[extropy-chat] Re: ASTRO: Defining 'planet'

[Eliezer S. Yudkowsky]

mail at harveynewstrom.com wrote:
> 
> I agree totally.  I even wish we didn't distinguish between stars, moons 
> and planets.  We should describe objects based on their 
> characteristics.  I would prefer a system like this:
> X-rayballs: Quasars, Blackholes, etc.
> Neutronballs: Neutron stars, collapsed stars, etc.
> Lightballs:  Sun, stars, etc.
> Heatballs: Brown Dwarfs, Jupiter, Saturn?, etc.
> Gasballs: Uranus, Neptune, etc.
> Dirtballs: Earth, Ganymede, Luna, Ceres, etc.
> Iceballs: Pluto, Charon, 2003UB313, 2003EL61, Sedna, Varuna, Quaoar etc.
> Nonballs(fragments): Irregularly shaped moons, asteroids, fragments, debris

I have no idea if you're joking, but either way, this is such a wonderful post.

-- 
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky                          http://singinst.org/
Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence