Dictatorships that control their subjects' access to information like to have all Internet connections in their country pass through a single choke point so that they can maintain control. I once visited Saudi Arabia and met the guy responsible for all Internet traffic in and out of the country -- through a single link with a single backup.

This is good if you want to give your people only the access you want them to have, and to block everything else. At the same time, it means your whole country can be knocked offline by a single attack, which seems to be the problem N. Korea is experiencing. Imagine trying to knock the entire U.S. offline! It couldn't be done.

Cuba, OTOH.... well, that one may change soon. But N. Korea? Probably not, although I wish it would. A far more miserable place than Cuba has ever been.

My father grew up in Akron, OH, and in the 1930s it had the world's largest building - a no-longer-used airship hangar. My dad and his friends used the hangar to fly microfilm models - http://www.indoorduration.com/... - and I think this is the hanger -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G...

So indoor model-flying seems to be an Ohio tradition. I know my dad enjoyed doing it as a teenager.

Thank you for noticing. Fixed.

Even with my metal recumbent trike, position is a huge thing when tripping stop lights. This is one of the "discussed to death" topics on sites like http://www.bentrideronline.com.... A lot depends on the sensitivity of the loop and the circuitry it triggers, and a lot of the detectors are specifically set to be triggered only by a metal mass lots larger than a baby stroller, wheelchair or bicycle.

Two boosters for every boy!

I bought a 67 Soyuz and we call it a capsule
(Space City, here we come)
You know it's not very cherry, it's an oldie but a goody
(Space City, here we come)
Well, it ain't got a back seat or a rear window
But it gets me in orbit where I wanna go
And we're goin' to Space City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Space City, gonna have some fun
Ya, we're goin' to Space City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Space City, gonna have some fun, now
SpaceX is hiring every girl and boy...

And if my Soyuz breaks down on me somewhere out in orbit
(Space City, here we come)
I'll strap my oxy tanks to my back and hitch a ride in my spacesuit
(Space City, here we come)
And when I get to Space City I'll be shootin' the horizon
And checkin' out the parties for a surfer girl
And we're goin' to Space City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Space City, gonna have some fun
Ya, we're goin' to Space City, 'cause it's two to one
Ya, we're goin' to Space City, gonna have some fun, now
Two boosters for every
Two SpaceX launches for every girl and boy...

Tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Ignore the lyrics on that one. They're WRONG!

Doesn't matter to me either, but I'm sure it does to some people.

Think of a Formula One race car. It's a toy for the rich, not useful in the sense that a car should be. But developments that start in race cars often find their way into passenger cars. Like the rear view mirror. And the seat belt. And practical fuel injection. This list could be hundreds of items long.

i kan(t) read:

You know very well that Tim hits various events and videotapes whomever or whatever he considers interesting. If we were paid for running "video ads," each one would be clearly marked "ad" or "sponsored content."

Should we interview you? Know someone else we should interview? Email me with contact info. Maybe we will.

My first oscilloscope was one of those. Tiny little round screen, black crinkle finish... I got it in 1960 or 61; WWII surplus. Found it at some sort of hamfest or other electronics swap meet.

These people sell jackboots: http://www.epicmilitaria.com/p...

You mean like in A.E. van Vogt's book, The Voyage of the Space Beagle -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T... -- ? It was old (published in 1950; I wasn't born until 1952) when I found it in the school library. My first piece of science fiction. I was in 3rd grade.

Thanks. Left out the word "join." Not at my best today.

Amazon plans to deliver them to you via drone.

It did, but only a few minutes. I had to go to the VA for an electrocardiogram. I had to leave before the transcription was done, and the appointment ran a bit longer than I expected. Sorry about that. My heart still seems to be beating, or so they say.

Thank you for your courteous request, mythosaz. Serving good people is always a pleasure.