Grrl Power #677 – Xeno economics
Sydney has a long road to travel before she starts acting like a wealthy person. Not that any amount of paper money from a world without an intergalactic trade agreement would be worth anything there, but with what Archon pays her, she should probably keep at least a grand on her in cash.
I imagine everyone on the team might have a card linked to a team account. Obviously all the expenses on it would need to be accounted for, but, you know, maybe Achilles’s car breaks down on the way to a supervillain attack and he needs a taxi or whatever. Since they’re domestically based, miscellaneous expenses might come up. The spending limit is probably tied to rank in that case.
Achilles especially probably doesn’t want to carry a bunch of his own personal stuff into a fight, since he generally runs at the most dangerous thing in any battle. I’ve drawn his clothes getting blown off or messed up several times already, but come to think of it, he probably would have his badge and the aforementioned card and a few other essentials strapped to one leg inside a wallet made out of the stuff they make black boxes out of. So the next time he gets all his clothes incinerated, don’t be surprised if he’s left wearing just a garter belt. Or I guess just a regular belt makes more sense. Just a really tough one, with a built in fanny pack.
The shot of the alien street scene isn’t nearly what I wanted it to be, but backgrounds have never been my thing, and what I pictured in my head would probably have taken several weeks to draw just by itself. So as with the shot of Fracture Station itself, try and imagine the street level scenes with about 10x the detail if you would. :)
Double res version will be posted over at Patreon. $1 and up, but feel free to contribute as much as you like.
SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
Meatspace ComicSeriously these are awesome. Check 'em out!
Not UpdatingNo longer updating or only updates sporadically, but definitely worth reading.
SeriouslySeriously you guys. If you like Grrl Power the check these out.
"Mature"Mature subject matter and occasionally something explicit but usually safe. Can't guarantee the ads are safe though.
Dongs Ahoy!Full frontal and backal. Lots of skin, sex on some or all pages, explicit or otherwise.
Pssh! The Almighty American Dollar is good anywhere!
It’s almost like being an Englishman, where no matter where you are, THEY’RE the foreigners!
Many countries are dropping the use of US Dollars, in international transactions.
But not as many as are adopting it. Notably even including countries which have been unable to sustain their own currency, such as Zimbabwe.
Then you get industries where the dollar is used as the standard means of listing values internationally. For instance aircraft are listed in USD, even in Russia, which has its own strong domestic aviation industry. Whilst they will be sold in Rubels domestically and in closely allied countries which use that currency, they want their products to sell world-wide so make sure to show the USD rate at international fares and on their sales sites.
Then you have an oddity which ties back to Joe Guy’s comment above. In that English is the official language used in the air, worldwide. To make sure that air traffic controllers and pilots are all speaking the same language, regardless of what bit of real estate you are flying over.
Doubtless Fracture Station uses English, for the same sensible reasons. ;-)
That’s largely because the US is the biggest consumer of goods on the planet and the US economy has been remarkably stable against outside forces over the last 50-80 years, even with a recession, so the universal currency for business transactions is the US dollar :) (even though it’s only about the 8th strongest currency overall, still easily in the top 10 strongest currencies).
English is likewise the official language in the air instead of some other language because of sheer volume of air travel in the US and other english-speaking countries, compared to non-english speaking countries. It makes perfect sense that if they adopt a single language for air traffic controllers and pilots to use, it would be English instead of German (or any non-english European language really) or Chinese or Russian, etc.
Pretty sure Fracture Station doesnt have a lot of english-speaking humans passing through though :) Then again, English seems to be a very simply language to pick up from what we’ve seen with Dabbler and the other aliens among the Council.
OOOH, or they might have a universal translator :) Or a babel fish or something.
The true Babel Fish does not go in the ear, it’s a suppository (which explains all the probing going on)
Yup, even if the only thing it’s good for is toilet paper.
In that case the $1 bills will be more highly valued than $5, $10, or especially $100. “Ooh, the one with the Washington! Those are QUALITY wipes! So soft, and no chance of a papercut on your you know what!”
Or Sydney can fold the money into little hats and sell them as stylish headwear for very tiny aliens :)
Most money nowadays are not really worth anything on its own. Fiat currency is the norm in the world now, and tends to no longer be tied to precious metals. Money is generally worth about as much as the stability of the country that produces the money.
As a result, US currency is still extremely stable compared to most other currencies (I think it’s around the 8th or 9th strongest currency, and the accepted #1 currency for business transactions due to proliferation and US consumerism compared to pretty much…. well… everywhere else), along with several other currencies like the Swiss Franc, the Caymian dollar, the gibraltar pound, the UK pound, and the Jordanian, bahrani and kuwaiti dinars (the world’s strongest currency, mainly because it’s backed by oil). And I think the Canadian dollar is right behind the US dollar.
Some people try to put the euro in the top ten as well, but honestly even most economists say that’s wishful thinking if you’re looking towards the near future for investments. A few years ago the Euro was very strong though with a very good future.
A Dyson Sphere covering a neutron star makes sense. I once figured that about 6 million mies from the center of the Sun the gravity is (on the outside of a Dyson sphere) is about Earth-normal. Note the Sun is roughly 430,000 miles wide, and has a “surface” gravity of something like 27 or 28 times Earth-normal (if the Sun became a neutron star, only as big as a small planet, those figures would still be correct). At 6 million miles, though, the other figures are correct.
Knowing Deus, it might be.
Maybe she could pass off the money as exotic alien artworks.
“President Lincoln has ordered me back to Earth!”
“Well, if the King of Mars says so…”
Make certain to keep a penny so you can barter with Death.
I was thinking that, too. Then again, it might not work:
– Culture must be at least known OF, otherwise it would just be a knicknack by some unknown artist and probably fraud
– They DO know of us because of our signals polluting huge airspace around Earth and a lot of aliens knowing about us anyway
– They don’t want any of our ‘artifacts’ because we already pollute all over like the debris field around Earth that makes leaving or approaching this stupid planet difficult at best anyway, so its just throwing more garbage around even further (or enabling it)
– They don’t want any of our ‘artwork’, especially with United States of America written on it because of all the… well, you know. That means they know our history and modern behavior too.
Minor point: We don’t actually pollute that much of space with our signals, since by the time they reach Alpha Centauri they’re already indistinguishable from normal white noise.
Given that western nations were the first to end slavery on a massive scale, and the first to start caring about our environment, and the first to abandon strong arm based governance, I’m sure that most alien races with any honesty about their own history would be happy to accept some American cultural artifacts as souvenirs. (Maybe not US dollars though still, they’re kinda frumpy and plain)
You can move to Zimbabwe (or maybe Venisualla) you delusional racist jackass.
Abandon strong arm type governance? Did I miss the news?
