... if the image in the article is a real one, from the 7500 frames per second camera, it looks like the turn may be completed in less than one-thousandth of a second. That makes the 1/50th of a blink sound better.

"... in less than one one-hundredth of a second, 50 times faster than we blink our eyes" 1/2 a second to blink?! or is the fly actually quicker than one-hundredth of a second?

In most cases it wouldn't be economicaly sensible, but what about common sensible? We in the first world have plenty of cash so why not spend some of it to save energy and reduce waste? Remember how Grandma hated waste for it's own sake? It reminds me of the business argument against renewable energy, "We will do that when it's cheaper than what we do now!, till then we feel quite sure the planet will hold up long enough for us all to get plenty of new toys." Admittedly, you would need to utilise the old power supply somehow to make this 'energy accounting' work.

I cacked myself ! :-)

Not the "Free Food" joke ...

Not the result that says virtually _NO_one goes to political rallies.

Not the black humor involved in the No. 1 answer meaning either 1) "There was better stuff on the other channel..." or 2) "I resigned all hope ages ago".

It was that logo!, did you see "Norton Secured" on the top of the Poll page on slashdot!? ... actually, it could have been all of the above, the world is a funny place.

I'd love to see the citation for that, is it from the Delphi Oracle?

And likewise, do not fall for extrapolating future technological advancement ad infinitum based on the last 300 years , it is quite conceivable that some problems may just hit hard physical limits, or that practical advancements could plateau out . Graph the progress of commercial air travel (Concord hit the peak speed in the 60's?), some problems are technically fixable but economically nonviable (aerodynamic drag has an exponential effect on energy consumed)

"Science will always fix everything" is just as myopic as "Everything mankind does is bad for the planet"

Try it now, the latest version really gets it together.

hkmwbz nailed it, but to put it another way ...
Observation of Isaiah 40:22: It is he that sits on the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in.
Hypothesis 1: Isaiah knew the earth was spherical, the word circle must be a mis-translation. In Isaiah's time curtains and tents were thought to wrap around you completely rather than cover you in a top down sort of way. The word 'spreads' had the same connotation as 'wraps'.
Hypothesis 2: Isaiah notices that when he sits on the top of a hill he sees the earth as a circular shape around him and the stars as a dome shape above. He has a quite planar view of the cosmos Theory of Isaiah 40:22: Hypothesis 2 is simple and logical, it is backed by further linguistic research, it is now the consensus, though some extremists still vote for hypothesis 1.

... in the short term. 'Clean' athletes can't match steroid pumped athletes. Local workers can't match sweat shop labourers. Recycling can't match dumping rubbish in a hole. Walking can't match sprinting. Sleep can't match amphetamines. Now, make those comparisons again, but factor in Total Cost of Ownership and 'Externalities'.

Ninja dragon? meh!?, They're flying there in DC-8's!, it's the return of Xenu! !! http://retardzone.com/2007/12/06/worlds-most-valuable-religious-symbol-ever/

Hey, you guys must be pleased that some other nations are throwing some cash at space research! No?, as long as they don't hide what they learn behind IP Law (Look at the God awful state of genetics research), we all benefit!. This is not a parochial baseball game, this is human knowlwge. I Love 'Erf !

To start with, I think you are interestingly right, I agree with your point. Why go abroad when nothing draws you, you're at the 'top' so why look elsewhere?. Reverse 'tall poppy' syndrome?. Also, there are a lot of you, so you get a pretty good boost in the identity stakes just from weight of numbers. The bits I think you don't mention (from your tone, I doubt that you were unaware of them) are the things I find really hard to forgive in the U.S. You seem so selfish, you're always 'right'. Very few other western democracies approve of capital punishment, lousy medical care for the non-rich, millionaire only political candidates (and all the problems that creates!), hypocritical foreign policy for decades. I'm sure you're sick of being ragged, but own up to some of the criticism?. You're system is far from perfect, it's just economically powerfull, but often socially behind the rest of us. I'm not rubbishing your average everyday 'Yanks', I just wish you, as a nation, would consider that other western democracies have some ideologies worth considering too? P.S Go the solar sails, whichever Earthlings build them !