For those interested, Bob Zimmerman seems to have this beat covered.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
Nutrition
“A 2011 analysis of 52 claims made by nutritional epidemiology tested in 12 well controlled trials found that not one of the 52 claims—0%–could be confirmed.”
Another sterling example of “science.”
[Update a while later]
Broken link fixed, sorry.
The Latest Idiocy At NASA
Loren Grush has the story on the cancellation of the lunar Resource Prospector:
Metzger can only speculate as to why the mission was moved. “I don’t really know what the motive was, but I’m guessing it was probably budget related,” he says. NASA’s human exploration program is currently working on a giant new rocket, the Space Launch System, which takes up a sizable portion of the annual human exploration budget. It’s also behind schedule, so it’s possible Resource Prospector was moved to the science directorate to free up funds to prevent further delays.
If this was done to provide more money to pour down the SLS rathole, is there a better example of how SLS is a roadblock to actually going back to the moon, rather than an enabler?
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) April 27, 2018
[Update late morning]
Does Bridenstine know this is happening?
[Noon update]
FWIW, here’s what Mary Lynne Dittmar has to say:
Hi – your assumption is incorrect; this has nothing to do with SLS. The issue is different mission concepts internal to NASA that need to be resolved before instrumentation and budget are reallocated. What that looks like going forward is not clear, unfortunately.
— Mary Lynne Dittmar, Ph.D. (@DittmarML) April 27, 2018
[Afternoon update]
We’re committed to lunar exploration @NASA. Resource Prospector instruments will go forward in an expanded lunar surface campaign. More landers. More science. More exploration. More prospectors. More commercial partners. Ad astra! https://t.co/FaxO6WUDow
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) April 27, 2018
This is good news.
Le Zone Rouge
A century after the war, an interesting example of how Twitter can be a useful medium for a photoessay.
One of the most chilling abandoned places in the world is France's Red Zone, or "Zone Rouge".
Over 100 years ago, the First World War so devastated the landscape here that people are still forbidden to enter, & the zone has become a ghostly & overgrown place. pic.twitter.com/fPDL4URKmV
— Paul ?? Cooper (@PaulMMCooper) April 25, 2018
SpaceX Starlink
Their satellite Internet system will cost $10B. And expect a couple more FH launches this year.
A NASA Research Announcement
I may respond to this.
5G Networks
Raining on the parade. I already have too many devices that want to be on the Internet.
Suicide Of The West
Rocket Billionaires And Space Barons
Walter Isaacson reviews both Chris Davenport’s
I’ve read both, and while there’s a lot of commonality, they’re complementary.
The Bridenstine Era Begins
A report on yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony from Marcia Smith. And another from Eric Berger. He seems to be off to a good start. I think he’ll be one of the best administrators NASA has had. He’ll certainly be refreshing after Charlie “Muslim Outreach” Bolden (Note: That was never actually a thing, but his idiotic interview with Al Jazeera made it hard to defend otherwise good space policy from the Obama administration).
[Update a while later]
Thoughts from Newt Gingrich, including some mild SLS bashing.