The cost would be larger than the current state budget.
Because, you know, taxes in California aren’t high enough.
The Outer Space Treaty
Ted Cruz is having a hearing on it tomorrow. Mark Sundahl warns against outright withdrawal, or ignoring the positive aspects of it.
I’m probably going to be at the Space Tech Expo in Pasadena, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to stream it.
Evolution
It was a series of energy revolutions. Yes, though it’s an interesting new formulation.
Old Engines
Teaching them new tricks.
Between tech advances like this, and lower fuel costs from fracking and the end of OPEC, I think we’re going to get a lot more mileage out of internal combustion, Al Gore’s mindless hysteria aside.
The Biggest Anti-Trump Concern
I have to say, though, that Trump hasn’t been helping himself in making it appear that’s the case.
[Update a couple minutes later]
The case for dumping Trump lies with his supporters.
Yup. There are many Republicans on the Hill who would love to replace Trump with Pence, but they won’t do so until they have some sense that it wouldn’t result in riots from his die-hard fans. His approval will have to get a lot lower to make it possible. Impeachment is not a legal, but political act.
[Update a while later]
It’s like waiting for Godot: When does the evidence for collusion arrive?
[Late-morning update]
Comey’s actions don’t show any evidence of Trump “obstruction.” And Kurt Schichter writes that is a coup against our right to govern ourselves.
Homo Prospectus
Why humans are always thinking about the future. Link via co-author John Tierney:
He and I argue in the NYT that Homo sapiens is a misnomer, because calling ourselves the “wise man” is more of a boast than a description. What makes us wise? What sets us apart? Other animals live in the moment, but we can’t stop thinking about tomorrow.
Well, except for Trump.
The Uncertainty Monster
Thoughts from Judith Curry on the current state of knowledge in climate. The warm mongers never consider the possibility that their proposed cures may in fact be worse than the disease. I personally think it’s nuts to consider climate a greater threat to humanity than poverty, and particularly energy poverty. But then, many of them don’t really care about humanity, or consider humanity a problem in and of itself.
[Update a few minutes later]
A new paper on the epistemological status of general circulation models.
The Genius Of Roger Ailes
“What made Fox News so dominant for so long wasn’t just that Roger Ailes built a news network to tell just the right stories to gather a conservative audience, though he did make it a religion, but that his competitors in the news business had built theirs to drive that audience away.”
It’s often been said that he recognized a niche market that wasn’t being satisfied: half the country.
The Never Trumpers
Victor Davis Hanson on the nightmares versus the realities.
Trump has been about as terrible as I expected him to be, and I don’t expect he’ll change. I’m primarily happy that he’ll probably get another SCOTUS nominee. I’m still glad she lost.
[Update a while later]
Link was wrong, fixed now.
On James Comey
“His loyalty was more to Chuck Schumer.”
Whatever admiration I’ve ever had for James Comey continues to spiral down.