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Comment Re:The only way to stop the Nazis (Score 2) 92

Except there are many examples from many sources.

One editor was given a 7 month sentence for showing an edited picture of a politician saying "I hate freedom of opinion".

Other more general examples:

https://brusselssignal.eu/2026...

https://www.welt.de/politik/de...

"If people were being prosecuted for insults in Germany, every school kid would have a criminal record..."
You seem to have utterly missed the point that these prosecutions are entirely political speech against the government or ministers specifically.

Comment record LOW areas burned (Score 2) 69

I know it's important to panic, but let's #followthescience, surely?
https://x.com/BjornLomborg/sta...
https://gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/...

Halfway through 2026, every continent burn levels are below average. Africa, the Americas and Europe are at record lows.

Keep this in mind as the press (and slashdot) keep insisting how terrible everything is.

Record.
Lows.

Comment Re: âoefail fastâ development (Score 4, Insightful) 61

I love and respect NASA; their missions are astonishing examples of what people can accomplish, and I don't think most appreciate the unbelievable finesse it takes to execute space missions. NASA has successfully made it look routine. They truly are "rocket scientists".

But the fact is that government contracts are vastly inefficient; they are victims of the vicissitudes of political winds that potentially change every 2 years, despite almost never being "the issue of discussion" and widely being respected by both sides of the political aisle. It is worth noting too that NASA has become nearly paralyzed by risk avoidance. That's easy to SAY, but I'm curious how the public is going to react when inevitably, eventually, a SpaceX or Blue Origin astronaut dies; I rather suspect the public is going to continue to demand risk-avoidance as primary where humans in space are concerned, at least until it's as common as air travel.

Further, we have clearly reached the point where we DON'T need government to execute basic space lift systems. The 1980s space shuttle was around $50k/kg to orbit (and this was intended to be the 'cheap' system after the one-off previous lunch programs); SLS by NASA right now is in the $20-$40k range.

Compare that to Falcon 9 $3k/kg, Falcon Heavy $1500/kg, or the estimate for Starship will be $100-$300/kg.

No, with limited budgets, I'd far rather NASA use its precious political gleanings for the science packages and programs, and let the commercial contractors do the simple/cheap stuff.

Comment Re:âoefail fastâ development (Score 4, Interesting) 61

Look I understand that slashdot is the "hate musk" channel, but "failing to scale up" is a funny summary for a company that
- has lowered launch costs by multiples and remains lower than all competitors
- alone launched more than half the entire world's space payloads, and north of 75% of the mass, something like 30x its nearest competitor
- no other competition is really aiming at a vehicle the size, scope, and ambitiousness of starship. Long 9 is close but years and years behind.
- yes, there have been a lot of test flights but if the alternative is something like sls (5 years late and what, $25b high), I find it hard to criticize starships approach.

Comment Re:65 years later... (Score 2) 93

And the barely-ever-quoted next paragraphs, perhaps even more salient?

"Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.

In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present ... "

Oh wait, no we're not supposed to be afraid of this right now. So I guess ignore it.

Comment Re:DST is Dumb (Score 1) 263

Child safety and actual auto deaths are nothing when compared to the inconvenience of, y'know, changing the time you get up TWO WHOLE TIMES a year. THAT'S the REAL ISSUE. /sarcasm

People can't even complain they have to change their clocks, since easily 95%+ get their time from their phones or computers that auto-set anyway.

Comment Re:You can't live below your means (Score 1) 91

> radical increase in legal wage floors
The Federal minimum wage remains unchanged.

Notice how I didn't say anything about the Federal minimum wage?
30 states + DC (basically, the blue ones) have implemented minimums of $15 and higher, some of those nearly doubling their previous $8 rates.

Pls, show me where QE or QE-like policies were implemented in 2001? The Fed rate was cut, but they didn't print money like drunken sailors in 2008, 2010 (less so), and 2012. What incompetent wastrel was president each of these times, again? I'm not even arguing 2008 due to the crisis (I still disagree with it, but my job isn't to get re-elected either). But democrats perhaps need to stop trying to print themselves out of every crisis, maybe?

I don't get your point about qe vs money to 'ordinary people'? I prefer NO increase in M1 no matter in whose pockets it lands. Whether it's largesse to billionaires or 'hardship checks' to 200m 'ordinary' people, THAT INCREASES INFLATION.

And no, it WAS $1trn, or as close as matters:
I see:
1) (CARES Act, 2020): Up to $1,200/adult + $500/child. Total: ~$300b.
2) (Dec. 2020 / Consolidated Appropriations Act): Up to $600/adult + $600/child. Total: ~165b.
3) (American Rescue Plan, 2021): Up to $1,400/person incl dependents Total: ~$410b.
I callt it about $900b, the GAO tallies $931 billion across roughly 165 million recipients

(https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-106044)

This is DIRECT PAYMENTS to people.

Stupid Keynesians actively validating the damned gold-bugs.

Comment Re:Read my words: ai will ... (Score 0) 108

"if they can accuse important people without evidence and make them spend time and money"

So, for example, dredging up (in a suitable venue ofc) some ancient bimbo who diddled some rich guy in a dressing room (though she can't remember exactly when, or what she was wearing, and....well... She does admit to finding rape kinda sexy before she's dragged off the air), carefully not bringing the case to criminal court? Like that?

Comment Re:You can't live below your means (Score 1) 91

"... the way that the Federal reserve deals with that is every few years they crank interest rates. "

What?
That's absolutely the opposite of the data.

The US has generally had - aside from ww1/WW2, and the explosive 1970s - an inflation rate of 3-3.5% since 1900.

The last 25 years have had extraordinarily LOW inflation until the literal shoveling of money toward the public during COVID. ($5t in "assistance" including $1.8t in DIRECT payments).
Couple that with an insistence on the radical increase in legal wage floors across the country - how would those policies (which, I recall, you militantly supported) NOT be inflationary?

It's hypocrisy to blame "the Federal Reserve" for the logical, predicted outcome of the policies you have rather militantly endorsed.

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