Jul 262023
 

Study results: unsurprising.

Higher Cognitive Ability, Less Concern for Political Correctness – Study Finds

As you can see, there was a moderate positive correlation between cognitive ability and support for freedom of speech, and a moderate negative correlation between cognitive ability and concern for political correctness. (The asterisks tell us these results are statistically significant.)

North Americans with higher cognitive ability are more supportive of free speech and less concerned about political correctness. They’re less woke.

It’s a single study and not a terribly comprehensive one. But with a sample size of a single Kamala Harris or AOC or Swalwell, it’s easy to conclude that wokism leads to a massive case of brain rot.

 Posted by at 12:21 pm
Jun 302023
 

A NASA article on the status of the X-57 “Maxwell” says that they’re wrapping up work on it, with no mention of it actually flying:

X-57 Project Creates Paths Toward Electric Aviation

The X-57 is a modification of an existing conventional aircraft to be all-electric. Lots of new technologies were integrated and apparently some useful advances were made, but the real issue remains batteries. Until the energy density of batteries gets a *lot* better, electric-powered aircraft are going to remain pretty niche. Flying the X-57 would be nice, but with the existing batteries it’s kind of dead in the water.

What would be great is if NASA kept working on the X-57 at a low level. The technologies onboard would be occasionally upgraded, and when meaningfully better batteries – or perhaps some sort of modular fuel cell system, perhaps, or indeed a small nuclear reactor (a man can dream) – become available, integrate them into the vehicle and at last fly it.

 Posted by at 10:49 am
Jun 102023
 

Even with a specially made setup and at close range, it’s difficult. This should drive home the difficulty and impressiveness of hit-to-kill interceptors that take out incoming warheads or missile from tens of *miles* away at closing velocities far greater than those of mere bullets.

Also: bullets don’t as a rule fuse together; rather, they explode in a shower of flattened lead fragments.

 Posted by at 7:20 pm
Jun 032023
 

Good news:

 

In a First, Caltech’s Space Solar Power Demonstrator Wirelessly Transmits Power in Space

This is *many* orders of magnitude away from a practical solar power satellite… but ya gotta start somewhere.

And on the other hand, bad news:

 

Boeing finds two serious problems with Starliner just weeks before launch

Problem one: bits of the parachute system aren’t as strong as they should be. Bad, but readily solvable.

Problem two: the wiring is flammable. This… is monumentally stupid, a problem that has been well understood since the Apollo 1 fire. this may well require that the capsule be largely disassembled so that *miles* of wiring can be replaced.

 

Good luck with *that.*

And while Boeing continues to struggle to get a capsule not fundamentally different from Apollo flying SpaceX continues to send crews to the ISS in Dragons.

 

 Posted by at 4:03 pm
May 252023
 

Well, here’s a study to shock exactly nobody:

Antagonistic narcissism and psychopathic tendencies predict left-wing antihierarchical aggression, study finds

Narcissistic individuals and those with psychopathic tendencies are more likely to strongly endorse left-wing antihierarchical aggression, according to new research published in Current Psychology. Antihierarchical aggression refers to a specific type of hostility aimed at challenging or opposing hierarchical power structures or authority figures. The new findings shed light on psychological mechanisms that motivate some individuals to participate in violent political activism.

 

You want a “red flag law?” Start here.

 

The study itself:

Understanding left-wing authoritarianism: Relations to the dark personality traits, altruism, and social justice commitment

This, to somewhat stretch the discussion a tad, argues against the recent notion that “Star Trek has always been woke.” Yeah… no. The original series made it clear that in the 23rd century, the Federation – which of course included Humanity – had basically wiped out mental illness. Crazy people more or less didn’t exist in any meaningful form. Which would argue that far lefties would be rare in the United Federation of Planets.

 Posted by at 9:47 pm
May 212023
 

History is *filled* with astonishingly bad ideas. And who would have guessed that some of the worst would come out of collectivist totalitarian systems like Nazi Germany?

The Case of The Radioactive Toothpaste

Curiously, the toothpaste in question was filled with Radium, the radioactive element of choice for insane and/or stupid product manufacturers in the early 20th century, but Thorium. Why Thorium? Well… “why not” seems to have been the answer.

 Posted by at 6:33 pm