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Comment cargo cult (Score 1) 25

Repeating someone's stupid is the dumbest cargo cult imaginable.
Starship is an idiotic system, it doesn't do anything useful for any purpose whatsoever except transferring money from the people's pockets through the government manipulation apparatus into the hands of Musk and his cronies, that's all. The Chinese could really find a better way to waste money, I am sure of it.

Submission + - MIT Grieves Shooting Death of Renowned Director of Plasma Science Center (theguardian.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) community is grieving after the “shocking” shooting death of the director of its plasma science and fusion center, according to officials. Nuno FG Loureiro, 47, had been shot multiple times at his home in the affluent Boston suburb of Brookline on Monday night when police said they received a call to investigate. Emergency responders brought Loureiro to a hospital, and the award-winning scientist was pronounced dead there Tuesday morning, the Norfolk county district attorney’s office said in a statement.

The Boston Globe reported speaking with a neighbor of Loureiro who heard gunshots, found the academic lying on his back in the foyer of their building and then called for help alongside the victim’s wife. The statement from the Norfolk district attorney’s office said an investigation into Loureiro’s slaying remained ongoing later Tuesday. But the agency did not immediately release any details about a possible suspect or motive in the killing, which gained widespread attention across academic circles, the US and in Loureiro’s native Portugal.

Portugal’s minster of foreign affairs announced Loureiro’s death in a public hearing Tuesday, as CNN reported. Separately, MIT president Sally Kornbluth issued a university-wide letter expressing “great sadness” over the death of Loureiro, whose survivors include his wife. “This shocking loss for our community comes in a period of disturbing violence in many other places,” said Kornbluth’s letter, released after a weekend marred by deadly mass shootings at Brown University in Rhode Island – about 50 miles away from MIT – as well as on Australia’s Bondi Beach. The letter concluded by providing a list of mental health resources, saying: “It’s entirely natural to feel the need for comfort and support.”

Submission + - Isaacman confirmed for NASA head (politico.com)

schwit1 writes: The Senate on Wednesday approved Jared Isaacman for the top job at NASA — an unprecedented comeback after President Donald Trump yanked his nomination this spring.

Trump renominated Isaacman for NASA administrator in November, after pulling his original nomination in May. He cited Isaacman’s relationship with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, with whom Trump had just had a falling out, as the rationale for his decision.

Isaacman’s surprise rebound followed months of political jockeying and help from high-profile figures in Trump’s orbit.

Comment Re:good (Score 0, Troll) 24

Probably a good thing, handling CNN to the Ellisons before midterms would have really bad outcomes

It wouldn't do jack shit, because no one watches CNN. Travelers used to be stuck with their network, as CNN used to pay airports to display their network, but that ended in 2021 as mobile devices took away that information monopoly, and CNN lost that ad revenue. CNN has half the viewers of MS Now, and only a quarter the viewers of Fox. CNN is way past their glory days, and essentially has become an Also Ran. And cable news doesn't have nearly the reach that the traditional US Big 3 news networks does. All the major cable news players combined still make up less viewers than the lowest rated Big 3 player, CBS, with 4+ million viewers. Which, btw, pales in comparison to ABC, with 8+ million viewers, and NBC with 6+ million. The idea that the Ellisons would "take over" American media is laughable on its face, even if they got Warner Bros. They'd still be a distant third in broadcast reach behind Disney and Comcast, hysterical wailing to the contrary.

Comment Re:I said it before and I'll say it again (Score 4, Insightful) 55

The worst case scenarios are going to happen. Or worse.

OK. When? Because I've been hearing worst case scenarios all my adult life, and most of them are now past their predicted dates. Beginning with Paul Erlich's infamous predictions of mass-starvation in the 60's and 70's, nearly every year the press is filled with credentialed experts that tell us the end is nigh and that the point of no return is almost here. If you want to know why most of the public is so Meh about these doomsday predictions, it's because we've been inundated with the Boy Crying Wolf all of our lives. Would you like a timeline of all the point of no return predictions over the years? It's readily available.

Comment Re:Start paying people normal salaries (Score 3, Interesting) 189

We all know tipping in the US is mandatory in all but law, it's culturally obligatory which bears little difference to a legal mandate.

Uh, no, it isn't. Post COVID, some companies are trying to guilt trip customers into tipping all employees in every job... I'm looking at you, fancy-pantsy coffee shops like Starbucks, Dutch Brothers, 7-Brew, etc.... but the vast majority of employees do not ask for nor receive tips as part of their jobs in America. And in jobs where I'd like to tip them for extra service.... grocery pickup, for instance... they're generally not allowed to ask for or receive tips.

Tipping is fine for waitressing, because if the service is good they can make considerably more money. But the post-COVID attempt by some companies to normalize tipping in their industries never took off in the US. Americans resented the push and saw it for what it was.

Comment Re:Start paying people normal salaries (Score 1) 189

Haven't you figured out that the delivery companies promote tipping to avoid paying the driver, part-time/independent//whatever, full value?

And haven't you also figured out that the drivers believe they are entitled, and above reproach, for demanding a tip sufficient to satisfy their demands...?

And haven't you seen a few examples of drivers who, having not received their deserved tip, destroy or keep the delivery. Amazing to me they think this is tolerable.

Comment Re:Start paying people normal salaries (Score 1) 189

And you have to go 30%.

The employer may, if they are ethical, forward the 20% portion to the employee. 20% was the tipping standard before tipping culture in America became fascist.

Then the employer will keep the 10% portion, if for no other reason, out of spite.

I've been seeing the 30% standard being injected into otherwise reasonable messaging. Nope. I do not tip for ordering and receiving while standing. if clerking demands a tip, am I tipping my clerk at the Skechers* store? No I am not.

* - This is a blatant offer to you to engage in ageism and identify me as a Boomer, 'old', or whatever else you intend as a pejorative. You're welcome, rsilvergun.

Comment Re:feedstock (Score 1) 105

Actually, your indictment is properly aimed at 'one of our auditors' who hired this CIO (I refuse to assume their chosen gender) 'as their CEO'.

You've described this former CIO as a failure, and ignored that the auditors your employer trusted must not be a good judge of performance or character, or both.

ps - They were your employer, and owed you no more than compensation for services rendered and fair treatment. The 'much bigger entity' unfortunately would not have had the same priorities or organizational goals, and that may have left you out. I know the feeling. I hope you found a suitable alternative, but that's not a given either, I know.

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