Moonshot Cafe

Guzman Ramos

The highest-resolution photo of the Moon. (Allegedly.)

Dogs experience a missed connection.

Just a big goofy bear playing with a ball.

A gentle giant of a horse helps a neglected horse get its confidence back.

Sweep the leg, Doggo-San. Wait, Miyagi didn't say that. Well, whatever. I'm not a Karate Kid nerd like you guys are.

Fun Thai ads.

I can almost see her gooch.

Baby has questions.

An Ent, pondering.

Finland is testing wireless transmission of electrical power.

Thinking about body modifications? You want to give yourself a big fluffy tail? There are many benefits of a big fluffy tail.

Very newborn baby gives its mom its first kiss.

Mama bear scouts out the way, then signals the cubs to follow.

Baby beaver nibbles on his tail like he's sucking his thumb.

Man has always dreamed of f***ing the Moon.

A hole on the Moon just turned out to be the front door to a 50 km tunnel.
Japan’s Kaguya orbiter first spotted it. A pit about 50 metres wide and 50 metres deep, sitting in the Marius Hills on the Moon’s near side.
Then JAXA pointed the probe’s radar underground. The echoes came back with something huge: a lava tube roughly 100 metres wide, running about 50 km, and still intact. No collapse.
Scientists think it was carved by volcanic activity around 3.5 billion years ago. There may even be ice or water locked in the rocks inside.
That’s why JAXA thinks it could become a lunar base. Shelter from radiation, micrometeorites and brutal temperature swings, all built in.
Source: JAXA / ISAS, Geophysical Research Letters
— For all Curious (@fascinatingonX) October 21, 2026

But she's a Stage IV Clinger.

What would you do in this situation? https://t.co/aKmvCE4kD2
— Curiosity (@MAstronomers) March 23, 2026

Don't worry, I'm 60% sure that's AI.

Breathtaking golden hour view of the Himalayas https://t.co/9xvWSjbGAf
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 22, 2026

This is how 2 AM looks in Iceland during summer. https://t.co/kg3UlMSWic
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 22, 2026

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:40 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 st?

Posted by: Crusader at October 23, 2026 07:42 PM (TN0g+)

2 Yes!

Posted by: Crusader at October 23, 2026 07:42 PM (TN0g+)

3 Read the content

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's Phone at October 23, 2026 07:42 PM (wi+oT)

4 Good evening everyone

Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 07:45 PM (Ia/+0)

5 What would you do in this situation?

Pour a drink, sit down and give my thanks to God.

Posted by: nurse ratched at October 23, 2026 07:46 PM (ReKWQ)

6 "Finland is testing wireless transmission of electrical power."

Nikola Tesla's wireless power transmission plan got shut down because there was no way to get people to pay for the electricity they used. If not for that, we would have had flying cars long ago.

Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 07:47 PM (MWfyi)

7 Evenin’, All. Happy Friday night!

Posted by: Bulg at October 23, 2026 07:48 PM (77rzZ)

8 Fun Thai ads.

She nailed the expression in the refrigerator one.

Posted by: Oddbob at October 23, 2026 07:50 PM (vTZFs)

9 It's been a while since I've nibbled any beaver tail. I've heard it's good roasted.

Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 07:52 PM (MWfyi)

10 When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at October 23, 2026 07:53 PM (Cqx++)

11 Man has always dreamed of f***ing the Moon.

That was a plot point in "The Boys" (comic, not series). Supe[rhero] gets a brain tumor, and becomes a compulsive r&pist. So they send him up to fuck an asteroid.

Posted by: 88C+u at October 23, 2026 07:53 PM (88C+u)

12 Another 100% week!

It is so nice to have a refuge from the perversions and depravities (such as "boofing") that Big Penguin pushes to destroy Truth, Justice, and the American Way!

Thank you, Ace!!! Have a great weekend!

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 23, 2026 07:53 PM (0sNs1)

13 That's no moon.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 23, 2026 07:53 PM (r2Icn)

14
I am not voting for anyone not pledged to making Pluto a planet again.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 23, 2026 07:54 PM (eRlcH)

15 What would you do in this situation?

Sing!

Posted by: That's Amore! at October 23, 2026 07:54 PM (skR0U)

16 What would I do? I'd get blown to smithereens.

Posted by: From about That Time at October 23, 2026 07:54 PM (sl73Y)

17 >>>Just a big goofy bear playing with a ball.

I'm seeing a ball within the ball. I think that's what the bear is after. The small ball must be food or at least something that smells like food.

Posted by: No Name Today at October 23, 2026 07:54 PM (8mulE)

18 I was gonna say that!

Posted by: Guy who always says "That's no Moon" at October 23, 2026 07:54 PM (MWfyi)

19 Confucius say: Hegseth must be stopped
youtu.be/InXHkjbMVFc

Posted by: 88C+u at October 23, 2026 07:55 PM (88C+u)

20 Nikola Tesla's wireless power transmission plan got shut down because there was no way to get people to pay for the electricity they used. If not for that, we would have had flying cars long ago.
Posted by: fd

I'm told that if you camp under transmission lines, you can light your camp with a fluorescent bulb just... laid out and not connected to anything.

