It was very cool watching SpaceShipOne yesterday, in spite of the Worst Coverage Ever from CNN. I’ve got more commentary below, but I had a happy feeling knowing that civilians are now in the Space Race. SpaceShipOne, Government Zero.
Further down the runway, an estimated 100,000 spectators waited to see space history in the making.
SpaceShipOne, Government Zero,read one placard held aloft by a spectator, an allusion to the conviction held by some who yearn for space that government programs are slow, bureaucracy-laden and elitist.
- Mike Melvill, Pilot Guides Private Plane Beyond Atmosphere, a First, as the world has a new astronaut. It sounds like a great flight for SpaceShipOne, in spite of some fairly scary technical problems that meant that the rocket only made it to a few hundred feet above the 100 km they were shooting for. Alan’s Mojave Airport Weblog has details from a guy who works at Mojave. But most importantly, the flight of SpaceShipOne was a Space Shot on a Shoestring, spending less than one twenty-fifth of the cost of a single shuttle launch on the entire program. I think this is a great example of how private individuals can do a better job and for a lot less than government can. [nyt, wired, and boing boing]
- Well, the Dudley Hiibel case is done, and freedom lost. Suspects Can Be Forced to Give Names, U.S. Court Says. [boing boing]
- Meanwhile, The Pentagon Seeks U.S. Spy Powers, specifically the ability to spy domestically. Seems to me that Just Ain’t Right. But hey, anything in the name of security right? Or maybe it’s time to call the senators again… [wired]
- Maybe a guy needs some of that newly developed Stealth wallpaper [that] could keep WLANs secure, by blocking WiFi (and cordless phone) frequencies while letting other radio traffic through. Sounds like a stylish addition to a tinfoil hat! [fark!]
- In Lawyers, Guns and Money Conrad discusses the legal challenges to the 2000 election, and opines that if either party files a challenge to a close election in 2004, the candidate in question
should have hungry badgers loosed upon his genitalia.
Sometimes it takes a little distance (like being on the other side of the world) to see things clearly. - Steve Hannah asks Deliver me, please, from nonstop cell-phone use. It’s a fun little column. The part that bothers me most about public cell-phone usage is that most of the bars around here are loud enough that people do things like stand in the men’s (and presumably the women’s) rooms to talk on the phone, so you’ve always got an audience (including whoever is on the other end of the line) when you’re trying to do your business. That is the best argument I can make for making short-range cell-phone jammers legal. Then again, I read something yesterday (don’t remember where) saying that the reason bars crank the volume is so that people can’t talk, and will drink more. [press-patch]
- Do you know Why broadband over power lines is a bad idea? Well, if you’re going to send radio frequency signals (i.e. broadband networking) over long power lines (an extremely large antenna), you shouldn’t be surprised if they interfere with other radio. Not surprisingly, the ARRL doesn’t think much of the whole idea. [slashdot]