January 27, 2019
A Bullet Hell Side-Scroller Re-imagined in 3-D
An atypical but kind of fun use of MMD.
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January 24, 2019
Meanwhile, at SHOT Show....
"So much tactical. So very fierceness."
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January 22, 2019
Meanwhile In Space
It appears now that they've effectively lost Omuamua, which turns out to be even weirder than originally thought.
An interview by John Michael Godier with the same Dr. Avi Loeb who we noted previously had suggested that the bizarre acceleration of the interstellar object might be due to its being artificial. While this was the last of the list of possibilities listed in the short paper, it was (not unexpectedly) the only hypothesis of his that really made it into the headlines.
"It's probably much smaller than initially thought."
"And it's SHINY."
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January 21, 2019
Do Not Forget That The Three Day Weekend Some Enjoy is Here For a Reason
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More on "Ultima Thule"
Well, the high-rez images are starting to come in. It looks like it's pretty much what we'd expect a typical proto-comet to be, aside from the contact binary aspect (though as Wikipedia notes 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, the Shirtstorm comet, is one as well).
The fact that they are able to get pictures like this from a probe the size of a grand piano over a light day away is absolutely incredible. In spite of all the idiocy happening down here we can take pride in this amazing accomplishment of science and engineering and rejoice that its celebration is untainted by any of our contemporary stupidities, giving us all hope that...
"You do know the next video on the page is Richard C. Hoagland
explaining that this is an abandoned alien spaceship right?"
Well, crap.
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So There's an Ap. for EVERYTHING Now
Clearing out my tabs I encountered...this.
I don't know what I clicked on to take me there, but I find it strangely compelling.
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About Air
Air should not hurt.
That is all.
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January 20, 2019
Gell-Man Effect
Neo has a good piece on the attempted defenestration of the boys from Covington.
Way too many people reporting this sort of thing and making it go viral on Twitter are uninterested in getting the facts right or telling the truth. They know from previous experience that a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on. They count on it, and they know that most of the people ranting and raving about this and wanting to punch that Covington kid in the mouth and ruin his life will never, never ever, believe that the first story wasn’t the real story.
Read the whole thing.
There is an abnormally long post at Instapundit covering it as well.
The Gell Mann Amnesia Effect is real and it is toxic.
Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them. In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know.— Michael Crichton
There are people foreign and domestic who want us to fall upon each other without mercy. A huge amount of what passes as news is intended to facilitate this. Double check everything you can.
Related: Styxenhammer666 has a video on this, but its on Bitchute now because YouTube declared defending these kids to be racist and pulled it from You Tube.
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Well Here's the Headline of the Day.
I thought this sort of thing only happened in cartoons.
Well now we all know better.
No word yet on whether there was any collusion with the Zeon Archduchy.
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January 19, 2019
A Troubling Conversation
One of the advantages of being on a College Campus is that there will often be some sort of academic shindig which will bring together a bunch of people at the top of their field who are, for a brief time, accessible to us interested laymen. I recently had a conversation with an academic who specializes in China. I asked what said academic thought about the situation in The Middle Kingdom and where it was headed over the next 5-10 years. I mentioned things that I'd heard regarding the economy, social credit system, consolidation of power under Xi Jinping and the analogies to Germany in the lead up to WW1. This can be gleaned from reading the news or the output of any think tank (not purchased by China). However, Chinese culture is so very different from ours that I don't feel very confident about what can be gleaned from such analogies. I'm old enough to remember the U.S.S.R. (a rather less inscrutable organization) just collapsed to the utter astonishment of all the best experts and we're 4 years past the centenial of a previous group of experts being amazed at how some damned fool thing in the Balkans suddenly became rather consequential.
To my surprise the academic in question pulled me aside partially closed a door and spoke to me in hushed tones. Now I should note that this individual has a reputation for being very positive and optimistic about the P.R.C. and had been doing research in China last month. What they'd seen had caused a reassessment of the academic's premises. China outlawed Christmas this past year. I'd heard something about this but its significance had been lost on me because I was unaware that China celebrated Christmas at all. Aparently it was, until this year, a fairly big deal in the cities. More significant to the China Hand I was speaking to is the fact that the Yuletide festivities were replaced with a celebration of another birthday; That of Mao Zedong .
