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[parent] [thread] 5 comments
1. camina+(OP)[view] [source] 2025-10-22 14:26:09
> This seems bad

e.g., Cianide seems bad, but it won't kill you if the relative volumes are small.

tl;dr: You haven't characterized the denominator.

replies(1): >>tmvphi+Y
2. tmvphi+Y[view] [source] 2025-10-22 14:30:59
>>camina+(OP)
See my edit. Just one starcloud would represent an increase in a risk factor of over 300 c.f. status quo. Then multiply that by the number of starclouds you think would be deployed.
replies(1): >>camina+b4
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3. camina+b4[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-10-22 14:44:40
>>tmvphi+Y
You still keep playing with the numerator.

> increase in a risk factor of over 300

Even with a numerator-only view, I suspect it's not fair to characterize the "risk factor" as going up 300x. There's a lot more nuance about orbits in space.

replies(1): >>tmvphi+M7
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4. tmvphi+M7[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-10-22 14:57:42
>>camina+b4
Tell me the nuance then. If people have concerns about Kessler syndrome at the starlink scale then why wouldn't something literally 1000x bigger be even more concerning.
replies(2): >>camina+Fc >>tmvphi+pu
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5. camina+Fc[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-10-22 15:15:08
>>tmvphi+M7
I already did. Your reply/edit merely repeated your prior observation.

Getting back to the point:

You literally claimed that one of these would "inevitabl[y]" trigger a Kessler effect with no proof.

> something literally 1000x bigger be even more concerning.

Again, this isn't convincing if you don't have the denominator/context. Think about it: you still can't answer how many of these are needed to trigger the Kessler effect.

BTW, "increase by a FACTOR of about 300" != "increase in a RISK FACTOR of over 300"

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6. tmvphi+pu[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-10-22 16:24:33
>>tmvphi+M7
I know this in the same way that even though I don't know the exact credence to assign the probability of particular bad effects from global warming, I can confidently say that an increase by a factor of 1000 of the CO2 emissions would be a bad thing. This is not because I have done a simulation, but instead my beliefs are based on the assumption that while concerned experts might be wrong in the details, they are probably not wrong with a gap of 3 orders of magnitude.
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