Astronomers have taken an image of an exoplanet only a few times the mass of Jupiter.
Worlds without end: Astronomers have taken an image of an exoplanet only a few times the mass of Jupiter.
Category: Points of Information
Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
Mandatory Suicide
Be sure to watch the video: Americans signing a petition supporting the idea of putting old people to “sleep to keep costs down.”
New York’s “greenest” skyscraper turns out to be its biggest energy hog.
New York’s “greenest” skyscraper turns out to be its biggest energy hog.
Maybe the building’s problem is that it has Al Gore as one of its tenants.
Seriously, the article illustrates well “the law of unintended consequences.” You pass a law or regulation intended to do x, and discover that people instead manipulate the law or regulation to get y instead.
A few questions that a real journalist would ask Obama, if given the chance.
A few questions that a real journalist would ask Obama, if given the chance.
That none of these questions were asked by two New York Times journalists during an extremely long interview with Obama should truly embarrass them. Sadly, they are probably proud that they did not ask them.
Russia has announced that they will resume Proton rocket launches in September.
Russia has announced that they will resume Proton rocket launches in September.
Though they have pinpointed the specific cause of the most recent launch failure, they have not yet announced any remedial actions. Note also the expected number of launches for the rest of the year, 4 to 5, is down from earlier expectations.
Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, an official in that country’s space program has been arrested for taking bribes.
An update on the effort to bring Kepler back to life.
An update on the effort to bring Kepler back to life.
Japan today successfully launched another unmanned cargo freighter to ISS.
Japan today successfully launched its fourth unmanned cargo freighter to ISS.
The rendezvous and berthing is scheduled for August 9. Besides supplies, the HTV-4 carries more equipment for NASA’s robotic refueling demonstration project on ISS.
Armadillo Aerospace closes down.
The competition cools down: Armadillo Aerospace closes down.
It is important to recognize that developing a new private industry is not easy, and that many more companies will fail than succeed. That reality, however, does not prove that freedom and private enterprise are bad ideas, merely that they carry great risks.
“You’ve frustrated this committee. You’ve promised to do things and you’re not.”
“You’ve frustrated this committee. You’ve promised to do things and you’re not.”
Guess who? He was also accused of “slow-rolling” the investigation. Video at the link.
In related news the House investigation has now issued a subpoena for the requested documents.
Two graphs that show the depressing trends of the work force for the past twenty years.
Two graphs that show the depressing trends of the work force for the past twenty years.
Both reveal that, since the crash in 2008-2009, there has been absolutely no uptick, despite the desperate repeated claims of the Obama administration. The American work force, and the economy that work force represents, has shrunk, and shows no signs of recovery.
There is a solution, but no one really wants to risk trying it in our Soviet-style society.
A graveyard of comets.
Even more interesting, some of these comets have risen from the dead!
The White House has agreed to exempt Congressional staff from the high costs of Obamacare.
The law is only for the little people: The White House has agreed to exempt Congressional staff from the high costs of Obamacare.
A very good analysis of this arbitrary decision, which is completely counter to the specific wording of the healthcare law, can be found here.
New evidence strongly suggests that the IRS’s harassment of conservative groups is continuing, despite the on-going Congressional investigations.
New evidence strongly suggests that the IRS’s harassment of conservative groups is continuing, despite the on-going Congressional investigations.
The IRS’ infamous Cincinnati office, which handles applications from groups applying for tax-exempt nonprofit status, badgered pro-life groups for information on their protesting activities as recently as late June 2013, well after IRS investigations began on the floor of the House of Representatives and elsewhere. “We’ve had three more groups come to us that have had problems with the IRS — some very recent, some current or still pending. One of them just got their determination letter,” Peter Breen, senior counsel at the Thomas More Society, which represents pro-life groups targeted by the IRS, told The Daily Caller. “It’s continuing, and it needs to be addressed.”
Of the almost 1 million jobs created in 2013, 77% are part-time.
Thank you Obamacare! Of the almost 1 million jobs created in 2013, 77% are part-time.
Politicians can live in a ivory tower, devising fantasy plans to remake society, but employers who wish their businesses to survive have no choice but to live in the real world. Obamacare makes hiring full time employees too expensive, so to get the help they need the employers of America are converting their staffs to part-timers.
The long term problem with this is that it will be impossible for businesses to really innovate and compete under these conditions. Moreover, the employees themselves will be poorer, either earning less or working more, while actually getting less healthcare insurance coverage.
And for this we can thank Obama and the Democratic Party. Praised be their names!
SpaceX has confirmed that it plans to begin vertical take-off and landing tests of a full scale Falcon 9 first stage.
The competition heats up: SpaceX has confirmed that it plans to begin vertical take-off and landing tests of a full scale Falcon 9 first stage.
The tests would be in New Mexico’s spaceport, and are essentially a scaled up version of the Grasshopper tests the company has been doing in Texas. It appears they are going to do these ground-up tests in conjunction with attempts on each future Falcon 9 launch to land the first stage.
Curiosity’s first year on Mars, in video in two minutes.
Curiosity’s first year on Mars, in video in two minutes.
“You don’t jeopardize yourself, you jeopardize your family as well.”
“You don’t jeopardize yourself, you jeopardize your family as well.”
The threat came from supervisors at the CIA to their employees, should any of them tell anyone in the media about what the CIA was doing during the Benghazi attack last year.
A careful analysis of IRS behavior shows that the tax agency very clearly favored liberal groups while specifically targeting conservatives for harassment.
A careful analysis of IRS behavior shows that the tax agency very clearly favored liberal groups while specifically targeting conservatives for harassment.
Twelve amazing outdoor staircases.
The IRS paints it black.
Go to the link and take a look. A picture is worth a thousand words. And in this case it is several pictures.