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Submission + - SpaceX unveils sweeping Starship V3 upgrades ahead of May 19 launch (teslarati.com)

schwit1 writes: Here is an explicit, broken-down list of the key changes, first starting with the changes to Super Heavy V3:
  • Grid Fin Redesign: Reduced from four fins to three. Each fin is now 50% larger and stronger, repositioned for better catching and lifting performance. Fins are lowered on the booster to reduce heat exposure during hot staging, with hardware moved inside the fuel tank for protection.
  • Integrated Hot Staging: Eliminates the old disposable interstage shield. The booster dome is now directly exposed to upper-stage engine ignition, protected by tank pressure and steel shielding. Interstage actuators retract after separation.
  • New Fuel Transfer System: Massive redesign of the fuel transfer tube—roughly the size of a Falcon 9 first stage—enables simultaneous startup of all 33 Raptors for faster, more reliable flip maneuvers.
  • Engine Bay/Thermal Protection: Engine shrouds removed entirely; new shielding added between engines. Propulsion and avionics are more tightly integrated. CO? fire suppression system deleted for a simpler, lighter aft section.
  • Propellant Loading Improvements: Switched from one quick disconnect to two separate systems for added redundancy and reduced pad complexity.

Next, we have the changes to Starship V3:

  • Completely Redesigned Propulsion System: Clean-sheet redesign supports new Raptor startup, larger propellant volume, and an improved reaction control system while reducing trapped or leaked propellant risk.
  • Aft Section Simplification: Fluid and electrical systems rerouted; engine shrouds and large aft cavity deleted.
  • Flap Actuation Upgrade: Changed from two actuators per flap to one actuator with three motors for better redundancy, mass efficiency, and lower cost.
  • Faster Starlink Deployment: Upgraded PEZ dispenser enables quicker satellite release.
  • Long-Duration Spaceflight Capability: New systems for long orbital coasts, orbital refueling, cryogenic fluid management, vacuum-insulated header tanks, and high-voltage cryogenic recirculation.
  • Ship-to-Ship Docking + Refueling: Four docking drogues and dedicated propellant transfer connections added to support in-space refueling architecture.
  • Avionics Upgrades: 60 custom avionics units with integrated batteries, inverters, and high-voltage systems (9 MW peak power). New multi-sensor navigation for precision autonomous flight. RF sensors measure propellant in microgravity. ~50 onboard camera views and 480 Mbps Starlink connectivity for low-latency communications.

Believe it or not, there's more.

Two years ago, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever flown was Starship V1. Last year, it was Starship V2. V3 is about to become the biggest and most powerful rocket ever flown — but don't worry, the company already has plans for V4.

Submission + - A completely unfair, subjective take on the latest laptops 1

davide marney writes: I am in the market for a replacement laptop. I need a snappy machine with a high-resolution screen because I do a lot of detailed work. Off I go to the nearest box store. After testing a baker's dozen Windows, Chromebook, and Apple laptops, here is my purely subjective take on how they compare:

All the Windows laptops have invested in adding AI features at the expense of hardware. I found only two machines that I would call snappy and with a high-resolution screen. The price floor for this level of hardware was $3,200. Every single laptop below that level was sluggish. We all know how Windows performance sags with age. If they're this slow brand new ... ?

All the Chromebooks were pitifully underpowered. While I admire ChromeOS for its efficiency, simplicity and no-maintenance ethos, an embarrassingly underpowered CPU is a guaranteed poor experience. What are these vendors thinking? The entire lineup is aimed straight at the bottom of the price pile. But so what if they cost just $350? Bad is still bad at any price.

Apple, thankfully, is generations ahead of everyone else in hardware. Even the most base of base models is snappy and has an excellent, finely-detailed display. My pick was the M5 Air 15-inch, a delightful machine to use. The price is $1,300, less than HALF the equivalent Windows laptop experience-wise. The world has turned upside down.

Submission + - Vladimir Putin is now afraid (telegraph.co.uk)

fjo3 writes: The scaling down of the May 9 Victory Day parade in Red Square is extraordinary, so much so that it demands serious attention. What was once a massive display of military power now appears reduced to something closer to a token event.

This, remember, is meant to honour the sacrifice of some 26 million Russians during what they call the Great Patriotic War, known elsewhere as the Second World War. To cut it back so dramatically – reportedly due to an inability to defend Moscow from Ukrainian attack – is not just embarrassing; it is strategically revealing. For Vladimir Putin, it raises uncomfortable questions.

