SpaceX and by extension Starship are critical for the entire western space industry. Last year SpaceX was responsible for something like 90% of the stuff sent up. Then China and then Russia. There is simply no one else in even in the market right now. SpaceX has lowered costs by an order of magnitude already and hopes Starship will drop it by another.
If you don’t like Elon Musk that’s fine. But his companies get stuff done. Blue Origin has been around longer, has gotten more from the government (Yeah, really) and been getting a billion a year from Bezos with nothing to show for it. It’s insane how much SpaceX has done while everyone else has been doing nothing.
I agree with all of that but it’s not like BO has nothing to show for it. They are likely to reach orbit soon with a new serious rocket. And I say this as a BO hater.
> SpaceX and by extension Starship are critical for the entire western space industry.
That is both true, and monumentally depressing.
>If you don’t like Elon Musk that’s fine. But his companies get stuff done.
For extremely broad values of "stuff" <glances over it the dumpster fire Twitter has been reduced to, and the CyberTaxi launch, and and and>
Yeah, SpaceX has been mostly hitting it out of the park. Tesla kinda was for a while 5 or 10 years back, but way less so these days. I can't think of another example of an Elon company "getting stuff done" in a positive way. I'm more inclined to think SpaceX succeeds due to the huge amount of luck a billionaire benefactor can bring to a hard problem, and succeeds in spite of rather than because of any other influence from Elon.
> I'm more inclined to think SpaceX succeeds due to the huge amount of luck a billionaire benefactor can bring to a hard problem, and succeeds in spite of rather than because of any other influence from Elon.
In my view its more because Musk's approach of first principles thinking works much better (compared to alternatives) in a highly conservative industry making complex physical things.
Twitter is a large part him failing to realize it is an ad company and thus he needs to make advertisers happy to spend money there, which means very active brand management and PR. He has had probably the most negative PR in history, in terms of volume of negative articles. That is an absolutely awful position from which to try and run an ad displaying business.
I have no idea the political shenanigans to which OP refers, but a missile defense shield destabilizes MAD and even if it works - which it won't - it'll be susceptible to jamming and maybe even EMPs since the satellites fly so low. Iron Dome is only effective against a limited number of slow unguided missiles, and too expensive to maintain. And SDI was a disaster.
It seems like Israel is a test-bed for weapon systems. It would be interesting to see how Iron Beam influences second-generation systems.
Having an effective counter to large numbers of nukes is likely to seriously risk Chinese and Russian escalations. MAD only works when it’s mutually assured.
I don’t think the modern Democratic Party the same pro-worker, anti-corporate greed version a lot of us grew up with. Don’t take this as an endorsement for Trump mind you. Hardly. Democrats still have basic human rights on their side.
Corporate greed and military spending aren’t up for debate though. We can bicker about guns and immigration policy all we want but some topics aren’t even on the table for discussion.
To a degree you are right, but fully agreeing with this is ignoring reality given the thread we are commenting in. There has been more antitrust legislation under the current administration than there has been in a decade so while they aren't the Dems of old, I feel we are heading in a good direction.
There are several different caucuses within the Democratic Party. Some of them are the pro-corporate types you're referring to. But there is also a Progressive caucus that is pretty pro-worker pro-tax that I think you're missing out on.
So it’s funny you mention that. I actually think Marx made a fantastic critique of capitalism. He kind of nailed the inherent flaws within the system. I compare his solutions to someone predicting that every desk would eventually have a telegraph through. Identifying a problem doesn’t therefor imply a solution.
Regarding the modern Progressive movement though, I find them a bit too authoritarian for my tastes. There are countless examples but classic Western liberalism is at odds with their ideology. They’ve fallen into the classic revolutionary entrapment of their own power being tied with continued upheaval. If you are not with them completely then you are the enemy. From the Google Manifesto to JK Rowling’s cancelling, they remind me of the mob during the French Revolution. They just eat their own and refuse to accept any kind of meaningful critique.
Liberalism requires debate, disagreement and questioning the status quo. I don’t see that amongst the modern Progressives. They would rather burn it down than build something better.
Ironically, I fear them gaining power as much as I do the religious right. Neither contains the capacity for building the coalitions needed for stable governance. I like moderates. Stability. Peace. Compromise. Mutual Respect. Empathy. I just don’t see those values in those circles.
Now that I’ve politely disagreed, I suppose it’s just a matter of time before someone comes along to insult me and prove my point.
I disagree with you on the human rights thing, that is definitely on the table for discussion.
I connect the erosion of bodily autonomy in America to the Democratic mandates for health insurance purchase with Obamacare and then certainly the federal mandate for employees of large corporations to receive the experimental EUA Covid vaccine.
In the arena of basic human rights, any political party that demands I show my private medical information as proof of vaccination in order that I may continue to work in a 100% remote job has lost the thread and there's no way back to good graces.