The academic in question was even more concerned about the recent Provincial elections. There's now a colonel or a general on the provincial politburos. I'm told there's also a political officer and that neither of these positions have existed in the civilian government since the cultural revolution. The Historian I was talking to says that this is a very recent (past several months) development and indicates that the C.C.P. may be preparing to deal with something along the lines of civil unrest, or a major war.
The China expert was also somewhat freaked out by the Winnie the Pooh thing and the general censoriousness that has become so much more marked in the last two years.
Anyway, after the conversation I was presented with a big stack of books and was told to return them to a contact person by the end of Spring Break. So I have reading to do on top of my other work.
Not reading simplified Chinese, I can't confirm anything and I don't want to give the professor's name because I got the distinct impression (from the hushed tone) that discussing this might cause them issues.
So this whole post is about as well cited as a Buzzfeed article. However, the conversation did drive home the fact that we don't know what we don't know and the few tidbits I gleaned did not give me the warm fuzzies.
Take with a grain of salt, but I get the distinct impression that china, and perhaps by extension the world are, over the next few years, likely to experience interesting times.
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Yesterday Was a Red Letter Day!
For it marked not only a centennial but one that is likely to have far reaching implications.
In case any on you are unfamiliar with this individual, here is his complete bio.
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Dispatch From the Dumpster Fire Department
Have you ever wondered what Tumblr really means by "Adult Content"?
Have you ever wondered what sorts of things will get flagged as such over there now?
"I am less than edified."
I'm pretty sure any lingering confusion is not the fault of Ms. Doran, who has graciously provided us with the answer to "What will get flagged at Tumblr?". Note that no attempt was made to address the larger question of "WTF Tumblr?".
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January 18, 2019
Oh Dear
Via Dot Clue: It appears that someone is making a live action version of Gakko Gurashi (School Live).
Warning! SpoilerTrailer! SpoilerTrailer!!
This could be very good or very bad but I don't think that mediocrity is in the cards.
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Subscribe Star Status
I actually managed to secure a Subscribe Star account some weeks ago just under the wire before they shut down subscriptions, so I do get their updates.
It appears that after several false starts, and unhelpfully pollyanish reports from their advocates, they have managed to start processing payments.
Dear Friends,
We are at the point when we start getting back to our normal operations. Starting this Monday, we will begin charging live accounts of the existing subscribers in order to restore money flow to our content creators. Simultaneously, we will enable a few selected profiles to accept new subscribers.
Started with smaller size accounts, we will progress towards the bigger ones, just to keep the load under control while testing everything along the way.
After we done with the processing of all existing billings, we will get back to the long list of applications that are waiting in line for the review and approval. And right after that, we will enable all profiles to accept new subscribers and receive donations. At the same time subscribers, who joined the "free tier†with $0 subscription price may change the subscription tier to ones with real USD values.
Always yours,SubscribeStar.com Team [ /quote]
Now.
Having looked at the site off and on for a few weeks I think that they need a much better search function to browse their various creators which vary in interests about as broadly as the electromagnetic spectrum.
It's also a Russian site and all that that implies.
And they're not quite fully up and running yet.
On the other hand, the site seems to work. The site blog is regularly updated. Anecdotally, people who have moved there seem happy with their overall experience (current unpleasantness notwithstanding).
Finally, the Subscribe Star team have been Gandalf at the bridge with regards to internet censorship and they took a serious hit for it. Free speech is their only brand now and they will live or die as much by their adherence to that ideal as by more normal market forces.
If that appeals to you click here and sign up.
Full disclosure: I (theoretically) get a cut of the profits from anyone who subscribes through that "sign up"link. This is theoretical because I'd need to give them my checking account info regards which I am still "waiting and seeing". Take that for what you will.
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January 17, 2019
And Then More Stuff Happened
Apologies for two consecutive posts concerning the banality of my Walter Mitty lifestyle. Here, as partial compensation is something pleasant by Sukabu.
Additionally, Sukabu still has a Tumbler page...somehow...Infer what you will from that statement.
more...
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January 16, 2019
And Then This Happened
more...
Art by Mocha
My life is over.
Everything was for naught.
Hope has left the building.
