Text 14873, 136 rader
Skriven 2007-05-23 13:36:19 av Richard Fallstrom (1286.babylon5)
     Kommentar till en text av rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Ärende: Re: AGW, rehashed...
============================
In article <qs8853lefi1ipotg2oc53h37k5ereg9oj2@4ax.com>, Wendy of NJ
<voxwoman@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 23 May 2007 02:47:45 GMT, Amy Guskin <aisling@fjordstone.com>
> wrote:
>=20
> >>> On Tue, 22 May 2007 21:39:20 -0400, Wendy of NJ wrote
> >(in article <2p6753136qbl6r988vfrvhc2j0duscruql@4ax.com>):
> >
> >> On Tue, 22 May 2007 08:30:30 -0700, Charlie Edmondson
> >> <edmondson@ieee.org> wrote:
> >>=20
> >>> Josh Hill wrote:
> >>> <snippage>
> >>>> But this really isn't about the science at all. From an interestin=
g
> >>>> article I read yesterday:
> >>>>=20
> >>>> 'Al Gore has given a great deal of thought to why some people stil=
l
> >>>> don=E2=80=9At recognize the cliff we=E2=80=9Are about to drive ove=
r. >=20
> >>>>
> >>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/magazine/20wwln-gore-t.html?page=
wanted=3D
> >>>> 2
> >>>>=20
> >>> <more snippage>
> >>>> The problem in a nutshell.
> >>>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> Hi Josh,
> >>> I have been thinking about this for a little while this morning, an=
d=20
> >>> maybe this analogy will help.
> >>>=20
> >>> You are driving along the road, and some folks flag you down.  They=
 tell=20
> >>> you the bridge is out ahead, so you need to turn around.
> >>>=20
> >>> But, something doesn't seem right, and, as you look into the distan=
ce,=20
> >>> you can't see the bridge because of the fog that has come up.  You =
do=20
> >>> see a bunch of folks trying to turn around, but you also see a whol=
e lot=20
> >>> of other folks driving on towards the bridge.  You also see that, b=
efore=20
> >>> driving off, a lot of those folks first shout back to the others "Y=
es,=20
> >>> the bridge is out! Go back!" and then get in their cars and zoom fo=
rward.
> >>>=20
> >>> So, you ask the folks that stopped you how they know the bridge is =
out.=20
> >>> They confidently tell you "Because we KNOW!" So, you think about=20
> >>> turning around, but then you ask again "How did you find out?  Did =
you=20
> >>> see the bridge?  Did someone come back and tell you?"  And, then yo=
u=20
> >>> find out that, no, nobody came back.  But, they do have indications=
 that=20
> >>> the bridge had some wear on it, and it just MIGHT be down by the ti=
me=20
> >>> you get there.  Our computers predicted it.  And that the real prob=
lem=20
> >>> is that, if everyone on the road crosses the bridge, then it will f=
all=20
> >>> down.  Not that it is down NOW...
> >>>=20
> >>> And, then you see some other folks telling everyone to just go on, =
that=20
> >>> everything is all right, that the bridge is fine.  But, whenever so=
meone=20
> >>> starts to say that, all those predicting the bridge go over and bea=
t the=20
> >>> sn@t out of them, until they shut up.  When you ask why they do tha=
t,=20
> >>> they say "Those are the bridge construction people.  They want the=20
> >>> bridge to fall so that they can build a new one!"
> >>>=20
> >>> So, you look at the guys shouting for you to stop, look at them bea=
ting=20
> >>> the other fellows up, and look at all the folks who just keep on th=
e=20
> >>> road, and need to make up your mind.
> >>>=20
> >>> Me, I get in my car, and slow down in the fog...
> >>>=20
> >>=20
> >> And is the road the Merritt Parkway, by any chance? <<
> >
> >I have _always_ had that fear -- the one of being on a bridge, in a ca=
r, and=20
> >having it collapse (the phobia has a name but I don't recall it) -- bu=
t it=20
> >got exponentially worse when the Merritt Parkway collapsed when I was =
in=20
> >college.  Now, anytime I'm (shudder) stopped in traffic on a bridge, w=
hile=20
> >I'm hyperventilating, I'm thinking about that Merritt Parkway bridge=20
> >collapse!  :-O
> >
> >I don't usually get stopped for long amounts of time on a bridge, but =
one=20
> >time on the Rhinebeck Bridge...well, I thought I was going to have to =
exit=20
> >the car and RUN off the bridge, we were stopped so long!
> >
> >Amy
>=20
> The scary bridge thing for me is the film of the Tacoma Narrows bridge
> (that is shown in Physics classes when the topic is "resonant
> frequency") - the bridge that started twisting because of the
> prevailing winds in the area, and basically vibrated itself to pieces.
>=20
> I was not happy being stuck on the Goethal's bridge (which is already
> too narrow for my taste, especially when sharing the road with any
> truck), and feeling it BOUNCE.
>=20
> I also don't enjoy being on the top floor of a high-rise and watching
> the chandeliers swing back and forth, either.
>=20
> -Wendy
>=20
The original narrows bridge, known as Galloping Gertie, was opened in
1940 with one of my electronics instructors manning the audio for the
event. I believe 11 months later, as depicted in the Disney film "They
called the wind Mariah", it tumbled into the waters below after shaking
itself apart. The car seen in that part of the film (and others) had a
dog in it the owner was not able to retrieve.=20

Rick (sometimes is a GentleRF and sometimes is not)
=2E
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