More Powers, More Problems: The Logistical Challenges of Superheroes

Inadvertent naturism and other challenges of superbeings.

https://www.tor.com/2023/06/09/more-powers-more-problems-the-logistical-challenges-of-superheroes/
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

On 6/9/2023 9:18 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
> More Powers, More Problems: The Logistical Challenges of Superheroes
>
> Inadvertent naturism and other challenges of superbeings.
>
> https://www.tor.com/2023/06/09/more-powers-more-problems-the-logistical-challenges-of-superheroes/

I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
and its sequels. 6X strength, XX stamina, much faster responses, 30
minutes of oxygen in the abdomen, skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers, all bones strengthened
with light metal alloys, eyes replaced with focusable cameras and range
into the upper violet and lower red, clamps on all major arteries and
veins for sudden loss, life extension to 600+ years. I mean, how do you
get the brain past 100 years ? Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
https://www.amazon.com/Mutineers-Moon-Dahak-David-Weber/dp/0671720856/

Lynn

On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
> and its sequels. 6X strength,

I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.

> XX stamina,

EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.

> much faster responses,

Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
Good luck with that one.

> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,

Dunno.

> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,

That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.

> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,

We're talking about living tissue here.

> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,

Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.

> eyes replaced with focusable cameras

Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
power supply.

> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,

Sounds doable.

> life extension to 600+ years.

Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.

> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.

Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de

On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
>
> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>
>> XX stamina,
>
> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>
>> much faster responses,
>
> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
> Good luck with that one.
>
>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>
> Dunno.
>
>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>
> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
>
>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>
> We're talking about living tissue here.
>
>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>
> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>
>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>
> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
> power supply.
>
>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>
> Sounds doable.
>
>> life extension to 600+ years.
>
> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>
>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>
> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.

Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.

Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
(and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.

I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.

Lynn

On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 8:33:10 PM UTC+1, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 6/9/2023 9:18 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
> > More Powers, More Problems: The Logistical Challenges of Superheroes
> >
> > Inadvertent naturism and other challenges of superbeings.
> >
> > https://www.tor.com/2023/06/09/more-powers-more-problems-the-logistical-challenges-of-superheroes/
> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
> and its sequels. 6X strength, XX stamina, much faster responses, 30
> minutes of oxygen in the abdomen, skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers, all bones strengthened
> with light metal alloys, eyes replaced with focusable cameras and range
> into the upper violet and lower red, clamps on all major arteries and
> veins for sudden loss, life extension to 600+ years. I mean, how do you
> get the brain past 100 years ? Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
> https://www.amazon.com/Mutineers-Moon-Dahak-David-Weber/dp/0671720856/
>
> Lynn
James White had a nice devil's bargain idea - unselective rejuvenation. It can be repeated indefinitely, and includes the brain, but has the disadvantage of memory loss as a side effect.

On Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 9:30:08 AM UTC+10, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
> > and its sequels. 6X strength,
> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>
We've traded off on stamina, individual human and chimpanzee muscles are about the same strength but we have a much higher proportion of slow twitch muscles rather than fast twitch so we can't generate the same force but we have much higher endurance than almost any other animal
I believe the only land animal that compares are canines
Neanderthals had more muscle and more extreme differences in their dominant arms (modern humans are normally 4-13% more muscle mass in the dominant arm, some neanderthals had more than 50% difference)

> > XX stamina,
>
> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>
> > much faster responses,
>
> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
> Good luck with that one.

more fast twitch muscles could do it

> > 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
> Dunno.

that could be in a pressurised vessel with a controlled connection to the lungs (or direct release into the blood stream)

> > skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
> > all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
> We're talking about living tissue here.
> > all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
> > eyes replaced with focusable cameras
> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
> power supply.