Your violence meter is skewed. When was the last time the US gassed it’s own people, enacted a genocidal pogrom or you know generally took so much control that it’s people starved to death in the millions? Quit drinking the post-modern kool-aid Dal, it makes you look bad.
Earth is a vaccation location for Aliens i am sure that ”exotic” artwork is not really rare.
The galaxy is a big place and is clearly home to a lot of different alien species. Not all of which will have a presence on Earth. Plus there may be rules limiting the looting of local art and cultural artefacts.
In other words Sydney may well be able to find a buyer just by being persistent. And if she can get it placed in an auction where aliens who collect primitive currency / trading tokens she may actually get quite a lot, if the species/ nations present do not include those who frequent Earth.
Sydney also could put her excellent arts and crafts skills to business use! How much will an alien pay for a gold star? :)
The trick would be to sell the whole cultural package. It would be the chance to:
“Take part in a cultural ceremony originating from a race who are so terrifying to the rest of the galaxy that a world-wide cloak has been built to conceal all evidence of alien life from them.
Learn how such feared people can be inspired by the process of awarding a gold star. You too could be encouraged to become a better citizen and achieve greater personal results, by taking part in this ceremony.
Place your bid in the upcoming auction. With the bonus that the winning recipient will have the gold star awarded by one of the most powerful super heroes of this terrifying race. Someone so powerful that she can destroy planet killing motherships in moments!”
Just take one of her bills and write ‘Banksy’ on it. Instant collectible.
Pages from her notebook with her autograph on it would be worth more in the long run. I’m sure Aliens would eventually consider having met her and having her autograph valuable.
“What? You met that little girl who ROFLSTOMPED Kaptain Kaiju and the Worldstompers?”
“Yup. Got her autograph too!”
Picasso reportedly in his later life as a famous artist would literally bank on his name by paying for
his dinners at restaurants by drawing a doodle on a handy item like a napkin or stationary and offering it it to the manager in trade. (these stories may be part urban legend by now)
https://www.todayifoundout.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/picasso-horse.jpg
Hmm… I have a vague memory of some program about Picasso, and that they said he was known to pay restaurants with cheques that he knew lacked cover. Apparently very few ever tried to cash these. After all they had his signature and that would probably one day be worth more than what the cheque was.
But magic exists. What if a signature (freely offered) is enough to let someone track/control her?
We’ve mostly seen combat and blood magic, tantric and vehemic, but we don’t know what else exists. Or what doesn’t exist.
I figure, if it exists in a game, comic, movie, or show, assume it exists here.
Any additional risk from a signature wouldn’t be significant compared to the average tracking spell, which uses the magical theory of contagion (once in contact, always in contact) which can be used to track someone with anything they have ever touched. In that sense, even the Earth Paper Money is a risk.
I wonder if she could fit a soup can into her utility belt… presumably not.
(OK, so the whole autographing actual Campbell’s soup cans was more of a joke Warhol would do from time to time, something he did to poke fun at his own artwork, and the signed cans themselves aren’t worth very much. Also, I doubt that the aliens have heard of Andy, which would make it a lot less valuable to them. They could very well be more interested in the soup, assuming that the can hadn’t exploded yet.)
I’m sure there are collectors, even if it isn’t “artwork”…
“Look at this fiber-cloth based fiat currency from the backwards Earthians. The most iconic and well known objects from the planet. Look, it has pictures of dead tribal leaders, arcane religious markings, and you can see their fixation on the number ’13’, Did you know you can use the number printed on the bill to track where the money was spent since it was printed?! (If you have access to their planetary version of the galactic info-net. Recently sold to me by a genuine Earthian, whose bioscan you can see right here! Yours for a mere 5 gold-pressed latinum bars!!!!!!”
Sydney the big question is not how much a ticket back home going to cost is how you’re going to tell them exactly where the planet you’re trying to reach is. Then again maybe you can find someone who can reach the only intergalactic person that you know and they can arrange everything else for you including the collect call cost.
“Third planet from a yellow dwarf out on the Orion Arm”
Names are not Universal especially across multiple languages and cultures.
A few weeks ago one of the commentors covered that.
4 rocky planets, 4 gas giants, 3rd planet inhabited, mosty water covered,
2nd gas giant with wide rings.
That realy narrows it down.
Yes this sounds good especially if she’s able to indicate specifically that it is the Milky Way galaxy that she’s looking for whatever the aliens called the Galaxy.
They rebranded it to the Snickers Galaxy.
I hear they are also opening a new lounge on the fourth planet of our solar system. They are calling it the Mars Bar. It is really exclusive. The cover charge to get in is 100 Grand.
Meh, I bet the place has no atmosphere.
I hear they are seeking patrons with a magnetic personality, to counter that.
nah that’s what they named our arm of it. apparently they think we’re SOOOO hilarious that can’t even name the sector without laughing!
I prefer to think of it as a dogleg.
Oh common, it’s the one Elvis was from!
I heard somewhere it had just gone home?
Only after they discovered it was full of nuts.
Depends on the definition of “planet”. Not everyone might follow earths logic of terminology.
Also there is still the hypothesized planet nine. It has not been fully rejected yet. (Science lingo for: We have no idea if it exists or not.)
I thought they disproved the hypothesis that Pluto was a planet?, so there is no planet nine now? I am confused…
The inner 8 planets are known to be planets.
Beyond that they may or may not be planets.
To be absolutely fair we still haven’t fully agreed on what a planet is, also Neptune-Uranus are considered to be Ice Giants, not Gas Giants.
There’s also a couple of models that indicate Venus may actualy be more Chthonian, and had most of the original atmosphere striped off by solar heat and wind, exposing its original
Iiquid ocean, resulting in that boiling off replacing the atmosphere, which Ironicaly would explain the observed oddity’s of Venuses surface.
A doodle of Earth’s surface would help too.
See this is what gets me about Star classification. They state that Sol is a G type main sequence of the Yellow Dwarf category yet its closer to being white than yellow.
Sure, sure.
It outputs light in a pretty broad spectrum… the peak of the curve is between 475 and 500nm, which is cyan… but the peak is barely one, so it looks like a very very faintly cyan white to people, from space.
That also means that the peak of the sun’s output is just about the dead center of the visible spectrum. This is not a coincidence – the visible spectrum evolved based on what it put out – centered on it’s peak… so it might be better to say that white is sun-colored.
The only reason it ever looks yellow is because of atmosphere, so calling it a yellow dwarf is just plain stupid, IMO… and a lot of other astophysicists agree, so we’ve generally moved away from that.
sigh
Earth is Tentura-013, seven in Spiral. That’s more than enough for a civilized being to find a planet.
Again you run into the name me issue. There’s no guarantee that tentura 013 means anything outside of the earth scientific community. And who knows how many galaxies have planets in the seventh in the spiral of their arms or whether or not they have multiple arms with planets in the seventh position of their arm. A lot of the issue comes down more than translation but frame of reference
Au contrare, dear – Tentura-013 means nothing inside Earth scientific community. Just like Antitentura, or Spiral in that context, for the matter.
I did say “for a civilized being“, after all.
Nice that’s an interesting way to look at the description but would it mean the same thing if we were to change the language? Would it mean the same and French , Japanese, Spanish , Russian ,German or even what was it called Esperanto? The Crux of a language issue is that not all words or names translate well. The order to get directions or even book a passage anywhere you need to common frame of reference
Indeed, to maintain a proper conversation there must be a certain common field of meanings. But to converse with any civilized being you will need only two words: “koo” and “kyu”.
And yes, you can consider that a measure of being sufficiently cultured – if you need something other than two abovementioned words, you will be discarded and ignored until you will be able to demonstrate higher than “viral infestation” cultural level.
Well, seeing as it was mentioned before that Earth seems to be a tourist site for some aliens, it must be known to SOMEONE. Maybe she should find the closest travel agency XD
And I’m pretty sure that Dabbler has at least implied that the galactic administration knows about Earth and is just waiting for us to get to a sufficient tech level (and to get out of our “violently xenophobic” phase) before officially saying Hi.
That may be true if she can find a trustworthy honest number of the galactic Administration. Remember her fears about her own government taking her for vasectomies that I said to her to find out how and why she has the powers of the orbs. Alien species her species known habitat with no known transportation to get her that far and even if she does run as administrator or rather than someone posing as one she may still wind up dealing with a government-sponsored dissection
Sydney is afraid of vivisection, aka dissection while alive. She is immune to vasectomy, because she does not have a vas deferens.
Pretty much All of these posts are being made on a phone that would probably be considered ancient and has autocorrect making its own changes when least expected
“Hello, is this the Adventurers Guild? I’m offering a quest to be paid upon completion. I need a ride back home. You can get payment from Xuriel Tantalis.”
The flame demon guy that Dabbler threw in a hole accepts the request.
Oh I am fully expecting her to name drop Dabbler and get a few different responses from that.
Yeah. For an adventure-fiend like Dabbler to be hanging out on Earth, limiting her “social” options and cutting herself off from new galactic tech… well, she’s either here to screw with us, or she is hiding from something/someone.
Read “Wereworld” to find out the answers
She stole a chaos control core from one of the Architects of Magic’s world towers and is lying low till the celestial beings stop caring, which could be anywhere from 2 seconds later till the planet cools and all life ceases to be on the surface.
That may be true but how many places does that description fit? I doubt humans are the only species that simplistically named their planet for the word for ground. It’s also possible that multiple planets are cursed spots and just happened to be named for the word for ground in the native language hex Terra is another name for Earth or ground believe it or not
I had this conversation with a friend the other day.
I agree with you- it’s probable that every inhabited planet is named Earth. Well, except for aquatic species, but naming your planet “Water” if you’re a fish would be a parallel.
Why do we only call humans earthlings? Canis Yorpus is an earthling, but so are avicularia, anglerfish, and rhododendron.
Yes this is very true I do believe however that Young Justice season 2 cover this very well. They referred to any sapiens species living on the planet especially if it was born or create on the planet as Earthling. Did not matter if they were catonian half Kryptonian , Martian , human or what-have-you if it lived on Earth and head is origin from Earth it was considered a Earthling.
Perhaps Sydney’s world will henceforth be known galaxy-wide as “The Mighty Halo’s Planet.” Unless they cede the Alari homeworld to her by rite of trial by combat. She defeated TWO of the champions of the Calamarians – it’s hers. Then, IT would be “The Mighty Halo’s Planet,” and Urth would be “The Mighty Halo’s Home Planet.”
I can see the confusion awaiting future visitors to the Sol system looking for ‘Halo’s Planet.’
They will get here and immediately look at planet 6 and say “‘That must be the one. It has a ‘halo’ around it.”
+1
Also isn’t there a single ring around Uranus? Something around there that’s blue.
This is actually mentioned in the novel “Illegal Aliens” by Nick Polotta and Phil Foglio, where it is stated that every intelligent race names their homeworld “Dirt” (or some variant) at first.
That is a very Phil Foglio thing. Like how in Buck Godot every galactic culture has ninjas. (It also has a nice Douglas Adams vibe to it).
And every race in the known universe has their own version of Swedish Meatballs. G’Kar said it, so it must be true.
Not just every race, but countries as well. It turns out that Swedish meatballs are actually a recipe originating in Turkey. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/03/my-whole-life-has-been-a-lie-sweden-admits-meatballs-are-turkish
And while we are at it, ‘Danishes’ are actually from Austria.
And the American settlers called the large native bird a ‘turkey’ from its resemblance to the African Guinea fowl that came to Europe through… Russia (just kidding) Turkey and was known as a Turkey cock.
And every intelligent species has a drink called a “Gin and Tonic” or something pronounced like that. (HHGTTG)
Problem is, once they work out where she wants to go they are going to assume she is “that type” of tourist.
They’re going to make assumptions the moment she mentions Dabbler’s name. Figuring out she wants to go to that planet is just going to confirm the assumptions. Then, Dabbler’s Good Friend (Snicker, giggle, chortle, wink-wink, nudge-nudge) shows up to take Syd away…
If she books her ticket that way then everyone in the line will think she is going to do some anonymous sex tourism.
Another problem is that Sydney might have to trade off her art supplies at a currency exchange office. After all, the Stargate Control Travel Office only accepts gold-pressed Latinum…
Are you suggesting that the Ferengi control this travel nexus? In that case, she may run into one or more of the Rules of Acquisition. “Treat people in your debt like family…exploit them.”
It’s both amazing and unsurprising how easily the Rules Of Acquisition can be adapted into Goblin Philosophy with little more than just tweaking some phrasing such as changing “Klingon” to “orc”…
It has already been established that Earth is a rather popular tourist attraction. I’m sure they know what she’s talking about.
Actually, it’s been more implied that earth is sort of a clandestine sex tourist destination.
At any rate, Sydney is in no way broke here. We know some of the aliens who visit can eat human cuisine, and we also know Sydney carries her own hot spices. Exotic spices have always been marketable.
Or, they might be treated as a forbidden chemical weapon… only time will tell.
“What are you yapping about… that’s obviously the new humanoid, Halo, from the Dabbler Earthian show! Hi Halo!!! (She must be rich, since her show is syndicated, and even the minimum appearance rights pays a whole XXXX sparkles.) She’s one of only 5 co-stars whom Dabbler hasn’t probed.”
