Starhopper

Elon Musk's original, ultimate goal for SpaceX was to enable humans to land on other planets. Those trips will be made with the rocket they're working on, called "Starship." It's been in design mode for years,  while rockets Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy set satellites in space and did cargo flights to the International Space Station.

SpaceX built a prototype called "Starhopper" for the purpose of testing facets of Starship's development. Starhoppper successfully flew its fourth and final test just this week.

Elon congratulated the SpaceX staff, and tweeted:

"One day Starship will land on the rusty sands of Mars."

Musk vs Ma

Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba and the richest man in China, debated Elon Musk. Each of them is an experienced, successful business builder, but their opinions are their own.

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They don't agree on artificial intelligence (AI):

"Elon Musk: Computers are much smarter than humans on so many dimensions."

"Jack Ma: Computers may be clever, but human beings are much smarter. We invented the computer—I've never seen a computer invent a human being."

They do agree on declining global birth rates:

“Most people believe that we have too many people on the planet. This is an outdated view,” Musk told the World AI Conference in Shanghai, as Ma nodded. “Assuming there’s a benevolent AI, the biggest problem the world will face in 20 years, is a population collapse. Not explosion. Collapse.”

If you have followed this blog (See "Less People" series) for a while, you've known for years that birth rates are falling  all over the world.

From Financial Post

Inaccurate NYT

People are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. 

Factual data and justified conclusions should be the norm for news reporting. The New York Times claims that they go after this norm, but an op-ed video in July casts doubt on their standard for truthfulness.

A big point was apparently to reveal that America's poor are similar (by percent of the population and living conditions) to the poor of, say, Mexico. But World Bank data reports that 35% of Mexico's people live on less than $5.50/day while only 2% of Americans do.

Also, their data on the material resources of Americans doesn't count welfare programs, rent assistance, food stamps, free health care, etc. - all of which greatly benefit the poor, and should have been considered.

 "The poorest 20% of Americans are richer on average than [even] most nations of Europe," when it comes to their material well-being. Why would someone misrepresent this? Their claims are implausible.

From JustFacts: "The Poorest 20% of Americans Are Richer on Average Than Most Nations of Europe"

Ankur Gopal 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Ankur Gopal's business in Kentucky is Interapt. 

He started it "in his apartment with a vision to create a world class IT company that transforms clients and empowers humans through technology. 

"In Interapt’s early stages of growth, the company struggled to find local tech talent to the point that it was turning away work. To solve this challenge, Interapt turned to a unique solution — creating our own talent."



So they do tuition-free software training: 

"[W]e provide traditionally overlooked individuals the opportunity to develop foundational coding and programming skills, offering them a chance for a new career path. Technology is the future, and we are changing lives one line of code at a time."

Thousands of tech jobs will be needed in Louisville KY, so Mr. Gopal is reaching out to new groups, such as military vets coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ankur Gopal 1

Ankur Gopal was brought up in Kentucky by parents who immigrated from India. He was doomed to be his grandmother's tech support (watch the video).



After college and some time in Silicon Valley, Ankur returned to Kentucky . . where he had a revelation about its people and their abilities. They had value and intelligence that would respond to opportunity.

Rural Kentuckians may be thought of as tooth-free, grinning, moonshine-drinking hillbillies. But from a different point of view, "A hillbilly can do anything. Out in the hollows, you can’t call in specialists; you fix that stalled truck, that leaky roof, that broken radio yourself."

He started a business which now trains them to develop apps. 

“Why outsource coding jobs to Bangalore when we can insource jobs to eastern Kentucky, poor in jobs but rich in work ethic?"

(cont'd tomorrow)

Collapsing 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Jorge says, "Venezuela is a dictatorship that brutally represses its people. Maduro’s dictatorship controls the entire state apparatus as well as almost all media outlets. Under this system, Venezuelans lack fundamental political freedoms such as free elections, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly."

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"I believe in the deep transformation of my country. I believe in a country of freedom, with opportunities to fulfill our dreams."

Fair distribution of resources "is only possible through markets, private property, and public policies that empower people . . ."

Major League Baseball (MLB) players in the U.S. who originally came from Venezuela also have something to say:

“We want liberty for our country,” said Pittsburgh pitcher Felipe Rivero.

Collapsing 1

It's tough to live in today's Venezuela. The Atlantic summarized it four years ago: 

"Venezuela is now the world champion of inflation, homicide, insecurity, and shortages of essential goods--from milk for children to insulin for diabetics and all kinds of indispensable products. All this despite having the greatest oil reserves in the world and a government with absolute control of all state institutions and levers of power."

Jorge Jraissati was just two years old when his country started on this path of collapse in 1999.  He says, "Throughout my twenty-two years of life, I have seen the intense pain that Maduro’s repressive institutions have inflicted on my family, friends, and community."

