Pete Schultz, Deep Impact scientist: "This city-sized object is floating around in a vacuum. The only time it gets bothered is when the sun cooks it a little or someone slams an 820-pound wakeup call at it at 23,000 miles per hour."
This choice example of "tough-guy" science talk was identified by Bruce Sterling at Beyond the Beyond. I wonder if Sterling realizes that scientific tough-talk is much more pervasive than it has any right to be. After all, JPL press statements about the Mars rovers are chock-full of unseemly references to "monster trucks."
An "820-pound wakeup call?" The only one here in need of a wakeup call is Pete, who's functioning under the tragic misconception that he isn't a dork.
Don't beat yourself up too hard, Ken. Besides, "dork" is "in" right now! ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't know - no earth-standard "tough guy" ever blew a hole in an asteroid. Gave someone a swirly maybe but ...
ReplyDeleteAt least they didn't say it was on the receiving end of phone sex instructions from JPL.
ReplyDeleteDee: Spiritual forebear of Jack Parsons
Pimp: Make money from something slamming into something else
Act: "An auto da fé, or act of faith; a burning of heretics. Obs."
Wow -
ReplyDeleteA space geek gets flamed for talking tough. You'd think it was a slow news week.
And razorsmile, you're balls-on...even The Duke never "bitch-slapped" a comet.
Schulz and co. did it...presumably with a spoonful of quiche in his "pie-hole".
Why not let them have their moment in the sun, and their tough talk.
Deep Impact was a "smashing" success.
Kyle
UFOreflections.blogspot.com
I fully match with whatever thing you've presented.
ReplyDelete