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The flat-earthers

Posted August 05, 2008 10:03 AM

From BBC News | Technology | World Edition:

In the 21st Century, the term "flat-earther" is used to describe someone who is spectacularly - and seemingly willfully - ignorant. But there is a group of people who claim they believe the planet really is flat. Are they really out there or is it all an elaborate prank? Nasa is celebrating its 50th birthday with much fanfare and pictures of past glories. But in half a century of extraordinary images of space, one stands out. On 24 December 1968, the crew of the Apollo 8 mission took a photo now known as Earthrise. To many, this beautiful blue sphere viewed from the moon's orbit is a perfect visual summary of why it is right to strive to go into space. Not to everybody though. There are people who say they think this image is fake - part of a worldwide conspiracy by space agencies, governments and scientists. Welcome to the world of the flat-earther. Our attitude towards those who once upon a time believed in the flatness of the earth is apparent in a new Microsoft advert. Earthrise Depicting an olden-days ship sailing on rough seas, presumably heading towards the "edge of the world", the advert is part of a $300m campaign aimed at rescuing the reputation of Windows Vista by comparing its critics to flat-earthers.

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Anonymous Poster
#1

Re: The flat-earthers

08/05/2008 11:24 AM

I hate to break it to everyone, but the world is actually flat. It's all that gravity that causes it to be distorted into a spherical shape.

Well...technically it may not be really flat flat. Spacetime itself is kind of crumpled here and there. Mostly due to insufficient maintenance, I think. But that doesn't count. Does it?

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Guru
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#6
In reply to #1

Re: The flat-earthers

08/06/2008 8:55 AM

EXACTLY...

If you define 'flat' as perpendicular to the force of gravity, then it definitely is flat..
Anyhow I've just looked at the back garden, and yes, it's pretty flat.

Del

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Anonymous Poster
#7
In reply to #6

Re: The flat-earthers

08/06/2008 9:42 AM

Many years ago when an antenna was built for submarine communications that was several miles long. There was a spec regarding how flat it was. The antenna did not work.

Upon investigation it was determined that indeed the antenna was dead level, but not flat because of the curvature of the earth.

Travis

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The Engineer
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#2

Re: The flat-earthers

08/05/2008 3:02 PM

I actually prefer vista, but you have to have 3 GB of RAM for it to work right.

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#3
In reply to #2

Re: The flat-earthers

08/05/2008 3:25 PM

I have just had my DVI-DVI monitor connection fail on my 8800 graphics card after a year in service. Finally traced it to a fault in the Vista operating system, which I have been told is quite common.

Fun thou it was to be stuck with only 800x600 resolution I am glad I finally got it fixed (not the DVI-DVI connection, that is stuffed and would require a reinstall of Vista).

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#4

Re: The flat-earthers

08/05/2008 3:28 PM

I know of a few instances where "flat-earther" would well describe some of the pesudoscience foke who proclaim the merits of a device without the first clue as to how or even if it really works, just because they saw a video or a flashy website.

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#5

Re: The flat-earthers

08/06/2008 8:37 AM

"Fixed-Earth" is the new flat.

Frightening.

-A-

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#8

Re: The flat-earthers

08/07/2008 2:06 AM

As Einstein pointed out: Space is curved".

In the vicinity of a gravity field, the curvature increases.

Thus it is, that the Earth is really flat, and what we see is all just an illusion.

The Earth is really in the centre of the picture at left, but because we are presently entering that black hole, all our measurements, gravity, and optical senses are distorted from reality.

Kind Regards....

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#9

Re: The flat-earthers

08/07/2008 5:17 AM

No-one believed the earth was flat until the 20th century. Ships disappearing over the horizon was always a give away for anyone who could do joined up thinking.

It's all probably just normal paranoia...

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