Will SpaceX shut it out?
Probably. Not that he could really do anything about it, but I warned Clay Mowry years ago that Ariane 6 would be obsolete before it flew. Which is probably why he went to Blue Origin.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
Protecting Human Heritage On The Moon
An interesting piece by Michelle Hanlon. This is a corollary with space property right. If some places are off limits, it implies that most others are not.
Extinction Rebellion
Space Solar Power
I wonder how serious this Chinese plan is? It looks like a traditional GEO concept. They have an advantage over us for this, in that they won’t have envirowackos to stop them.
NASA’s Return-To-The-Moon Plans
Eric Berger has the details. It’s clearly an effort to continue to justify the Gateway, which in turn has become required to justify the Shelby Launch System. If/when Starship lands on the moon, or even orbits it, all of this will be moot.
Enough Is Enough
L. Neil Smith has a modest proposal on Second Amendment rights.
Slowing Aging
A cell-killing strategy to do it has passed its first human test.
I’m taking quercetin (when I remember to take my supplements at all — I wish taking pills was less of a chore).
The Greening Of The Planet
Woah!
Carbon dioxide helps things grow? Who would've thought?!
Big if true! https://t.co/wajoPG1G67
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) February 15, 2019
This Face Does Not Exist
Every refresh gives you a different AI-Generated face.
This isn’t scary at all. It strikes me, though, that they still can’t do realistic artificial voices, so at least voice actors will still have jobs. I also wonder how well they can do facial expressions.
BTW, I was at the Space Transportation Conference this week in DC, and didn’t have much time to blog. Just got home last night, in time for Valentine’s Day dinner (which we iron-chefed from stuff in the freezer and fridge: Steak and shrimp, with a nice merlot, and some Godiva that I bought at DFW).
[Update a few minutes later]
This random face generator could make life more difficult for digital researchers, but there are a few dead giveaways with some of these fake faces. Look at the ears, teeth, and necks especially for some freak show entries.https://t.co/qV2r2ron18 pic.twitter.com/6JVopjygly
— Aric Toler (@AricToler) February 15, 2019
[Update a while later]
OK, so they’re not perfect.
Oh no #FacesOfAI https://t.co/1o5MYq9Zpd
— Holly Brockwell (@holly) February 15, 2019
[Update a few minutes later]
OK, this is nightmare fuel.
Zombie White Walker Zooey Deschanel https://t.co/a6SaAhylZt
— Holly Brockwell (@holly) February 15, 2019
Twitter’s Political Bias
No, you’re not imagining it.
And their denials of it are literally incredible, and in fact ludicrous. If they really believe they are being fair, that’s just another sign of how biased they are.