We have technology that can interface with the optical section of the brain
It's been used to provide some totally blind people with some vision
Generally more usable on people who've become blind after they could see because the visual cortex has already been trained (and is somewhat plastic)

> > clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
> Sounds doable.
> > life extension to 600+ years.
> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-humans-live-so-long/
has some suggestions

There's a general rule of thumb that for most animals with a cardiovascular system you get about the same number of heartbeats in a lifetime
we're outliers there with about 2.5 billion compared to 1.0 to 1.5 billion for most animals

> > Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.

On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 7:30:08 PM UTC-4, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
> > and its sequels. 6X strength,
> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>
> > XX stamina,
>
> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>
> > much faster responses,
>
> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
> Good luck with that one.
> > 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
> Dunno.
> > skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
> > all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
> We're talking about living tissue here.
> > all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
> > eyes replaced with focusable cameras

> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
> power supply.

We're getting there.
https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_prosthesis

Though it's been a bumpy road:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/bionic-eye-obsolete

Pt

On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
>>
>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>>
>>> XX stamina,
>>
>> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>>
>>> much faster responses,
>>
>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
>> Good luck with that one.
>>
>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>>
>> Dunno.
>>
>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>
>> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
>>
>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>>
>> We're talking about living tissue here.
>>
>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>>
>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>>
>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>>
>> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
>> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
>> power supply.
>>
>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>>
>> Sounds doable.
>>
>>> life extension to 600+ years.
>>
>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>>
>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>
>> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
>> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
>> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
>
>Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
>rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.
>
>Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
>(and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
>stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
>mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
>
>I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.

IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
were active at night.

His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
particularly if they are eating fruit.
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
>>>
>>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
>>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
>>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>>>
>>>> XX stamina,
>>>
>>> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>>>
>>>> much faster responses,
>>>
>>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
>>> Good luck with that one.
>>>
>>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>>>
>>> Dunno.
>>>
>>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>>
>>> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
>>>
>>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>>>
>>> We're talking about living tissue here.
>>>
>>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>>>
>>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>>>
>>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>>>
>>> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
>>> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
>>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
>>> power supply.
>>>
>>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>>>
>>> Sounds doable.
>>>
>>>> life extension to 600+ years.
>>>
>>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
>>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
>>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
>>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>>>
>>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>>
>>> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
>>> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
>>> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
>>
>> Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
>> rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.
>>
>> Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
>> (and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
>> stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
>> mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
>>
>> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
>
> IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
> visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
> were active at night.
>
> His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
> particularly if they are eating fruit.

So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
bat that we know of today is under six feet....

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 1:06:15 PM UTC-4, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> > On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
> > <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
> >>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
> >>>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
> >>>
> >>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
> >>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
> >>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
> >>>
> >>>> XX stamina,
> >>>
> >>> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
> >>>
> >>>> much faster responses,
> >>>
> >>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
> >>> Good luck with that one.
> >>>
> >>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
> >>>
> >>> Dunno.
> >>>
> >>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
> >>>
> >>> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
> >>>
> >>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
> >>>
> >>> We're talking about living tissue here.
> >>>
> >>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
> >>>
> >>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
> >>>
> >>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
> >>>
> >>> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
> >>> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
> >>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
> >>> power supply.
> >>>
> >>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
> >>>
> >>> Sounds doable.
> >>>
> >>>> life extension to 600+ years.
> >>>
> >>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
> >>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
> >>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
> >>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
> >>>
> >>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
> >>>
> >>> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
> >>> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
> >>> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
> >>
> >> Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
> >> rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.
> >>
> >> Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
> >> (and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
> >> stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
> >> mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
> >>
> >> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
> >> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
> >> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
> >
> > IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
> > visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
> > were active at night.
> >
> > His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
> > particularly if they are eating fruit.
> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan
> of a bat that we know of today is under six feet....

It's a well established fact that the wingspan of a bat is directly
proportional to how dark it is.

