# Quake moves Japan 8 feet (the less than serious thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470 "2011-03-13T00:17:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pojimba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@pojimba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pojimba)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/21 "2011-03-13T16:18:16Z")
> **[Earthquake Sets Japan Back To 2147](https://www.theonion.com/earthquake-sets-japan-back-to-2147-1819569216)** > > TOKYO—Japanese government officials confirmed Monday that the damage wrought on Japan's national infrastructure by the July 16th earthquake—particularly on the country's protective force field, quantum teleportation system, zero-point fusion energy... ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/22 "2011-03-14T10:48:36Z")
read this on twitter > [@](#): > > If you watch Godzilla backwards its about a giant lizard who helps rebuild a half burnt down city and then moonwalks into the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/23 "2011-03-14T10:54:14Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > North Korea instantly issued the following threat; “Move any closer and we attack!” Thank you for this. My husband’s sword teacher was visiting this weekend from Japan, and when we shared this with him he practically doubled over in hilarity. (He’s from Yokohama and his family is fine, but it was tense for a while on Friday before they were able to check in.) ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/24 "2011-03-14T11:02:55Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > If some of these morons stopped to think for a pico-second, they might realise most of the Japanese victims of this disaster weren’t even born when Pearl Harbour was bombed. Judging by the photos by the comments, I’d say most of the people \*making the statements \*weren’t even born when Pearl Harbor was attacked. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/25 "2011-03-14T11:34:44Z")
> [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](#): > > That is quite the repository of stupid comments there. My favorite was the one that called the Japanese “Krauts”. Get your epithets right! That was awesome. > [@Facebook idiot](#): > > those damn \*\*krauts \*\*deserve to be hit by an earthquake tsunami for \*\*nuking \*\*pearl harbor [bolding mine] Apparently it really _wasn’t_ over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor… ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/26 "2011-03-14T12:27:11Z")
Here’s an unintentionally funny quote from a [CNN.com](http://CNN.com) article on the disaster(s): [QUOTE=CNN] Kazuya Matsuo, who lives near Tokyo in Saitama Prefecture, said residents are limiting power consumption on their own. “Many people appeal each other to save electric power on (the) internet,” including on social media sites, Matsuo said. “Many Japanese people are cooperating.” [/QUOTE] Yes, posting to social media sites on the Internet is the _best_ way to limit frivolous electrical power consumption. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/27 "2011-03-14T13:00:17Z")
[The New York Times has some more reporting about the geological effects of the earthquake](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14seismic.html?hp): > [@](#): > > Global positioning stations closest to the epicenter jumped eastward by up to 13 feet. […] As it unbuckled, a 250-mile-long coastal section of Japan dropped in altitude by two feet, which allowed the tsunami to travel farther and faster onto land, Dr. Stein said. > […] > Richard S. Gross, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, calculated that the length of the day was shortened by 1.8 millionths of a second. > > The earthquake also shifted the so-called figure axis of the Earth, which is the axis that the Earth’s mass is balanced around. Dr. Gross said his calculations indicated a shift of 6.5 inches in where the figure axis intersects the surface of the planet. It’s amazing that events like these affect the entire balance of the planet, even in such a minimal way. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/28 "2011-03-14T13:10:19Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > That was awesome.Apparently it really _wasn’t_ over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor… And it ain’t over now! Because when the going gets tough – – – – – the tough miss their cue. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/29 "2011-03-14T14:54:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s amazing that events like these affect the entire balance of the planet, even in such a minimal way. Yeah, well that’s what the Krauts get for nuking Pearl Harbor. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/30 "2011-03-14T15:08:19Z")
[QUOTE=New York Times] The earthquake also shifted the so-called figure axis of the Earth… [/QUOTE] That’s one of the most bizarre uses of “so-called” that I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/31 "2011-03-15T00:16:53Z")
The real figure axis is in another castle. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/32 "2011-03-19T14:27:23Z")
> [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](#): > > That is quite the repository of stupid comments there. My favorite was the one that called the Japanese “Krauts”. Get your epithets right! The one by Jack Simmering? Surely that was satire directed at similar comments? eg; “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!”" Bluto Blutarsky of “Animal House," ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/33 "2011-03-20T00:22:15Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > INCLUDE A SINGLE LOWERCASE LETTER IN TINY FONT IN WHITE. > o Thanks, **AClockworkMelon** , but on further reflection, it still wouldn’t be funny…☹ ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/34 "2011-03-20T00:22:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Richard S. Gross, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, calculated that the length of the day was shortened by 1.8 millionths of a second. Crap. Now I have to change all my clocks. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/35 "2011-03-20T01:24:40Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Crap. Now I have to change all my clocks. That would work only if one uses an atomic clock… …Ah crap! ☹ 🙂 (we need a meek smilie) ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/36 "2011-03-20T06:16:09Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > That would work only if one uses an atomic clock… > > …Ah crap! ☹ > > 🙂 (we need a meek smilie) Your atomic clock woudn’t be using that nasty Cesium, would it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470/37 "2011-03-20T07:31:38Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > read this on twitter That’s gotta be a steal from a Bill Hicks joke: 1st guy: “A video will show you anything you want depending on how you look at it.” 2nd guy: “How about the Ridney King video?” 1st guy: “Well, if you look at it backward, the LA cops help Mr. King to his feet, put him into his car, and send him on his way.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-moves-japan-8-feet-the-less-than-serious-thread/574470.md?page=1)