She has craft supplies! Alien artworks!
Maybe she can sell art on the street
“Let me sing you the song of my people….”
Damn it, Yorp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-N1yJyrQRY
YA TSOOM TSOP PARILIK PARILAL
LALDIK TABILI LANDITZ TANDOO
LA DIPIDA PIDA LAROOP BARI ROOPIDAN
KOORI KANGOOK KEA KILI GANKOO
ARA TSA TSA, YADI BIDA BIDIL
LA BARITZ TENDI, LANDAY, LANDO
ABARI PATA, PALI, PALI
BALI, BILI BILI BILI Z’TANDAY LANDO
YABADAY LAZDAY LANDAY YALO
AWHADA BADA BADA BADOO BADA BADOO YABOO
PARIZ DALI LAZDAY LANDO
BEDA KEDA KEDAGA DOODOO DAY YADO
And now for your next challenge, try counting how many times the leek spins during the course of the entire video. Not calculate…Count.
…
…
(audience aside) okay people, that should be rid of him for a while.(/audience aside)
Heh, that part of Loituma;s Levan’s Polka is actually Finnish scat and doesn’t really mean anything except maybe emotional content. But then, regarding alien communications, that may be a thing.
“It’s a small world after all!!!.. It’s a small world after all’ …” according to Sesame Street in various languages
It is my duty to spread human culture. Well as a sub-set of ensuring that humanity persists in order to sustain said cultures.
*wags tail in satisfaction*
I love how the nonsense part of a Finnish folk song has become the song of all humanity.
So, a Vorlon, some Kerbals, an Arachnid and some Futurama alien text.
I see a Mondoshawan.
Is that the friendly aliens in 5th element? cuz I see one of those.
Isn’t that big guy in front a Vorlon?
Yes.
The three bubble helmed aliens remind me of the Mercreatures from Stingray.
They look like Bert from the Muppets to me. Three Bert clones, or perhaps three members of the Bert race, which all happen to look alike.
Yup definitely Jedidiah Kermin and his crew there, probably been testing the “Goo” on the local gravity. Nice to see the Starship Trooper’s Arachnid behaving, though that’s likely due to no pesky human’s around, they always stir up trouble where ever they are, and I swear that looks like the Dark Star in panel 2.
The grey ship up top looks like one from Crimson Dark but not quite so it might just be a similar design.
I like the shoutout to Ur-Quan Masters/Star Control in panel 3 :D
Top-lett to bottom-right, we’ve got an Arilou, Ur-Quan, an Utwig, a Syreen, a Spathi, a Mycon, an Earthling, a Supox and a Chenjesu in that battle group. Can’t remember how many points that’s worth, but the Ur-Quan and the Chenjesu alone are worth about as much as all of the rest. She can probably just hitch a ride home with the Earthling cruiser, right?
Skiff, Dreadnaught, what looks like a Vux Intruder half-hidden in the blue haze, Jugger, Penetrator, Eluder, Podship, Cruiser, Blade, Stinger…don’t see the Broodhome though. With the VUX, Ur-Quan and Mycon flying side-by-side with the Alliance ships plus the ZFP, Utwig and Supox ships, it’s definitely a post-war task force.
165 point fleet from observable ships. On their way to some pan-dimensional diplomatic function perhaps? That Spathi is expecting trouble flying backwards like that, but it’s a Spathi so that doesn’t tell us much…
Ah, so *happy campers* are still *jumping* in this *playground*.
So much enjoyment!
don’t forget to enjoy the **sauce**
Ah, you’re right about the Stinger – I mistook it for a broodhome, since they’ve got those big gems, and then spikes facing up and down, but the spikes pointing up were actually engine exhaust. And I completely missed the Vux hiding in the haze – next time I’ll remember to zoom in to maximum magnification.
Like someone pointed out with the last strip: Visa might have an outpost even here.
And the street scene could represent the “bigger aliens” part of town – there would probably be fewer of them, if you look at it statistically…
Or to prepare for the next time she could ask Xuriel if there is something like gold (or another element) that is accepted by many cultures in the vicinity. Or Galactic Express or whatever…
What you really need is Access * worp worp *. Your flexible friend! (Yes I am old enough to remember this being pretty much one of the only credit cards around besides Amex.) Though in normal case’s, Sydney’s flexible friend would just be to take Xuriel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usZBhHr4EE4
Information is always valuable, anywhere,anytime and usually not terribly bulky.
But what information is safe to trade?
Well she could sell them some very interesting data about the genocidal monster warship that will shortly be following her here.
Except what sort of information might someone from a planet that can barely get out of it’s own gravity well have that could be useful or valuable to an interstellar species? I wouldn’t be surprised if the general GalactiNet information block for ‘Earth, Sol System, Gould Belt, Western Orion Arm’ is “Mostly Harmless”.
Information that is unique to Terra. Trading companies would be interested in knowing what we need, example: rare earth elements for electronics. Manufacturing businesses similarly would be interested in knowing what they could sell to us. Consider our current internet situation, what use is your information to businesses around the world and yet there is a significant industry devoted to selling your information to these same businesses.
Earth has a significant number of non-terrestrial visitors. Valuable information equates to “We didn’t know that about Earth, tell us something else new.” The problem is, the only interesting thing Sydney probably has on her are her Orbs, and look what happened the last time some alien did a detailed scan of them.
Ooohh The blue collar tour group could make a killing telling jokes about the ‘other’ side of those “probing” jokes.
“Value” on information is subjective.
After all, some want tactical information, others want scientific knowledge (biology, history), others may want information on Earth ideologies for scholarly reasons. Others may be triva collectors, or entertainment tech buffs.
You may think that giant robed celestial wants to know your culture’s history and religious beliefs, but it really just wants to know since it hasn’t been to Earth in awhile how many new episodes of Steven Universe have aired since it was there five months ago so to know to plan a trip yet or not to see its favorite Earthican program.
Far easier to get rare earth elements from asteroids. Rather than bringing them out of the gravity well.
Do you remember the guy with an Olympic swimming pool’s worth of gold bars? Show him samples of the “rare” earths you want, and get a swimming pool ready. Just don’t show him certain radioactive elements that get “frisky” when their concentration reaches a certain threshold.
Well obviously if you have some equivalent to FTL travel, then minerals or chemicals are readily available without the need to import them (Dabbler points this out back in Grrl Power #107). Art however might be a very tradable item. After all, many planets have tech and or tourist facilities, but only earth has Shakespeare (and Grrlpower comics :-) ).
Fairly sure every planet with a modicum of culture has a fraudulent plagiarist being lauded by uncultured idiots as the GOAT
Some people like to read about alternative therapies. It may sound silly but some of the stuff medical practitioners used in the past were quite effective, even if they were just natural. Obviously mushrooms from our earth may not help Mr. Xenobite’s heartburn, but it may help aliens see a cure which they could not have come up with without seeing an example in a more “traditional” medicine.