This is, in part, because when Putin reintroduced military hardware to the parade in 2008, he framed it as a clear signal of strength: a warning to adversaries that Russia could defend itself. He was explicit: this was not sabre-rattling, but proof of growing capability. That claim now rings hollow.

Comment Re:Maybe a good alternative for Chromebooks (Score 1) 329

ChromeOS is absolutely fantastic for normal, everyday users who only rarely need an installed app. For those people, I'd be very hard-pressed to give up the ease of remote management and the restrained user interface updates. Supporting Chromebooks is a breeze, truly.

But if users need more than just the rare installed app, "low-end" Macs are absolutely the logical move. The Mac Neo moves this an absolute no-brainer decision. Apple makes the best computer hardware in the industry, hands down. The OS is not as easy to use as ChromeOS, mainly because the UI is not as restrained. (Apple seems to change its settings apps on every release, just like Android and Windows. That is criminal. It's all just Linux under the hood, guys, for heaven's sake stop "innovating" on how to control settings!)

Comment An interesting idea (Score 1) 59

I have no desire to add any renewable power generation devices to my home. It was never designed with that in mind, starting with the siting. It will never be optimal. However, I am more than ready to be a consumer of renewable energy, the economics are very compelling. Installing bi-directional batteries, however, will have a negligible impact on my home -- maybe take up some space on my garage wall, that's about it. But having backup power right at hand is a great incentive. And, distributing power storage makes for a far more robust system.

This is a very interesting idea. I'm for it.

Comment Bummer (Score 2) 38

That's too bad. I donated to this project, thought it might do some good, and was excited by the prospect of a clean slate design opportunity. The lessons here are:

1. You don't create new opportunities with information tech, you expand existing ones.
2. Computer skills are essentially manual skills. Doesn't make you smarter, just more efficient.
3. Information tech is overhyped. AI won't make us smarter, either.

Comment Carbon Dioxide is NOT a "pollutant" (Score 2) 35

"The industry relies on air-separation units, which use giant compressors to turn air into liquid and then distill it into its many components. These machines are responsible for much of the industry's electricity demand, and their use alone is responsible for 2% of carbon dioxide emissions in China and the US, the world's two largest polluters."

In July, the EPA proposed rescinding its rule that CO2 is a pollutant: https://www.epa.gov/regulation...

It is incorrect to label these countries as "polluters". Carbon Dioxide is not a poison, it is an essential compound that plays an enormously important role in maintaining life on this planet.

Comment I'm a Free Press subscriber (Score 0) 248

I think Bari Weiss is going to be great at CBS News. Getting her on board was a real coup. There's absolutely no reason corporate media couldn't report interesting and useful news. They have all the infrastructure to do a good job -- especially the production staff and facilities -- all they've been missing is a brain. Like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz.

The Free Press is just flat out fun to read. There's no double speak, anywhere. The writers know their craft and they treat their audience like adults. Their comment boards are always full of people complaining from all sides.

Comment Not just coding (Score 2) 86

My son writes contract proposals, another area where people try to cut corners by generating responses from requirement documents. Sounds legit, you would think. He tells me it's a boat anchor, dramatically slowing down delivery. The problem is when it guesses -- and it guesses A LOT -- there's no telling what ridiculous BS it will pull out of its learning corpus. You can't rely on it being even predictable.

Submission + - Scientists uncover hidden gut 'sense' that talks to your brain (sciencedaily.com)

alternative_right writes: Your gut may be talking to your brain in ways we never imagined. Scientists have discovered a “neurobiotic sense” — a rapid-response system where colon cells detect microbial proteins and instantly send appetite-suppressing messages to the brain. This breakthrough reveals how our gut microbes might shape not just digestion, but behavior, mood, and even mental health.

Submission + - China's War On Starlink: From Laser Attacks To Supply-Chain Sabotage (eurasiantimes.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Chinese military scientists are relentlessly working on a new project — how to neutralize the Starlink advantage of its adversaries in the case of a war.

And, Beijing is debating everything from stealth submarines fitted with space-shooting lasers, supply-chain sabotage, custom-built attack satellites to kill Starlink satellites, to diplomacy and co-opting Elon Musk, the influential owner of Starlink and recent friend-turned-foe of US President Donald Trump.

In fact, Chinese scientists and researchers have published not one or two but dozens of papers in peer-reviewed journals debating the most efficient way of killing the thousands of Starlink satellites in the Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO).

Worried that these satellites could be used against China, for reconnaissance purposes during peacetime, and for targeting Chinese assets during a war situation, Chinese researchers have been discussing ways to counter this threat.

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