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February 8, 2007

2.8.07

Today's theme is the word COLD.

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David: Ask Dr. Science

“No, it actually isn’t cold in space,” the astronaut lectured to his companion. “Temperature is a property of mass, the amount of chaotic kinetic energy possessed by the molecules of a substance. Deep space has no mass. Ergo, no temperature. Instead, it is a heat sink, drawing heat away as infrared radiation.”

“Shut up, please.”

“I’m just saying if you want to complain, get the technicalities right.”

“Okay, so we’re going to freeze to death not because space is cold, but because it sucks.”

“Heavens, no. This capsule is far too small. We’ll run out of oxygen long before that.”

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Jeff R.: The Cold Solution

Here's the story: little kid sneaks on a spaceship full of emergency medicine needed to save a colony. Turns out the morons in charge built in almost zero fault tolerance, every gram of equipment essential, so her extra mass is enough to screw up the entire reentry and crash the ship. So the poor pilot's got no choice but to chuck her out the airlock. Right?

Wrong. Turns out, there is another way for the intrepid hero to make rescue the planet without offending his conscience all that much.

It's just that it'll cost him an arm and a leg...

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Stacy: Inevitability

“Well,” said the first snowflake, whose name was Bob.

“Yep, we’re falling,” replied Bill, the second snowflake.

“About time,” said Bob. “That cloud was getting boring.”

“Indeed it was,” agreed Bill. He tipped over and peered below.

“Wonder what’s down there,” he muttered.

Bob shrugged four arms.

“Eh, what does it matter, it’s not like we can stop falling.”

They laughed ruefully.

“Look,” said Bob, “I see something!”

Bill looked down, curiously. There was something there… It looked like a cave, with a… worm?

“Bob, LOOK OUT!!!” screamed Bill.

“Aieee!” screamed Bob.

“Yum,” said the little boy.

“Ew,” said Bill.

Read more from Stacy's .

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