Project Orion

Imagine a ship full of nuclear bombs. The ship has a blast shield at its back end. The ship poops out a series of bombs, each of which explode and push the craft forward.

This was a seriously funded research project. They launched functional (non-nuclear) prototypes and penciled out a Mars mission using this technology. The project was thankfully cancelled due to the signing of the 1963 partial nuclear test ban treaty. Because maybe detonating a bunch of nukes in the atmosphere isn’t such a good idea, when most of us still need that atmosphere after the rocket is gone.

Your trip looks awesome, too! The Catskills are great. I hope you get a lot more ski trips there, and up in the Adirondacks!

At my son’s scout camping trip in 2025, sleeping in snow shelters we built. I put a plastic sled over the entrance to keep in a little heat while I slept. The nighttime low was around 7F (-13C).

Last winter we didn’t have enough snow to build shelters. I have high hopes for this coming January!

I haven’t had a chance to ride there yet. It’s on my list, though.

I was thinking of Anthony Lakes area, Umatilla Rim, and even the Echo West Vineyard. I don’t think Echo would be on anyone’s top 10 list of places to ride in Oregon, but when I’m there and it’s just me and the prairie grass swaying in the wind it’s really beautiful and peaceful.

Umatilla Rim is a sad story right now. Last December’s wind storms brought down a ton of trees. The forest service got about half the trail cleared and rideable, then the summer wildfires hit and now parts of the trail are burning.

1/3 of the country thinks he’s the best thing to ever happen to America. They eat this stuff up.

1/3 of the country thinks he’s somewhere between a national embarrassment and an existential threat to our constitutional democracy.

1/3 of the country is apathetic about politics and cannot be bothered to give a shit over way or the other.

Demonstration, or an art installation? It’s definitely meant to be seen and appreciated.

Kingdom Trails in northern Vermont is probably the top of my list. It has lots of variety, beautiful landscapes everywhere you look, and that wonderful rural New England vibe.

The eastern half of Oregon also has some spots that I absolutely adore, and which are often overlooked. My riding buddy and I regularly have the trails to ourselves. They aren’t as big and grand and well-maintained as trails in the Cascades, but the sagebrush steppe and the smaller, less populated mountains out there have their own charm.

“No need to clear the room if we carpet-bomb it and the rest of the city out of existence.”

– Curtis LeMay, probably

Shh, don’t give 'em any ideas.

Careful what you wish for. Neil Young and Van Morrison are 80, too.

Yes, it’s AI. A bit over 3 years ago we accepted community submissions and had a public vote. The submissions were all AI-generated.

We can certainly open up a search for new banner artwork. I propose we start with a discussion post in the Agora to collect submissions for a week or two, and then hold a vote, same as last time. I can make the discussion post later today.

Old banner discussion: https://sh.itjust.works/post/1022097

Old banner vote: https://sh.itjust.works/post/1432783
(Unfortunately, some of the image links are broken.)

Just the cost of doing business.

Edit: The settlement will be paid out over 10 years. If Meta pays a steady $1.8B every year that’s <1% of annual revenue. Damnit!

Dolly belongs on the $100.

And while we’re at it, put Harriet Tubman on the $20. And maybe John Brown on the $10.

Cycling: Get a bicycle and start exploring your area. It doesn’t need to be a nice bike; check garage sales and Craigslist and get whatever fits comfortably. Wander off your usual routes and you will encounter new corners of your town that you never knew existed.

Music: Pick up a used acoustic guitar, electric keyboard, banjo, or whatever you can find. The world is full of inexpensive books and free YouTube videos to teach new students.

Drawing: Make doodles, little comics, or sketches of whatever is around you. A pencil and paper are all you need. Look up YouTube videos for daily sketching practice exercises.

Amateur radio: An entry-level license involves a basic quiz and a nominal fee. Cheap radios can be had for less than US$100. If you meet an old timer with a garage full of gear they might hand you a pile of old equipment for free.

Of course, any of these can become expensive and time-consuming hobbies if you go down the rabbit hole. But that just means you have found something you love.

The risk of harm to my kids.

Most common fear by far.

Studies have shown that a life imprisonment costs less overall than seeking the death penalty (in the US at least). So in addition to the ethical issues of execution, and the clear risk of convicting and executing the wrong person, we have a financial incentive to abolish execution. Getting rid of capitol punishment is a win-win-win proposition.

I mean, it saved them from famine at the time. But today I’m thinking it’s about time to change direction and return to the old homeland.

My Norwegian great-great-great-grandparents saw this and said, “Let’s move to North Dakota and live in a sod hut.”

Should we all start smoking cigarettes again? asked the author Xochitl Gonzalez, in a viral essay published by the Cut.

“With each passing day of this absolutely deranged year, my desire to contemplate how to make sense of it all while puffing on a cigarette grows,” wrote Gonzalez, later admitting “I’m no longer certain that the future I’ve been preserving myself for is all that promising.”

Well put.