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…
Author: Michael
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…
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,…
California Proposition 16
Proposition 16: Vote No.
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.
Jason to the Principal’s Office
Jason gets called to the principal’s office because of a Christmas movie he made.
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….
Texas Cardio, v 2.0
At the Academy this morning, the workout was called “Texas Cardio V.2“. The summary: 210 deadlifts at 175 pounds. The details: Load a barbell up to half of your single-lift maximum. Start a clock. Before the end of the first minute, do one deadlift. In the second minute, do two more deadlifts. In the third…
Phishing Scams
It seems like some credit card companies do not want to know about phishing scams targeting their customers. I tried to let Discover Card know about a scam running at discovercard-service.com (which is NOT a legitimate site; it is run by fraudsters) but they did not seem to want to talk to me if I…