Grumman won the contract to build the forward-swept-wing X-29. But Grumman was not the only company to go for the contract; Rockwell devoted a fair amount of effort – both engineering and PR – to win the prize. Their concept was similar, though intended to be a wholly new aircraft, and with a notably different…
Why everyone’s phone will alarm at 2:20 pm ET on Wednesday “Everyone” in the US, at any rate, will supposedly receive a text message stating “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” Additionally, some sort of weird alert noise. OK, fine. Here’s the weird bit: The test…
Is it proper to shoot a stranger who follows you around at close distance, behaves menacingly and has his buddies film you? This jury said “yes.” My main question: “Why did this even go to trial?” Jury acquits man of main charge in Virginia mall shooting of YouTube prankster This is a good precedent. Pranksters…
These rumors sound good. Too good, in fact… Rumor: Christopher Nolan Directing Next James Bond? Not just that Nolan will direct the next two or three Bond movies, but that they will be based on the original Ian Flemming novels, set in the original time periods, and will be faithful to the source material.…
Astute blog readers will have noticed a slight dip in blogging activity of late. Why is this? 1: Some personal/family/veterinary issues. 2: Twitter, now that it’s no longer controlled by whackaloons, has become a more useful platform, and has taken a lot of the load. 3: I now have cyanotype blueprints regularly, commercially available. Check…
Pennsylvania State Police trooper charged with strangulation, official oppression According to a criminal complaint, Davis obtained an involuntary commitment under the Mental Health Procedure Act for a woman with whom he had a relationship. There. Right there. That’s enough to go “Hold up, wait a minute, something ain’t right.” But even better, he found her…
Do you want your very own genuine space suit from “2001: A Space Odyssey?” Sure, we all do. Got at least eighty grand to start bidding on it? Sure, we all don’t. But at least you can look at the pictures and dream. Astronaut Space Suit (6) Piece Ensemble from 2001: A Space Odyssey (MGM,…
Still needs to go to the USSC, but it’s another step in the right direction: US judge strikes down California ban on high-capacity gun magazines California’s ban on standard capacity magazines was struck down not on some technicality, but because it’s blazingly unconstitutional. Ruling here: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6082773/149/duncan-v-becerra/ Woe to the victim who runs out of…
Well before the BBC fell into ruin and self-parody, it had a moment of undeniable awesomeness. Nicolas Winton was a British banker who rescued nearly 700 mostly Jewish children from the Nazis just before the outbreak of WWII, getting them to new lives in Britain. Afterwards, he did little to nothing to glorify himself or…
