Editing Talk:1294: Telescope Names

Historically, one of the first times the issue was raised on the internet was [http://science.slashdot.org/story/00/06/28/1321221/ask-chris-mckinstry-about-giant-telescopes-etc this Slashdot article], where the name ''BFT'' [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=6288&cid=971019 was first proposed] in 2000. Did Randall know it? {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.231.211}}

The "Final Telescope" aka "James Webb Space Telescope". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.209|108.162.222.209]] 11:01, 22 November 2013 (UTC)

How could he leave off the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Magellan_Telescope Giant Magellan Telescope]? [[User:Matchups|Matchups]] ([[User talk:Matchups|talk]]) 14:13, 22 November 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone think the latter names are a nod to Doctor Who? The Nightmare Child, the Plains of Devastation, etc. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.148|199.27.128.148]] 17:48, 22 November 2013 (UTC)

The infinite is the size of the univers. Still there is a final after that ;-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:28, 23 November 2013 (UTC)

Just a note concerning the cancelled 'Overwhelmingly Large Telescope' (=OWL): Today OWL means „Once Was Large“ because it is replaced by the ELT {{unsigned ip|108.162.231.21}}

;Similar topic

I remember
a short piece in SCIAM many years ago, where a well known physicist 
ironicly discussed the wish/planning/building of ever bigger colliders. 
Among the biggest of them, the "final collider" was described 
as having a diameter about the dimension of galaxy clusters.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.54|108.162.231.54]] 22:28, 23 November 2013 (UTC)

::The "Infinite" and "Final Telescopes" may be a poke at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Crisis Infinite Crisis] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Crisis Final Crisis] crossover events in the DC Comics... --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 10:43, 9 December 2013 (UTC)

The Final Telescope is a reference to Asimov's "The Final Question", which literally describes the last question answered in the lifetime of the universe. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 21:39, 22 April 2023 (UTC)
:Sounds more like a reference to the Glam Rock band "Europe", to me. (i.e., I disagree with how definite you seem to be.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.184|172.69.79.184]] 23:14, 22 April 2023 (UTC)
::You have to consider how big a science fiction nerd Randall is (nearly as big as me). [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 01:01, 23 April 2023 (UTC)
:::It's still tenuous. There are loads of "The Final <something>"s. And, in TFQ, it isn't even the final question (the final ''remaining'' question, perhaps) as it has been asked before, many times. What's more important is the final ''answer'' (or the first answer that isn't non-commital, or maybe it's the ''first'' answer in the time beyond), and surely a reference to that would be more nerd-worthy than what we have.
:::I think Asimov is just too subtle, it could have come from anywhere and the ''intention'' to use Asimov, specifically, could have been flagged somehow.
:::Alternate nerd references could have been "The Second Greatest Telescope" (shades of Deep Thought, already thinking ahead to its successor) or similar. And we don't see "antepenultimate" used often enough, either (or on through "propreantepenultimate"), so a missed trick there too. But I don't fully know Randall's mind, just have an impression that even when he's Muggle-indecipherable, he's rarely quite so shy about acknowledging his inspiration, and very rarely quite so nerd-shy. Even his easter-eggs are at least obvious enough once you realise they are there to be found. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.159|172.70.162.159]] 17:02, 23 April 2023 (UTC)