Subject: Physics and language
From: "Dr. Samuel Conway" <flogistn@vivanet.com>
Date: 10/2/1996 6:07 PM
To: kats@maxie.com

Jonathan Higa wrote:
 
I laughed when I heard "speed of heat" the first time.  Well, since we can
rule out the interpretation as "speed of light," we can try to interpret it
as some measure of transfer of kinetic energy via molecular collisions.

This is crap.  As any schoolchild knows, heat is a physical substance known
to learned men as "phlogiston"; this substance flows amongst the atoms of
every object and entity.  It has a finite viscosity, though its mass is
known to be negative, and as it is capable of travel from one solid object
to another in contact therewith, or through the air by riding upon micro-
scopic dust particles, the "speed of heat" is certainly a measurable 
value.

(kids, don't try this at home)

As for languages, I couldn't help being somewhat amused by the discussion.
We are all dedicated fans, but we must not become irrational.  It is only
natural that the kats would speak "English" and have "Anglo" sounding 
names.  That is its target audience.  If it were made in Japan, they would
have Japanese names and they would speak Japanese.  So let us not try to 
derive any great meaning or universal mystery out of a simple marketing
technique.

----
Dr. Samuel Konway
Senior Crotchety Old Chemist
Avid Therapeutics
Philadelphia, PA
flogistn@vivanet.com