• Announcements

    • Robin

      Welcome!   03/05/2016

      Welcome, everyone, to the new 910CMX Community Forums. I'm still working on getting them running, so things may change.  If you're a 910 Comic creator and need your forum recreated, let me know and I'll get on it right away.  I'll do my best to make this new place as fun as the last one!

Don Edwards

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    2,273

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    64

Posts posted by Don Edwards

  1. Posted

    It really didn't help Galileo that, in his book, the spokesperson for the geocentric theory was a rather recognizable caricature of one of the most politically powerful and religiously influential archbishops of the time... and, in the book, named "Simpleton".

  2. Posted

     

    5 hours ago, partner555 said:
    5 hours ago, malloyd said:

    Famous variants include Ernest Rutherford "All science is either physics or stamp collecting" and Terry Pratchett "Geography is just physics slowed down, with a couple of trees stuck in it.”

    Stamp collecting?

    Science, other than pure math, needs data before it can begin constructing theories. Data comes from objects, so to build a reserve of data you must first build up a collection of objects - together with what is known about them. If you collect objects but don't construct or test theories, you're a stamp collector.

    Darwin, while aboard the Beagle on his most famous trip, collected 468 bird skins plus various other avian samples along with written descriptions of the whole animals and what he could see of their habits and habitats, but as far as ornithology was concerned he was a stamp collector; it was Gould, an established ornithologist back in London, who made sense of the collection and recognized that Darwin's Finches (from the Galapagos Islands) were a number of closely-related species. Darwin did not have the knowledge to do Gould's analysis; Gould could not have done it without the samples (aka data) Darwin provided. Both were legitimately doing science.

    Stamp collecting is still an important part of some sciences - generally those where finding or identifying objects is difficult, and new sorts of objects are still being discovered. Paleontology, genetics, and astronomy, for example. Right now the most popular sorts of stamps in astronomy are exoplanets; we've found enough that there isn't a huge cachet in discovering more of them in general, but there are certain categories that still count for a lot.

  3. Posted

    30 minutes ago, Drasvin said:

    Not always. It certainly happens, but I'm not sure the tendency. Galileo for instance wasn't exactly executed for the heliocentric model. The church was fine with him publishing his theory, though asked him to include a nod to the prevailing theory. What ultimately got Galileo executed was that he acted like a jerk. When he included the mention of the geocentric model, it was with insulting, condescending tone. He also ended up insulting the pope at one point, who at the time was the main (maybe even only) person on Galileo's side.

    Galileo wasn't executed. He was tried for heresy (and placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life) basically for saying it was PROVEN that the earth moves around the sun and for rather blatantly insulting certain prominent clergymen who held to the geocentric theory. The church didn't have any objection to either theory - but did not consider either to be PROVEN, and objected strenuously to overly-confident assertions of what was still questionable.

    (In fact the proof that Galileo offered was inadequate - because the instruments of the time were insufficiently accurate and precise.)

  5. Posted

    As far as restrooms are concerned (locker rooms and showers are a related but much more difficult issue) I've ended up going with what I think is a realistic view - based on the simple question of "how, and to what extent, do they plan to enforce it?".

    There will be NO genitalia inspectors guarding restroom doors. ANYWHERE. Trans/fluid people who are currently presenting as whichever sex doesn't match their physical equipment will do what they've been doing for approximately forever: use the restroom that matches their presentation, and close+latch the (stall) door for privacy. Yes, it will be illegal, just as it has been; but no it will never (or almost never) be detected, just as it hasn't been. And so, it will in reality be no big deal - and this will become apparent as soon as those who earn their living by being offended on someone else's behalf pick a different someone else to be offended on behalf of.

    And the perverts who expect to be able to go into the women's restroom with beards, or into the men's restroom while similarly-obviously female, and ogle or molest the people legitimately there, will stand out and be subject to prosecution. As they should be.

    The overwhelming majority of trans people would really prefer that the world NEVER treat them as "trans" or give them any special consideration for being "trans" - but instead treat them as their gender. Except of course in those very limited situations where the physical plumbing is directly relevant to the treatment. (When it's the person beside you naked in bed, the plumbing usually matters. Ditto when it's the person on the gurney with a groin injury. When it's the person beside you with their pants down in the next restroom stall, or the person applying for a job as a cashier, not so much.)

  6. Posted

     

    7 hours ago, Vorlonagent said:
    7 hours ago, Scotty said:

    Ashley would love Goth Elliot, but I think he's right in thinking he shouldn't be in a mind altered state. While amusing for us, could be disastrous for Elliot.

