Now....Betelguese is a red star. A red super-giant to be precise.
Krypton orbits another red star.
Ford Prefect from Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy was born on a planet orbiting betelguese.
Superman was born on Krypton.
Superman has superpowers because he was born under a the Kryptonian red sun and came to earth, which has a yellow one, and the difference gives him powers.
Ford Prefect was born under the Betelguesian red sun, and came to earth which has a yellow sun.
Now, here's what I don' get....why hasn't Ford Prefect got superpowers?!
When I was least expecting it, Kaare Fiedler Christiansen wrote:
> <snip bit about how Kaare didn't know how Superman got his powers, which I didn't know anyone didn't know.> > Who says he hasn't?
> Best > Kåre
I'd think that if Ford had super-powers, he'd really be the type to abuse them at every possible oppratunity. Like to impress of intimidate people into giving him free drinks.
In article <1134605250.173132.205...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>, Okami One And Only <shapeshifter.dra...@gmail.com> wrote: [snip]
>Superman has superpowers because he was born under a the Kryptonian red >sun and came to earth, which has a yellow one, and the difference gives >him powers.
>Ford Prefect was born under the Betelguesian red sun, and came to earth >which has a yellow sun.
>Now, here's what I don' get....why hasn't Ford Prefect got >superpowers?!
Because Superman is a Kryptonian and Ford is a, er, Betelguesian. The red suns, which desipte that one similarity are still far from identical, are merely one factor in the rise of life on the two planets. You also have to factor in size of the sun, age of the sun, energy output of the sun, spectra of the sun, distance of the planet from the sun, gravity, atmospheric composition, land composition, sea composition (if present), period of rotation, direction of roatation, length of solar revolution, degree of planetary tilt, proximity of closest improbability field, average temperature, limits of seasonal extremes, amount of rainfall, average cloud cover, average number of visits by parties from advanced extra-planetary civilizations, attitudes on evolutionary/social interference by members of said parties, maximum wind speed, position of continents (if any), size of continents, arrangement of continents, plans for hyperspace bypasses in the area, amount of pollution, evolutionary advancement of each species at the time Kal-el and Ford Prefect left their respective planets, length of each being's trip, amount of radiation shielding on each's vessel, method of propulsion, number of years living on Earth, and the price of tea on the Galactic Exchange. (It would take to long to explain that last one. Just trust me, okay?)
You owe the Oracle a Kryptonite towel. Oh wait, this is my newsreader, not my e-mail client. Never mind.
-- lkseitz (Lee K. Seitz) .at. hiwaay @dot@ net "Courage without conscience is a wild beast." -- Robert G. Ingersoll
When I was least expecting it, Lee K. Seitz wrote:
> and the price of tea on the Galactic Exchange. (It would take to long > to explain that last one. Just trust me, okay?)
Well, there is the whole "inter-connectedness of all things"...and Chaos Theory....a butterfly flaps it's wings in Central Park, it rains in Singapore. You eat a jellybaby, you're responsible for the untimely demise of a silkworm.
But according to the Superman lore, none of those things are treated as relevant (with the possible exception if the price of tea on the Galactic Exchange). It is the sheer fact, independant of all other, of the colour of Earth's and Krypton's suns.
Kenny Hutchings wrote: > In article <11q3fv3hoeto...@corp.supernews.com>, lkse...@see.my.sig > says... > <snip> > It's funny, I was just reading that and thinking "am I in the wrong > froup or is the w**dch*ck question coming in some original form here?"..
> K.
Why is that starred out? I love that word. It was featured in one of the first full sentences I ever spoke.
>Kenny Hutchings wrote: >> It's funny, I was just reading that and thinking "am I in the wrong >> froup or is the w**dch*ck question coming in some original form here?".. >Why is that starred out? I love that word. It was featured in one of >the first full sentences I ever spoke.
The Internet Oracle despises w**dch*cks. For the reasons, see any and all of these:
And, of course, there's the Internet Oracle's home page, but you won't find any w**dch*ck references there, of course. Except in the Oracularity Digest Archives.
-- lkseitz (Lee K. Seitz) .at. hiwaay @dot@ net Get the answers to all your questions. Learn about the Internet Oracle. http://cgi.cs.indiana.edu/~oracle/
>When I was least expecting it, Lee K. Seitz wrote:
>> and the price of tea on the Galactic Exchange. (It would take to long >> to explain that last one. Just trust me, okay?) >But according to the Superman lore, none of those things are treated as >relevant (with the possible exception if the price of tea on the >Galactic Exchange). It is the sheer fact, independant of all other, of >the colour of Earth's and Krypton's suns.
