It looks like XCOR has the funding they need to build Xerus. Alan Boyle has the story of the changing, and maturing, nature of space startup funding. No more giggling.
All posts by Rand Simberg
Dhimmitude
Brit Michael Hodges can’t wait for London to become Londonistan.
In an Islamic London, Christians and Jews
How Much Better Off Would The Golden State Be?
And how much would recent history have changed, had Ahhhhnuld, instead of calling the Sacramento nannies “girlie men,” called them “epicenes“?
Iranian Terrorist Cells
…in Iraq. Well, at least we’re going after them there.
Creating New Killing Fields
An interesting op-ed in the New York Times today:
…despite the defeat in 1975, America
Undying Comment Thread
The previous post on Freeman Dyson’s global warming comments have kicked off a long (and apparently informed and happily troll-free) discussion on Bob Bussard’s latest fusion concept.
Living In A Fantasy World
We continue to pretend that Iran is not waging war against us, in Iraq, Afghanistan (and against Israel in Syria and Lebanon). How much more of this should we take before punishing the regime?
They Came To Their Senses
Lileks won’t be covering sewer bond proposals, after all. He’s got a whole new gig at the Strib.
[Update in the late afternoon]
Hey, the guy is actually blogging! For pay!
It’s not just the daily Bleat. He’s got a whole new bunch of posts since I linked it this morning. You can actually refresh and see fresh stuff throughout the day. Just like a blog!
Space Carnival
Lots of good stuff at this week’s Carnival of Space (which seems so far to be a successful venture for Henry Cate), with a focus on ISDC. Lots of new space bloggers out there (including “Flying Singer, the carnival host) that I hadn’t seen before, and should add to the blogroll.
If We Lose The War, Whose Fault Will It Be?
OK, well, the press should take some responsibility, but it will also be the bureaucracy:
Iraq has shown that the DoD bureaucracy is too big, too slow and out of touch with the realities of the modern battlefield.
Up until just recently the military was built for a set-piece battle against like forces. But our enemy does not want to cooperate with the geniuses in the Pentagon who came up with the plans and procured the equipment to execute those plans and developed training platforms to prepare soldiers for those plans.
The bureaucracy–even in combat–is staggering. To get some things done the request has to go through 15! steps of approval.
One Company Commander summed it up like this:
“They trust me with the lives of 100 men, humvees, weapons, ammo, civil affairs negotiations, classified intelligence, radios, everything. But I cannot be trusted with $20k worth of Dinar to hire a crew to build up an IP station?”