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A comment on The law depends on compute power. Parent comment

Re:The law depends on compute power by tedunangst on Saturday July 30, 2016 @12:42PM (#12193661)
Exactly. With a sufficiently powerful telescope, I can read an SSN printed on paper through the window bounced off the reflection from your watch from a mile away. But we wouldn't call that publishing.
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Re:The law depends on compute power by PhantomGremlin on Sunday July 31, 2016 @02:48AM (#12196002)
I don't think that's true. I think there are phenomena like scattering and the diffraction limit that come into play that keep you from doing that.

Unless you're watching one of those stupid TV shows where they make this look easy. Just call up something on the screen and say "enhance". Then zoom in again and "enhance". Until you get the result you want. The problem is those scenes are written by liberal arts TV writers who didn't even pay attention to science in grade school.

It's not real world physics as I understand it. But, as Dennis Miller used to say, "I could be wrong". I'd welcome a pointer to some scientific explanation of how it is possible.

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Re:The law depends on compute power by tedunangst on Sunday July 31, 2016 @11:24AM (#12197341)
Possible to resolve an arc second, though unless it's large text, a mile is a little far. Across the street for sure though.
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