Insert this as the third sentence of my reply and perhaps you will gain enlightenment:
Just because life arose on both worlds does not mean their evolutionary paths followed the same routes or that the organisms from each are biochemically similar.
-- lkseitz (Lee K. Seitz) .at. hiwaay @dot@ net "In eradicating an evil, it makes a difference whether it is uprooted or rooted up. The difference is in the reformer." -- Ambrose Bierce, _A Cynic Looks at Life_
> Now....Betelguese is a red star. A red super-giant to be precise.
> Krypton orbits another red star.
> Ford Prefect from Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy was born on a planet > orbiting betelguese.
> Superman was born on Krypton.
> Superman has superpowers because he was born under a the Kryptonian red > sun and came to earth, which has a yellow one, and the difference gives > him powers.
> Ford Prefect was born under the Betelguesian red sun, and came to earth > which has a yellow sun.
> Now, here's what I don' get....why hasn't Ford Prefect got > superpowers?!
> (I told you it was a stupid question.)
Is it because they're both fictional characters invented by 2 different people who probably didn't get the chance to discuss continuity of such things?
lkse...@see.my.sig (Lee K. Seitz) hit the keyboard. Afterwards the following was on the screen:
> In article <1134763055.266169.285...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, > Omicron Machine <shapeshifter.dra...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>Kenny Hutchings wrote: >>> It's funny, I was just reading that and thinking "am I in the wrong >>> froup or is the w**dch*ck question coming in some original form here?"..
>>Why is that starred out? I love that word. It was featured in one of >>the first full sentences I ever spoke.
> The Internet Oracle despises w**dch*cks. For the reasons, see any and > all of these:
Though, thinking again there probably shouldn't be :-)
-- -- [ Rasmus "Møffe" Bøg Hansen ] --------------------------------------- 42.3454% of statistics are completely made up - Matt Benneke ----------------------------------------------[ moffe at zz9 dot dk ] --
First: Ford is not said to be from Betelguese, or even from a planet orbiting Betelguese. He is, "From a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelguese."
Second: Kryton is described as having a red sun, but the reason for this is not given. The creators of Superman were unfamiliar with the helium-burning properties of red giants, so that's likely not the reason.
> Now....Betelguese is a red star. A red super-giant to be precise.
> Krypton orbits another red star.
> Ford Prefect from Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy was born on a planet > orbiting betelguese.
> Superman was born on Krypton.
> Superman has superpowers because he was born under a the Kryptonian red > sun and came to earth, which has a yellow one, and the difference gives > him powers.
> Ford Prefect was born under the Betelguesian red sun, and came to earth > which has a yellow sun.
> Now, here's what I don' get....why hasn't Ford Prefect got > superpowers?!
> Now, here's what I don' get....why hasn't Ford Prefect got > superpowers?!
Ford does not have superpowers because, even though he was born on Betelgeuse Seven just like Superman, he went to Betelgeuse Five instead of Earth after the Great Collapsing Hrung disaster. Betelgeuse Five, being so close to the mighty star of Betelgeuse, is swamped by a constant stream of loose ions and other solar wind debris that has sterilized Ford of all superpowers before he started hitchhiking.
Also, unlike Superman's Kryptonese parents, Ford's were immigrant Praxibetel who had come to settle on Betelgeuse Seven. The physiology is slightly different.
Lee K. Seitz wrote: > In article <1134605250.173132.205...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>, > Okami One And Only <shapeshifter.dra...@gmail.com> wrote: > [snip]
>>Superman has superpowers because he was born under a the Kryptonian red >>sun and came to earth, which has a yellow one, and the difference gives >>him powers.
>>Ford Prefect was born under the Betelguesian red sun, and came to earth >>which has a yellow sun.
>>Now, here's what I don' get....why hasn't Ford Prefect got >>superpowers?!
