An interesting interview with Andy Weir.
The initial windstorm (or, rather, its effects) did seem a little implausible to me, but otherwise (as noted) the book holds up very well, scientifically.
Category Archives: Popular Culture
American Sniper
Kyle Smith liked it.
Its success will really piss off the Hollywood Left, after all their box-office bombs, after which they said Americans “just don’t like movies about the war.” No, they just don’t like anti-American movies.
Box office opening weekends: Valley of Elah $133k Rendition $4mm The Green Zone $14mm Lions for Lambs $6.7mm American Sniper $94mm
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) January 18, 2015
Wearable Tech
Forget it, what people want is more battery life.
This obsession with “thin” phones makes me crazy. Have the gay men who run the fashion industry, but hate normal female bodies, taken over tech as well?
I just “upgraded” from my dying Droid Global 2, a phone whose batteries were easily changed, for a Droid 4, which has a better OS, and is 4G instead of 3G, and slightly thinner, but has a non-replaceable battery. I consider it a downgrade.
Jerry Pournelle
…is home,recovering from his stroke, and coming home Friday. His advice not to get one is good, if you can follow it. Here’s to a rapid recovery.
The Detroit Lions
It almost looks like the fix was in.
[Monday-morning update]
Here’s a detailed analysis from ESPN. It’s really hard to see how anyone could consider being knocked down “minimal contact.”
Happy New Year
Hope it’s a good one for all. There seems to be a consensus that 2014 sucked (though I thought the first Tuesday in November went pretty well). In any event, let’s hope 2015 improves on it.
[Update a few minutes later]
Why 2015 may be the best year in history.
Video Games
I’m not a gamer, but here‘s what Pop Mechanics thinks were the top ten of the year, at least in terms of innovation.
Jessica Chastain
…buys the BS about SLS/Orion, sadly.
Toys Of Christmas Past
Lileks reminisces on the Golden Age of Mattel.
By the way, Merry Christmas to all.
It’s A Wonderful Fountainhead
What was It’s A Wonderful Life really about?