And that the power companies can see that drain on the lines.

Posted by: FeatherBlade at October 23, 2026 07:56 PM (C0Nlv)

21 A "Sweep the leg" refresher:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz8-BX0hIhw

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 23, 2026 07:57 PM (0sNs1)

22 I have lost interest in baby and children being filmed by their parents and posted on the internet. These poor kids learn from the minite they are born to perform for the camera. And they behave accordingly.

Kinda scary.

Posted by: nurse ratched at October 23, 2026 07:57 PM (ReKWQ)

23
NASA is getting hot for that Marius Hole (and some others) on the Moon, and are planning some mission to thoroughly probe them.

Seriously, these are likely "skylights" to lava tubes and underground cave complexes. These could be ideal locations for habitats. Temperature down there seems to stable in the low 60F range over the whole lunar day/month cycle. And you've got radiation protection and all that good stuff.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 07:57 PM (w6EFb)

24 "I'm told that if you camp under transmission lines, you can light your camp with a fluorescent bulb just... laid out and not connected to anything.

And that the power companies can see that drain on the lines.
Posted by: FeatherBlade"

I've always wondered if you lived by some power lines could you lay a big coil under them and draw off some power.

Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 07:58 PM (MWfyi)

25

nurse,

I agree.

Posted by: four seasons at October 23, 2026 07:58 PM (/QHx4)

26
Seriously, these are likely "skylights" to lava tubes and underground cave complexes. These could be ideal locations for habitats. Temperature down there seems to stable in the low 60F range over the whole lunar day/month cycle. And you've got radiation protection and all that good stuff.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 07:57 PM (w6EFb)

____________

Too bad the Nazis beat us there.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 23, 2026 07:59 PM (eRlcH)

27 If the moon is going to crash into the Earth, I'd like a little more time to take care of some unfinished business. Just a few seconds isn't going to cut it.

I have a list.

Posted by: Orson at October 23, 2026 07:59 PM (dIske)

28
I'm going to be a bit skeptical about the "highest resolution" photo of the Moon (and I assume he means by amateurs on Earth's surface). Andrew McCarthy has taken some fantastic long exposure mineral moon shots showing incredible detail.

Now, as far as perhaps pixel resolution, the above might take the crown, I'm not sure, so it could be, but the jury is out on that for me.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:00 PM (w6EFb)

29 Always wanted to go to land of the midnight sun.
Brest chance now would be visiting Alaska in Summer.

Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:00 PM (Ia/+0)

30 "These could be ideal locations for habitats. "

Sorry, hole's closed. Moon moose out front shoulda told ya.

Posted by: Moon Nazis at October 23, 2026 08:00 PM (MWfyi)

31 We're really more of a binary planet system than a planet-moon system.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 23, 2026 08:01 PM (0sNs1)

32 Re: Lava tubes -

Dahak is waiting for a Commander...

Posted by: RandomDave at October 23, 2026 08:02 PM (aJQbY)

33 It's a busy day on Moonbase Alpha.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 23, 2026 08:02 PM (RIvkX)

34 >> And that the power companies can see that drain on the lines.

Indeed, theoretically. The thing to appreciate with this is the power line, of itself, is not "radiating energy". It is radiating a tiny little bit, but not that much.

By placing the devices in close proximity, you are actually changing the local EM field to draw power out of said field. And that shows up as additional resistive leakage on the supply end of the line.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:02 PM (w6EFb)

35 Also re: lava tubes - vulcanism on the moon? Not something I was aware of having been a thing...

Posted by: RandomDave at October 23, 2026 08:03 PM (aJQbY)

36
Game 1 features another "artist" mangling the National Anthem beyond recognition.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 23, 2026 08:03 PM (eRlcH)

37 Always wanted to go to land of the midnight sun.
Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:00 PM

May we suggest the Land Down Under?

Posted by: Men at Work at October 23, 2026 08:03 PM (0sNs1)

38 What would you do in that situation?

Hop down a manhole cover and father a race of cave dwelling Morlocks.

Posted by: Max Power at October 23, 2026 08:05 PM (SwyyQ)

39 We all know where this leads. A accidental massive thermonuclear explosion is going to blast the Moon into deep space leaving the Earth to spiral wildly into the Sun. Get you affairs into order.

Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 08:05 PM (MWfyi)

40 >> We're really more of a binary planet system than a planet-moon system.

There is actually a precise definition about this. To be a binary planet system, the center of mass must lie outside of all bodies of the system.

With the Earth-Moon system, the center of mass remains inside the Erf's radius at all times, so we have a moon, not a binary planet. Pluto and Charon however, meet the binary planet definition.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:06 PM (w6EFb)

41 If you park an electric car under a transmission line will it charge?

Posted by: davidt at October 23, 2026 08:06 PM (Q+gd/)

42 I have high skepticism about any sort of habitats on the Moon or Mars. One of the reasons Earth is hospitable is all the water. It erodes solids and sand into a round format.