On 6/9/2023 11:44 PM, Andrew McDowell wrote:
> On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 8:33:10 PM UTC+1, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> On 6/9/2023 9:18 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> More Powers, More Problems: The Logistical Challenges of Superheroes
>>>
>>> Inadvertent naturism and other challenges of superbeings.
>>>
>>> https://www.tor.com/2023/06/09/more-powers-more-problems-the-logistical-challenges-of-superheroes/
>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>> and its sequels. 6X strength, XX stamina, much faster responses, 30
>> minutes of oxygen in the abdomen, skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers, all bones strengthened
>> with light metal alloys, eyes replaced with focusable cameras and range
>> into the upper violet and lower red, clamps on all major arteries and
>> veins for sudden loss, life extension to 600+ years. I mean, how do you
>> get the brain past 100 years ? Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>> https://www.amazon.com/Mutineers-Moon-Dahak-David-Weber/dp/0671720856/
>>
>> Lynn
> James White had a nice devil's bargain idea - unselective rejuvenation. It can be repeated indefinitely, and includes the brain, but has the disadvantage of memory loss as a side effect.

Sounds like Robert Heinlein's rejuvenation in "Time Enough For Love"
where they were forcing a rejuvenation on the 3,000+ year old Senior,
Lazarus Long.

BTW, you can still buy new copies.
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Enough-Love-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441810764/

Lynn

On 6/10/2023 10:25 AM, Ahasuerus wrote:
> On Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 1:06:15 PM UTC-4, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>> On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>>> <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>>>>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>>>>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
>>>>>
>>>>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
>>>>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
>>>>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>>>>>
>>>>>> XX stamina,
>>>>>
>>>>> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>>>>>
>>>>>> much faster responses,
>>>>>
>>>>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
>>>>> Good luck with that one.
>>>>>
>>>>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>>>>>
>>>>> Dunno.
>>>>>
>>>>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>>>>
>>>>> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
>>>>>
>>>>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>>>>>
>>>>> We're talking about living tissue here.
>>>>>
>>>>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>>>>>
>>>>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>>>>>
>>>>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>>>>>
>>>>> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
>>>>> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
>>>>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
>>>>> power supply.
>>>>>
>>>>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>>>>>
>>>>> Sounds doable.
>>>>>
>>>>>> life extension to 600+ years.
>>>>>
>>>>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
>>>>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
>>>>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
>>>>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>>>>
>>>>> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
>>>>> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
>>>>> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
>>>>
>>>> Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
>>>> rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.
>>>>
>>>> Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
>>>> (and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
>>>> stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
>>>> mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
>>>>
>>>> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>>>> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>>>> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
>>>
>>> IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
>>> visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
>>> were active at night.
>>>
>>> His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
>>> particularly if they are eating fruit.
>> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan
>> of a bat that we know of today is under six feet....
>
> It's a well established fact that the wingspan of a bat is directly
> proportional to how dark it is.

:D

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 3:02:27 PM UTC-4, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 6/9/2023 11:44 PM, Andrew McDowell wrote:
> > On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 8:33:10 PM UTC+1, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> >> On 6/9/2023 9:18 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
> >>> More Powers, More Problems: The Logistical Challenges of Superheroes
> >>>
> >>> Inadvertent naturism and other challenges of superbeings.
> >>>
> >>> https://www.tor.com/2023/06/09/more-powers-more-problems-the-logistical-challenges-of-superheroes/
> >> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
> >> and its sequels. 6X strength, XX stamina, much faster responses, 30
> >> minutes of oxygen in the abdomen, skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
> >> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers, all bones strengthened
> >> with light metal alloys, eyes replaced with focusable cameras and range
> >> into the upper violet and lower red, clamps on all major arteries and
> >> veins for sudden loss, life extension to 600+ years. I mean, how do you
> >> get the brain past 100 years ? Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
> >> https://www.amazon.com/Mutineers-Moon-Dahak-David-Weber/dp/0671720856/
> >>
> >> Lynn
> > James White had a nice devil's bargain idea - unselective rejuvenation. It can be repeated indefinitely, and includes the brain, but has the disadvantage of memory loss as a side effect.
> Sounds like Robert Heinlein's rejuvenation in "Time Enough For Love"
> where they were forcing a rejuvenation on the 3,000+ year old Senior,
> Lazarus Long.

