Category Archives: Technology and Society

Business, Economics, Political Commentary, Space, Technology and Society

The Delusional State Of The Launch Industry

September 20, 2026 Rand Simberg 4 Comments

This article is hilarious with a whole bunch of launch companies in SERIOUS denial.https://t.co/vFrwFOhCAc
— Artificial Gravity Space Stations (@space_stations) September 20, 2026

I used to think maybe I should go to or pay attention to these industry conferences & panels. This is literally anti-signal. You’re dumber if you listen to them than if you don’t. They are afraid to even MENTION SpaceX, which absolutely dominates their industry! https://t.co/elzxdXSlIW
— Robotbeat🗽 ➐ (@Robotbeat) September 20, 2026

[Early-afternoon update]

Loosely translated: “Now that SpaceX has gone off to found a solar system wide civilization we can chop our prices just a bit and people still will prefer our horses and buggies.” https://t.co/zG1TKmtOlS
— Charles A. Lurio (@TheLurioReport) September 20, 2026

General Science, History, Science And Society, Space, Technology and Society

Solar Events

September 18, 2026 Rand Simberg 11 Comments

Documenting the first time one affected technology.

Business, Economics, Mathematics, Media Criticism, Philosophy, Political Commentary, Technology and Society

AI Doom

September 17, 2026 Rand Simberg 10 Comments

Eric Raymond makes the case against it.

This is the case against AI doom. Pass it on

First we recaptulate standard x-risk argument: we build AI substantially smarter than humans → it becomes an autonomous optimizing agent → its goals are misaligned → instrumental convergence makes it seek power and resist…
— Eric S. Raymond (@esrtweet) September 17, 2026

Business, Economics, Education, Health, Media Criticism, Philosophy, Political Commentary, Social Commentary, Technology and Society

An Interesting Take

September 14, 2026 Rand Simberg 7 Comments

If nobody builds AI, everybody dies?

Business, History, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Popular Culture, Space, Technology and Society

The Deconstruction Of Scotty

September 14, 2026 Rand Simberg 22 Comments

…is an indictment of our times.

A large part of NASA’s problem is that dishonesty is often rewarded, particularly when testifying to Congress.

[Update late morning]

Link added, sorry!

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Space, Technology and Society

SpaceX Launch Costs

September 8, 2026 Rand Simberg 13 Comments

Ozan runs some numbers.

After the Starship $300/kg price floor nonsense made the rounds, the ones who shared the studies started saying there isn't a better model out there to look at. I'd be willing to bet whatever @mach33 has put out is way better, but I've always run my own numbers on this stuff…
— Ozan Bellik (@BellikOzan) September 7, 2026

I don’t understand, though, how you get two flights per pad per day into SSO, at least not if you want the SSO on the terminator, which is where everyone claims to want to be, for continuous sunlight.

[Wednesday-afternoon update]

Investors are stoked about Stoke’s latest announcement.

[Thursday-afternoon update]

The coming tidal wave of new rockets.

Business, Education, General, Technology and Society

Some Labor Day Thoughts

September 7, 2026 Rand Simberg 12 Comments

…from Supersonic Redhead:

What We Carry Forward Some Thoughts on Work, Talent and the Obligations of Experience https://t.co/o4cMKVptxR
— Supersonic Redhead🛫 (@Supersonic_Red) September 7, 2026

[Afternoon update]

Ask communists to explicitly describe what communism would be like. The answers are hilarious.

> Everyone gets a modern urban apartment in a city, no cars
> You don't have to work
> Things are just produced so everyone has stuff somehow
> People work because of a 'sense of… pic.twitter.com/KzG2nT0c8k
— Reddit Lies (@reddit_lies) September 6, 2026

All we need to make it happen is the New Soviet Man!

Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Space, Technology and Society, War Commentary

The PhD Experts

September 1, 2026 Rand Simberg 57 Comments

Well, this certainly kicked off a lively discussion (full of nonsense in replies):

Your occasional reminder that physics PhDs are not engineers. The physics PhDs told us that we couldn't do missile defense. https://t.co/ra7Ybd82G0
— Rand Simberg (@Simberg_Space) August 31, 2026

Transterrestrial Musings