Out Of Our Element

Conditions: Calm For Now

Not Meant For Space

Humans can survive in a great many different places. From the deep chill of Alaska to the sweltering heat of the Kalahari we seem to get along just fine. But some humans are idiots, and seem to think there aren’t any places we can survive in. Like space, for example. People are now planning a manned mission to mars, and trying to deal with the basic problems of survival.

The human body did not evolve to live in space. And how that alien environment changes the body is not a simple problem, nor is it easily solved.

Some problems, like the brittling of bone, may have been overcome already. Others have been identified — for example, astronauts have trouble eating and sleeping enough — and NASA is working to understand and solve them.

Then there are the health problems that still elude doctors more than 50 years after the first spaceflight. In a finding just five years ago, the eyeballs of at least some astronauts became somewhat squashed.

The biggest hurdle remains radiation. Without the protective cocoon of Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere, astronauts receive substantially higher doses of radiation, heightening the chances that they will die of cancer. How much of a cancer risk later in life is acceptable?

- nytimes.com

See, I would say none. No extra cancer risk is worth flying through space. But apparently there are some very dedicated explorers out there.

This is NASA's vision of a crewed launch to Mars — or one version of it — in response to the space policies of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to get U.S. astronauts to the red planet sometime in the 2030s.

It's a mission fraught with challenges, from how to keep the crew safe from dangerous amounts of solar radiation to how to pay for it all, but advocates say it's a human imperative for any number of reasons.

"Some people say it's our destiny," said Patrick Troutman, a space architect with NASA's Human Exploration and Operations directorate. "We're a great nation, so we want to do great things. Some folks say, 'Well, some day we have to move off this planet and become a space-faring nation.'

It’s such a weird opinion, because it flies directly in the face of logic and evidence. There’s literally nowhere to go to!

- dailypress.com

Film Review: 47 Ronin

Is it just me or did the ancient Japanese seem to be obsessed with death? 47 Ronin tells the famous story of the ...47 Samurai who became Ronin when their master was tricked by a rival master, and then has to commit seppuku in front of the Shogun in order to save face. The Ronin are now banished, and massively disgraced, and they decide the only way to regain their honour is to come up with a plan to kill everyone. Then if the plan is successful they too can commit seppuku before the Shogun and regain their honour. So it’s doomed from the start. And the secondary story focuses on half-breed Kai (Keanu Reeves) who has a thing for the master’s daughter, and she right back at him. But his lack of pure blood means he’s effectively a slave, and can never know happiness, or even acceptance. No wonder he signs up to the suicide mission.

The biggest issue with this revenge film is the lack of any actual passion. Kai is resigned to his nothingness, the other Ronin are resigned to their pointless revenge. The Shogun doesn’t seem to care either way. And the bad guy is too busy twirling his imaginary moustache over his new lands to care. The only character who actually seems upset is the daughter, but she’s the one with a dead father, a doomed village and a shitload of funerals to attend in the morning. No, it’s a sea of slow, plodding and uninterested characters playing out a pointless story of revenge. Except for the evil sorceress, a breath of much needed air, who vamps her way through every scene snarling her lines and curling her lip at everyone. At least she seems to be having fun.

For the rest of us, it’s more of a slog. No one seems interested in bucking the system, rebelling against the bullshit rules, or trying for a reprieve - since they apparently proved their innocence, or worthiness, or whatever. And the Shogun might as well be carved out of wood for all the good he is. Before disembowelling himself Kai tells whatshername that he’ll search through ten thousand lifetimes to find her again. The girl. Standing in front of him. Right now. Practically holding a suitcase in her hand. Sigh. So, a bunch of guys spend their lives honing their skills so that they can stab themselves in the stomach. I feel sorry for the 47 Janitors. One magical spider out of five.



- Peace out