I'm trying to see the down-side...

Here's hoping it's an EM drive + battery. I know that's not likely with an organization as ironically conservative as NASA but wouldn't it just be cool?

Please make it stop

I like this idea better.

I know authors have no control over cover art, which is why I still read books with bad covers. The kind that offend me most are space ships that look like water ships. They use a traditional battleship or what have you complete with mast and rudder and just stick it into space. I mean what the actual fuck!? It's worse than giving sci-fi soldiers swords because you're too lazy to think through the mechanics of something realistic.

Just a moment's thought is needed to realize that space ships will be guided by entirely different design constraints, technologies, and other considerations. A submarine in space? I could handle that. but a FUCKING SAILBOAT???? If you're doing that just make it a whale and a petunia.

I think the best version is "The butcher with the warmest heart has the sharpest knife"

It limits utility but does not eliminate it. If the false positives are low enough people can make basic preparations. More importantly accuracy can be improved, possibly resulting in hours-long windows that will be extremely useful.

Although the maximum penalties are, in my opinion, way too high I'm just happy they're not adding on the dozens of fraud, cracking, and illegal access charges I'm so used to seeing. One charge of violating each actually applicable law is a refreshing change. I wonder if this is a signal the abuse of plea bargaining and DA threats has stopped?

Six free units, six foreign legions immediately. I always delete or give away the foreign legions immediately; by that time in the game I'm building units with way more experience. But the six free unite makes a real difference when you're supporting enough for a war.

NASA did not invent a warp drive. Roger Shawer might have. The title should read, "NASA has not been robustly proven to have built a warp drive" Three teams have reported the same effect from three different devices. And these aren't teams of hacks. Furthermore the test duplicates our best prediction of the cause of the thrust. It's premature to throw a Singularity party but it's definitely premature to declare the device to not be a warp drive.

Skepticism is a good thing. This isn't proper skepticism.

I'm no party animal but if he runs even as a Democrat, I might vote for him. He's an old man and I think old men are more likely to speak the truth and less likely to make moral compromises. At 73 he'll be thinking of an afterlife if he believes in one. Even if he doesn't he won't care about future prospects enough to sell out for them.

Nope, I'm finished feeling guilty for the acts of previous generations. The islands are part of the United States now. They have their votes and councils. They have their local government. And this isn't about religion anyway, it's about declaring as much independence as possible. Fuck that, the war is over. I don't care that they want to make a statement. I do care that they want to make their statement at the cost of science. I'm not sure whether I'm disappointed we're not using eminent domain here but I don't think these objections are valid.

While structural unemployment is a progressive circumstance that will hurt a lot of people very badly if it isn't handled properly I do hope these robots are good enough and cheap enough to replace human labor. Technological unemployment is a first world problem if anything is. That said, when someone says an American won't do the job what they mean is, "I'm not willing to pay a living wage for this job"

If we don't define the terms properly we'll end up with solutions that don't fit the problems.

There are some things about human contact that have lasted the ages. One of them is the need to directly communicate with each-other. Expecting your friends to visit a website on a regular basis if they want communication from you is inconsiderate, and that transcends generational boundaries. Sure it works with "friends" (who used to be known as acquaintances) but if you're trying to tell me the new generation doesn't actually have friends close enough for direct communication I'll call you disconnected from society at large.

Whether it's "I'll tell the innkeeper if I need you, no need to darken my doorstep" as in days past or "Don't call me, I'll call you" as in pretentious modern Hollywood or "If you want news check my Facebook status" as in your intent, it's not some new wave, it's being too selfish to give the other person a moment's time.