Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with earth

Could there be a planet so big that it is bigger than itself?

blue_beetle — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:02:22 -0800

Would it be possible to have a planet with significantly more surface area than the earth and similar gravity (at ground level) by decreasing its density? I know that gravity decreases with the square of the distance, so does that mean that the earth is in the sweet spot for the size/density necessary to produce 1G? Or could that be scaled up to double or triple the surface area and still have a viable (livable) planet?

Can you always see the Moon from the Earth?

Dub — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:25:56 -0800

Is there anywhere on Earth, where you can't see the Moon? Of course, I mean the surface of the Earth!, and when the Moon is visible from other places on Earth

I suppose what I'm wondering is can you always see the Moon from the Poles. If not, is there a latitude above/below which a full Moon might be below the horizon.

BTW: I've no idea if this is a sensible question... I just woke-up with this thought in my head, and couldn't quickly find an answer.

Motion Sickness

zylocomotion — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:22:16 -0800

How many directions am I moving in while I'm just sitting here? Any idea of how fast? I'm not really looking for precision, or discussions about relativity, but rather generalities.

I'm guessing that continental drift and the effects of precession would be negligibly slow.

But, best as I can figure out:
Due to rotation, I'm moving eastwards at roughly 1,600 km/h, around the center of the earth.

Then the earth itself is moving about 108,000 km/hr counterclockwise around the sun.

Then the solar system is moving close to 792,000 km/hr around the galactic center.

And the galaxy itself is moving towards the Great Attractor at about 2,160,000 km/hr.

What have I missed? Where the hell is the Great Attractor moving? Isn't the galaxy also moving towards another galaxy in the local cluster, while we both head towards the Great Attractor?

I'm sick at home with the flu and I can't get these questions out of my head. Maybe I shouldn't drink so much TheraFlu. If you can make a FPP out of any of this, then...uh...godspeed. (How fast is that supposed to be? In what direct--oh nevermind)

What famous inventions have non-famous alternatives or competitors?

damn dirty ape — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:53:46 -0800

What famous inventions have non-famous alternatives or competitors? I'm trying to develop an alternate earth where history went a little differently thus technology is a little different. Im looking for alternatives to commonly used technology. For instance, the V8 engine and the Wankel engine. Helicopters and ornithopters. Edison wanted to electrify homes with AC power and Tesla with DC power. The early web and gopher.

I'd love to hear more. Thanks.

Terrain View in Google Earth?

wavejumper — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:03:01 -0800

Easy question: How do I get "Terrain" view in Google Earth the way it looks in Google Maps (i.e. a nice topographic view)? I see the "Terrain" button down there in Layers, but on my Mac (PPC) when I click that on or off it doesn't seem to do much, as if the actual satellite imagery are covering the underlying grid.

Candles vs Light Bulbs Smackdown

storybored — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:53:16 -0800

Candles vs fluorescent light bulbs smackdown: which produces more greenhouse gases? Which one is environmentally friendlier when you figure in all the emissions? I'm in a heated(!) debate about the folks who turned off their lights during the Earth hour but proceeded to light candles instead.

And has anyone studied the health ramifications from the combustion byproducts of candles?

I need Math People to help me find out how long it takes 2 Last (Wo)Men on Earth to meet.

mr_book — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:36:34 -0800

How long should it reasonably take before 2 "Last Men on Earth" meet? I'm writing a story about a post-apocalyptic mathematician, something to do with zombies. Any such character would naturally be inclined to work the following problem in such a situation. My difficulty lies in myself having very few mathematical skills (2 +2 is four, heh heh heh, me smart). So, Hive Mind, assist me!

Question: Assuming that there has been a global catastrophe of Hollywood proportions and most of the human race has died off (or become zombies, etc), and assuming that any lone survivors will, eventually, come to think of themselves as the "Last (Wo)Man on Earth" in the Richard Matheson vein, and assuming a slow rate of travel among these LMOE, how long will it take before 2 LMOE meet, and how many LMOE are there on Earth in total?

Assumption 1: Most of the human race has died off. Let's assume that 99.99% of the global human population is gone, just so we have something to work with.

Assumption 2: Lone survivors come to believe themselves as the Last Man on Earth. Let's assume that it takes 3 months of being alone to come to this assumption. This assumption is contingent on not seeing another -living- human being during this time, so we can expect city dwellers to have a margin of error here leading them to come to this conclusion later than their rural or islander counterparts, being as there should (at first) be more survivors in cities. However, they can't be considered LMOE unless they end of alone, so it may take some time for their fellow survivors to die off and thus the margin of error. If their fellow survivors never die off, they can't be considered LMOE. Let's say any group of survivors has a half-life of 1 week, and no group can begin with more than 8 survivors.

Assumption 3: A slow rate of travel among the LMOE. Let's say, for the sake of the problem, that half the LMOE are home-based and half are travel-based. Home-based LMOE stay within their little "fortified zone" of about 5 square miles (gathering supplies, killing zombies, and waiting out the storm going slowly insane). Travel-Based LMOE move slowly (at about 5 miles per day) due to travel hazards such as zombie hordes, traffic blocks, fires, etc. They're determined to find other survivors and thus keep themselves from madness.

