A story on the current state of play, at the WaPo.
StratoLaunch
…getting its wings clipped?
The program has never made any sense to me. And I weep when I think of the better ways Allen’s money could have been/could be spent.
PJMedia
Welcome to the new web site. It does seem to be a cleaner load.
Space Settlement And Starships
Kim Stanley Robinson says they’re impossible.
I call Clarke’s Law about distinguished scientists, even though he’s just a fiction writer.
ULA’s Shot Across McCain’s Bow
When they said they couldn’t bid GPS without RD-180s, they meant it.
Bill Nye
I’m completely unsurprised that he is clueless about the purpose of NASCAR. Does he really think that people would come to watch Prius’s toottling around the track?
France’s “Merciless” Response To ISIS
Michael Totten writes that it’s anything but.
Heart Disease
Google is committing $50M to conquering it. Considering how much it costs (as the article points out), this is chump change.
Mocking Concerns Over Syrian Refugees
When Kevin Drum says it makes leftists look out of touch with normal Americans, you should listen.
Given its history of incompetence and ideology, concerns about this administration properly vetting refugees are totally legitimate.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) November 17, 2015
Peer Review
Is it time to end it?
Yes. It’s as worse-than-worthless as the climate models, in that it provides far too many false positives. And as we saw with Climategate, it’s too easy for it to become “pal review.”