Very little water on the Moon or Mars. That means every single aspect of solid material is jagged and sharp. Even if there is a breathable atmosphere you don't want that stuff in your lungs. The Moon is even worse than Mars due to the vacuum state. Mars, at least, curbs this problem a little bit with winds. But, it's still inhospitable. The dust, stones and particulate matter is razor sharp and will cut through just about everything eventually. Good luck keeping those generators going for any length of time.

Posted by: Orson at October 23, 2026 08:06 PM (dIske)

43 31 We're really more of a binary planet system than a planet-moon system.
Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 23, 2026 08:01 PM (0sNs1)

Some say that's more true of Pluto-Charon, but others say that doesn't count as a planet

Posted by: okay, 88C+u is now just trolling at October 23, 2026 08:07 PM (88C+u)

44 lava tubes - vulcanism on the moon? Not something I was aware of having been a thing...
Posted by: RandomDave

It was. Not now but it was.
I think it's when the south pole got sheared off in the Aitken strike. This event pushed the center of lunar gravity more to the far side and (re)liquified much of the interior. The near side got lunar lava seas, which solidified into dark basalt, which are now the "maria" (plural of latin "mare", "sea").

Posted by: 88C+u at October 23, 2026 08:11 PM (88C+u)

45 >> Not something I was aware of having been a thing...

It is ancient indeed, back to the formation.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:11 PM (w6EFb)

46
Always wanted to go to land of the midnight sun.
Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:00 PM

May we suggest the Land Down Under?
Posted by: Men at Work

The land of the noontime moon.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at October 23, 2026 08:12 PM (Cqx++)

47 Charon regrets the name of the river upon which he plied his trade.

Wayne Newton would never record "Ferry Cross the Styx".

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 23, 2026 08:12 PM (0sNs1)

48 39 We all know where this leads. A accidental massive thermonuclear explosion is going to blast the Moon into deep space leaving the Earth to spiral wildly into the Sun. Get you affairs into order.
Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 08:05

Or just go wild!

Posted by: Piper at October 23, 2026 08:13 PM (ZdaMQ)

49 the moon is going to crash into the Earth, I'd like a little more time to take care of some unfinished business. Just a few seconds isn't going to cut it.

I have a list.
Posted by: Orson at

As I start reading this I catch the word cut in lower right and immediately think it's going to be Hadrian wanting to get a mowing in.

Posted by: From about That Time at October 23, 2026 08:13 PM (sl73Y)

50 Wayne Newton would never record "Ferry Cross the Styx".
Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 23, 2026 08:12 PM (0sNs1)

_______________________________

Which is not to be confused with "Fairy across the Sticks", which is James Talarico's campaign motto for rural Texas.

Posted by: Orson at October 23, 2026 08:14 PM (dIske)

51
Geologists were fooled during the Apollo days. They were sure that the Descartes Highlands were volcanic in nature, and chose that for landing site of Apollo 16, John Young and Charlie Duke's mission.

They were dead wrong, and it was impact formed. They just let their terrestrial bias (that looks very much like a volcanic feature on earth, so much so it just has to be) fool them.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:15 PM (w6EFb)

52 Nikola Tesla's wireless power transmission plan got shut down because there was no way to get people to pay for the electricity they used. If not for that, we would have had flying cars long ago.
Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 07:47 PM (MWfyi)
----
According to F. Paul Wilson's documentary novel "Wardenclyffe" there was also a side effect of opening a portal to a sentient universe that hates us and wants to conquer this one.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 08:15 PM (FZ29D)

53 Someone probably said it already but Tesla beat Finland by a hundred years.

Posted by: polynikes at October 23, 2026 08:17 PM (Ti9vn)

54
That's the reason the lunar South pole is where it's at for the planned moon landings and bases. Their is water trapped in the permanently shadowed regions deep in those craters. The surfaces temperatures there are very low and not too much above absolute zero.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:17 PM (w6EFb)

55 According to F. Paul Wilson's documentary novel "Wardenclyffe" there was also a side effect of opening a portal to a sentient universe that hates us and wants to conquer this one.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 08:15 PM (FZ29D)

Ah, so. Commodore Perry's mission to Japan

Posted by: 88C+u at October 23, 2026 08:18 PM (88C+u)

56 According to F. Paul Wilson's documentary novel "Wardenclyffe" there was also a side effect of opening a portal to a sentient universe that hates us and wants to conquer this one.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 08:15 PM (FZ29D)

So... populated by Islamic Democrats?

Posted by: Romeo13 at October 23, 2026 08:18 PM (mP0Kj)

57 A accidental massive thermonuclear explosion is going to blast the Moon into deep space"

With skin tight outfits for the babes?

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 08:18 PM (pfXMo)

58 Well, that too. But they couldn't make any money on it.

Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 08:19 PM (MWfyi)

59
And as for power, that's what all the micro-nuclear reactor stuff is about. Solar, while useful down there (think panels at the peak mountains at the south pole), wouldn't be enough. You need nuclear reactors for the serious power needs.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:19 PM (w6EFb)

60 48 39 We all know where this leads. A accidental massive thermonuclear explosion is going to blast the Moon into deep space leaving the Earth to spiral wildly into the Sun. Get you affairs into order.
Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 08:05

Or just go wild!
Posted by: Piper at October 23, 2026 08:13 PM (ZdaMQ)

Hey now... those Space 1999 Chicks were all pretty Hawt!

