Search found 498 matches

by CaptainBeowulf
Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:35 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

My understanding from the book summary on Amazon is that Woodward has assembled a discussion of the history of exotic propulsion ideas as well as his own work, and shows how he thinks Mach Effect could be used in the context of things like Alcubierre warp drive and Kip Thorne wormholes. Specifically...
by CaptainBeowulf
Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:48 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

That's a possibility they evolve into what you suggest or some kind of "Q-Continuum" type of superbeing/hive mind whatever. Seems to me that even that works better if I assume that technological species are rare, maybe 0-10 active at any one time. Don't think it would really explain, thousands, or ...
by CaptainBeowulf
Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:30 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

Why would anyone who is signed up to a fusion forum go looking for information on a totally unrelated idea that flies in the face of everything that is scientifically reasonable if those that brought the story to such a forum can't be bothered to provide all the details themselves? Granted, this th...
by CaptainBeowulf
Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:43 am
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

Another solution to the Fermi Paradox is that when intelligent species hit a certain point in their biological/technological evolution, they very quickly go to a singularity. As someone else has mentioned, in some cases they might miniaturize in order to reduce energy requirements, but just as possi...
by CaptainBeowulf
Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:24 am
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

Chris, as you have noted recently, you were involved in another thread on M-E a few years ago, before this one. I take it you've read a bit about Kip Thorne's wormhole work since the late 1980s, Alcubierre's warp drive from 1994, Woodward's work etc. As we know from everything that has been written,...
by CaptainBeowulf
Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:55 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Fusion Deception
Replies: 89
Views: 28137

I think he's talking about the article which MSimon posted starting this thread. I'm fine with people writing pessimistic counterpoints, as it's freedom of speech, but, and it's a big but, I do find it to be defeatism, pure and simple. And defeatism should be ignored. Keep in mind that 80 years ago ...
by CaptainBeowulf
Tue Dec 25, 2012 8:08 am
Forum: News
Topic: Tom Ligon website overhaul ...
Replies: 17
Views: 6380

Tom and paperburn, thanks for the additional details on solar installations.
by CaptainBeowulf
Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:58 am
Forum: News
Topic: Tom Ligon website overhaul ...
Replies: 17
Views: 6380

Very interesting white papers Tom; I might end up using some tips from you one day! I didn't realize that the old 1970s glass solar panels were so superior to a lot of the current stuff. Any suggestions on what good brands are today? Or just what features to look for (ie. you seem to indicate pebble...
by CaptainBeowulf
Fri Dec 21, 2012 6:55 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Vortex rocket engine: lighter, more efficient, more reusable
Replies: 24
Views: 26936

Anyone have a decent idea how the Vortex compares to SpaceX's Merlin engines? I did a couple of searches but couldn't find any real discussion. It might be because the various sources currently seem a bit vague on the exact specs of the Vortex.
by CaptainBeowulf
Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:29 am
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

I don't know if (a) and (b) are compatible with (c). It seems like there's been a constant struggle to find parts/materials and construct the stacks so that everything is "just so." To demonstrate more thrust and control, most likely dedicated parts, manufactured to order, are going to be needed. Yo...
by CaptainBeowulf
Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:44 am
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

Yes, I was actually just reading over a summary of Wheeler-Feynmann Absorber theory, and I'm becoming more convinced that, if M-E works, the time symmetry in this theory is what allows you to temporarily circumvent decrease of entropy. It's not magic, really, it's just displacement of the ultimate d...
by CaptainBeowulf
Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:07 am
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

When I said "entropy", I meant what the poster I was responding to seemed to mean by it - the principle of nondecrease of entropy, which I also referred to as the "entropy condition". Known in continuum mechanics as the Clausius-Duhem inequality, as I recall. Yes, that's what I meant, and what I'm ...
by CaptainBeowulf
Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:05 am
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

also, if it's any consolation to entropy being "depressing", since physics constitutes a nonlinear dynamical system with both positive and negative lyapunov exponents - that is, since its capable of exhibiting chaos - there are thus both source and sinks of entropy. the "heat death" idea was an unj...
by CaptainBeowulf
Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:41 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

Alright, I think I understand the accounting argument. The last two and a half pages seem to have shown that even when under continuous acceleration the M-E thruster energy books should balance because of the expenditure of power aboard the craft plus the acceleration of far off distant matter/the r...
by CaptainBeowulf
Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:25 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Mach Effect progress
Replies: 2707
Views: 1466704

This complaint about accumulating more kinetic energy than power consumed - going over-unity because you have continuous thrust - seems to be at the heart of the remaining objections of Chris, GoatGuy and SFuerst. They all had other objections, but IMO those other objections have been adequately dea...