The K谩rm谩n sutra
鈥淪ex in space: Consideration of uncontrolled human conception in emerging space tourism鈥� is a written by David Cullen at Cranfield University in the UK, in collaboration with sex-in-space enthusiasts in the US, the Netherlands, Brazil and Austria. It is stimulating much discussion.
The paper is almost Victorian in its voluminous discussion of possible regulatory mechanisms, but nearly complete avoidance of mentioning fornication. The highest moment of titillation comes in the following passage: 鈥淭he adult film industry has previously explored the possibility of video/film production in space environments. In 2000 a parabolic aircraft flight was used for filming a weightless scene鈥︹��
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The authors explain that they created the document 鈥渢o encourage and contribute to a broad actor and stakeholder engagement and discussion鈥�.
Feedback offers further encouragement by mentioning a somewhat related paper written in South Africa in 2009. It is called .
Like 鈥淪ex in space鈥�, 鈥淪ex, sun, soccer鈥� looks at people who just want to get together. The old paper, like the new one, gives close attention to opinionated experts. In it, one of those experts seemingly spoke to the spacey future, as well as to the soccer-y, sex-and-sun-drenched milieu of 2009:
鈥淢ost vocal has been the now suspended South African Chief of Police, Jackie Selebi, who urged the National Assembly鈥檚 Safety and Security Committee to consider the reality of the thousands of soccer fans expected to overrun the public sphere and satisfy their urge to try out more exotic pastimes鈥�.
The new, 鈥淪ex in space鈥� paper from Cullen and his colleagues echoes Selebi鈥檚 thought, saying that 鈥渋t seems unrealistic to assume that all space tourism participants will abstain from sexual activities whilst in space and exposed to space environments鈥�.
Sadly for all concerned, The New York Times on 23 January 2015 that Selebi, 鈥渨ho in 2010 was convicted of taking bribes from a drug trafficker in a trial that drew immense international attention, died on Friday in a Pretoria hospital鈥�.
Perhaps Cullen and his 鈥淪ex in space鈥� co-authors can seek advice from another South African figure, the rocketry and money enthusiast Elon Musk.
Love thy crank
Many scientists enjoy an unsteady supply of letters sent to them by eccentrics. Many scientists don鈥檛 enjoy it.
People at the have been gathering and tending a list of what they regard as 鈥渃ranks鈥�. From a action-potential perspective, and perhaps from other perspectives, too, here are some of the standout items:
鈥淎ndy Kadir-Buxton 鈥� slapping people on the head to cure mental illness鈥�;
鈥淛ohn Brandenburg 鈥� the 鈥榯hermonuclear war on Mars鈥� guy鈥�;
鈥淩ichard Shaver 鈥� Subterranean cities and their malevolent inhabitants, the Dero鈥�;
鈥淎leister Crowley 鈥� Magic powers, demon and angel summoning, being the Great Beast 666鈥�.
Feedback presumes that list includes a small number of mistakes and a vast sea of omissions. And that some of the entries were written by 鈥渃ranks鈥�.
The world, with its approximately 8 billion human inhabitants, is numerically cruel. Only a very small percentage of the population ever gains international notice of any kind.
Accordingly, if you, dear reader, find yourself included in that 鈥渃ranks鈥� list, Feedback offers you hearty congratulations on being recognised, however incorrectly, correctly or unfathomably.
To be sniffed at
The desire to 鈥渨ake up and smell the coffee鈥� drives many people. In the science community, that drive is notoriously and proudly strong. A Belgian/Italian/Argentinian collaboration is souping up the available technology for smelling coffee, some details of which appeared recently in . In their words, these collaborators are 鈥渆xploring different high-capacity tools and extraction modes to characterize the aroma of brewed coffee鈥�. Others, elsewhere, are working with the same aim and enthusiasm.
Coffeetechnosniffistas abound. Many of them are joyful and eager to make friends. In the great tradition of tinkerers who brought the world reliable automobiles, airplanes, radios, computers, digital keyboards and social media apps, they talk in a jargon that outsiders might struggle to understand. But there is no need to feel intimidated. Curiosity, when combined with coffee, can lead to friendship and enlightenment.
Anyone who really does want to know more can take an easy first step. When visiting any coffee shop, be on the listen out for chitchat that sounds like this: 鈥渕ulti-cumulative trapping headspace extraction was explored by comparing the results using solid-phase microextraction coated with divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane and a probe-like tool coated with polydimethylsiloxane鈥�.
When you hear it, bring yourself, and a smile and a cup of coffee, over to the chitchatters鈥� table and say: 鈥淚鈥檇 love to learn how this stuff works.鈥�
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