why would scientists be more interested in a legacy than with progress?
I think this is kinda tied to Pluto as an object of public opinion. I mean, the whole naming of it was part of public discourse (the IAU has since gotten picky and made themselves the final arbiter these days.) I almost feel like they are being nutso over this issue because they don't want to piss off a public sort of raised on this whole public-sentimentally-owned planet. Which is goofy, scientists are so not immune from goofy.
I just figured they were doing it because it would make categorisation and teaching and stuff easier down the road. Even if it makes things more difficult for us now. They do it in botany all. the freaking. time. And I get why, but when you've been calling something one thing all your life, sometimes it's hard to remember to switch it.
Right now there is no standard definition of Planet, so a definition is being decided so that the new objects can be classified.
They can be called Secondary Planets, Planets That Were Stuffed in Lockers, Wudllepumpers, Planutia Minor, whatev. There's nothing to stop them from being called planets, or tube socks, or space tangerines. "If we include Pluto, it'll be anarchy! There will be millions of planets! We'll have to memorize all of them!" Is a bullshit answer.
First they take away the brontosaurus. Now it's Pluto. What next? Are they going to repeal gravity? The scientists must be stopped!
Well, it turns out that pandas ARE bears so SUCK IT SCIENTISTS -- sometimes the eight year olds
are
right.
I love those shoes, Consuela!
Very cute shoes. How was the trip?
Okay. dilemma:
I have a nice enough kid asking for a recommendation for the magnet. It's a highly gifted magnet. she's not gifted, let alone highly gifted. I know the requirements they have. She wants me to write a letter saying she can do those things.
I wrote a letter saying she was a good kid and a good student. but damning with faint praise.
She wants me to rewrite the letter ASAP because the magnet office told her that I didn't say she met the requirements.
What to do?
Love the shoes, Consuela.
Timelies,
Weekend was, as expected, busy. There was no poker learning, though. GF and I crashed on the counch Friday night and finished up my Justice League season 2 DVDs, then started on my ahemed copies of JLU season 1 (after checking the release date of the DVDs, which is October 24th and therefor too long to wait.)
Did the LARP on Saturday. The game itself went well, but GF and I spent a lot of time arguing with a couple of the other organizers because they had relocated a building without asking anyone else first and then stored the loaner weapons in a way that damaged the padding on a good number of them. So we were both pretty cranky by the time we got home.
Sunday we went to the local Ren Faire. Walked around a lot, got dusty, saw a few shows and I spent some time handling and oggling sharp, shiny things. GF convinced me not to spend over $600 on a sword because I have nowhere to put it in current apartment and already spent too much money on my XBox 360. But it was very sharp and shiny and pretty and nicely balanced.
Also spent some time in the Faire's military encampment and handled some of their weapons and armor as well. The people there were confused by my minimal questioning, because I knew enough that there was no point in asking the basic questions, but not enough to ask more advanced stuff. Plus, I kept couching things in modern terms, which of course "confused" them since they were all in-character. So I mostly just looked and prodded. But maces and warhammers? Lighter than expected, but still feel heavier than a sword due to the whole smashy versus the finely-balanced cutting implement thing.
