RIP. Thomas Sowell remembers him.
And here is his last column.
[Late-morning update]
More at Battleswarm blog.
McDonald’s Fries
A history, and a recipe. I disagree with this, though:
His cholesterol was over 300, comfortably in the danger zone for heart attacks. Lack of self-control aside, it was fatty foods that nearly killed him. Thus, when he emerged from the hospital, he did so on a one-man mission to fight Big Fat.
It was not the fat that nearly killed him. We now have abundant evidence that the problem with McDonald’s fries was not the tallow, but the potatoes themselves. I’ve long advocated that, given that the company is the largest cattle rancher in the world, it should go back to tallow, and get rid of the unhealthy seed oils.
What I don’t understand about the recipe is why it uses Crisco, with just a little tallow added, presumably for flavor. It would probably be much better, and certainly healthier, to simply fry them in pure tallow.
Stovepipes
A story from Wayne Hale about the organizational dangers.
I’m more optimistic than he is that we are going to normalize space transportation, though.
Age-Related Cognitive Decline
A new drug that reverses it.
Faster, please.
Ben Bova
We’ve lost another giant of SF. I met him a few times, through NSS. RIP, and ad astra.
[Wednesday-afternoon update]
NSS remembers him.
[Bumped]
Climategate
I still prefer “Climaquiddick.”
Orion
The latest on the fiasco.
What a waste of money both of these programs are, and always have been.
Laser Weapons
How the elusive dream finally became reality.
We can be sure they’ll be used in space, because lasers in general are extremely useful in space.
The Second World Wars
A review of what appears to be a new insightful book.
Yes, the resources poured by Hitler into the V weapons would have been of more use strategically if they’d gone instead into long-range bombers. And clearly, the Final Solution was an overall part of the plan, not just collateral damage from the war.
Reality Versus The Narrative
We still don’t know how this election will end, and won’t until the electors vote. And no, Joe Biden is not “President Elect,” and won’t be until then.