Hidden Assumption 4: The game begins on Day 0. Day 0 is the day when the travel-based LMOE begin moving, the home-based LMOE start gathering supplies, and city-based groups of survivors begin dying off down to single LMOE.

How many days will it take before any 2 LMOE meet?

I realize I am not a mathematician (I am in fact, and English major and the opposite of a mathematician), and so any data that needs to be filled in, altered, or deleted should be in order for the problem to be solved.

Cheers.

Help me find this fictional evil organization logo!

stenseng — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:45:49 -0800

Help me find this logo... Earth, or a stylized globe, clutched in a fist... think SPECTRE, SMERSH, or KAOS, but it's not any of those... Where have I seen this? Subgenius art? Anyone?

Google Earth: controlling from external application?

figTree — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:53:25 -0800

Is it possible to track things such as user movement and button clicking in Google Earth? I am wondering if anyone has come across mashups that do this. I know that if you have html or flash clips that you imbed into popups, that that could easily be tracked, but what about how the users are flying around? - users not directly using your part of the application par se, but Google's?

I am thinking that if this was to be possible, the whole Google earth could have to be controlled from an external application. Is this possible right now? Would this be something that adobe AIR would be capable of? Some other technology?

If this is not possible in GE due to API restrictions is it possible in Google Maps?

Earth's water vs land volume (shown in spheres) image?

yoga — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:09:33 -0800

ISO: Photo-like diagram of the ratio of total volume of water to total volume of land on Earth. NOT the surface area - the TOTAL respective volumes of the planet. I knew I should've saved it when it made the rounds the first time, now I can't find it.

It's a picture of two spheres comparing Earth's water vs. land composition. One sphere represents the total land mass, the other smaller blue one represents the total water mass.

Hope me?

Where to study History?

Nillocsoc — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:33:21 -0800

Looking for unique schools or programs for the study of History. In the US or abroad. I am looking for a school (or other form of education) where I can study History in a broad and inclusive way. I dont want to learn dates- I am more concerned with expanses of time. I want a program that combines the formation of earth, the rise of life, evolution, extinction, geology, the beginings of consciousness, early civilizations, religion, forms of goverment, types of thought, and the cultures of the world.

I want an understanding of history that surpasses birthdates, wars, the reigns of kings, etc...

So if anyone knows of a school, program, internship, university, or any other form of learning that I haven't named... please provide suggestions- and maybe a little about it.

Thank you

How to create Quicktime or AVI of Google Earth flythrough?

drinkspiller — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:07:49 -0800

How to create Quicktime or AVI of Google Earth flythrough? I've tried doing a screen capture using Camtasia Studio but even on my Windows PC with an excellent video card, plenty of RAM, and a peppy CPU the frame rate of the flythrough is still choppy.

Is there a better tool or method for capturing a digital video of a Google Earth flythrough?

How would a metal bar built around the world react to gravity?

studentbaker — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:38:36 -0800

How would a metal bar built around the world react to gravity? I’m not sure how to properly phrase this question. But, how would a metal rod with a slightly larger diameter built around the earth react to gravity? Say it’s built as to avoid extremes in altitude, mountains and the sort. Would it hover in place, spin at a set point, spin randomly, or buckle? Is there anyway to know the answer other than building one?

I created a simple visual to help explain what I mean.

Need geographical maps of earth

heylight — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 03:50:52 -0800

I'm looking for some fairly high-quality geographical maps of the whole planet (preferably contained in a single map, instead of being spread over several), but without any details on it whatsoever to do with places or names, not even names of mountains or rivers - no country/state borders drawn in either - the only detail should be things like the geography (high/low land, desert, mountains, forest, etc) Thanks in advance!

Who is this guy?

Karcy — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:58:01 -0800

Several years ago I listened to a radio show which mentioned that there was this chemist who invented a perfume that had the smell of earth after rain. I need to find out this guy's name. The guy is (probably) British, and is more likely to be a chemist than a perfurmer. The scent was not part of any fashion line then.

I've tried Googling, Yahoo'ing, and BBC Online'ing, but to no avail. Variations include 'British chemist earth scent' or 'British perfumer earth scent' or 'chemist earth scent'. Does anyone here know who this person could be -- or could have any clue or indication on this person?

If you travel through space at lightspeed, will the stars in the background appear to move relatively slow?

paulinsanjuan — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:50:31 -0800

If you travel through space at lightspeed, will the stars in the background appear to move relatively slow? I am watching The Fountain (after the FPP about it the other day) and I noticed while traveling through space, the background of stars "moves" fairly slow. Wouldn't Hugh Jackman and his tree have to be traveling at lightspeed to get to his destination within a lifetime?

Or is it more like Star Trek / Star Wars where everything becomes a streak? (I think in Star Trek warp speeds are faster than light.)

So, let's say we're traveling at lightspeed from Earth to Vega (like in Contact), a total of 24.3 light years away, will the stars in the background appear to move relatively slow?

