Naartjie on 12/1/2007 at 17:23
Quote Posted by Agent Monkeysee
I can only assume the Federation either keeps a stock of money around to deal with outsiders or it just strong-arms everyone like some Feudal lord. The reality is the writers just don't talk about it much.
I remember there being a Star Trek book in which Picard and co have to go to some auction and buy a very powerful cannon o'doom to stop it from falling into the hands of someone bad. I think the Federation supplied him with a fairly fat wad for that one.
rachel on 12/1/2007 at 17:51
Quote Posted by Para?noid
There is a theoretical symettry to time but unfortunately it does have a direction enforced on it by entropy
I'm not a physicist but isn't symetry a characteristic of finite objects? I mean, if we consider time to be infinite, that is, with no beginning and no end*, then we will not be able to define any 'middle' with which in turn we could start assessing symetry.
We could say it is symetric only with us as point of reference and infinity both before and after us, but that is not the same thing, as far as I know.
Just my €0.02. That said, I totally agree with the comment about entropy.
*In this regard the Big Bang would be the beginning or time
as we perceive it but not of Time itself, since for all I know (which admittedly is not much) the Big Bang would have to be caused by
something. Of course if the Big Bang happens to be the beginning of Time, its symetry or lack thereof could only be determined after the end of the known universe, and by definition at that point nobody will give a damn. :p
oudeis on 12/1/2007 at 18:00
Actually, the citizens of the federation are compensated by coupons redeemable for visitations with green Orion slave girls. The male citizens are, anyway, and let's face it, Who gives a damn about the female ones?
WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT...
The Orion slave girls in 'Enterprise' were just gross. They weren't attractive, they had no sexual charisma, and they had incredible Hulk hair. Also, they were not only the wrong color (or badly lit), but the makeup artist needed to find something other than pancake batter as a foundation. I've seen smoother skin on saddlebags.
Josh68 on 12/1/2007 at 18:09
Black holes are the ultimate recycling plants.
Don't like your reality? Toss it in a black hole and wait an 'undefined' amount of time for it to be restructured as something else, hopefully more to your liking.
Ultraviolet on 12/1/2007 at 18:18
Quote Posted by raph
In this regard the Big Bang would be the beginning or time
as we perceive it but not of Time itself, since for all I know (which admittedly is not much) the Big Bang would have to be caused by
something. Of course if the Big Bang happens to be the beginning of Time, its symetry or lack thereof could only be determined after the end of the known universe, and by definition at that point nobody will give a damn. :p
With all the talk about gravity and time being related, the "infinite mass from time travel" thing could have some weight, maybe.
Martin Karne on 12/1/2007 at 18:32
Nerd Alert!
Hesche on 12/1/2007 at 18:32
Quote Posted by raph
I'm not a physicist but isn't symetry a characteristic of finite objects? I mean, if we consider time to be infinite, that is, with no beginning and no end*, then we will not be able to define any 'middle' with which in turn we could start assessing symetry.
We could say it is symetric only with us as point of reference and infinity both before and after us, but that is not the same thing, as far as I know.
Just my €0.02. That said, I totally agree with the comment about entropy.
*In this regard the Big Bang would be the beginning or time
as we perceive it but not of Time itself, since for all I know (which admittedly is not much) the Big Bang would have to be caused by
something. Of course if the Big Bang happens to be the beginning of Time, its symetry or lack thereof could only be determined after the end of the known universe, and by definition at that point nobody will give a damn. :p
Assumption is the mother of all FUCK UPS! Jeez, you guys should watch more Steven Seagal movies.
Malygris on 12/1/2007 at 18:52
So I'm guessing that StealthThief isn't the only 33-year-old virgin around here.