But yea, Art. Where to start?! Aliens may see in a different color spectrum then us or not hear at all – but those who can see/hear our art may be interested in it. Written art – like stories – could still be seen as interesting or entertaining. Think of comics – a good story helps relate, after all.
That said…. Will Sidney expand with the first
Event Horizon Comics branch… IN SPACE!?
Arianna would be really thrilled… maybe.
nah , you think we have it bad right now with all the poaching and illegal deforestation going on in the Amazon?… wait till the galactic equivalent of the same type of disreputable company hears about those mushrooms and such… they’ll come in just like the bad-guy alien in ” I Come in Peace ” as a scout for a drug cartel from outer-space… and because we aren’t IN the galactic alliance yet, there isn’t squat the “good guys” can DO because their hands (or tentacles, etc…) are tied up in policy/politics, etc…
Yeah but how do you file taxes when you can’t say where your shop even is?
Part of the reason for that assessment is because the dominant species (although not the most intelligent) are not terribly proud of their ancestors & never invite them around to lunch. They also still think digital watches are a pretty good idea.
‘Mostly Harmless’? Obviously they haven’t met Sydney yet…
That’s why it’s ‘mostly harmless’, not ‘in spite of’, at least for those who actually breath or have physical ‘fleshy’ sensory organs :P
Haaaaa! If she thinks money is going to be the biggest problem, wait until she tries to speak with at least a dozen or so different species that probably have their own language in addition to a likely common trade language.
I mean, if we work of the idea that her orbs are everything a space traveler needs, maybe the last unknown is a universal translator.
Sydney can only hope…But I would think it more likely that translations would be a function of the Comm Orb, not the unknown one. Of course, that would be presuming that it’s already one of the “unlocked” functions already.
No the most challenging bit will be figuring out which door to use to go to the Loo. Bum bum BUUUUUMMMM.
I doubt that many humans have visited here before so perhaps Halo could sell some interviews to the local branch of “Exotic Species”.
Also, my life of consuming cheap science fiction and fantasy have taught me that these kinds of places often have a gladiatorial arena where you can make a quick profit.
I’m sure they also have an HSV*, so she better be careful.
* Hive of Scum and Villainy.
I think Sydney is genre savvy enough to shoot first so she should be rather safe.
But…Wouldn’t that reaction be in conflict with Sydney’s “mental reset” to reflexively go for her shield first? That would be a waste of a good forehead-bruising, wouldn’t it?
Wonder Woman has The Lasso Of Truth.
Sydney has the Tentacle Of You Had Better Not Be Deceiving Me.
Th Truth Probe
Aliens being nonhuman/humanoid she NOT be doing an ‘anal’ probe. She might be giving it a woody.
In which case it might take her to IT’S homeworld.
“Dude! Look what I found!” :p
better that, than thisEvan’s Tentacles spell…
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0znNiN0lYAQ
Given their nature, I’d assume that most alien melting pots of a trade/travel nature would be willing to offer credit to a species, or have some kind of mechanism for offering cash to wayward space travelers. The next most valuable thing she could offer would probably be high purity oxygen maybe? Or some of her knicknacks or her 5-7 assuming they let her carry it. There’s lots of rich weapons collectors in most environments, so the oddball weapon might have some value.
This assumes that whoever had the orbs before Sidney didn’t create a massive set of red flags for her with their usage.
Sidneys arrival is probably already raising some eyebrows {or whatever passes for eyebrows here} in traffic control as she appears to be the only visitor that has arrived sans ship. At least that means that Sid will not have to worry about berthing fees at the starport.
Yeah, and she’s going to Lightbee/Teleport past security onto
the concourse.
That may not be received well.
Well not since that guy on the surfboard anyway LoL
Also assuming that the orbs aren’t red flag items in themselves. Sydney waltzing in with orbs in orbit above her head is the equivalent to someone walking into the supermarket wearing full riot gear, with two semi-automatic rifles strapped across their back and another two guns strapped to their hips. Even if you are in an “open carry state” and they’re being very polite and friendly, it’s going to make people worried.
She needs a new Tubey.
Except it’s also very much like Maxima pointing her finger at Sydney. Even KNOWING IN ADVANCE that Maxima can kerblewie things with a fingerpoint…those orbs don’t look like commonly known weapons. Most people won’t react to them as such.
Remember, Dabbler did NOT recognize them, and she’s a widely traveled interstellar adventurer; she’d be as familiar with various weapons as most experienced tabletop RPG players are with the various weapons found in their player’s handbooks.
Perhaps DaveB, you could do a super-detailed pic as a vote incentive? I love pics like the example you linked. I’d go back to it time & again.
So what medium of valuta would you carry, that you think would hold worth everywhere?
The ability to cook?
Syd with her trusight, shield and light hook would be a great bouncer.
So, some Kerbals, a Vorlon and a (surprisingly visible) Shadow. Now if that building to the left is a bar, we’ve got the start of a joke!
And of course the Kerbals are led by Jebediah XXIII….
Jebediah is immortal. So it’s obviously the original.
Or Sydney might even meet someone who is known as Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, on his continuing quest to personally insult every known individual being in the universe, in alphabetical order. The encounter should be brief…
I think it’s an alien from Starship Troopers not a shadow (unless you mean a different one).
Are those 3 Kerbals walking down the street?
“Here they come
“Walkin’ down the street
“They get the funniest looks from
“Everyone they meet”
Hey-hey its the Kerbals!
A dyson sphere? That’s not a very big dyson sphere… though it makes my Star Forge comment from last strip much more on point.
Well, if you think about it, a neutron star or a quasar is pretty much nothing but the collapsed core of a star that had burned off all of its low-weight atomic fuel. Granted, the original size of the star would have been quite a bit bigger than our own star is but overall, a Dyson Sphere around a core would be smaller than one built around a younger, more vigorous star in its primary phase.
Even so, the overall rating on the Kardishev Scale for the civilization would be well along K2, even if this particular Dyson Sphere is a joint effort among several several factions of an alliance or whatever. Even so, it would be a pretty safe presumption to say that this isn’t the very first DS built. To reach K3 status though, they would have to literally build Dyson Spheres around every single star in the galaxy, which would take a looooong time.
Sydney is fine. She just has to find a Xeno-anthropologicist specializing on primitive cultures. Earth is obviously benign enough to support an expatriate alien community so it has to be noted somewhere. I assume describing Earth’s continents and the arrangement of the Solar system would be unique enough to give a small amount of false positives. So anyone searching whatever database they list primitive planets under should give Sydney a clear answer on how to get home pretty quickly.
