Sep 192021
 

 

There are lots of uses for a flamethrower on a car… lighting up carjackers being the most obvious. But flamethrowers mounted to fire directly forward seem to actually be somewhat unwise; if fired while at speed, like as not you’ll end up dousing your own car in flaming napalm. And an argument can be made that that wouldn’t be such a great idea.

 

 Posted by at 6:34 pm
Sep 182021
 

Hmmm…

North Korea says it tested rail-launched ballistic missiles

Not impossible, of course. But *something* just seems indefinably off about the footage:

Of course it didn’t take the internet too long to mock it:

In any event, it’s good to know that in this time of rapidly accelerating stress and crisis, we have such trustworthy and astute leadership.

 Posted by at 11:25 pm
Sep 182021
 

Mossad assassinated Iran’s chief nuke scientist with remote AI gun — report

“Iranian agents working for the Mossad had parked a blue Nissan Zamyad pickup truck on the side of the road connecting the town of Absard to the main highway. The spot was on a slight elevation with a view of approaching vehicles. Hidden beneath tarpaulins and decoy construction material in the truck bed was a 7.62-mm sniper machine gun.” …  the sniper who took out Fakhrizadeh did so remotely from Israel, over 1,600 kilometers away, since the hit squad had long ago left Iran.

Say, I saw that movie!

 Posted by at 4:17 pm
Sep 172021
 

If you contributed to my SAC Museum SR-71 photographic trip, you should by now have access to the relevant Dropbox folders with the photos. For those who contributed $10, this includes the “Best of” folder with 94 photos at 1.15 gigabytes. If you contributed at $30 or more for “All The Photos,” you should have access to:

ALCM: 47 photos, 546 megabytes

B-36: 159, 1.99Gigabytes

B-45: 85, 1.05 Gb

B-47: 168, 2.09 Gb

B-52: 179, 2.22 Gb

B-57E: 79, 1.00 Gb

B-58: 283, 3.48 Gb

Misc: 191, 2.36 Gb

SR-71: 280, 2.44 Gb

XF-85: 22, 282 Mb

You should have received a notification from Dropbox of your access to these folders. If you have just the regular personal account or no Dropbox account at all, most of these are too large for them to be allowed to sit on *your* Dropbox account… but you will still be allowed to download the photos, either individually or as a complete folder ZIP file. The description Dropbox gives is a little vague in that regards.

Also, because why not, I’ve added some “bonus” folders including photos taken during previous visits. For those who contributed $50 or more, you should have:

B-47: 75 photos, 89 megabytes

B-52: 53, 204 meg

And for those who contributes $100, you should have:

B-36: 60, 315 meg

B-58: 78, 304 meg

 

If you’re interested in the photos, or helping me pay for this trip (which included not only car repair/preparations, but also cat food, because *everything* includes cat food), or to help me work on the next couple of books and projects that this trip was in aid of, you can still sign on:


SAC Museum photo trip



Note: Amazon still has my SR-71 book, but, jeez, it’s a bit pricey just now at $39. Did it sell out? Dunno. I *guess* that’s a good sign?

 

 Posted by at 5:38 pm
Sep 172021
 

Why France is angry about the US and UK giving Australia nuclear-powered submarines

In response to the trilateral agreement, a French official told CNN on Friday that France has recalled its ambassador to the US for “consultation” — marking what’s believed to be the first time the French have resorted to such a move in modern times.
The French ambassador to Australia has been recalled as well, the official said.
The problem: France had a deal with Oz to provide diesel subs. But Australia changed its mind and wisely went with nuclear subs. Why? Because the Pacific Ocean is friggen’ *big* and the Chinese are getting pushy. Now to get New Zealand on board…
The story also points out that the French Embassy has cancelled/curtailed some parties.
 Posted by at 5:16 pm
Sep 172021
 

Strange New Worlds could change Spock in one huge, historic way

And what change are they pushing for? I’ll give you one rather obvious guess.

Strange New Worlds should make Spock queer, and it should do so with the support of the fans and the canon behind it. In fact, since we’re talking about Spock’s passion, it’s the only logical thing to do.

Sigh. Anyone who watches TOS and sees Kirk and Spock being gay for each other *really* doesn’t understand normal male friendship. And such worldwreckers shouldn’t write for Star Trek. But chances are they will, because that’s where society has sunk. “You don’t understand straight men, and you despise them? Here, *you* get to control the narrative!”

Bah.

 Posted by at 5:00 pm