Not quite as Hawt as the UFO TV show Moonbase chicks though.

Posted by: Romeo13 at October 23, 2026 08:20 PM (mP0Kj)

61 I read the content.

Posted by: JohnFNotKerry at October 23, 2026 08:21 PM (P5A9z)

62 47 Charon regrets the name of the river upon which he plied his trade.

Wayne Newton would never record "Ferry Cross the Styx".
Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 23, 2026 08:12 PM (0sNs1)

Well, seeing as how he has CROSSED the River Styx... uh... difficult to record...

Posted by: Romeo13 at October 23, 2026 08:22 PM (mP0Kj)

63 Translation to the Somali music Ilhan played in the background on her walk around the land of 10K lakes stupid video:

https://tinyurl.com/y29uskxa

Posted by: beckster at October 23, 2026 08:23 PM (kX27y)

64 If the moon was coming at me, I would definitely avoid buying any green bananas, that's for sure.

Posted by: Archimedes at October 23, 2026 08:23 PM (Riz8t)

65 I don't know what I'd do exactly in that situation but I know I wouldn't keep filming.

Posted by: polynikes at October 23, 2026 08:23 PM (Ti9vn)

66 One thing we have learned about living on the Moon is it causes everyone to to go deadpan.

Posted by: Dr Helena Russell at October 23, 2026 08:24 PM (MWfyi)

67 I think this take is right - Omar went for the head gear to appeal to the islamists, she didn't wear it early on:

https://tinyurl.com/2ux6vunr

Posted by: beckster at October 23, 2026 08:25 PM (kX27y)

68 We're really more of a binary planet system than a planet-moon system."

This. Orbital mechanics is fun!

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 08:27 PM (pfXMo)

69 Good evening good people.

Posted by: Tonypete at October 23, 2026 08:27 PM (4R/FS)

70 Raimondo got mommy's phone again?

Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 08:27 PM (MWfyi)

71 It's ecliptical:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdHhW-uugh0

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 23, 2026 08:29 PM (2UA/a)

72 The Moon serves as endless fodder for science fiction stories. One of the most disturbing is "Moonseed" by Stephen Baxter.

The moon becomes "infected" by a form of exotic matter, but the Moon has some inherent protection unique to its composition. It's a carrier for infection.

A bit of infected Moon falls to Earth, starting an irreversible transformation of Earth into exotic matter as a chain reaction begins.

Our only hope as a species is for the remnants of humanity to colonize the Moon until we can find a way out to the rest of the Solar System and then beyond...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 08:29 PM (FZ29D)

73 Evening, Ace, and Cafe found-ins. Got some good sandblasting done. A 44 kilo bag of sand sure goes away fast.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at October 23, 2026 08:30 PM (n7Dzq)

74 Sigh.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 23, 2026 08:31 PM (r2Icn)

75
a portal to a sentient universe that hates us and wants to conquer this one.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

So... populated by Islamic Democrats?
Posted by: Romeo13

No. He said sentient.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at October 23, 2026 08:32 PM (Cqx++)

76 Got some good sandblasting done. A 44 kilo bag of sand sure goes away fast."

Should have used more... like around 95 lbs or so...

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 08:33 PM (pfXMo)

77 Standing on the moon
But I'd rather be with you

Posted by: JackStraw at October 23, 2026 08:35 PM (viF8m)

78 I've always wondered if you lived by some power lines could you lay a big coil under them and draw off some power.
Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 07:58 PM (MWfyi)

No need to get fancy. A regular wire fenceline will work, at least according to a EweTube I watched.

Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at October 23, 2026 08:35 PM (KTxSC)

79 Evening, Ace, and Cafe found-ins. Got some good sandblasting done. A 44 kilo bag of sand sure goes away fast.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon

Vehicle frame?

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 23, 2026 08:36 PM (r2Icn)

80 publius

Would it be easier to get some ice from near Jupiter and Saturn to feed the Moon base, or do we need to wait until Mars is a base for that?

OBSF. The Martian Way by Asimov.

Please give Her Grace a kiss on the hand from me.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at October 23, 2026 08:36 PM (u82oZ)

81
The Moon's mean radius is about 1/3.7 that of earth, but that mass is only 1/81 of the earth.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:36 PM (w6EFb)

82 Heard under high power lines a florescent light bulb will glow

Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:38 PM (Ia/+0)

83 The 2am view in Iceland is lovely. We saw it from our ship's cabin in July and the colour was orange.

Posted by: Decaf at October 23, 2026 08:40 PM (jsLqC)

84 >> Would it be easier to get some ice from near Jupiter and Saturn to feed the Moon base, or do we need to wait until Mars is a base for that?

I think the most viable option (assuming reasonable, but still in the future tech) would be to divert a water rich asteroid or comet. Hauling water up out of earth's gravity well is very expensive, energy per mass wise.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:41 PM (w6EFb)

85 Would it be easier to get some ice from near Jupiter and Saturn to feed the Moon base, or do we need to wait until Mars is a base for that?

