Category Archives: Social Commentary

Education, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

Trump’s Spelling Ability

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Seth Tillman has some words for John McWhorter.

While Trump is not my cup of tea, and I don’t know if he’s actually ever even read a book, let alone written one, policy is more important than writing skill. BTW, I came up with another feature of both Trump and Obama that their supporters don’t recognize: They both love dictatorial thugs, just different ones. And here’s another, because I don’t think that Obama writes much, either (and I’m quite certain that the first book was ghost written, probably by Ayers).

Business, Education, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

Conservative Professors

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…in “progressive” academia.

Dunn described to Campus Reform how difficult it was to find conservative professors to include in their study.

“To actually find conservatives in several disciplines we had to use what’s called a snowball sample,” he said. “That method is used with difficult-to-locate populations like the homeless. I think it is both telling and ironic that we had to use it with conservatives. With a snowball sample, you find someone in the population you’re looking for and ask them where you could find more people like them.”

It’s samizdat.

Business, Economics, Law, Political Commentary, Science And Society, Social Commentary, Space, Technology and Society

Space Property Rights

11 Comments

Steve Wolfe just sent me a call for papers that’s right up my (and perhaps some of my readers’) alley:

I am chairing an interesting program at the ISDC this year titled the Space Settlement Policy Forum. It will be held June 5th in Washington, DC. Forum details and agenda are attached.

Though most consider discussion of space settlement related policies to be academic, for Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other leaders the reality of space settlement is an imminent and highly desirable probability. In this forum we will take a sober look at the laws and policies that would or should be implemented in order to facilitate and encourage space settlement development. The Forum will address this broad challenge without presuming a single ‘silver bullet’ solution.

Topic Categories Include:

  • How Current Space Law Encourages and Inhibits Space Settlement Development
  • Potential Government Incentives for Private Funding of Space Settlements
  • Changes to International Law to Enable Space Settlement Development
  • Licensing Regime for Space Settlement Development and Construction—What would it look like?
  • Proper Role of Government in Space Settlement Development: Leading the Way or Being a Cheer Leader?
  • What Are the Space Settlement Enabling Technologies That Government Agencies Should Be Investing In Now?

Presentation Submission Guidelines:

  1. Prepare a 15-minute to present with slides
  2. Prepare a paper of not less than 3-pages that will be publish in the proceedings of the conference.
  3. The presentation must recommend, and argue for, a particular legal or regulatory change directly related to space settlement
  4. The paper must provide a summary that includes specific recommendations for policy change
  5. Interest must be expressed to Steve Wolfe immediately
  6. Abstract submission due by January 25, 2019

Kind of short notice, but I’ll probably be submitting multiple abstracts.

Business, Political Commentary, Social Commentary, Technology and Society

Taking The Smarts Out Of “Smart TV”

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…would make them more expensive.

I’ve never given our 65″ Vizio (which we bought a year ago) our wifi password. It has no information other than what comes in through the HDMI cable. It’s purely a monitor. I don’t talk to Google, and I won’t get an Alexa. I’ve never installed Facebook on my phone, and I turn off my location unless I need it. I don’t want the tech giants spying on me and selling my data. Because at some point, the government is going to demand it, and they’ll comply.

Business, Health, Media Criticism, Social Commentary

Aging

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How old are we when we’re old?

I’m well into my sixties now, but I don’t feel old at all. Or at least, no more so than I did twenty years ago. In some ways, probably because of improved diet, I feel like I’m in better shape. I do need to work out, though. I’m planning a lot of business travel this year, and starting a new space venture, and I feel as up to it (perhaps more, given my experience) as I ever have.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Popular Culture, Social Commentary

AOC

20 Comments

No, conservatives are not angry because she danced on a rooftop.

I had a stupid Twitter exchange with one of these idiots yesterday.