This cat has the right response to the current – hopefully short-lived – wokefad of spouting off your pronouns:
Apr 222021
Apr 222021
The Critical Drinker provides a good explanation of “The Rocketeer,” a movie from back when movies were actually fun. “Remember when Disney movies didn’t make you hate yourself.”
A little while ago I discussed Fictional Aircraft and mentioned an interest in eventually doing a US Bomber Projects style publication or three wrapped around them. A rocketpack might or might not be an aircraft, but it’d be a fun exercise to try to produce a realistic-sounding engineering explanation of the thing. Clearly this isn’t a “rocket” pack but a “jet” pack; trying to explain how a jet engine in 1938 developed enough thrust-to-weight to loft a dude skywards, and did it fuel efficiently enough (using alcohol, no less) to keep him up there for a substantial time, would be a bit of a challenge.
Secondary challenge: Engineering analysis of Jennifer Connelly.
Apr 212021
Another Boeing concept for the recovery of an S-IC stage. This used large fins with deployable drag brakes to stabilize the stage nose-down, parachutes to slow descent and sizable rocket motors for terminal braking just before splashdown. Additional rockets arrest the stages “collapse” to the side.
Would a Falcon 9-style landing have been better? Sure. But that wasn’t going to happen with 1960’s technology. A splashdown, recovery and refurbishment would have been expensive, but likely not as expensive as a brand new stage, and as has been the case with Falcon 9, as time goes by and experience grows, everything would get better and cheaper.
Apr 212021
This video has it all: the smug look, the hand gestures, the insistence that laws don’t apply to her, appeals to the supernatural… everything you could possibly look for in someone who you just know is a torture to be around.
This apparently originated from her refusal to wear a mask. This is something I honestly don’t get: sure, masks are *slightly* uncomfortable, and it’s a nuisance and of course there is the natural disdain for being told to do something. but a mask? Think of them as an *opportunity.* Masks are one less way that biometric and surveillance systems can track you
UPDATE: Here is a news story on the incident:
Lake Travis ISD School Board candidate given assault citation after mask confrontation at store
Behold:
Apr 212021
I guess it’s getting about time to consider getting into Bitcoin, now that it’s a friggen bajillion dollars and I’ve probably long since missed my chance to get in while the getting was good. A few days ago I noticed that a “Coinstar” machine at a local grocery store had the option to convert cash to Bitcoin, as well as the usual Amazon gift certificate approach, so in preparation for using that I went and started to sign up for the require “Coinme” account. I got as far as the part where it demanded that I send in a photo not only of my drivers license but also a current selfie, and my interest began to fade pretty drastically; some Googling to make sure that Coinme wasn’t a scam showed that a *lot* of people are really ticked off about the service. Very high fees, lots of requirements, difficulties in cashing out… meh, interest has dropped to zero.
So… anyone here have any Bitcoin stories that *aren’t* horror stories? Recommendations on who, what, where and most importantly how?
Apr 212021
Nature is terrible.
Apr 192021
Cutaway diagram of the Aerojet Surface Effect Ship SES-100A:
Apr 192021
Better than before, still a little “meh” as far as quality. But the real test will be imagery from the helicopter itself. With luck, it’ll fly many times and see many things.
Take that, “other ways of knowing.”
Apr 192021
There have been numerous ideas for aircraft to fly in the thin air of Mars ever since at least as far back as the early 1970’s. But somewhat to my surprise, the first aircraft to actually succeed at is was a helicopter, not a long-span sailplane-like aircraft:
The actual video is unimpressive, but I imagine better footage will come in.
Apr 192021
KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!
Corinthian leather. Them was the days.