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January 15, 2019
The News is All About Hamburgers and Overpriced Razors So Here's Some Space Stuff
One of The Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes brings us the latest developments the search for extraterrestrial intelligence...
"My new favorite word is Technosignature."
The short video is a good quick overview of SETI issues. However, Mr. Cain also links to the referenced NASA report as well as the recent SETI conference minutes, which can provide hours of amusement.
In other SPACE news, while we wait for high resolution pictures from Ultima Thule NASA is providing some visual perspective on the matter.
(We should see some high rez pictures in about two weeks or so.)
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January 13, 2019
It Appears That Something is Afoot!
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Meanwhile, in the Cartoon Jacuzzi
A interesting Dumping with Scrump from about a week ago focusing on the various origins of the current censorious tendencies sweeping the interwebs.
In the specific case of Tumblr, they suggest that the issue was due in part to pressure from Apple, which itself was part of a cascading panic regarding the implementation of FOSTA and SESTA. They further note the significance of the ban being implemented on December 17th. There's more to be sure, about 28 minutes worth.
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January 12, 2019
Just as God and Robert Heinlein Intended
While the news is distracted by the government shutdown, one of The Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes brings us news from Southeastern Texas, where consequential things are happening.
And they are happening QUICKLY.
7 days ago, there were reports that Space-X might do a flight of their "Starhopper" test rig for their upcoming Mars Rocket in a little as 70-120 days. This was much sooner than had been projected.
However, the engineers have been working nonstop, through weekends and with astounding alacrity. Now the prototype is assembled (at least externally) and Musk is hinting at a much earlier test.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that the company’s first Starship prototype – a low-fidelity hop test vehicle – has finished assembly in South Texas, paving the way towards a series of experimental vertical take-off or landing (VTOL) hop tests that could begin as early as February or March 2019.
This is a low altitude test vehicle intended to work out hovering, and landing techniques and refine some design concepts for the ultimate design. It may well be run to destruction to test the limits of the vehicle.
Even more astounding, the first of the actual orbital prototypes is expected to be ready to fly as early as June pending the results of the Starhopper tests.
The Starship Interplanetary Spaceship will be a remarkable vehicle. It is expected to be able to insert itself into orbit without a booster (albeit with virtually no useful payload). Assisted by the Super Heavy booster it will be able to carry more payload than even the Saturn 5, and transport 50 to 100 people to the Moon, Mars or beyond, or, for a more down to Earth application, a much larger number anywhere on earth in under 37 minutes as an inter-continental ballistic passenger rocket.
The frantic speed of the test program is somewhat odd. One would expect a more reserved and methodical approach. There are a couple of possibilities, but two stand out. Space-X is tight on cash and just laid off 10% of its employees. It needs a spectacular PR stunt to woo more investment money. Also, NASA's SLS rocket, which has been delayed numerous times, is now expected to fly in 2020. If Musk can get a Starship orbital flight before then, that might well kill the NASA rocket (which, being expendable, and having a lower payload is inferior in every way). This would grant Space-X a much bigger share of the US launch market.
This would also have the benefit of killing off a program that has already wasted 14 billion dollars of the U.S. taxpayers money just since 2011.
Remember that NASA was given a mandate to go back to the moon in 2005. Note that it's 2019. Using something we like to call MATH, if we take 2019 and subtract 2005 from it we get 14 years, which is exactly twice as long as the 7 years it took from 1962-1969 to do the exact same thing but with the exception that the technology was 50 years more primitive and going to the moon had never been done before. Now, 14 years after being told to repeat something done with far more modest technology, NASA can point to the fact that China has landed a rover on the moon, but on the far side, which has never been done before. Also; NASA'll have that rocket of theirs running soon.
If Musk can pull this off, and finance the large numbers of rockets needed for the Mars missions he has planned, then the 2020s will usher in a new era in the history of mankind, one that may well save us.
However, this project is pushing engineering to the limit. Some crashes and explosions are to be expected in the engineering test rigs. Unfortunately, investors and the public generally don't have a grasp of sound engineering principles and learning curves will look like failures to many of today's risk adverse generation. It remains to be seen if Musk can
keep this most worthy of projects financed and supported.
Fingers are crossed!
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