I just got back to a Christmas party at the School of Scottish Studies. It was great to see people that I have not seen for a while. Including the Goddess Emma, the Mistress of Mod. This is the only woman on the planet who can make a lime green plastic purse look good. Not only that but she is the sweetest person you could ever meet. I also got a picture of the fireplace in the conference room (also used as a classroom) at the School. My roommate and I left fairly soon after the Emma picture was taken.
In other news, the American missile defense system had a set back today. I have been saying for a long time that the technology is just not there and there is good reason to think that this kind of missile defense is impossible with current technology. Trying to triangulate a moving object in the sky while trying to coordinate not only tracking it but programming a missile to hit it, is impossible. Especially since the variables are constantly changing, which then requires a re-computation and re-programming of the missile. Only if you already know (and they have done tests with a known trajectory and they only achieved 5/8 tests) can you reasonably rely on your measurements from your tracking devices. It is insane to try to continue until you have faster than light communication and computers. We need to be pouring our money into basic research (with an eye on trying to achieve this rather than just trying to do it) so that we can get those before trying to do the impossible.
posted by Chris #6:08 PM | 0 comments |