I thought he was a mere 2000 at the time. Just a young lad.

Keith Laumer and Rosel Brown had a more aggressive rejuvenating process in "Earthblood".

Two older men go for rejuvenation but only one survives.

William Hyde

On Saturday, 10 June 2023 at 18:06:15 UTC+1, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> > On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
> > <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
> >> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
> >> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
> >
> > IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
> > visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
> > were active at night.
> >
> > His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
> > particularly if they are eating fruit.
>
> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
> bat that we know of today is under six feet....

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Barry>
has mostly written comedy, as far as I see there.

On 6/10/2023 2:35 PM, William Hyde wrote:
> On Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 3:02:27 PM UTC-4, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> On 6/9/2023 11:44 PM, Andrew McDowell wrote:
>>> On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 8:33:10 PM UTC+1, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>>>> On 6/9/2023 9:18 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>>> More Powers, More Problems: The Logistical Challenges of Superheroes
>>>>>
>>>>> Inadvertent naturism and other challenges of superbeings.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.tor.com/2023/06/09/more-powers-more-problems-the-logistical-challenges-of-superheroes/
>>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>>> and its sequels. 6X strength, XX stamina, much faster responses, 30
>>>> minutes of oxygen in the abdomen, skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers, all bones strengthened
>>>> with light metal alloys, eyes replaced with focusable cameras and range
>>>> into the upper violet and lower red, clamps on all major arteries and
>>>> veins for sudden loss, life extension to 600+ years. I mean, how do you
>>>> get the brain past 100 years ? Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Mutineers-Moon-Dahak-David-Weber/dp/0671720856/
>>>>
>>>> Lynn
>>> James White had a nice devil's bargain idea - unselective rejuvenation. It can be repeated indefinitely, and includes the brain, but has the disadvantage of memory loss as a side effect.
>> Sounds like Robert Heinlein's rejuvenation in "Time Enough For Love"
>> where they were forcing a rejuvenation on the 3,000+ year old Senior,
>> Lazarus Long.
>
> I thought he was a mere 2000 at the time. Just a young lad.
>
> Keith Laumer and Rosel Brown had a more aggressive rejuvenating process in "Earthblood".
>
> Two older men go for rejuvenation but only one survives.
>
> William Hyde

You are correct sir. Lazarus Long was born in 1916 and TEFL is set in
4272. A difference of 2356 years.

Lynn

On Sat, 10 Jun 2023 13:29:01 -0700 (PDT), Robert Carnegie
<rja.carnegie@excite.com> wrote:

>On Saturday, 10 June 2023 at 18:06:15 UTC+1, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>> > On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>> > <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>> >> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>> >> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
>> >
>> > IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
>> > visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
>> > were active at night.
>> >
>> > His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
>> > particularly if they are eating fruit.
>>
>> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
>> bat that we know of today is under six feet....
>
><https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Barry>
>has mostly written comedy, as far as I see there.

Indeed he has, but a lot of it is reality-based.

His movie reviews, although rare, are hilariously to the point.

It has been years since I was able to read him.
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

On Sat, 10 Jun 2023 10:06:11 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

>On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>>>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>>>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
>>>>
>>>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
>>>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
>>>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>>>>
>>>>> XX stamina,
>>>>
>>>> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>>>>
>>>>> much faster responses,
>>>>
>>>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
>>>> Good luck with that one.
>>>>
>>>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>>>>
>>>> Dunno.
>>>>
>>>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>>>
>>>> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
>>>>
>>>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>>>>
>>>> We're talking about living tissue here.
>>>>
>>>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>>>>
>>>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>>>>
>>>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>>>>
>>>> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
>>>> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
>>>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
>>>> power supply.
>>>>
>>>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>>>>
>>>> Sounds doable.
>>>>
>>>>> life extension to 600+ years.
>>>>
>>>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
>>>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
>>>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
>>>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>>>>
>>>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>>>
>>>> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
>>>> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
>>>> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
>>>
>>> Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
>>> rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.
>>>
>>> Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
>>> (and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
>>> stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
>>> mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
>>>
>>> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>>> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>>> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
>>
>> IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
>> visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
>> were active at night.
>>
>> His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
>> particularly if they are eating fruit.
>
>So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
>bat that we know of today is under six feet....

