Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Centrifuge Spaceship...not as great as I thought

So, lately I've been fascinated with the idea of a spaceship creating artificial gravity using centrifugal force.

If you don't know what a centrifuge is:


After thinking about the concept used in space as a sort of artificial gravity, I've concluded that it may only work completely if you are just sitting there. If you start to walk in a certain direction then you will get different results. I've drawn up some images to explain it:


There is also the issue with jumping. If you jump, it may appear to you that you are moving backwards but in reality the ground beneath you is moving forward without you. Also, if you were to jump then what exactly is keeping you from the zero gravity affects of space? Would you not just float there and perhaps never return to the ground?


So my conclusion is that my high expectations for centrifuge as a type of artificial gravity were wrong. It's a little depressing to think 'back to the drawing board' but that's how it works. My wonderful imagined spaceship is no longer valid :(

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Formality

Whenever you go to a job interview or a business party, a wedding or a funeral, graduation, etc. it is usually required that you wear formal clothes (i.e. a suit and tie). Well, I think that's bull. I know it's supposed to mean "you mean business" and that you're "serious/respectful" about the event, but why do we need to dress a certain way to show this? Just being there, wherever it is, should show that you "mean business." Whatever you wear or don't wear and people don't approve of it, that just seems like discrimination in my eyes. Who gives a frack if you're white or black skinned? Who gives a frack if you wear a suit or blue jeans?

The reality of it is that formal wear is just a tradition and in my opinion conformity. And when I think of conformity, I think of bowing down to another person and getting raped because they supposedly have more power than you. Well F*@& that, nobody should have more 'power' over me or more reason to control me in any way...not even the president. Now, if I did something illegal like kill a person, then sure. I have forfeited my rights and others may have some 'control' over my life at this point. But I haven't killed anyone and I don't want to conform to formal wear and get a nice raping by a CEO, the president, or a priest.