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Cake day: June 20th, 2024

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  • ContriteErudite@lemmy.worldtoScience Memes@mander.xyzMama!
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    19 days ago

    On the side of the Earth facing the sun, the magnetosphere extends about 40,000km into space. On the side facing away from the sun, the solar wind stretches the magnetosphere into a tail that extends well beyond the Moon’s orbit. The ISS orbits at an altitude of about 400km; it is well within the magnetosphere.

    Because it is above the majority of the atmosphere (and also because it just barely passes through the lowest part of the Van Allen radiation belts), astronauts in the ISS are exposed to higher levels of radiation. However, the ISS has shielding specifically designed to minimize radiation, and astronauts living there are considered to be within safe levels of exposure.


  • Thanks for clarifying; I know tone is hard to convey on the internet. Sarcasm and “gotcha” replies have been the default tone since the beginning, even if that’s not the poster’s intent. I honestly was curious what you meant :)

    My favorite thing about this community is that while I come for the memes, there’s almost always something new to learn in the comments. Or a knew line of inquiry where I can start looking into videos or articles to learn more.





  • ContriteErudite@lemmy.worldtoScience Memes@mander.xyzSad Ganymede noises
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    24 days ago

    Help me understand the point you are trying to make. Are you trying to hand-waive categorization as superfluous to developing broader understanding?

    Natural satellites fall within the primary body’s Hill sphere, where the gravity of the larger mass dominates. The Earth/Moon system co-orbits the sun. Saturn has two satellites that orbit each other, and that system co-orbits Saturn.


  • The Earth/Moon system does not qualify as a binary planet because it does not meet the L4/L5 instability threshold. In a system of two orbiting masses, the larger needs to have at least 25x the mass of the smaller for the system to have stable L4/L5 points. Earth is ~80x more massive than the Moon, allowing the system to have stable L4/L5 points, and is therefore a satellite system.




  • Darklands - a cRPG released in 1992 by Microprose. It’s set in medieval Germany; you are a party of fledgling adventurers looking to build fame and money, and somehow you get pulled into a battle against the forces of the apocalypse. Instead of magic, you invoke saints and use alchemy to craft potions. I loved it when I was younger, and I still, somehow, enjoy it today.

    If you hate the following things, then I highly recommend checking it out!

    • great graphics
    • good music and sound design
    • easy to understand game mechanics
    • stable, bug-free game play
    • yourself





  • ContriteErudite@lemmy.worldtoMemes@sopuli.xyzHardest version I've seen yet
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    4 months ago

    Right, so you’ve seen that, have you? Watched some gullible sap throw cans of food at the cat until one sticks? Perhaps if it’s a newly adopted pet, then yes, you have to put in some work to find the kind of food that the cat prefers. Research has proven that kittens actually build a preference for the food that their mother ate during gestation and nursing, and it takes deliberate care on the owner’s part to move them over to a different kind of food.

    I once had a golden retriever inhale half a pound of salami, vomit it across the linoleum ten minutes later, and then like some greasy ouroboros of shame, it ate the same spewed-salami again. Twice. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, except I bet my dog would have eaten those, too.

    And then there’s the cat, not having any of it. Doesn’t fetch, doesn’t beg, doesn’t need humans’ approval; which I bet drives certain people mad that it’s primary motivation in life isn’t to be their own personal dopamine dispenser.

    Sarcasm aside, I do get where you’re coming from. Cats and dogs aren’t variations of the same theme; dogs are social, cats are solitary. Some people understand that and don’t expect their pets to be anything more than what they are. Me? I like both cats and dogs. I don’t expect them to be little humans or to stroke my ego. I’m their caretaker, not their cult leader. If they’re happy, safe, and healthy, that’s the win. Anything beyond that is a bonus.


  • All-Star is what made me change my mind on Superman. I never really liked him when I was younger, and it was for all the same complaints that people have already listed above. But All-Star was a blast to read, not in spite of it’s (at times) cheesiness, but because of it. All-Star Superman is relatable because he embodies the best traits in all of us; he is incredibly intelligent and kind, leveled and patient. Without going into spoilers, I think what I love most about All-Star is that it shows that even the best among us have our weaknesses, and that it’s not the huge, planet-level threats that define who are and what we do, but the small, innocuous things that can most affect who we are in the moment.




  • What you’re describing isn’t really a failure of the education system. It’s a reflection of the average American mindset. I was born in the US and grew up in the public school system. I loved math and science, and while I struggled with the rules of grammar, I still loved reading. I have always had a love of learning new things.

    But most people aren’t like that. Not just in America, but across the world. A true love of learning is rare, and I think that’s because learning is hard. It requires humility, effort, and the being able to admit that one might be wrong. It means questioning long held beliefs and sometimes changing parts of yourself completely. That’s a deeply uncomfortable prospect and many people avoid it.

    I think most people fall sleep while leaning on the third tier of Maslow’s pyramid (belonging and social identity.) The next level, where self-reflection and self-actualization begins, is hard to climb because it means hanging question marks on their long-held ideas and beliefs. They choose the safety of clinging to comfort and routine.

    The current controversy over dismantling the US Department of Education is a complex issue that can’t be fully unpacked in a short reply on the internet. But in my view, what’s driving the American zeitgeist toward authoritarianism and anti-intellectualism is this resistance to growth and change. Internalizing new ideas means re-evaluating what you’ve always believed. For many, that feels like a threat. And instead of rising to meet the challenge, they’d rather pull everything down to their level, where they feel safe.

    But, at least for me, the climb is worth it. Continuing to learn means accepting discomfort. It means growing past who you were in order to become someone better. It’s how we find purpose, empathy, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be alive.



  • Copper cables are easier to reuse or sell as scrap due to the intrinsic value of the metal value and simple structure. Fiber optic cables are harder to reuse because they require precise handling, expensive connectors, and special training and equipment to splice together properly. Unless thieves steal pre-terminated fiber and handle it with extreme care or take entire spools with a buyer ready, fiber is essentially worthless to them since it can’t be melted down and reused like copper.