Some thoughts on journalistic ethics.
Ben Carson
The media knives are out for him.
He’s not ready for prime time, but he’s making the right people angry.
Merlin 1-D
#ExplorationDelendaEst No, it’s not an engine designed for “human space exploration.” It’s an engine designed for human spaceflight. I had a mini-rant about this at Space Access Saturday. #
Carly Fiorina
This is brutal.
As I noted on Twitter, there’s a visceral hatred of her by many in the tech community, even among people otherwise willing to vote for a Republican. But she’ll make a good attack dog on Hillary.
If I had to choose between Carly Fiorina and a robot infused with Hitler’s DNA running under the slogan "KILL ALL HUMANS"…I’d vote robot.
— Lee Hutchinson (@Lee_Ars) May 4, 2015
Mainly because the robot would just kill us and be done with it. Carly would make it ***hurt.***
— Lee Hutchinson (@Lee_Ars) May 4, 2015
The Patriot Act
…is due to expire, and it’s not really on the radar.
I’d let it die and start over.
Our Future In Space
Lee Billings reviews what looks to be interesting new book.
Social Media In Iran
The leader’s bizarre Twitter feed:
Iran’s ruler is doing what the Soviet Union used to do and what Hugo Chavez did more recently. Both used the West’s language of human rights as weapons against the West while resisting everything Western human rights activists stand for. Partly they were just being cynical, and partly they were pointing out the West’s supposed hypocrisy.
You could argue that I’m just doing what Khamenei is doing by saying the other guy has no clothes, but there’s a difference, and it’s crucial. I actually care about human rights, not just for Americans, but also for Iranians and everyone else. Plenty of Iranians care about human rights, too, but it’s safe to say that pretty much none of them are fixtures in the Iranian government.
He thinks Americans are stupid. And of course, he’s right, at least about the ones with whom he’s “negotiating.”
Police Unions
It’s not just police unions — public-employee unions in general are an abomination. The teachers’ and prison-guard unions are a huge part of the disaster that is California government (not to mention its educational system). Roosevelt had the right idea in wanting to make them illegal.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Want a lawless police force? Federalize it.
Al Sharpton is an idiot, and should be an embarrassment to any news network, but it’s MSNBC.
Back In LA
It was great to see everyone at Space Access after the hiatus last year. It was also nice to see quite a few enthusiastic young people. More thoughts anon, but I’m beat from the drive, and insufficient sleep.
Communicating With Cats
This seems to be my experience, except that our current cat almost never talks. I think it may be a genetic defect (she also has a kink in her tail). Her communication is almost entirely non verbal.