual name here/thereabouts. As a
Hungarian friend said to me once when I made a similar enquiry of him,
it's like Smith where he came from.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

Teach a man to fish and he and his pikey mates will have the
river cleaned out in a day.