This is interesting. I didn’t know it existed. I’m glad at least some of the federal money going toward health research is taking a more high-risk high-payoff approach.
Category Archives: Business
NASA’s “Socialist Approach”
Lori Garver said last week that it’s time for the agency to shed it.
To be fair, it’s not all their fault. There are too few opportunities for graft on the Hill if it were take take a more competitive approach. Too hard to predict which zip codes the money will go to.
XCOR
Jeff Greason and Dan DeLong are out (though Jeff remains on the board). I’d been hearing rumors about this for a few weeks.
My question is: What does this mean for orbital plans? Does XCOR retain the IP for them, or can Jeff pursue independently? Does he have a non-compete?
Cryotherapy
When I first saw this headline, I thought they were talking about cryonics.
As Glenn notes, it’s not obvious that these new regulations would have prevented this (which is often the case).
Treating Brain Cancer
After quitting my job, I decided to study for a Master’s degree in Nutritional Therapy. As I got deeper into my course work,I was shocked to discover that everything I had learned during my undergraduate studies was either false, misleading, or outdated information.
It’s an anecdote, but a pretty powerful one. The ignorance about nutrition in the health-care field is probably killing thousands.
Space Elevators
A new documentary is coming out. Should be interesting, whatever you think about the feasibility.
The Future Of Turbochargers
This is interesting. I can see a lot of benefits to rocket-engine design from these kinds of improvements as well, particularly for staged combustion. I wonder if Blue Origin is aware of this kind of thing? Also, it doesn’t say anything about improved performance and reduced cost and parts count from 3-D printing, but I think that will be significant as well.
The Collapse Of ObamaCare
The money-losing insurance companies pulling out of the market next year could be a huge election gift to Republicans. Not just for Congressional races, if the message is “we’re going to repeal it, and a Republican in the White House will sign that bill.”
[Update a while later]
ObamaCare insurers are suffering. That won’t end well.
"Death spiral" is such a harsh phrase. We prefer "gentle glide path to single payer." https://t.co/lzrCKGOzT4
— HealthCaliphate (@HealthDotGov) November 19, 2015
The Future Of Space
There was an interesting discussion this afternoon at Council of Foreign Affairs with Lori Garver, John Logsdon, and Charles Miller. The Youtube is now available. Note that they touch on many of the themes in my upcoming paper, on how we have to stop trying to do Apollo again, that SLS is a jobs program, that propellant transfer is a game changer, the need for a competitive private sector, etc. Lori was quite harshly critical of NASA (and Congress).
The New Commercial Space Bill
Stephen Smith has an analysis. While it’s nice that they slightly mitigated the idiotic language about using SLS/Orion for ISS missions in 2010, the most significant aspect of the bill, to me, is the extension of the learning period. I don’t think the language about mining is all that significant, legally. It simply makes explicit what’s always been customary law since the moon samples.