May 222021
 

If you want something warm and fluffy to cuddle with, a cat can be a good choice (depending, of course, on the cat). And if you want a cat, there is no substitute for an actual cat. So this… thing confuses me to no end.

You’re Supposed to Be Comforted by This Faceless Robotic Vibrating Cat, Not Horrified

Cats are not hard to come by. The world is full to overflowing with shelters and pounds with unwanted cats that can be had for a few bucks, or a donation, or for the asking. So… why an expensive robotic Martian flatcat/tribble hybrid?

 Posted by at 3:15 pm
May 202021
 

China builds infrastructure crappy from the get-go. the US builds good infrastructure but allows it to turn to crap because our “leaders” decide that “infrastructure” means plopping apartments into areas zoned for single-family houses because they’d rather people were packed into high density dependency than anything resembling independence. Example:

Kayaker’s photos show crack in closed I-40 bridge in 2016

A crack? Well that sounds a little worrying. A crack can be anything from cosmetic to potentially damaging. Let’s hope that it’s not too…

Nope.

That’s not a crack. That’s a COMPLETELY BROKEN STRUCTURAL ELEMENT.

 Posted by at 8:55 pm
May 202021
 

Mortons has announced my “bookazine” Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird – Origins & Evolution, now available for pre-order. This is my first published book. Woo! It covers the development of the SR-71 from well before the program started , including the “Suntan” concepts and several Convair high speed reconnaissance platforms, up through the development of the “Archangel” series that led to the CIA’s A-12, through the Mach 3 interceptor designs and the SR-71 itself. From there it also includes a number of proposed derivatives and unbuilt concepts… an A-12 used to launch satellites, the SR-71 as a carrier for a manned hypersonic scramjet vehicle, the use of the “SR-71C” as a flying wind tunnel, etc.

It is available directly through the publisher for £8.99 (Approx $12.41 or €10.34). It is also available through Amazon for pre-order for $12.99. Direct from the publisher should be available sooner; from Amazon, lower mailing cost if you’re in the US.

Here are some shots of a few pages to give you an idea of what’s in it. I created all the diagrams within, based on official sources and as accurate as I could make them. There are many, MANY diagrams here describing designs mundane and downright wacky, from tiny unmanned drones to truly gigantic hydrogen-fueled monsters.

 

Tell your friends!

 

 Posted by at 10:54 am
May 192021
 

Chinese Skyscraper That Wobbled Prompts U.S. to Issue Warning

People flee in panic as skyscraper wobbles in China, despite no earthquake and fine weather

Communist Chinese engineering: Not even once.

Communist Chinese medicine: Not even once.

Communist Chinese pet food: Not even once.

Communist Chinese funded political candidates: Not even once.

 Posted by at 11:20 am