Australian researchers have cured cancer (or at least put it into indefinite remission) in mice, using modified versions of their immune systems to attack the cancer cells throughout their body.
Disaster
Well, not really, but it’s a royal pain. I’m posting this from my laptop. The drive on which my main Winbloze installation lives (lived?) seems to have died in its sleep last night.
Chkdsk says multiple unrecoverable errors are found on it.
Fortunately, I didn’t have much data on it, but at a minimum I’ll probably have to repartition and format, and I may have to replace the drive. Either way, I guess I’ve lost all of my software installation on that drive.
Unless someone else has a suggestion before I do the deed…
A Space Elevator Blog
Really. Boy, talk about specializing.
If You Prick Me, Do I Not Bleed?
Dale Amon has some thoughts about robots, ethics, and whether Asimov’s three laws are immoral.
Plus Ca Change…
Here’s another one to drive the quagmiristas crazy. Allen Dulles’ letter from occupied Germany. As Glenn says, it sounds pretty familiar.
[Afternoon update]
Oh, and by the way, per the comments section, add my name to this list.
Atrocious
Boy, this, if true, sounds almost reminiscent of Andersonville. It sure wasn’t very far away from there.
Quagmiristas Running Amok
But Jay Manifold is keeping tabs on them.
Scroll down, too–he’s got lots of other good stuff, spacey and otherwise.
Americans Are Losing The Victory In Europe
Who needs parodies of WW II reporting? Someone at Jessica’s Well has found the real thing, from a 1946 issue of Life magazine.
[Via the Professor]
I’ll Take Two Slices
Via Mark Whittington, here’s a more detailed description of yesterday’s space policy hearing than Keith Cowing’s truncated summary. It’s not quite as bad as Keith made it sound, but it’s still chock full of conventional “wisdom,” (scare quotes to indicate that I don’t find it particularly wise). I found Mike Griffin’s quote interesting:
“NASA costs each American 14 cents a day. A really robust program could be had for about 20 cents a day,” Griffin said. “Americans spend more on pizza then they do on space.”
Well, Mike, there’s a really big difference between pizza and NASA. When people pay for pizza, they get to eat it, so maybe it’s not shocking that they’re more willing to spend their money on it.
In addition to that point, there’s another fallacy here, and I’m working on a column about fallacies of space advocacy, spurred by the SF writer’s panel at last week’s Space Frontier Conference, which abounded with them.
But, speaking of Mark Whittington, I’ll also note that, in contrast to his absurd caricature of the position of advocates of alternate space programs in the comments section here, I would have had some interesting things to say had I been called to testify, and I think that I may sit down and write up some congressional testimony, should that unlikely event ever occur.
I’ll Take Two Slices
Via Mark Whittington, here’s a more detailed description of yesterday’s space policy hearing than Keith Cowing’s truncated summary. It’s not quite as bad as Keith made it sound, but it’s still chock full of conventional “wisdom,” (scare quotes to indicate that I don’t find it particularly wise). I found Mike Griffin’s quote interesting:
“NASA costs each American 14 cents a day. A really robust program could be had for about 20 cents a day,” Griffin said. “Americans spend more on pizza then they do on space.”
Well, Mike, there’s a really big difference between pizza and NASA. When people pay for pizza, they get to eat it, so maybe it’s not shocking that they’re more willing to spend their money on it.
In addition to that point, there’s another fallacy here, and I’m working on a column about fallacies of space advocacy, spurred by the SF writer’s panel at last week’s Space Frontier Conference, which abounded with them.
But, speaking of Mark Whittington, I’ll also note that, in contrast to his absurd caricature of the position of advocates of alternate space programs in the comments section here, I would have had some interesting things to say had I been called to testify, and I think that I may sit down and write up some congressional testimony, should that unlikely event ever occur.