A previously undiscovered piece by Bach has turned up. Cool.
All posts by Rand Simberg
Let’s Hear It!
A previously undiscovered piece by Bach has turned up. Cool.
Why We Hate Our Fabulous Economy
A professor explains. Unsurprisingly it’s (you guessed it!) biased and lousy reporting.
Inflation during the Bush administration has been much like it was during the Clinton administration. Even so, back then, we liked the economy. Now we hate it. So, what exactly is the problem? The “record setting” budget deficits, perhaps? Not really. Stagnant wages? Maybe, but I doubt it. I’ll take a look at these a bit later, but for now, my point is that any story you read about some aspect of the economy ought to include simple charts like these. Those two stories about budget deficits and stagnant wages — like almost all stories about the state of economy — don’t do that. You can learn more from a few informative charts than you can from reading the words of a reporter who has an agenda that is advanced, not by showing you the actual numbers, but by using bumper-sticker slogans to create the impression that things are “spiraling out of control.” Oh wait, that’s the phrase reporters use to characterize Iraq. Well, they don’t use charts for that purpose, either (and for the same reason).
Nukes, Nano And Neutrality
Popular Mechanics has a new podcast up on prospects for nuclear power, who’s right about “net neutrality” (hint–everyone’s being disingenuous), and nanotech. Along with a Ted Stevens “tubes for rubes” remix…
Today’s The Big Day
NASA will be announcing the winner of the CEV Phase II competition at 4 PM Eastern. And since I’m supporting one of the teams, good news for me will be bad news for Thomas James, and vice versa.
As Thomas notes, NASA has been astonishingly good at keeping it a secret. It’s all the more astonishing when one considers that they had to tell Congress who the winner was a month ago.
Today’s The Big Day
NASA will be announcing the winner of the CEV Phase II competition at 4 PM Eastern. And since I’m supporting one of the teams, good news for me will be bad news for Thomas James, and vice versa.
As Thomas notes, NASA has been astonishingly good at keeping it a secret. It’s all the more astonishing when one considers that they had to tell Congress who the winner was a month ago.
Today’s The Big Day
NASA will be announcing the winner of the CEV Phase II competition at 4 PM Eastern. And since I’m supporting one of the teams, good news for me will be bad news for Thomas James, and vice versa.
As Thomas notes, NASA has been astonishingly good at keeping it a secret. It’s all the more astonishing when one considers that they had to tell Congress who the winner was a month ago.
First Vertical-Vertical Spaceport?
Alan Boyle reports that Blue Origin has gotten their environmental assessment approved, which was one of the last hurdles to getting their FAA license as a spaceport. It will be the first private spaceport, but it will also be the first spaceport to be licensed for vertical takeoff and landing (Mojave and Burns Flat are only licensed for horizontal operations). I wonder if Jeff Bezos will be open to allowing others to operate from it? I’ll bet that Armadillo and Masten would like to use it.
Here’s Your Analysis, Senator
Ted Stevens says that he was only (anonymously) holding up the bill until a cost/benefit analysis could be performed on it.
[Excuse me a minute]
[Sorry, give me another minute or so]
[Almost ready now…no, wait, another minute or two]
OK, sorry. Phew. Oh, gosh…man, my sides hurt.
I may have even moistened my pants.
Anyway, where was I?
Oh, right. So he wants a cost/benefit analysis? Here’s a cost/benefit analysis.
- One set of redundant web servers and enough electricity to run them for a year: $10,000
- One redundant T3 broadband connection per year: $30,000
- Staff of ten to maintain web site and keep it updated for one year: $1.5 million
- Exposing and killing a two-hundred-million-dollar “bridge to nowhere”? Priceless.
[Evening update]
Mark Tapscott has additional thoughts.
Here’s Your Analysis, Senator
Ted Stevens says that he was only (anonymously) holding up the bill until a cost/benefit analysis could be performed on it.
[Excuse me a minute]
[Sorry, give me another minute or so]
[Almost ready now…no, wait, another minute or two]
OK, sorry. Phew. Oh, gosh…man, my sides hurt.
I may have even moistened my pants.
Anyway, where was I?
Oh, right. So he wants a cost/benefit analysis? Here’s a cost/benefit analysis.
- One set of redundant web servers and enough electricity to run them for a year: $10,000
- One redundant T3 broadband connection per year: $30,000
- Staff of ten to maintain web site and keep it updated for one year: $1.5 million
- Exposing and killing a two-hundred-million-dollar “bridge to nowhere”? Priceless.
[Evening update]
Mark Tapscott has additional thoughts.