Department of Cost Cutting?

Trump has talked about utilizing Elon Musk as a government efficiency expert.  Musk himself has posted about a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which neatly aligns with a cryptocurrency that is associated with him.  Clever.  The new idea from Trump was a Secretary of Cost Cutting.  Much as I want government spending trimmed, a new department is not the way to do it.  The department might work worders for an administration or two, but it would soon suffer the fate of all government agencies: a desire to grow.  Soon, the trick of cost cutting would match the current definition.

Today, government cuts are made to the rate of growth.  So, if the Department of Superfluous Spending had a budget of $20 million this year and was projected to get a 10% increase, the Department of Cost Cutting could announce a $1 million cut so that the budget for next year is only $21 million.  Yes, all those budget cuts through the years have been of this sort.  The DOGE would adopt this strategy within a decade and become a useless waste of taxpayer money, like most government agencies.

Even if Elon does a miraculous job, it will only be a brief pause in the ever-expanding government.  Congressional action is required to shrink government.  Departments must be eliminated, not merely partially defunded.  Funds will just pour back in down the line.  Follow Argentina's Milei and slash government agencies.

The Next Assassin

A heavily-armed man (shotgun & handgun) with fake press credentials attempted to enter a Trump rally.  In his vehicle, they found fake passports and driver's licenses.  Whether he intended to assassinate Trump is not clear; the Riverside County Sheriff is certain that an assassination attempt was foiled while federal agencies currently disagree.  Was he just a guy who forgot to leave his guns at home when going to a presidential rally?  Gee, that seems unlikely.  What's with all the passports and the phony press pass and VIP pass?  Based on what I've heard so far, I'd lean toward the sheriff's view.

What is causing all these crackpot assassins?  Usually, assassins are young men, but this one is in his late 40s and the last one was in his 50s.  The crackpot who shot at a bunch of Republicans on a baseball field several years ago was also an older man.  This is unusual.  There is something about our modern society that breeds crazies.  There were no school shootings when I was a kid.  It started in the late 90s and continues today.  What changed?

Catching a Booster!

Starship launched from Boca Chica for the fifth time today.  Seven minutes after leaving the pad, the booster returned.  It lined itself up and hovered in front of Mechazilla (as the tower is affectionately known) and caught.  As Elon Musk has said, the best part is no part.  By this method, the starship booster does not need landing gear, saving an immense amount of weight.

While the booster landed back at the launch pad, starship demonstrated that the heat shield still needs some tweaking, but it was able to make a pinpoint landing in the Indian Ocean nonetheless.

Here are some links to checkout:

1. Scott Manley
2. Everyday Astronaut
3. The Angry Astronaut

Scott Manley provides a summary of the day while the others were live broadcasting the launch.  Great stuff from all of them.

Project Hail Mary

The patient awoke to find himself strapped in a bed, barely able to speak or move.  A robotic doctor tended to him and administered cognitive tests.  He had been in a coma and was now suffering from amnesia.  Not good.  Worse, his two bunkmates were dead and in an advanced state of decay; he was in a coma for a long time.  As he explored his surroundings, he discovered that he was on a spaceship!  It turns out he knows a lot about space.  Using onboard instruments, he thought the sun looked a bit strange.  That's not the sun, it's a different star!  Holy moly, he was in another solar system!

Scientists discovered that something was eating the sun.  A single-celled organism has infected the sun and, if not stopped, would dim the sun by 10%; that would bring on an ice age and wipe out much of humanity.  After much investigation, scientists discovered that the organism had already infected neighboring star systems.  However, Tau Ceti was unaffected.  Why?  Project Hail Mary was launched to find out what made the Tau Ceti system immune to the sun-eating microbe.

The story takes place in the near future.  The narrative switches back and forth between the present in Tau Ceti and the past with the discovery of the sun dimming.  Dr. Ryland Grace had written a speculative paper on non-water-based life, which made him an ideal candidate to examine a newly discovered lifeform that somehow lived on the sun, not known to be water-friendly.  Soon, he became an important figure in the effort to reverse the sun's dimming, which must explain why he was in the Tau Ceti system.

Like in his other book, The Martian, science plays a major role.  Though some of the technology is more advanced than today, physics works correctly.  That first contact proves to be with a microbe is funny and also probably more likely than meeting Spock.  It is an entertaining read though the hero is diminished as the story progresses.  Why is a PhD teaching middle school science?  Why does he cry so much?  The more his amnesia faded, the less I liked him.  Kind of sad.  Nonetheless, recommended for any sci-fi fan.

Presidential Centenarian

Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, achieved the age of 100 today.  When you consider that all his siblings and his father died of pancreatic cancer, this is nothing short of a miracle.  His father died at 58, his sisters at 63 and 54, and his brother at 51.  Did the deadly gene that cursed his father and siblings miss him or has he lived his life in such a way to dodge pancreatic cancer?  I wonder if any medical researchers have thought to look into this?  Maybe Carter stumbled on a cure or preventative measure.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Dante's Inferno (2011)

Dante, a Crusader, is returning home to his beloved Beatrice.  He is followed by a mysterious figure that always vanished whenever he sought to confront him.  Upon arriving at his home, he discovered that all the servants and his father were dead.  When he went looking for Beatrice, he found her mortally wounded.  She could not describe her attacker.  When she died, Dante saw her soul leave her body and ascend toward a light in the sky.  However, a dark figured appeared and seized her soul.  He proclaimed himself as Lucifer and declared that he would take her to Hell!

Dante pursued the devil, fighting dark minions along the way but he was halted at a massive doorway.  Here, Virgil - famed Roman poet - arrived to offer guidance.  With Virgil's help, Dante entered Hell and began his descent to rescue the soul of his beloved.  On the way, he had to face his own sins.  He was not nearly as saintly as he first professed.  As he crossed from one circle of Hell to the next, the animation style changed.  Here, he was a lithe warrior and in the next circle he was built like a brick.  Interesting but kind of distracting.

This is the movie version of a video game that debuted around the same time.  I had never heard of the game, but it looks entertaining.  Full of blood, gore, and nudity; not for kids.  Good popcorn fun!

Turnabout is Fair Play

If it is okay to compare Trump to Hitler, then it is okay to call Kamala Harris mentally disabled.  The gloves have been off for decades when it comes to Democrat attacks on Republicans (I can't remember a Republican presidential candidate who wasn't compared to Hitler), but when Trump replies in kind, everyone freaks out.  The milquetoast Republicans like Lindsey Graham are joining with Democrats to complain about the rhetoric.  This notion that Trump's name-calling is tearing the country apart, but Democrats calling opponents fascists and racists is acceptable is ludicrous.  Let the voters decide whether the rhetoric is appropriate or not.

As for claims that Kamala Harris is mentally disabled, have you listened to her responses to questions?