Category Archives: Technology and Society

Business, Space, Technology and Society, War Commentary

Quite the “Static” Test

31 Comments

I’m guessing this will delay their orbital test…

[Update a while later]

If this was the static test, the orbital one will be very exciting.

[Monday-afternoon update]

Brian Wang has more info.

[Bumped]

[Wednesday-morning update]

Jonathan O’Callaghan has the story, with a quote from Your’s Truly.

[Bumped]

Business, Technology and Society, Weird

Weird LinkedIn Contacts

7 Comments

Twice now I’ve gotten messages from someone who says their boss would like to hire me for my space expertise, but when I say, “Great, email me,” the response is, “Oh, she only communicates via WhatApp and Telegram.” To which my response is that I don’t use WhatsApp for security reasons, and to use Signal, but beyond that, I don’t do business with people who won’t use email. Anyone have any ideas what kind of (likely) scam this?

[Update a couple minutes later]

The most recent exchange:

Me: I can’t do business with someone who only communicates in that manner. In particular. WhatsApp is a security risk. Email me, or do business with someone else.

Unknown person: My boss is very busy and needs to deal with a lot of work emails. You can use Telegram to contact my boss.

Me: I’m a work email. I don’t use either Telegram or WhatsApp. I’m busy, too. What kind of scam is this?

[Update a while later]

Final response: “My boss is also very busy. If you can’t meet my boss’s requirements, stop communicating with me and don’t waste my time. My time is also very precious.”

It’s suggested in comments that they’re after my phone number. That may be it.

Business, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Space, Technology and Society

Boeing’s Latest Starliner Woes

58 Comments

CNN is generally a terrible news source, at least on politics, but Jackie Wattles is an excellent space reporter.

[Update a few minutes later]

Not space related, but an example of how scurrilous (and hypocritical) CNN can be in general, despite their good reporters.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Is this vehicle cursed?

[Friday-morning update]

The latest, from Jim Meigs.

[Bumped]

[Saturday-afternoon update]

The return is now delayed indefinitely.

[Bumped]

Business, Education, Health, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary, Technology and Society

The Stanford Internet Observatory

Good riddance.

A recent House Judiciary Committee report alleges that, by cooperating with the Department of Homeland Security, the SIO’s Election Integrity Partnership “provided a way for the federal government to launder its censorship activities in hopes of bypassing both the First Amendment and public scrutiny.”

Of course it did.