Here’s your “WTF Am I Watching” video for today. This is *far* funnier that it aught to be.
Apr 122016
Apr 122016
And then there’s this: I’ve roughly finished another Pax Orionis yarn: “Birth of the Bomb.” It’s a greatly expanded, completely re-written version of a snippet I have previously posted and, perhaps shockingly, it’s not grimdark but rather the opposite (in a way). This one deals not with war but exploration. It’s somewhat longer than “The Deadliest Catch,” so it’ll be in two parts.
I’m currently going over it, tinkering. I need to add the Technical Diagram (a helicopter is mentioned in the story, and I’ve been tempted to draw *that,* but I’ve decided to stick with more Orion-based diagrams for the time being) and a few other bits, but I should have Part One available for Pax Orionis patrons in a week or two. So if you are interested, take a look at the Pax Orionis Patreon page.
Apr 122016
A Visionary Project Aims for Alpha Centauri, a Star 4.37 Light-Years Away
A just-announced proposal for a $10 billion program to develop laser-propelled interstellar probes. The idea is to have a mile-wide ground-based array of lasers generate a whopping 100 gigawatts for two minutes to push tiny solar sails with a payload massing about a gram (comparable to the innards of an Iphone). In those two minutes the probe would be accelerated to 20% lightspeed, shooting past Alpha Centauri in about 20 years. It is estimated that Starshot would take 20 years to get going, so, when you factor in the time it takes for the message to get back to Earth, the first photos of A. Cent. from close-up won’t be available until 2060 or so.
The basic idea is not new. Lasers and microwaves have been suggested as “pushers” for sails for decades. Starting in the 1980s, engineers and scientists such as Robert L. Forward have suggested that advances in computer technology were such that probes could be made trivially small, meaning that it was possible to start considering power systems capable of sending probes to stars at good fractions of lightspeed.
The real trick would be developing a molecule-thick sail that won’t promptly vaporize when hit with a 100 gigawatt laser. This, to me, seems the most difficult part of the project. Next up would making a one-gram payload transmit useful data across the lightyears.
While not mentioned in the article, it seems to me that this vast laser array could, when not shooting microprobes to the stars, be used to power vastly larger launch vehicles into orbit, or perhaps “solar thermal” rockets leaving Earth orbit for, say, Mars.
So far no decent technical details, but the website for the project will supposedly eventually have tech reports.
Apr 112016
A French company claims to have developed a practical turbine-based “flying platform.” It’s like a combination of the old Hiller VZ-1 with a modern jetpack… the pilot stands on a compact device with the jet engines, and wears a backpack full of fuel. Flight time is said to be ten minutes, which, unlike the 30 seconds you get out of a rocket-pack, is actually useful. They have released a video of the first test flight. It looks good… but it also raises some flags. You never actually see it either take off or land. While it really does look like it’s flying and really running jet engines (due to the obvious hot exhaust), I wouldn’t exactly be stunned to find out that the guy is actually suspended under a helicopter, and they’ve digitally removed the wires. More evidence needed…
Now, *if* this is on the up-and-up, it might have some practical real-world applications. The first thought is soldiering, but it’d be so freakin’ LOUD that the pilot would be deeef and the enemy would be utterly aware. Firefighting, perhaps? Need to get some rescue professionals up to the 100th story of the towering inferno? Here ya go, no helicopter needed. Fire spotting in forests? I suppose a drone with an IR camera would probably be better, but what the heck.
Mostly, though, this thing – if it works – would probably be sold to adrenaline junkies.
Apr 102016
I’ve been pondering writing something about “there’s no hate like nerd hate,” based on the irrational blistering outrage expressed by many pop-culture-specific critics over the new “Batman V Superman” movie. Honestly, it’s not that bad of a flick… in fact, in parts it’s quite good and overall entertaining. But the fact that “they got *this* wrong,” or “so-and-so would never do that” seems to push some nerds directly over the edge. But the problem is… what I just wrote pretty much sums up all I have to say about it. Zealots be zealous. Batman is allowed to use guns, get over it.
But then I read something that renewed my interest in the general topic of zealotry. Gentlemen, behold this, dredged up for that hive of scum and villainy, Jezebel:
American Idol’s La’Porsha Renae Does Not ‘Agree With the LGBT Lifestyle’
Basically… who friggen’ cares. I don’t know who this person is. I watched a few minutes of that show somewhere beyond a decade ago and promptly lost interest. But what entertains me to no end about this piece is that the person in question made a few statements that boil down to “can’t we all just treat each other decently?” You wouldn’t think that that would be controversial. But oh no, here come the Social Justice Warriors, because she was insufficient vehement in her love of every damned body. She dropped a casual reference that she doesn’t agree with the LGBT lifestyle, whatever the hell that means, but she still thinks people should be treated fairly. And here, her statements like “We should just respect each other’s differences and opinions and move on” are literally compared to her just barely declaring that gay people aren’t animals. The writer drops hints that this should trash the woman’s singing career.
There are hundreds of responses to that, if’n you want to dive into the shallow and angry end of the gene pool.
The Batfleck haters got nuthin’ on the Diversity and Tolerance Fascists.
Apr 102016
Ron Downey’s aviation history blog, Aviation Archives, recently posted a pile of nicely high-rez photos of the McDonnell ASSETT lifting re-entry test vehicle from the mid-1960’s. If you’re interested in such things – and if you’re here, chances are good – wander on by and take a look. The rest of the blog is jam-packed full of goodies as well including documents and diagrams, mostly from McDonnell-Douglas programs like the F-4 and F-15.
Apr 092016
There seem to be some details left out of this report:
Chebucto Heights bullying worries parents
In short, a Canadian school seems to be facing a spot of bother over some new students who are bullying (i.e. threatening and attempting murder) the previous student body.
UPDATE: “This story has been removed.” The updated page for the story claims that the original story was incomplete, which it certainly seemed to be. The original story included such vague details as the school having a whole bunch of “refugees” as students, but didn’t say from where. It mentioned incidents of new students choking other students with *chains,* but left out details about what kind of chains (necklace chains? Bike chains?). It didn’t mention anything about these bullies being expelled, arrested or deported, which you’d certainly expect to see from a civilized nation that cares about its own, such as Canada.
Note that this story has been edited down at least twice. The original print article referred to “brutality” in the headline; that got weakened to “bullying,” then the article was finally removed altogether.
Apr 092016
Belgian Suspect Ameroud Said to Have Carried Potentially Toxic Material
And by “toxic” they mean “typhoid and cholera.” Just wait until these spiritual seekers actually succeed in coming up with something good, like Ebola or some effective plague or flu. One wonders how the remaining Europeans will respond. History does not bode well for an alien religious/ethnic minority group that finds itself sufficiently hated in Europe. And I suspect unleashing biowarfare upon Europeans *might* be enough to nudge them in that direction.
Apr 092016
Pretty sure this sort of thing will help speed up the adoption of service robots in the fast food industry:
Employees at Oklahoma Burger King bust out windows after prank call
Now, you don’t typically expect *much* from entry-level jobs like this. But falling for *this* prank, which is so old it’s drawing Social Security and complaining about kids on its lawn? That takes a special breed of dumbass.
Apr 092016
Whenever someone gets ahold of a material with odd properties, the first thing you should do with it is to shoot it.