Posted by: NaCly Dog at October 23, 2026 08:36 PM (u82oZ)
---
Stephen Baxter had a pretty good answer for this in The Medusa Chronicles.

A subplot involves sending out AI probes to the Kuiper Belt to harvest ice from the outermost reaches of the solar system. It takes a couple of decades to get the operation up and running, but once you do, you can set up a near-endless chain of water being delivered to the inner solar system. For millennia, if not millions of years.

Things went find until one of the AI machines stared out into space too long and started having delusions of godhood. It didn't work out well for humanity.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 08:41 PM (FZ29D)

86 If Finland's experiment with Tesla's concept produces achievable wireless transmission of power, that, mah frenz, is called PROOF OF CONCEPT. Damned shame the US shut him down when he tried it here. We could been first and history could have been changed, but nooooo …

Posted by: Dr_No at October 23, 2026 08:42 PM (ayRl+)

87 "Perfessor" Squirrel

Thanks.

I like Crystal Spheres by David Brin for Oort Cloud madness.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at October 23, 2026 08:44 PM (u82oZ)

88 According to the US Patent office it's Tesla who is credited with inventing the radio and not Marconi.

Posted by: polynikes at October 23, 2026 08:45 PM (Ti9vn)

89
One thing our relatively big Moon does that is probably essential for life here is to stabilize the earth's axial tilt. Without that, the Erf's tilt would swing chaotically over a wide range, perhaps going full Uranus on it's side.

As it is, the tilt varies from 22.1 to 24.5 degrees over a 41K year cycle. The Moon does this by speeding up the precession rate, and de-tuning it out of resonance with perturbations mainly from Jupiter.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:45 PM (w6EFb)

90 Those Thai cat food commercials are awesome!! :-)

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at October 23, 2026 08:45 PM (s1NDj)

91 Finland is testing wireless transmission of electrical power.

Be careful!

Posted by: Ben Franklin at October 23, 2026 08:45 PM (EmpfK)

92 Alberta Oil Peon

How has the election results been accepted?

Posted by: NaCly Dog at October 23, 2026 08:46 PM (u82oZ)

93 Thanks.

I like Crystal Spheres by David Brin for Oort Cloud madness.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at October 23, 2026 08:44 PM (u82oZ)
---
I love Stephen Baxter because he really, really pushes the envelope on the physics we currently think we know and understand. He's never disappointing. His ideas just get whackier and weirder, but always within a realm of plausibility.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 08:46 PM (FZ29D)

94 There was commenter with the nic The Oort Cloud. Haven't seen them in years.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 23, 2026 08:47 PM (r2Icn)

95 "Perfessor" Squirrel

I tried him years before and bounced. Maybe I should try again.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at October 23, 2026 08:48 PM (u82oZ)

96 When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, you’re a goner.

Posted by: Eromero at October 23, 2026 08:48 PM (w5SWv)

97 Tesla who is credited with inventing the radio and not Marconi."

"Marconi plays the mamba / Listen to the radio, "

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 08:49 PM (pfXMo)

98 "Finland is testing wireless transmission of electrical power."

Nikola Tesla's wireless power transmission plan got shut down because there was no way to get people to pay for the electricity they used. If not for that, we would have had flying cars long ago.
Posted by: fd at October 23, 2026 07:47 PM (MWfyi)

The Inverse-square law has a few words on the subject, too.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at October 23, 2026 08:51 PM (n7Dzq)

99 One thing our relatively big Moon does that is probably essential for life here is to stabilize the earth's axial tilt. "

Works because the moons orbit isn't around the equator like the others...

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 08:52 PM (pfXMo)

100 Bear cubs are cute

Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:52 PM (Ia/+0)

101 A hole on the Moon just turned out to be the front door to a 50 km tunnel.
----------

Obligatory: "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Posted by: Han Solo at October 23, 2026 08:52 PM (rsVfX)

102 Mr Aspirin Factory

What a memory. Maybe he is on the opposite side of the Sun, with no relay satellite.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at October 23, 2026 08:52 PM (u82oZ)

103 Hmmmm...

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 23, 2026 08:53 PM (r2Icn)

104 Bear cubs are cute
Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:52 PM (Ia/+0)
----
...until Mama Bear shows up right behind you.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 08:54 PM (FZ29D)

105 One of the giant planets I think has a moon that goes around the poles

Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:54 PM (Ia/+0)

106 My painting of erf from space. See nic.

Posted by: polynikes at October 23, 2026 08:54 PM (Ti9vn)

107 nic The Oort Cloud "

That's quite the memory...

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 08:54 PM (pfXMo)

108 ***That�s why JAXA thinks it could become a lunar base. Shelter from radiation, micrometeorites and brutal temperature swings, all built in.
---

Hope we don't go to war with Japan over property rights again.
Why don't people understand that the moon is ours?
_M ⊙⊙ n

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 23, 2026 08:55 PM (2UA/a)

109 Busy day at the FBI. Just arrested a contractor for leaking classified information.

Posted by: JackStraw at October 23, 2026 08:55 PM (viF8m)

110 One of the giant planets I think has a moon that goes around the poles"

Sure it wasn't France?

