Concepts Aliens Would Find Difficult

[Griffin NoName]

This is all very errudite. I doubt aliens would undertsand the posts in this thread.

[Opsa]

Do you mean that if we were reading these on another planet we wouldn't understand them?

_{Egads, I am not understanding some of them, all ready. What can it mean? What can it mean?}

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I do not totally get Mach's idea but there seems to be no need for a 'in relation to what'. Seems to be the same kind of problem as with 'what is the universe expanding into'*. From what I heard is that, if the cosmos rotates, the light would undergo a measurable change dependent on the distance/time it takes to reach us. Sorry, my knowledge of physics is ratehr limited.

*although in theory the change in volume could be measured (which some physicists I know deny because on large scales the concept of volume (and to a lower degree lenght) as applied to space becomes meaningless).

Hmmm......I think you're correct, if you assume the objects within the Universe are rotating, but the "base fabric" is not.

By that, I mean the stuff through which the light must travel could not be moving, to see an effect on the light as everything else rotates.

If, on the other hand, the base stuff rotates as well as light, then you'd see no effect--- it would all rotate together in that case, and may as well *not* be rotating from our perspective.

[Griffin NoName]

Beginning to think a couple of folk posting in this thread actually must be aliens

[Aphos]

One thing I think aliens would find extremely confusing is NASCAR fans.  Now racing itself...driving in a race ...might be fun.  But what is the attraction to watching cars go round and round and round  and round a track for hours on end?

[The Meromorph]

I'm an alien. I have a certificate to prove it...

I find US politics difficult to understand.

[Swatopluk]

Drop the premise that anyone involved is sane and all begins to make sense.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Drop the premise that anyone involved is sane and all begins to make sense.

^ That.

One thing I think aliens would find extremely confusing is NASCAR fans.  Now racing itself...driving in a race ...might be fun.  But what is the attraction to watching cars go round and round and round  and round a track for hours on end?

What *I* don't get is the NASCAR video game. Seriously, even MORE boring than the real thing. I imagine aliens would agree with me.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

One thing I think aliens would find extremely confusing is NASCAR fans.  Now racing itself...driving in a race ...might be fun.  But what is the attraction to watching cars go round and round and round  and round a track for hours on end?

What *I* don't get is the NASCAR video game. Seriously, even MORE boring than the real thing. I imagine aliens would agree with me.

Sillies.  It's *not* about the cars, the track or even the race.

It's about the beer.

And a not-so-secret desire to see great honkin' car crashes.

Beer and crashes.  That is what NASCAR is all about.  Never let anyone tell you otherwise....

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

That makes sense, I suppose. I watch hockey for the fist fights and because I take a cat-like joy in watch small things shoot around.

[anthrobabe]

Bob you nailed it!
I'm a NASCAR person- and it's the beer (sort of for me) and the crashes-- and cars going really really fast in a controlled (HA-HA) environment-- I don't actually watch the entire race, just keep it going for background noise and the good bits (start, middle, crashes, end).
btw  I am entirely sane! 

I wouldn't play a NASCAR video game-- no point to that.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

btw  I am entirely sane! 

Rule One of Scriblerus's Life Philosophy: Thou shalt not believe those that doth say such things, for verily, they lie.

I wouldn't play a NASCAR video game-- no point to that.

It doesn't seem to sell very much. I think my store has maybe two copies used and they never seen to move.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I believe George Carling said it best:
[youtube=425,350]m5NaartjBEY[/youtube]
I miss that guy. 

[anthrobabe]

I like fire trucks too!

[youtube=425,350]8ytmlebweMI&feature[/youtube]

one of my favs    http://www.fdvideos.com/


Like this----- http://www.fdvideos.com/media/8/House_on_fire/

Wonder what the aliens would think of it???

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

If I find the book (after painting the house all the books are all over) I'll give you the reference.

I found the book: The new ambidextrous universe by Martin Gardner. The version I read was a translation from the original written in the 70s but the point of how to tell an alien how to distinguish left from right was through the asymmetry found in an experiment by Chien-Shiung Wu in the 50s that proved that when you have Cobalt 60 close to absolute zero it's emissions become asymmetric relative to the spin of the nucleus (beta emissions are higher on the south).