The "my body my choice" and workers rights Democratic party locked me down on home detention as a non-essential worker for over a year and finally got me RIF'd from my fancy job because I refused to show my papers well after the crisis had ended. Would you call that fascism or authoritarianism?
And that erosion of bodily autonomy at the federal level led to the _easy_ overturning of Roe v Wade! At the time the federal vaccine mandates were announced, I called it that they were weakening Roe. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
The Democratic party needs to end and something new needs to grow to replace all the corruption. There's not one good policy for humanity coming from them and certainly far too much optional war and needless killing.
> In the arena of basic human rights, any political party that demands I show my private medical information as proof of vaccination in order that I may continue to work in a 100% remote job has lost the thread and there's no way back to good graces.
There is no political party that demands this. I've worked 100% since the start of the pandemic and have only been asked for proof of vaccination for a company onsite. Never once been at threat of losing my remote job because of vaccination status. Sounds like your company was just looking for an excuse to lay people off.
> And that erosion of bodily autonomy at the federal level led to the _easy_ overturning of Roe v Wade! At the time the federal vaccine mandates were announced, I called it that they were weakening Roe. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Really? You should've told the Supreme Court because they didn't mention vaccines at all in their decisions to overturn Roe v Wade.
> There's not one good policy for humanity coming from them and certainly far too much optional war and needless killing.
This is not even remotely true and is so emotionally charged that it is impossible to actually have a discussion. I much prefer their policies on public infrastructure, environment, and climate just to name a few.
> Sounds like your company was just looking for an excuse to lay people off.
Of course. I called it a RIF for a reason. At the time, I was caught unawares and was very hurt by what I saw as a betrayal. It was my sense that the RIF was a politically-driven move and it was a compliance test that I had failed. It sounds like you were fortunate to have not been so caught up in it.
In my depths-of-despair blue state, the lockdowns were brutal and the outcomes on kids here have been tragic. Adults I know are just now processing the pain, many marriages wrecked. I lay those terrible Covid politics and ruination at the Democrats' feet.
> Really? You should've told the Supreme Court because they didn't mention vaccines at all in their decisions to overturn Roe v Wade.
Yes, really, it wasn't a sacred cow. The zeitgeist was: my body, my choice, but only when the mob allows it, all courtesy of Covid. RvW is just one more easy come, easy go judicial decision.
Health science will continue to advance and the abortion racket will eventually end.
> is so emotionally charged that it is impossible to actually have a discussion.
Yeah, you're right. I was coming on too strong there. :/
> public infrastructure
Infrastructure is not a Democratic issue, but the corruption is worse under the D's. Rural broadband is the latest government spending fiasco.
> environment and climate
Democratic climate politics is a racket. It's bumpersticker politics, and junk science. What climate model ever survives, where is the science in meta-analyses? Regulations around pollution is something everyone can get behind. I remember smog in Los Angeles in the 70's and it is so much better now. But pollution isn't fear porn that brings in the big bucks, boiling seas are. The catastrophism is OLD and TIRED, and none of the fear porn hath come to pass. It's such a racket.
Name some more favored policies! In the seventies we had the misery index under Carter. Under Biden, we got the huge spike in deaths of despair. Democratic public health policies are schizophrenic. What a huge mess, I can't understand Democratic voters!
> In my depths-of-despair blue state, the lockdowns were brutal and the outcomes on kids here have been tragic. Adults I know are just now processing the pain, many marriages wrecked. I lay those terrible Covid politics and ruination at the Democrats' feet.
This sounds hard and I'm sorry to hear you were going through that. I don't think it is a fair assessment of the situation. The lockdowns and quarantine started under Trump for instance. To spare his side of any blame and lay everything at the feet of the Dems is having a selective memory.
> Health science will continue to advance and the abortion racket will eventually end.
You are going to have to explain this statement because I don't see how abortion is a racket. Unless you mean saber rattling over abortion.
> Regulations around pollution is something everyone can get behind. I remember smog in Los Angeles in the 70's and it is so much better now.
Smog in better now because of the EPA and restrictions around fossil fuels. The GOP explicitly states in their platform that they want more fossil fuels and to gut the EPA. As far as your comment on corruption, this is not a "Dem" issue, politics at the local level is incredibly corrupt. I live in a red state and the same thing happens here. Tons of grant money disappearing into pockets of contractors that are friends of the local republicans. There needs to be more oversight at the local level.
> none of the fear porn hath come to pass.
For you it hasn't. Parts of the country reaching wet bulb temperatures and other countries seeing record high temperatures every year. More fires in the western US that burn longer and cause more damage.
Don't take this the wrong way but you just lack empathy. A lot of what you are saying is that "Dems say it will get bad and it hasn't gotten bad FOR ME" and this isn't 100% your fault. Media works hard to "other" people so you won't feel empathic. I think Trump is a moron but I understand why people feel angry and fall for the rhetoric he pushes. However, I've read all of Agenda 47 and the GOP 2024 platform and I'll pass on it thanks.