And how does she PAY for the ANSWER to that little tidbit of research? probably like they do here on earth: sure, you can ask all the questions you want… but until you fork over the money, you won’t be seeing any of those answers…
DaveB, could you tell me the source/artist for that “pictured in my head” image? It’s gorgeous, and I love a good cityscape picture.
It looked to me like something Masamune Shirow would do.
I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s here: https://tksn.sakura.ne.jp/
One other place I found it posted linked that as the source but I’d need someone who reads Japanese to confirm it.
Actually, I think it’s done by Imperial Boy, least from what I can tell in this subreddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wimmelbilder/comments/9i0sph/city_by_imperial_boy_zoom_in/
https://www.iamag.co/the-art-of-imperial-boy/
That’s not even the coolest part. I remember a few years ago a crowd project to render that exact image [The city-scape one being discussed] into 3d, with a bunch of different artists doing individual chunks. Never found out if they finished it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI3Tn2pvOX8 Ayup. Found it.
FORHG?
I don’t know what that is. Maybe it’s what someone tagged on there?
It’s a dedication. “For H.G. Wells”.
Ah, so it’s Dave giving credit and also a foreshadow. The Lexx was outside- so it was the Foreshadow, which was blown up. Screw you, His Divine Shadow.
So the war of the worlds was Sydney blowing up mechathulu, squidward, and… flibbertygibbit?
It’s an A, FORAG.
It’s been speculated it might be “for a g[ood time, call 555-something because space alien phone numbers should start with 555 for some reason]”
“This is why
dang it
Lets try that again
Surprised as to how big the background of the comic is getting. I wonder how Sydney´s transstellar travelling powers will be managed.
I really like the Dyson Sphere concept. But in this case, I think that the hypothetical Dyson Sphere might be too small to not get melted by the hypothetical tiny star it covers. Or maybe is not a star what it is used, but the core of a planet.
The only things I recognize here are I think:
A bug from the movie version of Starship Troopers.
An angel (what we’d call them) from Babylon 5. That’s the dude with the armor and cloak in front. They wear those suits so ‘younger races’ don’t have religious epiphanies while looking at them because it’s annoying. Same reason people don’t want to look at me. Yes. That’s the case. *nod*
The angel is called a Vorlon.
I also see a Mondoshawan? The alien race from Fifth Element. Maybe an Ice Warrior from Doctor Who.
“FORHG”? at least according to: Futurama alphabet
Ok, I’m blind apparently, it’s an A not a H… still: “FORAG”?
For a G {ood time call 555-####}
8675309?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDC_2zTrpbg
I got it!
You know that that can be cured, right? With a topical cream even
So, not only would a Dyson sphere be much, much larger than what is pictured here, but there would be zero way for Sydney to have a single clue as to what type of star is at the center of it. But even so, it’s a good bet that it isn’t a pulsar or magnetar, given that the jets of radiation given off by those neutron stars will completely sterilize things within the area of the Dyson sphere.
She’s making an educated guess based on pillars of energy shooting out at the poles.
I assume they are employing some advanced tech to convert the radiation, energy, and gravity from the neutron star into energy for their portals. In the process, I assume they would be absorbing those things making it habitable on the station.
Any system like this will have a database of alien species, along with their homeworld coordinates. All it will take is a scan of sydney, for the station owners to know that she is Human, and humans only live on one planet (that we know of).
As to what she can trade. No mineral or element with be worth ANYTHING. Any element humans have access too will be a cheap as dirt. Everything we have will be trivial to mine, in vast amounts, in space.
The only things of value would be
– cultural info/entertainment
– biological info, dna, species etc
– resources we don’t even know exist, eg, the sorts of energies dabbler and friends feed off.
– vacation deals
– sanctuary for beings who want to vanish off the grid
Ohh, she could also sell info on this alien species that seems to have instantly annihilated a major power. That has to be worth some serious ‘money’ to MANY other species.
Other species will also want to know about the victims (I forget the name of that blood magic race). Both that that dangerous expansionist power is destroyed. Also, possibly, that there are some survivors….although revealing that fact might be a major risk for earth.
The fact that blood magic folks are dead, will probably open up a power vacuum that will result in all sorts of drama. Apart from the fact that there is a possible new berserker race around
ps
I agree the dyson sphere seems too small. BUT perspective can be tricky to interpret as a viewer, it might actually be fine, and we just assume we are further from the small ships than we are. Our judgment of the relative size of the ships to sphere may be vastly off, as we have our estimates of their relative distances completely wrong.
Also note, the author can only get so much into a frame!
It’s definitely not a standard Dyson Sphere. If it were, it would have a diameter of at least a hundred million kilometers, but the last episode we saw a Lexx aproaching a stargate. Estimating distance in space can be tricky, but in this case the ship was close enough to reflect the gate’s blue light. Since the Lexx is about ten kilometers long, that stargate couldn’t have been more than some twenty kilometers. On that scale the entire structure couldn’t be more than a few hundred kilometers, a thousand at the very most. So, whatever is inside there, it can’t be a normal star.
If it’s around a Neutron star then it doesn’t need to very very big at all. They’re only 20km in Diameter.
You’re making the same mistake Luke made with Yoda. Judge it by it’s size, do you? The smallest neutron star is far more massive than our own sun. And mass is all that matters here. Mass equal gravity. Mass and spin creates the magnetic fields which will throw off the deadly radiation. A Dyson sphere with a neutron star at the center will need to be larger, not smaller.
That WE know of.
Since Lexx was out there, it means that humans evolved on multiple planets, and all call themselves human, but aren’t related to other humans from other worlds.
Also I just joined a game of Eclipse Phase, which has ‘reputation based’ economy. Be awesome and you get stuff.
That’s the great thing about Star Wars: it has no ‘humans’, each similar species is named after it’s own planet of origin, even if they may or may not be genetically compatible
At least the place looks clean.
Roomboids?
However. .. the posters and the graffiti implies she’s on the wrong side of the portals,
a somewhat rundown portion of the place.
Perfect for a lost traveler from a backwards planet?
Is…is that the mighty ship, Planet Express Ship?
Can’t be, it’s not crashing or on fire, or crashing while on fire
Did anyone see Space Battleship Yamamoto?
A reference to The Fifrh Element.
https://josephmallozzi.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/5-alien.jpg
Also a reference to the fifth element: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boron
I think I see a Nebulon-B frigate from Star Wars in the 2nd panel.
Not sure about the ships in the 3rd, then I spotted the pedestrians.
L-R what looks like the Lunar spacesuit from 2001, a trio of unknown aliens followed by a Vorlon encounter suit, above them is an Arachnid & a Starship Trooper, plus on the far right is one of the good-guy aliens from The Fifth Element.