"Fruit bats are some of the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan
that can exceed six feet." This is from
[https://allanimalfacts.com/fruit-bat/#Fruit_Bat_Size].

However, you are correct that this is less than WW2 fighter wingspans.

--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

On 6/11/2023 8:35 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Jun 2023 10:06:11 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
> <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>
>> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>> On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>>>>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>>>>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
>>>>>
>>>>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
>>>>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
>>>>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>>>>>
>>>>>> XX stamina,
>>>>>
>>>>> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>>>>>
>>>>>> much faster responses,
>>>>>
>>>>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
>>>>> Good luck with that one.
>>>>>
>>>>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>>>>>
>>>>> Dunno.
>>>>>
>>>>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>>>>
>>>>> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
>>>>>
>>>>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>>>>>
>>>>> We're talking about living tissue here.
>>>>>
>>>>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>>>>>
>>>>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>>>>>
>>>>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>>>>>
>>>>> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
>>>>> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
>>>>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
>>>>> power supply.
>>>>>
>>>>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>>>>>
>>>>> Sounds doable.
>>>>>
>>>>>> life extension to 600+ years.
>>>>>
>>>>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
>>>>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
>>>>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
>>>>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>>>>
>>>>> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
>>>>> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
>>>>> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
>>>>
>>>> Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
>>>> rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.
>>>>
>>>> Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
>>>> (and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
>>>> stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
>>>> mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
>>>>
>>>> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>>>> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>>>> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
>>>
>>> IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
>>> visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
>>> were active at night.
>>>
>>> His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
>>> particularly if they are eating fruit.
>>
>> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
>> bat that we know of today is under six feet....
>
> "Fruit bats are some of the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan
> that can exceed six feet." This is from
> [https://allanimalfacts.com/fruit-bat/#Fruit_Bat_Size].
>
> However, you are correct that this is less than WW2 fighter wingspans.
>
Hmmm, my first search appears to have been defective. A new search
mentions the giant golden-crowned flying fox having a possible wingspan
of seven feet.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Sun, 11 Jun 2023 09:22:09 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

>On 6/11/2023 8:35 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On Sat, 10 Jun 2023 10:06:11 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
>> <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>
>>> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>>>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>>>>>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>>>>>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
>>>>>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
>>>>>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> XX stamina,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> much faster responses,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
>>>>>> Good luck with that one.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dunno.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We're talking about living tissue here.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
>>>>>> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
>>>>>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
>>>>>> power supply.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sounds doable.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> life extension to 600+ years.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
>>>>>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
>>>>>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
>>>>>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
>>>>>> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
>>>>>> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
>>>>> rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.
>>>>>
>>>>> Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
>>>>> (and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
>>>>> stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
>>>>> mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
>>>>>
>>>>> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>>>>> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>>>>> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
>>>>
>>>> IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
>>>> visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
>>>> were active at night.
>>>>
>>>> His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
>>>> particularly if they are eating fruit.
>>>
>>> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
>>> bat that we know of today is under six feet....
>>
>> "Fruit bats are some of the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan
>> that can exceed six feet." This is from
>> [https://allanimalfacts.com/fruit-bat/#Fruit_Bat_Size].
>>
>> However, you are correct that this is less than WW2 fighter wingspans.
>>
>Hmmm, my first search appears to have been defective. A new search
>mentions the giant golden-crowned flying fox having a possible wingspan
>of seven feet.