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 08:55 PM (pfXMo)

111 never go full Uranus.

Posted by: someone was going to say it at October 23, 2026 08:55 PM (88C+u)

112 Obligatory: "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Posted by: Han Solo at October 23, 2026 08:52 PM

Dude. You shot first.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 23, 2026 08:56 PM (0sNs1)

113 stable in the low 60F range over the whole lunar day/month cycle. And you've got radiation protection and all that good stuff.
Posted by: publius,

But she could be a harsh mistress

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at October 23, 2026 08:56 PM (NnhvP)

114 In Shenandoah park when I was a kid, bunch of people were watching a bear cub up a tree, mlm came charging to the cub and the people gathered under it ran for their lives

Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:56 PM (Ia/+0)

115 Just arrested a contractor for leaking"

That's a little harsh... no flex seal?

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 08:56 PM (pfXMo)

116 One of the giant planets I think has a moon that goes around the poles
Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 08:54 PM (Ia/+0)
----
Uranus is tilted on its side, so I guess that makes sense if the moons are still mostly within the elliptical plane of the solar system.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 08:57 PM (FZ29D)

117 hehehehe, Uranus, hehehehe...

Posted by: Beavis at October 23, 2026 08:58 PM (Q+gd/)

118 >> One of the giant planets I think has a moon that goes around the poles

The highest inclination moon in the whole solar system is Neso, a very irregular moon of Neptune with an inclination of about 136 degrees. That's using the right-hand rule for the normal to the orbital plane, and so inclinations over 90 degrees (perfect polar) are greater than 90 degrees. So subtract 90, and that's a tilt of the plane relative the equator of 46 degrees.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:59 PM (w6EFb)

119 There are many benefits of a big fluffy tail.
---
The video specifically calls out snow leopards using their big fluffy tails as a counterbalance when jumping.

My cat Chloe is a Bengal kitty, somewhat related to snow leopards. She's also the clumsiest cat I've had. Her tail gets in her way more than it helps when she jumps.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 09:00 PM (FZ29D)

120 I once knew a stripper that went around the pole. Velveeta was her name, I think.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at October 23, 2026 09:00 PM (rsVfX)

121 >> Uranus is tilted on its side, so I guess that makes sense if the moons are still mostly within the elliptical plane of the solar system.

They are pretty much in Uranus equatorial plane, so nowhere near polar. However, from our view on the ecliptic, the moons are going up and down steeply.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 09:01 PM (w6EFb)

122 I think the most viable option (assuming reasonable, but still in the future tech) would be to divert a water rich asteroid or comet. Hauling water up out of earth's gravity well is very expensive, energy per mass wise.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 08:41 PM (w6EFb)

I had a story plotted out called Sun Forge about being on an orbital factory that had a parabolic orbit that took it beyond the Asteroids and inside the orbit of Venus to pick up raw ore at the Asteroids end and travel in to Venus to forge it, machine it on the way back, and while within the Venus orbit, pick up solar protons and Venus atmosphere from atmosphere dipping ramships to match up with the Oxygen released in the forging to make H2O.

I got told it was not energy efficient and the Asteroids were too sparse to be a good ore source. Also that the proton flux was too thin to be a good source of H for water.
In the Golden Era I would not have let this be a concern. Today I would get ripped apart

Posted by: Kindltot at October 23, 2026 09:03 PM (rbvCR)

123
The moons and rings around Uranus:
https://t.ly/6A1Qo

One of the moon's is named Puck(er).

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 09:04 PM (w6EFb)

124
The IAU rule for naming moon of Uranus is that names must come from Shakespeare's works. Puck was from a Midsummer Night's Dream.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 09:08 PM (w6EFb)

125 Posted by: Kindltot at October 23, 2026 09:03 PM (rbvCR)
-----------
Donald Kingsbury wrote a story called "To Bring In The Steel" with a similar concept. His ship/blast furnace used exhaust from the smelting to provide propulsion for the trip home.

Posted by: That guy who always thinks it's beginning at October 23, 2026 09:09 PM (amcLV)

126 Posted by: Kindltot at October 23, 2026 09:03 PM (rbvCR)

Consider instead a Venus-Vesta cycler orbit? Or a cycler for an unnamed asteroid full of ores, and let the fans figure it out. (I've done the math for Venus-Mars cyclers, that doesn't work.)
The Belt is sparse, but individual asteroids are a treasure trove.

