The Off Topic Topic

[Tamas]

Bezo's trip wasn't a one-off.  There are two more Blue Origin space tourism launches scheduled for this year, and multiple launches per year for the foreseeable future.

Ok that's bad. Regardless of actual carbon output, it's not the kind of example highly influential people should be setting.

[Sheilbh]

Not convinced we should be pulling 15,000 year old viruses from Tibetan glaciers rn
https://gizmodo.com/15-000-year-old-viruses-were-pulled-from-a-tibetan-glac-1847335700

[Josquius]

I know a few gun owners so this is worrying.
But I did find it a bit interesting a story and worth some Americans seeing it. The whole guns for defence thing is just so utterly alien. You don't want to advertise you're armed at all.
BBC News - Gun owners' fears after firearms dealer data breach
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57932823

[Malthus]

I know a few gun owners so this is worrying.
But I did find it a bit interesting a story and worth some Americans seeing it. The whole guns for defence thing is just so utterly alien. You don't want to advertise you're armed at all.
BBC News - Gun owners' fears after firearms dealer data breach
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57932823

A breach like that would be less concerning in the US, as gun ownership is more common. The worry is that crooks would be able to selectively target gun owners from the list in the UK, and that this would be worth their while because guns are scarce there.

[Josquius]

Google's doodle today is pretty epic. An awesome anime and RPG.

[Sheilbh]

Obsessed with this footage from - I'd guess 1990 or 91 - drinks reception at the G7:
https://twitter.com/BenABrittain/status/1418332360903315459?s=20

I think those dates because John Major's around and Ted Heath is talking about Saddam and Tariq Aziz. I feel like this could be used in future histories to demonstrate what "the West" or the world at the end of history was.

Also particularly striking is Ted Heath talking over the Queen because while she might be the Queen she is still a woman Although the Queen gets some revenge by saying Ted Heath can go to Baghdad because he's expendable (twice)

[Syt]

Yeah, talking over the Queen seems like a big no no. Though Lizzie seemed pretty chill and relaxed.

[Sheilbh]

Also God help that poor man trapped with Prince Charles

Edit: Gianni de Michelis apparently.

[FunkMonk]

Tony Hawk's portrait in the National Portrait Gallery (from 1999, shortly after he did the 900 in competition.)

This is the ultimate "Dad" picture 

Mom slaving away with the dishes and holding baby while dad is doing kickflips off the kitchen counter.

[Josquius]

Those kickflips put food on the table!

[Syt]

I like his Twitter stories of people kinda recognizing him but not really.

[mongers]

Jeff Bezos now confirmed as pre-eminent passenger of planet Earth.

I know its in fashion to disguise envy as moralist concern for inequality and hate on these on-paper super rich people, but if I had that much money I would also totally build my own space ship.

See Garbon's comment in reply to your post.

What I was actually getting at, seems to have been picked up by NASA:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57950149

In a move that pours cold water on the dreams of a few billionaire space explorers, the US has tightened its definition of the word "astronaut".

New Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules say astronaut hopefuls must be part of the flight crew and make contributions to space flight safety.

That means Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson may not yet be astronauts in the eyes of the US government.

These are the first changes since the FAA wings programme began in 2004.

The Commercial Astronaut Wings programme updates were announced on Tuesday - the same day that Amazon's Mr Bezos flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket to the edge of space.

To qualify as commercial astronauts, space-goers must travel 50 miles (80km) above the Earth's surface, which both Mr Bezos and Mr Branson accomplished.

But altitude aside, the agency says would-be astronauts must have also "demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety".

What exactly counts as such is determined by FAA officials.

In a statement, the FAA said that these changes brought the wings scheme more in line with its role to protect public safety during commercial space flights.

Hence my implied 'passengers, not crew' comment.

[grumbler]

I'm sorta doubting that the US retroactive ruling will matter much to space tourism.  Virgin and Blue Origin will just give out their own astronaut pins, and no one will know that they differ from the US government's.  I mean, who on this forum has actually seen somebody wearing a NASA astronaut pin?

[PDH]

I had a plastic one when I was little!

[Razgovory]

Some asshole keeps breaking into my car.  This is the third time in two months! Fortunately, I have nothing worth stealing.  The burglar seems to have understood this too because he left me a note chiding me for wasting his time.