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"Practicality wasn't the point. Publicity was." The real issues involved here are the Laws of Thermodynamics, Entropy and 'Glass' (Crystals) being the the most
by hilbert42 7y ago
"Practicality wasn't the point. Publicity was."
The real issues involved here are the Laws of Thermodynamics, Entropy and 'Glass' (Crystals) being the the most stable state of matter in the universe. All of these indicate that such longevity is possible (see my main post).
Clearly, the reason that '13.8 Gy' is used here is that it's a well known time interval and it puts the longevity of this technology into perspective in ways that many will understand.
If actually achieved in practical terms then we ought to be hailing this work as a remarkable effort—not quibbling about trivia and silly incidentals.
- kragen 7y agoGlass is the opposite of crystals. Crystals would presumably be longer-lived, but their anisotropy makes them somewhat trickier to work with. Otherwise I agree, and like you, I'm profoundly disappointed by the level of "notacoward"'s comments in this thread so far.
- notacoward 7y agoProject much? "short-sighted to the point of self-parody, like a small child" is how you inserted yourself into the conversation, and "finance-obsessed man-children and brogrammers" is hardly elevated rhetoric either. The common element in all of your bad interactions of which I can see there are many, is X. Solve for X.
- hilbert42 7y agoYou're right of course. I've assumed the stuff would necessarily be crystalline (and would have to be to have such longevity). The word 'glass' here being used for easier digestion by the public. (See my longer post for more details.)