Ah, a crystal set, then? I remember those. I was mildly amazed when I learned that you could have a "self-powered" radio.

USAF had decent flying shapes in the 50's. None could handle re-entry temps. Spam-in-a-can could. And it supported defense research (ICBMs).

On the other hand, we had the USAF Man in Space Soonest program. The acronym proved prophetic, as we missed getting into space first.

I largely agree with you. A caveat, though, is the fact that shuttle *needed* USAF funding to get off the ground. Whether or not it was a good thing that it got off the ground is a topic for another thread.

Mary Ann!

Good one.

...sez the AC.

ybmti

It's software, all the way down.

Good answer. It's typically not a good idea to eat next years seed crop.

"I apologize."

Sorry, this is the internet. We can't have that, now, can we?

Leonids. November 2001. Never to be forgotten.

Oh lord, you realize you just started another conspiracy theory, right? I should start an email chain tonight, attributing this to some vague authority. I wonder how long it would take to propagate.

Mississippi River watershed.

"This is the question no apologist can ever answer". The answers are all over these threads here. Read and learn, citizen.

Ok, I get it. You really don't like Pax Americana. Well, like all things, this too shall pass. You will rejoice in it, perhaps, if you're one of the lucky ones to live through it.

After the war, we helped rebuild both antagonists of WWII. Today they are strong democracies and allies. We have our differences, but can work through them.

Bewail the evilness of America all you want, but there's not much historical evidence of this kind of thing ever happening before.