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Last Flight Out

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Re: Last Flight Out

#241

Post by foobarbecue »

morsch wrote: post #217
hcrisp wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember watching this. Turns out BBC Natural History documentaries are more theater than just documentaries. If you watch the "making of" clips at the end of some of the series, you do get the sense that they may not be just captured natural footage as much as highly-scripted activities with the actions of the cameramen, crew, etc. edited out. Still fun to watch, but isn't being manipulated as a viewer disingenuou…

At this point I can't really enjoy documentaries like that anymore. I keep thinking "they brought a steadicam down there?" or "where is all that light coming from?" The fourth wall is thoroughly broken. Thanks, I'd rather watch a poorly lit Youtube video with a guy talking to his Gopro. I wonder what the equivalent of that would be for animal documentaries.

The sentiment resonates, but on the other hand I took a lot of video in those caves and it's all unwatchable, so I have enormous appreciation for what the BBC did. It's an incredibly hard environment to film in and I was absolutely amazed by the final product. Gavin Thurston rigged up cables from ice screws in the cave walls and set up a travelling robot camera thing he designed on it. There was a huge amount of equipment and hard work; for example for the crater shots I helped them carry up an enormous crane system to the crater rim which didn't even produce any useful footage. Also, the BBC guys were so charismatic that they could talk their way around rules and into places. For example, the helicopter pilots flying in the crater did things that aren't normally allowed. So in a way it's fake, but actually when it comes to the cave visuals, their work captures the feeling of being there, which otherwise I would never really be able to share with anyone. It really is an unbelivably spectacular place and almost impossible to film.

Re: Last Flight Out

#242

Post by throw0101c »

4gotunameagain wrote: post #39
dpflan wrote: post #16

If you're interested in the people and personalities and activities at the South Pole, the Werner Herzog film Encounters at the End of the World is a revealing and interesting documentary. It includes a fascinating part about a deluded penguin choosing to leave its flock and begin a fatal journey towards the center of the island... - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_W... - https://www.imdb.c…

The famous scene[0] from this film is a masterpiece. It never fails to sink me to my nadir, so I avoid watching it even if I love it so much. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnTU_hJoByA

> It never fails to sink me to my nadir, so I avoid watching it even if I love it so much.

Of course the sound track to that scene is a Russian Orthodox religious chant:

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LVHl3HTBoA

Re: Last Flight Out

#243

Post by jedberg »

Maxion wrote: post #220
jedberg wrote: post #187

Why do they make the buildings black and white? Both of those blend in with the snow at night (which is 1/2 the year). Why not make them day glow yellow or something, so they are always visible?

Black to save on heating? During a polar night it gets so dark that once you’re out of flashlight range it doesn’t matter. The issue is the wind blown snow reducing visibility.

> During a polar night it gets so dark that once you’re out of flashlight range it doesn’t matter.

During the polar night the moon is up 1/2 the time, and it's from 1/2 full to full to 1/2 full, so there is still a source of light at least 1/2 the time.

Making them black to save on heating is a good point though. Same with wind blown snow being the main issue with visibility.

Re: Last Flight Out

#244

Post by throw0101c »

sph wrote: post #80
4gotunameagain wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The famous scene[0] from this film is a masterpiece. It never fails to sink me to my nadir, so I avoid watching it even if I love it so much. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnTU_hJoByA

Beautiful, thanks for sharing. That penguin walked to his certain death, while his mates swam and caught fish, to their certain death. Sadness for it and his supposed insanity only exists for a fleeting moment. In a long enough timespan, it lived and died like any other penguin has or ever will. Nihilism is not necessarily pessimistic. It presents our universe, and life itself, as a glass half full, but it's up to yo…

> Nihilism is not necessarily pessimistic. It presents our universe, and life itself, as a glass half full, but it's up to you to decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

The nihil is nihilism is Latin for "nothing".

Nihilism says there is no meaning to existence: it does not matter if the glass if half-full, it does not matter if the glass is half-empty, it does not matter if the glass (or its contents) exist at all. It does not matter if you decide if life/universe/everything is good, or if you decide it is bad. It does not matter what, or even if, you decide something at all.

