saac

Neat design and well executed, well done. Jim

I think we are being a wee bit modest here at limiting ourselves to terra forming. Why not set our sights on building a new planet that we can propel through space with some new propulsion system that we or our AI robots have devised, we could create an artificial sun that we could tow behind us at a save distance. Jim

Olly's comment above says it all really, there is something very special about SGL. Welcome to the forum. Jim

Before we go terraforming Mars we had better get a grip of the waste we are generating here. This article on plastic waste brings me close to tears; it looks like we are on an exponential growth rate in the amount of plastic waste we are generating. At a personal level I see this in our own domestic recycling - it's the plastic bin that overflows before the end of the week. Every trip to the supermarket just brings more of the stuff home. If progress is to be made on the issue then manufacturers and the retailers need to be forced to take action. 9 Billion Elephants Jim

I don't believe we view the value of money in relation to "effort" rather we see it as an intrinsic value underwritten by the promise that it holds in its redeemable value by the issuer (the BoE). Historically the value was underwritten by the gold standard but over the last decade or so most countries now use the "fiat" system (the promise or order) to support their currencies. I have no visibility or understanding of the "effort" expended in manufacturing say an Apple iphone subsequently selling for £500 nor do I have the same for a similar unbranded phone that retails for say £50 in Tesco. The effort may well be the same or even greater to bring the Tesco phone to the market but I have no visibility or understanding of it. Personally, I don't consider the Apple iPhone to hold the value it commands on the market, I place a higher value on the Tesco phone. The value in goods and services at the end of the day is determined by the value placed upon those services and goods by those who seek them. A plumber stemming a leaking tap will expend the same effort whether he fixes the leak on a weekday or a weekend; he knows the customer will pay a premium for weekend work and the customer places a higher value on that work at that time so is happy to accept the higher value. My wife certainly doesn't see the value of my latest Astro gear no matter how much I explain the effort expended by Meade, Mesu, Losmandy or SBIG; I certainly don't see the value of my wife's iPhone no matter how much she talks about the effort of Apple to bring it to the market. The value of either product is not invariant yet the effort to conceive and make them remains unchanged. Their value is fixed by the prospective purchaser. Removing employment from society, paying every citizen for doing nothing holds far more challenge than development of AI. Only a few months ago we saw Switzerland reject in a referendum the proposal to pay every citizen a living wage. The rise of the robots will have to wait a while, which is good as it means I may yet be in with a chance of a Mesu if I save my beer tokens Jim

No money is not an effort token, money is a "promise", it's a mechanism that allows for the exchange of goods and services. If holds value because we believe in the promise that it will be redeemed should we cheque it in at the Bank of England. Loose faith in that promise and it becomes worthless. "No human could buy a company's product, but no company would need to pay for anything after a while because the machines maintain themselves, with their own collective effort." Not sure what Adam Smith would make of that! Mmm, I can see a sub culture developing in this AI utopia of the future - humans get bored of robots doing everything, making goods they cannot afford. The hitherto indolent humans start to make and sell things under the unique selling point of "made by human hand" - the badge starts to gather a premium and a sub culture currency develops which gradually grows to become mainstream. Nobody is interested in what the robots do anymore because you cannot buy what they produce. Humans rediscover the benefit of work goes far beyond the acquisition of wealth as they regain a sense of purpose and society benefits from social cohesion. Robots are overthrown and AI is consigned to Cortana and Siri telling us not very funny jokes on our mobile phones - they just don't have that human touch. Jim

As possible as 3 consecutive nights of clear sky in Scotland this winter Jim

The rise of AI and the demise of all "human" employment is a popular story but again one that I don't buy. So in the future the robots and their AI are making my BMW, designing, maintaining the power stations to provide electricity, staffing our hospitals and caring for our sick, designing, manufacturing and distributing the medical supplies used in the hospitals, they are teaching our future kids in schools (what for I don't know because there are no jobs), they are even designing making and selling the latest fidget spinner. Thing is with all of these pesky humans out of a job, who is buying the stuff the robots are making - say goodbye to my BMW a robot took my job at the BMW factory, tried to get a start in the fidget spinner factory but hey what do you know it's staffed by robots with AI - even the AI robots are playing with the fidget spinner , they must be bored! I wouldn't be basing my pension on stocks held in AI companies - they aren't going to be selling much because everybody is unemployed. I think I will do better holding out for my anti gravity boots Jim

Like the notion of so called Dyson spheres, terra forming in my humble opinion belongs to the realms of science fiction. From an engineering perspective the challenges are insurmountable. I'm not convinced that our planet is broken either, yes we have caused damage/change but it is recoverable with the appropriate will and commitment. What is worrying though are the growing number of species that are being edged towards extinction in our time due to our activity. Quite thought provoking that our grandchildren may not share a world with the likes of the White Rhino or Siberian tiger. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_species Jim

Thanks John, I'll look out for it. Good luck with it, I think it will be well received. Jim

John, that is a quality read in terms of content and aesthetics. I really like the format and the way it reads, it flows well. Would it be possible to put hyperlinks on the first page under headings in the content summary; that would allow the reader to quickly move to any section of particular interest. My only other though is on your intention to publish it weekly; would the effort to compile a weekly publication be sustainable, and would much change from week to week? Just some thoughts but as it is I think you have a cracking guide there, really useful and informative. Cheeky question - can non society members access it once it goes live Jim

Indeed it was with none other than Kip Thorne as science consultant.😊 One of my favourite movies of late. Kip describes in his book of the movie the joy he had when the digital arts team presented him with the preview of the representation of Gargantua , the black hole around which the subject's planets are gravitationally bound. He described the moment where, in his words, he was looking at what was probably the most visually correct representation of a black hole. Of course he did have some attachment as the digital creation was constructed using algorithms he had written 😊 Jim

As others have said you will find PoleMaster both easy to use and accurate. I would also recommend steppenwolf's instruction manual above , it is very well written and really easy to follow, certainly better than the official manual. Once you are up to speed with PoleMaster, only takes about two run throughs, you will find you cam be set up and aligned in about 10 minutes. Best piece of Astro kit I have purchased, currently using the camera as an electronic finder when not in use aligning.😊 Jim

That would indeed be something to hope for. I suppose it may be too fanciful a possibility that gravitational waves may propagate beyond universes if such multi universe exist. Perhaps one for the science fiction writers. In any respect the boldness and execution of the project is inspirational. Jim

I suppose it is much easier to cause an electron to shake up and down than it is to shake a black hole or two😊 Mind you if the Brane beings in Interstellar could communicate across space by manipulating gravity waves then I,m still holding out for my anti gravity boots😊 While I agree most likely improbable it would be a tantalising thought having detected gravitational waves if we could discern what further physics they exhibit and potentially exploit. For example what information might be carried in a gravitational wave pertaining to its origin and interactions along its journey? Jim