An insightful essay for the 21st century, on the 200th anniversary of the first modern science-fiction novel.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
ISS R&D Conference
I’m taking a red eye to Atlanta tonight to attend it. I’ll be taking laptop, so I’ll probably be blogging, but I’ll have a lot of networking to do there. Also, it will be the first time I’ve ever been in the city. I’ve been through Hartsfield a lot, but never in Atlanta proper.
[Monday noon update]
Arrived about 7 AM, and was able to get an early check in, so I got a few hours sleep.
My first impression is that Atlanta seems to have recovered somewhat from the war, but it’s had 155 years.
Another Life
Bryan Preston isn’t impressed with the latest SF series, despite Katie Sackoff:
…in Another Life, only Sackhoff’s Niko and her AI sidekick (Samuel Anderson) are fit for this mission. The rest fill every negative millennial stereotype in the galaxy. They are whiny. They are grouchy. They scream obscenities at each other — all the time. They never fail to crack under the least amount of pressure. One is immediately mutinous. Another cannot ever think before opening their pie hole and saying things any rational adult knows they will immediately regret. Collectively, they perpetually can’t even.
But they’re sent out to save humanity anyway.
Ouch.
Motion Smoothing
…is ruining cinema.
When we rented a place down in Julian a few months ago, I noticed that the movies on the large-screen television looked like soaps. It was an interesting effect, but now I wonder if that’s what I was seeing. I haven’t noticed it on our newish LG, but I think I’ll look at the settings and experiment. Sounds like it’s good for fast-action sports, but bad for drama.
Hopper Hopped
Eric Berger was there last night.
And if you have the time, a good explanation of the Raptor engine design.
An “Anti-Space” Event
He doesn’t realize it, but “anti-space” events are really anti-humanity events. And as always, I am not impressed by people who think they are better arbiters of how other people should spend their money than those who are spending the money.
Commercial Space Hearing
It’s starting in the House. Looks like a good line up of witnesses, including Laura Montgomery.
Evoloterra On The Space Show
Our discussion from Sunday afternoon is now on line.
Ed McCullough
Just heard via Dennis Wingo that my former colleague at Rockwell has died. He, Bob Waldron and I were working lunar ISRU in the early 90s, during the SEI scare. Condolences to his other friends and family. We’re losing a lot of visionary people, just as we’re finally on the verge of breaking out.
Here is an interview with Ed on lunar settlements.
The Glaciers Of Mars
The latest from Bob Zimmerman.