murps2000

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Everything posted by murps2000

  1. murps2000
    I saw this when it aired on Sunday. I usually try to catch that show. Interesting indeed. It made me realize how ignorant I am in following the make up of the JCS through different administrations. I don’t feel I should weigh in with an opinion though, having never served myself.
  2. murps2000
    I definitely agree. But you got me thinking, what exactly is a small business? According to the SBA they are much larger than the numbers you give as an example. Some are defined by revenue alone, some by number of employees. It’s interesting to see the breakdown. https://www.fundera.com/blog/sba-definition-of-small-business#what
  3. murps2000
    I’m still not sure if you’re in favor or not but I agree with both of those points, although not as a libertarian. I think consensus might not be achievable in the near future. You mentioned several reasons why eliminating the filibuster might result in government moving without said consensus. I think those are valid and realistic points. Mitch McConnell himself has already talked of a scorched earth policy if the filibuster is eliminated. It should be well understood by now what the right will do with any branch of government they gain control of. For that reason I would like the filibuster to be retained. But I also agree that government should not move too quickly. Reinstatement of the talking filibuster would help achieve that.
  4. murps2000
    I’m curious because I can’t figure it out from your posts. Are you for or against ending the filibuster? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.
  5. murps2000
    Had to vote boobies because, well, it’s the USA. I can’t vote yes or no. I think it is good as originally intended but bad as currently practiced, so I can’t go all in one way or the other. I’m for reinstatement of the talking filibuster. I don’t think it was intended to simply be a veto by the minority. Even the name makes it sound as though it was intended to be a difficult but possibly necessary process.
  6. murps2000
    https://www.noaa.gov/news/earth-just-had-its-2nd-hottest-february-on-record This is how the weather was a little over a year ago. Now we have three data points.
  7. murps2000
    Yet global temperatures really weren’t the same as before last February. Why is that not noteworthy? Yes, there is more that affects global climate than CO2 levels but I don’t know that that has ever been in dispute. You are right that not all dire predictions have come to pass yet. Some have though.
  8. murps2000
    So is February the only month of the year that matters? Why didn’t you post noaa data from last February, which was the 2nd hottest on record? That still would have backed up your argument that global temperatures are not rising. Kind of.
  9. murps2000
    Science doesn’t ask why. Only how.
  10. murps2000
    Gravity
  11. murps2000
    Science doesn't ask why, only how. I don't believe anything. I judge explanations, as best I can, on their merit. With regard to Venus capture, I asked you, by what mechanism did it arrive in it's current position? You have only a hypothesis, and just based on the very limited knowledge I have about orbital mechanics, I can already tell it's a long shot. It might actually be easier to prove Earth capture. I do feel some thanks are in order. This has been by far the most entertaining thread I have seen since I started blabbing in SC. So thank you for that.
  12. murps2000
    Not just picking up a stray planet and adopting it, but settling it into a nice orbit, nearly right in plane with all of the others already here. And circularizing that orbit somehow, so that it has the least eccentricity of any other planet.
  13. murps2000
    So much for Occam’s razor I guess
  14. murps2000
    You believe Venus didn’t originate in the solar system? By what mechanism did it arrive in its present position?
  15. murps2000
    What’s the story with Mercury? What is the source of its heat?
  16. murps2000
    Can anyone in this crazy thread explain to me why Venus is twice as far from the sun as Mercury but it’s surface temperature is around 40% hotter? Another weird thing, Mercury’s surface temperature is only that hot on the hemisphere facing the sun. For some reason, Venus’ surface temperature seems to be relatively uniform all around. It’s gotta be the retrograde rotation, right?
  17. murps2000
    I’ve seen a couple of threads on this in the Prius chat forum, and apparently it works really well. I am surprised at how much power you can get out of even an old gen 2 Prius. Some were getting close to a weeks worth of power out of only a few gallons of fuel. Obviously they weren’t powering their entire home, but they kept the essentials going. Not exactly renewable though.
  18. murps2000
    This is funny and almost surreal. I don’t know why you’d believe me any more than you’d believe hutch, but I first met him in ‘98 and that story is pretty much how I remember it. Icarus FX was just getting to the masses, and I distinctly recall him babbling around the dz at that time about some crazy badass canopy he got to demo somewhere. I didn’t go to Quincy that year so I don’t know if that’s where it was. I was only like 1-200 jump wonder at the time. He regaled me with tales of insane wing loading and crazy fast swoops being achieved by the top canopy pilots of the day. I only met Jazz a few times but he was real.
  19. murps2000
    It was a bargain even at NASA’s price. But for some that’s not good enough. NASA regularly pulls off amazing stuff, and yet they seem be the government entity most commonly cited as a waste of money. They are the one government run organization that not only does what it sets out to do, they often knock the ball out of the park. Then they have to beg for more operational funding because their spacecraft last so much longer than they were designed to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big spacex fan too, They have pulled off some impressive feats of engineering, and yes, at reduced cost. They are a for profit corporation and that’s what they should be doing. But even if they are not as efficient, NASA does scientific exploration of space better than anyone else.
  20. murps2000
    You’re right I should probably do that, This electric car is way further out than the moon. Amazing modern age we live in. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.space.com/amp/spacex-starman-tesla-mars-flyby
  21. murps2000
    That is unfortunate. I hadn’t realized things have gotten that bad. Good thing for us Dragon is working out so far. I didn’t intend to hijack another thread so to be more in line with the subject at hand, I think it’s a shame that electric cars are still such a potential fire hazard. You’d think in the almost 50 years since NASA sent three foldable, awd electric cars to the moon we would have perfected EV technology to the point that we’d be beyond that kind of thing.
  22. murps2000
    That’s very cool. Thanks for your contribution. I have a hiking buddy who tests the parachutes at Ames. I’m sure he’s pretty happy today. Sorry to gush so much but as you can probably tell I’m a bit of a NASA fanboy. IMO this is the type of thing that actually does make America great.
  23. murps2000
    I’m sure you’re correct about what they used for in flight maneuvering of the spacecraft. Interesting to me that telemetry showed 399kg of fuel still on board at entry. I’m assuming the bulk of that was used for the sky crane during landing. Another badass Mars rover, successfully delivered by JPL, and this time with an RC helicopter along for the ride. Eat it Musk.
  24. murps2000
    I know you aren’t asking me but perseverance runs on plutonium, manufactured here in the good ol’ USA. Just watched EDL on live stream a short while ago.
  25. murps2000
    Wow. You actually trolled brenthutch and billvon with the same post. My hat is off to you sir. Good catch.