The question, of course, is: is it's lifting capacity sufficient to
fly off with, say, a two-year-old?

Note: local warnings about not leaving pets out at night lest they
become critter fodder also warn about leaving small children out at
night for the same reason.

Small child -- large dog -- it's all the same to a cougar.
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

On Saturday, 10 June 2023 at 21:29:07 UTC+1, Robert Carnegie wrote:
> On Saturday, 10 June 2023 at 18:06:15 UTC+1, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> > On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> > > On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
> > > <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
> > >> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
> > >> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
> > >
> > > IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
> > > visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
> > > were active at night.
> > >
> > > His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
> > > particularly if they are eating fruit.
> >
> > So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
> > bat that we know of today is under six feet....
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Barry>
> has mostly written comedy, as far as I see there.

I noticed that the original claim was by "Dave Berry",
so I looked more carefully.

And this is Dave Barry - one version of the story.
But the article actually is about something else.
<https://www.chron.com/life/article/Barry-Financial-woes-spell-trouble-in-Tonga-2068293.php>

"The Kingdom of Tonga, as you know if you just now
looked it up in the encyclopedia, is a nation way out
in the Pacific Ocean consisting of roughly 170 small
islands (the exact number depends on the height of
the waves). Tonga boasts a monarchy-style government
and an ecology that features a huge fruit bat whose
actual, legal bat name is the "giant flying fox."
The giant flying fox has a wingspan of up to 2 meters,
which -- when converted from Metric to Normal -- means
this thing is basically a commuter aircraft with claws.
So my advice would be, if you are ever in Tonga, do NOT
allow your small children to walk around outdoors at
night holding fruit."

This isn't quite true. 2 meters is just under 79 inches,
say six and a half feet, and at that, it seems to be overstated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteropus> includes current
creatures currently considered to be properly in the
"flying fox" family, and they go up to 1.5m. And apparently
there is no "giant flying fox" per se. They can do "large flying
fox", "great flying fox", and "giant golden-crowned flying fox".
A fox which can fly is impressive if you think about, but so
is "megabat".

I don't think they steal children, but I wonder if they
would steal fruit /from/ children, which may involve biting.

On 6/9/23 07:18, James Nicoll wrote:
> More Powers, More Problems: The Logistical Challenges of Superheroes
>
> Inadvertent naturism and other challenges of superbeings.
>
> https://www.tor.com/2023/06/09/more-powers-more-problems-the-logistical-challenges-of-superheroes/

I haven't seen Larry Niven's "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" mentioned.
I can see that as a real problem, from a heterosexual male point of view.
--
Dave Scruggs
Captain, Boulder Creek Fire (Retired)
Sr. Software Engineer (Retired, mostly)

On 6/12/2023 11:18 AM, Robert Carnegie wrote:
> On Saturday, 10 June 2023 at 21:29:07 UTC+1, Robert Carnegie wrote:
>> On Saturday, 10 June 2023 at 18:06:15 UTC+1, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>>> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>>>> <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>>>>> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>>>>> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
>>>>
>>>> IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
>>>> visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
>>>> were active at night.
>>>>
>>>> His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
>>>> particularly if they are eating fruit.
>>>
>>> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
>>> bat that we know of today is under six feet....
>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Barry>
>> has mostly written comedy, as far as I see there.
>
> I noticed that the original claim was by "Dave Berry",
> so I looked more carefully.
>
> And this is Dave Barry - one version of the story.
> But the article actually is about something else.
> <https://www.chron.com/life/article/Barry-Financial-woes-spell-trouble-in-Tonga-2068293.php>
>
> "The Kingdom of Tonga, as you know if you just now
> looked it up in the encyclopedia, is a nation way out
> in the Pacific Ocean consisting of roughly 170 small
> islands (the exact number depends on the height of
> the waves). Tonga boasts a monarchy-style government
> and an ecology that features a huge fruit bat whose
> actual, legal bat name is the "giant flying fox."
> The giant flying fox has a wingspan of up to 2 meters,
> which -- when converted from Metric to Normal -- means
> this thing is basically a commuter aircraft with claws.
> So my advice would be, if you are ever in Tonga, do NOT
> allow your small children to walk around outdoors at
> night holding fruit."
>
> This isn't quite true. 2 meters is just under 79 inches,
> say six and a half feet, and at that, it seems to be overstated.
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteropus> includes current
> creatures currently considered to be properly in the
> "flying fox" family, and they go up to 1.5m. And apparently
> there is no "giant flying fox" per se. They can do "large flying
> fox", "great flying fox", and "giant golden-crowned flying fox".
> A fox which can fly is impressive if you think about, but so
> is "megabat".
>
> I don't think they steal children, but I wonder if they
> would steal fruit /from/ children, which may involve biting.

