X-Message-Number: 20704
Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2002 11:34:27 -0800
From: Kennita Watson <>
Subject: Peace on Earth?

I find this exchange both hilarious and maddening.  For the
record, I prefer quotes in my chastisements, because I often
don't remember what I said or what about.  So pardon me while
I dumpster-dive for my own reference -- good thing I don't
purge my trash very often [insert Final Jeopardy music here].

Let's see:  my last message was:

> Thomas Donaldson wrote, re a Science article:
> "It seems that a plane at 480 mph going into a wall 3.6
> meters thick would penetrate the wall by about 5 centimeters."
> 
> What kind/size of plane?  With how much fuel?  What difference
> might where it hits make?  The age or manufacture of the wall?
> Temperature, pressure, humidity, etc.?  The PSI (the
> "pointiness" of the plane)?
> 
> If all this together could make two factors of ten, the wall
> would be breached.  I bet you that one factor of ten would
> be more than enough to get the reactor shut down.

This seemed to annoy him (my guess is that this was due mainly
to his already having put me in the "people whose noses need to
be rubbed in that they don't read enough serious science
literature" bin -- but I digress), as he responded:

> For Kennita Watson: I was summarizing arguments given in a SCIENCE
> article which I cited in my message. You are more than welcome
> to look up the article; then we can both discuss it more
> knowledgeably away from cryonet, or if you wish, on cryonet. If
> for some reason you find it hard to actually get a hold of that 
> article to read it for yourself, then tell me and tell me yur
> address and I will mail it a copy of it to you by airmail.
> 
> An argument based only on a very quick summary of something
> just isn't valid at all. Sorry.

Well, duh!  I was just pointing out the questions that spring to
my mind when people thrust tidbits at me in a vacuum -- it's
why I'm a QA engineer.

Know what?  I have no interest whatsoever in an argument, OR
in going to more than a click's worth of trouble to read the
article (I lied -- I just spent half an hour registering at the
Science Magazine web site.  Even though I only have Abstracts
access, I am now positively *BURIED* in credentials attached to
a statement that I think boils down to "don't worry about it").

Truthfully, I wasn't losing sleep, though I wouldn't have been
surprised to hear of a terrorist-caused nuclear disaster.   Now
if I hear of one I'll be truly impressed.

Maybe I should see a therapist about why I spend over an hour
of my presumably-valuable time on messages like this.  I must
find it fun....

-- 
May you live long and prosper,
Kennita
--
Kennita Watson          | Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
     |   None but ourselves can free our minds.
http://www.kennita.com  |           -- Bob Marley, "Redemption Song"

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