Thank god for that. It was hard enough to learn 9 (now 8) planets at school. Can you imagine having to learn all the names if the hydrostatic equilibrium definition held?

Since when does science work by a standard of "what is easy for children to memorize lists of"? Do we say "There are 8 rivers in the world, and all others are dwarf rivers, which really aren't rivers" to make it easier on kids? Do we say "There are 8 bones in the human body, and all others are dwarf bones, which don't really count as bones"?

That's not how science works. Science is focused on practical distinctions about how things developed and their physical properties relative to each other. Hydrostatic equilibrium is a very practical definition. The process of undergoing relaxation induces metamorphism and releases heat, altering bodies. You go to non-equilibrium bodies if you want to study the primordial makeup of our solar system. You go to equilibrium bodies if you want to study tectonics, volcanism, non-primordial chemistry, and search for past or present life. The boundary could not be more meaningful. Yes, there is a bit of fuzz between equilibrium and non-equilibrium, but the same applies to pretty much all scientific fields.

the germs to punish humanity for allowing transgender Muslims to practice Sharia law while eating your pets! Repent, heathens, or you'll end up with a brainworm like RFK's and low testosterone!

for the New Horizons probe to explore, like they did with the "snowman asteroid"*, but the area of space it can reach is rather limited, as it can change its path by only about a degree with the fuel it has left.

It's still amazing something going that fast can change its path by a whole degree. Due to luck, it didn't have to use much of its onboard fuel to get to its last 2 big targets. I hope it gets a chance to use it on something important.

* Found the by the Hubble scope, actually. They keep changing the rock's name, so I just call it by its nickname.

...one way

There are other options besides QWERTY and DVORK.

"Plutocrat 'A' grew too big for their britches, so lets give some of the business to Plutocrat 'B'."

What could possibly go wrong?

Supporters of the IAU definition (which I should add was a deeply biased sample, in that it looked like they were headed toward no definition or a hydrostatic equilibrium definition, so most supporters of that left, but the people trying to switch it to an orbit-clearing definition stayed) will argue that it's cleared if the remaining objects are trivial transients or in orbital resonance. But that's not what the IAU definition says. Also they'll point to the Stern-Levison parameter, but (A) that was based on the ability to scatter today's distribution of asteroids, not the primordial distribution, which included outright planetissimals**; and (B) Mars didn't even clear it's own orbit, Jupiter did. Also, in the paper that introduced the Stern-Levison parameter, they argued for a better definition where you combine adjectives and nouns (each with specific implications about the body) as needed to describe its size, composition, etc.

But the OP's point stands, in that it's stupid to say that something is a "dwarf planet", yet not a planet. It's like saying dwarf stars aren't stars or dwarf galaxies aren't galaxies or whatnot. An adjective-noun is almost always a noun, that's how language works. In the cases where an adjective-noun isn't a noun - say, "shooting star" or "slow worm" or whatnot - we treat these as scientifically erroneous colloquialisms, and formalize corrected scientific terminology. We don't do literally the opposite and have science codify misleading language.

Speak for yourself, Pluto is fascinating. Tectonically active. Cryovolcanism so abundant it appears to have formed large mountains by the merger of individual domes. A gigantic scar exposing its mantle, which over time roils in massive convection cells, pockmarked in sublimation pits. Mountains drifting like icebergs and accumulating on the shore. Penetentes (sublimation ice spikes), the size of large hills. A multilayer blue atmosphere, in which organic chemistry occurs, depositing not just organic matter onto its own surface, but that of its moon as well. Active glaciation. A probable subsurface ocean, in contact with rock. Conditions suggesting it was habitable when it formed.

IMHO, it's way more interesting than a number of recognized planets.

(Also, I'm confused by your response. This isn't about the moon, and the moon has no atmosphere for flying)

Yep. Back in the early days of Slashdot, when helium usage would come up, I'd grumble about how wasteful the medical industry was with helium.

It still uses a lot, but it's nowhere near as wasteful as it was before.

Yes, like the Nile Delta, water flowed in from wet regions further away to the desert and near-desert lowlands, and humans began using it for agriculture. Around the Tulare Basin, there's dozens of inches per year in the mountains due to orographic uplift, but only half a dozen in the lowlands. The problem is that farmers first consumed the water from the mountain-fed local rivers and are now consuming water shipped in from as far away as the Oregon border and drawing down groundwater much faster than it's being replenished. At the same time, the mountain rivers are becoming less reliable as climate change leads to snowpack melting earlier. As it stands today, it is not sustainable. More water is being used than is long-term available.

Indeed, I have no clue what you think you were trying to prove with this link:

The conversion of this water system to a lake-and-slough wetland to agriculture began in the mid-1800s when European settlers began to build canals and diversion structures to irrigate their crops. This early irrigation infrastructure upstream from Tulare Lake slowly cut off the lake from its source waters, shrinking the lake's footprint. By 1899 - less than 50 years after irrigation was initiated - Tulare Lake went dry for the first time in history.

They were overdrawing the rivers *even before the 20th century*.

First, eat a dog.

> that in voting precincts are local, so there are likely to be people there who know the person voting

Most such fraud would be done in bigger precincts, not small towns, so as to blend in better.

> so if it goes bad, you're right there to be caught.

Somebody who ready to run can outpace Barney Fife.

> you have to research the particular details of a specific person.

I'm sure Putin and Xi have a copy of everyone's drivers license.

From the 30's to 60's one got too much lead from rigged gas, and 70's+ microplastics.

Gotz more! Names Jimmy Kimmel called Don: Trumple Stilskin Trumple Orangeskin Troompa Loompa Donny Boo Boo Cheeto Chief Unhappy Gilmore Commander in Beef Mar-a-Lardo Donny Bone Spurs Colludicris El Crappy-tan Hairy Poppins King Tutan-con-man Abra-scam-lincoln Douche-olini Typhoid Donnie [got staff sick] Flabbio Tangerine Twitter Machine Tandalorian Darth Tax Evader Jabber the Hutt Orange Julius Caesar Spready Krueger [Covid] Dingus Khan Putin's Pee Pee Pal Lie-ger Woods Tweety Gonzales Tanny Soprano Q-A-Don Dictator Tot Quid Pro Combover Prisoner-Elect Star Spangled Tanner Gaseous Clay Smellvis Yellvis Fibberace Reich Tyson MAGA Teresa Pork Choppo Commander & Thief Tannie Oakley Magaroni & Cheese Scamburglar Gassolini Groper Cleaveland Mar-a-Cloggo Vladimir Gluten Carrot Bottom Tannibal Lecter The Tanchurian Candidate Kim Don Un Donye West Genghis Don Burger Jean King Julius Squeezer Uncle Scam Merrill Flinch Keester Bunny King Hungry the Eigth Petty Rosevelt Gangus Conman Lie-a-tollah Founding Frauder

---From others:---
Moutholini Mango Mussolini Don Laden Don Qaeda Hitliar Agolf Shittler Agolf Tottler Fattler ADHDolf The Count of Mostly Crisco (from Colbert) Cheeto Corleone Don Snoreleone Dozo the Clown The Nod Father Flush Gordon Hannibal Leakter Tribble Top Mess-iah Sharticus Farticus Coupy McTintFace King Tint-Uncommon Darth Vapor Donvict Nobel Price Ferrel Pharaoh Mango Unchained Tinted Toddler Yosemite Yam Flaky McCakey Bruisey McSnoozy The Great Fatzby Blob the Builder Teddy Dozevelt Dr. Strangelump Clowntator

(sorry about the formatting, Slashdot didn't like the original)

The world's in decline. The rich are fucking it up.