Yes, it’s long past time to ban them. It should be a condition of re-engagement with the Chinese economy.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
GPS
Can it be used on the moon?
Maybe, but only on the near side. It really needs its own constellation (and the satellites wouldn’t be in stable orbits).
The MLP
It’s only 44% over budget.
At what point will it be generally recognized what a fiasco SLS is? Maybe when Starship flies?
Al Worden
America’s Micro And Macro Efforts
…to combat the epidemic. At the least, it’s an interesting experiment.
[Update a few minutes later]
Meanwhile, the Manchurian media.
[Update w while later]
South Korea infections are dropping; what’s the key to its success?
Basically, testing and tracing. I’ll feel better once there’s a lot more testing going on here.
[Update late morning]
When will it be over, and how will be know? TL;DR, it’s about getting R naught below 1.
Meanwhile, despite the slow start, there’s a lot we can be proud of.
When The Virus Departs
The world will be changed.
Yes, and in many ways, for the better.
The Gateway
…has been taken off the critical path for 2024.
This is probably the beginning of the end for it. Long before 2026, it will have become very clear that the road to the planets lies with the private sector, not NASA.
The Toyota A/C
The A/C in our RAV4 quit working a few weeks ago (we discovered it during a winter heat wave in January). Turns out that the condenser sprung a leak, and won’t hold refrigerant. A new one is $278 from AutoZone. I’ve been looking at the manual, trying to work up the gumption to replace it. I called a local shop to get a quote on labor, and he told me they’re not doing A/C work right now, because they think discharging the system is too risky for lungs, but when they start doing it again, it would be about $600, including recharging it. Fortunately, it’s a cool, rainy week, and repairing it isn’t urgent, even with our planned trip up the coast this weekend.
A Revolutionary New Concept
The Europeans are thinking about building a rocket that retrofires and lands vertically. Eric Berger brings the snark.
The Left’s Pet Issues
…like mass transit, dense housing, and reusable bags and straws are a public-health disaster. I was predicting this about California since they passed that stupid plastic-bag ban.
[Update a while later]
Plastic had fallen out of favor, but the virus is bringing it back.