Welp, I gave up on rescuing that installation, and built a new one with the latest version on a spare 250G SSD. It only took me a couple hours to reinstall most of the software I need, including my virtual Windows machine, which is a lot less time than I wasted trying to get the other one to boot. I also built a shell script to make it easier next time (and we know there will be a next time).
The College Debt Debate
…is a culture-war battle.
Related: Schumer wants Biden to transfer wealth from auto mechanics to Harvard grads.
Coffee
You need four cups a day for the health benefits? We’ve both quit for the past few months, but when I was drinking it, I could barely choke down two.
“Social Justice”
I’m hoping that the coming crime wave won’t extend to the beach cities. I suspect it won’t, because the criminals will want to stay in the jurisdiction in which they’ll be coddled.
[Update a while later]
Well, this sucks. It’s the LA County DA, so it will affect us as well.
Oopsie
The Expanse
An interesting interview on the challenges and rewards of making a physically accurate SF series.
Chuck Yeager
Homer Hickam remembers him.
Kathy Shaidle
She and her husband need help. I’ve been reading her for going on two decades.
A New Talent
I just discovered this young woman yesterday. This was recorded nine years ago, when she was fourteen years old, and had only been playing for two years.
Here’s something more recent.
Her technique is amazing, using lots of harmonics, and hitting the strings with both hands. She doesn’t look it, and you wouldn’t know by her name, but she’s Swedish.
[Update a few minutes later]
Here’s another very nice piece. Note the percussive effect of hitting the string with the backs of her fingers. It’s nice to see a young woman playing songs written decades before she was born.
[Update late afternoon]
OK, one more. This is the one that I discovered her with. Just amazing guitar work, recorded a couple months ago. The strength and precision of her fingers is incredible.
The First High-Altitude Starship Test
…coming this week.
Regardless of the outcome, it will be exciting.
[Wednesday-afternoon update]
It could be as soon as Friday.
[Bumped]
[Tuesday-morning update]
Today seems to be the day. It’s being covered by NASA Spaceflight.
[Bumped again]
[1440 PST update]
Raptor abort. They aren’t going partway to space today.
[Wednesday-afternoon update]
Fuel is loading, T-26 minutes to launch.
[Bumped]
[Post-flight update]
Well, that was kind of spectacular. As I said, guaranteed to be exciting. The exhaust looked a little weird toward the end. It was greenish, as though it was maybe running fuel rich. If so, Perhaps the thrust wasn’t up to spec, and insufficient to control the landing on final.
[Update a while later]
Elon said that the header tank pressure was low on landing. I’m guessing that this maybe resulted in bubbles in the cooling channels, overheating of the nozzle, and injecting copper into the flow, for that green effect. And reduced thrust, of course, which is why they came in too fast.
[Update Thursday afternoon]
Am I the only person who thinks it would be pretty unpleasant to be in the nose of that thing at final (even with a successful landing)?