As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

What if

U=(N/T)M*G: Meltdown

by
Computer chip

I guess Google had a meltdown? It lasted long enough for people to notice? I must have been at the day job when that happened and missed it. It’s pretty funny how weird that sounds. I first jumped online as a wee teenager back when AOL and Netscape were the major players, when dial up was the only way to get online. When the first Diablo game was super popular. If something like Google crashed back then, we’d collectively shrug and find a different search engine. No big deal. Not to get political about this, but this is why monopolies … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Dreaming

by
Tiny jumping spider with drewdrop on head.

I have a theory about the life on this planet. If there’s a brain, there’s intelligence, no matter how rudimentary. If there’s intelligence, there are dreams. Now, I don’t have clue what, say, a fish is dreaming about as it’s suspended in water, but I have noticed little twitches in my little Mycroft Betta when he’s asleep. The same twitches my zebra finches have when they’re sleeping. Same with the Cat Army. Same with my teenager. So, when I noticed this article about dreaming spiders (CW: SPIDERS), I wasn’t surprised. Terrified because spiders. Not surprised though. It did get me … Read more

What If: Cloning Humans Became Easy and Common?

by
clones - deposit photos

Every Wednesday, we’re asking a what-if question – how would our world be different if something were changed? Today’s question is from QSFer Scott: Today: What if cloning humans became both easy and common? How would that change the world, for the better and the worse? Live Science has an interesting article on the topic. Share your serious scientific analyses, your off-color jokes, and random thoughts on the topic on our FB and MeWe Groups: FB: http://bit.ly/1MvPABV MeWe: http://bit.ly/2mjg8lf

WHAT IF: An Asteroid Strike Brought a Years-Long Global Winter?

by
Asteroid - pixabay

Every Wednesday, we’re asking a what-if question – how would our world be different if something were changed? Today’s question is from QSFer Scott: A huge asteroid just whizzed by us, and a new study shows a global winter snuffed out the dinosaurs (and most life) in about nine months. What if it happened today? How would we react? Live Science article: https://www.livescience.com/cretaceous-extinction-darkness Share your serious scientific analyses, your off-color jokes, and random thoughts on the topic on our FB and MeWe Groups: FB: http://bit.ly/1MvPABV MeWe: http://bit.ly/2mjg8lf

What If: The Earth Was Really Flat?

by
Flat Earth - Deposit Photos

Earth — the blue marble — is our spherical home. But what if Earth were flat? After all, some people truly believe in this retrograde idea. How would everyday life function? Would it function at all? We explore how much of an oddball, or “oddslice” Earth would be if it were flat and whether there are any advantages to living on a strange disk with the sun and moon rotating overhead like a cosmic carousel. Say goodbye to gravity (at least as we know it) On spherical Earth, gravity tugs equally on objects no matter where in the world they … Read more

WHAT IF: Earth Stopped Spinning?

by
Earth - pixabay

Earth is steadily spinning like a top, even if we can’t see, touch, hear or feel it. So, what would happen if Earth were to abruptly stop rotating?  If the spinning were to stop, the angular momentum of every object on Earthwould rip the surface apart, resulting in a really, really bad day. “This is just a thought experiment,” said James Zimbelman, senior geologist emeritus at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. “There is no natural force that would stop the Earth from spinning. That is part of why the planet has been spinning since it formed, … Read more

What If: The Moon Were Twice as Close to the Earth?

by
moon - pixabay

In the 2003 Jim Carrey movie “Bruce Almighty,” Carrey’s character suddenly acquires God-like powers, and uses those powers to lasso the full moon and pull it closer to Earth to woo his beloved. Later in the movie, background shots show TV news reports about massive, unprecedented flooding around the world. While the film is obviously fantastical, it does raise a question: What would happen if the moon were twice as close to Earth than it is today? In fact, the flooding scenario from the movie isn’t far from what might actually happen if the moon were suddenly much closer to … Read more