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McDonald's Rick and Morty Szechuan Sauce Stunt Backfires
Fabulous news out of Dallas and Miami!
Folks, let's give a big hand to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag. And to Adam Gase, owner of the Miami Dolphins, who is telling his players to stand. "Stand for Anthem or sit for game!" I'm counting on Roger Goodell to do the right thing when he meets with the owners next week! And end this disrespect to Flag, Anthem & Country. #StandForOurAnthem
Uncle Dick - World Class Pyromaniac
(This post is unrelated to the ongoing topics of audio, video, networking and electronics. This post is a personal addendum to a SoylentNews book review.)
An unexpected bonus from reading Ignition - An Informal History Of Liquid Rocket Propellants by Dr. John D. Clark was a possible family connection. I could never place "Uncle Dick" in my family tree. Perhaps he was an honorary relative. Perhaps my redneck family crashed a wedding or something. Regardless, I've had a first-hand account of wire-guided missile development and a first-hand explanation of the criteria for a supersonic airframe. Until reading Ignition, I assumed these were unrelated developments. However, I now understand these topics to be part of a Cold War weapon development program.
I may have the details wrong but "Uncle Dick" was a junior member of a team who had access to a military firing range for one week. They had some surplus tanks from World War 2 which were in moderate condition. Someone at the hot end of the range (crazy people) rigged each tank so that it would drive itself across the range while the rest of team fired at it. He said that being paid to destroy tanks with his own design of rocket launcher was one of the best working weeks of his life. Within my family, he had a reputation for being a pyromaniac due to his account of this and other incidences.
When he said to me that the launcher had a spool of wire, I thought that he was another distant relative with a dry sense of humor. Surely, it is best to fire where the tank will be. This would be the shortest and fastest route. However, distance and fuel conservation aren't concerns. Furthermore, a wire-guided missile allows an infantry grunt to trivially adjust the direction of a missile to compensate for changes to the target's speed after the missle has been fired. This is such a useful concept that it was further developed into the laser-guided weapon.
I may have the details wrong but "Uncle Dick" was a more senior member of a team which developed aerospace grade titanium. A supersonic aircraft requires a large block of titanium to be extruded. This eliminates welding. This increases strength. It also provides another essential property. A titanium frame must have zero air bubbles and zero water bubbles. This cannot be guaranteed if there is welding. The problem is quite severe. When an aircraft goes supersonic, friction from the air may cause oxygen in an air or water bubble to catalyze with titanium. A cavity to the exterior would cause a runaway reaction. The end result would be a very large firework and a dead crew.
When I last saw "Uncle Dick", he said that the first person to solve the semiconductor heating problem would be a trillionaire. Since then, I've keenly followed reversible computing and quantum computing.
Weinstein Accused of Rape
Harvey Weinstein Accused of Rape in New Yorker Exposé
From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories
Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Others Say Weinstein Harassed Them
Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades
Harvey Weinstein gives first interview after shocking sex harassment claims
Did somebody say Paltrow?
I proclaim today as #ColumbusDay!
Congress, who I love, has asked me to create a holiday to honor Christopher Columbus. Columbus was a great guy, who made America European and discovered syphilis. Which is why I own 25% of Goodyear Tire & Rubber. Enjoy! t.co/cbQRst4lN4
Las Vegas Shooter: Stone Cold Vampyr
Very proud of @VP Pence!
@VP Pence is receiving great praise. I asked him to leave the Colts-49ers game on Sunday if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country. I am very, very, very proud of him and @SecondLady Karen. STANDING UP & LEAVING for our flag, national anthem & country! #NFLBoycott #BoycottNFL #BoycottTheNFL #USA
Terrific rally in Charlottesville tonight!
A big hand to my beautiful, beautiful white nationalists and especially to @RichardBSpencer! He is a credit to his race. Terrific rally in Charlottesville tonight! Without all those problems from the alt-left. Because it was a "flash mob." Very smart move, amazing job, Richard! I have to tell you, it makes you very proud to be an American when you see the job that they've done. Protecting our statues, our heritage, our history, the culture of our great country. The only message I can say is that we're with you 100 percent. #MAGA
Calm Before the Storm
What Did President Trump Mean by ‘Calm Before the Storm’?
President Trump was clearly looking to make some kind of news, but about what, exactly, was not clear. And the mystery, as it often does with a president whose statements baffle even his staff, only deepened the next day.
On Thursday evening, the White House told the presidential press corps that Mr. Trump was done with his public schedule for the day. But around 7 p.m., Mr. Trump summoned reporters who were still at work to the State Dining Room, where he was throwing a dinner for military commanders and their spouses.
Gesturing to his guests, he said, “You guys know what this represents? Maybe it’s the calm before the storm.”
“What’s the storm?” asked one reporter.
“Could be the calm before the storm,” Mr. Trump repeated, stretching out the phrase, a sly smile playing across his face.
“From Iran?” ventured another reporter. “On ISIS? On what?”
“What storm, Mr. President?” asked a third journalist, a hint of impatience creeping into her voice.
As the generals shifted from foot to foot, Mr. Trump brought the game of 20 Questions to an end. He praised his beribboned guests as the “world’s great military people” and excused the stymied reporters, who returned to their workstations to start another round of: What was the president talking about?
By Friday, the White House was still unable to shed light on the matter; several of Mr. Trump’s aides said they had no idea what the president meant. But the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, wanted to make one thing clear: Mr. Trump wasn’t just teasing his favorite antagonists. He was sending a message.
“I wouldn’t say that he’s messing with the press,” Ms. Sanders told reporters. “I think we have some serious world issues here. I think that North Korea, Iran both continue to be bad actors, and the president is somebody who’s going to always look for ways to protect Americans, and he’s not going to dictate what those actions may look like.”
Suddenly, Mr. Trump’s preprandial banter took on an ominous tone. Maybe he was foreshadowing war with North Korea, which he has already threatened with “fire and fury” if the reclusive country aimed its missiles at the United States. Or perhaps he was predicting a clash with Iran, a week before he is expected to disavow the nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama.
“He certainly doesn’t want to lay out his game plan for our enemies,” Ms. Sanders declared.
Thank you to the BRAVE servicemen killed in Niger!
Thank you to the BRAVE servicemen in my Africa Command who served, and gave their lives in service of the United States in Niger -- our true HEROES! Very important to RESPECT our National Anthem. Something ungrateful NFL players have yet to learn. #StandForOurAnthem pic.twitter.com/czutyGaMQV