> Because Superman is a Kryptonian and Ford is a, er, Betelguesian. The > red suns, which desipte that one similarity are still far from > identical, are merely one factor in the rise of life on the two > planets. You also have to factor in size of the sun, age of the sun, > energy output of the sun, spectra of the sun, distance of the planet > from the sun, gravity, atmospheric composition, land composition, sea > composition (if present), period of rotation, direction of roatation, > length of solar revolution, degree of planetary tilt, proximity of > closest improbability field, average temperature, limits of seasonal > extremes, amount of rainfall, average cloud cover, average number of > visits by parties from advanced extra-planetary civilizations, > attitudes on evolutionary/social interference by members of said > parties, maximum wind speed, position of continents (if any), size of > continents, arrangement of continents, plans for hyperspace bypasses > in the area, amount of pollution, evolutionary advancement of each > species at the time Kal-el and Ford Prefect left their respective > planets, length of each being's trip, amount of radiation shielding on > each's vessel, method of propulsion, number of years living on Earth, > and the price of tea on the Galactic Exchange. (It would take to long > to explain that last one. Just trust me, okay?)
I think the deciding factor was the gravity of the planet. Superman grew up on a planet with much more mass than Ford Prefect.
-- Tian Wednesday I installed my new radioSHARK. This thing allows me to listen to FM and AM stations on my computer. I'm now using one less large electronic device. I qualify the statement because I had to get a $32.42 USB expansion port to plug it into. http://tian.greens.org
Omicron Machine wrote: > When I was least expecting it, Lee K. Seitz wrote:
>>and the price of tea on the Galactic Exchange. (It would take to long >>to explain that last one. Just trust me, okay?)
> Well, there is the whole "inter-connectedness of all things"...and > Chaos Theory....a butterfly flaps it's wings in Central Park, it rains > in Singapore. You eat a jellybaby, you're responsible for the untimely > demise of a silkworm.
I eat a fair trade chocolate with "FREEDOM AND JUSTICE" stamped into it.
-- Tian Wednesday I installed my new radioSHARK. This thing allows me to listen to FM and AM stations on my computer. I'm now using one less large electronic device. I qualify the statement because I had to get a $32.42 USB expansion port to plug it into. http://tian.greens.org
>> In article <1134605250.173132.205...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>, >> Okami One And Only <shapeshifter.dra...@gmail.com> wrote: >> [snip]
>>> Superman has superpowers because he was born under a the Kryptonian red >>> sun and came to earth, which has a yellow one, and the difference gives >>> him powers.
>>> Ford Prefect was born under the Betelguesian red sun, and came to earth >>> which has a yellow sun.
>>> Now, here's what I don' get....why hasn't Ford Prefect got >>> superpowers?!
>> Because Superman is a Kryptonian and Ford is a, er, Betelguesian. The >> red suns, which desipte that one similarity are still far from >> identical, are merely one factor in the rise of life on the two >> planets. You also have to factor in size of the sun, age of the sun, >> energy output of the sun, spectra of the sun, distance of the planet >> from the sun, gravity, atmospheric composition, land composition, sea >> composition (if present), period of rotation, direction of roatation, >> length of solar revolution, degree of planetary tilt, proximity of >> closest improbability field, average temperature, limits of seasonal >> extremes, amount of rainfall, average cloud cover, average number of >> visits by parties from advanced extra-planetary civilizations, >> attitudes on evolutionary/social interference by members of said >> parties, maximum wind speed, position of continents (if any), size of >> continents, arrangement of continents, plans for hyperspace bypasses >> in the area, amount of pollution, evolutionary advancement of each >> species at the time Kal-el and Ford Prefect left their respective >> planets, length of each being's trip, amount of radiation shielding on >> each's vessel, method of propulsion, number of years living on Earth, >> and the price of tea on the Galactic Exchange. (It would take to long >> to explain that last one. Just trust me, okay?)
> I think the deciding factor was the gravity of the planet. > Superman grew up on a planet with much more mass than Ford Prefect.
I think you are all nutters!
It's great :-D
/Magnus
-- "Ford, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it."
> I think the deciding factor was the gravity of the planet. > Superman grew up on a planet with much more mass than Ford Prefect.
I can't think of any planets, real or fictional, which have less mass than Ford Prefect. Then again, I'm sure that there are asteroids, meteors, etc...
Yes, it was intentionally misread.
-- Gaz the First Wishing everybody a Happy Solstice Celebration of Their Choosing (SCoTC)
> Tian wrote: > <some snippage may occur. YMMV> >> I think the deciding factor was the gravity of the planet. >> Superman grew up on a planet with much more mass than Ford Prefect.
> I can't think of any planets, real or fictional, which have less mass than > Ford Prefect. Then again, I'm sure that there are asteroids, meteors, > etc...
> Yes, it was intentionally misread.
Since "planet" means "wanderer," technically Ford is a planet.