He offers not only his professional observations as an economist . . but also his personal observation of the "depth of human suffering" that socialism has caused there. 

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For stories of Venezuela's worsening situation, go here.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Marine jump

This marine got an elevated view of Kaneohe, Hawaii, two months ago while jumping out of a perfectly good airplane:

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(Just wondering . .  is it standard operating procedure to salute on the way down?)

Stem story

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Desiree had pain all over her body due to sickle cell disease. She received adult stem cells from a donor with compatible bone marrow, and she was cured. She's now able to turn her attention to a future in nursing.

His stem cells

At the age of 65, Dave Kurtz developed scleroderma (an autoimmune disease). With transplants, he was told he could live five years more. That wasn't good enough for him so he investigated what else he could do.

What he found was a doctor in Chicago who would do an adult stem cell transplant for him in 2017. It was successful . . and the adult stem cells used were his very own cells.

This strong, athletic man was in seven ironman competitions.

He says that he is "in the process of figuring out what I want to do with my life going forward . . . Right now the [goal] that is keeping me busy is learning more about sailing, buying a bluewater sailboat, and sailing it across the Atlantic. I’ll work on others in the future, now that I have a future!”

HSR & Hyperloop

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

An editorial (2018) at Investor's Business Daily says, "Hyperloop Is Running Circles Around California's 'High Speed' Rail Boondoggle." 

The CA train project is years late and billions of dollars over budget. But the state government continues to throw huge amounts of taxpayers' money into it. (The question begs to be asked: why?)

Meanwhile, progress on the hyperloop idea has moved at breakneck speed. New and innovative though it is, the idea has already generated at least two companies (VHO and HTT) which are developing the technology and moving ahead with multiple projects. Get some background here.

When it comes to business, central-planning-by-government is not best. California's HSR linking San Francisco and Los Angeles looks like a waste of resources.

"In contrast, private investors risking their own money aren't going to build hyperloop systems that are endlessly over budget and that won't attract significant ridership. And when they do see an opportunity, they won't take two decades to build it. 

"If you want an example of the benefits of private investment vs. central planning, hyperloop is a powerful one."

Hyperloop & HSR

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Hyperloop transportation may become a reality. It may be cheaper and faster than other ways to link distant cities. But doubters are not convinced, and seemingly the state of California doesn't care whether it's better or not.

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California is building a high speed rail (HSR) project between Los Angeles and San Francisco for about $70 billion. Elon Musk thinks HSR is a poor choice: too expensive and too slow. So in 2013 he proposed the breakthrough idea of hyperloop, estimated at $7 billion, for this route.

Last year, an author at Investor's Business Daily agreed with Elon: 

"In the five years since Musk issued his hyperloop document, California has made precious little progress on its bullet train. The state's latest report pushed the completion date back four years — to 2033 — and hiked the cost by another 20%." 

Yikes, 2033?

"Hyperloop One [VHO] estimates it would take just 43 minutes to go from Los Angeles to San Francisco on a hyperloop. That compares with nearly three hours on California's high speed rail."

(cont'd tomorrow)

VHO Missouri 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Would hyperloop along I-70 be a good thing for citizens of Missouri? Is it likely to be successful and practical? The feasibility study says, Yes.

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Key findings of the study:

• Accident reduction along that corridor, with a net savings of up to $91 M
• Travel time reduction: Kansas City to St. Louis is 3.5 hours by car now, compared to 28 minutes by hyperloop
• Cost reduction: less than the cost of gas for that trip by car
• Compared to high speed rail, the cost would be 40% lower and speed 2-3x faster

(cont'd tomorrow)

VHO Missouri 1

Ground transport by hyperloop is not operating anywhere yet, but studies and conferences abound to lay the foundations for this revolutionary new mode of transportation. 

A feasibility study for Missouri in partnership with Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO) was published ten months ago. Could the project be successful? They were optimistic.

)

(cont'd tomorrow)

Jamisha prays

Jamisha took a photo of her children on their first day of school. The kids are holding hands and praying. This mom is building a legacy of faith and prayer into them.

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She posted this prayer for them:

"Dear God

This morning I’m feeling nervous and a little unsure but thankful, I pray for my children on their first day of school. God, I give them to You. And I ask that this school year you would use every person and every experience and every lesson to shape them into Your image, to grow in them, the fruit of Your Spirit. 

from this article

Darwin failed 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

David Gelernter says that Darwinism is central to the modern worldview, that accepting it as settled truth is "an essential first step towards being taken seriously in any part of modern intellectual life." He speaks of what he knows, as a professor at one of America's most prestigious universities.

Now he has publicly revealed that he believes Darwin was wrong about the origin of species. In the Yale environment, he is attacking the religion of his friends and associates.