    Elliot is forgetting he can break character if he wants.

    And also that he can copy his secret-identity forms using his be-a-girl spell, and not have to deal with the mind alterations as well.

    As for keeping up with the spellbook, i's one think spotting that there are a few new pages at the back with a new spell on them. It's something else entirely to notice that a few words have been added or changed in a spell that has been there for some time and you're already familiar with - even if the change requires the insertion of a new page. (Ninja'd on this part.)

  7. Posted

    17 hours ago, Maplestrip said:

    (Maybe it really is a totally normal book?)

    A totally normal book wouldn't need a title that says it's a totally normal book.

    3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

    This is what I'm thinking. Elliot doesn't mind morphing into a girl, but he would likely have a bit of a problem if a male approached him in a "What are you doing Friday night?" manner when he's in female form.

    What's the problem? "Going out with my girlfriend."

  8. Posted

    2 hours ago, hkmaly said:

    Luckily, time travel to point before discovery of time travel seem to be impossible. As proved by general lack of crowds of time travellers at historic points. Seriously, what is easier to believe - that in future, people will be able to use technology responsively and stop the ones who don't want to, or that time travel is impossible?

    Time travelers do a lot of voluntary policing of each other, and it also turns out that reality is somewhat self-correcting.

    Example of both

    SeriousJupiter, Scrapyard_Dragon, Scotty and 1 other reacted to this

  9. Posted

    That's the general theory... under the assumptions that Magus correctly understood Pandora, Pandora was telling the truth, and Pandora's knowledge of what would happen is correct.

    While I don't have any specific reason to doubt those assumptions, I'm wondering what Pandora gets out of it if they are all true.

    Whereas if Pandora is lying, or simply not particularly confident that what she told Magus was correct, we get a possibility of an outcome that would surprise Pandora. She likes being surprised.

  10. Posted

    5 minutes ago, FolksyFox said:

    Also, I'm almost certain Magus or Pandora was involved way back when we first started the story line to get Ellen. For Magus to get out of the ethereal plane, Ellen has to shoot Elliot with her beam. But why? What exactly will happen? Will Magus be able to possess a form somehow that way? I really want to know WHY that's necessary.

    We know that Magus thinks Pandora told him that, and has been acting accordingly.

    Immortals can lie.

  12. Posted

    On 5/7/2016 at 9:16 AM, Zorua said:

    So, anyone from the old forum might remember me complaining every now and then about Dad not paying child support.

    Mom just found out through his facebook that he's published a book, Ceres 2525.

    Guess who hasn't seen an increase in child support since it was put on the shelves?

    Mom's in a good mood, though. Because we get to call some lawyers.

    ...where's the smiling devil emoticon when you need it?

    Based on what I can find online, I'd advise to not get your hopes up too much. This apparently is a first novel, and not on bestseller lists. And it's about space pirates. Odds are that author royalties won't cover the advance.

    (Of course, if you deliberately gave the wrong title to not give clues to your identity, then you can ignore this.)

  13. Posted

    And even if he's surprised, it doesn't mean he's surprised at the *possibility*. It could be that he knows elves exist and are extremely rare - such that he'd be surprised to learn that there's one anywhere in the state, let alone in the same city.

    But... Immortals can, by their own rules, only guide and empower mortals to deal with aberrations. Elves can act freely, including using their powers, to protect others from dangerous magic - and aberrations involve dangerous magic pretty much by definition. So Raven is a greater danger than Pandora.

  15. Posted

    Although it doesn't mean the scenario is impossible. Poor young couple can't support twins, give up one, then later have a huge unexpected inheritance (or otherwise strike it rich)...

    It's possible.

    I'd bet against it, though.

    Susan being Mr. Pompons' daughter by his mistress (and Mrs. P being unaware of that fact) is one among many scenarios that are far more likely.

  16. Posted

     

    10 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:
    10 hours ago, Drasvin said:

    True, elves likely don't advertise their heritage, but they can be sensed by mortal magic. So all it would take is to find a capable paranormal detective with loose morals and a lot of time to comb the country for one. Given, if they are targets for monster hunters or such, then that would make for unsavory hosts.

    Hmm, he can sense there's *something* there, but he was still surprised by Adrian being an elf later on.  So if you went looking for  an elf by such means, you might have to sort through who-knows-how-many other creatures of various sorts.