"Dave Adalian" <dpalta AT comcast.net> hit the keyboard. Afterwards the following was on the screen:
> "Gaz / Aaron C" <aa...@acwpd.com> wrote in message > news:sMqdnQKh8oD9bjDeRVn-sw@comcast.com... >> Tian wrote: >> <some snippage may occur. YMMV> >>> I think the deciding factor was the gravity of the planet. >>> Superman grew up on a planet with much more mass than Ford Prefect.
>> I can't think of any planets, real or fictional, which have less mass than >> Ford Prefect. Then again, I'm sure that there are asteroids, meteors, >> etc...
>> Yes, it was intentionally misread.
> Since "planet" means "wanderer," technically Ford is a planet.
Ah yes, if it doesn't need to be in orbit, Ford Prefect would be a planet then.
Is there some definition on what is needed to be a planet in the astronomical sense? I remember a lot of discussion whether the trans-neptunian objects (Pluto and farther) really are planets...
-- -- [ Rasmus "Møffe" Bøg Hansen ] --------------------------------------- A computer without Windows is like a chocolate cake without mustard. ----------------------------------------------[ moffe at zz9 dot dk ] --
Rasmus Bøg Hansen wrote: > "Dave Adalian" <dpalta AT comcast.net> hit the keyboard. > Afterwards the following was on the screen:
> > "Gaz / Aaron C" <aa...@acwpd.com> wrote in message > > news:sMqdnQKh8oD9bjDeRVn-sw@comcast.com... > >> Tian wrote: > >> <some snippage may occur. YMMV> > >>> I think the deciding factor was the gravity of the planet. > >>> Superman grew up on a planet with much more mass than Ford Prefect.
> >> I can't think of any planets, real or fictional, which have less mass than > >> Ford Prefect. Then again, I'm sure that there are asteroids, meteors, > >> etc...
> >> Yes, it was intentionally misread.
> > Since "planet" means "wanderer," technically Ford is a planet.
> Ah yes, if it doesn't need to be in orbit, Ford Prefect would be a > planet then.
> Is there some definition on what is needed to be a planet in the > astronomical sense? I remember a lot of discussion whether the > trans-neptunian objects (Pluto and farther) really are planets...
> -- > -- [ Rasmus "Møffe" Bøg Hansen ] --------------------------------------- > A computer without Windows is like a chocolate cake without mustard. > ----------------------------------------------[ moffe at zz9 dot dk ] --
I heard talk a while back about a planet out past pluto on the verge of being officially recognised as a planet. They were going to call it Xena, and it's moon Gabriel. I'm aware people have been on the verge of calling it things before, but that was the first time since I read Mostly Harmless. Now, no matter what else happens, any planet past pluto is in my eyes known as Rupert.
> "Dave Adalian" <dpalta AT comcast.net> hit the keyboard. > Afterwards the following was on the screen:
>> "Gaz / Aaron C" <aa...@acwpd.com> wrote in message >> news:sMqdnQKh8oD9bjDeRVn-sw@comcast.com... >>> Tian wrote: >>> <some snippage may occur. YMMV> >>>> I think the deciding factor was the gravity of the planet. >>>> Superman grew up on a planet with much more mass than Ford Prefect.
>>> I can't think of any planets, real or fictional, which have less mass >>> than >>> Ford Prefect. Then again, I'm sure that there are asteroids, meteors, >>> etc...
>>> Yes, it was intentionally misread.
>> Since "planet" means "wanderer," technically Ford is a planet.
> Ah yes, if it doesn't need to be in orbit, Ford Prefect would be a > planet then.
> Is there some definition on what is needed to be a planet in the > astronomical sense? I remember a lot of discussion whether the > trans-neptunian objects (Pluto and farther) really are planets...
There is no generally agreed upon definition of a planet. There are even some planets (well, they might be planets, we're not sure; they may be failed suns) that don't orbit anything at all--they're just kind of out there on their own, wandering. That's what all the fuss with Pluto is about. Since there's no definition of planet no one can say with any authority whether it is or isn't one. Pluto's in the area of Kuiper Belt and doesn't orbit in the same plane as the other eight planets. It also seems to be made of the same stuff as the rest of the trans-Neptunian objects, but there's a certain attachment to Sol having nine planets, so the arguing continues. The new KBO (Kuiper Belt Object) they've discovered is even bigger than Pluto, so if Pluto's a planet then this new thing surely is, and as such will be named after a Roman god. Xena is what the guy who discovered it and his buddies were calling it as an in-joke that escaped confinement. He already has a name picked, so if it is a planet (according to the International Astronomical Union) it won't be Xena. (I think it should be Rupert.) If it's just a big comet it will probably be named after a creation myth god, like Sedna or that other unpronouncably named KBO which I can't remember the name of right now.
