Gary Larson is baaaaaack.
Wow, it’s been decades since his last one.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
Boeing’s Spaceship
…it still really, really sucks.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Sorry, link is fixed.
I’m starting to wonder if Boeing will ever fly crew on Starliner. It’s clearly not going to happen this year, and Starship work continues apace.
Heterogeneity, And Covid
Some thoughts from Tyler Cowen.
We really need to get a better understanding of how our genetics interact with the disease.
[Update a while later]
The benefits of pooled testing.
I don’t understand why they haven’t been doing this. Other than, of course, continued incompetence at the CDC.
Iran’s Nuclear Program
It’s been set back by two years. It’s only two years, but a lot can happen in two years. In addition to these Israeli actions, with his pressure, Trump is doing to the Mullahs what Reagan did to the Soviets.
Our Space Future
This is an excellent overview.
The Latest From Boeing
If I’d been one of those AvWeek reporters, I’d have asked her to expand on that.
Moon Metals
An interesting new discovery by LRO:
“If this hypothesis is true, only the first few hundred meters of the moon’s surface possesses little iron and titanium oxides, according to NASA. ‘But below the surface, there’s a steady increase to a rich and unexpected bonanza,’ it said.”
At the Space Settlement Summit last fall in Pasadena, a Canadian mining engineer berated the assembled for lack of seriousness when it comes to lunar resources. “You have no idea what’s under that dust,” he said, “and you won’t until you get up there and start drilling.” I thanked him for the comment, noting that for people who claim to want to develop the solar system, we think really small, likely from hanging out with NASA too much.
Space Settlements
Robin Hanson says we will colonize the sun first.
A Message To Newsom And Garcetti
Despite the threat of a $50K fine, the fireworks across LA basin were continuous last night as we ate ribs on the upstairs patio. It was a better display than the cities ever put on. I have no idea where the fireworks came from, because I’m sure they’re all illegal for personal possession in California. Maybe they were contraband from Nevada or Arizona. There wasn’t a lot of breeze overnight, and it was still smoky when we got up. I love the phrase “News Karens.”
I hope this massive public disobedience is a harbinger for the election.
[Update a few minutes later]
It wasn’t just LA.
Launch Failure
Rocketlab didn’t go to space today, or at least not to orbit.
[Sunday-morning update]
Here’s the story from Eric Berger.