Considering that even the largest bats weigh less than 5 pounds carrying
away even a very small child seems like a very remote possibility.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 6/10/23 10:06, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>>>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>>>> and its sequels.  6X strength,
>>>>
>>>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger.  This raises
>>>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
>>>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>>>>
>>>>> XX stamina,
>>>>
>>>> EPO.  Lot's of EPO.  Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>>>>
>>>>> much faster responses,
>>>>
>>>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
>>>> Good luck with that one.
>>>>
>>>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>>>>
>>>> Dunno.
>>>>
>>>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>>>
>>>> That sounds incredibly naive.  Skin is a complex organ.
>>>>
>>>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>>>>
>>>> We're talking about living tissue here.
>>>>
>>>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>>>>
>>>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>>>>
>>>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>>>>
>>>> Hahahaha.  I want to see how you interface that with the optic
>>>> nerve.  Trained from birth, I assume?  Also, electronic,
>>>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
>>>> power supply.
>>>>
>>>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>>>>
>>>> Sounds doable.
>>>>
>>>>> life extension to 600+ years.
>>>>
>>>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
>>>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse.  I don't care
>>>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
>>>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>>>>
>>>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>>>
>>>> Where's the problem?  You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
>>>> makes it happen.  Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
>>>> suggestions: "nanotech".  There.  That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
>>>
>>> Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
>>> rocks.  So, incredibly advanced from us.
>>>
>>> Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
>>> (and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
>>> stamina you get.  The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
>>> mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
>>>
>>> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>>> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !).  And, we cannot be carried
>>> off by an owl or a hawk.  Or an eagle.
>>
>> IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
>> visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
>> were active at night.
>>
>> His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
>> particularly if they are eating fruit.
>
> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
> bat that we know of today is under six feet....
>
Having read all of the followups to this comment, I am thinking that
there are some people who are satire and sarcasm awareness deficient. Or
maybe I am oblivious to their sarcasm and satire.

--
Dave Scruggs
Captain, Boulder Creek Fire (Retired)
Sr. Software Engineer (Retired, mostly)

