Cool “Time-Warp” video of a water balloon smashing into a subject’s face…
February 2012 S M T W T F S « Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Laser Shoot-Down
London’s Daily Telegraph reports on successful tests by the US to shoot down drone aircraft using lasers. I believe they are using the same sorts of infrared lasers that were used in the Space Elevator Games to power climbers up 1000 meters of cable last year. There is not much reason that these could not be used just as effectively against satellites, it seems to me. But it would probably violate international treaties to test that.
Here is a Flash video of one of the shoot-downs…
In Congress, July 4, 1776
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness….
Mr. Deity and the Void
Last week, Mr. Deity released the first episode of Season Four (a Prequel) on YouTube. See it here, watch it on YouTube, or subscribe to the podcast.
If you like his work, go to his “Donate” page and let him know with a few bucks.
Government Does Nothing Well?
Last night at dinner, a friend of mine repeated to me an often-heard challenge to name something … anything … that the government does well. This line came during a discussion of health care reform in the US. I let the challenge pass at the time, but since then I have thought more about it, and I decided that there are plenty of things that the government does as well as or better than anyone else. Here are two quick ones:
- Education. The couple I dined with are products of public education, all of the way from first grade through Master’s degree, and they got as good an education as they could have from any source, public or private.
- Healthcare. Yes, healthcare. …especially healthcare for people who cannot afford any other source, including the elderly, veterans, and children, and the indigent. The private system does not provide any services at all for people who cannot afford to pay; the government and charitable organizations are the only ones who step up to provide essential services for those without money or insurance. Left to the private service providers and insurers, many who need medical assistance would receive nothing at all.
It is a separate argument whether or not we should provide these services to people (though I cannot image who would think our nation better off if we let people stay sick and uneducated). But it is demonstrably wrong to say that government does not do these two jobs well – even if there is room for improvement.
California Proposition 16
[In the first of what may be a few posts in reference to the upcoming statewide primary election, here are my thoughts on one of the propositions up for vote.]
Proposition 16 would require two-thirds voter approval before local governments provide electricity service to new customers.
This one bugs me more than any other proposition on the ballot. It is so clearly an effort by Pacific Gas & Electric to eliminate competition from citizens want to join together for less expensive electricity from more accountable providers. I live in a city that delivers electric power to all of our residents, and I have to say that the municipal provider is far more accountable to me than was Southern California Edison when I lived in one of their service areas.
What really gets me is the supporters’ double-speak of calling it a “Taxpayers Right to Vote.” This proposition would actually take away the right of a majority of taxpayers in a city to break away from corporate power, as it requires a two-thirds supermajority in order for a municipality to offer electric service to themselves. So even if 65% of a city’s residents want to provide their own power, they could still be locked in to the corporate provider by a minority of dumb-asses their city. If the proposition required only a simple majority to effect change in a city, I would not be so strongly opposed to this one. But as it is, Vote NO.
Ragnar Start
On the way to Exchange 6 for the Ragnar Relay Race. Our Van #1 already has LA Bill on the course. Our team:
Van 1 –
LA Bill
Vanessa
Saskya
Black Jon
Voltron
Tiger
Van 2 -
Kristy
Eric
Me
Jeff
Franklin
Mickey
Updates as we go…
Odd Sign for Safety
I just saw the oddest sign on the back of a ride-share van in Pasadena.
It seems more like a warning you would put on the door so that riders could see it before jumping into the death trap.
Space Elevator Games
From November 2 through November 6, I had the privilege to assist with the running of The 2009 Space Elevator Games. Organized by The Spaceward Foundation, the games were held at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, on the dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base. Three teams competed for two prizes totaling $2 million. For the games, I had the best seat in the house: playing the role of Tether Man in each cycle of attempts at the prizes. Here is a sample of what I was doing all week:
Mobility WOD