Interesting...

Another Meme I'm not sure I agree with. Then again, I'm still wading through a bit of quagmire from the past few weeks...^^;

( Samuraii Code Meme )

Odd thoughts for the day....

On a planet with a ring, how often and how severe would 'meteorite' storms be? For that matter, assuming the planet was Earth-like (is that possible if there's a ring?), how would the rings gravity affect weather, air current, and so forth? Would there be an area that was unlivable because of too many 'hits' from ring debris? What would the trajectory be for such debris? Would it be a constant worry for the inhabitants of the planet? Or a seasonal or even centurial/millennial event? How would it affect society, religion, simple day to day life? How close or far does the inner edge of the ring have to be to the planet to make it workable?

Space flight Considering the space shuttle and the huge amount of heat and 'flame' take off produces, what would the damage arc for a very large, very powerful space faring cruiser be? Would the damage arc e minimal? Or would the heat and flame extend so far out from the platform that even the 'distant' stands that grace the space shuttle pads be too close?

How big of a hole can you make in the atmosphere with a space craft before the damage is not repairable once the craft has left (because leaving the atmosphere does, indeed, create a temporary hole)?

other brain-wasting questions...:D

If several races all stemmed from genetic as well as magical manipulation of the human race, would those new races still be considered human, or 'new' species of their own, especially if they all ended up with non-human traits that consistently bred true in the off-spring? How far can you go from the human genotype and still call them human? And how far, if they share the same base, can the differences be taken before intermingling on a genetic level is no longer possible?

Can horns be used as a cooling mechanism for a desert dwelling creature?

How likely is it that a horse like creature would develop in a forest?

If you're writing a fanatasy novel, but want to use scientific basis for some of your ideas, how far should it be pushed in either direction to make it believable, and yet not staggering under either 'weird' science that will ruin the 'educated' sound of the ideas, and yet not be so bound up in science that the 'fantasy' and 'magical' feel is lost totally in the 'hard facts'?

How many people have used the idea of "Ice Elves"? Or ice ships as transport and home, for that matter?