…and the one it spawned (of which I’m a member).
Category Archives: Social Commentary
NASA’s Falling Satellite
I answer six questions about it over at Popular Mechanics.
[Update a few minutes later]
Well, FEMA can relax — it won’t fall on us.
[Evening update, at least on the west coast]
Yes, I know that Skylab came in in 1979. I hope it will be fixed tomorrow.
The Budget Numbers
Bringing them down to size. That’s a presentation that even Barack Obama might understand.
Road Signs I Want To See
I’ve often said that if I were king, I’d replace all the signs that say “SLOW TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT” with ones that say “LEFT LANE FOR PASSING ONLY.” But these are much more blunt:
The Thirtieth Anniversary Of The Emoticon
Will be a year from yesterday.
There Is No Market For Space Tourism
I mean, how silly is it to think that someone would pay money to see something like this?
Kelo
A sad epilogue:
Susette and I were talking in a small circle of people when we were approached by Justice Richard N. Palmer. Tall and imposing, he is one of the four justices who voted with the 4-3 majority against Susette and her neighbors. Facing me, he said: “Had I known all of what you just told us, I would have voted differently.”
I was speechless. So was Susette. One more vote in her favor by the Connecticut Supreme Court would have changed history. The case probably would not have advanced to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Susette and her neighbors might still be in their homes.
Then Justice Palmer turned to Susette, took her hand and offered a heartfelt apology. Tears trickled down her red cheeks. It was the first time in the 12-year saga that anyone had uttered the words “I’m sorry.”
It was really an appalling decision. It greatly enhanced local governments’ capacity for tyranny.
Is Neil Stephenson…
…becoming too conventional? A review of his latest book.
[Update a couple minutes later]
A new book about the high frontier, and an accompanying 3-D space colony app.
[Update a few minutes later]
An interview with Stephenson about the book.
Arrrr
It be that time of the year again, maties, to talk like a pirate.
This Won’t Be Good For The Rocket Racing League
Many people have been killed and injured at the Reno Air Races. It was a vintage plane (reportedly a Mustang) and things can go wrong. The rocket racers will be more modern, and presumably safer, but there will be a lot of emotional arguments against allowing a crowd anywhere near them after this.
[Update a few minutes later]
Here’s some video. Looks to me like it could have been a lot worse — the pilot seems to have tried to minimize the damage. I’d hope do the same in similar circumstances — I suspect it’s a natural reaction. You don’t want to die, but you don’t want to fly into a crowd, either.