> Rasmus Bøg Hansen wrote: >> "Dave Adalian" <dpalta AT comcast.net> hit the keyboard. >> Afterwards the following was on the screen:
>> > "Gaz / Aaron C" <aa...@acwpd.com> wrote in message >> > news:sMqdnQKh8oD9bjDeRVn-sw@comcast.com... >> >> Tian wrote: >> >> <some snippage may occur. YMMV> >> >>> I think the deciding factor was the gravity of the planet. >> >>> Superman grew up on a planet with much more mass than Ford Prefect.
>> >> I can't think of any planets, real or fictional, which have less mass than >> >> Ford Prefect. Then again, I'm sure that there are asteroids, meteors, >> >> etc...
>> >> Yes, it was intentionally misread.
>> > Since "planet" means "wanderer," technically Ford is a planet.
>> Ah yes, if it doesn't need to be in orbit, Ford Prefect would be a >> planet then.
>> Is there some definition on what is needed to be a planet in the >> astronomical sense? I remember a lot of discussion whether the >> trans-neptunian objects (Pluto and farther) really are planets...
>> -- >> -- [ Rasmus "Møffe" Bøg Hansen ] --------------------------------------- >> A computer without Windows is like a chocolate cake without mustard. >> ----------------------------------------------[ moffe at zz9 dot dk ] --
> I heard talk a while back about a planet out past pluto on the verge of > being officially recognised as a planet. They were going to call it > Xena, and it's moon Gabriel. I'm aware people have been on the verge of > calling it things before, but that was the first time since I read > Mostly Harmless. Now, no matter what else happens, any planet past > pluto is in my eyes known as Rupert.
I think afda mostly agreed on calling it Rupert. Or perhaps that was #afda... I think I'm too lazy to search google groups - after all we have a living index...
-- -- [ Rasmus "Møffe" Bøg Hansen ] --------------------------------------- Ah, they've got the internet on computers now. ----------------------------------------------[ moffe at zz9 dot dk ] --
> I think afda mostly agreed on calling it Rupert. Or perhaps that was > #afda... I think I'm too lazy to search google groups - after all we > have a living index...
True enough: 'twas on the froup! Did it ever really get named that thing?
Kaare Fiedler Christiansen <n...@kaarefc.dk> hit the keyboard. Afterwards the following was on the screen:
> Rasmus Bøg Hansen wrote:
> <snip>
>> I think afda mostly agreed on calling it Rupert. Or perhaps that was >> #afda... I think I'm too lazy to search google groups - after all we >> have a living index...
> True enough: 'twas on the froup! Did it ever really get named that thing?
I think the thing was lost in discussions and when a decision was taken, the media had lost interest...
I think, though, that Pluto was decided to stay a planet as it has been so classified for many years (1936) but all the other Kuiper objects won't be classified as planets due to the small size and highly irregular orbits.
So if Rupert never got called Rupert I think we should just decide to call it Rupert ;-)
-- -- [ Rasmus "Møffe" Bøg Hansen ] --------------------------------------- Military Justice is to Justice, what Military Music is to Music. -- Groucho Marx ----------------------------------------------[ moffe at zz9 dot dk ] --
Rasmus Bøg Hansen wrote: > Kaare Fiedler Christiansen <n...@kaarefc.dk> hit the keyboard. > Afterwards the following was on the screen:
>>Rasmus Bøg Hansen wrote:
>><snip>
>>>I think afda mostly agreed on calling it Rupert. Or perhaps that was >>>#afda... I think I'm too lazy to search google groups - after all we >>>have a living index...
>>True enough: 'twas on the froup! Did it ever really get named that thing?
> I think the thing was lost in discussions and when a decision was > taken, the media had lost interest...
> I think, though, that Pluto was decided to stay a planet as it has > been so classified for many years (1936) but all the other Kuiper > objects won't be classified as planets due to the small size and > highly irregular orbits.
> So if Rupert never got called Rupert I think we should just decide to > call it Rupert ;-)
So, just to get the conversation started, I'm supposed to point to some object in the sky and ask "Do you think that might be Rupert?"
-- Tian This evening I collected signatures at the San Mateo County Green Party Meeting, where the speaker was Sanda Everet. I've now gathered about 58 of the 150 signatures I need to get on the California Green Party ballot as a Candidate for US Senator. http://tian.greens.org
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