I have a couple of questions, generally, about a few things generally discussed in this thread.
1. What effect would the rotation of the Earth have on the falling goat? Wouldn't the poor thing keep banging on the sides of the hole all the way down, then all the way back up, then all the way back down again, then all the way back up again again, then . . . . (making myself dizzy so stopping now).
2. Re Dyson spheres: I'm confused about whether there's no gravity at every point inside the sphere. Gravity operates according to the inverse square law, no? Therefore, it seems to me that if you are closer to one side than the other that the gravitational pull from the closer side would be stronger and, thus, draw you to that side. I'm quite sure that people who know lots more about physics than I do have worked this out and I'm just wrong, but if someone could explain it to me, I'd appreciate it.
Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin Franklin
We see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat