Humor, Political Commentary, Popular Culture, Satire

Speaking Of General Zod

2 Comments

At least one will be saved from the coming carbon apocalypse:

Al Gore–or, as he is known in his own language, Gore-Al–placed his son, Kal-Al, gently in the one-passenger rocket ship, his brow furrowed by the great weight he carried in preserving the sole survivor of humanity’s hubristic folly.

“There is nothing left now but to ensure that my infant son does not meet the same fate as the rest of my doomed race,” Gore said. “I will send him to a new planet, where he will, I hope, be raised by simple but kindly country folk and grow up to be a hero and protector to his adopted home.”

Hope the poles aren’t so warm there that he can’t build an arctic fortress of pomposity.

Humor, Political Commentary

The People Of Berlin

4 Comments

…have spoken.

I particularly liked the Che comparison, and the hope that the messiah will make Americans less “superficial.”

[Update a few minutes later]

Is Obama channelling General Zod?

I am General Zod! Listen to me, people of the Earth! Today I bring a New Order to your planet! One which shall last until the end of time!

Each of you… each man, each woman, each child – all will march proudly together in this New Order! Your lands, your homes, your possessions, your very lives… All of this and more you will gladly give to me!

There is no longer a need for separate nations in this world, no need for petty squabbles between one group and another. All of you will work together, strive, produce, and sacrifice together – and all for a common goal!

Michelle and Barack will make the humans of planet Earth work, and shed their cynicism.

Actually, Michelle can have my cynicism when she pries it from my cold, dead cynical typing fingers.

General

LA Quake

9 Comments

A 5.8 in the Chino Hills. Hope our house in Redondo Beach is all right. I suspect it is–it’s about forty miles away. I just hope it’s not a foreshock of something bigger.

[Update a few minutes later]

Let me be the first to say that it’s Bush’s fault. Or some fault out there…

And I expect Al Gore to blame global warming any minute.

[Update at 3:35 PM EDT]

Now I’m hearing that it’s been downgraded to a 5.4.

Social Commentary, Technology and Society

Watch Where You’re Going

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Randall Parker, on the newest dangerous addiction:

The texters would be less dangerous to themselves and others if they didn’t have to look down to see the screen. What is needed: Head Up Display Glasses tied to a cell phone. Then one could look ahead and see the text mixed in with sidewalk or whatever else is in front of you.

It’s all part of a larger problem as we become a multi-tasking society.

Political Commentary, Space

Potemkin Rocket Test

7 Comments

More on the “flight test” of Ares 1-X, which seems to be mostly for show. Though if it’s as risky as indicated here, it may be a more spectacular performance than they count on.

Unfortunately, the same folks who think a flight dynamics test of a four segment SRB with a different propellant, old-style grain design, and inert (that is to say, non-sloshing and stiff) upper pieces is a good idea also thought they could grab a bunch of used equipment (Atlas avionics software, Peacekeeper hardware, etc.), chewing gum, and duct tape (perhaps FEMA is helping the minions) and use it to demonstrate how something “like” ARES-1X might get off the ground after “the gap” has widened to its furthest extent.

And, like all of the shortcuts the Emperor’s minions have taken to date, this approach, too, is soon to come back and bite them. The list of critical components going into ARES-1X that are either beyond shelf life or being put to work in an environment for which they were not intended is astounding. And the risks that are being accepted, because of schedule and budget pressures, are equally marvelous.

Hey, it’s OK. That’s what waivers are for.

Space

SS2 Delay

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Jeff Foust talked to Burt Rutan at yesterday’s rollout.

Rutan confirmed that the investigation was causing “a lot” of design changes for SS2. “We have not worked on SpaceShipTwo in a year,” he said, “because there’s a possibility that the propulsion system would be markedly different and we’d be building things that we would have to scrap.”

So they’ve essentially lost a year due to the accident. I wonder if they’ll finally switch over to a liquid system? It would save them quite a bit in ops costs, I’d think.

[Update a few minutes later]

Here’s more on the subject from Rob Coppinger, who interviewed Burt.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!