@heng: not true. 'Ramming speed' actually makes sense.
It means a high enough speed to make it nearly impossible to be avoided yet slow enough not to pulverize everything. Of course my notion of 'slow enough' could be perfectly wrong.
geez, these tools in the comments complaining about ramming speeds and odds being low are really starting to ruin this comic... I read the comic, laugh until i almost poop, scroll down to view a couple of comments (gives me enough time to get that poop thing under control before i go to the next one), and then get pissed that these people ANALyse the comic to death...just let it be funny you damned parade poopers...
We're all forgetting the real reason to boost his confidence: To get him to look stupid in front of you! Nobody actually wants to see their friends succeed!
Ramming speed was for ships that would ram other ships as an offensive weapon. It was the fastest the ship could go so that the prow would penetrate the other ship rather than bounce off. You think of Ben Hur because this was done by rowed boats, not sailing ships. With a sailing ship you order sails up or down, not the speed. Those ships had a ram, a pointy part, below the water line with the hope of putting a hole below the water line of the target ship.
Oh, and Heng, if you are subscribed: the comic is wrong on every point. "Ramming speed" means "as fast as you can go". It is an instruction to rowers who don't care about velocity in units and to the guy beating the pace. And "brace for impact" means "we are about to hit, let go of the oars and duck". When you hit the oars are going to stop moving but the boat won't. If you are holding them you might break your arms.
So it is stupid in space ships, it is entirely correct in rowed ships.
February 17, 2008
Reader Comments (14)
scott, you look like ummmm....something particularly creepy in frame 3. my brother-in-law i think
Well this comic came up at the perfect time. Thanks for the boost of confidence.
RAMMING SPEED!
"Ramming Speed" is a silly phrase...
you can ram something at any speed which is positive relative to your target.
see for full explanation here:
http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20051220.html
PS: aw man, 95% of my education is derived from comic strips...
frame three = you pulling a pouty face!
Wouldn't the odds be low? Or are you trying to say that he wont ask her out?
@heng: not true. 'Ramming speed' actually makes sense.
It means a high enough speed to make it nearly impossible to be avoided yet slow enough not to pulverize everything.
Of course my notion of 'slow enough' could be perfectly wrong.
geez, these tools in the comments complaining about ramming speeds and odds being low are really starting to ruin this comic... I read the comic, laugh until i almost poop, scroll down to view a couple of comments (gives me enough time to get that poop thing under control before i go to the next one), and then get pissed that these people ANALyse the comic to death...just let it be funny you damned parade poopers...
I agree with the first commenter, frame 3 looks like you should be asking Ric if the tranquilizer you slipped him is working yet lol.
@nk: You know, you DON'T have to read the comments. They only ruin the humor if you read them.
We're all forgetting the real reason to boost his confidence: To get him to look stupid in front of you! Nobody actually wants to see their friends succeed!
"Ramming Speed" when I use it always is a reference to the movie classic Ben Hur.
Sigh!
Pendant alert!
Ramming speed was for ships that would ram other ships as an offensive weapon. It was the fastest the ship could go so that the prow would penetrate the other ship rather than bounce off. You think of Ben Hur because this was done by rowed boats, not sailing ships. With a sailing ship you order sails up or down, not the speed. Those ships had a ram, a pointy part, below the water line with the hope of putting a hole below the water line of the target ship.
Oh, and Heng, if you are subscribed: the comic is wrong on every point. "Ramming speed" means "as fast as you can go". It is an instruction to rowers who don't care about velocity in units and to the guy beating the pace. And "brace for impact" means "we are about to hit, let go of the oars and duck". When you hit the oars are going to stop moving but the boat won't. If you are holding them you might break your arms.
So it is stupid in space ships, it is entirely correct in rowed ships.