Thread:Mr.Robbo/@comment-5870856-20150126033221/@comment-5870856-20150221014449

Mr.Robbo wrote: Gases and liquids are clearly defined states of matter. A substance might only be thought of as being like a liquid and a gas under certain extreme circumstances, such as past a liquid-vapour critical point (even then the definition of appearing as a liquid and a gas at the same time isn't technically correct).

OK, so correct me if I'm wrong, but liquid is a fluid without shape but with fixed volume, whereas gas has no shape or volume? Or is that overly simplistic?

Mr.Robbo wrote: I wouldn't exactly call luftbodens floating islands, and I doubt there would be any major fauna living on them. They are, after all, basically just a tangle of plant roots with a few chunks of dirt trapped within them. Rather than the 'floating mountains' from Avatar, which rely on the magnetic properties of the fictional superconductor 'unobtainium', I would compare luftboden to the mysterious living island from Life of Pi, which is actually very similar to a luftboden, but floats on the sea instead of in the air.

Never seen Life of Pi, though I've heard it's good. In theory, though, supposing these roots are similar to the vines and branches of a forest canopy, could something conceivably hang from the bottom? Based on this description, I doubt luftbodens be able to support an ecosystem made up of anything more than insect-sized creatures, but at the very least, I could see some flying creatures roosting in their roots to avoid predators while sleeping.

Mr.Robbo wrote: Nubisviventids is a bastardisation of a Latin phrase referring to living clouds. Taxonomic names on Quinoa include a mixture of Ancient Greek, Greek, Latin and Esperanto.

OK, I can see Ancient Greek, Greek and Latin, but why Esperanto? Wasn't that the failed "world language" that no one speaks anymore?