Though he likes his colleagues, when he looks at "their intellectual behavior, what they have published [and] what they tell their students — Darwinism has indeed passed beyond a scientific argument as far as they are concerned. 

"You take your life in your hands to challenge it intellectually. They will destroy you if you challenge it.”

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Darwin failed 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

David Gelernter starts out his piece, "Giving Up Darwin," by saying "Darwinian evolution is a brilliant and beautiful scientific theory." He wants to give Charles Darwin full credit for his "astounding" idea as described in The Origin of Species, published 1859. 

There's no doubt that species adapt to circumstances  - evolve - in small ways like fur density, but the origin of species is exactly what evolutionary theory cannot explain. The professor cites two lines of argument that convinced him of this.

1)  The "Cambrian Explosion" refers to the fossil record which shows new animal body plans emerging about half a billion years ago. According to Darwin's theory, these newly appearing animals should have very gradually appeared in history, with many transitional forms before them. But their transitional forms don't exist in pre-Cambrian fossil layers. The new animals exploded into history.

2)  New animal forms, i.e. new species, would require new animal-building instructions within cells. Since Darwin's theory came out (1859), molecular biology has revealed that random mutation cannot account for new proteins and DNA. Anyone of his day would have been utterly ignorant of this.

from "Giving Up Darwin"

(cont'd tomorrow)

Darwin failed 1

At Yale University there's a computer science professor, David Gelernter, who "is known for predicting the World Wide Web and has developed many complex computing tools over the years . . ."

Not a lightweight, he was called "one of the most brilliant and visionary computer scientists of our time" by the founder of Sun Microsystems.

He apparently thinks for himself (see last Friday's post) - which is surprising, because his work environment demands conformity. Diversity of race, gender, etc., is celebrated, but diversity of thought is out of line in the academic world.

Official dogma in the university world is Darwinism: the belief that all life on earth came about through natural selection and random genetic mutations.  A few think maybe God had a hand in it ( i.e. theistic evolution) but they are insignificant in that world.

Yet David Gelernter published an article in May entitled, "Giving Up Darwin." His conclusion is that "Darwin has failed."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Sex selective 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Unborn daughters are aborted in spite of laws forbidding it. The discrimination continues even after they are born. Little girls in India are 75% more likely to die than little boys.

Because of deadly gender bias and the subsequent societal imbalance of the sexes, girls are trafficked into forced marriage and prostitution with the attending violence.

"Gendercide in India must end. Invisible Girl Project is committed to shedding light on this atrocity, combatting it, and caring for its survivors."

Sex selective 1

About half a million girls are lost each year in India due to the practice of sex-selective abortion. About 111 boys are born for every 100 girls. The naturally occurring ratio of male babies to female babies born is 101 to 100.

Boys are preferred to girls. It's a pattern that also exists in China. The two most populous nations in the world have a significant excess of males to females. That's a problem.

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Long term, this imbalance between the sexes will mean millions of men may not ever marry. Female trafficking will increase.

This post is from a population analyst podcast about sex selective abortion in India here. Tomorrow: the Invisible Girl Project.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Dig into stuff

"According to a study published in Current Biology in 2015, children raised without religion tend to be kinder than children brought up in very religious households."

Seven universities cooperated in the study of 1200 children coming from Christian homes (24%), Muslim homes (47%), and non-religious homes (27%).

But according to this professor, the study's conclusion is out of sync with a "century of scholarly writing" and more recent studies.

Another study was published last February which tells this very different story: "religious adherents of all sorts are, in fact, far more connected and generous than their non-religious counterparts."

What should we believe? Can we believe everything we hear?

No. Pick some issue that's important or shocking to you, and look into it (at least read the links). Does the claim or the study make sense? Don't just believe it because media reported it. 

Today, maybe more than ever, you're going to have to think for yourself. Try to think things through.

Terrorists fail

Terrorists terrify. They go after civilians, non-combatants. They terrify people . . but do they succeed in their aims? Author Max Abrahms has studied that question and says, No.

Groups like AlQaeda and IS may get a lot of media attention for their attacks and temporary campaigns, and it may sound like they're succeeding. 

"But no outright terrorist groups have achieved anything like their goals. Al Qaeda did not drive the U.S. out of the Middle East. Quite the contrary. ISIS doesn’t have a caliphate, or much of anything anymore. Abrahms shows that the same is true of every group that leans on terrorism, instead of fighting military and government targets."

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"So why do groups do it?  . . Ugly human motives like bloodlust and revenge, for the most part. Gather angry young men hungry for status, to show off, or get the chance to kill, rape and steal. Then give them a “cause” that justifies it, and a terrorist group is in business. It might . . cause widespread chaos. What it won’t achieve is the stated goals its members allegedly are serving."