5 ms·
Optical computers, genetic catalogs, nanorepair modules--forget all of that. It's when you see a megaton of steel suspended over your head by a thread the thick
by Sapient 15y ago
Optical computers, genetic catalogs, nanorepair modules--forget all of that. It's when you see a megaton of steel suspended over your head by a thread the thickness of a human hair that you really find God in technology.
* Anonymous Metagenics Dockworker - MorganLink 3DVision Live Interview
- MrJagil 15y agoI hate to be that guy but: "megaton |ˈmegəˌtən| noun a unit of explosive power chiefly used for nuclear weapons, equivalent to one million tons of TNT"
- Bud 15y agoYou're being that guy. Plus, you're wrong. Mega- is a standard SI prefix, and the use of "megaton" to denote one million tons is entirely correct. Yes, it's also true that "megaton" has a second meaning. This fact does not invalidate its other meaning. In fact, if you bother looking this up in actual dictionaries, you'll find that the normal mass definition is often listed first, and the explosive definition is listed second, for what it's worth.
- MrJagil 15y agoWow, sorry man. Didn't mean to waste your time/bother you. I just looked it up in the dictionary I had handy, as the wording seemed strange to me. In any case, I am glad I learned something new today!
- mattmanser 15y agoIt's also a quote from the computer game Alpha Centauri.
- redthrowaway 15y agoWouldn't it be correctly called a "megatonne", as SI prefixes aren't typically applied to imperial units?
- jensnockert 15y agoFor some reason, people write megaton and mean a metric megaton. Megaton as a TNT-equivalent also refers to a metric tonne. But (Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri) is an American game and it could actually refer to a non-metric megaton
- Unseelie 15y agoI believe the world portrayed used metric, though. They at least talk about nano-meters and etc in their blurbs.
- william42 15y agoYeah, a megaton means a megaton worth of TNT.
- Groxx 15y agoI'll be that other guy, because I found the visualization interesting. It's a bit off, but it'd still be mind-bending to see: >... [the equivalent of] 6422 kg on a cable with cross-section of 1 mm2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotube#Strength http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotube#Strength