I read some science fiction once, where the people in power did something like this, then nuked the entire world so they could start over from scratch, with their frozen samples. Just how delusional is Putin anyway?

Why so angry?

Guess I did miss it the first time. I read it as the AC trying to defend 10k somehow. Been a rough week.

Commercial jets typically cruise at 33000 to 40000 feet.

Air traffic controllers in Canada Use 2000x2000 pixel panels for the Canadian Automated Air Traffic System (CAATS); Pretty close.

It's the viral nature of the GPL.

If someone would pay for it, and build it right, I would let them build it in my house.

This is like the X Window Shape extension for hardware. When can I order a hardware copy of xeyes that creepily watch me as I move around my bedroom?

Lots of Ice melting. Could be that all the energy is going into phase change right now.

Ok, fair enough. Definitely a social issue. I think part of the problem is that we overestimate the extent of what we think of as our community. I've lived in small towns, where everyone knew everyone else, and there was always a sense of trust and connection within the community. You could go to a bar and have a beer with your friends without ever thinking that someone would do (in your group, or to your group) something nefarious. At the very least, everyone knew who the bad apples were. In big cities, people can be more isolated (often, people don't even talk to their neighbours), but we still behave like we're in a connected community. When we go out to a club, we extend that same trust to those around us, even though they are an unknown in the social equation.

The social issue I see here is that there's no consensus that we're all the same tribe, and therefore should have each other's back. There are people who see others as competition at best, and prey at worst. For them, a club is not an opportunity to make social connections and strengthen the tribe; it's a feeding ground. I guess one could also turn it around and see it from the other angle. There are people who see a predator in everyone, even when it's not the case. Either way, we're losing something valuable by inhibiting the development of these kinds of social bonds.

How about using the police?

It was a trap!

With respect to not having any business there, I respectfully disagree. I think something like this is just what we need to get our shit together. We've been getting away with lots of unsustainable practices here on Earth, because our ecosystem is big enough to absorb the damage so far. The problem with this is that the consequences are too far away in time or place for us to care. Boiling the frog, and all that.

Mars, on the other hand, is a pretty unforgiving place. If we can't be self sustaining in a small closed environment such as a habitat for a few dozen people, we'll know pretty quickly. A successful setup on Mars should breed a conservationist mentality in Martians that can be applied back on Earth.