The trio of aliens are Kerbals, from the quite popular PC simulator “Kerbal space program.” I’d pegged the Arachnid as a (visible) Shadow (from Babylon 5), but the number of limbs, and the fact it’s in the company of a starship trooper does suggest you’re right.
eh, head is all wrong to be a totally canon startship trooper ala’ Heinlein…too small, head isn’t hypocephalic gorriloid and some other minor bits that my post fossilization brain forgets, even though I’ve only read the book at least 40 times. Maybe less, maybe more. Heck it doesn’t even look like the gawds awful movie version. (which was so wrong it might as well been a different story)
Actually this version of the “Starship Trooper” reminded me of the CG-animated series they did after the movie, and which drew a little more on the novels. The troopers had power armour in that, though it used the same Arachnid models .
Although I’d probably have really nerded out if it was the power armour from the Japanese anime for Starship Troopers.
Hope that Dabbler’s alien friend can get to her in time…
Don’t buy any gold from little guys with big ears, Sydney!
The gold is just the container for the liquid within which is what is really valuable.
Check to see if the name stamped on the gold-foil is “Anthon Berg” :P
If that liquid hasn’t been removed, and they are simply trying to unload the gold on naive newbs.
Goblins or Ferengi?
I would be referring to a DS9 episode…
Well considering that during Council meeting it was mentioned that “Earth” IS popular tourist destination for quite some time thanks to “The Veil” – it may be much easier to identify where she need to go.
Money issue “may” be solved by some curio collectors – after all Sydney should be first human to visit more then 2 solar systems. Even just being there may be of some interest thanks to that.
So biggest issue will likely be “previous owner” of balls
Money issue could be solve if she finds a “Tourist Agency” that is owned by one of “The Council” members on Earth. Then it would be trivial to make arrangements for ARCON to pick-up the tab. Perhaps “The Council” member would even do it at a greatly reduced fee just to buy a favor from the team, always good to have favors from people. (insert maniacal laughter)
The previous owner is presumed dead. There are a few things pointing to that conclusion, the most telling being that the spheres were not with a living being, and unless there is an ‘off switch’ that Sydney hasn’t discovered it appears as though they are a lifetime accessory. The second being the distorted, staticy looking ‘last hop’ on the star drive.
But since there is a star drive log, it seems apparent that the last user had that unlocked, while Sydney had to do so herself. So there’s some retrograde experience occurring here. Perhaps this universe has a death penalty. Most games ditch the concept after giving it a try, but this one could still be stupid.
Hi. My name’s Sydney. I am looking for a place I call Earth. It is the third planet in a star system consisting of 4 rocky planets an asteroid belt and 4 gas giants. Then there is a big band of comets and little stuff outside that. The first planet is small and barren; no atmosphere. The second is really hot due to an out-of-control greenhouse effect. The third (my home) is the only one in the solar system with life. It has one huge moon (the ones further in don’t have moons) and that moon always shows the same side to the planet. The fourth planet is cold and has a thin atmosphere and two small moons; it also have a bunch of mobile robots we sent there that are still going years after their design lifetimes. No relevant? Oh well.
Let’s see. The asteroid belt is next then the gas giants. The first is the biggest thing in the solar system after the sun. It has a crap-load of moons, most of which are probably captured asteroids. The next gas giant is only a little smaller than the first one, and has a few less moons, but it has these spectacular wide rings; they all have rings, but the second gas giant’s ring are really big.
Does that help narrow down where I want to go? Right, the third rock from the sun.
Big Giant Head: “*Snicker* You believe your planet to be the only one in your system with life? That’s why there is a blockade on indigenous life from leaving your planet’s orbit.”
“Hey, not my problem with the next door neighbors are extreme xenophobic shut-ins to the point of refusing to be seen. We sent over robot greeters to some of the planet/moon ‘houses’ to say hello, but nobody’s said hi back, so far.”
“We have seen what you do when you encounter new members of your own species. We are not xenophobic, we are just not stupid enough to give you a new target.”
Halo: Thanks for the ride. I can’t pay you right now, but when we get home, I have enough in my bank account to buy you a few pounds of gold or platinum. Maybe you want a few tonnes of wheat? Oh, I did not realize that would not be compatible with your biology. So, what would you want when we get to my home? Remember, I can’t negotiate any international treaties.
Wheat doesn’t do well on other planets. They prefer Quadrotriticale.
Just be sue to check the shipment for any invasive life forms like tribbles.
Nah, but they do want one of these very special autographed comic books, which SURELY her comic store sells?
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/119
(bwahahas to self)
Wow, that is a reminder of how much the art style has changed. And don’t call me Shirley.
“I can pay $17 now, and $2500 when I’m on Earth.”
“Deal!”
(2500! She must be desperate! This will realy save my neck!)
But Sydney may have to sell her landspeeder to pay the fare.
(the vintage toy she keeps in her utility belt) https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91kxiW%2BTsnL._SL1500_.jpg
Only $2500 US? That is less than a business class flight from Toronto, Canada to Melbourne, Australia and she will be crossing star systems, not just continents and oceans.
DaveB, I could see the environment looking bland until one enters it and suddenly all the ads, glitter, and signage are beamed right onto the recipient’s visual sensory receptors and/or into their aural sensory receptors, kinda like a personal HUD, but enhancing the environment, not obscuring it. The nice thing is that it would become difficult to do something illegal by accident as you would be updated continually if you are in danger of an infraction. Also, I could see it helping with alien translation, directions (especially for new visitors): mutter a question and get an Alexi (but much, much smarter) type response. Common sense laws would have limited the data received so that a beings senses aren’t overwhelmed. Lots of possibilities with this simple kind of tech.
Second panel, the top left ship. Isn’t that the whale probe from Star Trek IV?
That’s ET’s for ya: send a probe big enough for whales :P
LOL!
Well, better that than if were the Doomsday Machine…
For Achilles’ finances, I would say his boots. Specifically under his feet, since that would offer the most protection. Identification too. Boot heel consisting of a half inch block of titanium or something. Might get away with a RFID chip glued to the inside of one nostril as well
It goes in the ‘prison pocket.’
Titanium is a little too combustible to make a good container for extreme conditions. I’d go with tungsten.
He’s right. Under normal conditions, Titanium will never degrade. But if you hit it hard enough, or if it get hot enough, it causes a violent reaction including catching on fire. (FYI, Don’t be this guy, he is an idiot, he is working in a shop with open toe sandals.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8ZaUBvrlmY
In the next video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MeSME1sLXM we see safety loser number 2 ignite Titanium while turning it. I SWEAR TO GOD ALMIGHTY USE F***ING COOLANT OR OIL. WHO CUTS TITANIUM DRY? IDIOTS THAT’S WHO! At least nothing caught on fire, sure got close though. Sorry bout’ that, I work as a machinist and know better.
