Geek Jokes Volume 0b10
Discussion
TGCOTF-dewey said:
BrokenSkunk said:
It's not a joke, but I was lying in bed a few days ago wondering, and if this isn't the right place to share my musings...
If it is the job of a spaceship's "shields" to absorb energy from an attacker's weapons, then why should they become more and more depleted as they absorb multiple hits? Shouldn't they get stronger?
Because they have to dump the energy as heat... Powering the heat exchange system uses a lot of MWe. If it is the job of a spaceship's "shields" to absorb energy from an attacker's weapons, then why should they become more and more depleted as they absorb multiple hits? Shouldn't they get stronger?
That's how they work on the USS Dewey.
judas said:
That seems horribly inefficent, and probably in contravention of a dozen Starfleet eco-directives. Still, second law of thermodynamics and all that - you think they'd find some way to harvest that energy and put it to good use
Well, quite. Of course, the out-of-universe answer is so we can have the tense "the shields cannae take it, Cap'n" dramatic moments so the film/show can happen (I'm going to have to ask you to get all the way off my back about that, sir!).
The alternative is "Ha ha! Shoot us all you like, suckers! The more you shoot us the stronger our shields get!" which would be kind of boring.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
judas said:
That seems horribly inefficent, and probably in contravention of a dozen Starfleet eco-directives. Still, second law of thermodynamics and all that - you think they'd find some way to harvest that energy and put it to good use
Well, quite. Of course, the out-of-universe answer is so we can have the tense "the shields cannae take it, Cap'n" dramatic moments so the film/show can happen (I'm going to have to ask you to get all the way off my back about that, sir!).
The alternative is "Ha ha! Shoot us all you like, suckers! The more you shoot us the stronger our shields get!" which would be kind of boring.
judas said:
That seems horribly inefficent, and probably in contravention of a dozen Starfleet eco-directives. Still, second law of thermodynamics and all that - you think they'd find some way to harvest that energy and put it to good use
Exactly. For example you could use the energy to make the shields stronger.
Or, given that e=mc^2...
Every 60 PW of energy dumped into the shield could be used to make 667 grams of matter.
At a density of 957 grams per litre, that's enough for a 70cl of whisky.
You'd probably have to ask the enemy to keep shooting if you needed a bottle to put it in.
BrokenSkunk said:
judas said:
That seems horribly inefficent, and probably in contravention of a dozen Starfleet eco-directives. Still, second law of thermodynamics and all that - you think they'd find some way to harvest that energy and put it to good use
Exactly. For example you could use the energy to make the shields stronger.
Or, given that e=mc^2...
Every 60 PW of energy dumped into the shield could be used to make 667 grams of matter.
At a density of 957 grams per litre, that's enough for a 70cl of whisky.
You'd probably have to ask the enemy to keep shooting if you needed a bottle to put it in.
TGCOTF-dewey said:
BrokenSkunk said:
It's not a joke, but I was lying in bed a few days ago wondering, and if this isn't the right place to share my musings...
If it is the job of a spaceship's "shields" to absorb energy from an attacker's weapons, then why should they become more and more depleted as they absorb multiple hits? Shouldn't they get stronger?
Because they have to dump the energy as heat... Powering the heat exchange system uses a lot of MWe. If it is the job of a spaceship's "shields" to absorb energy from an attacker's weapons, then why should they become more and more depleted as they absorb multiple hits? Shouldn't they get stronger?
That's how they work on the USS Dewey.
judas said:
That seems horribly inefficent, and probably in contravention of a dozen Starfleet eco-directives. Still, second law of thermodynamics and all that - you think they'd find some way to harvest that energy and put it to good use
If we can sort out regenerative braking in the 21st century…‘tards.dxg said:
TGCOTF-dewey said:
BrokenSkunk said:
It's not a joke, but I was lying in bed a few days ago wondering, and if this isn't the right place to share my musings...
If it is the job of a spaceship's "shields" to absorb energy from an attacker's weapons, then why should they become more and more depleted as they absorb multiple hits? Shouldn't they get stronger?
Because they have to dump the energy as heat... Powering the heat exchange system uses a lot of MWe. If it is the job of a spaceship's "shields" to absorb energy from an attacker's weapons, then why should they become more and more depleted as they absorb multiple hits? Shouldn't they get stronger?
That's how they work on the USS Dewey.
dxg said:
TGCOTF-dewey said:
BrokenSkunk said:
It's not a joke, but I was lying in bed a few days ago wondering, and if this isn't the right place to share my musings...
If it is the job of a spaceship's "shields" to absorb energy from an attacker's weapons, then why should they become more and more depleted as they absorb multiple hits? Shouldn't they get stronger?
Because they have to dump the energy as heat... Powering the heat exchange system uses a lot of MWe. If it is the job of a spaceship's "shields" to absorb energy from an attacker's weapons, then why should they become more and more depleted as they absorb multiple hits? Shouldn't they get stronger?
That's how they work on the USS Dewey.
TGCOTF-dewey said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Nice Sci-Fi film reference there. 
Well my user name is the last line of the film. Al made me shorten it as it broke PH's formatting.
Take good care of the forest dewey.
TGCOTF-dewey said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Nice Sci-Fi film reference there.
Well my user name is the last line of the film. Al made me shorten it as it broke PH's formatting.
Take good care of the forest dewey.
98elise said:
I never considered how the robots worked until I read an article a few years ago. I'd just assumed some sort of special effects but it was actually actors with missing lower body/limbs.
Yup. The most practical of practical effects. It's part of the immense charm of the film.
98elise said:
I never considered how the robots worked until I read an article a few years ago. I'd just assumed some sort of special effects but it was actually actors with missing lower body/limbs.
There's actually a "making of" documentary released a couple of years later that shows this.
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