Posted by: 88C+u at October 23, 2026 09:09 PM (88C+u)

127 In unsurprising news, report that the US supports El Salvador in their rescue mission in Haiti. Would guess that support is both material and moral.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 23, 2026 09:09 PM (U/Byj)

128 According to the US Patent office it's Tesla who is credited with inventing the radio and not Marconi.
Posted by: polynikes at October 23, 2026 08:45 PM (Ti9vn)

I would say the credit should go to physicist Heinrich Hertz, who built a microwave transmitter based on a spark gap, and was able to project a beam across his lab and receive it with an antenna comprised of a single ring with a gap in it. A tiny spark jumped the gap, thus proving the existence of electromagnetic waves.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at October 23, 2026 09:10 PM (n7Dzq)

129 Gah.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at October 23, 2026 09:10 PM (amcLV)

130 Alberta Oil Peon

How has the election results been accepted?
Posted by: NaCly Dog at October 23, 2026 08:46 PM (u82oZ)

Basically nobody is talking about it.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at October 23, 2026 09:11 PM (n7Dzq)

131 Kindltot - C.S. Lewis had a whole trilogy where Venus was a garden-like planet. I think you can fudge the numbers on the proton flux :-)

Posted by: PabloD at October 23, 2026 09:11 PM (mXZsC)

132 In unsurprising news, report that the US supports El Salvador in their rescue mission in Haiti. Would guess that support is both material and moral.
Posted by: rhomboid at October 23, 2026 09:09 PM (U/Byj)

Somehow I get the feeling that getting the El Salvadoran Army mad is like pissing of the KATUSAs

Posted by: Kindltot at October 23, 2026 09:12 PM (rbvCR)

133 report that the US supports El Salvador in their rescue mission in Haiti. Would guess that support is both material and moral.
Posted by: rhomboid at October 23, 2026 09:09 PM (U/Byj)

Where's France on that?

Posted by: 88C+u at October 23, 2026 09:12 PM (88C+u)

134 So, what's the over/under odds for there being at least an interruption of the NFL game in Paris??

Posted by: From about That Time at October 23, 2026 09:13 PM (sl73Y)

135 report that the US supports El Salvador in their rescue mission in Haiti. Would guess that support is both material and moral.
Posted by: rhomboid at October 23, 2026 09:09 PM (U/Byj)

Where's France on that?
Posted by: 88C+u at October 23, 2026 09:12 PM (88C+u)
----------
Investing in white flag futures.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at October 23, 2026 09:14 PM (amcLV)

136 Kindltot - C.S. Lewis had a whole trilogy where Venus was a garden-like planet. I think you can fudge the numbers on the proton flux :-)
Posted by: PabloD at October 23, 2026 09:11 PM (mXZsC)

Well, Lewis is to Science Fiction what Johnathan Swift was to Cartography.
Great men, great writers, great insight, great literature.

Posted by: Kindltot at October 23, 2026 09:15 PM (rbvCR)

137 Bukele seems to be the kind of guy who understands that the response to the Haitian situation needs to be wildly disproportionate.

Posted by: PabloD at October 23, 2026 09:16 PM (mXZsC)

138 hmm...

>>@SecRubio

>>To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time.

>>The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA.

Posted by: JackStraw at October 23, 2026 09:16 PM (viF8m)

139 So, what's the over/under odds for there being at least an interruption of the NFL game in Paris??
Posted by: From about That Time at October 23, 2026 09:13 PM (sl73Y)

The Commies will throw green dildeaux on the field.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at October 23, 2026 09:17 PM (n7Dzq)

140 Bukele seems to be the kind of guy who understands that the response to the Haitian situation needs to be wildly disproportionate.
Posted by: PabloD at October 23, 2026 09:16 PM (mXZsC)
---
Sounds like he's going to send the Haitians a very clear, unmistakable MESSAGE.

Which may or may not involve dismembering the perpetrators and serving them at a Haitian barbecue.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 23, 2026 09:18 PM (FZ29D)

141 Huh. Hitler's Eagles Nest is burning. I wonder how that started?

Posted by: Diogenes at October 23, 2026 09:19 PM (2WIwB)

142 >>Sounds like he's going to send the Haitians a very clear, unmistakable MESSAGE.

It's nice to see someone, anyone, else do some of the work for a change.

Posted by: JackStraw at October 23, 2026 09:22 PM (viF8m)

143 Our Marxists want to head Cuba's way

Posted by: Skip at October 23, 2026 09:22 PM (Ia/+0)

144 Huh. Hitler's Eagles Nest is burning. I wonder how that started?
Posted by: Diogenes at October 23, 2026 09:19 PM (2WIwB)

I thought that Hitler's facility there was pretty thoroughly destroyed at the end of the war.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at October 23, 2026 09:22 PM (n7Dzq)

145 The highest inclination moon in the whole solar system is Neso, a very irregular moon of Neptune with an inclination of about 136 degrees. That's using the right-hand rule for the normal to the orbital plane, and so inclinations over 90 degrees (perfect polar) are greater than 90 degrees. So subtract 90, and that's a tilt of the plane relative the equator of 46 degrees.
Posted by: publius

*waves hand frantically*

"This will be on the test, won't it?"

Posted by: Tonypete at October 23, 2026 09:23 PM (4R/FS)

146
a discrete partnership with the CIA.
Posted by: JackStraw

==============

Discrete?

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's Phone at October 23, 2026 09:24 PM (mmrXZ)

147 Wouldn't it be 44 degrees above the equator, publius? (since the 46 remainder would be counting from the pole onward?)

Posted by: RandomDave at October 23, 2026 09:25 PM (aJQbY)

148 144 Huh. Hitler's Eagles Nest is burning. I wonder how that started?
Posted by: Diogenes at October 23, 2026 09:19 PM (2WIwB)

I thought that Hitler's facility there was pretty thoroughly destroyed at the end of the war.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at October 23, 2026 09:22 PM (n7Dzq)

***

It had some.damage but the basic structure was sound. I visited there in the 70's and it was pretty nice.