Oh dear God no, I just found another video. The firefighters are using water on a fire at a Titanium warehouse, nonono. I can’t watch these anymore. I am going to hug the first class-D fire extinguisher I see at work tomorrow.
What were we taking about again?
Right, Achilles Titanium boots, yeah he would lose his feet if something hit them to fast or got to hot. Fitting though, Achilles of Greek Myth die due to a blow to the foot.
Given that this is a space port it’s possible that the last owner of the orbs used conventional FTL to travel to Earth intending to use the Vale to conceal their attempts to figure out how they work, in this case Sidney might just be the next person to come close enough to activate them and did inherit all previous skill points.
Clearly she is going to need to start bringing some gold and platinum coins with her.
Rare metals are standard currency.
Unless you have replicator technology that can build a gold brick
Out of the atomic particles in a pile of sand
Then rare metals are basically worthless.
bad news “rare metal” are worthless long before the invention of replicator technology.
once a species gets off their planet you find the system is lousy with everything we call “rare”. it gets worse once you are able to leave your home system as some systems will be so heavy with these minerals they will be dirt cheep.
Dealer “Carbon crystal? meh worthless. Why?” do you have any Idea how common pure carbon is?”
Gold is a useful international currency useful even in places on Earth where the dollar is not welcome. Which is the kind of place that Arc SWAT is reasonably likely to find itself posted to on a moment’s notice. Diamonds and other gems are useful for their high value to weight ratio too. Similarly for computer chips and rare-Earth elements. One pouch could be devoted to a range of useful cash and tradeables.
A similar selection could be made for unexpected offworld expiditions. With an emphasis on things which are relatively rare around the galaxy, rather than just being scarce on Earth. Computer chips being pretty useless other than as cultural curios. Small objets d’art may be of worth in places like this mega-city, where all elements are probably abundant and thereby of very low value. Likewise very compact entertainment and cultural recordings (and a means of playing them or at least in a format that aliens could access easily).
Diamonds aren’t really that rare nor is gold if you have good space travel. A good sized asteroid has trillions of dollars worth of ores and material. There may be planet-sized diamonds hidden in gas giants.
Hence why I indicated “With an emphasis on things which are relatively rare around the galaxy…”. Some of the rare Earth elements will be just as rare galaxy wide (in places where they cannot just fabricate whatever they want at the push of a button). It is best to consult some informed astronomers to optimize the selection.
If you google “diamonds aren’t rare” watch the Adam Ruins Everything youtube episode. Diamonds aren’t even rare on Earth. I wish I could link the show but can only use my phone right now. It is a very informative video.
Not surprising as even our humble technology level can make diamond. Just check out the Superman documentary to see him crushing coal into one. Likewise one of the gods in the Baron Munchosen documentary. Carbon is a pretty common element, even in the shiny varieties.
Hence why it is not classed as a ‘rare earth element’. Look in your pocket for some of those (in your smartphone). Probably mined in China.
The ones Sydney would want are ones that are relatively more available on Earth, in the present day, but generally scarce around the galaxy (by our best guesses, perhaps with a hint or two from aliens on Earth).
Diamonds are not made from Coal, they are made from Graphite.
No amount of pressure would have allowed Superman to do it.
He’s Superman if he can shoot rainbows from his fingers and see your soul he can turn coal into diamonds. Heck if Superman revealed he could spit out the cure for prostate cancer I wouldn’t be surprised. Superman, where writers go…eh..do whatever, just make sure he can’t just one punch win in THIS scenario even if past feats say he could flick this guy three galaxies over with his pinkie toe.
you aren’t thinking of superman…thats Chuck Norris..it’s easy to make that mistake though.
You can get coal with purity of up to 90% carbon (OK not very pure, but better than the typical 50%). The better the purity of your stock carbon the better the resultant diamond (hence why graphite is normally used, because it has very few impurities in it – but less than zero in the real world).
However apply enough heat and pressure to very high carbon content coal and you could actually make diamonds from it. They would just be very low grade, and it would not be an efficient process, so there would be a lot of stuff that would not qualify in the result too. But poor quality or not you would end up with some diamond.
Mythbusters watched as New Mexico Technical University made some diamonds using explosives and graphite powder. Not very good diamonds, worth less than a dollar, but diamonds none the less.
Technically, you are correct. But it would never be a fashion diamond. Even industrial diamonds would be better quality…………
Now I want to see someone try this experiment. Link down below if anyone finds out information on this. I will look also, but I never could get the best keywords down.
Organic materials would be better seeing as lifeforms would develop differently do to the planet’s conditions, so anything that “grows” on earth would most likely be seen as an exotic material which being unique to a planet would have significantly more value.
Well there is a type of pink marble that now the only pace it exists in a in one building (well with a few odd bit to repair it with.) that marble is rarer than any gold or diamonds her eon earth.
Same for a particular kind of ‘black gold’ that has a particular tint – there’s only a certain amount of it.
So rare can be a fickle thing. Now where did I put that pink panther…
and once you develop molecular assembler tech no element, isotope, alloy, compound, or material in general that has been entered into its database is rare. Unless you come across some material that resists the current level of assembly tech, like that Dragon mineral from Outlaw Star.
Well even though Gold is not really rare it some cases it is used for it’s resistance to corrosion etc – eg the durability over time and the Oooo shiny factor as well. So artwork on gold coins could be an acceptable means to put say crypto and cypher data on them. one side being the ‘well known artwork’ the other digital cyphertext
The Orville: Reality television shows
The rarest things in the universe would be entertainment.
Entertainment requires very specific sorts of psychology and cultures to develop, and even then even more specific in recorded and interactive ways (the very idea of pretending to be someone/something else as escapism, could simply be outside the realm of normal thought for some sapient species). That wouldn’t prevent them from being entertained by human entertainment, just really incapable of making it themselves (lack of abstract conceptualizing and mimic behavior could do that).
and even when different species have these in varying forms they’d never develop the same versions as each other. Technological progression prioritizing could do that as well. The fact video games have advanced the way they have in only a few decades, along with movie special effects shows a degree of prioritizing this commodity and a need to enhance it and change it for a new generation of audiences. Another species may not do that, but still be able to enjoy it, and of course cultural differences, this makes entertainment vary here on Earth as well.
Magnetars and pulsars (both are types of neutron stars) are far smaller than normal g-type stars because they are the leftover cores of stars that went nova. Gravity crushed the core even further until the matter became pure neutrons.
The core will be neutronium, but there will be a rather large layer of degenerate matter and normal matter surrounding that.
But you’re right about the size. I only wonder if you had a point to go with that factoid?