A Railgun on Earth

On Feb 7, 8:00*am, Monte Davis wrote:

The responses to that, _mutatis mutandis_ over four decades since,
fall into three broad categories:

4) Recognize that 1957-1968 reflected a unique and transient
confluence of factors... that there ISN'T any "silver bullet" argument
(or "killer app" market) for space that will suddenly open voters'
eyes (or investors' wallets) wide... and settle down to the slow,
costly, patient, incremental task of making space affordable with the
limited resources and political support that *are* available.

And presumably, (4) is not one of the three broad categories, but
instead the narrow way that leads to the truth - a sentiment with
which I generally agree.

But you do lay yourself open to the "The four broad categories in
which responses to the lack of activity in space fall are... and a
fanatical devotion to the Pope" joke reply.

Because making space as affordable as possible still doesn't promise
thrills, though, I do expect that a reason for going into space that
will justify vast public expenditures also has to be provided. Given
such menaces as a new plague (SARS? Avian flu? Lassa fever? Crimea-
Congo hemorragic fever?), terrorism, a world war with a resurgent
Russia, or even just an asteroid strike that we can't deflect in time,
an outpost of civilization in space just makes good sense.

John Savard

Monte Davis wrote:
The responses to that, _mutatis mutandis_ over four decades since,
fall into three broad categories:


"Mutatis Mutandis"?
I hereby award you the "National Review Buckley Medal" in the use of
obscure and obsolete langauge to try to get a point across, as well as a
double-triple-word-score in "Scrabble"... not that either of those words
would have been legal to us in a "Scrabble" game outside of Italy, of
course. :-D

Pat

Pat Flannery wrote:
"not that those words would have been legal to us in a "Scrabble" game
outside of Italy, of course. :-D "

That was supposed to be "use", not "us", in the posting...but who knows?
I may have been prescient.

Pat

On Feb 7, 8:34*am, Pat Flannery wrote:
Monte Davis wrote:

The responses to that, _mutatis mutandis_ over four decades since,
fall into three broad categories:

"Mutatis Mutandis"?
I hereby award you the "National Review Buckley Medal" in the use of
obscure and obsolete langauge to try to get a point across,

Once upon a time, people used to say

"ceterus paribus" instead of "other things being equal",

they still say

"et cetera" instead of "and so on"...

and, as according to Wikipedia,

"mutatis mutandis"

replaces "with minor changes as necessary to the specific issue being
discussed", or something like that, in this context, to save words
with what was *once* a Latin phrase commonly enough used is not so
grave a crime. Why shouldn't we try to preserve these little usages
that brighten up the English language by adding a little historical
flavor?

John Savard

Quadibloc wrote:
Once upon a time, people used to say

"ceterus paribus" instead of "other things being equal",


Yes, but that was when they were discussing murdering Julius Caeser, and
whether his last words were "Et tu Brute?" or "Ut vere vulnero!"
....and the version of that I've heard in everyday speech is "all things
being equal", not "other things being equal", which is only rarely used.

they still say

"et cetera" instead of "and so on"...


Mainly in Siam from what I've heard.

and, as according to Wikipedia,

"mutatis mutandis"

replaces "with minor changes as necessary to the specific issue being
discussed", or something like that, in this context, to save words
with what was *once* a Latin phrase commonly enough used is not so
grave a crime. Why shouldn't we try to preserve these little usages
that brighten up the English language by adding a little historical
flavor?


Ellway, ifway ouyay inkthay osay; utbay anklyfray I'veway
alwaysway oundfay ethay useway ofway ittlelay idbittay Atinlay
asesphray otay ivenlay upway eechspay away itbay owshay offway,
ikelay earingway away Arvardhay owingray eamtay eatshirtsway
everyway imetay ouyay ogay otay eetingmay.


Pat