Re: Last Flight Out

#245

Post by Klonoar »

GTP wrote: post #51
joe_lin wrote: post #41

What happens if someone has a true medical emergency? Like heart attack or burst appendix? Are they stranded? I feel like this fear would be lingering over me the entire time.

Usually in such outcast places they have a room equipped for light surgery and some emergency procedures. You won't receive the same level of care that you would have in a proper hospital, but they should be able to at least do some "temporary fix" while transportation to a proper hospital is arranged if needed. Appendectomy shouldn't be a problem.

>but they should be able to at least do some "temporary fix" while transportation to a proper hospital is arranged if needed.

I believe the person you're responding to is moreso asking what would happen if it was during the months where no inbound or outbound transportation is possible.

Re: Last Flight Out

#246

Post by nine_k »

ReptileMan wrote: post #239
AceJohnny2 wrote: post #234

These stories about the logistics at Amundsen-Scott are a fascinating glimpse at the level of logistical complexity that'd be required for an off-planet (Moon, Mars...) base. Every time I see people get excited about Martian human habitation, I note a lack of discussion of the essential intermediate step: a fully self-sustaining base in the most inhospitable parts of Earth. Where are the Biosphere++ projects? And Amu…

The first people on mars will be self replicating robots. Due to the way the exponential function works - I think enough terraforming could be done really fast.

But will humans be welcome afterwards?

Re: Last Flight Out

#247

Post by foobarbecue »

dpflan wrote: post #77
foobarbecue wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, here's a taste: https://aaroncurt.is/frozenplanet.html

(Heh, a taste of fooBBQ.) Thank you for sharing. While we're here and discussing the documentaries: care to share a highlight anecdote of your time there?

Oh man, so many stories. Well, here's a fun one. There's unfortunately a big divide between the contractor-employed support staff and the "beakers" (scientists like me) and I would try and break through the barrier sometimes. Had a brief romance with someone working in waste management (a "wastie"), so maybe that's how it started. But anyway, one day I was sitting in the McMurdo cafeteria at a table with people from Fuels ("fuelies") and people from Communications ("commies" ... yeah) someone asked me what I do and I said "I work up on Erebus." A fuelie looks daggers at me and goes "Oh yeah!? Well I work on the FUCKING MOON!" and storms off.

There were a lot of people at McMurdo for whom Antarctica wasn't quite the adventure they'd hoped it would be.

Re: Last Flight Out

#248

Post by TheCondor »

gnatman wrote: post #126

I thought those fuel bladders were pretty cool! Never thought about transporting volatiles in anything other than a rigid tank. Also had to look up what AN-8 Fuel is: "AN8 is a special fuel blend unique to the Antarctic and Arctic. It has a lower flash point of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which also lowers the gelling point when extreme cold temperatures can cause wax crystals to start forming in the fuel. AN8 will remai…

Yeah, the SPoT part was fascinating. It takes them 40 days to drive to the South Pole. I guess they drag along a container that is converted in to a living quarters along with the fuel and other heavy things. 40 days... then the return trip which is supposedly quicker. ~25KM a day. No idea if they stop for the night or take shifts and keep the tractors running 24x7.

Re: Last Flight Out

#249

Post by foobarbecue »

dpflan wrote: post #77
foobarbecue wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, here's a taste: https://aaroncurt.is/frozenplanet.html

(Heh, a taste of fooBBQ.) Thank you for sharing. While we're here and discussing the documentaries: care to share a highlight anecdote of your time there?

Oh ok one more story. There is a road connecting McMurdo (US) and Scott Base (New Zealand). I think it's only a few miles.

So I'm sitting in the McMurdo driving training you have to take before you're allowed to take a truck out. Get to the end of the lecture. Instructor: "Any questions?" I ask, "yeah... so, New Zealanders drive on the left, and we drive on the right, right? Which side do we drive on if we go to Scott Base?"

Instructor, looking totally bored and serious: "Drive in the middle."

To this day I don't know if he was kidding.

Re: Last Flight Out

#250

Post by lawrenceyan »

What's harder to terraform? Hot rocky/sandy desert or cold snowy artic?

More free energy in the form of solar but less water vs. Abundant water but locked in the form of ice with access to energy being the constraining factor

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