Text 14860, 115 rader
Skriven 2007-05-23 11:24:11 av Wendy of NJ (1273.babylon5)
     Kommentar till en text av rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Ärende: Re: AGW, rehashed...
============================
On Wed, 23 May 2007 02:47:45 GMT, Amy Guskin <aisling@fjordstone.com>
wrote:

>>> 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 interesting
>>>> article I read yesterday:
>>>>=20
>>>> 'Al Gore has given a great deal of thought to why some people still
>>>> don=92t recognize the cliff we=92re about to drive over. >=20
>>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/magazine/20wwln-gore-t.html?pagewa=
nted=3D2
>>>>=20
>>> <more snippage>
>>>> The problem in a nutshell.
>>>>=20
>>>=20
>>> Hi Josh,
>>> I have been thinking about this for a little while this morning, and=20
>>> maybe this analogy will help.
>>>=20
>>> You are driving along the road, and some folks flag you down.  They t=
ell=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 distance=
,=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 whole =
lot=20
>>> of other folks driving on towards the bridge.  You also see that, bef=
ore=20
>>> driving off, a lot of those folks first shout back to the others "Yes=
,=20
>>> the bridge is out! Go back!" and then get in their cars and zoom forw=
ard.
>>>=20
>>> So, you ask the folks that stopped you how they know the bridge is ou=
t.=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 yo=
u=20
>>> see the bridge?  Did someone come back and tell you?"  And, then you=20
>>> find out that, no, nobody came back.  But, they do have indications t=
hat=20
>>> the bridge had some wear on it, and it just MIGHT be down by the time=
=20
>>> you get there.  Our computers predicted it.  And that the real proble=
m=20
>>> is that, if everyone on the road crosses the bridge, then it will fal=
l=20
>>> down.  Not that it is down NOW...
>>>=20
>>> And, then you see some other folks telling everyone to just go on, th=
at=20
>>> everything is all right, that the bridge is fine.  But, whenever some=
one=20
>>> starts to say that, all those predicting the bridge go over and beat =
the=20
>>> sn@t out of them, until they shut up.  When you ask why they do that,=
=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 beati=
ng=20
>>> the other fellows up, and look at all the folks who just keep on the=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 car,=
 and=20
>having it collapse (the phobia has a name but I don't recall it) -- but =
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, whi=
le=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 on=
e=20
>time on the Rhinebeck Bridge...well, I thought I was going to have to ex=
it=20
>the car and RUN off the bridge, we were stopped so long!
>
>Amy

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.

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.

I also don't enjoy being on the top floor of a high-rise and watching
the chandeliers swing back and forth, either.

-Wendy
--- SBBSecho 2.12-Win32
 * Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (1:14/400)