Potpourri LXXXVII

Let's see, what's out there today? Oh yeah, a weird world. Let's surf together, shall we?

Dar the Science Cheerleader talks about a citizen science workshop at Chicago's Adler Planetarium. Huzzah!

Our British cousins are calling for a debate on the use of autonomous robots capable of killing without a human order. About bloody time. Friendly fire never is, but who do you blame if the machine does it? Whom do you hold liable?

Speaking of robots, here's their warmer, fuzzier side: companion robots.

The Down Under Defense Expert (DUDE) has another weekend sojourn recommendation (so far he's about 8 for 10): this time, a fly-in for Beechcraft airplanes in Tullahoma.

Taylor Dinerman reviews the potholes in space law and policy. Also on The Space Review, my buddy and fellow space geek Pete Garretson analyzes the requirements of space policy.

Another good take on the Augustine Panel. Keep an eye on the public meetings August 5 and 12. That's where we might learn where the Panel will take us. At least we'll know a little more before their report comes out at the end of the month.

New from Hu:

• Lockheed's Aegis ballistic missile defense system has destroyed additional targets. Good timing, because...
• Iran might be a year away from building a nuclear weapon.

Another plane had a bad day on the way from Brazil to somewhere else. Wonder how long before someone blames it on global warming producing stronger thunderstorms.

A good article from The New York Times on how and why we visit museums and what we continue to get out of them. Food for thought as my countdown to museum overload continues.

No doubt there's more excitement out there, but that's it for now.

Potpourri XVI

I must put my DoD budget analysis on hold again. Dog ate my homework, what can I say?

I also owe Darlene the Science Cheerleader a blog on reviving the Office of Technology Assessment. In the meantime, you can check out Dar's original entry on this petition. You can also check here and here for my earlier entries on this topic. Given all the other silliness in Washington, a calm, sober group of analysts providing sage advice on science and technology issues sounds like a good idea.

Oh yeah, and I decided to spend my tax refund on a Kindle 2 with case. I'm expecting to take delivery on Monday. I'll write a product review once I've had a chance to work with the toy a bit.

This looks like something to write while drinking a glass or two of wine: a winery is holding a contest to write the blurb on the back of their latest label. The catch? The name of the wine is Rocket Science.

OpenNASA has a new posting on reinventing NASA.

7,000 uranium centrifuges in Iran, and so Obama wants to convene nuclear arms talks with them.

A Rasmussen Poll states that only 53% of Americans think capitalism is better than socialism.

An NSS blog on a Catch-22 in space development.

Fox News reports on NASA cost overruns.

The Pentagon played an economic war game recently--and the results were not promising.

President Obama's new science advisor talks about many issues with Science, including space and NASA.

This is an interesting site: you can track this guy's GPS position as he climbs Mt. Everest.

Obama and North Korea

Anyone else find it a little odd that President Obama has decided to play it tough with North Korea over their missile program? This from a guy who criticized Bush for being too much of a unilateralist? A cowboy, if you will? Since the early years of the Clinton administration, the U.S. has engaged in six-party talks with Kim Jong-Il (N. Korea, S. Korea, Japan, China, Russia, and us). The talks have been multilateral, and the work has been pursued without violence or "cowboy diplomacy." It has also been an utter failure, just like the negotiations Europe has tried to pursue with Iran.

We talk and we talk and we talk. And then we bargain and offer incentives and carrots, and talk some more. The North Koreans listen and smile and talk back, and occasionally make promises and temporary gestures regarding their nuclear program. But then they go right back to doing what they damn well please, restarting their nuke plants and building and testing nuclear weapons. We know they've been building long-range rockets, and are poised to launch another one, perhaps as early as this weekend. Diplomacy has failed, despite years of castigating Bush for not using diplomacy enough.

And now Obama is out there threatening North Korea. Why the sudden urge to look tough? Is it because Obama hopes to "look tough" with some smaller opponent he thinks we can beat while giving over our financial sovereignty to other, stronger nations? I don't honestly know. But nuclear war on top of our current financial crisis is another way not to improve the general situation of the country. With any luck, this rocket will blow up like the other one, and we'll get another six- or twelve-month breathing space. But what happens if it doesn't? Well, then I guess we'll see what Barack Obama really is made of, and what his actions will do to or for this country.