Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Last Flight Out

brr.fyi

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 322 posts

Re: Last Flight Out

#111

Post by palla89 »

It feels so magic to live in places with extreme conditions. Lack of comforts, internet on/off and the real danger that something really important suddenly brokes, I imagine that it let you feel more alive than ever!

Don't know if it's something that's only poetic and beautiful when thinking about it or if it's the real deal, but imagining myself, after a long day with -50°C outside, to be 10k miles from everyone and everything, just with my blanket and a book or a movie that I waited 20 days to have fully downloaded.

Re: Last Flight Out

#112

Post by el_nahual »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #105
otabdeveloper4 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's roughly a million times easier to grow food on the South Pole than it is to grow it on Mars.

> a million times easier to grow food on the South Pole than it is to grow it on Mars And it's a million easier still to import it. So apart from hydroponics for treats and research, it's not a problem worth solving.

> it's not a problem worth solving.

Exactly. Farming on mars is not a problem worth solving.

Re: Last Flight Out

#114

Post by goldenchrome »

pavlov wrote: post #86
goldenchrome wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> "The animal within each of us comes out in Antarctica more than anywhere else. This is of course part of what makes living there so exciting on an elemental level." It's supposed to be a science station, not some kind of wild survival game. I don't think any of the women scientists signed up for "excitement on an elemental level."

That’s a fine goal but it doesn’t take away from the fact that Antarctica is a hostile environment which makes it hard to establish civilization.

I’m describing reality, not my own personal wishes.

Re: Last Flight Out

#115

Post by sneak »

el_nahual wrote: post #112
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a million times easier to grow food on the South Pole than it is to grow it on Mars And it's a million easier still to import it. So apart from hydroponics for treats and research, it's not a problem worth solving.

> it's not a problem worth solving. Exactly. Farming on mars is not a problem worth solving.

The people who will be born there will likely not agree with you.

Re: Last Flight Out

#116

Post by tegeek »

ryandrake wrote: post #85

Whenever I read about how humans are about to colonize Mars, I think about how much logistics it takes to keep even a single base with a handful of people populated on the South Pole. It's like Mars, but with plentiful oxygen and atmospheric pressure, plentiful (albeit frozen) water, shielded from radiation, low-latency communication with civilization, and is reachable by air and ground vehicles. Given how difficult…

Humans are not going to visit Mars anytime soon, let alone colonize. There are not one but many unsolved technical, economical etc. issues.

But its a dream and a wish list. And We're the only species who can have dreams as big as we want.

Re: Last Flight Out

#117

Post by goldenchrome »

clarkema wrote: post #109
goldenchrome wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

We enforce rules in our society because they make that society better. Basic shared rules of behaviour are a precondition for social cohesion and prosperity, _not_ a luxury that we can only afford when everything else has been taken care of. This goes 10x in small groups in rigorous environments. I wouldn't call resources in the Antarctic winter "incredibly scarce"; expeditions have been wintering South for decades n…

Yes, you have a personal anecdote but the data suggests that people do indeed become prone to sexually harassing women.

Re: Last Flight Out

#118

Post by alex_sf »

teepo wrote: post #11

I feel like my Emacs setup would be perfect after the winter isolation. :) - Has anyone studied the Antarctic winter with respect to deep focus and personal productivity?

Somewhat related, I've seen mentions here and there of people using cruise ships for the same thing. Minimal distractions from the outside world (via the internet anyway), and most personal concerns out of the way (food, laundry, etc).

Re: Last Flight Out

#119

Post by insane_dreamer »

el_nahual wrote: post #112
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a million times easier to grow food on the South Pole than it is to grow it on Mars And it's a million easier still to import it. So apart from hydroponics for treats and research, it's not a problem worth solving.

> it's not a problem worth solving. Exactly. Farming on mars is not a problem worth solving.

Resupply latencies not exactly comparable.

So I would say that yes, farming on Mars is a problem worth solving, and one that will be solved once there's a need to do so (that doesn't mean it will be easy or inexpensive).

Re: Last Flight Out

#120

Post by xNeil »

mashygpig wrote: post #31

I just finished reading “Alone” by Richard Byrd [0]. It’s about a man who wintered alone in Antarctica during the dark night in 1934. I found it very captivating and I think a lot of those on HN would find it interesting; especially those who find this blog interesting. [0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/368563

Thank you very much for the recommendation! I now how I'm spending the day today :)
Post reply on HN