Posted by: Diogenes at October 23, 2026 09:25 PM (2WIwB)

149 Larian (of BG3 fame) has a game coming out. "Divinity". The trailer for it is... something.

Posted by: 88C+u at October 23, 2026 09:26 PM (88C+u)

150 A little noted incident in Iraq saw a Salvadoran unit make a pretty impressive stand against "insurgents" in the south. Forget, this may have been the incident where a bayonet charge was involved. In any case, the technical term for their performance was "badass".

My entire field experience against Salvadorans consists of a few shifts in a soccer game against a team of them in suburban MD years ago - a terrifying time. Physical, compact, tough, fast. Hockey teammate convinced me to do it, once. That same spring he broke his ankle in one of those games and missed our playoffs.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 23, 2026 09:27 PM (U/Byj)

151 All this talk of the earth going wobbly is going to get out of hand.
Everything is fine just the way it is.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 23, 2026 09:28 PM (2UA/a)

152 Thought the Berghof (Adolf's big lodge) was destroyed. But the Eagle's Nest (which he barely visited) was intact and untouched (Band of Brothers version of this is, I think, pretty accurate). Fire? There's a cafe and shop up at the top. Hard to see how the Nest itself would catch fire.

Hope it's a limited event. Still haven't had the chance to go visit.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 23, 2026 09:29 PM (U/Byj)

153 131 Kindltot - C.S. Lewis had a whole trilogy where Venus was a garden-like planet. I think you can fudge the numbers on the proton flux :-)
Posted by: PabloD

His Space Trilogy. Out of a Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. Read them last year. If an organization called NICE arrives on the scene, they aren't. Good books. That Hideous Strength was creepily prescient.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at October 23, 2026 09:29 PM (s1NDj)

154 I wasn't a big fan of the Space Trilogy, overall, but as Puddlegum notes it is "creepily prescient." And I do recall liking the scene where Ransom decides to just forego all the niceties and kick the shit out of the devil in a fistfight.

Posted by: PabloD at October 23, 2026 09:33 PM (mXZsC)

155 >>Discrete?

Well, not anymore.

Posted by: JackStraw at October 23, 2026 09:34 PM (viF8m)

156 >> Wouldn't it be 44 degrees above the equator, publius? (since the 46 remainder would be counting from the pole onward?)

Yes! You're right, I was thinking about it backwards (I think of the normal, and was getting screwed up). It would be 180 - 136, not 136 - 90.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 23, 2026 09:34 PM (w6EFb)

157 That Hideous Strength was creepily prescient."

True, but for an amazing look forward, read "The Machine Stops"... and then check out the year it was written...

Posted by: man at October 23, 2026 09:36 PM (pfXMo)

158 Thought the Berghof (Adolf's big lodge) was destroyed. But the Eagle's Nest (which he barely visited) was intact and untouched (Band of Brothers version of this is, I think, pretty accurate). Fire? There's a cafe and shop up at the top. Hard to see how the Nest itself would catch fire.

Hope it's a limited event. Still haven't had the chance to go visit.
Posted by: rhomboid at October 23, 2026 09:29 PM (U/Byj)

***

The set they built looked pretty accurate. I had a good tour of the building when I was there. A lot of stone and wood. The flames are pretty dramatic from what I can see. They served good bier! And the views are majestic. But the stain remains. If memory serves, over 7000 Jews died building the place and the elevator that it uses.

Posted by: Diogenes at October 23, 2026 09:39 PM (2WIwB)

159 r/socialistgaming re: Bioware closing

gamers are THE most entitled group aside from maybe billionaires, but many see themselves as the most persecuted class of people alive. Gamergate got trump elected, prove me wrong

It's just wild that it's either kids being trained to hate so early on or adults with no empathy for others who have their lives uprooted because some faceless execs at the top.

the culture war against Veilguard that coincided with the 2024 election was one of the saddest things I've seen in my 35 years as a gamer. It reviewed well, was extremely polished, and had an excellent gameplay loop.

I'm just sad. I love games as an art form. There should be room for the discussion of LGBTQ themes in gaming. Even imperfectly. Literature has been doing it for over a century. Film for well over 50 years. But from Gamergate to Veilguard, a certain subset of the gaming fandom refuses to grow up and will help kill studios and the careers of talented writers who dare to step out of line.

The collapse of BioWare and others is terrifying because it means right wing grifters and dolts are having real, tangible impacts on the industry.

Posted by: Intercepted Reddit Transmissions brought by the Intrepid AoS Liaison at October 23, 2026 09:40 PM (t19vo)

160
>>Discrete?

Well, not anymore.
Posted by: JackStraw

==============

Be better if it was discreet. That's how I'd want my CIA partnerships.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's Phone at October 23, 2026 09:42 PM (mmrXZ)

161
>>@SecRubio

>>To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time.

Fidel has a long beard

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at October 23, 2026 09:42 PM (Cqx++)

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