Reflected Gravitational Waves 329
WSOGMM sends in an arXiv blog post about reflecting gravity waves. The speculation is that reflected gravity could go some ways toward explaining the odd readings being returned by Gravity Probe B. "In the couple of weeks since he introduced the idea that superconducting sheets can reflect gravity waves, Raymond Chiao from the University of California, Merced, has been busy with a couple of buddies working out how big this effect is... Chiao and co. ask how big the effect of a gravitational wave on a thin superconducting sheet is compared to the effect on an ordinary conducting sheet. The answer? 42 orders of magnitude bigger."
We now know the question to the answer... (Score:4, Funny)
This can't be a coincidence (Score:3, Funny)
Either that's a scientist's prank or Douglas Adams really was right [wikipedia.org]!
Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:4, Funny)
Attention wannabe comedians:
There is a 42 reference in this story. This your cue...this is your chance..the spotlight is on you to bring humor to the world and make countless references to Douglas Adams. Because he mentioned the number 42 in a book!
Re:Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:3, Funny)
Attention slashbots. The following are anti-lulz
42
Chuck Norris
Sharks with lasers
Re:Possible correlation? (Score:5, Funny)
[posting to correct misclick on moderation]
Yeah those moments are what you do it for... that and tenure :-)
Re:Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:4, Funny)
Although perhaps i should qualify that ;-)
i imagine you'd want to.
Re:We now know the question to the answer... (Score:2, Funny)
Was you a spaceship B person? Sick of sanitising phones? :)
Re:This can't be a coincidence (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:4, Funny)
Yes, but we are changing history ... this particular instance of 42 will help us to build a gravity wave detector which will further be used to detect the Galactic superhighway construction, allowing us to register a complaint about government confiscation of space it has no right to. At long last all the training will pay off and Earth's lawyers will then have something useful to do. Ambulance chasers will become the heroes they always thought themselves to be, and history will forever reward them.... except for *AA lawyers who will be scorned by both humans and all other Galactic citizens right up to the end of time... if you're fortunate enough to have reservations to see it.
Re:Reflected gravitational waves can be useful (Score:5, Funny)
And if you can amplify it, then maybe you could weaponise it
So the plan is to make soldiers heavier so they feel fat and too depressed to fight? Fiendish...
Re:Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:2, Funny)
After all, you /. people shouldn't be making jokes!!!
Don't you understand the gravity of this situation?
Re:This can't be a coincidence (Score:3, Funny)
Re:We now know the question to the answer... (Score:1, Funny)
Indeed. Didn't you guys watch Battlestar Galactica?
Don't trust Asimo.
Re:So... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:3, Funny)
I have a truly marvelous joke for this proposition which this post is too narrow to contain.
Re:We now know the question to the answer... (Score:5, Funny)
It's already happened several times, actually.
42 times, most likely.
Re:We now know the question to the answer... (Score:1, Funny)
Maybe the bulb just burnt out? (Score:3, Funny)
Oh Gravity Probe B, why can't you be more like Gravity Probe A?
Re:Cue the Douglas Adams references! (Score:3, Funny)
Ah, yes, but only AFAYK. See, time is an illusion.
Off to lunch-