Persistent, Niggling Questions

[AKAArzosah]

A spinning diamond doesn't eactly qualify as a machine either. A machine has to have working parts, and that's why it's impossible.

[catalina_marina]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

Uh-huh. If that logic made any sense at all, ordering a Cherry Coke would result in cherry-flavored charcoal, or cherry-flavored cocaine. Yeah, right.

Which is why I would think they're only being weird with the original, as that would just be "Coke".

Oh you want it to be man-made? How about those satelites we sent into space then? Not only do they (presumably) revolve around their own axis, they even revolve around the Earth! And sure, they have a finite lifespan. Even if they were meant to stay up forever, the sun would eventually explode into the Earth. But if you really want them to "live" forever, it's probably going to be pretty hard to find a spot, or speed and direction, if you want, so that they never collapse into anything. But yes, theoretically, it's possible. And if they revolve at first, they'll keep revolving until something stops them. It's basically Newton's first law of mechanics.

[Nate the Great]

I thought that Sol was too small to outright explode. I thought it was just going to fizzle out into a brown dwarf.

All manmade Earth satellites will eventually grind slower and slower thanks to tidal effects and burn up upon reentry. Not perpetual.

[AKAArzosah]

When did the USA just become 'America' and why? Just laziness?

How is it that US Citizens call themselves 'Americans' to mean their nationality?

Or are both of these things just an Australian misconception and I should just shut up now?

[Chancellor Valium]

Why is Starfleet Command in San Francisco?

Bah! That's just a front.

It's actually in Llanberis.

[Nate the Great]

No, we USAns are, in fact, that incredibly arrogant. Blame the rest of the world for perpetuating our egotism, though, not us.

[catalina_marina]

Originally Posted by AKAArzosah

When did the USA just become 'America' and why? Just laziness?

I don't know about the when... I would say even before it was founded.

I suppose it happened much in the same way as the United Kingdom became "England" and the Netherlands became "Holland". Yes, laziness.

[Chancellor Valium]

That always bugs me.

England is one nation, not three-and-a-bit, dammit.

On a more ponderous note, why do people assume our civilisation is more 'advanced' than previous ones? Popular culture in the ancient world consisted of races and killing each people and animals in a ring. Now it consists of races and watching people who barely qualify for the term, and do so solely for the purposes of political correctness sit about and wonder which one of the 19-or-so other definitely-not-sub-human(s) they should screw. Less blood, but at least gladiatorial matches don't make your brains want to dribble out of your ears.

?

[catalina_marina]

Originally Posted by Chancellor Valium

That always bugs me.

England is one nation, not three-and-a-bit, dammit.

I like the way you think.

I wish the Netherlands were just the 7 provinces they started with. At least then people would never say I'm from Holland.