    We don't even know that what Abraham sensed was Raven. After all, Raven is human/immortal; both have been on this planet for a long time, and obviously are capable of interbreeding. On the other hand, humans are not normally capable of interbreeding with squirrels, and uryuom and lespuko are apparently more recent arrivals than Abraham; so by his standards Grace is far more unnatural than Raven or Ellen.

    10 hours ago, Drasvin said:

    Also the immortal restrictions would likely still apply even with a vampire/aberration possessing the elf, so the body snatcher would have to really toe the line to avoid bringing a good portion of the immortal community down on his head.

    An aberration has far more to worry about just for being an aberration than an elf does about restrictions on what he/she is allowed to do.

    7 hours ago, Scotty said:

    But there's more motivation for Sirleck to possess Magus, Magus essentially gave Sirleck an open invitation for possession by stating that he's a nobody in this world, there'd be no friends or family to suspect that something is wrong with Magus, and Sirleck would probably be able to get away with a lot before government agencies started taking notice. Attempting to possess Adrian would likely attract Pandora's attention almost immediately , at the very least she'll notice the next time she goes to check on Adrian. It'd be way too risky to do.

    Not to mention that Raven is a wizard, known to the government to be a wizard, and routinely in contact with several other magic-users.

    5 hours ago, Kazzellin said:

    For that latter, since Sirleck didn't know half-immortals were possible until just now

    What do you base that statement on? I don't see anything that clearly points either way on whether Sirleck was aware that elves are possible.

     

  17. Posted

    13 hours ago, Scotty said:

    If them being sisters was supposed to be a big secret, Diane and Susan should have been sent to families on opposite sides of the US to really minimize the chances of them meeting, even if either family moved around a bit, the chances of them ending up in the same area would still be low.

    Low, but nonzero. And fiction in general is full of unlikely coincidences.

  20. Posted

    1 hour ago, ijuin said:

    Or, more likely, she was interpreting it more narrowly, as in "no, none of my cousins or other known family look enough like me to vindicate Ellen's assumption that she has just met one of my relatives".

    Or, she means exactly what she said. She doesn't actually care about her cousins. She goes and visits them on holidays because her mother is going to visit with HER parents/siblings.

  21. Posted

    10 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

    Languages can be funny that way. Danish is one of the latter, in a sense. Apart from certain dialects close to Germany that have three genders, Danish in general only has two -- combined gender (male and female gender conflated into one) and agender (the literal translation would be 'nogender' but it sounds a little odd to my ears.)

    But even English has gender in it, if vestigial and only used in very special cases. One would be ships, which by seamen are referred to as 'she' rather than 'it.' This same naval tradition exists in Denmark as well and is one of the few places where this kind of usage survives.

    English has four genders just in pronouns. Most of our pronouns are neutral (they/them plus all the first and second person pronouns), but we also have male (he/him), female (she/her), and nonperson (it, that, those).

    There are some languages, mostly African if I remember correctly, where the only genders are person and nonperson. And some others where the genders are animate and inanimate.

  23. Posted

    Well, you know, if you look around in various mythologies...

    • Not all divine beings are good
    • Not all divine beings have complete control over who can draw upon their powers
    • Not all great powers have anything to do with divinity

  24. Posted

    14 hours ago, KerPop42 said:

    How is the copy spell a Breaker or Thinker power? I mean, it can grant those abilities, but that's situation based.

    And I think Tedd's vision is a combination of the two; it interacts with powers, even if it doesn't affect them, but it's definitely a Thinker power, since it's all about data collection.

    By the way, these powers are rated on a scale of 1-10, if that provides more flexibility.

    The copy spell is a Breaker power because it temporarily adds the target's powers to Ellen's. (Whether it removes Ellen's powers is undetermined - it's part of the Guardian Form power that using IT temporarily removes any other powers. But if Ellen were to copy normal-Nanase, and then have the Guardian Form power but not use it, would she still have the FV5 beam? Dunno.)

    And it's a Thinker power because it gives her a significant understanding of what someone else's powers are. She doesn't even have to wait for the other person to use them, like Tedd does (on the other hand she probably gets a less thorough understanding). And she can not only tell her teammates about those powers, but demonstrate them.

  25. Posted

    As for Diane realizing that Nanase suspects she and Susan are sisters:

    Nanase is talking about Diane having an inherited characteristic that is not in any way apparent to normal senses. And she's speaking as if she's confident of what she's saying. It's a very logical conclusion that Nanase believes she knows (or knows a fair amount about) one of Diane's blood relatives. Diane knows that Nanase knows Elliot and that Elliot knows Susan, whom Diane already suspected is her sister. This is not a hard set of dots to connect.