Category Archives: Science And Society

To Mars Or Not To Mars?

That is the question at this Oxford debate this evening (in a couple hours, sorry about the short notice).

[Update toward the end of the debate]

As I’ve noted in the past, debates like this are pointless, because they are a false choice based on a false premise. We don’t have to choose between populating Mars and saving the planet; we have abundant resources for both. The false premise is that this is going to be a collective decision whose outcome will be determined by an Oxford debate. People who go to Mars will be doing so with their own money, so people on Earth who oppose it are going to have to make it illegal to prevent it. There is a word for people like that: jailers.

Feds Make Tesla Remove Rolling Stops

Why that’s a really bad idea.

I’m putting this post up late tonight, because we just got back from the launch/landing at Vandenberg. I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts tomorrow, because I consider this a very important topic.

I will say, though, that the only moving ticket I’ve ever gotten other than speeding tickets, is for a rolling stop, and I consider it stupid.