4 ms·

What's more likely: 1) Missing pieces of a plane that disapeared and probably crashed in an unknown location in the Indian Ocean suddenly turn up near each oth

What's more likely: 1) Missing pieces of a plane that disapeared and probably crashed in an unknown location in the Indian Ocean suddenly turn up near each other, lacking barnacles, etc. 2) Someone is sick enough to perpetrate a fraud to get attention or for other reasons. In the case of very unlikely events, #2 is unfortunately always a serious alternative hypothesis.

wfunction 11y ago
Not that I know anything about the matter, but the photos look pretty convincing to me.
- lololomg 11y ago
  I'm no expert but I really don't think those photos looks like debris that's been floating in the ocean for 2 years.
anexprogrammer 11y ago
Going on what we know (sod all), it seems just as likely that the lack of barnacles is down to different materials between the pieces. Maybe some pieces are too smooth or the wrong flavour? The photo with barnacles attached seems to show them aggregating on the framework and edges only, so maybe they just don't like the paint. I'd expect a lot of parts to show up together due to the action of tides and currents.
- huuu 11y ago
  My first thought was that maybe breaker waves cleaned up the found parts just like in tumble cleaners.
- madaxe_again 11y ago
  Barnacles tend to aggregate on pretty much anything - smooth or no. Talk to any boat owner. The only reason they'd be barnacle free is if the paint is in some way ablative, and comes off in layers - which is how marine anti-barnacle paint works - it's very unlikely they'd lack them otherwise.
  - dhimes 11y ago
    There is also paint that is poisonous to the barnacles- that's how anti-barnacle paint used to work in the marine industry. But having all of that poison (for example, lead was famously used back in the day) was determined to not be good for the our environmental health. Since planes are in a different environment, it's possible that they use paint that is toxic to barnacles (but perhaps is otherwise unsuitable as marine bottom paint).
    - madaxe_again 11y ago
      That's true - fair point.
    - inanutshellus 11y ago
      I always put anti-barnacle paint on my airplanes. Those things are terrible for aerodynamic flow and seriously increase drag. ;-)
- hanoz 11y ago
  I'm no expert, but I've seen plenty of flotsam and jetsam on beaches in my time, and I can't recall seeing a barnacle on any of it.
aaron695 11y ago
> Someone is sick enough to perpetrate a fraud to get attention or for other reasons. The entire interest in the 370 is purely entertainment. Missing planes, who's occupants are dead and we can learn nothing from are much more interesting than poor African kids, who are yet to, but will die of simple stoppable issues. If someone faked this picture it's no more sick than this original interest. (And also unlikely, it's a boring punk)
- BillinghamJ 11y ago
  Actually the main reason that we're striving to find this plane is so that we can find out what exactly happened, in order to ensure it won't happen again to the other planes. FAA regulations are written in blood.
- reitanqild 11y ago
  While I see your point I guess I should refer you to the guidelines: "On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting." - https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html A lot of us find plane crashes are interesting for the same reasons that we read or watched detective stories etc at some point, only plane crashes and other real world events are far more interesting to me at least. That doesn't mean we don't care about Africa. Some of us do and it might be helpful for you to know that to mea at least you come off as judging and not as someone I'd like to work with on those matters.
- dzhiurgis 11y ago
  > much more interesting than poor African kids But that applies to anything that is not directly related to poor African kids, doesn't it? You are not going to solve hunger by pouring ship fuel and airplane engineers into the pastures of Africa anyways. I agree that MH370 story is entertaining though.
- ekianjo 11y ago
  So when you eat breakfast lunch and dinner do you spend 1 hour feeling sick to your stomach about all poor people suffering on Earth or do you have peace of mind like most of us do?
dzhiurgis 11y ago
By the same logic, if you are faking these, why not fake the barnacles then?
- colejohnson66 11y ago
  Fraudsters can be lazy

wfunction 11y ago

Not that I know anything about the matter, but the photos look pretty convincing to me.

lololomg 11y ago
I'm no expert but I really don't think those photos looks like debris that's been floating in the ocean for 2 years.

anexprogrammer 11y ago

Going on what we know (sod all), it seems just as likely that the lack of barnacles is down to different materials between the pieces. Maybe some pieces are too smooth or the wrong flavour? The photo with barnacles attached seems to show them aggregating on the framework and edges only, so maybe they just don't like the paint. I'd expect a lot of parts to show up together due to the action of tides and currents.

huuu 11y ago
My first thought was that maybe breaker waves cleaned up the found parts just like in tumble cleaners.
madaxe_again 11y ago
Barnacles tend to aggregate on pretty much anything - smooth or no. Talk to any boat owner. The only reason they'd be barnacle free is if the paint is in some way ablative, and comes off in layers - which is how marine anti-barnacle paint works - it's very unlikely they'd lack them otherwise.
- dhimes 11y ago
  There is also paint that is poisonous to the barnacles- that's how anti-barnacle paint used to work in the marine industry. But having all of that poison (for example, lead was famously used back in the day) was determined to not be good for the our environmental health. Since planes are in a different environment, it's possible that they use paint that is toxic to barnacles (but perhaps is otherwise unsuitable as marine bottom paint).
  - madaxe_again 11y ago
    That's true - fair point.
  - inanutshellus 11y ago
    I always put anti-barnacle paint on my airplanes. Those things are terrible for aerodynamic flow and seriously increase drag. ;-)
hanoz 11y ago
I'm no expert, but I've seen plenty of flotsam and jetsam on beaches in my time, and I can't recall seeing a barnacle on any of it.

aaron695 11y ago

> Someone is sick enough to perpetrate a fraud to get attention or for other reasons. The entire interest in the 370 is purely entertainment. Missing planes, who's occupants are dead and we can learn nothing from are much more interesting than poor African kids, who are yet to, but will die of simple stoppable issues. If someone faked this picture it's no more sick than this original interest. (And also unlikely, it's a boring punk)

BillinghamJ 11y ago
Actually the main reason that we're striving to find this plane is so that we can find out what exactly happened, in order to ensure it won't happen again to the other planes. FAA regulations are written in blood.
reitanqild 11y ago
While I see your point I guess I should refer you to the guidelines: "On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting." - https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html A lot of us find plane crashes are interesting for the same reasons that we read or watched detective stories etc at some point, only plane crashes and other real world events are far more interesting to me at least. That doesn't mean we don't care about Africa. Some of us do and it might be helpful for you to know that to mea at least you come off as judging and not as someone I'd like to work with on those matters.
dzhiurgis 11y ago
> much more interesting than poor African kids But that applies to anything that is not directly related to poor African kids, doesn't it? You are not going to solve hunger by pouring ship fuel and airplane engineers into the pastures of Africa anyways. I agree that MH370 story is entertaining though.
ekianjo 11y ago
So when you eat breakfast lunch and dinner do you spend 1 hour feeling sick to your stomach about all poor people suffering on Earth or do you have peace of mind like most of us do?

dzhiurgis 11y ago

By the same logic, if you are faking these, why not fake the barnacles then?

colejohnson66 11y ago
Fraudsters can be lazy