Viewing profile — woodandsteel

Ok, but that still doesn't answer my question of what specifically SpaceX did differently. For instance, you said bigger temperatures are needed and that is limited by existing mat…

Does anyone know what SpaceX did special in designing and building the Raptor that allows it to reach such a high pressure?

Top-level ev's like the Model 3 are already superior for most drivers. The only problem is cost, and that is being fixed in the coming years through steadily falling battery prices…

I guess you could make a case that, today, SLS is further along. But SpaceX is moving several times faster here than SLS, so in any case it is going to be up and flying regularly l…

So it looks like I was mistaken.

The effect of national policies vary according to region. But let me ask, what do you think causes homelessness?

That was one line of thought that lead to the rejection of the Enlightenment view of the powers of human reason, but there were others.

Here's some historical background. In the 19th century the West enjoyed an extraordinary period of peace, prosperity, and technological progress, all under the guidance of Enlighte…

He never stopped thinking about philosophical problems, and when he returned to academia his views had changed radically.

I brought in conservatism because homeless is in part due to national level policies. Conservatives and liberals agree on that.

The article presents the expert case for why hyperloop is doomed to fail. Normally in this sort of situation, I assume the experts are correct, but not in this case. Let me explain…

Conservatives explain homelessness as due to liberalism. They say this works two ways. In way, liberal values causes people to make poor life decisions that lead to them lose their…

Question: why is this called a supercapacitor, rather than just a standard one?

One of the reasons Musk is a genius is he can figure out these sorts of synergies.

This is too expensive and short range to sell in any significant numbers. That said, batteries are steadily becoming more energy-dense and less expensive. That means the proportion…

Good point, so maybe that's their motive.

The first stage is potentially reusable, but according to the Wikipedia article this has not been funded, so when it starts flying next year it will be expended. The thrusters are …

I have no idea whether or not Tesla's stock is over-priced. However, it is definitely more than an auto company. It has a solar division, and it make electricity storage systems fo…

Former interpersonal skills trainer here. The comments have a lot of good suggestions. I would like to reinforce the emphasis on listening, and the idea of practicing one skill unt…

When the ULA Vulcan was first announced, the plan was the engines, which are 90% of the cost of the first stage, would be recoverable and reusable. The idea was the engine section …

I recall at the time of the purchase some, I think it included Cringely, said that Red Hat culture was going to take over IBM and save it. Alas, it looks like that is not going to …

That's technically true, but it doesn't do anything to advance the discussion of the issues the article raises. In particular, I really doubt that anyone who read the article was m…

It may well be that hydrogen is the fuel of the future for airlines. The problem is that with the rate global climate change is happening, we can't wait decades for a solution. We …

I have far too many books to read. Could you perhaps give me a summary of his views?