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US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

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Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#821

Post by SergeAx »

13of40 wrote: post #552
yosito wrote: post #435

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Americans will measure with anything except the metric system.

Funny story: I was in Spain several years ago and was talking to a guy I met about sailboats. I mentioned I had a boat, and he asked how big. I thought for a second and said "7 meters" so as not to be an ignorant American. He thought for a second and said "huh, 21 feet".

Measuring boats in feet is a tradition. Also, these numbers are bigger. 50 feet is a big boat. Compare with mere 15 meters. BTW, docking price lists are still in meters.

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#822

Post by jacooper »

mynameishere wrote: post #361
throwaway4good wrote: post #12

I like how the measurement unit seems to be either small cars or school busses.

"The US announced today that it destroyed a balloon the size of a traditional Islamic wedding feast."

*Gulf feast, there isn't really a fixed feast in islam

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#823

Post by tenpies »

ajsnigrutin wrote: post #470
WestCoastJustin wrote: post #441

I feel sorry for the pool soul who decided to send up their DIY weather balloon with gopro to get that space shot. Who knows he might even have a video of a F-22 sending a missile over.

How much does a weather baloon cost? ...compared to a F22 flight, a missle + all the logistics? If it's cheap enough, there will probably be youtubers and tiktokers buying them en-masse just "for the lulz".

Early on in the whole balloon situation, there was discussion about how - having seen the US response - the most logical course of action would be to launch 10 balloons.

Then 100. Then 1000.

By all means, let the US military shoot as many as they want.

Let the propagandists call it "a great military display".

Then, just like the West is doing with Ukraine when it comes to artillery rounds, watch the Western arsenal of A2A missiles drop to critical levels that they won't be able to rebuild with any sort of expediency.

It should be a lesson the US learned a thousand times over, but we just saw them do it again: the aeronautical equivalent of bombing a farmer with an AK-47 and calling it a "victory".

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#824

Post by thedorkknight »

jasonwatkinspdx wrote: post #590
thedorkknight wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The director of national intelligence explicitly said in a Congressional hearing last may that they want to destigmatize UAP sightings so that pilots will actually report them when they happen. It hasn't really been a big mystery why some people in the government have been trying to change the attitude around UFOs recently - that's why they use the term UAP instead, less cultural baggage

I'm sorry this just isn't an honest description of what's happened. Destigmatizing reporting UFOs is good. What factually happened is a handful of wackos from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Stars_(company) funded by the front man of Blink 182. They befriended billionaire Robert Bigelow that pulled influence for them in congress and hence they got their little scam project a veneer of legitimacy it frankly does…

That's not "it". These two things are not mutually exclusive. TtSA and Tom Delonge have definitely done a lot, especially/particularly in the general public's interest, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm hearing with my own ears from the DNI telling Congress he wants to increase effort to collect UAP data for national defense

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#825

Post by zajio1am »

iforgotpassword wrote: post #713
kypro wrote: post #656

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure what the situation is in other European countries, but in the UK we use different units depending on the use so most people are use to working with both imperial and metric. Perhaps with the exception of fahrenheit most people here will know what you mean if you use units like feet and will often even prefer thinking in feet over metres for certain things. Personally I default to feet for something like…

In Germany, the only things I can think of off the top of my head is bicycles(wheels) and screens, which we measure in inches instead of cm. But I couldn't even tell you how many cm to an inch. I just know how big a 40" TV or a 28" bike is.

Here in Czechia, TV screens are in cm, but computer monitors are in inches.

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#826

Post by michelb »

boc wrote: post #604
georgeg23 wrote: post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also maybe gives China cover/justification to start shooting down these low satellites.

That’s an escalator that China can’t afford to ride. The US would deorbit everything China ever put into space if they started shooting at satellites. Those satellites are part of the strategic triad and would be a direct threat to the US nuclear umbrella. The AEGIS systems off the Chinese coast would take care of any attempts to add satellites back into space.

Curious, are all satellites known? I’m sure there are hundreds of unknown, untracked, secret satellites floating around?

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#827

Post by bitwize »

iforgotpassword wrote: post #713
kypro wrote: post #656

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure what the situation is in other European countries, but in the UK we use different units depending on the use so most people are use to working with both imperial and metric. Perhaps with the exception of fahrenheit most people here will know what you mean if you use units like feet and will often even prefer thinking in feet over metres for certain things. Personally I default to feet for something like…

In Germany, the only things I can think of off the top of my head is bicycles(wheels) and screens, which we measure in inches instead of cm. But I couldn't even tell you how many cm to an inch. I just know how big a 40" TV or a 28" bike is.

In Japan if you buy, say, a 65" TV, it will be labeled a "65 style" with a note that it's about 160 cm diagonal (panel inch sizes are never exact).

The main exception? MacBooks. Those will be labeled e.g. "14 inch" (14インチ).

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#828

Post by jecel »

ben_w wrote: post #757
barsonme wrote: post #688

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m sure the US military is smart enough to put their toys away before the balloon they’ve been watching for a week floats overhead.

Hopefully. But my dad, who worked on (British) military IFF stuff, did have a story about an ICBM early warning system (I think American) that determined an attack was inbound because someone forgot about the Moon.

See the October 5 1960 entry in this list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_close_calls

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#829

Post by iforgotpassword »

zajio1am wrote: post #825
iforgotpassword wrote: post #713

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Germany, the only things I can think of off the top of my head is bicycles(wheels) and screens, which we measure in inches instead of cm. But I couldn't even tell you how many cm to an inch. I just know how big a 40" TV or a 28" bike is.

Here in Czechia, TV screens are in cm, but computer monitors are in inches.

Funnily enough, about ~15 years ago TVs were still in cm, but somehow when flat screens came along (and people generally bought much bigger TVs) we switched to using inches. Computer screens have always been inches afaict.

Re: US jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast

#830

Post by joenot443 »

mulmen wrote: post #773
yosito wrote: post #435

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Americans will measure with anything except the metric system.

This is such a tired cliche. The actual history is far more interesting. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_St... The US was an original signatory of the Meter Convention. Our customary units have been based on metric units since 1893. Our food packaging features metric units. Our scientists use metric units. Our school children learn the metric system. Our military uses the metric system. Our…

Speaking as a Canadian, I’d be surprised if we ever fully culturally metrify, specifically when it comes to height and weight. We just consume too much American media which uses convenient imperial bars like 6’ or 200lbs to ever change, I think.

I actually think we’re somewhat lucky in that most of us can immediately grok a measurement in either system when we see one online.

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