On 6/12/2023 8:42 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Sun, 11 Jun 2023 09:22:09 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
> <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>
>> On 6/11/2023 8:35 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>> On Sat, 10 Jun 2023 10:06:11 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
>>> <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 6/10/2023 9:08 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>>>> On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 19:02:38 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>>>>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 6/9/2023 5:57 PM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>>>>>>> On 2023-06-09, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I have been wondering about the human body rebuilds in Mutineer's Moon
>>>>>>>> and its sequels. 6X strength,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I keep reading how non-human apes are so much stronger. This raises
>>>>>>> the question if some fairly small musculoskeletal adaptations could
>>>>>>> have a big effect and what the drawbacks would be.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> XX stamina,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> EPO. Lot's of EPO. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> much faster responses,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Oooh, re-engineering the nervous system, aren't we?
>>>>>>> Good luck with that one.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> 30 minutes of oxygen in the abdomen,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Dunno.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> skin replaced with an elastic polymer,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> That sounds incredibly naive. Skin is a complex organ.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> all tendons and muscles replaced with polymers,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We're talking about living tissue here.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> all bones strengthened with light metal alloys,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sure, basically a more advanced form of orthopedic implant.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> eyes replaced with focusable cameras
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hahahaha. I want to see how you interface that with the optic
>>>>>>> nerve. Trained from birth, I assume? Also, electronic,
>>>>>>> electromechanical, what-have-you implants raise the question of
>>>>>>> power supply.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> clamps on all major arteries and veins for sudden loss,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sounds doable.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> life extension to 600+ years.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Start by explaining to me in detail the mechanisms behind the fact
>>>>>>> that human lifespan is longer than that of a mouse. I don't care
>>>>>>> about your handwaving how different species optimize life expectancy
>>>>>>> for bla, bla--I want to know _how_ they do it.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Sounds good but the devil is in the details.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Where's the problem? You just put pen to paper... authorial fiat
>>>>>>> makes it happen. Heck, I can easily improve on all of the above
>>>>>>> suggestions: "nanotech". There. That will be EUR 0.01 in royalties.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Well, these people build FTL spaceships out of 2,000 mile diameter
>>>>>> rocks. So, incredibly advanced from us.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Oh, and the other neat thing is that the higher you go up in fleet ranks
>>>>>> (and only fleet personnel are enhanced), the more enhancements and
>>>>>> stamina you get. The Captain of the 250,000 crew members for the 2,000
>>>>>> mile diameter warship gets ALL the enhancements.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I think that our circulatory systems and brains are much better than a
>>>>>> mouse (four legs good, two legs better !). And, we cannot be carried
>>>>>> off by an owl or a hawk. Or an eagle.
>>>>>
>>>>> IIRC, Dave Berry once noted that, on some South Pacific island he
>>>>> visited, fruit bats with a wing-span equal to that of a WW2 fighter
>>>>> were active at night.
>>>>>
>>>>> His advice to parents of small children: don't let them out at night,
>>>>> particularly if they are eating fruit.
>>>>
>>>> So he was aware of a now extinct species since the longest wingspan of a
>>>> bat that we know of today is under six feet....
>>>
>>> "Fruit bats are some of the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan
>>> that can exceed six feet." This is from
>>> [https://allanimalfacts.com/fruit-bat/#Fruit_Bat_Size].
>>>
>>> However, you are correct that this is less than WW2 fighter wingspans.
>>>
>> Hmmm, my first search appears to have been defective. A new search
>> mentions the giant golden-crowned flying fox having a possible wingspan
>> of seven feet.
>
> The question, of course, is: is it's lifting capacity sufficient to
> fly off with, say, a two-year-old?
>
> Note: local warnings about not leaving pets out at night lest they
> become critter fodder also warn about leaving small children out at
> night for the same reason.
>
> Small child -- large dog -- it's all the same to a cougar.

To a hungry cougar that is having a bad night an adult is a viable target.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Monday, June 12, 2023 at 2:19:45 PM UTC-4, BCFD36 wrote:
> On 6/9/23 07:18, James Nicoll wrote:
> > More Powers, More Problems: The Logistical Challenges of Superheroes
> >
> > Inadvertent naturism and other challenges of superbeings.
> >
> > https://www.tor.com/2023/06/09/more-powers-more-problems-the-logistical-challenges-of-superheroes/
> I haven't seen Larry Niven's "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" mentioned.
> I can see that as a real problem, from a heterosexual male point of view.

Sex with Kryptonians is a very real problem for most Terrans regardless
of sex, species or sexual preferences. And vice versa.

One of the first things that I suggest to visiting Kryptonians is to stick
to their own species or to look into things like auralism
(https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=auralism). It
may be limiting, but it sure beats having to deal with over 100lb
worth of red mist thinly spread throughout the bedroom. It
absolutely *ruins* the curtains!