> The lockdowns and quarantine started under Trump for instance
There were states like SD that were done with lockdowns in July of 2020, if I recall correctly. And, their outcomes were better. I never mentioned Trump, he was always a states' rights guy, but you're right he was the guy in charge, so he needs to be held to account on covid.
My state's voters are hopeless. I will never understand the shallow emotional appeals here that unfailingly win the day.
> More fires in the western US that burn longer and cause more damage.
We do have a lot of fires! You attribute that to climate? In my opinion, a lot of those fires are intentionally set and for a lot of reasons.
> You are going to have to explain this statement because I don't see how abortion is a racket. Unless you mean saber rattling over abortion.
You think there's no money in abortion? Check it out, use your imagination. I'm saying the earlier fetuses can come to term outside the womb and the better tech like ultrasound gets, the more the fetus becomes humanized and will be accorded human rights. If the population crashes, the whole life discussion will flip. The clock is ticking on this topic, and it's ultimately going to be seen as barbaric.
> However, I've read all of Agenda 47 and the GOP 2024 platform and I'll pass on it thanks.
It's reactionary. If the D's and RINO's could show a little restraint, maybe the pendulum wouldn't have to swing so hard.
How about not just giving your vote away for cheap/free purely over Blumph hatred this time and demand some actual reforms and accountability from your side? How much faff is in your platform?
Whether it is reactionary or not doesn't matter. They are still policies I don't support and even with this statement you lay the blame at other people's feet. With many other points, you are beginning to delve into conspiracy so I think this conversation has run its course. And I don't have a side, that is cult thinking. I request accountability from everyone.
Well it's good you're a free thinker, we need more of those. Sorry for assuming where you had placed yourself.
The 'conspiracy' label has no sting if you meant it to. I'm sick of clown world and voicing my opposition to it and shaking my fist at clouds. You can't blame me for not accepting predominant narratives, we are so propagandized. And when I am wrong, I own up to it.
I don't believe Trump will be allowed to be president again, so you shouldn't have to worry about Agenda 47 bugaboos.
I don’t think mass adoption is their goal. They had a problem. They solved that problem. They shared how they solved said problem.
Every engineering company releases stuff like this. It’s not meant to change the world. It’s marketing to recruit other engineers who would find that problem interesting.
> Tesla also announced joining the Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) to share this protocol and work to standardize a new high-speed/low-latency fabric (be that TTPoE or otherwise) for AI/ML/Datacenters
Also it's a protocol, personally I will only use a protocol that's fully spec'd. It's a pain sometimes to have consensus among all contributors but it's valuable.
> edit : I will only use a protocol that's fully spec'd IN PROD
We’ve been here before: you can’t punish someone into being your consumer. Someone who wants your product at the price you offer it will ultimately pay for it. Short sighted business decisions ultimately hurt the industry more than accepting the need to change your business model.
This reminds me of a conversation I was having recently about genetically engineering humans. I think people are greatly underestimating the complexity of the human body and it’s nature mechanisms of adaptation. Everyone is a little different - but that’s okay because all the little feedback loops and receptor sites account for changes. Like a drug addict needing more and more to get their fix. There isn’t just one variable we can adjust to really solve most problems. You have to look at the entire web of interconnected systems and modulate how each of them work together. We sort of take it all for granted since life is so abundant, but it’s truly nothing short of miraculous.
The odds are getting higher by the day. There is a lot happening in the world with China’s economic blessing. American sanctions don’t work when China manufactures everything.
In that story why was the replaying of HTTP requests so suspicious? They were cleartext requests sent over the internet, anyone could have seen the path.
Just because it's physically possible for someone to passively MITM a connection doesn't mean everyone and their dog is actually listening in on it. If they were, there'd be a booming industry of leaking celebrities' scandalous DNS requests. Instead, I'd suspect that actual actors with that capability wouldn't be burning it on small-time replay attacks.
There US Army generally has one tourniquet that it’s deemed best. The CAT by North American rescue. Every Soldier is awash in these things. They hand them out like candy on Halloween. And rightly so.
But the Government has to buy them from businesses that meet certain characteristics. Woman owned, etc. That’s a great thing, right?
In this case however, that female owned business is the guy who invented the things wife. Who he sells them to at a mark-up. Who then sells them to the government.
Economy of scale? Ya! They are the number one buyer and pay the most. Honestly, who cares though, it’s only a couple million a year. Drop in the bucket.
How did Boeing fail? Death by a thousand cuts. That same story probably plays out across the entire supppy chain. Every part, every product, every supplier. Compounded over and over again.
That sounds like embezzlement in the USSR but painted with capitalism colors. Quid pro quo siphoning at every layer, undetectable as a whole, but a giant boulder of dead weight for the system.
https://registry.opendata.aws/commoncrawl/