Also, will going any slower change the "speed" of the passing stars?

Is the sun sunnier in southern skies?

vizsla — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:28:55 -0800

Is it true that the skies in the Southern Hemisphere appear brighter and clearer than Northern Hemisphere skies? I have read this several times from various unscientific sources. If so, what is the reason?

Find post code with latitude & longitude.

BigBrownBear — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 14:04:12 -0800

Find post code with latitude & longitude. Is anyone aware of a webpage where i can find international postcodes using latitude and longitude coordinates? (the google earth format)

Specifically, I am trying to find Spanish postcodes. I have an excel file with 1200 addresses and would love to find some program to help me find the post codes....

India's Antarctica

riffola — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:47:22 -0800

If Russia gets to claim the North Pole as its own based on geological origins, shouldn't India automatically get Antarctica? For the record I don't believe the North Pole or South Pole should belong to any single country, just like the moon. I am just asking this question based on Russia's reasoning behind their attempt to claim the North Pole as its own.

How do I test a ground?

blisterpack — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:36:55 -0800

How can I test whether something (like a cold water pipe) is a ground? I've assembled a very simple, battery-powered, transistor radio using my Maxitronix 500-in-1 lab... all except for one last step. The instructions state to connect a wire to a known ground (such as a cold water pipe).

The problem is that I have no idea how to test whether something is a ground or not (despite lots of googling). Could someone tell an electronics newbie how to test for this?

I would mainly like to know just for the sake of knowing. I have a multimeter (in case it's relevant).

Thanks!

Is there a way to display a database of addresses on a map?

BigBrownBear — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:54:19 -0800

Is there a way to display a database of addresses on a map? I work alot with google earth/maps and use the programs to display the location of a series of locations. Is there some sort of hack or program I can purchase where I can load-up an excel sheet of addresses and have them all displayed at once?

What can I do, from the big changes on down to the minutae, to make a difference?

iamkimiam — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:24:24 -0800

What can I do, from the big changes on down to the minutae, to make a difference? I want a more environmentally conscious lifestyle! I just recently watched the LA Times online documentary, Altered Oceans and was really inspired to make some changes in my lifestyle to help reverse the damage we've done to our oceans, earth and wildlife. What are some things I can do and small changes I can make for a positive global impact? I am looking for unconvential ideas as well as obvious ones. I am already a member of Environment California, Surfrider, and various other groups. I don't want to just throw money at the problem. I want to make adjustments to my behaviors and habits so that I am going about my life with conscious reasoning that I can be proud of.

Here are some examples of the types of ideas/changes I am hoping to hear about:
• Reuse a single plastic water bottle (instead of continually buying water and throwing out the bottles). Chop down any extra bottles, fill with dirt, grow stuff.
• Only eat self-caught seafood
• Walk to a farmers market and buy groceries there instead of driving to a grocery store and blindly filling cart with product.
• Pay all bills online and cancel all mailed statements, thereby reducing trash.

Bonus points for ideas that make life easier and/or increase productivity/efficiency.

I would also love to hear about some good resources, links, etc. Or ways that items that can be reused, instead of thrown away—if only I knew how to reuse them!

Thanks in advance!

I apologize if linking to the documentary was inappropriate. I think it's a helpful point of reference in describing the bigger problem I am trying to do my part to solve. I have no intention of making this a question with an agenda, or a chatfilter. I just want suggestions!

What's the dryest great circle on Earth?

Wolfdog — Thu, 10 May 2007 19:12:31 -0800

Which great circle on the Earth has the largest proportion of its length lying on land (not water)?

NYC Neighborhoods

Mach5 — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 06:33:53 -0800

NYCFilter: What neighborhoods am I missing in my google earth mapping? I'm starting to make an NYC utimate KMZ super happy fun pack, which I will then post to the GE bbs and to MeFi Projects, but in the meantime I have to make it. Yesterday I was sick and off from work, so I mapped every single community district in the 5 boroughs down to street level (using this). I also added placemarks for every neighborhood that they and wiki had, and that I know, but I know I didn't get them all. Especially in Brooklyn. So now I'd like to probe the hive mind for what I missed. You can get my KMZ here. If your feeling adventurous you can email a KMZ of your adds to m4chfive AT yahoo.com, or just post what I missed or screwed up in this here thread.

As a side question, what would you like to see in this pack that GE doesn't currently provide? So far, I have complete subway and NJ Transit system maps, this map of neighborhoods and community districts, a map of where all the police precincts are, and local weather radar maps. What would you want to see?

Thanks for your help!

zip+4 to lat/lon? Where? & precision necessary?

pax digita — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:04:55 -0800

I want a free-as-in-beer way to put in a ZIP+4 postal code and get back a latitude and longitude. Unless that's more precision than I need for terrestrial astronomy. Do I need that precise a translation for an Earth-based astronomy program like Cartes du Ceil, or will a simple five-digit ZIP code do me? I see from previous posts that I could spend a while researching that question, but I just want a quick translation of my posit.